Aaah, finally sola returns to the peaceful storytelling it charmed me with, spending its time depicting beautiful relationships.
Once again, I am reduced to bullet points:
- It's really very nice to see Takeshi aiding and getting along with Matsuri. I really enjoy it when a story brings together good characters who were previously opposing each other.
- What did Aono mean by saying it was her fault?
- If this is the first attempted Yorito-clone, then what exactly was the promise Matsuri made to Aono before?
- While I was entranced by the scene with Yorito confronting Aono, the scene depicting them in profile as they spoke was really drawn awkwardly. It bothered me.
- Knowing that Yorito is a paper golem, we also know that Aono isn't half-evil, she's just 100% sick puppy.
- Sae's surprise attack!! Oh, Sae, why must you be so amusing?
- Kyori's revenge is so sweet.
Finding that Yorito is a golem, as opposed to any of the other possibilities, hurt my enjoyment of the story. I have trouble seeing him as a sympathetic character. I have the same problem with stories that expect us to see a computer artificial intelligence as a sympathetic character. This is a bit easier to accept than that, though, because Yorito could very well be a real human, just with paper as his starting point (hey, Adam was made from dirt, so it's not a stretch). Paper doesn't bleed, after all, so if he can be real flesh and blood despite being made of paper, perhaps he has a real spirit, too. The character, and the story, just wouldn't have the same impact if Yorito is just a paper mache bag of memories.
Well... Yorito certainly looks upbeat and determined at the end. We were clearly meant to wonder if he'd already left, only to be surprised at his appearance. What did he and Matsuri discuss? How did things go with Aono when he returned?
So what's Matsuri's plan? I assume that if by "disappear" she means that they should run off together, that she's planning on a showdown with Aono so she and Yorito can be free... But Matsuri doesn't seem the type. More likely is that she wants to use the sword to sacrifice herself to make Aono human, and assumes that if Aono were no longer a yaka that Yorito would disappear. I also doubt that the story would end without resolving Mayuko's tragedy of being a yaka, or at least she and Takeshi playing a role in how things wrap up, so that throws a wrench in things.
The unanswered questions about Matsuri, Aono, and Original Yorito's past linger... I imagine we'll get even more answers.
The opening has a scene with Yorito closing a photo album containing a picture of Matsuri. I wonder if that is just symbolic, or if it gives us any clues.
Ah, so many possible endings. Well, be sure to save frequently so you can see all of--oh, wait.