Zetsuen no Tempest - 17

"Marine Snow"

This was so funny, it felt wrong. It seems that Hanemura isn't as stupid as everyone else makes him out to be.

Well, the secret's out and the dramatic irony has finally found a release; everyone knows who Yoshino's girlfriend was, and this bodes ill. Very ill.

Samon and the others seem determined to find evidence that backs up their theory about Yoshino being the Mage of Exodus. Apparently, Hanemura is so pathetic that they've dismissed the idea that he's the only Mage without much thought, and now they're playing with a hypothesis that perhaps the Mage has split into two, a heart and a body. This, to me, sounds rather unreasonable. Being clever or having someone be in love with you shouldn't place you under suspicion of murder, but that's exactly what's happened to poor Yoshino; even worse, now that the secret about him and Aika is out, he's more suspect than ever. What a coincidence that the suspect was the closest person to her! Except, we know that there are no such things as coincidences in Zetsuen, and Yoshino is now in danger because of everyone's concrete belief in this fact.

Even Mahiro is willing to jump on the bandwagon should there be enough evidence, but they haven't quite decided that Yoshino is guilty yet. They feel that it's awfully convenient that he's had things work out the way they have, but they're still using Hanemura as insurance to try and lure out any other people who may be involved with Exodus. In a way, this is almost like a conviction waiting to happen; everyone wants it to be Yoshino, but just in case, they've set up a back-up plan.

All the seriousness aside, however, this was a fairly silly episode. Lately the humor has been the dominant feature of the series with intricate plot lines snaking in the background. I found myself laughing more than I did last week, and I don't think I've ever seen someone look so pleased to think that their love interest's girlfriend must be much more amazing than herself. Watching Hakaze bumble along with her crush is seriously amusing; she's such a serious character, almost Samon-like, that when she's as lovestruck as a school-girl it's like watching the Dalai Lama riding a unicycle. Even her confession is ridiculously to the point, and her inner monologues are just as funny as Samon's exaggerated expressions in the first cour.

But Hakaze isn't the only thing that's funny this episode; when Samon, Jun, Mahiro, and Hanemura sit down to figure out who Yoshino's girlfriend is (pretty much so they can take her hostage) every ridiculous candidate is thrown around while everyone but Hanemura ignores the obvious answer. Female teachers, elementary school students, nurses... it was funny because it was taken so seriously, with classical music playing in the background and everything. It's how Zetsuen does humor best, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Once Hanemura hits on Aika, however, the fun is over. Regardless of whether Mahiro truly believes that Yoshino is the Mage or not, this reveal is bound to open a rift between them and I don't place Mahiro above outright attempting to murder his best friend. Hakaze too is unlikely to be happy with this, though for different reasons, and in the meantime fate is drawing everyone closer and closer to the truth and, as always, toward Aika herself.