Sora no Method – 10

She can only facilitate so much…

Welcome back to Saucer Town, everyone. Well, it looks like we’ve got a bridge episode. We get an opportunity to bring back all the bits and pieces of the characterization, get everyone on the same page, and then get the ball into position to roll towards the finale.

Where Wishes Go

More tears! Tears are the only tribute the Saucer Lords treasure!

Well, not all the characters are on the same page, actually they might be further from it than they started off when the show first aired. But we can acknowledge that they are coming to understand what the underlying problem is; the first step to solving said problem. But how aware are they of the actual issue at hand is for another time. They are getting somewhat close to it.

Who stands to lose the most….

Shione’s decision to leave is a complex one. On it’s face, it looks like a selfless deed, but in many respects it might be one born of, if not of selfishness, than a very misguided feeling. She was the last brought into the group, her natural shyness keeping her away from making friends easily. With Nonoka it was quite easy to be brought into an already existing group, and with Nonoka’s departure, fading out didn’t really seem that unnatural for her. She’s been bottling quite a bit up over seven years, but if there is one thing she is accustomed to, it’s solitude. So for her, making this break is the easiest of solutions. No one but her suffers, and Noel gets to stay.

Saying goodbye….one more time

But where the characterizations really start to come into play is when all of them know, that once the wish is fulfilled, then Noel will chart off to a brand new sky. All of them have gained something from her arrival and with her staying in their lives, she’s become a valuable part of them in many ways, and so acknowledging her departure is hitting everyone quite hard. This is where they all get Shione Syndrome; assessing who is best qualified to make this sacrifice. Souta knows he might be leaving soon, a point he has been going back and forth on, so this look like a good lead for him to make his own departure. Of course, sister Yuzuki is the first to object to that, and when she suggests she leaves for causing so much Saucer Trouble, he has his own objection. Koharu, as always, is the silent observer, but by the time Nonoka rejoins them (for what was like the billionth time this episode….don’t think the backs and forths were not on purpose of course, they weren’t), even she is shaken by this turn of events.

Not all goodbyes are this final

One of the stock phrases I’ve come to enjoy in anime is, “under the same sky”. It harkens to the idea of even when people are apart, the vast sky connects them; that all of that seemingly empty space contains all the encounters, loves, lessons, and hopes that all live on the planet share. Not at all a big wonder that the sky has been dominated by such a huge metaphor in this show. They all carry a piece of Noel with them, they are just to afraid to let her go, fearing that the piece will tarnish. This in not an illegitimate fear at all. But we get stronger facing it.

Now, let’s not cleave from reality. We got some selfish youth feelings flying around here. But that is part of the growing process, and I’m glad the writers have been paying attention to the warts while wrapping it up in a moe package. The long and short of it is that Noel knows what is going to come to pass, and is eager to move on. She knows it’s necessary. For them to have all the beautiful moments, they have to have a painful one.  The best parts of herself that she leaves with each of these kids, are actually the very best parts they have to give each other. With three more episodes to go, I do wonder how they will resolve the story. It seems like much much more than enough time for what they have built, but only time will tell…

Next Time

Noel is all about pulling the plot thread…