Heavenly Delusion – 12 – Expulsion from Paradise

Trigger Warning: This episode included a depiction of sexual assault. Viewer and reader discretion is advised.

I couldn’t really tell you what Tokio’s weird alternate universe dream was about, only that it was very unsettling and set the mood perfectly for an episode dedicated to taking everyone—both its characters and us—far out of out comfort zone. This episode expertly and utterly destroys what little order and normalcy existed previously.

Immediately after Tokio’s dream. Mimihime & Co.’s normal lunch by what looks like a concerted cyber and physical attack on the facility. The walls of this incubator of gifted children are finally crumbling from an outside they’ve never seen. Heaven has been breached, and will never be the same.

Kiruko and Maru’s side of the story starts out as normally as the Heaven kids’ lunch, until they find themselves in the biggest settlement they’ve ever seen, so big that the word town is the more accurate word to describe it. And at first, our duo is elated. Proper civilization at last!

They don’t even mind the red tape they have to cut through in order to gain official access to the town’s credit chip-based economy, because those baroque bureaucratic systems are itself both a relief and a novelty to two who have had so little. And then Kiruko learns Inazaki Robin is in that town, and schedules a meeting.

From that point onward, Maru notices a change in Kiruko; they’re talking to themself more. Kiruko has to go see Robin, and apparently they have to go alone. Maru doesn’t mind; to him, it seems like a quick errand from which she’ll be back in a jiffy. I’m still sure a part of him is weary of the two of them separating, and not just because Kiruko is technically his bodyguard.

Kiruko does not walk, but run to the filtration plant where Robin apparently works, and upon catching sight of him, they beam as their eyes tear up and their hair sways in the wind. It’s a classic “beautiful reunion” image, juxtaposed with Robin’s reaction to seeing Kiruko: a combination of fear, disgust, and something even worse.

The moment Kiruko and Maru separated, I knew things were going to take a turn. Robin’s face confirmed it.

Speaking of taking a turn, Takahara’s director is apparently crushed in the rubble after hopping out of her wheelchair like Dr. Strangelove and trying to make a run for it. The kids are on their own, and to their credit, Mimihime and her fellow older kids exhibit exemplary calm under such circumstances. But once the little ones are safe, they investigate the hole in the wall.

Kiruko’s reunion with Robin is lit beautifully just as Kiruko was upon laying eyes on Robin. Kiruko is going a mile a minute with things they want to say, but Robin urges them to cool down, they can take their time talking. They do, and they learn what became of Robin and how he came to become a key player in the restoration of civilization.

When Robin offers use of a bath to Kiruko, it seems oddly timed. I was so young and innocent when he first offered it, too. So was Kiruko. They break down with relief in the tub as the shower ticks their back with tiny droplets. They were so scared, for so long, but now everything is going to be okay.

The imagery of this entire episode is stunning in its thematic resonance. Just as Kiruko appears through the crack in the door, creating a slight pillar of light in the darkness, the Heaven kids are emerging from the darkness into the outside of the outside, the ceiling of which is dizzyingly high.

For a moment, Mimihime is afraid of falling up, so unaccustomed is she to being outdoors. Fortunately Shiro is there to cushion her fall backwards, and she is compelled to reach up into the sky at that seeming infiniteness. Contrast this with Kiruko’s rapidly diminishing freedom and welfare in one of the darkest moments I can recall watching in an anime.

Robin took away Kiruko’s clothes on purpose so he could lure them into a room and then handcuff them naked to a bed. Robin, who has either become quite the evil son of a bitch or was always this way, decides to conduct an “experiment” consisting of forcing the Haruki inside Kiruko…to watch his sister’s reflection in a mirror as Robin rapes them. Just…Jesus.

In hindsight, the warning signs and red flags were all there. I was even aware of them as things started to get dark. But nothing could have prepared me for the abject misery of this scene, especially how cruelly it combines a moment of attaining great freedom—as Mimihime does—with the worst moment of Kiruko’s life.

Not only are they being assaulted, but the perpetrator was their greatest hero, the person that inspired propelled them in everything they did. Well, Inazaki Robin is a monster far more terrifying than the deadliest Hiruko. I simply don’t know where anyone goes from here, or what comes next. All the walls have crumbled and fallen.

 

RABUJOI WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Hell’s Paradise – 11 – Fruit of Weak, Seed of Strong

The Doshi believed he had destroyed Choubei’s throat and killed him, but Choubei is no longer entirely human, thanks in part (probably) to his brief stint in the pit of vines and flowers. His throat regenerates, and when the Doshi breaks his arms, they heal as well. More importantly, Choubei can now clearly see the Doshi’s source of power: his Tao.

