Zetsuen no Tempest - 20

"Whodunit (Who Did It)"

I would say, "I TOLD YOU SO," except this episode was so epic, it didn't matter.

So epic, in fact, that I'm going to go ahead and splurge on three more screencaps than usual (shush, I'm like seven episodes behind, no time to cap and table 30 images per episode! Not that I would have the time or will to do it otherwise...) to show my appreciation for Bones' work with this series. It's probably no secret that I love this studio; they may be dramatic, they may be grandiose, they may even be ridiculous, but I'll be damned if you could find another studio that pulls that all off better, especially when it comes to Zetsuen. The big reveal this week was possibly the most foreshadowed moment of the season (possibly even more so than the Fiend's identity in Shinsekai) but the lead up to that scene was so well-executed, so well-written, and downright awesome that it was still hugely dramatic and ironic when it happened. What's even more amazing is that even though we now know the identity of the Mage of Exodus, we've been given far more questions than answers in the process.

But I'll get to that in a moment. While the last five minutes arguably make up one of the best scenes in anime all season (which isn't really saying much for this particular season, though it is up there with some of Shinsekai's brilliance), the rest of the episode was just as great and engaging. It's kind of weird for me to realize that about six episodes ago, I wasn't very pleased with the tone change and humor in Zetsuen, and that now I'm finding it some of the most ridiculously comedic and interesting material I've seen since the likes of Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita, but in an entirely different way. Of course, both series are absurdist, but the latter is openly absurd, whereas this series is funny because it takes itself so seriously and not seriously at the same time. Normally I'd say that's impossible, but just look at Samon's wig comment; Hakaze and Jun can't believe that Samon is capable of being funny, but we as the audience know better, and Samon does too. Then there's Hakaze in her massage chair, and Hakaze walking around half naked with a bazooka on her shoulder, and the folks back home placing her bones in a coffin; it's funny stuff because normally it shouldn't be funny, but it is anyway.

There's just a ton of dramatic irony and humor here that really works in ways that few other series bother trying. Even Aika's entrance, as insane as it is, really has an "in your face" kind of feeling; the answer was so glaringly obvious in the first place that sometimes it was hard to consider the probability of her being the Mage to be all that high. It seemed too easy, and yet, here it is, announcing itself with all the flair and absurdity that Bones could muster; the girl even has a sword bigger than Hakaze's bazooka! Not to mention that Aika's personality is perfect for this (I actually like KanaHana in this role, her voice fits Aika quite well, even if it's not unique), almost scarily so. She's such a whimsical person, with her straightforward comments and her sudden appearance and quick deductions; she's catlike. Interestingly she doesn't seem to have a clue about her upcoming death, so was she really murdered? Do the events surrounding Hakaze's appearance drive her to suicide? Does Hakaze herself commit the crime "in a fit of jealousy"? Or is she still alive? As a mage, she can technically do things like escape death through time, like Hakaze did, or perhaps there's some other secret here. As for me, I've always been suspicious of Hanemura's circumstances. What is the point of his inclusion into the cast? Why would he have the powers of the Mage of Exodus but not the heart? Why put so much stress on his girlfriend, the fair-skinned Yuki-chan (note that Yuki is Hanemura's nickname for her because of how pale she is, not her real name) and then never show her face? I'm sure I'm not the only one with such suspicions, and with four episodes left, Zetsuen is heading to a very exciting end with just the proper amount of time to pull if off.