(L) Ga-rei -Zero-

[nixie]

Creative introduction? Man, the first episode makes me feel seriously cheated. I was just getting comfortable with Tooru and his partners. They shouldn't make non-important characters looked so important. Overall the show was okay still, but I couldn't forget the cast in episode 1.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

It certainly was murder. At that point Yomi's intent was not self-defense or exorcism. When she killed Mei it was purely about revenge for her father's death.

Well do think Yomi could get it brought down to manslaughter by using the provocation defence . Was provoked in such a way that I think the average person wouldn't have been able to stop themselves from landing that final blow.

Still think Mei would have died from her injuries when she rejected the stone as it was. She would have likely died from just that butterfly guy's attacks, but add on what Yomi did and that's just way too much. Though wouldn't deny that last attack was driven by all the pain and rage she had tossed at her within the last 24 hours.

Don't think you can parallel Kagura's father and Yomi that well. He had a lot of time to deal with waht happened to his wife. There was simply no time for Yomi to deal with all that had happened to her. Her 'father' died, her future was being taken away, and then was getting taunted about how Mei murdered him.

Anyway just feel sorry for Yomi since she clearly had been manipulated through all of this.

[Malkuth]

I think that debating if lawyers and judges would find Yomi guilty in a court is rather irrelevant. The point is that Yomi was out for blood, however justified or not her actions were, this was the tipping point that turned her from hero to villain. On the other hand you can see how Kagura (again out of of naivity or idealism) does not cross that line and is motivated by love for her opponent (remember the tag-line) not from hate as her onee-chan!

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

I've just finished watch Ga Rei Zero. A very nice show indeed. There was only one notable flaw: The prologue was much to uninteresting and it went on for way too long. Then we end up spending two episodes at the end of the show just to recap that prologue with additional information that wasn't revealed in the first place. Urgh. That means the beginning dragged and two episodes near the end dragged. Serious pacing issues. However, everything else was pure gold.

I thought that the only weak points in the last few episodes was the epilogue at the very end, and that had as much to do with trying to tie into the manga than it has to do with the main body of the show. For me, episode 10's retelling of the previously depicted events worked out pretty well - it's just that the first couple of episodes weren't very effective because it lacked the impact that should have been there. I'd imagine that they would work much better on a rewatch (as is too common with shows that drop you into the action from the get-go).

Originally Posted by Chastain

4tran: It wasn't murder. First of all, she couldn't know if Mei was faking it or not. Seen the stereotypical scenes where the badguy pleads for help after being defeated, then stabs the hero in the back? I was expecting that to happen. When she killed her, I was quite happy that she broke the stereotype, and did what was necessary. Second, if she had let her go, one of two things would have happened. She would have died from her wounds or the stone would have healed her. If she had healed, she would have regained all her power and she could go off on a killing spree like Yomi did when under the influence of the stone.

First off, I'm not referring to murder in the strictest legal sense (although that would probably apply as well); I'm referring to it in the moral sense. At that point in time, Mei was completely prostrate, and tied up to boot. There wasn't any question of her getting away. Moreover, you're falling into the false dilemma trap - Yomi had a lot of options besides either killing Mei or letting her get away, and most of those options would have been much better.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Lastly, Mei had become a specter. She was no longer human (the butterfly kid killed her, remember? Means she was already dead), and the only way they dealt with specters was to kill them. The reason it was a murder investigation was because the rest of the team didn't know she was influenced by the stone, and thought Yomi had killed her because Mei had taken Yomi's position as head of the family.

The key here is that Yomi didn't really care about Mei's state at that point. She was completely overwhelmed with the lust for revenge - and really, this is what makes the scene, her character, and the entire ending sequence work. If Yomi hadn't been driven to such extreme emotions and actions, then the story itself would lose a lot of power.

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Not to split hairs, but while that may not have technically been murder since she was a yokai at that point, the fact is that Yomi wasn't exorcising her -- She was killing her in vengeance. In Yomi's heart she was killing a human being whom she hated. And that difference would matter a lot to her and to her friends.

