[kuromitsu]

I have a million things to say about people blaming Saki and calling her weak and useless and a damsel in distress but I don't have time, so I just leave a huge +1 for Triple_R here...

OK, just this one.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

That scene in the last episode with the guano floor is a good example. The only reason I can see for the writers' making her walk through that goop rather than floating over it is to encourage the audience to feel sorry for her. If these guys can move giant boulders and submarines around with PK, certainly they could have transported a skinny young woman over the goop, even if Saki couldn't do it herself.

And they should do that every time she (or anyone else for that matter) feels discouraged? She had to conquer her fear and abhorrence. Obviously if she was completely incapable of doing it then Satoru would've carried her over, but I think we can agree that if she really was incapable of walking over a pile of crap and a swarm of bugs, she wouldn't be there anyway. (Then again, if I was there my first reaction would've been parting the guano and making a path through it, but I guess that would've been too easy a solution. Plus it could've disturbed the bugs.)

Seriously, from the way people talk about this scene, one would think she was throwing a hissy fit and kept stalling the team for hours, instead of freaking out for a couple of minutes, and then going ahead anyway.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

It just makes me wonder whether the anime writers have diverted from the novel in their characterization of Saki during this arc. While she was never as powerful as her friends during adolescence, she wasn't without abilities as we could see in scenes like the search for Maria and Satoru when she motored around on that snowboard.

They didn't really deviate from the book as far as her character is concerned, though obviously there's a ton of dialogue and internal narration/thought processes being cut that make the whole thing a bit different. Saki isn't particularly great with her power, has never been. But she's not any worse, power-wise, here than she normally is or used to be.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

But she was often portrayed as brave when she led them across the Barrier or struck out to find Maria and Mamoru. That side of her personality seems to have been buried in this arc, at least until she reached the laboratory. She certainly still has strengths like stoicism and perseverance.

She is still brave. Why do you think she isn't? She may have had moments of weakness but she did make it through all the guano, bugs, cockroaches*, hugely grotesque snail things, deadly mite swarms, giant centipedes of doom, all that horror and disgusting things, seeing her companion die, not knowing if Satoru is safe or even alive... she made it through all, got the psycho buster and got out of underground. What is this if not bravery?

*I like to think I have a certain amount of mental fortitude, but if there was a swarm of giant cockroaches between me and the MacGuffin for saving the world, I think I would need a big strong man or woman to carry me over them while I freak out and cry. Snakes, snails, spiders, larvae, bugs, no problem, but cockroaches... just no. (I have enough problems with the smaller ones, I don't even want to think about giant ones!)

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

But again I don't really care so much about these issues as those surrounding her on-again/off-again powers. She seems to have powers only when the writers decide she needs to do something like blow a hole in a rock wall.

But what is your problem with the portrayal of her power? The only thing in this episode related to that was Inui killing the first giant mukade and not her, which made sense because 1) Inui was in a better position to see the mukade, 2) as a professional "shinigami" aka bakenezumi killer, he's stronger than her, has better reflexes and more fight experience. He's technically a soldier while Saki is a civilian.

Originally Posted by Dark Wing

I think it's important for everyone to remember...

Leaders are not born, they are made and crafted by their experiences.

SERIOUSLY. Why is this so difficult to understand?