But argh, all these people proclaiming Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 to be a “trainwreck” after this episode are getting on my nerves T__T So it took quite a while for Mirai to accept that Yuuki is, in fact, dead. But why the fuss? Had Mirai come to terms with Yuuki’s death as early as episode 8, what would that have contributed to the series?

We’d probably see more scenes with Mirai crying because of how fast the ‘developments’ were, just minutes earlier Yuuki was still with her, and not before long, he’s no longer there. It’ll probably take a while for Mirai to get over that, and once again we’d see people bitching over how it’s “taking her so long to accept that Yuuki’s dead, there’s no longer we can do about it, STFU, etc”.

Have people become so callous as to even understand that no, it’s not easy to get over the fact that someone you love has passed away. Screw “realism talks”, and understand just that.

Gah, I’m totally ranting here.

Glad you wrote this post, certainly refreshing to see such a positive take on this episode for once ;__;

I agree, I think this sort of “slow release capsule” approach to the culmination of the story provides much more artistic and subtle poignancy.

@ ghostlightning

Well said; it certainly fascinates me as well, as do most unusual thematic ideas in storytelling.

@ Echo

Well, as I mentioned, I had actually written an entire post exploring some of the Japanese language nuances and it was eaten by my word processor (that’s what I get for not just writing it in Wordpress). I was kind of discouraged after that and didn’t feel like re-writing it.

For example, though, after the hospital scene Mirai never uses any personal pronouns such as “I” or “we” in her sentences, with one exception. The one time she does say “we”, Mari reacts noticeably, which immediately tipped me off.

As to whether all Japanese viewers would have caught on immediately, while it’s a big stretch to attempt to speak for everyone, I do feel like Japanese speakers would understand much more quickly that Yuuki was no longer there. That said, of course the plot mechanism was designed to present it in a subtle way.

@ Shinmaru

Glad to know you appreciated the post. It’s always encouraging to know someone was able to better appreciate the series through reading a blog write-up I or someone else banged out.

Some of the reactions to this episode have confused me, too, especially pertaining to the end when Yuuki tells Mirai that he is dead. I’ve read some people react like, “We already know he is dead!” which strikes me as ridiculous. That statement is not really for the viewer’s benefit. It is not even really a twist; it is Yuuki’s spirit — or the apparition Mirai’s mind has conjured, whatever your opinion on that is — putting Mirai on the last step to coming to terms with the reality of Yuuki’s death.

That aside, I enjoyed this article; it helped my appreciation of ep 10 and TM8 as a series.

People are taking ‘realism’ too literally, not that PSTD isn’t realistic. I think I should mention that authenticity or the lack of it as a theme (among characters and relationships, not scientific accuracy) doesn’t bother me. Quite the opposite: It fascinates me!

But that’s interesting in and of itself, isn’t it? I mean, this is a show that revolves around a truly MASSIVE trauma, and yet I think this is the only time the show actually simulates traumatic consciousness for us, the viewer. Some have suggested that this show let Mirai’s delusions go on for too long before the end of the show, but I don’t think it’s true. This is painful, it makes us think, and it’s the best way to close things.

Now we just have to wait for the coda.

Maybe it’s because I tend to be less concerned with things like authenticity or scientific accuracy that the issues that seem to be bothering other people don’t bother me. I tend to be much more interested in the development of thematic ideas and emotion more than factual or linear story progressions. Japanese storytelling tends to work that way much more so than Western storytelling, which is one reason why I really like it.

I hesitate to say that it’s a lack of cultural understanding and appreciation on the part of many Western viewers that cause them to reject the story mechanism, but I really do feel like that’s where a lot of the issue comes from. I feel like watching this show in Japanese, from a relatively Japanese mindset, I’m getting a totally different story than the people who are watching it subbed. It’s probably just my pretentiousness coming through, but otherwise I’m kind of at a loss to understand many of the reactions I’ve seen to this show.

@ ahbonk

While the kanji used for his name are different (the spelling used is a very common one for that name), I still stand by my statement that it’s “no mistake that his name means courage”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the name Yuuki actually spelled as 勇気, but that’s still very much the inspiration behind the name in many cases.

@ RP

While I can understand that some people are frustrated with that development, I think that it’s the whole point of the this story arc. I knew Yuuki was dead pretty much immediately because of the way the characters’ dialogue changed after the hospital scene. In my mind, these entire last two episodes were a sort of epilogue for Yuuki.

I think maybe too many people were expecting some kind of Shyamalan ending and were waiting for some grand denouement instead of being able to appreciate the simple story of this sort of spiritual passing of the torch from Yuuki to Mirai – a rite of passage for Mirai to grow into maturity adulthood and a fitting epilogue for Yuuki and his courage.

I dunno. I really don’t. People’s reaction to this episode are completely baffling to me.

But anyway, it was a great episode 10. I was a bit slow, so I only realized it in episode 9, when Yuuki stopped talking directly to Mari. The show is on its way to be an instant classic, for sure.