Howdy of us, and welcome again to Mistaken Each Time. In the present day we’re returning to the battlefield of Blue Reflection Ray, after a slew of revelations left our heroes scattered and almost with out hope. Within the wake of studying about her sister’s Pink Reflector id, Hiori selected to reply like she all the time has: by suppressing her emotions of harm and abandonment, and performing like nothing is incorrect.
Fortuitously, Ruka just isn’t the identical lady she was eight episodes in the past, when she lamented that she couldn’t attain out to these in ache like Hiori managed so simply. Ruka challenged Hiori to embrace her sorrow, to “notice how necessary your emotions are too,” and with that the dam lastly broke. Simply as Hiori was as soon as in a position to categorical her ache relating to her mom’s departure to Mio, now can she categorical her true emotions relating to Mio to Ruka, a confidant who would by no means pity her.
With our lead reflectors now resonating like by no means earlier than, I think about it’s time for a counteroffensive towards the more and more audacious brokers of Mio. They’ve accelerated from particular person soul-stealing to app-based crowdsourcing to mass emotion-sapping climate phenomenon, and it’s as much as our courageous heroes to place a cease to it. Plus, with Hiori and Ruka making such constructive strides, I’m hoping it’s time for Miyako to realize her personal reflector credentials, and maybe a candy reflector weapon within the discount. Regardless, the hour of battle attracts close to as we return to Blue Reflection Ray!
Episode 9
We open again on the purple reflector chapel, with Nina now mired in anxieties relating to Mio’s relationship along with her versus Hiori. Nina is really essentially the most unlucky of all this story’s lonely heroines, with no completely satisfied recollections of a house to look again on, and no assist construction save the doubtful, conditional allegiance of the purple reflectors. You’ll be able to see in her story how straightforward it might be for anybody with no compelling different to be swept up in a cult like this
Whereas Hiori or Miyako can take some solace in the concept that “even my unfavorable emotions are a key a part of who I’m,” what solace are phrases like these to Nina? She has nothing however unfavorable recollections, and all they’ve sculpted her into is an individual determined for both love or oblivion. Discovering peace with sad instances is barely potential if such instances are balanced with constructive recollections
And right here’s our emo poser Uta, desirous to rub salt in Nina’s wounds. The issue with becoming a member of the depressed children membership is you’re gonna run into an entire lot of oldsters who’re simply there for the aesthetics
Uta can solely consider three causes for Nina to be feeling down: she’s hungry, she forgot her homework, or she’s one way or the other weaker now. Uta’s character evaluation is as superficial as every thing else about her
Uta tells her she will’t launch her full energy if her emotions waver, to which Nina responds “my emotions are stronger than anybody else!” That’s probably true, however that doesn’t essentially imply her emotions are equally dedicated to this specific trigger. Nina may even have skilled an excessive amount of of life to embrace the simplistic answer offered by the purple reflectors – and past that, she is likely to be questioning if, given the continual hardship of her life to date, eradicating her unfavorable emotions would merely erase her solely
In the meantime, Mio’s studying poetry within the rose backyard, and is interrupted by a ticked-off Momo. Love the picture of Momo doing that delinquent “leg up with a bat over your shoulders” pose with a large goddamn sword
Momo swiftly follows her “you might want to inform me what’s occurring” with an admission that she’s additionally undecided what’s occurring, or the place to begin, or what she’s even actually doing right here. Bless this lady
“You’re my enemy… aren’t you?” All of that is extraordinarily Momo, and demonstrative of why she’s been such a humorous alternative for the occasion’s “seasoned veteran” position. “I’ll confront Mio and resolve this” was the place her thought course of each started and ended relating to this assembly
The extra considerate Mio presents a really cheap query – what precisely are the Reflectors? What’s both aspect working for, and who’s empowering them?
Momo is content material with the straightforward “we’re the nice guys, who defend individuals’s emotions from the unhealthy guys.” Mio swiftly counters with “properly, we’re reflectors too. There’s no good or unhealthy amongst reflectors.” Was it simply hubris that made our heroes assume their aspect is a righteous trigger?
Mio presents a broader, much less morally charged definition: reflectors are merely those that can work together with Fragments, the crystallized type of feelings which might be the supply of energy on this world. Good and evil don’t come into it
Mio mentions “Yuzu and Lime,” who apparently supplied that definition and made her a reflector
It appears Mio remembers way more of the previous than Momo, which informs her view that reflectors aren’t essentially good or unhealthy
“You’re sturdy. However not everyone seems to be like that.” Mio’s response to Momo resonates with Nina’s state of affairs. Some individuals can discover which means in embracing their sad recollections, however not everybody can deal with their trauma the identical means
Hiori and Ruka examine in on Kana, now crying in a hospital mattress. What solace can they really provide her? What’s the blue reflector path past “pulling your self collectively and getting over it?”
