Someone asked for a Hazuki vs. Shimao fight last week?
It was one of those plot twists that I should've seen coming, but like Hazuki I completely bought into taking everything he was seeing at face value as well. I guess that's what happens when you underestimate the supernatural. That reveal throws everything we were shown in that world into doubt, and even a while after I was done watching this episode I was still second-guessing all the fairy tale symbolism I'd been paying attention to. The sentiment "he really does want her to be free" sticks out in particular, since Shimao's actions directly contradict that statement.
A lot of my lingering questions were explained; know we know why Shimao seemed to transform into a younger Rokka before possessing Hazuki, and why not-Rokka had a surprisingly up-to-date knowledge on what was going on. It also explains her unwavering dedication to her "prince," but since it was all created by Shimao, its just an illusion of how he wants her to be. Like I've said before, real life is far more complicated than fairy tales, and Rokka can make her own decisions, including leaving the past behind. "Leave her out of your ego" indeed.
The lines have been drawn, but honestly not much has changed from the first episode in terms of the hate the two men have for each other. What has changed is the amount of context that we have for Shimao's situation and Hazuki's maturity as well as the literal role reversal of their situations. Hazuki had all the right answers in this episode, from telling Shimao that Rokka was not a possession to deciding that he was going to keep trying, not just for love, but for life.
I had an interesting conversation the other day about grief and how we deal with it. We agreed that everyone grieves differently, but that you do have to get to a point where you can still function and live your life without guilt or regret. No, the pain never leaves, but learning how to cope with it an carry it with you is exactly how people get stronger. There isn't life without loss. By that same token, dwelling on the fear of death isn't going to get you far either. Why not enjoy every day you have as much as you can instead?
Dwelling on death while a person is alive and then having regrets about what you could've done but didn't is like indulging in a kind of fantasy, and Shimao illustrates this beautifully. I've been a Shimao apologist for most of this season, and I still am, even after this episode. His character is a product of great writing, the antagonist whose reasoning you understand and sympathize with, yet you can't forgive his selfishness. As limited as it was, he had his time with Rokka. To try and steal someone else's life is the most selfish and indulgent thing he could have done.
However, I'm still not completely sure if Shimao's intent really is to make Hazuki take his place. There were odd moments, like him saying that the rice balls were a good last meal, that made me think that perhaps he's been testing Hazuki all this time; it's a test he doesn't think Hazuki can pass, but he's pushing him to the limit anyway. His threat about taking Rokka to the afterlife with him has
come up in a different way before, but I don't think he'll actually go through with it. He needs to hear from Rokka herself that she's moved on, and then they can get rid of the plant and whatever its supposed to represent. At least, I hope that's where this is going.
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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