Impression:
…Frankly speaking, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this episode. I have a lot of mixed feelings mainly because I had a lot of trouble keeping my focus on it. If the show captivates me enough to have my attention, I won’t be distracted, but today it didn’t do that. Instead of being glued to the screen, my eyes were wandering elsewhere, such as checking my nails, adjusting my splints repeatedly and re-arranging my pens on my desk. While this episode did have interesting tidbits, it was also extremely boring to me. Sure there was action; some answers, only along with more questions and character’s motives still up in the air. One of the things that annoyed me is that a part of me still doesn’t trust Izumi. Sure she confirmed to us today that she deliberately chose Mirai for this mission to slay the Beyond the Boundary youmu, and claims it’s her duty to protect the world from the Beyond the Boundary, but even so- I actually had a hard time buying it despite the fact I do understand now why Beyond the Boundary is such a threat and even more so now that Miroku is giving it a power boost.
Speaking of the power boost, what a dangerous game Miroku is playing here. The Beyond the Boundary already quite a terrifying, monstrous threat that definitely looks more than capable of wrecking havoc around the world. Hell, one of it’s side-effects of being about on its own is that it’s absorbing both youmu and the spirit world warriors powers (we knows this because Hiromi mentioned that his powers must be weakening because he doesn’t have to wear his scarf to keep him warm). Only it’s effect became even more powerful and started pulling up thousands of youmus in the city (including Ai and Ayaka who may have been safer indoors). I hope that we will learn the reasons why Miroku is doing all of this besides wanting to witness the world burn to the ground and/or acting like a mad scientist who wants to see the legendary monster at its full power regardless of the risks that comes with it.
Akihito on the other hand discovers the stone in their club room was part of both part of him and the Beyond the Boundary youmu. I don’t entirely understand what happened, but I can only guess by the look of it that he got his youmu powers back because he was able to absorb it back into his body making him a half youmu again. I will laugh if in the end, Akihito is to keep the Beyond the Boundary youmu within him by serving as a container to prevent it from wrecking havoc again, or perhaps they really will kill it off, but how knows at this point. As for Akihito’s immortality status, we will find out soon enough whether its effect will come back now that he’s a hybrid again.
I honestly wished that we were told how Akihito mothers knows about Mirai’s status in the other world and all that jazz. While it is very well be a story for another day, it still irked me. Izumi was already enough of a mystery, I don’t need answer character that knows all this shit and won’t say how she knows it.
Last but not least, it was definitely nice to see Mirai having a new perspective on her life and powers. Instead of identifying her abilities as cursed, she acknowledges that it has the power to save people from dangerous youmu like the Hollow Shadow and the Beyond the Boundary. Sweet character development right there.
And that’s all I’m going to say this week. I hope next week’s episode will be better.
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I agree with you about how Yayoi knowing everything with no legitimate explanation is really annoying. I hope they’ll give us an explanation about how she knows these thing without using the “just cuz” clause. >_>
As for Miroku, judging by his dialogue about the KnK being the essence of collective human hatred makes me think he might have some personal vendetta against the Nase, and he’s using KnK to destroy their clan without any regard to the collateral damage KnK would inflict on the world. If he does have some history with the Nase I wish they’d hint at that earlier rather than play on it in the last two episodes, but even that’s preferable over him just being an evil villain archetype who just wants to watch the world burn for the heck of it.
As for Izumi…I donno, I still don’t feel like she’s the end boss. Sure she comes across as being cold and ruthlessly pragmatic, but I’m not really getting the evil vibe from her like I am with Miroku. Things might still change in the last episode, but I just have this gut feeling that while her methods are questionable her intentions are indeed for the greater good.
But despite all of these issues that I have with the show I like the character development Mirai and Akihito have been getting in the last two episodes. I’m really intrigued what will happen to Akihito now that he’s partially restored his partial youmu side. XD;; Judging by how beaten up and scratched up he is when he finally found Mirai inside of KnK he’s no longer immortal (i.e. his wounds aren’t healing at a supernatural rate). But after he reabsorbed part of KnKhis right hand did transform into that of his youmu form, and that makes me think (and hope!) he’ll have some powers and can do more than shout “Kuriyama-san!” for the duration of the last episode.
I really want to see Akihito kick some ass with those badass youmu powers as well, otherwise I would probably find the conclusion to be underwhelming.