Boogiepop wa Warawanai Episodes 12-13: Instilling fear
Published on March 11, 2019
This arc ended up being pretty entertaining overall. I still think that there were a few loose ends that felt awkward, but it was more fun to watch than the Imaginator arc. I also liked that it incorporated elements from the other series, because it truly gave the sense that this story was meant to set everything else up. I hope it's not just because I watched the episodes in pairs, as I suspected it might have contributed a bit to overall understanding.
Am I supposed to conclude that the Towa Organization is the ultimate antagonist for this series? They feel like they're being tied to everything at this point.
I'm not sure I fully understood what Seiichi's role in everything ultimately was. Is he just there because the timeline is convenient for his story? He also seems to set the Imaginator case in motion by talking with Suiko here. It might just be because he's an author, but I didn't really get the heavily nuanced language he used.
I guess I can appreciate the irony in this line. After spending some time with Masanori, Nagi concludes that he's kind at heart, all without realizing that he's the one who killed her father and Kuroda. Those two were probably the main influences in her life, so it makes it interesting. It also highlights the turmoil in Masanori that becomes a factor later.
I'm a little disappointed that Masanori doesn't get a fair amount of time to develop. The concept of the "bugs" within him is actually quite fascinating. I think it's meant to highlight a sort of cognitive dissonance, as the series suggests that he's acting against his nature when he does his work as an assassin. At least, that was my takeaway.
It's cool to watch Nagi deduce Kisugi's true nature based on what little information she had. I do like the idea that Kisugi essentially yearns for the kind of fearlessness that she targets. These motives actually make a lot of sense.
I think the series does a decent job of introducing Nagi as the "hero" she attempts to be in the future. Personally, I think that Pigeon was a bit underdeveloped for the role she played in the story. It's not completely illogical for her to be in love with Kuroda, but she kind of comes out of nowhere. I did like the references to Suiko and Echoes in this arc, though. Overall, it was an entertaining story.