DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| This whole episode was like the 3 Stooges trying to commit suicide, comical even though the context is way more serious. And that twist at the end was crazy And the trio came off as really wholesome, probably because a little girl met with 2 strange men online and they genuinely cared about her well-being |
| So they were already dead? But how come Shounen Bat could see them? |
 |
| So they were already dead after all. I still didn’t get the condom metaphor at the end. |
| This episode hit me hard I sometimes have this thought that I might have died already. Like when I'm driving full speed while dizzy and arrive to my destination, or when I feel pain cuz of an illness and I wake up the next day and the pain is gone. You might already be dead but you won't notice. You'll continue your everyday life until you achieve all the goals you planned before dying. Best episode I watched in a long time. Amazing stuff. |
| Just watched this and it is already one of my favorite episodes of all time of any anime I've watched so far. First thing that caught my attention was when Zebra saw the man who jumped in front of the train walk away and none of the pedestrians seemed to see him. Then when Fuyubachi took out his "last pill" in which he has already taken and a group of crows were over them cawing. Crows usually symbolize a bad omen like bad luck or death in literature. Finally what really convinced me they were dead was the ladies reaction to the photo in which Fuyubachi, Kamome, and Zebra photo bombed. I'm starting to think Lil Slugger is also dead and a powerful spirit on a mission |
| My favorite episode so far, you could tell they were already dead by the train scene, since Zebra saw the guy's ghost |
 |
| Probably one of the worst episode I have ever watched, made me almost drop the show in the middle of it. |
| This is my favourite episode ngl. |
 just wanna feel wanted by someone other than the police 😫 |
| I interpreted the title (Healthy Family Planning & Condoms) as a hint as to why Kamome wanted to commit suicide; she was an unwanted child from an accidental pregnancy. Best episode so far imo. |
dangogirl7334 said: Zenhashi said: Probably one of the worst episode I have ever watched, made me almost drop the show in the middle of it. Well the theme is more childish on the outside but when looking deeper into the plot, it’s actually a bit darker than it seems. By episode 8 I guess I was past enjoying/caring for the show, didn't look past the surface to look for deeper meanings. To be quite honest I don't even remember much about this episode. Definitely not my cup of tea. |
| This episode is how I first heard about this show. It was listed on an video about the best stand-alone anime episodes, I think it may have specifically been to show non-anime fans, but regardless when I found out there was an a black comedy episode about people trying to commit suicide and constantly failed I was immediately sold. That was years ago, so it wasn't an effective sales pitch, but I was really excited to finally experience that episode, and it's probably my favourite of the series. I'll admit, despite having several flags raised I didn't piece together that they were dead until after the episode. The only thing I didn't make note of was the shadows, but it only further elevates the episode. So many tells to the episodes twist, and coming on here to understand the condom note was great. The only issue with this episode is the production was a bit wonky, and some shots looked pretty bad, though thankfully the second half was mostly great. I also love that we give little insights into why they might wanted to have commit suicide, just enough context to understand it. Except maybe for Kamome, I've read some theories that she was an unwanted child, hence the condoms at the end, which is another interesting take I can totally see. The note that Fox was Kozuka was a great way to connect it to the previous episode. As much as I enjoyed it, I was a little upset at how stand-alone it truly was. The earlier episodes did a good way to tie the earlier efforts together, like with Harumi's introduction in episode two before starring in three. But Kozuka's suicide and him being Fox from the chatlog while small, was a smart reveal that tied this episode into the chronology of the series well enough. To the point where I'm glad I didn't just watch it isolated, so I liked that reveal a lot. Also watching the show made the Shonen Bat joke all the funnier, hilarious moment. |
| Easily the best episode of the series. They were all dead for most part and became a family while being dead huh. |
| I hate everyone equally |
PANDEMlC said: The show keeps moving and since you really never believe what you're seeing you overlook the obvious until they slap you in the face with it. This sums it up pretty nicely for me as I didn't realize it till I looked at this thread and rewatch before the group photo where the shot pans down to their legs with no shadows and then pure shock overtook me as I come to the realization of how insanely good this episode is. Probably my favorite yet, up there with my favorite episodes overall even. |
Celest__Jul 30, 2021 1:46 AM
 |
| Most of the explanations for the "Happy Family Planning" don't account for the "Extra Thin Condoms" subtitle, which likely refers to their halfhearted attempts to commit suicide (post-actual death) as well as the group-suicide dynamic in itself. If their conviction is absolute, why avoid the most efficacious means to achieve it? They are depicted as an inadvertent "Happy Family" nearly the entire episode (excusing the moment when Komome is shown alone on the bridge, which likely precedes her own death) — with a content, intact, and caring community, they lack the drive to die, so they go about pursuing that end only indirectly, performatively. The continued presence of their mission, however, comforts them, precluding the self-examination (What would be their purpose, then?) that would shatter their peace of mind (and threaten their newfound happiness; the delusion scene). To interpolate some existentialism: Purpose is its own reason. The (self-conscious, meta-) search for purpose is superfluous, and often undesirable. |