“Kana, we’re leaving for as we speak.” Even Hiori is unsure what she will provide Kana
“Simply since you’re sturdy doesn’t imply you received’t get harm.” Mio truly seems to offer extra sympathy to these affected by traumatic feelings than Momo, emphasizing that not everybody will be as sturdy as her, and that even she ought to take warning, and know power just isn’t infinite
“So that you’re nervous about me?” Momo can’t actually parse Mio’s ‘philosophy of reflectors’ discourse, however she will inform when somebody cares about her
“There aren’t any emotions you don’t want.” Momo ultimately presents a genuinely convincing counterpoint: that even our unfavorable emotions are useful, as a result of all of our emotions, good and unhealthy, facilitate our capability to attach and resonate with the sentiments of others. It’s as a result of we’ve got suffered that we will provide significant solace to others who’ve suffered
It appears Mio suffered a disaster of religion main into the battle that opened the sequence, shedding her certainty of objective
“We’ve each died as soon as.”
“As a result of I misplaced towards the Sephirot, everybody died”
“The Sephira don’t seem right here, and the Widespread stays closed off. However so many Reflectors are showing.” Apparently our women don’t have the slightest clue about their precise duties as reflectors – they’re pawns in a system that’s largely been closed off, with solely Mio seemingly having a lot recollection of their precise duties
“We misplaced towards the Sephirot three days sooner or later.” In order that they solely have three days to keep away from their repeat deaths
“Reset? Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not just like the world is a few videogame!” I do marvel what context taking part in the sport would have offered for this situation – not likely positive if we’re in a sequel sequence, a prequel, or truly simply following the sport narrative
After which Nina exhibits up, nonetheless deeply insecure about her place, decided to defend her “sister” from Momo
“Blood relations imply nothing! Sister and I are companions! We’re linked by a particular bond!” Given Nina’s relationship along with her mom, it’s little shock she places no weight within the energy of blood ties
Momo reveals she tracked them by recognizing Nina’s uniform, thus it was truly Nina who led the blue reflectors to their sanctuary
In the meantime, the remainder of the blue reflector staff is having fun with tea, as Miyako frets about the place Momo might be. She continues to be essentially the most quietly delicate member of the staff, although I’m positive she’d protest that herself
“She has no concept how we’re feeling.” A line with distinctive significance on this present. Momo and Miyako’s emotions are out of sync
She no less than understands Momo properly sufficient to acknowledge that if Momo came upon concerning the enemy headquarters, she may properly head there alone
Each Nina and Momo’s weapons crackle uncomfortably with lightning of their fingers. Neither of them possess a clear sync with their alleged companion
“Companions struggle alongside one another, and share their emotions. I’ve this sword so I can struggle alongside Mio. And if Mio did one thing incorrect, I’d even smack her with this to cease her.” Phrases that talk to Momo’s extra earnest bond with Mio. In distinction, Nina continues to be determined for the approval of others, and thus can’t keep an equal partnership – she would by no means problem Mio like this, given her horrible worry of being deserted
And thus Nina is defeated
Momo proves the burden of her phrases by subsequently difficult Mio, asking first why she couldn’t struggle throughout their closing battle, after which why she deserted Hiori. True companions aren’t afraid to ask tough questions or acknowledge their pair’s hidden emotions, as Hiori and Ruka simply proved. That is the power of the blue reflector philosophy in motion – and the reply to that query of “what if I’ve nothing however unfavorable feelings” is that you need to discover a companion, somebody with whom to share and validate your emotions
“In three days, every thing disappeared due to the error I made. I received’t make that mistake once more.” So Mio’s blamed herself for the defeat, and is thus now decided to presumably sacrifice herself fairly than enable a repeat of the final apocalypse
“This time, I’m going to guard them.” Yep
And Accomplished
Thus secrets and techniques are revealed as Momo confronts her one-time companion! This episode’s revelations had been a mix of real solutions and data that solely prompts extra questions, however we’ve nonetheless bought a a lot clearer image of what precisely occurred between Momo and Mio, in addition to why Mio has set herself on this path that divides her from Momo and Hiori. As is so usually the case, Mio believes one of the simplest ways to guard her family members is to separate herself from them, and presumably used the cultivated “flowers” of her reflectors’ targets to defeat their closing opponent. In fact, given how reflector powers appear to work, it feels simply as probably that it was the disjoint between Mio and Momo’s emotions that led to their prior defeat, fairly than any elementary flaw of their plan or philosophy. However reflector mechanics apart, I fairly loved this prolonged debate on the character and worth of reflectors, as Mio and Nina each supplied some compelling counters to the concept that everybody ought to be pressured to both acknowledge all their emotions or just hand over. Neither of those philosophies are full, and neither can stand alone – just like the reflector pairs themselves, they’re solely as sturdy as their unity of objective.
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