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Jan 6, 2017 7:41 PM

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Sep 2016
243
This episode gave me some serious Utena vibes and I'm not sure why.

I could swear that pink haired dude was a woman from the opening. Damn.
Feb 10, 2017 10:12 AM

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Jul 2014
4195
Flashbacks basically. Himari's friends back then became idols, her mom got scarred because of a falling mirror. Back to the present with Shouma's unknown condition. Good ep.
Apr 20, 2017 4:47 PM

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Mar 2012
665
AAA A AA A A A A A AAAAA A A AAAA A A A AAAAA A AH A MURAKAMI REFERENCE

finally a ringo-less episode. this explains so much and brings up so many new theories.
this is getting really good. i'm happy we have more than 13 eps to figure the whole story out.
May 17, 2017 7:27 AM

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Mar 2013
1172
Vanisher said:
why does penguin nº 3 is already numbered in the first episode...

I have the same question
Also I got a very Bakemonogatari vibe from this episode
Jun 11, 2017 8:37 AM
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Jul 2018
564516
this episode was fabulous max.
Nov 13, 2017 5:20 AM

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Jan 2017
622
Such a touching episode. So much sadness, regret. I'm glad Himari is so strong.

SEIZON SENRYAKU: Hungry 100% of the time.
Vzla-IT



Nov 13, 2018 10:59 PM

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May 2015
1800
This episode was amazing. I'm just wondering why penguin #3 had the 3 in the back before everything happened.
Also, now I know who the girls in the ED song are.
Dec 23, 2018 7:16 PM

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Jun 2017
180
No disrespect, but metaphysical speculations on the finer points of angels is a boring take.
Mar 12, 2019 3:35 PM
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Oct 2017
1838
putting this here for posterity and in case someone that wanders here reads this.
the scene where the mirror falls on himari's mother is a textbook example of excellent visual directing through composition.


this shot is a great set up for the climactic action of the seen. it's not just a nice mirror shot; you get a feeling of gravity with how the mirror looms over himari. the mirror takes up roughly 4/5s of the vertical space over himari, so in this sense the mirror is physically imposing itself onto her, which is accentuated by how the "camera" is situated into a top-down shot.

furthermore, you see that there are two cracks near the top of the mirror. this isn't just a detail that implies himari's family is struggling to make ends meet or a detail that shows how "lived in" the room feels. these cracks seem to suggest a prior history of the mirror being an obstacle by falling down, thus creating the cracks. this establishes the event of the mirror falling down once more is only a matter of time.


in this shot, you have movement suggested. note how the mirror and himari's mother are oriented parallel vertically quite nicely along the rule of thirds (i didn't have the time to superimpose a grid on the image so just imagine it). however, himari's mother, being an organism quite aware of gravity, feels as if she's tilting down toward himari, whose figure begins to feel squished into the foot of the mirror (this movement can be "followed" visually through himari's mother's gaze; it's as if she's staring himari into the bottom of the mirror.)
in a matter of seconds, this movement is actually enacted, and the scene is complete.


this analysis isn't novel in the sense that anyone who watched this scene and felt a sense of suspenseful dread and tension already thought this, just very instinctively and not in a long or verbose manner.
Aug 2, 2019 3:21 PM

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Aug 2017
2984
Wow. Certainly the best and the most dense episode of the show so far. So many things to unpack there. I love the discussions in this thread, really insightful.
The librarian reminded me of Nemuro from Utena A LOT
St0rmbladeAug 2, 2019 4:06 PM
Feb 6, 2020 9:51 AM

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May 2016
29
Pink Akio boutta show Himari the end of the world
“May those who accept their fate be granted Happiness, may those who defy their fate be granted Glory.”
Sep 8, 2020 5:51 PM

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Nov 2018
75
Is it just me or did this episode feel super shaft-y?
"Otaku search for patterns within data presented and draw conclusions. Anime fans only see clones and copies."
-artificialnightsky
Jan 3, 2021 9:02 PM
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Apr 2014
28
5/5. This is an incredible episode. Definitely the best episode so far! The art direction was ridiculously good this episode. Finally Himari gets fleshed out as a character.
Mar 21, 2021 12:09 PM

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Feb 2012
786
Great episode, love the direction and symbolism. It's also nice to read the comments here to see people have picked up on things that I missed. Like some others, I also got more Utena vibes than from previous episodes, maybe because this was very symbol-heavy.

I do wonder about the nature of the library, because it seems to have properties of the subconscious, yet there's talk about fate throughout the scenes (and the series). There could of course be a subconscious wish that's interpreted as fate, but an imagined library could also be the progress of time itself, everything that happens. After any event it's easy to say it's fate, that it couldn't have gone otherwise, yet before something happens, nothing is certain. And if Himari subconsciously longs for someone, and for the Triple H to be true in the present, then it could feel like reaching for something fated. The librarian hints at there being stories that she really wanted to read, suggesting that there's always this rift between the conscious mind and the subconscious, and also what we want and what comes to pass. However we interpret that library.