Precisely. In addition to that, the reason that killing youkai is allowed is because there is simply no other choice; all the ones that we had seen up to that point were unthinking monsters that were impossible to communicate with. And even then I'd imagine that there were limits to killing them if alternative recourses (like safely capturing them) were available; even if it was for the benefits of studying a live specimen.

Originally Posted by Chastain

That doesn't make it murder. I'm really having trouble understanding this politically correct hell I've entered here. There are dozens of factors that give her every right in the world to kill her, both morally and according to the law (as it exists in the series). The very reasons that made her worth killing for revenge, were the same reasons that would have made killing her the right choice according to the law.

I think that you misunderstand what political correctness is, and what's wrong with it. Political correctness is to use euphemistic language to lessen the perceived offense (or impact) of a statement. Thus, reducing "murder" to a less pejorative term may be thought of as political correct, but the opposite is not true.

Whatever excuses that Yomi might bring up to defend her action is irrelevant compared to her frame of mind at the time. She was purely interested in revenge, and she wasn't even slightly interested in hearing any of Mei's reasoning - she just wanted her dead. In certain works where the morality of actions isn't a big concern, that can be passed off as inconsequential, but it's a lot more effective when it can be played as part of a larger theme as was done here.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Basically, she may have done it out of revenge, but only because she knew she could under the circumstances, and even had an obligation to. I'm convinced she wouldn't have done that had Mei been human. They've also made this attitude clear countless times in the show, that killing specters is okay because they're no longer human.

I doubt that Mei's status ever even entered into Yomi's mind. And given the state of mind, I doubt that it would have made any difference.

Originally Posted by nixie

Creative introduction? Man, the first episode makes me feel seriously cheated. I was just getting comfortable with Tooru and his partners. They shouldn't make non-important characters looked so important. Overall the show was okay still, but I couldn't forget the cast in episode 1.

Conceptually, it was a very innovative idea. And given the way that anime marketing is handled, it's the kind of thing that you'd only see once in a blue moon. My argument would be that it'd be much better had they given a proper introduction to the characters before slaughtering them off. Then again, the very fact that the opening episode sticks in viewers' minds like this shows that the creators weren't completely unsuccessful.

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well do think Yomi could get it brought down to manslaughter by using the provocation defence . Was provoked in such a way that I think the average person wouldn't have been able to stop themselves from landing that final blow.

And that's the other reason why the scene was so effective. If the audience couldn't empathise with Yomi at that very moment, then she'd be a simple villain, and the story would be that much weaker for it. Yomi's characterization is emminently human, and her foibles are easy to feel sympathy for, and it's the combination of feeling supportive of a character as she's performing a heinous act that elevates Ga-rei Zero from a lot of other shows.

[Chastain]

Originally Posted by Slick_rick

Self-defense is one thing but killing simply for revenge makes you no better than the person you killed.

I've heard that so many times, and I find it ridiculous. There is a huge difference in murdering someone in cold blood or for pleasure, and taking revenge on someone for having done that. There's a difference between killing an evil person who has harmed you and killing a kind person who has done nothing wrong. If you equate those, I'd say you're promoting and excusing evil, or just being plain ignorant.

The rest is... well, it's like reading a politically correct answer from a textbook. You elevate the murderer to victim status. I'd say most of what you write is downright immoral. Given the situation Yomi was in, and all the surrounding circumstances, there was nothing immoral about her actions. I do find condemning someone in that situation immoral, though.

Mei and Yomi were both spectres. It's stated quite clearly that the stone turns their soul into a spectre, when she's discussing it with the white haired kid. Also, Yomi said so herself, that she was "one who spreads the taint of death" or something similar, and that the exorcists' job was to get rid of them. Basically, she was corrupted, not the same person and could not be saved (which was stated repeatedly in the show).

Killing for revenge is not petty in itself, especially not if the person who killed is one who is guaranteed to do so again, and is evil in the purest sense of the word. There are just so many ways to justify it; The murderer doesn't deserve to live. You get closure. You avenge the person who was killed. The murderer gets to feel the pain she inflicted upon someone else. She doesn't get the chance to harm anyone else. Feeling and acting on hatred isn't automatically a negative thing. As always, it depends on the circumstances. If you hate someone out of petty jealousy, that's bad. If you hate someone for murdering your family, that's perfectly understandable. I've never understood the morals behind making the murderer appear like a victim, while accusing the victim of murder.

