RDG: Red Data Girl - 12 [End]

"The World Heritage Girl"

Considering I just rushed to buy the novels, I think RDG did pretty damn great for itself, against all the odds.

It's been a long time since I watched a show that confused me without the express intent to do so. But even so, I don't think that's necessarily a negative mark in this series' favor. Confusing or not, Red Data Girl has consistently been nothing short of beautiful, especially when it comes to the atmosphere. That it ended strangely and without any real feeling that it should have ended isn't really as shocking as it would be from a different kind of show, and that's okay. We're not dealing with the conventional here, and we never really were. And we have to take into account the fact that this is an adaptation based on multiple novels, and only a one cour one at that. Things were bound to be rushed, and that's fine too. In the end, the question I really have to ask myself is, "did I enjoy this anime?" and really, the answer is simple; I enjoyed it a whole lot more than I ever expected to.

I won't pretend to know what happened with all the Himegami stuff or what it all really meant; the World Heritage Candidate remains to me as mysterious as ever and I have absolutely no clue how the whole contest worked and what it signifies either. I still have doubts as to the Goddess's identity as well; Izumiko claims she is the Goddess, so what did the Goddess mean by saying she time traveled and destroyed humanity countless times? Doesn't Izumiko accept her role exactly as the Himegami warned Miyuki she must not do? Or does she reject that identity by choosing to be with him? A great deal of the finale is difficult to interpret, but most of all I'm confused by all the Hachiouji ghosts. I could have sworn that the Himegami was the Lady behind the mass suicides of all the women at the castle, but even that was never properly addressed.

Even so, I'm happy with this series because it was really a pleasure to watch, even when I was more than a little lost in what was happening and why. The sequences of the otherworldly, the attention to detail, the music, and the subtle character interactions all more than made up for the unfortunate rushing of the main plot, and that's just as evident in the final episode as it has been all along. Note, for example, Miyuki's struggle; this is really a battle of wills, of Miyuki coming to terms with his own feelings and resolve in order to reach Izumiko. As Wamiya warns him, his strength is only indicative of how much he believes in what he's doing, and it's only once he admits that he must be at Izumiko's side that he's finally able to break through it all. The same goes for Izumiko herself; it's in the moments of self-reflection and coming to terms with oneself that the two of them finally break free of the restraints keeping them apart all this time, both self and externally imposed. And because it's such a personal thing, it's all the more touching to watch it end with the simplicity of holding hands and leaning into each other the way they were never allowed to do before.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the caps!