[jjblue1]

Originally Posted by Kealym

With all due respect to them, I seriously ... wonder about the Japanese readers, sometimes. 'Cause I admit that I too thought the person was Ange ... for, like, about 20 seconds and immediately went "Oh, I guess it's just Battler, somehow." Apparently they seriously thought Natsuhi was guilty, after Alliance, and a large number of people gave up when Kanon first got his sword, even though that's when the "trick" of the story became sort of obvious. I really do wonder.

Well, after what I've heard about it I wonder if the Japanese audience was, in fact, the intended audience or not. Though there were people who also solved some stuffs so maybe we shouldn't let the one who failed to become the portrait for the Japanese fandom.

Originally Posted by Kealym

I mostly accept the story as presented. She's "eccentric", and possibly very lonely as well. It would be VERY helpful if we had been told when they wrote and published Banquet, because the timing could seriously affect her way of deciding to keep him hidden for so long.

I make the assumption that she learns his identity very quickly, and decides not to subject her new, only friend to the public turmoils Eva is going through. Also, I'm sure Tohya is just so sexy when he's desperately reassembling his shattered psyche.

While it's possible Ikuko is just who she says she is... well, somehow it had never sit well with me. Though maybe that was exactly what Ryukishi wanted. To create a situation in which there's no clear answer so it's up to the reader to chose.

Originally Posted by Kealym

Agreed. She didn't ask any of the more pertinent questions (Why didn't you take my brother to a hospital?!" or, "What do you MEAN you and Eva just 'split up'??" I think it's as you say, at that point she didn't really care so long as he was alive.

Yes, somehow I got the feeling she really didn't want to know the truth anymore as long as he was back.

Originally Posted by Kealym

About Yasu possibly protecting Battler from Eva ... well, not to repeat myself, but Eva has no basis on which to make a claim about what happened on Rokkenjima. If she thinks Battler is guilty, she can't prove it, and really, if she sees that he's clearly amnesiac, shje'd PROBABLY bite her lip and get over it. Also, I'd mention that Yasu never legally gained control over ANY of Kinzo's money, which was always controlled by Krauss. Well, we're told there was a will, but it was never put to use, so ... /shrug.

We know the money on the bank account was handed by Yasu. If it was a bribe it's possible she also wrote them or contacter them in any other manner than can be traced. Also likely all her money would come from Kinzo's gold.

While it can be debated that Kinzo owned the gold illegally so technically the siblings can't claim rights on it ifsomeone where to discover Ikuko isn't who she said to be thngs could turn unpleasant.

We don't really know if Eva can't prove something. She's not talking so we don't know which info she has nor we know what exactly remained of the place in which the crime took place.

Things that might look as nothing important, if placed in the right context, can become evidence.

And anyway if Eva were to be sure Battler was involved (regardless of this being a misunderstanding or not) she would likely accuse it and hope someone would manage to prove she's not lying. She lost her husband and son and, for all she knows, Battler might be faking his memory loss.

But the point isn't really what Eva can and can't do but what Yasu thinks Eva will do and how she fears it can evolve.

Originally Posted by Kealym

I'd also mention, as a side to Random!Ikuko, that Tohya mentions in the ??? "Yeah , so it turns out she wasn't lying about the stuff with her family", or something like that, so it sounded like he had checked it out himself a bit.

I honestly don't remember this and need to check it over. All I can remember was he saying he checked her car.