Also, as you seemed to have completely ignored in my previous post: Yomi acted the way she did, because she knew she could. Again, Mei was corrupted and could not be saved. She would be killed one way or another. So she acted on her impulses.
Once again, I'm convinced she wouldn't have done so if she had been human. As I already stated, she disarmed her without killing her when she thought she was still human. Only after it was clear that she was no longer human, and about 20 seconds after Mei was about to kill a fallen Yomi and taunting her about torturing her father, did she strike the final blow.

Anyway, while Mei might have been at Yomi's mercy, there is no indication that the situation would stay that way. She might have regenerated and gone back to fighting, at which point she would be invulnerable again. Even Yomi had moments where she reverted back to her normal self, after having been corrupted, but those rarely lasted more than a minute.

Lastly, she might not have felt that she was fighting Mei at all. She might have been angry at specter Mei, and considered the real Mei already dead. She wanted to exact revenge on the corrupted Mei, which she did. I mean, she still refers to Mei as Mei-neesan (an affectionate term) after having killed her, meaning she might not have held a grudge against the real Mei at all, knowing it was the work of the corruption. In fact, she's quite angry when talking with the kid afterwards, for having corrupted Mei, so she doesn't seem to hold any blame against her.

Zippi: Yeah, I kinda agree. While I don't think it was for the wrong reasons, I think that's what they were trying to make a point out of in the show. Still, I'm arguing with the people who say she committed murder, which I find bizarre.

[Chastain]

4tran: What I mean by political correctness, is that whole concept of murder. The politically correct view is to say that you can't kill an unarmed person, no matter how many crimes or how many people they've hurt. I just find it silly that if she had killed her 10 seconds earlier without tying her up, it would have been perfectly fine. It's just this ridiculously naive view, without any grounding in reality.

You see this all the time in the movies as well, and it's a scene I absolutely hate due to its predictability. The badguy has killed dozens of people and almost murdered the hero, when he trips and hangs off a cliff. Then the hero goes and tries to save him, at the risk of his own life. Urgh...

[Slick_rick]

Originally Posted by Chastain

I've heard that so many times, and I find it ridiculous. There is a huge difference in murdering someone in cold blood or for pleasure, and taking revenge on someone for having done that. There's a difference between killing an evil person who has harmed you and killing a kind person who has done nothing wrong. If you equate those, I'd say you're promoting and excusing evil, or just being plain ignorant.

There is absolutely no difference with killing in cold blood and out of revenge. Mei herself killed because of vengeance. She felt Yomi took away the things that should belong to her. Yomi was an adopted child in her family who took away the things she felt were rightfully hers. Killing someone is a last resort once you take away someone's life it can never be returned(well at least in RL). That why we have laws and trials because if everyone took justice into their own hands everytime they felt slighted then society would descend into chaos. I promote only being a grown up and no settling things with violence(murder) when it can be avoided.

I, myself have lost my temper on numerous occasions and have gotten into trouble because of it. That doesn't mean I can skirt responsibility for my actions. You, my friend, might just need to

Spoiler for life changing advice:

grow up.

[Chastain]

Slick: No, Mei killed out of jealousy, though she might not have gone through with that had she not been corrupted. Yomi had never done anything to her. Her father had made the choice. Mei didn't even bother discussing it with Yomi.

Anyway, you really need to reevaluate your morals, if you think a serial killer who kills and tortures for fun is as bad as a father who wants to take revenge for having his family killed, after the aforementioned serial killer is found not guilty due to a technicality. What is that saying, anyway? All that's needed for evil men to succeed is for good men to do nothing.

As for losing my temper, that's never really happened. Been in plenty of fights, but I've never thrown the first punch. Unlike you, I have a set or morals, where actions and consequences have a correlation.

I really wonder though. If someone close to you had been tortured and murdered, and you knew who it was, but he was not convicted, would you simply do nothing?

