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Somehow I always thought I'd write more notes when blogging Psycho-Pass, but this episode proved me completely wrong at double the amount.
If the last episode served to highlight how clever Yoshino is, this episode is the one that warns us not to take Mahiro lightly.
It seems that two objects are required, but they must share similar shapes and include some part of the mage's body in order to function as communication. The more similar in shape and the larger the body part used, the higher "frequency" the two objects will share and the better they link with one another. The dolls that Hakaze and Yoshino possess have been soaked in her blood, and Mahiro quickly realizes what the others hadn't quite hit on: what could have a better resonance with Hakaze than her own skeleton? Yoshino shoots the idea down, explaining that if Hakaze traveled through her skeleton to the future, she would never have died and thus her bones never left behind in the first place (I'm glad Bones is getting exposure to what really happens when you mess with time paradoxes, and that it's important not to forget little details like this... yes, I'm looking at you, Astral Ocean). But Mahiro quickly counters with a stroke of what can only be called brilliance (though a morbid one at that): if the bones must be left behind, then Hakaze can simply transfer everything but her bones and reconstitute her flesh, muscles, and organs on top of the skeleton in the present time.
This time Samon himself acknowledges that the boys have stumbled upon the proper method of time travel, though he waits until the right moment to reveal the full plan. Not only is the method feasible, he's even hidden a proper offering of civilization on the island for Hakaze to use in case of an emergency. However, in revealing this information, Samon simultaneously asks Mahiro to dwell on what we've already been wondering ourselves: was Aika killed in order to bring Mahiro to Hakaze's side, and if so, shouldn't Mahiro abandon Hakaze and the Tree of Genesis, the sole reason his sister was murdered?
The fact that Hakaze was abandoned a year before Aika's murder rather than after makes it a much harder case to argue against, but Yoshino chooses to defend Hakaze anyway. He realizes that even if that were the reason for Aika's murder, it would do neither her nor anyone else any good to go against Hakaze now that she's already dead. He then points out that if the Kusaribe weren't attempting to revive the Tree of Exodus and if they hadn't abandoned Hakaze, then the Tree of Genesis wouldn't have seen the need to bring Mahiro to her assistance. The conversation quickly devolves into a debate between Yoshino and Samon on who is truly responsible for the death, with Mahiro quietly listening to both sides without saying a word.
As this is playing out, Jun has arrived to defend Evangeline from Natsumura, and in the process lets us know just how formidable he can be, despite denying that he's a mage. The army seems at its limit, and once the Exodus fruit appear on scene, the soldiers succumb to the Iron Sickness, and Jun points out that only Mahiro and Yoshino stand in the way of Samon's plan. He orders Natsumura to heal Evangeline and reveals a curious fact: the Kusaribe are unable to murder without losing their magic in the process. The only way to reverse this is for the murderer to participate in a ritual and have the Tree of Genesis forgive them, but the clan itself will always punish the offender. It is through this knowledge that Hakaze realized a Kusaribe must have killed Aika, for only they have the ability to remove their sins through ritual, and as no one else was caught in her "web," the murderer must be of her clan.
Having successfully stalled Samon and Mahiro, Yoshino gives Hakaze time to search for the offering. However, Mahiro is the one who realizes that Samon too has been stalling, in order to get the news of who Aika's killer is so as to persuade him to abandon Hakaze regardless of whether she can return or not; after all, what use is she to him if Samon has the information he wants already? Mahiro proves himself both clever and calculating, and the others are shocked that someone so impulsive has the patience to let things work out for him as favorably as possible. However, his confidence is shaken when Samon is told by his underlings that no one in the clan has committed the ritual, and that therefore they are not responsible. Hakaze is the one who understands the implications of this: if a Kusaribe was not involved, then the only answer that remains is that the Tree of Exodus must have it's own princess or mage, and that whomever it is, that person is the one responsible for Aika's death.
It's amazing to realize that the four centerpieces of this drama have hardly moved for the last three episodes. Other than Hakaze who finally left her beach this week, the only other movement has been the symbolic switch between Samon and Yoshino; at the beginning, Samon, who was utterly convinced he had the upper hand looked down at both boys, but last week Yoshino took that spot, and has since held that metaphorical "superiority". Yet despite the lack of action, these last few episodes have been the best of Zetsuen so far, and everything has been carefully explained in a way that makes perfect sense within the framework. The other interesting thing to note is of course the identity of the Exodus mage. There is a possibility that Aika herself was the mage and committed suicide staged as murder, but is that really logical? What exactly would the mage gain by killing Aika and sending Mahiro to Hakaze's side? Does the Exodus mage even have to be logical? If it's the opposite of the Tree of Genesis, then wouldn't chaos be his or her priority? Is chaos what it hoped to achieve in the wild card Mahiro is proving himself to be?
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