Shion calmly takes down the soldier with a single shot from a distance even though one can presume that this naive character has never handled any sort of firearms before. There is, however, quite a noticeable difference between how Shion flew into a rage with Rikiga early in the series and how he acts at the end of this penultimate episode. It isn’t hard to imagine, then, that Shion may have snapped in this particular moment in order to “avenge” Nezumi. In this episode, Nezumi has been shot twice and the No.6 soldier is moments away from killing Nezumi. Shion going into rage isn’t without precedent: when Rikiga insulted Nezumi in the fourth (I think) episode of the series, Shion flew into a rage. ![]() Let’s first consider whether or not Shion was self-possessed. When Shion suddenly snaps out of his strange behavior, his pupils visibly change before us. In anime, where eyes are often the emphasis of a character’s face, Shion’s eyes might very well be the key to understanding his change of character. While Shion may have had his doubts with Nezumi’s self-interested philosophy, over time, it isn’t hard to imagine that Shion may have adopted Nezumi’s way of thinking.īut did Shion really murder the soldier at the end of the episode? On the surface, yes, but it is quite apparent that there is something off about Shion’s eyes in this particular scene. The former has constantly instilled in the latter the idea that the world is black and white and that survival is all that matters. Throughout the series, Nezumi has been derisive whenever Shion spouts one of his naive, let’s-save-the-world ideas. First, we have to consider the theory most likely in Nezumi’s head: it is all his fault. There are three main possibilities that come to mind. Of course, Shion snaps out of his strange behavior and everything seems to be okay for the time being… but why did Shion change to begin with? Hm. Nezumi thus fears that his worst nightmares might’ve come true: this wonderful angel - this Happy Prince - that Nezumi had sought so hard to protect is being tarnished by cruel, brutal reality. He suddenly takes charge, is full of confidence, and, as Nezumi watches in horror, Shion murders a No.6 soldier mercilessly. All of a sudden, Shion is acting rather different to say the least. ![]() Throughout this week’s episode, Nezumi nervously observes his friend as they attempt to rescue Safu. At times, Nezumi’s over-protectiveness can even appear paternalistic. This is also why Nezumi goes to such great lengths to protect Shion from the horrors of reality. We can see, then, why Nezumi rescued Shion from No.6. In Rikiga’s own words, the former No.6 inhabitant is an angel. It’s not just Nezumi who thinks his friend is strange and different. In a world where exploitation materializes as parasitic bees of biblical proportions, Shion is valuable. But in the world of No.6, Shion is an anomaly. After all, if we meet a nice person, we don’t exactly think we should smother the hell out of them. For the first time, Nezumi encounters someone who has the ability to actually care for another living being, be it a human or not.Īnd like any person who encounters something rare - imagine it as if he had stumbled upon a mysterious artifact - Nezumi suddenly gets the urge to protect Shion. But all of a sudden, Nezumi meets another boy who isn’t wholly self-interested. Characters like Rikiga are even willing to exploit others for his own personal gain. This isn’t exactly a secret either the anime hasn’t been coy at all about this particular subject. ![]() One has to understand that Nezumi lives in a dog-eat-dog (figuratively since the dogs in the anime are actually quite nice) world where survival is the utmost concern. He was prepared to take Shion’s life if necessary. With no expectations, Nezumi takes a chance and sneaks into Shion’s room. ![]() Wounded and with nowhere to turn, he suddenly hears a cry of desperation in the raging storm - Shion’s cry. Here, we see a young boy being pursued by authority. To understand Nezumi and his affinity for Shion, we must go back to the very first episode of the series. In any case, I think this episode pretty much explicitly lays Nezumi’s soul bare for all of us to see. What exactly is he after? I guess I haven’t addressed this particular issue in any of my write-ups for No.6 because I’ve never really seen the problems that others were talking about. At the heart of the matter is Nezumi’s intentions. There have been some complaints by other bloggers that it’s hard to understand why the characters of this anime do the things that they do.
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