[Slick_rick]

Originally Posted by Chastain

Slick: No, Mei killed out of jealousy, though she might not have gone through with that had she not been corrupted. Yomi had never done anything to her. Her father had made the choice. Mei didn't even bother discussing it with Yomi.

Yomi might have never done anything to her in reality but she still felt slighted and took revenge for that once the death stone brought out these feelings more.

Anyway, you really need to reevaluate your morals, if you think a serial killer who kills and tortures for fun is as bad as a father who wants to take revenge for having his family killed, after the aforementioned serial killer is found not guilty due to a technicality. What is that saying, anyway? All that's needed for evil men to succeed is for good men to do nothing.

My morals are fine. "Good men" should stand up to evil but then again once good men start become lynch mobs they themselves become evil. French revolution is a good example. Once they were in control they took revenge on everyone they felt was "evil" and they became the true evil.

As for losing my temper, that's never really happened. Been in plenty of fights, but I've never thrown the first punch. Unlike you, I have a set or morals, where actions and consequences have a correlation.

Now you've resorted to insulting my morals? Look how far have you fallen. I quite got a enough grasp on your character to tell that you are full of BS.

I really wonder though. If someone close to you had been tortured and murdered, and you knew who it was, but he was not convicted, would you simply do nothing?

Of course I would want justice done but that doesn't mean I resort to murder when it wasn't necessary. Life isn't fair sometimes murders do get away but I'd try to do all I can to prevent someone else from dying to that person and try to my best to get him convicted. But, if your asking if I go out and kill that person in cold blood for my own vengeance, I doubt I would but even if I did I'd expect to face the consequences.

[Chastain]

Slick: Insulting your morals? You said yourself you lose your temper, which implies that you're a hypocrite. I live by what I say. I don't hit first. I generally treat people well, and react to how they treat me. I'm usually the guy who tries to go inbetween people who argue. You're a horrible judge of character, really.
I do have an overinflated sense of justice, since I've seen too many lives ruined, and too many people getting away with it. Basically, punishment should be equal to what they've inflicted on others.

If you call what Mei did revenge, you might want to pick up a dictionary. And in my previous posts, I was clearly referring to revenging murders, as that's what we're discussing here. I'm not saying I justify killing someone over trivial matters.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Chastain

I've heard that so many times, and I find it ridiculous. There is a huge difference in murdering someone in cold blood or for pleasure, and taking revenge on someone for having done that. There's a difference between killing an evil person who has harmed you and killing a kind person who has done nothing wrong. If you equate those, I'd say you're promoting and excusing evil, or just being plain ignorant.

This is a matter of morality, and every useful moral system points to murder as one of the most heinous moral transgressions. By logical extension, killing people for any purpose other than as a last resort is wrong, whether it's for revenge, or any other passion.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Also, as you seemed to have completely ignored in my previous post: Yomi acted the way she did, because she knew she could. Again, Mei was corrupted and could not be saved. She would be killed one way or another. So she acted on her impulses.
Once again, I'm convinced she wouldn't have done so if she had been human. As I already stated, she disarmed her without killing her when she thought she was still human. Only after it was clear that she was no longer human, and about 20 seconds after Mei was about to kill a fallen Yomi and taunting her about torturing her father, did she strike the final blow.

Why are you so certain? After all, it's not as if Yomi's mindset at the time is in the slightest doubt, nor is there any possibility of misinterpretation. Mei's humanity, or lack thereof, was just about the last thing that Yomi cared about.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Anyway, while Mei might have been at Yomi's mercy, there is no indication that the situation would stay that way. She might have regenerated and gone back to fighting, at which point she would be invulnerable again. Even Yomi had moments where she reverted back to her normal self, after having been corrupted, but those rarely lasted more than a minute.

You may have a point if Yomi was thinking about the possibility of Mei escaping, but she didn't.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Lastly, she might not have felt that she was fighting Mei at all. She might have been angry at specter Mei, and considered the real Mei already dead. She wanted to exact revenge on the corrupted Mei, which she did. I mean, she still refers to Mei as Mei-neesan (an affectionate term) after having killed her, meaning she might not have held a grudge against the real Mei at all, knowing it was the work of the corruption. In fact, she's quite angry when talking with the kid afterwards, for having corrupted Mei, so she doesn't seem to hold any blame against her.

