Mayoiga – 05
The face of the man who knows the answers. (…Apparently)
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People still aren’t really dying, but at least I’ve come up with some sort of justification of why, so that makes the arguing slightly more tolerable. …Kind of. |
It’s interesting that they didn’t show how everyone got back to the village since there was a really plausibly theory that Irene pointed out where someone could have just spray painted an 8 to throw them off. If it was the real number 8, it would have taken them no time at all to get back, and if it was fake, it would have taken longer to get back and maybe someone would have noticed. Since they skipped over that whole ordeal and they seemed to get back the night of the same day they left (as opposed to the day’s length that they seemed to walk away in the first place), it seems like the 8 was real though. …Either that, or they’re really oblivious.
Everyone minus Hyouketsu seems to have gotten back okay, but the arguments have gone back to being really annoying again. However, the arguments all seem to share a common goal in this series to stop the characters from talking about the real issues that are happening. Every time someone is questioned about something important, the conversation quickly derails because someone doesn’t agree with something another person said. This is easily why the conversations seem so tedious, and may be why the show is bothering to keep the cast so large at this point. The longer they can make everyone argue, the longer they can draw out actually explaining what the truth behind the mystery is.
Luckily, they have that guy in the yellow shirt to settle things down and speak the voice of reason. I can’t remember his name for the life of me (MAL tells me that he’s ‘Yamauchi’, and he’s 28, which might explain his levelheadedness), but he speaks reason at least so he’s growing on me. Mikage kind of speaks reasonably too, but he’s kind of a joke after calling everyone idiots, and then deciding to work with Lovepon. Because she’s clearly the picture of a sane human being.
Having Koharun be one of the masterminds behind this seems like almost too easy of an answer still. Not that this show seems like it will be particularly clever, but with Mikage’s accusations, and just all of the pointless arguments in general, it seems like the show wants to keep the characters from properly discussing the issue of what’s really happening. Going with the first answer they come to seems too easy when nobody is really thinking things through properly, nor knows what’s going on. Of course, she was hiding the bus driver’s issue (…and then claimed that she wasn’t trying to hide it), but the characters are all so busy accusing each other over everything anyways. More than Koharun, Dahara seems kind of suspicious. He seems so intent on making everyone feel like there’s nothing wrong. Of course, this could just be his appeal to Koharun (thus why he gets angry when Valkana gets in the way). They might even finish the anime without anyone being ‘in’ on the mystery. Especially if they go the supernatural route.
Torture and kidnapping is A-okay if it’s for The Truth!
More so than tracking down Jack or figuring out where everyone’s bodies are (especially Yottsun, since that was a reason some people stayed behind in the first place), I guess a few character’s priorities lie in trying to force the truth out of people. The funniest part of the episode (aside from sexually provocative girl saying that size doesn’t matter) came from how some characters decided that Lovepon’s accusations were worth listening to as opposed to maybe being concerned how okay she is with murdering the people there. Jack got jail time for trying to kill someone. Apparently what Lovepon gets is the opportunity to rip someone’s fingernails off, and nobody cares about her being a threat. That seems totally fair. Mikage won some character points back for not wanting to immediately torture information out of Mitsumune when they hadn’t even tried asking nicely, but why he thought working with Lovepon was a good idea is a mystery. …Or why they thought Mitsumune would hold answers in the first place. A few girls bribed him to stand guard with a few compliments and a candy. The kid probably has even less of an idea of what’s going on than anyone else there.
Plus hypothetically, if Mitsumune did die in the fire because no one bothered to help him get out (obviously just cutting the ropes wasn’t enough for him), how were they planning to explain themselves when people inevitably noticed him missing and maybe discovered what happened? The kidnapping group would suddenly looks more suspicious and they would have dug that hole themselves. Despite thinking that they’re the smart ones, Mikage’s group obviously isn’t thinking any more than the rest of the people there.
This must be humanity’s punishment for forgetting about Penguindrum.
