Shinsekai Yori - 24

"Bonfires in the Darkness"

Brainwashed into thinking he's not human... why didn't I think of that?

I spent so much time thinking about physical ways to overcome death feedback that I never really gave the obvious idea much thought; if the child doesn't know he's human, his death feedback won't react because his psychology makes him think he's attacking foreign creatures, just as humans can kill off bakenezumi. I may have thought about it for a second, but it just didn't occur to me that Yakomaru could brainwash a child that thoroughly, so I discarded the idea pretty quickly; it goes to show that you can easily overthink anything. Regardless, knowing why the child is on Yakomaru's side doesn't make him any less terrifying than a true Fiend; he's still a mass murderer of horrifying degree, and he's still perfectly capable of snapping Satoru's neck in half (Saki's safe, she's the narrator) even if he is just a manipulated boy. However, I think Saki is right in that a large enough shock may break Yakomaru's hold on him, though I can only see this ending badly; if the boy realizes he has been killing his own kind, his death feedback could overwhelm him and destroy him on the spot, and while Saki and Satoru might be saved, I don't think Saki could deal with having been the direct cause of the poor thing's death.

All my annoyances at the portrayal of Saki and Satoru's relationship faded away somewhat this week, because Saki does something I never expected her to do, at least not for the reasoning she uses: she destroys the Psychobuster to save Satoru's life. This is a huge sacrifice, something that could very well lead to the end of the world. Yet in that moment, Saki realizes that she can't bear to live without her only friend, all alone in the world that's already claimed the lives of nearly everyone she's ever known and loved. There's some pity and guilt toward the peudo-Fiend as well, and some horror at the fact that she's about to kill Maria and Mamoru's child, but more than anything, she can't bear the thought of loneliness and losing Satoru. Really though, this is what I would have done myself; even if there's no romantic love between them, Saki and Satoru have always had a bond arguably stronger than that between themselves and anyone else. They loved the same boy, they survived together as children, there was always attraction between them, and they were the lone survivors of the forces that took their friends and family. Romance or not, these two are practically soul-mates, best friends who've supported each other for most of their lives and who've suffered the same pain in ways no one else did. When your best friend, your soul-mate, is in danger, you do something about it, especially when you have nothing else left to live for.

Still, destroying the Psychobuster essentially means that Saki, Satoru, and Kiroumaru are nothing but sitting ducks now, and the only way out seems to be a kamikaze attack by collapsing the cave. It's an incredibly tense situation, hearing Yakomaru's jeering voice attempting to lure them out but never seeing him; seeing Saki and Satoru huddled together, terrified of the outcome; Kiroumaru reproaching them for their lack of spine and will to do what must be done. It's rather interesting that Kiroumaru brings up the differences in their species at this point; he claims that the bakenezumi willingly give their lives for the sake of their colonies and the promise of a better future, whereas the humans are so rooted in the idea of self-preservation that they go to the other extreme and kill their own children. In fact, the bakenezumi ideals remind me quite a bit of Japanese ideology during the Pacific War; men willingly gave their lives for honor and country, rather than for themselves as individuals. They fought for the future and for the expansion of the Empire, not to keep themselves static for ever. In this case, however, I've always felt the bakenezumi justified in their wish for freedom from PK domination; to be enslaved and treated like expendable animals is no less cruel than what the Cantus users did to their own children, and it's no mystery that they should rise up when given the opportunity. However, Shun, through Saki's consciousness, seems to think that Kiroumaru is the key to escaping this dire situation, and while I don't particularly like the role he's taken up in giving Saki all the convenient answers, I am waiting with baited breath for the finale, hoping against hope that Satoru survives the last stand no matter what the result.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the wonderful screencaps!