[aliensporebomb]

The other issue is that some people don't have the proper equipment to
play the game but that is neither here nor there - cost aside there are
some minimum hardware requirements for any game these days.

That being said: I've found out more about what I don't know about
this story just by reading these threads than anything else. It's too
bad that people can't be patient and wait. I suspect the people nice
enough to key in all of that data have lives and other things to do
besides keying in text all day? So I give my thanks to those who take
the time to do it.

And I get the idea that the 7th Expension team has been working on
this for at least a decade, the depth in this story is almost absurd for
what is ultimately an animated cartoon.

Prediction: once it catches on in the U.S. it will be licensed and
everyone will know about it. It just needs that "catch". I suspect
it will be absurdly popular too. I feel like we're members of a weird
little club who know about it before that tidal wave of interest.

But getting back to the idea that:

Spoiler:

Takano thinks that by devouring Rika's innards (after she is ritualistically
killed) she can become a God herself is the best theory yet.

Phew. Takano, you took your grandfather too literally. Get a grip.

She has the motive, she has the means and if you think the townspeople
would be realistic about it, Himimizawa is a microcosm:

Think about the reaction if someone found the pope in rome killed that
way Rika was - the reaction would be immediate and utterly devastating.

So no wonder they had a "doomsday plan" put together if the town
went critical. Unethical but I understand the thinking behind it.

I'm not saying this story an allegory by any means but think of a well
loved religious leader, them have them slaughtered horribly and watch
the reaction of the followers. Rika has that level of love from the town
so Takano reaps what she sows apparently.

The whole "nuke the site from orbit" approach from the government
suggests they're worried about the double-edged sword capability of
this syndrome. I'm still not completely certain that it gets to that level:
yes, Keiichi and some others went nuts clawing their throats out but
ultimately what set it off was some kind of uber-emotional reaction to
something they witnessed in a particular way. There didn't appear to
be any way to control it - which is why the black ops group behind it
all may have just decided to pull out and be done with it.

However, not knowing anything about how it ends as I've not had
the opportunity to read all of the Matsurabayashi-ken pieces, I get
the feeling that the universe is going to do the "royal double smite"
on Takano for doing such a thing, or the payback will be rather intense.

It's too bad she took her grandfathers' words literally. I can see the
governments black ops people salivating with delight with the idea of
a parasite or microbe that could turn a desired population into ultra-
violent fighters but it's a two edged sword and their unethical methods
are going to be their undoing. Again and again as it happens.

One other thing:

Spoiler:

It would be cool to see if our friend Hanyuu has something to say
about it as well. At the end.