NordstjaernanJul 31, 2021 1:27 AM
| This was absolutely chilling. |
| Lmao. I hadn't even guessed that they died until I came here. Guess I am an idiot. Need to go back and re-watch the episode. |
 |
| Wow. What an absolutely amazing episode. Probably one of the best I have seen recently. Peak Satoshi Kon. |
|
| This was an amazing episode, really funny in a dark kinda messed up way too lel. I feel like there is some deeper meaning here, too, especially with that last shot I get the feeling they are already dead as well, but I why can Shounen Bat see them? I'm not sure. Also of note: The old man uses his last pill like 3 different times |
| the noose part though lmaooo |
| Story-wise this episode was probably my favorite so far, but tf happened to the art-style? |
Oznerol7 said: me too...its my favorite too...art style was like this because they became ghost....shounen bat running from them...lol..Story-wise this episode was probably my favorite so far, but tf happened to the art-style? |
| Ig once they ate sleeping pills and inhaled CO both of the elders died. May be that girl jumped from the bridge coz she was able to appear in their room even if they sealed the entrance. From then on the shadows disappear. |
 |
| It's honestly incredible how they're able to create such a memorable, lasting, and complex characters and situations in the time constraint of 23 minutes. Well with only 5 episodes left, I wonder how they'll be able to wrap everything up. This series is wonderful. To be honest though, Ep 5 and this could also be considered filler, the only reason they're canon is because they're connected. Something like an intertwined filler. Not complaining tho, it's fucking amazing. This episode really reminded me of the Suicide Offline Meeting from NHK. |
 |
| Now this is an banger, if every episode was this good it would be the easiest 10/10 ever. 妄想... 温かい |
  |
RazorBeamz said: I realized they were dead when the girls getting their picture taken freaked out. I hated this episode before reading this thread LOL... so that's why they screamed. |
 |
| An excellent episode criticizing Japanese society. 1) Fuyubachi and Zebra died in the abandoned building at the beginning of the episode, Kamome died before finding them in the building, because when she calls Zebra, her voice is far away and suddenly she appears inside the building just like a ghost would. Since the demolition of the building, they don't have a shadow, even when chasing the shounen bat. 2) Zebra saw the ghost of the guy who jumped on the subway, showing that they were already dead 3) Kamome chose to die because her parents don't pay attention to her, that's why she always runs after others, she's afraid of being alone again. Zebra is gay, and probably chose death because he was abandoned by her love. Fuyubachi always carries a bag of sweets and seems to have an attachment to Kamome's image, which may represent that he chose death because he was abandoned by his children/grandchildren, a common thing in Japan due to the high life expectancy. All 3 are alone and abandoned by their family. I believe the note at the end about "family planning" means something like "you won't raise a family if you use a condom" or "you can't kill yourself if you never born". |
| Mada mada dane |
| Besides shounen bat comically appearing in one scene, this episode didn't seem connected to the main story. I didn't mind it that much, but i can only hope for the following episodes to continue the Plot. But it's also possible that the Anime doesn't want to give a clear answer to who shounen bat is and it's just supposed to be stories that are happening including shounen bat. The previous episodes could have been the first of these stories, that has now concluded. I really liked this episode though. I love how naturally and innocently the grown up characters interact with the young girl. This Anime doesn't sexualize the female characters and we all know that that's not always the case in anime. I like how this episode deals with suicide and how positive it is in a weird way. The adult characters want to safe the life of the girl and they genuienly care for her. |
serialexperimetsDec 2, 2022 3:26 AM
| I think it’s very likely the girl died first out of them. When Fuyubachi and Zebra run away from her, they show him ignoring her phone call and Fuyubachi takes out his pills and says “this is the last pill” before consuming it. This makes me think they somehow gave the girl the monoxide carbon pill and she died, maybe even asking for help as she did but they just left her, hence Fuyubachi ignored her phone call. They show the chatroom messages showing the girl asking for a way to die without suffering and Fuyubachi suggests sleepijg pills or monoxide poisoning or whatever. They show the girl looking at them from the bridge from afar. Just my theory. Very very creepy ep. |
| Oh man, this episode was trippy. |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 )katsup - Apr 3, 2008 |
216 |
by au6ust
»»
May 7, 7:24 AM |
|
Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 )Arashi89 - Aug 7, 2009 |
90 |
by pennyisirl
»»
Apr 21, 7:53 PM |
|
Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 )Arashi89 - Aug 7, 2009 |
68 |
by LithiumHead9
»»
Mar 6, 1:01 AM |
|
Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 )LibreKoi - May 24, 2009 |
63 |
by lkj509
»»
Feb 7, 2:41 AM |
|
Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 )LibreKoi - May 24, 2009 |
62 |
by lkj509
»»
Feb 7, 1:45 AM |