ef ~a tale of memories~ 11
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“How can I praise you for something stupid like that?!? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole wheel of cheese?”
“What kind of logic is that?!?”
I just watched this episode, and I can’t organize my thoughts properly on it so I won’t even bother.
Chihiro’s reason for breaking up… wow… Renji was right to question her logic, but Sunrise did offer her a contract to write four series after hearing about it. She’s slated for the new Code Geass sequel, at the very least. In the painful levels of breaking up, “I’m breaking up with you because I don’t want to hurt you anymore” is around a 7 out of 10. Breaking up because you caught her sleeping with someone else is a solid 9. Breaking up because you caught her sleeping with Elijah Dukes is a solid 10.
Chihiro acted very, very cute this episode. If Tsukasa is a 10, then Chihiro was a 9 this episode. That is until Chihiro pulled out crazy girl logic. But, from her perspective, it is defensible. From Renji’s standpoint, it’s still a 7 out of 10. At least Elijah Dukes wasn’t involved.
After the previous few episodes, I would have guessed that Chihiro would either try to kill herself or force herself to forget about Renji, but Renji will snap her out of it. So far, my prediction isn’t far off. The “final moment of happiness” was expected once I saw Miya-Miya’s arc, as the two arcs are more similar than at first glance. You know how Miya-Miya keeps on saying, “I don’t want to disappear from your heart!”? Chihiro occasionally goes, “I’m afraid of you disappearing from my heart.” If there ever was a time for Renji to get laid and then ditched, it was now. Though while everything (the sad movie, the crying, etc) is pointing at a sad ending, I’m don’t think that will happen.
Chihiro’s sheep story (which I have referred to in the past as “creepy awesome“) and her book were more than just metaphors for her. She really believed them. I think she rejected the original two “endings” because they were endings that she felt she could not achieve. Both required something just out of her realm or control and could only happen in her book. Her written ending is all that she can do. Like the girl on the island, she cannot control or receive what she doesn’t have, so the only choice left for her is self-destruction. But, in the end, it’s an unilateral decision, and, while she thinks that she is doing the right thing in putting all the burden on herself, she isn’t acknowledging Renji’s culpability… or his desires… or his help. It’s like she doesn’t want to believe in miracles.
Yep.
The anime character who best exemplifies this logic and behavior is Heero Yui.
I’m not sure what to do with this information.
Final moment of happiness is a very effective and common plot device for a tragedy. Usually, though, there’s no happiness after the tragedy. When Romeo split up with Juliet. When Lenny felt up Curly’s wife’s hair. When Jason married Creusa. When Simon defeated the Anti-spiral.
“This is drill that will pierce the heavens!”
(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
After Chihiro told Renji that “Please make us into a real pair of lovers,” I knew he wasn’t going to back out. He’d man up, and we knew it. Renji wasn’t going to be like Ninomiya or the Kimikiss guys or any other spineless male hero. I had three thoughts about Renji bedding Chihiro:
1. Himura must know that the roof is special, and that’s why he gave Renji and Chihiro the key. It was like his blessing.
2. They’re on a school roof. For someone who has expressed as much shyness as Chihiro… uh… have I mentioned that they’re on a school roof?
3. Where did Chihiro get those?!? I was going to happily lump her in the DFC bin, but, yes, I can’t think of another word besides “unleashed.”
(I actually had more thoughts, but they were more in line with the discussion in Chasing Amy about Superman, only more about the thirteen hour thing than about kryptonite condoms.)
Shaft actually uses a more conventional style with Chihiro’s story here than the previous episode. I’m still convinced that they scrambled to get episode 10 done, and they actually spent time (and money) working on this one. It’s almost like they were planning this episode as the original 10, but then someone decided to move up Miya-Miya’s conclusion from 11 to 10, and hence why we got 5 minutes of staring at a phone booth.
Pop quiz. Easy question: which anime character didn’t get the stuffed animal that she wanted and ended up going on a killing spree because of it? Hard question: which anime character has, uh, dubious taste in her stuffed animals?
Damn, can’t wait for the final episode now. Gah. Almost as bad as the wait for Gurren Lagann 27…
12 Responses to “ef ~a tale of memories~ 11”
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Nice bedding count, ef has a good deal of guys getting laid near the end of the anime. At least that bumps up my faith by a few points.
God damnit Chihiro, I wish you could have gotten a different voice actress.
Nice episode, although I am more of a fan of Miya-Miya’s arc, this episode kept my eyes glued to the screen. My guess was at the end of the book she would kill herself (like she did) and then it would happen in real life as well, hence is why she wanted him to read it while she wasn’t around so she could go off herself while he came to the end of the book.
But this ending works too.
pseudo-live blog:
[on the roof at the end]
*hmm, what’s she going to pull out of that pocket? oh, i know, box cutter!
*wait, what’s that, pap- oh no. oh crap. oh crap. no. nononoNONONO!
*!@#$%^&
Pop quiz. Easy question: which anime character didn’t get the stuffed animal that she wanted and ended up going on a killing spree because of it? Hard question: which anime character has, uh, dubious taste in her stuffed animals?
~~~~ ~~~~
1) Mion
2) Aono
Cheers.
… they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.
Uh, I thought that was relevant somehow…
>>3. Where did Chihiro get those?!? I was going to happily lump her in the DFC bin, but, yes, I can’t think of another word besides “unleashed.â€
Yes, I have to admit for me that was the most shocking part of the episode.
Oh, and for the hard question, I’m going to say Kozue-chan from Mahoraba… that purple waving screaming monster thing was unusually creepy.
Easy ones…
Answer number One: Mion on Higurashi
Answer number Two: Aono on Sola
Damn it! And now what, Kei will get her share too?
Crazy girl logic indeed. Apparently, she didn’t have anything in her notes about how Renji’s already hit rock-bottom in this relationship several episodes ago and has come to terms with her condition.
And had she taken 30 seconds to shut up and listen to him, she may have found that out.
And speaking of miracles… What’s with crazy ghost-girl suddenly showing up in the stained glass? I have no knowledge of the original source material, so she’s a huge unknown variable in this mess.
Shaft actually uses a more conventional style with Chihiro’s story here than the previous episode. I’m still convinced that they scrambled to get episode 10 done, and they actually spent time (and money) working on this one.
I’m almost certain of it. There was an earlier pair of episodes in this series that exhibited the same reduced-animation/animation-splurge pairing. It’s like they’re planning ahead or something…
this is shaft we are talking about, 5 minutes staring at a telephone-booth is pure genius (from their point of view).
Wait…I thought it was a doll, and that Shion not Mion goes on the killing spree. Then again I can’t think of another anime where someone goes on a killing spree that traces back to someone not getting a doll/stuffed animal.