Humanity Has Declined Episode 11--So Ronery

Even with all the interesting topics brought up in this episode, I still couldn't get this song out of my head.




Maybe it's just because of the drama surrounding another currently airing show as well as other news stories in Japan, but this episode's focus on bullying seemed very timely to me, as well as in keeping with the larger themes the series has presented. With its main argument doubling as its title, Jintai has already proven its argument in a big-picture way with the rise and fall of a country within two weeks and the creation of a religion centered around giving out names. In this final arc, so far it's succeeding just as well in the small picture by focusing on a younger Watashi who doesn't want to be left alone.

The episode is also an interesting character study in how it shows that yes, she's always been this way. Even before the bullying starts, she still shows the dry humor and cynicism that has defined her character throughout the entire show. When she encounters the lock on her door (put there by Y), she just sighs and treats it as if that treatment was expected. The cynicism is honed to a fine point throughout this episode, but it clearly existed even before she was sent to the school. I wonder if that has anything to do with her absent parents, since it's mentioned that Grandfather is the one who sent her to school. I don't know if we'll ever get an answer about that though.

But the idea that she expected to be ostracized because of her status as a new student in a lower grade is interesting. A lot this mirrors typical childhood behavior; there was a lot to relate to in this episode, since I think all of us have had to deal with kids like the ones portrayed in this episode at some point. However, when you put the setting into context here, it becomes a lot more than just kids acting like jerks to each other. The world is falling apart; the "new humanity" is rising, and we already know from the other episodes that Watashi will be part of the school's last graduating class before the whole thing is shut down. Kids, I imagine, are few and far between, and probably had no idea how to deal with each other until they were dropped into this "free-for-all," as Watashi calls it. They've probably been conditioned to be wary of anything different, for their own safety (probably as opposed to teaching them something worthwhile, like how to catch a chicken).




Anyway, even with the bullying, it's interesting to see how much of Watashi's situation is caused by her refusal to really do anything about it; she mostly just takes it. She directs most of her anger at the girl who she decides is the mastermind because she happens to be kind. She's told to "clean up her mess" (an interesting repetition) when she could've easily told the teacher what really happened. She adopts a "me against the world" mentality, and, once again, I think it was caused by something outside the school.

When she reaches her breaking point by crying and saying that she really doesn't want to be alone, I was really struck by that image. Is humanity's refusal to come together (wars, religion, etc.) causing the decline? A nameless kid surrounded by bones and crying over loneliness seemed like the metaphorical "final image" of the human race. If I'm right in assuming this, then that's the darkest the series has ever gotten. For there, I'm not really sure what to make of it; it's clear that the fairy did something to promote Watashi's sudden interest in making sweets (which she carries into the future) but how (and how aware Watashi is of it) remains unanswered.

I also don't know what to make of the club at the end of the episode, although the first question ("How do I quit?") was hilarious. While a lot of the show has been a satire on mistakes, there are flashes of optimism here and there, so I wonder if the final episode will tap into that. The younger Watashi is easily the most cynical we've seen her, as opposed to making those observations but not really caring (ex: "Meetings accomplish nothing"). I wonder if the fairies and/or her new friends end up blunting that a bit. It would be nice for the show to end on a positive note, although I guess it's just as likely that we'll get another pun. It'll probably define the way the adaptation is interpreted. Is it a dismal look at the future, a warning, or a note of optimism that things will work out? Or is it all just a joke?

Images from Crunchyroll.com.