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alchemicinkFinished up my rewatch of this series, and my initial opinion remains intact: this is a very moving story and I love it.
The story is at once heartbreaking and also relentlessly optimistic. I like that combo a lot.
(More spoilery thoughts under the cut)
The body count for this series is incredibly high. Though none of the main characters die (thank goodness), I still think this series does a good job of making the deaths of all those people really hurt. The feeling is ever present, even if it's not directly onscreen. (Like Godai listening to the TV report of names in episode 47, followed by him seeing a few roadside memorials.)
But despite all this, you still get a sense of hope. It may be a small thing, but it's enough to keep pushing forward. It's a relatable theme, especially now in these incredibly trying times.
That's ultimately why I love this series so much. The rewatch just affirmed it.
***
My only complaint about this series really is that I disliked Enokida's storyline with her son. Her mom is constantly shaming her about being a bad mother to Sayuru because she's too busy working.
But like... people are dying?? What else is she gonna do??
It's just framed like Enokida is simply picking work over family time, and she's just goofing off and avoiding responsibility. But... that's not what's happening!
She's not just hanging around at the office for fun. She's pulling all-nighters to develop tech to save people's lives. It's clear that, if it weren't for the ULF on the loose, she'd be a bigger presence in her son's life with no problems.
Ugh, it's just kinda insulting to watch I guess. You'd never see this kind of storyline for a father.
Anyway, I'm glad things eventually work out for Enokida. And I do think her and Jean are kinda cute together. But ughhhhh it was really frustrating to get to that resolution.
***
Ichijou has ribs of steel. I've said this many times before, but it's still somehow my biggest takeaway after finishing the series 😂 He gets thrown around a lot in the last few episodes! And yet, he never seems very affected by it. Even when he was in the hospital, Tsubaki just gave him some really good painkillers and then let him drive away???
I just think it's funny that Ichijou is so resilient. (The plot didn't really have time for him to be out of commission.) But man, I really want to write some whump fic for him now (followed by some good old-fashioned hurt/comfort)
***
I continue to think that the interactions between Ichijou and The Woman with the Rose Tattoo are some of the most fascinating of the series. I think constantly about how she repeatedly says "the Linto have changed" and then she doubles down at the end by calling Ichijou a "Linto who hunts other Linto."
I think about that a lot because she's... right. Ichijou is a cop. It's his job. He's so devoted to his work. You can see that clearly in episode 43 when he gets involved in the hostage situation even though he's off the clock at the time.
I have more thoughts on this but I can't quite put them into words (I have too many feelings), but I'll probably write fic about it at some point. (Always the best way for me to organize my thoughts into something more coherent)
***
Lastly, I just wanna talk about Godai as a protagonist. He always puts a smile on his face and does what he can to help people. Some might complain that he doesn't have many obvious character flaws (which generally make for compelling protagonists these days), but I like that Godai is relentlessly good in the face of such awful devastation that's happening around him.
Nana calls him out on it in one late episode (I've forgotten which one now), but she says he's too idealistic. And Godai just replies back that he's just doing what he wants to see in the world. I like that mindset. It can be easy to grow cynical, but Godai fights not to. He fights so hard throughout the whole series for that. And he does struggle at times. You can see hints every now and then when he's not smiling. But to the end, he remains his usual optimistic, kind self.
And that's how he saves everyone.
I just love that. It's why I love this series.
***
Overall, this rewatch has just cemented how much I enjoy this series. It has a full cast of wonderful characters and a compelling storyline that kept me invested the whole time. And it just makes me feel a lot of things that I keep thinking about even now that it's over.
Great show 👍
(Previous rewatch thoughts are here: Episodes 1-12, Episodes 13-24, and Episodes 25-37)
The story is at once heartbreaking and also relentlessly optimistic. I like that combo a lot.
(More spoilery thoughts under the cut)
The body count for this series is incredibly high. Though none of the main characters die (thank goodness), I still think this series does a good job of making the deaths of all those people really hurt. The feeling is ever present, even if it's not directly onscreen. (Like Godai listening to the TV report of names in episode 47, followed by him seeing a few roadside memorials.)
But despite all this, you still get a sense of hope. It may be a small thing, but it's enough to keep pushing forward. It's a relatable theme, especially now in these incredibly trying times.
That's ultimately why I love this series so much. The rewatch just affirmed it.
***
My only complaint about this series really is that I disliked Enokida's storyline with her son. Her mom is constantly shaming her about being a bad mother to Sayuru because she's too busy working.
But like... people are dying?? What else is she gonna do??
It's just framed like Enokida is simply picking work over family time, and she's just goofing off and avoiding responsibility. But... that's not what's happening!
She's not just hanging around at the office for fun. She's pulling all-nighters to develop tech to save people's lives. It's clear that, if it weren't for the ULF on the loose, she'd be a bigger presence in her son's life with no problems.
Ugh, it's just kinda insulting to watch I guess. You'd never see this kind of storyline for a father.
Anyway, I'm glad things eventually work out for Enokida. And I do think her and Jean are kinda cute together. But ughhhhh it was really frustrating to get to that resolution.
***
Ichijou has ribs of steel. I've said this many times before, but it's still somehow my biggest takeaway after finishing the series 😂 He gets thrown around a lot in the last few episodes! And yet, he never seems very affected by it. Even when he was in the hospital, Tsubaki just gave him some really good painkillers and then let him drive away???
I just think it's funny that Ichijou is so resilient. (The plot didn't really have time for him to be out of commission.) But man, I really want to write some whump fic for him now (followed by some good old-fashioned hurt/comfort)
***
I continue to think that the interactions between Ichijou and The Woman with the Rose Tattoo are some of the most fascinating of the series. I think constantly about how she repeatedly says "the Linto have changed" and then she doubles down at the end by calling Ichijou a "Linto who hunts other Linto."
I think about that a lot because she's... right. Ichijou is a cop. It's his job. He's so devoted to his work. You can see that clearly in episode 43 when he gets involved in the hostage situation even though he's off the clock at the time.
I have more thoughts on this but I can't quite put them into words (I have too many feelings), but I'll probably write fic about it at some point. (Always the best way for me to organize my thoughts into something more coherent)
***
Lastly, I just wanna talk about Godai as a protagonist. He always puts a smile on his face and does what he can to help people. Some might complain that he doesn't have many obvious character flaws (which generally make for compelling protagonists these days), but I like that Godai is relentlessly good in the face of such awful devastation that's happening around him.
Nana calls him out on it in one late episode (I've forgotten which one now), but she says he's too idealistic. And Godai just replies back that he's just doing what he wants to see in the world. I like that mindset. It can be easy to grow cynical, but Godai fights not to. He fights so hard throughout the whole series for that. And he does struggle at times. You can see hints every now and then when he's not smiling. But to the end, he remains his usual optimistic, kind self.
And that's how he saves everyone.
I just love that. It's why I love this series.
***
Overall, this rewatch has just cemented how much I enjoy this series. It has a full cast of wonderful characters and a compelling storyline that kept me invested the whole time. And it just makes me feel a lot of things that I keep thinking about even now that it's over.
Great show 👍
(Previous rewatch thoughts are here: Episodes 1-12, Episodes 13-24, and Episodes 25-37)