All the Doshi can do is protest that this must be impossible, as Choubei’s Tao continues to grow with his understanding. He even asks how Choubei can take this sudden transformation in such stride. Choubei, of course, is no stranger to change, or pain. As long as he can protect Touma, he’s good. But Touma is worried…is Choubei really okay? Probably not!

Meanwhile at the riverbed, Gabimaru continues to hack and slash at monsters with Mei on his shoulder uttering iterations of “strong-weak, yes, strong-strong, no.” Then a Doshi arrives and scoops Mei up in his cape. Without thinking, or rather, thinking about his wife, Gabimaru repositions himself between the Doshi and Mei.

He doesn’t know why he did this, or why he “hasn’t been himself” since coming to this island, but for now he’s just going to go with it. Even if Mei isn’t human, he doesn’t want anyone to make her cry. If he did, his wife would surely be cross with him.

The Doshi reveals he’s with a second Doshi, one in command of the butterflies and the other the centipedes. They also speak of the final step in training in Tao mastery, which involves sexual congress, specifically with Mei. Only the Tensen possess both yin and yang, which is why they can switch between the sexes.

The two Doshi are only yang, while Mei, an imperfect Tensen who was cast out for being only yin, is meant to be their “training partner”. It’s clear Mei wants nothing to do with them. In fact, the Doshi dig their own graves by being so crass about their intentions. There’s still the matter of being able to accurately read their invisible attacks.

Thankfully for both convicts, it’s Fushi who cracks Mei’s word game: they must learn to embrace both the weak and the strong. So far they’ve only been going strong, which is ineffective when fighting against Tao. A switch goes off in Gabimaru’s head, with this realization synching up with his years of tireless training in what was Tao by any other name, or at least half of it.

Now that he embraces the weak, the yin, of Tao, he can not only sense it to the point he can dodge and negate the Doshis’ attacks, but also better understands how Sagiri can waver and move forward and fight at the same time. He and Gantetsusai defeat the two Doshi, just as Sagiri & Co. reach and walk through the gates of Horai, where they’re “welcomed” by the Tensen Mu Dan casualy beheading Houko.

While Gabimaru is confident he’s attained the same level as the Tensen with his embrace of both the strong and weak, it remains to be seen how long, if at all, Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta will be able to hold out.

TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You – S2 11 – The Light That Never Fades

Tsukasa, Nasa, and their assembled friends are treated to a sumptuous BBQ that spares no expense. But Tokiko confesses there’s something she wants the happy couple to indulge her in as payment. Turns out this is a surprise wedding reception! 

With technical help from Nakiri, Kaname produced a video using totally unrelated photos of Tsukasa and Nasa to tell the story of how they met and got married. When asked to take the stage and give a speech, an initially nervous Nasa rises to the occasion, as expected.

After his speech, Kaname has a wedding cake rolled out, and fits Tsukasa with a veil, a single item that instantly makes her look like a bride. After cutting and eating the cake, Nasa gives everyone a tour of the night sky, demonstrating his encyclopedic knowledge of stars and constellations.

Knowing that this might be a bit dry for some (like Aya) Tsukasa breaks out the fireworks. Chitose is the only one who doesn’t take the bait, but Kaname still ensures Tsukasa and Nasa get some alone time. Before that, however, Tokiko takes Nasa aside.

In casually asking him about how married life is, she also apologizes for being the one who asked Tsukasa to wait two years before reuniting with him. That said, the fact he waited for her proved to Tokiko that Nasa was indeed the person to make Tsukasa’s longstanding wish come true.

With that, Nasa wanders to the waterside, where Tsukasa is resplendent in the light of the full moon positioned directly above Fuji-san. Tokiko told Nasa to ask Tsukasa about what she thinks about why people get married, so he does, and Tsukasa doesn’t disappoint.

She may be incredibly long-lived, but in that time she knows that everyone (else) eventually dies, no matter how rich or famous or accomplished they become in life. She’s seen it over and over again.

That said, she believes people get married because unlike their lives, their love is something eternal and enduring. So it is with Tsukasa and Nasa. She may well outlive Nasa, but their marriage transcends mortal bonds. It’s a light that will never fade.

With that sweet, beautiful, romantic sentiment expressed, the two retire to the special secluded glamping tent Kaname had prepared for them. In this tent is a gigantic king-size bed, and under the circumstances, Nasa wants to fool around with his wife. It’s only natural; the night felt like the reception to their wedding for which they never had a public ceremony.

A wedding night is classically the time when a wedding gets consummated, but with all his book smarts and cleverness, Nasa laments that there’s no surefire manual or guide for inviting one’s wife to the bed. So instead, like countless other couples before them, they’ll simply have to bashfully figure it out on the fly.