Back to the parlor room where The Summation has taken place... By the way, I really doubt the assertion that it happened at midnight. Hideyoshi's murder happened around 14:00 : why would Erika wait so long ? (There's a limit to her flair for the dramatic.) Also, it must have taken quite some time to go through all those explanations, and we all know what happens at midnight...
Anyway, I hadn't noticed yet that they were now explaining the bodies' disappearance with Grampa doing it. Again, that's a low blow.
By now, Natsuhi can't take it anymore, and confesses. No, not to the weekend massacre : to killing that baby from the orphanage and the servant nursing him, 19 years ago. She eventually apologized to the grave of the servant's husband a few years before, but never to the baby himself. Well, is he satisfied now ? She's lot her husband, her daughter, the Ushiromiya family's name has been horribly tainted, and she's been painted as a sexual predator. His revenge is complete, isn't it ? She's sure he or one of his pawns is right there in the room. Will they acknowledge her repentance ?
Erika would like the crazy woman to stop talking nonsense and finally admit being the murderer, please.
"Eh, it's useless. It's all useless."
And then the cast list rolls, with as always a checklist of each of the 18's eventual status. *
Well, that was certainly a very ambiguous last sentence. (Battler really wasn't among my lead suspects for the kid from 19 years ago, if only because he has a pretty tight alibi for the midnight phone call.) We'll see how it goes (I smell a fakeout).
Because, of course, it isn't really over. There are still two tea parties to go through, after all. At least the first one should be dealt with tonight, depending on length.
edited 30th Jan '10 1:08:10 PM by Jhiday
EPILOGUE 1 : Tea Party
But wait, Erika has thus far only dispelled the Witch's Illusion in the 5th game. Time to hack it away in all the former games too ! All of it will be based around Natsuhi being the main culprit, of course.
- It appears the Stakes were actually fakes "made in USA" in the 60s, and bought for an arm and a leg by Grampa. Ouch.
... Or maybe not, since it appears most of this will happen off-screen. Oh, well. Anyway, after a bit of talk about how the witches will execute Beato's accomplices ("at least one of them should be quartered !"), Bernkastel congratulates Erika for her work, and elevates her to the temporary rank of "Witch of Truth" until it's over and done with. As a perk, she even gets a portrait to replace Beatrice's (why is the stuffing of the chair behind her coming out ?).
By the way, Bernkastel and Lambdadelta completely drop any pretense of being rivals (the Les Yay is heavier than ever).
Surprisingly, the games will still be continuing, with this time Erika at the helm. She's already found a title for the 6th : Checkmate of the Golden Witch.
And, er, that's it.
EPILOGUE 2 : ????
Battler's body is still pinned by Dlanor's sword on the cathedral's floor. Everyone else has left, and he is himself pretty dead. Well, as dead as possible in this world, which just means that he's lost the will to think.
Suddenly, footsteps ! It's Emotionless!Beato ! Well, at least now she can move by herself ; and when she checks Battler's lifeless form, she even murmurs "You liar..." Of course, with Battler banished from the games, she has no more reason to exist...
Somehow, the "dead" Battler has a flashback to his conversation with Dlanor (as Virgilia and emotionless!Beato watched). Apparently, there was a large chunk we were not shown back then. Basically, Battler and Dlanor went meta, as he complained that Knox's principles are needlessly constrictive. Why should secret passages be blindly forbidden ? It's no better than those fantasy explanations !
But Dlanor explained that Knox's principles were actually a crutch for reasoning. Basically, they say that the mystery is solvable with all the clues presented, and the solution won't come completely out of left field. They allow the readers to think, with the reassurance that it won't be pointless.
Note that Knox's principles are a double-edged sword. While the limit the kind of theories that the readers can make, they also force the writer to include clues that make the mystery solvable. (Most of them have a caveat that they can be bypassed with enough foreshadowing.)
