Deep Thoughts

The deepest of the deep thoughts about anime.

[deepthoughtsanime]

ED reveals depressing truth behind Devil is a Part-Timer!

Episode 06 of The Devil is a Part-Timer debuted a new ending filled with disturbing imagery that I believe reveals the true nature of the show. Throughout the ending, there are several motifs that stand out.

The first obvious theme is Chiho's multiple outfits. She's shown dressed up in one outfit after another, as if she can play many different roles.

The second motif is the clock theme. The clock shows up in nearly every scene (although it's harder to find in some of them), but it's a very blatant symbol, as the hand keeps ticking down time in each of the sequences.

The third motif is Chiho's utter alone-ness. No matter the situation, she is always alone - often accented by empty theaters or wide, open spaces.

  Chiho as an astronaut, all alone, with a large clock in the background.

The ending showcases Chiho going on several adventures - safaris, dancing, even into outer space. And yet tucked away between all these exciting adventures of her looking happy is one moment of tears. As if she knows something we don't. What could it be?

The final scene in the ED gives us the big reveal. Chiho stands in front of a display case showing all of her friends as mannequins - implying that none of them are real. The wild adventures Chiho has been having in this ending sequence are all products of her imagination, and this story is just another imaginary tale that she's dreamt up. It explains why she took such a liking to Mao in such a short time - she created him to be her ideal man. The fact that his behavior is suddenly empathetic (despite him being a human-slaying demon in the other world) is testament to this. "Beauty tames the beast" is a very popular romance trope. Everything about the story works in her favor. All the other girls who show up carefully avoid being romantic rivals. Chiho understands the language of Ente Isla - supposedly due to second hand exposure to magic (coincidence?). She finds herself at the center of every conflict, but winds up largely unhurt. Conflicts even resolve themselves in a fairly quick and painless manner (Mao lets Lucifer move in, even after the murder attempt? That's pretty swell of him!) Despite Chiho being an absolutely "normal" person, the world and conflicts still find a way to revolve around her. The truth is that Chiho is utterly alone, and this story is a fantasy she's built in her mind so that she can have the companionship she longs for.

Okay, so what's the deal with the ticking clock? A ticking clock almost always represents running out of time. In Chiho's case, she's probably dying, which is why she's currently alone. She's lying in a hospital be somewhere, and going all adventures in her mind in her last moments. Think that's a stretch? Let's go back to the first image from the ED.

What's that on her head? Headphones, you say? What about those weird bumps on the top? Could it potentially be something monitoring her brainwave activity? IN THE HOSPITAL?

The Devil is a Part-Timer may be a fun series on the surface, but the ending sequence reveals the truth is much darker. Feel free to watch it for yourself here.

[deepthoughtsanime]

Say "I Love You" - Horror Anime Review

Today, I'm blogging the first episode of Say "I Love You," a horror series about a pretty girl named Mei and her potentially murderous stalker, Yamato.

The episode opens with an appropriately somber moment discussing the death of a rabbit. The symbolism here is obvious, as the rabbit is clearly meant to represent the lead character, Mei. We're shown a series of brightly colored, but ultimately disturbing crayon images that reveal the nature of the series - bright on the surface, but portraying something troubling.

We're introduced to the heroine in a shower scene - a decision clearly meant to portray her vulnerability as well as the sexualized nature of what's about to transpire. She's beautiful, but ultimately unaware of her own beauty.

At school we meet the villain, an attractive (and potentially sociopathic) boy named Yamato. His true nature is revealed quickly as several girls show a keen interest in him, but he confesses to his friend that it's hard for him to differentiate between other people.

When Yamato's friend tries to sexually harass Mei, she defends herself, but winds up injuring Yamato instead. This is the trigger that starts Yamato's unhealthy obsession with her.

He begins to stalk her, first hiding in the shadows and waiting until she's alone before they speak. During this interaction, he forces his phone number on her despite her saying she's not interested.

He then begins to position himself in places where he can force interaction with Mei. She gallantly tries to ignore him, but it's already too late to undo the damage.

When his stalking produces no results, he begins to pressure her into calling him. Again, she tries to ignore him, but to no avail.

In the meantime, a gentleman at Mei's work begins to follow her home. He maintains a respectful distance, and doesn't force any conversation with her, but she's worried about his intentions. In a display of poor judgment, Mei calls Yamato to help her.

Yamato manipulates Mei into believing that the gentleman is a stalker, then he confronts him. He then stakes his claim on Mei, saying that they're dating. It's at this point that it becomes clear the gentleman is NOT a stalker, because he leaves the two of them alone after confirming that they are really dating. As we all know, stalker behavior (like the kind Yamato exhibits) is based on obsession mixed with an imaginary relationship. A real stalker would be angry that another man is trying to move in on his imagined girlfriend. He would most likely lash out in a violent manner. In many cases, he might even harm the girl for "cheating" on him with another man.

This interaction leads me to believe that the businessman is a father, possibly with a daughter who was killed while walking home alone on the streets one night. He probably sees his daughter in Mei, and worries for her safety, thus he follows her home at night to ensure she is not hurt. I'm thinking he'll become a major player later on. We'll see.

As for the confirmation, Yamato "proves" to the gentleman that he and Mei are together by forcing a kiss on her. Without giving her warning or receiving her permission (even though he had several opportunities to do so), Yamato kisses Mei and thus stakes his claim on her. Her body language shows she is clearly distressed by this.

During the kiss, Mei has a flashback of her life, which I can only assume means she realizes the dangerous situation she's in, and she's worried that she's going to die soon.

Overall, a solid first episode. Beautiful artwork and an intriguing setup. It's so rare to see a good horror story these days, so I'm excited. It's not clear at this point if Yamato is working alone or if he and his friend are working together, but I'll be interested to see what happens from here.