tungwene said: This was by far the most coherent episode in the series! What's happening to this show? Where did things go wrong! ^^'
/jk
Okay, serious mode now. This episode was the least surreal so far. I was a little bored by last episode, which I think most people enjoyed more than the first episode, because it explained what was going on more except they were mostly things I'd already inferred on my own from just the first episode. I guess it's because I watch too much anime for my own good because I didn't find episode one that confusing at all. But this episode actually moved the story along while.
Masayuki has been bothering me for a time so I'm glad we're given some more insight into his character. At best he's a rude busybody, at worst an intelligent bully who knows he get away with the way he treats people because the average well adjusted Japanese is too well behaved and polite to tell him to shove off. Now that I've seen this episode I've come to the conclusion Masayuki is very broken and pitiful person. He's missing something that most normal people have that let them recognize emotional cues in other people. I think he acts the way he does because he can't recognize other people's discomfort so he'll just keep pushing the limits of his bad behavior until that person finally pushes back and does something that clearly indicates to him to stop, like threatening to kill him. I think he's missing this crucial element because the traumatic experience he went through at his old school forced him to bury that piece of himself somewhere so he doesn't have to deal with all the scary emotions caused by the trauma. As we can see, when his phobia is triggered he literally comes apart.
Masayuki is also a compulsive liar. I'm pretty sure his explanation that he transfered here because his dad works in the area is a lie, or at least a white lie. His parents are clearly separated (though it's possible his mom is dead) and it's true his dad works there but I don't think that's why Masayuki also decided to move here as well. I think he was forced to transfer here because of what happened at his old school. He's using his dad's job as an explanation for his transfer. I don't think he intended to come live with his dad until the thing at his old school left him with no choice but to leave. He doesn't seem to like his dad.
But the biggest lie is the lie he tells himself. Masayuki is not afraid of heights. He is afraid of anything that reminds him of the incident at his old school and since it was a death resulting from jumping off of a roof he's terrified of looking down from a high place. He also seems to be afraid of looking up from the ground at high places too which has nothing to do with a fear of heights yet for some reason it causes the same reaction in him.
Don't get me wrong, I think Masayuki's a great character, a very messed up and interesting great character. He's still a prick though.
Sorry if that came out all long and incoherent. It's 4am where I am and I can't fall asleep.
I agree with BlueYoshi, it's a very good post, considering it's a 4-am rant. You've just explained, in great detail, the reasons as to why I'm interested with Masayuki.
Re: fear of heights, I think being at high places triggers his recall of the 'traumatic' experience he had, so that every time he looks down from a great height, there's an emotional/mental imprint of what he felt when he 'killed someone'. I'm acrophobic as well, but saying that it's a fear of heights is just a shorthand to my actual fear. Whenever I'm in very high places, I have a bit of a curious urge to jump down and at the same time, deadly scared of falling down. It's weird, but I can climb very high places confidently but getting back down is another matter. =_=
Hmm... I'm glad that we got to know more about Masayuki's and Tarou's 'fears', given that the episode title is Phobia Exposure. We haven't learned much about Makoto yet though, so looking forward to that (btw, he looks hot while guitar-playing <3).
I would never have guessed that he and Tarou are related. It adds an interesting dimension to their story as well.^^ I wonder, were they friends or close before the accident?
And darn, what a great cliffhanger! Can't wait to see what's next. |