And isn't that what Beato has been doing all along ? By using the red truth, she gave tons of clues to Battler, defying him to solve the mystery... Acknowledging that there is a solution, and that he can prove that she isn't a witch ? (Dlanor and Virgilia agree that Beato is a very interesting child...)
During all this, there's a running metaphor comparing the mystery novel to love between inexperienced young people. Each of them unwilling to proceed before the other has acknowledged their love first... (Yep, the term "Tsundere" is openly used.)
By the way, noone in this conversation is willing to confirm whether Beato's games do indeed abide by Knox's principles. Virgilia will just indicate that Beato wanted Battler to solve them, and included what she thought were enough clues for him to do so. Of course, that's no guarantee that Battler will be able to solve it... But it's a start, and should be enough to make him start thinking. And while Knox's principles might not be applicable to these games, they should at least be of some help to put him in the right frame of mind.
Somehow, this flashback has allowed Battler to gather enough Heroic Resolve to start thinking again. It's too late, but then he now has all the time he wants to do it, doesn't he ? For some reason, he materializes inside the tea room where he played the games with Beato (but all alone, of course).
So, let's examine each of the 10 principles, one by one :
- [1] The culprit must be someone mentioned early in the story. So, it must be one of the 18. Let's not worry about the mastermind showing up later (like that kid from 19 years ago in the 5th game), they must have been among the protagonists of the 1st game.
- [2] Magic can't be used as a detective technique. Which can be interpreted as "no crime was committed through magic". Earlier, Battler often gave up when scenes of magical battles were described... But what he should have done is question the witnesses' truthfulness.
- [8] The mystery can't be solved with clues that aren't presented. So there must be clues that make it solvable.
- [6] It can't be solved by accident. So it should be solvable without just accusing at random.
... Now that he thinks about it, the games have been littered with hints of who, how and why the crimes were done. He just needs to put it all together. It really looks like Beato has been adjusting down the difficulty and provided more hint in each game starting with the second, doesn't it ? With Virgilia and Ronove showing up to help him... And them finally having the climactic battle she desired at the end of the 4th.
And now Battler wakes up, with Beato at his side. "You idiot..." Er, except that Beato crumbles, what with having been killed a while ago... But from her remains, Battler finds a golden sparkle... And then he's finally found the truth. He painfully removes the red sword that had traversed him, and with the mixture of his blood and the red sparkle, transforms it into a golden sword. Now he's ready to fight ! (Too bad it happened after Beato died, but eh.)
Bernkastel, Lambdadelta and Erika are all surprised by this turn of events (Dlanor, being her usual awesome self, just indicates she didn't think it'd happen this SOON). Lambdadelta recognizes that Battler has now reached the rank of witch ("Endless Sorcerer"), wielder of the red truth... and allows a retrial.
While he can't deny Erika's theory of Natsuhi being the culprit frontally, he can present an alternate theory that is just as valid ! Bring it on !
And we cut here, as it's getting late and I want my full brainpower to process Battler's theory. (I've gone slightly ahead, and it promises to be a doozy.)
Just a note, though. So far, the TIPS had been pretty worthless : colour descriptions of the court Dlanor belongs to, and her two weapons. Here we got a fourth one, with a recap of the Decalogue of Knox's Principles. And what is blindingly obvious is that the 5th is just "not included" (sic). Looking up on Wikipedia, it should be "No chinaman must figure in the story". So Yeah.
aspie
The "no chinaman" thing is because when Knox originally wrote his rules, it was a common trope in mystery novels for an Evil Foreigner to be responsible for everything.
Guilty! Guilty! My evil self is at the door, and I have no power to stop it!
And thank gods this is now a Forgotten Trope. It's the main thing that made me drop The Big Four, as the idea is just ludicrous these days.
Battler's theory : The crime was committed by the kid from 19 years ago ! Who is one of the 18... Battler himself ! After all, the 4th novel proved that he was not Asumu's son, both the 1st and 5th made Rudolf fidgety, and the 5th in particular hinted at a reveal about Battler's birth...