Whether Yomi hated Mei for the person that she became or the original Mei seems to be rather besides the point. The more operative fact is that she killed Mei with only hatred in her heart. And for that matter, Yomi's motive for going to the duel with Mei is questionable to begin with.

Originally Posted by Chastain

4tran: What I mean by political correctness, is that whole concept of murder. The politically correct view is to say that you can't kill an unarmed person, no matter how many crimes or how many people they've hurt. I just find it silly that if she had killed her 10 seconds earlier without tying her up, it would have been perfectly fine. It's just this ridiculously naive view, without any grounding in reality.

You're misusing the term; it's not a matter of political correctness at all. It's a matter of morality. The distinction between killing at the two different times is that one is an act of last resort and the other isn't.

[Arabesque]

@Chastain: I think you are taking things personally now. There is no need for you to start to and question Slick_rick’s morals or to start to defend your own like that just because you two have different opinions.

Originally Posted by Chastain

I do have an overinflated sense of justice, since I've seen too many lives ruined, and too many people getting away with it. Basically, punishment should be equal to what they've inflicted on others.

There is no questioning that, but there are other ways to deal with these situations. Once anyone can have the right to kill someone else just because they killed someone they loved, then that would be like living in world where there is no reason why anyone should value human life anymore. There are reasons why the ''an eye for an eye'' logic doesn't work.

@4Tran:
I agree on those points as well. Yomi even admitted herself to have killed Mei not as a last resort but due to hatred.

[Chastain]

4tran: What makes you think Yomi wasn't thinking about those things? Just because she showed anger while killing her, doesn't mean she's some maniac who has no control.

If you claim I can't know what she's thinking, what makes you think you can? She's used to killing specters. She knows that when they're gone, they can't be saved, and it's been implied in flashbacks she's had to take part in killing corrupted agents herself. When in that mode, I don't see her having a problem killing specter Mei, as her death would have been the only possible outcome, anyway. She even knew about the specifics about the stone. The only thing that could have come from Yomi temporarily sparing her life, was maybe to hear Mei apologize or begging for her life for another minute, before bleeding out.
If Mei had been human and had a chance of surviving, I am, as stated, convinced Yomi wouldn't have killed her. As mentioned, she showed considerably more restraint when she thought she was still human, despite the fact that she had just tried to kill her.

As for the morality of it all, that's highly subjective. In Japan, as I mentioned in a previous post, it's actually considered honorable to take revenge for murders commited against your family. I share their views more than the murder loving views we apparently have in the west.

Arab: So you don't consider "grow up" an insult?

Also, I'm not saying any murder should be avenged by another murder. I'm saying taking the opportunity, when the enemy is clearly malevolent, and you're in a heated combat situation with your life on the line, then you're allowed to take the chance, even if you have disabled the enemy. And again, she's NOT A FREAKIN' HUMAN!

[Arabesque]

But we know that Yomi didn't kill Mei because she was in the heat of battle. We had a scene in episode 9 where Kagura was asking her that if she did kill Mei due to hatred, and she answered that she had done so. She didn’t care that Mei was human or not, she only wanted her to be dead. I’m not saying that Yomi wasn’t wrong in wanting to have revenge or that she lost her sympathy when she killed Mei, but that didn’t make the act itself any right. And as for killing the corrupt agents, there wasn’t any other way to stop them, so it was the only option they had at that time where their job required. Yomi was going to kill Mei, human or not.

And I'm saying that there is just no need to take things to the point where people start questioning eachothers morals.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Chastain

4tran: What makes you think Yomi wasn't thinking about those things?

Parsimony.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Just because she showed anger while killing her, doesn't mean she's some maniac who has no control.

I don't believe that I ever made that claim.

