Kotoura-san - 10

"But You're Not Here"

So is this a red-herring? Or is it a ploy to make us think it's a red-herring?

I'm convinced that things aren't as clear cut as they seem to be in terms of this little crime investigation. The blatantly obvious answer seems to be that Tsukino is the culprit behind the attacks, but there's some issues with this theory that I don't think the director/writer would overlook without a proper explanation. Why, for example, let such an important plot detail slip in the fact that Haruka has several meetings with Tsukino but never senses any ill intent in her thoughts? It's hard to dismiss that as Tsukino being wary since she had no idea about Haruka's powers until after they met. It also doesn't explain the fact that Haruka can hear the culprit's thoughts. There's also that little issue of Kumiko's boyfriend and why it was that Kotoura reacted toward him. Was that also a red-herring? Clearly she didn't see anything specifically related to the investigation or she would have done something about it, but that did seem like an important thing to note.

I suppose some of these discrepancies can be chalked up to the basic understanding of how Kotoura's ESP works in the first place. If she's only able to read what's immediately going through someone's mind, then it's easier for certain people to escape her power (such as when Manabe kept her party secret) as long as they have good thought control and focus. However, that means that Tsukino would have to have incredible focus not to let her thoughts stray; that being the case, it seems strange that this would end up being the final explanation. Still it would be equally strange if Tsukino wasn't the criminal because she seems to have set everything up to her advantage. It's really hard to tell the difference between what we should be thinking and what the studio wants us to think, and I'm not sure I'll be satisfied with the truth unless it's very carefully laid out.

AS intriguing as this little police drama is, the real focus this week is on Haruka and her developing relationship with Manabe and Mifune. It's very interesting to note that Haruka has always been aware of Mifune's real intentions toward her ESP, but that we were only informed of this now. It points to an important dynamic in that Haruka knows more than she lets on but doesn't necessarily act on what she gleans from others' minds. Perhaps she feels that she's repenting for her "sins" by letting Mifune use her, but Manabe certainly doesn't believe that she deserves to suffer for her ESP. He's so upset by Mifune's plan that he refuses to take part in it, which says a lot about his resolve and sense of justice. At some point, Kotoura will have to realize how right he is in defending her right to live without guilt, though for now things only seem to be getting worse as Mifune's plan backfires.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the screencaps again this week! He struggled with a bad video that had to be reloaded every few minutes; thanks so much, though you needn't torture yourself, my friend!