But, didn't Erika give an alibi for Battler ? Well, it only goes as far as the "discovery of the cousins' corpses", which was Battler screaming about it. But Erika didn't come there right away (she checked her various seals before that), and didn't even examine the corpses in detail when she finally came. There was a distinct possibility for faked deaths (especially if Dr Nanjo was in the confidence). Especially as the victims' deaths were only confirmed at 24:00 on the second day, when the trial took place.
By the way, Erika has been using Grampa as an explanation for the corpses' disappearance. But he's dead before the beginning of all games ! No, that's just red truth against red truth. Let's use something more powerful. Here is Grampa's corpse ! The golden truth is a special weapon available only to the Game Master, and reflects a true understanding of Beato's game. Which is what Battler has just achieved. Even Lambdadelta and (reluctantly) Bernkastel acknowledge it, though Erika is determined to go down fighting.
Wait, how could Battler have lied about discovering the corpse ? The detective can't have a subjective point of view ! There was no hint that Battler had ceased being the detective in this game !
Actually, yes there was. Remember when Battler was on his way to solving the epitaph, and claimed to have seen Grampa ? Or, according to the 4th game, nobody among the 18 could mistake Grampa with anybody/anything else. The very purpose of that scene was to establish that Battler's viewpoint was subjective ! Wow, just wow.
(It must be mentioned that a lot more red and blue are used in this scene than I'm showing, but it doesn't translate well in a summary. Also, there's an epic What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome? fight scene as Battler summons Ronove, Gaap, Virgilia and the 7 Stakes to curbstomp Erika and Dlanor. This should be very impressive if it's ever animated.)
Dlanor lies defeated, and Bernkastel is starting to get angry at her pawn
◊. Will Erika please change her theory right now so that it doesn't rely on Grampa ? Well, so she does, but everyone, from Bernkastel to Dlanor, acknowledge that the new version is pathetic. But hey, it still works ! So does Battler's, though. And thus Lambdadelta concludes the 5th game as a draw. She'll now give control of the board to Battler, the new Game Master, the Endless Sorcerer.
So now the 6th game will start : Battler vs. Erika ! Let's get ready to ruuuuuumble ! (But Battler will change the title. Erika's was far too cheesy.)
Well, it's now over... and I'll need some time to re-arrange my thoughts about the whole thing. I'm pretty sure "Battler as the kid from 19 years ago" is a red herring (i.e. it might be true, but that doesn't make him the real culprit — what we've seen of his theory destroys nearly everyone's alibi).
Overall, it was a very enjoyable chapter, with barely any scene dragging on for too long, and with a good dose of awesome thrown in. (Of particular note, Battler's demonstration of how Grampa could have escaped, and Dlanor. Just Dlanor.) Lambdadelta & Bernkastel's takeover was very well played, and Erika carefully built up as an adversary you just love to hate. The new "Battler vs. Erika" status quo sounds fun, and it may even last until the end (though the Dawn of the Golden Witch title for EP 6 sounds like Battler may succeed in bringing Beato back to life).
Basically, it was just plain fun, which was a relief after all the Wangst brought in by Ange in EP 4. Not that it lacked touching moments, either (any of the Battler/Beato scenes, or Natsuhi's struggle).
I may take the time later to jot down some theories about what really happened in this chapter, but then we'll have to wait until the Witch Hunt translates EP 6... which should be around June or so.
EEEEEE! *jumps up and down* It's just as awesome as I thought it was!
I have to say, I am really looking forward to seeing Ep 5 animated. I know that purists hate the anime, but even they have to admit that a lot of the scenes in this episode will make for great animation. Natsuhi in the closet while Hideyoshi gets killed! The grand cathedral trial! Battler vs. Erika in a curb-stomp battle! EEEE!
