Natsuyuki Rendezvous Episode 11 Discussion

SouthRzVa said:
Took you long enough to realize you have to let go, huh? Shimao? Though it's still a disappointment the dude seemingly decided not to pass to the afterlife after all the melodrama we had to go through.

Honestly, this series wasn't something particularly special at the beginning but man, the story seriously went to shit after episode 4 with the whole "body swapping/Hazuki in fairyland" plot-line. From this point onwards, episodes became incredibly boring and the more screen-time Shimao received, the more I despised this pathetic excuse of a man.

As for Rokka, I was mostly neutral towards her this entire time but hearing her saying it was her fault Shimao decided to stay by her side after dying sure left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially when Shimao didn't even try to contradict her.
I also didn't like how lightly the double suicide attempt was taken once Hazuki got his body back. I mean, Rokka was ready to die a few minutes ago but now she's okay because Hazuki is there to give her some kisses? Nah, I don't think so. The woman will certainly need some therapy after the supernatural ordeal her emotions had to experience. All thanks to douchebag #1; Shimao, Atsushi.

And by the way, during last scene when Shimao told the kid to call him "grandpa"... Uh, I don't really want to consider the scenario but I now wonder if Rokka actually got pregnant when she had sex with Shimao while he was still using Hazuki's body. Honestly, some part of me thinks this is the case but I seriously hope I'm wrong with this assumption. I mean, there is no need to make the ghost even creepier than he already was.

2/10

Lelouch22 said:
It's great that, carrying over from the last episode, Rokka realized who she had truly fallen in love with, and wasn't content to leave things as they were, particularly in regards to Hazuki. For the most part, the last conversation between Shimao and Rokka was an excellent scene, and easily the most emotionally resonant moment between them. For once, I could actually sympathize with Shimao's suffering, due to the absence of his typically selfish nature. However, it was pretty damn ridiculous that she would actually suggest dying alongside Shimao. That really seemed wholly contrived and unnecessary, since it effectively undercut the strength and emotions of her earlier decision. I felt like that bit of uncertainty only existed to temporarily and cheaply lessen her character for the sole purpose of highlighting Shimao's change in resolve, thus making said change seem a bit more profound. Though beautiful, their final conversation took far too much time within the episode. Due to this lengthy farewell, Hazuki, once again, continued his "secondary character" existence in an episode that should have featured him almost completely.

Lelouch22 said:
Hazuki is by far the best and most interesting character, so it was quite disappointing to see what became of him throughout the second half of the story, having been forced into an isolated role. Although initially interesting, the storybook segments with Hazuki were, in the end, largely useless, artificially stranding him in this bubble that seemingly disallowed any amount of particularly significant character development or involvement. Hazuki and Rokka’s relationship was simply fantastic and one of the strongest and most enjoyable elements of the story, yet all of this potential was temporarily, but lengthily, discarded, in order to insert Shimao into the story in a much more prevalent and contrived manner, which wasn't nearly as engaging, unfortunately.

Even though that shift of focus should have improved his character, Shimao instead became a constantly uncertain and completely unsympathetic character with hardly any development at all. His apathetic lack of conviction and vague sense of resolve created a massive contrast between him and Hazuki, and how much they each cared for Rokka. While there seemed an initial desire to make Shimao sympathetic, his very selfish and cruel actions only led him to becoming a wholly inconsistent and ambiguous identity; one that continually failed to derive any sort of sympathy from me. Perhaps that was the point though. Although I strongly doubt it, it’s certainly possible that Shimao wasn't supposed to be a particularly likable character, but the focus on him and his rather sorrowful past seems to distinctly say otherwise.