Originally Posted by Chastain

If you claim I can't know what she's thinking, what makes you think you can? She's used to killing specters. She knows that when they're gone, they can't be saved, and it's been implied in flashbacks she's had to take part in killing corrupted agents herself. When in that mode, I don't see her having a problem killing specter Mei, as her death would have been the only possible outcome, anyway. She even knew about the specifics about the stone. The only thing that could have come from Yomi temporarily sparing her life, was maybe to hear Mei apologize or begging for her life for another minute, before bleeding out.

I didn't claim that you can't know what Yomi was thinking; indeed, Yomi's frame of mind was BLATANT. In fact, it was as pure an emotion as you're ever likely to see in anime. My point/question was how can you be sure about her thinking everything through and carefully weighing consequences when everything indicator suggests that this isn't the case at all?

Originally Posted by Chastain

As for the morality of it all, that's highly subjective. In Japan, as I mentioned in a previous post, it's actually considered honorable to take revenge for murders commited against your family. I share their views more than the murder loving views we apparently have in the west.

Honor != morality. Killing murderers might be applauded, but all sorts of immoral actions have been applauded over time.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Arab: So you don't consider "grow up" an insult?

It's a rebuke, but it's a relatively mild one. Let's let this part of the discussion drop, and concentrate on Ga-rei Zero.

Originally Posted by Chastain

Also, I'm not saying any murder should be avenged by another murder. I'm saying taking the opportunity, when the enemy is clearly malevolent, and you're in a heated combat situation with your life on the line, then you're allowed to take the chance, even if you have disabled the enemy. And again, she's NOT A FREAKIN' HUMAN!

Strangely enough, we've never seen Yomi herself make this argument.

[Slick_rick]

Originally Posted by Chastain

Slick: Insulting your morals? You said yourself you lose your temper, which implies that you're a hypocrite. I live by what I say. I don't hit first. I generally treat people well, and react to how they treat me. I'm usually the guy who tries to go inbetween people who argue. You're a horrible judge of character, really.
I do have an overinflated sense of justice, since I've seen too many lives ruined, and too many people getting away with it. Basically, punishment should be equal to what they've inflicted on others.

If you call what Mei did revenge, you might want to pick up a dictionary. And in my previous posts, I was clearly referring to revenging murders, as that's what we're discussing here. I'm not saying I justify killing someone over trivial matters.

That you don't even understand what a hypocrite is is telling. Hypocrite-a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. I know I'm not perfect you are the one who is constantly trying to portray himself as a morally superior person above all of us. That I doubt you are anything close to what your trying to portray make me fairly confident the hypocrite here is you.

Revenge-to avenge (as oneself) usually by retaliating in kind or degree.
That you don't feel that she had reason for revenge doesn't change the fact that in her mind that it was vengeance for all the wrong Yomi had done to her. Get vengeance for someone murder is a slippery road too. Doesn't Mei father have a right to kill Yomi now? I mean Yomi didn't give Mei a chance to explain the situation so why should he? We the viewers know what Mei did but her father doesn't and by all right he should be upset at the lost of his daughter. If Yomi could take justice into her own hands then why can't he? And where does it end?

[scr]

i have been a member of certain abrahamic sect for 24 years, and i know that revenge is a vital part of enforcing the law. anyone may sugarcoat it as justice or divine retribution, but in the end damage must be inflicted to those who cause damage to begin with.

however, there's one thing about Yomi('s action): even if Mei is going to be handed down death sentence in the end, Yomi has the responsibility to bring Mei to the authority, and it would be to the Agency. Yomi can squee all she wants when Mei meet her end, but before that she must arrest Mei. why? because Yomi is bound by certain rules as an exorcist, and that make her a law enforcer of some sort.

furthermore, if she wait for just a little bit of time, Noriyuki and co will appear in the scene. she had no way of knowing this though-- let alone a cool head to contemplate this possibility.

arresting Mei will also benefit greatly in the investigation of Naraku's death. it will eventually lead Agency to realize that there's a gravely dangerous puppet master manipulating things from behind, and a lot --i mean A LOT-- of lives can be saved.

granted, Yomi was still a minor (she wore serafuku!) when this whole bloody hell happened. there's this thing called chains of destiny, it's forcing people to do things they aren't yet psychologically capable, and it's a central theme in Ga-Rei -Zero-.