I'd continue on to explain how much I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Ep 5 itself, SN or anime form, but I'm afraid I'd have to resort to crude sexual metaphors, and no one wants THAT. Although, I have to wonder...what happened to gamepiece!Natsuhi? I know Meta-Battler managed to force a draw in Meta-land, but how did that carry over to Rokkenjima? Did the survivors make it off alive? Or is this something being saved for Ep. 6?
Actually, as long as we're discussing future games...about how long does it take for Ryukishi07 and company to make a game? I've heard that he knows how the whole thing will end, and there are only two games left, so that means, what, two years before the series is over?
edited 31st Jan '10 7:00:41 PM by Lawrieclaws2
He's been releasing new sound novels at each Comiket for several years like clockwork, so that would mean EP 7 in August and EP 8 in December. (And the Witch Hunt usually take 5/6 months to translate an episode.)
So, now that Novel #5 is over, let's think back about the "real world" events : who killed the seven victims of this iteration ? We'll assume, of course, that it's not Natsuhi.
I don't think it's Battler either, though he might have been a partial accomplice.
I absolutely love the idea that Rosa and the cousins somehow faked their deaths (as Erika didn't bother with checking the "corpses" thoroughly, and their deaths were only confirmed at 24:00), though I'm still a bit hazy about how exactly Battler argued that. Let's assume for now that it worked. They'd have no trouble "moving" the fake bodies while everyone is checking on Genji, of course.
Of course, Battler must have been in on their plan. And there's absolutely no problem with that : a very early scene I haven't mentioned indicates that Battler had renewed contact with Jessica by phone just before Natsuhi receives her first call from the mysterious boy from 19 years ago. Which makes me think that the cousins and/or Battler are also behind those calls, by the way.
Which one of them is a more dicey question. Genji's obviously an accomplice, so the calls could easily be coming from inside the island. Actually, considering what we know about the communications, the midnight and morning calls must have come from inside the island. And we know that the cousins' room has a phone. Battler seems to have an ironclad alibi for the midnight call... except that a good part of the scene just before discusses the presence of tape recorders/players among Grampa's possessions. Chekhov's Gun at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.
The more I think back about the mystery, the more I notice that every single apparently trivial detail of this chapter was an important clue. (Or a red herring.) Wow.
To conclude the theory : the cousins are playing a prank on Natsuhi and everyone for whatever reason (a game to entertain Maria ?). One of them might be the kid from 19 years ago (my instincts are on George, for some reason), and have actual bloodthirsty motives. That one kills the others. They also kill Hideyoshi later, having probably provided him with instructions to go there like Natsuhi.
For Genji, my money's on Kanon doing the deed (though I have no clue why). As for who killed the mysterious culprit later, I have no clue.
This theory is full of holes, but it's certainly a lot more interesting than "Natsuhi did it", isn't it ?
Dead
I think that the most awesome thing about the final fight is that Battler knows the truth, yet he uses a completely made up on the spot theory about himself being the culprit. And he stills beats Erika.
Also, poor Erika, being created just for proposing the cruel theories Bernkastel creates.
Dead
BLUH
I managed to find Ep5 on You Tube, so I watched it there. Not a good idea when you have work the next day...
Okay, speculation time : I'm pretty sure that Lambdadelta didn't rule out the knock being done by one of the people inside the parlor... (Though she did rule out any of them putting the letter there in any conceivable way, so I'm clueless for that point.) Unless I missed something, LD only ruled out any of them placing the letter in the hall. So the obvious solution (by this story's weird logic, anyway) is that whoever picked up the letter was LYING about it ever having been in the hall, and just used a little sleight-of-hand to 'pick it up'.
I don't think the child from 19 years ago is George—I think it's been pretty well established that he's 23 or so.
BLUH
There's a way the '19th child' could have pulled off the 'what's your favorite season?' trick even without Shannon's help—make 4 cards, and hide them in different places around the room, then direct Natsuhi to whichever one she chose.
Of course, 19 would still have to get them in her room, so the servants aren't off the hook yet.
