Kannazuki 08

A ZOMG episode. Himeko notices that Chikane has become distant and tries to cheer her up with a present. Meanwhile Chikane sends Otaha away from the mansion and resigns from the student council. On a dark and stormy night, Chikane finally snaps - sexually assaulting Himeko and then beating down Souma as well as taking control of his big robot. She has fallen into despair and joined the Orochi.

I liked how the story of Himeko and Chikane's love-at-first-sight meeting was told from Himeko's POV this time. Although thus far it's clear that Himeko likes Chikane, this is probably the biggest indication that Himeko may be willing to reciprocate Chikane's feelings.

Otoha has largely been played for laughs but I thought this vignette of her was excellent. She immediately realizes that Chikane is up to something but is powerless to do anything to prevent it. The sense of dread and impending loss overcomes her normal dutiful reservation and she breaks down while recounting an old cherished memory. Rather decently, Chikane comforts her before sending her off personally. The whole sequence leading up to Otoha finally being able to call Chikane by just her name was really touching. I'm quite embarrassed about it but I have to admit that I actually cried the first time I saw it - it's a poignant evocation of keen intuition and foresight fettered by utter helplessness and powerlessness.

Kazuki and his yaoitastic sidekick goes off to seek wisdom in the snowy mountains. Although the revival ceremony was performed immaculately, Ame no Murakamo has yet to be unsealed and the Oogami priest correctly deduces that something must be wrong with the shrine maidens. He finds a shocking answer in the cave shrine but we're not enlightened as to what it's about.

It was a cute, light-hearted moment when the engraver reacted with surprise for a pair of girls' names. Other than that, her conversations with Souma about Chikane are actually quite revealing, in that Himeko also has an idealized vision of Chikane as always being kind, strong and beautiful. Unable to penetrate this facade, probably due to her own lack of confidence, she has been unable to really understand Chikane in all her loneliness, despairing desire and fragility. In fact, Souma's insight into Chikane's determination from their tennis match foreshadowed the kind of lengths that Chikane is willing to go to in order to achieve an objective - which is precisely how she goes about saving the world and Himeko at the same time.

Finishing up her work and resigning from her duties. This behaviour of suddenly putting one's affairs in order is a classic warning sign that a person is preparing to commit suicide.

Blogging with hindsight, a comparison with Shizuru and Natsuki is quite instructive. In the Mai HiME case, Shizuru takes advantage of Natsuki's fatigue to get fresh with her. Later when she's been found out and sees Natsuki's horrified reaction, her fragile sanity unravels and she loses the last vestiges of self-control. Like Chikane, part of the stress was compounded by her high social status within the larger school and society context. Both Shizuru and Chikane were frightening as they became menacing and ruthless while retaining a certain warped tenderness towards their respective loved one, particularly in Chikane's words to Himeko which are just dripping with sensuality.

One big difference to me is that while Shizuru seems opportunistic and a little impulsive, what Chikane has done is clearly premeditated - sending away the maids and having changed into the solar shrine maiden outfit. Given what had happened in the previous episode, I simply assumed that Chikane had snapped but in a psychopathically meticulous and methodical way. It wouldn't be too farfetched to think that Chikane crossing over to the dark side, sexually assaulting Himeko and then beating down Souma stems from her frustrated and unrequited love. That part is certainly there and makes her expressions of desire to Himeko all the more convincing. But first time round, I really missed all the clues that she was planning something else (the memories of the previous life, the "something wrong" from eons ago rather than just the present, sending away Otaha and especially wearing the Hi no Miko outfit instead of her own).

Suffice it to say that this episode and its aftermath completely changed the way I looked at this series. I'm not often surprised or shocked by plot twists and while one could certainly see this coming, I didn't anticipate how quickly and completely the situation changed. Oh, and also liked Himeko's braided hair style much more.

Related posts:

1. Kannazuki 02
2. Kannazuki 03
3. Kannazuki 05