This sort of ambiguous handling of teenage desires and reality, at a moment when you're not quite yet forced to live on your own but can indulge in dreams of fated encounters, was something I remember being a theme in Utena as well. Though I might be mistaken, it's been a really long time since I saw it.
May 1, 2021 2:18 AM

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Nov 2018
1030
Ikuhara is a true genius of abstract anime.
So much style , yet as much substance and symbolism.
Also strong Shaft feels.
ZevvenMay 1, 2021 2:24 AM
I hate everyone equally
May 1, 2021 2:24 AM

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Nov 2018
1030
bitchassdarius said:
putting this here for posterity and in case someone that wanders here reads this.
the scene where the mirror falls on himari's mother is a textbook example of excellent visual directing through composition.


this shot is a great set up for the climactic action of the seen. it's not just a nice mirror shot; you get a feeling of gravity with how the mirror looms over himari. the mirror takes up roughly 4/5s of the vertical space over himari, so in this sense the mirror is physically imposing itself onto her, which is accentuated by how the "camera" is situated into a top-down shot.

furthermore, you see that there are two cracks near the top of the mirror. this isn't just a detail that implies himari's family is struggling to make ends meet or a detail that shows how "lived in" the room feels. these cracks seem to suggest a prior history of the mirror being an obstacle by falling down, thus creating the cracks. this establishes the event of the mirror falling down once more is only a matter of time.


in this shot, you have movement suggested. note how the mirror and himari's mother are oriented parallel vertically quite nicely along the rule of thirds (i didn't have the time to superimpose a grid on the image so just imagine it). however, himari's mother, being an organism quite aware of gravity, feels as if she's tilting down toward himari, whose figure begins to feel squished into the foot of the mirror (this movement can be "followed" visually through himari's mother's gaze; it's as if she's staring himari into the bottom of the mirror.)
in a matter of seconds, this movement is actually enacted, and the scene is complete.


this analysis isn't novel in the sense that anyone who watched this scene and felt a sense of suspenseful dread and tension already thought this, just very instinctively and not in a long or verbose manner.


Wow , great analysis.
I hate everyone equally
Mar 26, 2022 4:41 PM

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Sep 2019
212
Triple H... Now where have I heard this name before
May 5, 2022 11:06 PM

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Feb 2021
2347
I almost thought I wasn't watching it right for a sec. I mean, a Himari ep after Shouma got hit by a car last time? Nevertheless, there were some serious details I noticed throughout, I probably missed a lot of the symbolism too
Jun 4, 2022 4:37 PM
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Aug 2016
1628
bitchassdarius said:
putting this here for posterity and in case someone that wanders here reads this.
the scene where the mirror falls on himari's mother is a textbook example of excellent visual directing through composition.


this shot is a great set up for the climactic action of the seen. it's not just a nice mirror shot; you get a feeling of gravity with how the mirror looms over himari. the mirror takes up roughly 4/5s of the vertical space over himari, so in this sense the mirror is physically imposing itself onto her, which is accentuated by how the "camera" is situated into a top-down shot.

furthermore, you see that there are two cracks near the top of the mirror. this isn't just a detail that implies himari's family is struggling to make ends meet or a detail that shows how "lived in" the room feels. these cracks seem to suggest a prior history of the mirror being an obstacle by falling down, thus creating the cracks. this establishes the event of the mirror falling down once more is only a matter of time.


in this shot, you have movement suggested. note how the mirror and himari's mother are oriented parallel vertically quite nicely along the rule of thirds (i didn't have the time to superimpose a grid on the image so just imagine it). however, himari's mother, being an organism quite aware of gravity, feels as if she's tilting down toward himari, whose figure begins to feel squished into the foot of the mirror (this movement can be "followed" visually through himari's mother's gaze; it's as if she's staring himari into the bottom of the mirror.)
in a matter of seconds, this movement is actually enacted, and the scene is complete.


this analysis isn't novel in the sense that anyone who watched this scene and felt a sense of suspenseful dread and tension already thought this, just very instinctively and not in a long or verbose manner.


Very good analysis. I did feel that dread and tension at start ngl, when I instantly saw how big the mirror was compared to Himari's body overall.
Jul 1, 2022 11:40 AM
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Aug 2021
486
NoktoH said:
Is it just me or did this episode feel super shaft-y?

Indeed it does now that you mentioned it.
Sep 4, 2022 3:40 AM

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Sep 2017
1898
meh flashback.

pink haired stalker boy after himari.

unsafe house condition. You dont put such an unstable object like a mirror in house. the mirror was just waiting to fall man. Stick it in cupboard or something.

Also, all this would have been avoided if himari said she wanted 3 ribbon of same color or if she went to shop with mom.

F**kin Ringo at episode end. I hope i don't have to see her again. Go try to woo Tajima sensei or some shit. u dont deserve to be near shouma.

Without change,we end up becoming the very person we hate.


I was dead until the moment I met you. I was a powerless corpse pretending to be alive. Living without power, without the ability to change my course, was bound to lead me to a slow death.


Sep 4, 2022 3:41 AM

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Sep 2017
1898
Cabbage_Cat said:
NoktoH said:
Is it just me or did this episode feel super shaft-y?

Indeed it does now that you mentioned it.


Yeah i guess they hired someone from shaft to do the animation for this episode.


doesnt make it any better though.

Without change,we end up becoming the very person we hate.


I was dead until the moment I met you. I was a powerless corpse pretending to be alive. Living without power, without the ability to change my course, was bound to lead me to a slow death.


Nov 24, 2023 5:02 PM

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Nov 2019
125
Himari without the hat is boring asf. Literally, every other character is more entertaining.
Feb 10, 7:11 PM

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Nov 2022
507
Omg just kill me with flashbacks already and Ouch do I feel bad for Himari because she sees her friends everyday on tv, magazine, and especially on the train. Friends, always come and go
Mar 13, 9:09 AM

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Jul 2016
1610
It's only now that Himari and the train announcement girls got their backstory revealed that the penguin hat transformation is meant to be an idol outfit instead of ...something Himari is a little too young to be. That said, man I can't imagine how bittersweet it must be to be reminded of a massive success you could've been a part of.
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