BLUH
Jhiday, are you going to liveblog the 6th Episode, now that it's out?
Yep. I've just started reading it, and it's insane. Expect this to be very low on coherence, at least at the start.
So, let's get started with EP 6 : Dawn of the Golden Witch, shall we ?
We open on... a marriage ceremony, in the cathedral from the end of last episode (although the narration stresses it looks completely different with the decorations). The bride is Erika ; the groom's identity is kept hidden for most of the scene, but considering Erika's wearing the Eagle on her wedding dress, it's soon pretty obvious it's Battler. Somehow, he's frozen and incapable of preventing this farce to proceed... as it's explicitly acknowledged by all participants that the goal is for Erika to bring Battler into submission and put her hands on his possessions (which would be the gameboard).
Wait, how did we get here ?
Opening Sequence ! I actually have a hard time locating the differences with EP 5's, though I'm still impressed by how dynamic it looks without any actual animation.
And now we find a nameless narrator awakening in one of the mansion's room and finding the only door locked by a chain fixed by a stake. It's impossible to get out, and they have the feeling the Witch is coming...
I had a dozen theories about who this could be (two of them involving Battler), and the answer still takes me by complete surprise : we next see Ange awakening from this nightmare into a waiting room. FUCK YEAH ANGE !
She's struggling to remember where she is, and Amakusa isn't very helpful. Apparently, she asked for an meeting with someone called Toya Hachijo. And then her memories start coming back just as her host enters the room.
Oh, gods, Hachijo. If you thought Erika was an insufferably smug sociopath, you've seen nothing. Exposition tells us that she's a great mystery novelist that has recently surfaced and made tons of insane publicity stunts (such as submitting her masterpieces to different publishers with various pen names, and then revealing they're all hers when they're published). She's kept her identity and even her gender pretty well concealed so far. So, er, why is she dropping the mask and agreeing to meet Ange, of all people ?
Ah, you see, Hachijo is a Witch Hunter too, though of a different kind from Dr. Otsuki. She's a Forger, one of those who make up new versions of Maria's letters detailing other iterations of the Rokkenjima massacre. The Forgers are very badly considered in the Witch Hunt community (they're making the whole thing a joke), to say nothing of Ange (they're killing her family over and over, often slandering them in the process !), but Hachijo's Banquet and Alliance did get a lot of critical acclaim. Especially as the first one explains a lot of what actually happened in Ange's world.
Of course, those were written under a pen name too, but Ange was smart enough to decode it and link it to Hachijo, hence her reason for paying the writer a visit. And Hachijo was impressed enough by the deduction to accept. (By the way, Hachijo's name means "18 to the power of 8", which I'm sure has no significance whatsoever.)
After some passive-aggressive banter, Hachijo offers to show her latest "letter from Maria" to Ange.
Now, wait a minute... None of this makes any sense ! Ange does remember trying to reach Hachijo, but never got an answer before going to Niijima... and she's starting to remember a lot of what happened at the end of EP 4. So, would "Hachijo" please cut the bullshit RIGHT NOW and tell her who she actually is ? Ange had her pegged as a witch from the start due to her smug attitude, of course...
FUCK YEAH ANGE !!
"Hachijo" congratulates Ange for seeing through her masquerade. She's really Featherine Augustus Aurora, a Witch who is trying to assuage her boredom illness by looking at Beatrice's game from afar. She's got a manuscript of Dawn of the Golden Witch here, and has resurrected Ange just to have it read aloud to her. Ange's not to fond of this, but she's curious, and maybe could find a way to help Battler from there.
Oh, goodie. Yet another Greek Chorus to comment on the story. As if we didn't have enough yet...
Also, there are a lot of elements in Featherine's character design that remind me of Hanyuu, and some parts of her description could definitely be interpreted as such if you're so inclined. She's certainly said to be a cut above all the other witches in power and age.