Luckily Masaki saved the day with arson, even though she didn’t seem to want anything to do with Mitsumune in the previous episode. What she was trying to say was postponed by the appearance of a giant, mutilated penguin though (as my friend pointed out to me, the same stuffed penguin from Mitsumune’s vision in the first episode), so that’s probably more noteworthy. It seems really personal to him, and what everyone else seems to have seen seems really personal to them as well. Hallucinogens still seems like a valid excuse for whatever is going on, but with Lion’s sudden reveal that she sees dead people (…or something involving dead people anyways), maybe this will go a more supernatural route. At least the group kind of addressed that everyone heard something different before that conversation was overrun by other concerns (as things always seem to be).
Well, I’m definitely lost when it comes to trying to make sense of this whole mystery right now (though I’m usually pretty bad at them), but I suppose that’s all part of the fun. Koharun’s traditional folk song seems like it should be really important, but at this point it doesn’t quite fit in with the whole puzzle yet. It’s interesting that there’s apparently a traditional song for the village considering how no one is left, and there doesn’t seem to be any other signs of unique village culture around. …Unless their culture was luring groups of people to the village and making them disappear slowly. But anyways, the next episode seems to be about Lovepon and Nyanta’s pasts or something.
Forget penguins, watching the execution enthusiast’s backstory is more important apparently.
About Karakuri
University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
We may not have confirmed deaths (At least one confirmed) but random inexplicable disappearances are just as unnerving for an isolated bunch of people in a rural area slowly losing their minds to paranoia and suspicion. The tension from the conversation once everyone got together was thick and the whole setting… a powder keg on a really short fuse.
After their near violent, distrusting talk, I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever is going on is happening to the terrain itself. The group doesn’t appear to be under any kind of influence. Unless the food they ate was somehow laced with a substance that causes hallucinations. I mean, those who went out all agreed they almost went over a cliff that wasn’t mapped out.
I’m thinking Jack’s escape was by chance. That lock looked old and weak. The bolt was bent upwards.
At this point, it’s better off going into the show knowing there won’t be a rational explanation. Seriously, what the hell was that thing Mitsumune and Masaki saw at the end? And the song Koharun sang isn’t comforting in the slightest. Sounds like something a crazed cult member would come up with.
Insight on Lovepon is welcome. Time to find out what twisted this girl into what she is now because the use of a strait jacket is well in order.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yeah, I agree that the terrain is definitely a factor and it’s not merely hallucination based. A mass hallucination or something seems too hard since like you pointed out, they all noticed the cliff.
Funny how no one thought that Jack could have just broke the lock himself. It’s not like they had him supervised or anything (which you think they would considering how worried everyone was about him).
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 38 comments
Most of them seem just to love blaming others for anything.
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Lovepon needs to be restrained, she’s a psycho. As for that creepy folk song, well ofc its important. Its creepy, sounds violent and is about nanaki village. That tells us all we needed to know. i.e. Aren’t they glad they decided not to start a new life in Nanakimura… oh wait but they actually decided to do exactly that… smh.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yeah, honestly. Why is Jack considered a danger, but Lovepon isn’t? …I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually. Maybe.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Man, I honestly don’t even know what’s going on anymore. I usually never call a show a “trainwreck” but I can clearly see the collision coming, so I’m not even going to try to anymore.
I just want to see where this ends now.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Mayoiga is but a mild trainwreck in my book. There is still some consistency going that I’m able to vouch for it. If you want the true contender for the “trainwreck” department, that would undisputedly be Big Order.
We’re at the show’s mercy since we can’t predict what will happen next. Sly foxes.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I haven’t even tried Big Order as it came out too late and my plate was already full for the season. But I’ve been hearing mixed things about it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
There’s no ‘mixed’ about Big Order. It’s dreck. Awful awful dreck.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
You and everyone else here it seems.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It’s not so much the gigantic penguin, but the weird mutant human head slapped onto the side. I can deal with one or the other. But not both.
Damn you Okada, you’re getting me to mid-season with this dreck…(it’s a different kind of dreck from Highway’s)
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Haha it was a weird combination…
At least I have company in this madness though if you’re still sitting through this.