Well this episode did a lot of things, first and foremost it did it’s job and hyped me up for this final arc. It also explained Isozaki’s attitude back during episode six and mended the rift it caused between him and Kougami. It also made me love Isozaki more then I already did, despite the bad first impression of him you get in episode six.

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This episode is a lot about Isozaki, how he became a plant enthusiast after losing one of his students. To fill the void left behind, I think he felt it was his responsibility as a teacher to protect her and he failed in that. OH MY GOD, I just remembered the reason he was at the festival at all in episode six was to watch over the students that would be in attendance. So he wouldn’t lose another student.
I want to hug him so much all of the sudden.

So anyway, we also see the guy that sold the poisonous painting to Utsumi’s friend. Hanabusa, or as most of us know him as, the butterfly guy from the opening. Two former students of Isozaki’s, friends of the girl who had previously vanished are involved with him.
One of them has gone missing and the other one, well the other one I’m not entirely sure what her state of mind is. All I really know is that she seems to be completely enamored with him and the idea of ‘becoming a butterfly’ for him.

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Which I think I means kill herself? I mean, that’s what i get out of the idea of ‘breaking out of your chrysalis’ or in other words, our human shells? Hitoe also is on her way to becoming a butterfly and is enamored with Hanabusa. She ran away from her home and left her parents with no clues as to where she was or where she was going.
Took her cell phone but is only contacting Hanabusa.

What’s Sakurako’s connection to this case? Why is she interested in it? The ending dialogue that Shoutaro said has me worried. What’s Hanabusa’s aim? Next up, part two of “The Butterfly vanished in November”, is it wrong of me at all to hope that they don’t catch him in the next episode?
What’s the last episode going to be about? Was Hanabusa related to the death of Sakurako’s cats? Her brother? So many questions, not enough answers.

~Midnight