Anyway, let's segue to Beatrice's game room. Erika, Dlanor, Bernkastel and Lambdadelta are still waiting for Battler to start the 6th game. Here are the stakes : Battler proclaimed at the end of last episode that he understood Beatrice's game, so this is his occasion to prove it ; he'll be fighting against Erika, who's eager for a rematch to untarnish her reputation. Whatever happens, this will be the last game. Lambdadelta, as former game master, is here to check Battler doesn't cheat.
They're all startled by Beato's appearance... except while she does look like the golden witch, her behaviour is polite, friendly, and humble ; everyone's wondering what happened to the cackling bitch. What is Battler playing at ? Why is he making piece-Beato behaving like that ? Is it just to unnerve them ?
Well, this was apparently not Battler's plan, as he's ordering Beato to exit and asking everyone to forget about the incident. Don't worry, the game shall start soon.
Then we get scenes of Battler's preparations. Interestingly, he's served by Genji and Kumasawa, where one would expect Ronove and Virgilia. Hum... Anyway, the Beato we've just seen has been recreated by Battler, but something's off. Basically, she hasn't lived a thousand years yet, and thus hasn't become the bitch we all know and love. New!Beato is completely innocent, which unnerves Battler to no end (that's not HIS Beato !).
Let us be clear : this is NOT piece!Beato. Piece!Beato is just an extension of Battler, and not capable of independent action. There's a quite creepy scene where Battler monologues about Beato's talent at creating games, but half his lines are said by piece!Beato. New!Beato isn't such a pawn, but an actual reincarnation of Beato. She's just not had all the experiences that made Beato her cackling self.
Little aside between Ange and Featherine (or Ange and Hachijo, it changes from one scene to another seemingly at random). Ange's just caught up on the events from EP 5, and she still has no clue how Battler went to hating Beato for repeatedly killing his family and having no clue about what he did "six years ago" that provoked all this, to admiring Beato for her skill at setting up the game board and actually apologizing to her for the events of "six years ago". What are we missing ? What did Battler learn to change his mind so much ?
Anyway, time for the game to actually start. Or maybe not, as I'm stopping there for now.
Well, that's an intriguing start. We get yet another layer of meta-story above all of the previous ones, but Ange and Featherine make for such a fun double act that I don't mind.
It really looks like everything is coming to a conclusion here, but of course we know that there's at least one more episode coming (and probably two), so I'm curious about how Ryukishi07 will keep the door open for more stories. I do look forward to Battler's demonstration of his understanding of the game.
"keionbu ni yokusou, nyan?"
And here comes Moetrice! Also:
Featherine Augustus Aurora
I have just started that Episode as well, so I am glad I can see some other person opinions. I am a bit ahead you, however, at the First Twilight.
Anyway, my English is far from being perfect and it seem I missed something. It was already said who is the person locked in the room? Did I missed something obvious?
Also, are you sure there is any difference in the OP? I believe it is the very same from EP 5, just like the OP of Episodes 1 to 3 are the same.
Well, thanks for your live blog, I am looking forward your opinions of this new game.
Person in the locked room : the very next scene being Ange waking up from a nightmare, the implication is quite strong (although I have no clue what it means yet). We shall see whether this stands.
OP : you're right, there's only one video file for both episodes. It's awesome though, so I don't mind.
I haven't noticed that about Ange, or, better said, I didn't related the scenes. I think there is a deeper meaning, however.
The OP is awesome, for sure. It is incredible how much he can do with still images. This Episode is using more non standard placement of images in the game itself too. I find a pity that the OP gets outdated when reused. Good thing EP 7 has a brand new (beware if you plan watching it, as it may have spoilers, although I am not sure).
