Okay, so, right now it looks like we're heading toward the worst end—Chisato dies, the DA continues as normal, nothing happens to the Alan Institute. ...I'm not buying it. In particular, the DA suffering no real repercussions is weird... unless they're aiming for a sequel. In which case I have to assume that Chisato is going to live
x4 I don't think fanaticism automatically excuses picking a course of action which has essentially zero success chance and you know it if you're able to pick. Not unless you have some reason.
I'm really wondering what Majima is actually trying to do now, though. Plot's ruined, after all.
And if there's anything in that briefcase after all. Like, despite being shot, it's been carried away regardless? Sure, Himegame was the one actually holding it, but it makes you wonder.
Edited by RainehDaze on Sep 18th 2022 at 6:56:48 PM
Okay, here are my predictions, which I will save for reference for next weekend.
For Takina: I think we may have seen the last of her shooting people. She may have a chance to shoot Yoshimatsu near the end, away from Chisato's knowledge, and not take it, to spite him and all he stands for. Do I expect a ChisaTaki kiss? 35/65. Do I want one? Hell yes.
For Yoshimatsu: I predict that he's bluffing about having the heart in his own chest. Now that he's been exposed as the source of Majima's guns, DA will be after him, and on a personal level, he's burned all his bridges. He'll never be welcome at the cafe again. I expect he'll either leave Japan or get caught. (Side prediction: There is no "Alan Institute," or if there is, Yoshimatsu is the founder/Alan Adams.
For Majima: I think his super hearing is going to help identify that Yoshimatsu still has a beating heart rather than the beatless new heart. After that, I don't know what to expect from him. He's on better personal standing with the LycoReco folks, but he's killed a lot of people already, and it would feel wrong for him to be Easily Forgiven. Like Yoshimatsu, I expect he'll survive but leave Japan, possibly with another No-One Could Have Survived That fakeout.
Kurumi and Mizuki will stay at the cafe, almost certainly. I expect Mizuki will reflect that she actually likes being here, before getting a text that her Vancouver beau has dumped her anyway, or something. Kurumi probably won't get to do much but she might hold some dirt over DA given her hack on Radiata.
We might get Fuki and Sakura at LycoReco, though pooossibly not as waitresses. They should at least hang out for long enough to have some snacks this time.
Just as an aside, I'm betting that Mika's errand this episode is setting up a surgery theater for Chisato's new heart, but we'll see. 0% chance he dies, not even on the radar.
Re: predictions
I have a different set in my mind. Mika confronts Yoshimatsu and talks him into giving up the heart for Chisato. Yoshimatsu has a change of heart (heh) and sacrifices himself, possibly muttering that the Alan Institute would have disposed of him anyway. Thus, Chisato gets to live.
DA persists but with their movements more limited, and perhaps more relaxed. LycoReco will then become more independent from DA. Chisato, Takina, Kurumi and Mizuki continue operating as their own unit.
Agreed that Fuki and Sakura will now stay around long enough to actually eat snacks.
Majima seems to now be committed to taking out Chisato, probably as revenge for what transpired in the past. He’ll be defeated, but survive, and serve as potential sequel bait.
Unfortunately there won’t be a big kiss scene. Probably just a long intimate hug.
See, the thing with that is that Chisato is aware (and/or believes) that the heart is inside Yoshimatsu's chest. It's clear that she won't accept any loopholes or weasel words for it, either - if the heart is inside Yoshimatsu's body, there's no way she would accept it. She would sooner die than have Yoshimatsu die for her to live on.
So unless Yoshimatsu's heart is a total red herring and it gets solved by Kurumi getting the Alan Institute lady to make a third heart somehow, Yoshimatsu cannot have the heart inside him, because there's no way the series ends with "no, I said I wouldn't take it," "oh, okay," timeskip to two months later with dead Chisato, roll happy ED as Takina sobs over her gravestone.
It's been fun.There is literally no reason for the heart to be pulseless if not for Majima to confirm that Yoshi was bluffing in order to bait Chisato.
My bet, Majima swiped the suitcase somehow and offers it to Chisato if he joins her to take down Alan, Chisato obviously refuses, but Majima gives her the heart anyway since they've got the Batman/Joker thing going on and then he leaves for obvious sequel bait. Chisato gets the heart, and then we get cute Chisato/Takina scenes in the cafe over the ending credits song.
That said, it raises the question of if Yoshi was so willing to die to force Chisato's hand, but then just bluffed having the heart inside of him? So what
said is still likely.
Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Sep 18th 2022 at 1:21:41 PM
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.I would imagine that the play there was for Yoshimatsu to bluff about having the heart inside him, and once Chisato had made her decision and shot him dead, his assistant would give her the case. Yoshimatsu knows Mika is also a trained surgeon (and they have other surgeons on DA for sure), so there are other people who could do it, especially since Chisato isn't on a time limit of hours.
That said, yeah, I expect Yoshimatsu will be neutralized somehow, but NOT killed (to spit in the face of his ideology and fanaticism), while Majima will escape. It would be weird for them to let him go, but he's slippery and resilient enough that they could just fudge him escaping and it wouldn't be too unrealistic.
It's been fun.Hadn't noticed it till the RC review had their pictures near each other but odds on the the lilybell squad leader being Yoshi's son (between his apparent orientation and involvement with high tech research I might go as far as to think clone)?
Hair, eyes, and general appearance match pretty well and it'd explain the apparent distaste for Chisato.

He's not stupid, he's a fanatic.
I legitimately don't think there IS an "Alan Institute." I think Alan Adams is Shinji Yoshimatsu, and I think he's the only one.
I'll have to make up a list of predictions for next week and keep it handy...
It's been fun.