in the end, personally i can't judge whether Yomi, in Mei's death, was a bloody murderer or a tragic victim-- for she's dead and can't present her arguments. one thing for sure is that in the end she's responsible for a lot of death, and someone have to stop her before she cause further loss of lives.

my $0.02

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by scr

i have been a member of certain abrahamic sect for 24 years, and i know that revenge is a vital part of enforcing the law. anyone may sugarcoat it as justice or divine retribution, but in the end damage must be inflicted to those who cause damage to begin with.

however, there's one thing about Yomi('s action): even if Mei is going to be handed down death sentence in the end, Yomi has the responsibility to bring Mei to the authority, and it would be to the Agency. Yomi can squee all she wants when Mei meet her end, but before that she must arrest Mei. why? because Yomi is bound by certain rules as an exorcist, and that make her a law enforcer of some sort.

furthermore, if she wait for just a little bit of time, Noriyuki and co will appear in the scene. she had no way of knowing this though-- let alone a cool head to contemplate this possibility.

arresting Mei will also benefit greatly in the investigation of Naraku's death. it will eventually lead Agency to realize that there's a gravely dangerous puppet master manipulating things from behind, and a lot --i mean A LOT-- of lives can be saved.

granted, Yomi was still a minor (she wore serafuku!) when this whole bloody hell happened. there's this thing called chains of destiny, it's forcing people to do things they aren't yet psychologically capable, and it's a central theme in Ga-Rei -Zero-.

in the end, personally i can't judge whether Yomi, in Mei's death, was a bloody murderer or a tragic victim-- for she's dead and can't present her arguments. one thing for sure is that in the end she's responsible for a lot of death, and someone have to stop her before she cause further loss of lives.

my $0.02

Not sure if I can agree with the early parts. After all we haven't seen the main group arrest anything they've been up against. The undead corpses aren't being put in cuffs and taken in. I mean there is a difference between an exorcist who eliminates a threat and a cop who arrests offenders. Sure police have occasionally killed people. But its not the main facet of their job.

When Mei rejected the stone and understood what she did those injuries came in. Think the only thing I think Yomi would have returned would have been a corpse. Assuming she wouldn't have still been ambushed by the Butterfly guy.

Still whether it was her job or not that final blow was about lost control. Considering all that happened in the story would still leave her as a victim. Just too bad she and other characters were being played around with.

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by scr

however, there's one thing about Yomi('s action): even if Mei is going to be handed down death sentence in the end, Yomi has the responsibility to bring Mei to the authority, and it would be to the Agency. Yomi can squee all she wants when Mei meet her end, but before that she must arrest Mei. why? because Yomi is bound by certain rules as an exorcist, and that make her a law enforcer of some sort.

I do not wish to take a part in the debate of morality going on here, but i would like to point out that what you are suggesting here is not the case in the show at all. In fact, the show suggests the opposite - the exorcists themselves are the judges and executioners. As far as exorcist rules go concerning spirits as portrayed, it is hack and slash.

[miroku2192]

Honestly, i felt this little "prequel" was great, even though i never read the manga past chapter 2...I started reading it after i saw this anime, but i don't think it's "that" interesting so far.

Anyway, back to the actual anime itself. The character developments were great, and yes, it made me all emotional~ee(i know, not a word but deal with it). Yes kagura hesitated a lot, but it's understandable...come on she's what? In 8th grade? Im not sure but she's pretty young, and it's already hard for adults to pull the trigger, think an 8th grader is ready for it too?

As for episode 1...yeah i hated it...why? Because natsuki died :'(...natsukiiii...but putting that aside, i guess you can see it as giving the "viewers" a kind of feeling/insight on how others, just as interesting or "cute" as these 4, get slaughtered, making the deaths of all those other soldiers a bit more "meaningful" or...a bit more easier to relate to? It's hard to put what im thinking in words, but i think this way, those soldiers who we don't really know about...you can put them in the position of the cast in the first episode and sorta go "oh..." damn, not just oh w/e a few more "noobs" got killed.

And i still can't get that funny expression outta my head...the one yomi makes in ep 1 when she's like "Helloooooo kagura"