Btw, have you noticed that they are putting Postmodernism (is it the right trope?) ridiculously Up To Eleven? Right now it is a story inside a story inside a story that runs in parallel to yet another story. That is it, we are reading about Ange and Featherine/Hachijo who are reading about Battler telling Bernkenstel a story in Rokkenjima. And, of course, Ange is part of the two stories she is reading about.
edited 12th Jul '10 9:57:28 AM by Heatth
BLUH
Featherine Augustus Aurora
It gets better: Apparently, the characters in "Hanyuu" can be read as "Feather" and "In".
As for 18^8: 18 people, 8 Episodes?
Btw, have you noticed that they are putting Post Modernism (is it the right trope?) ridiculously Up To Eleven? Right now it is a story inside a story inside a story that runs in parallel to yet another story. Heh. Like I told a friend yesterday: "This show had to build a fifth and sixth wall just so it could break them, too."
edited 12th Jul '10 10:01:58 AM by arbane
It gets better: Apparently, the characters in "Hanyuu" can be read as "Feather" and "In".As for 18^8: 18 people, 8 Episodes?
aspie
There's also Miyo's adoptive father, Hifumi (123).
Guilty! Guilty! My evil self is at the door, and I have no power to stop it!
Dead
There is also Sayo and Yoshiya
Dead
What you are talking about? Neither names are numeric themed.
Also, giving spoiler for free here is bad taste. Even marked. Even if it is not a big spoiler.
Oh, and I haven't forget any Hifumi. The last game is only being released next Friday and the anime sucks(IMO).
PS:Wait, I suppose the names could be written as 34 and 448... Heh, 34.
Well, they aren't written that way but I suppose it is an interesting guess.
edited 13th Jul '10 3:10:19 PM by Heatth
"Hello, my name is Erika, I'm the Detective ! As a visitor, I will be the 18th person !"
"Sorry, but even with your arrival, there will only be 17 people..."
So, erm, yeah, bad news. My schedule for this week has been dreadfully unbalanced, giving me a lot of time to read the 6th VN, but not to actually liveblog it. So I've already finished it. Oops.
I'll try for a little more detailed (and coherent) synopsis later on, but here are my first impressions :
- It isn't as good and inventive as EP 5, but then that was a truly exceptional chapter. Still quite good, but I sometimes found myself skimming on some scenes (I can only take so much gloating from Erika, after all).
- The new music is pretty good. In particular, "Birth of a New Witch" (both versions) is absolutely awesome.
- Erika freaked me out. I mean, she had crossed the Moral Event Horizon very early in EP 5, and her gratuitous chewing out of MARIA at the beginning was needlessly cruel, but the way she "solved" five out of the six murders of the first twilight made her an absolutely irredeemable Complete Monster.
- This episode has ONE big reveal (well, it's not exactly spelt out, but there are enough hints — including the above piece of dialogue — that it's ridiculously easy to connect the dots), and it's such a doozy I have no idea how it can fit with the other chapters. Yep, it's the confirmation of the crack theory that Kanon = Shannon = Beatrice. And we finally have a flashback of Battler's sin 6 years ago.
- I also loved the background details on the witches. Pretty definite confirmation that Featherine, Bernkastel and Lambdadelta are exactly who we thought they were, with some interesting explanations of their psychopathic need to avoid boredom.
- I liked the teaser for EP 7, which promises answers.
edited 16th Jul '10 9:26:03 PM by Jhiday
Don't try to fool me! I know very well you would rather all your free time reading the Episode then live blogging it. =P I won't blame you, it is just that awesome, after all. =P
Eh, to bad there is no live blogging, I liked your of the previous episodes. See you again in about 5 months, I suppose. ^^;
Anyway, about Erika. Complete Monster or not, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Her Freudian Excuse is lame (betrayed by a boyfriend, really?) and she is a complete dick and a souleess murderer. Yet, I still feel sympathy for her. Weird. I also feel sorry for Dlanor, who is genuinely nice and felt really bad for Erika's 'death'.
Again, Mapi, but in red this time, Or gold. It's been said before but it bears repeating.
edited 29th Jan '10 2:30:49 PM by Lawrieclaws2