Lovers’ quarrel
(Read the full episode below, or click here for the list of other episodes)
------------------
(The following is a re-upload of my original tumblr post. I’ve altered it in the following ways: fixed typos/grammar/punctuation, made image edits easier to read, clarified confusing sentences, streamlined extraneous content, and added stickers to nude scenes to comply with Blogspot policies. The rest of the original madness is preserved as-is.)
------------------
Last episode kicked us down the pit like Leonidas.
After some narrative choices I took issue with, Symphogear closed the episode thus:
If I squeeze my eyes shut real tight and think happy thoughts, it almost doesn’t hurt anymore.
Miku is a Symphogear wielder now. At least, I think she is. This anime frustrated us with fake developments before. Miku joining the terrorists and taking up the Shenshoujin Relic could prove a short-lived twist. What if she returns to normal soon? I’ll give Symphogear the benefit of the doubt and trust that it won’t pull that crap.
In any event, the outcome of Wielder Miku won’t be pretty for anybody. Miku least of all, probably.
We’re waist-deep in the bog of Hell’s Home Stretch, and I feel the mud climbing still higher.
Let’s keep wading.
The episode’s OP runs through and –
WHOA, NEW ADDITION TO THE OP:
Holy smokes. It’s true, it’s happening, people. Miku’s really a wielder from now on.
I don’t think effort would be put into showing her Geared up in the OP if it were a one-episode thing. Chris’s change in the OP late in Season 1 signaled Chris’s permanent addition to the team. It’s safe to believe the same holds true for Miku.
I have mixed feelings about this. Much salt was sown by me last episode about why Miku as a character should not join the magical girls. However, I also acknowledged that Miku as a person has a solidly-structured rationale for developing this way. Symphogear knows how to structure personal arcs to rare quality. It’s one of my favorite things about this show.
So, I can keep whining, or I can look for the good to salvage a bad situation. Time to let the bitterness go, and instead be excited about the many fascinating angles Symphogear could take Miku on this new development!
I still think Wielder Miku is an unwise decision, but I’ll make my peace with it.
…As long as it’s not a fake-out.
Last episode I, uh, may or may not have threatened to cleave some poor random object with a large axe if Symphogear manipulates us by returning Miku to normal afterward. Those of you who’ve met me in real life know this is not an exaggeration.
So, heft your axes, we’ve got more of Geared-up Miku to enjoy in this OP.
Her jawbone helm snaps shut into this jagged visor. Dang, hardcore.
Shadowed eyes mean a shadowed soul. Like Chris’s Nehushtan mask way back when, Shenshoujin covering Miku’s eyes is a sign of evil alignment. Miku isn’t an evil person, but working with the terrorist organization which has done plenty of evil things is certainly a step in the wrong direction.
Those black coils coming from her armor seem tipped with mirrors. Shenshoujin is a mirror Relic, with powers to bend light and weave illusion. It’ll be cool to see what battle powers Miku gets with this Gear.
Okay, Symphogear. You’ve won me over. She looks like a total badass. I’ll get used to her joining the crew.
Her weapon looks like a fan or a…
…cricket bat?
Better if Miku’s mask and weapon were revealed in the episode proper, rather than the OP. She does look cool, though, so I’ll let it slide.
There’s one more change in the OP:
World’s worst Tenga egg.
The Nephilim’s heart has been sitting in a box with the FISters since Hibiki ripped it out of the beast.
Holy shit, that happened.
The Nephilim’s update in the OP means it isn’t out of the story just yet. Like Durandal in Season 1, which was set aside during the mid-season, then became important for the big climax. So, the Nephilim will likely play a role in this season’s climax. We’re not safe.
Needed why? How does the Nephilim save our world from the falling moon? And what does “Frontier”, which is sealed underwater, do to help?
We know the FISters plan to use Miku and her Shenshoujin to unseal Frontier. More as it develops on how the Nephilim ties in with that.
The OP concludes, and we begin where we left off.
Maria circles the Osprey above the American ships she and Dr. Ver attacked. Mom enters, angry.
You know you fucked up when your terminally ill mom hauls her ass out of a sickbed just to shame you for your shitty life choices.
There’s some kind of trapdoor elevator in the cockpit to give Mom wheelchair access. First time we’ve seen it. It’s neat. This is probably able-bodied privilege speaking, but it never occurred to me to wonder how Mom gets around the plane. I don’t know what I subconsciously pictured her doing.
Mom joins Maria and Dr. Ver to HOLD ON YOU GUYS WHAT DID WE JUST SEE?
TWO SOCKS??
Animation error. That’s the only explanation for this heresy. Symphogear was so distracted by all the drama that it forgot Maria only wears one sock.
Anyhow, Mom disapproves of Dr. Ver manipulating Miku into wielding Shenshoujin for them. Also, you know, the fact he and Maria killed a bunch of sailors for no good reason.
Will he and Maria break the news that Shirabe left the group due to their shitbaggery, or are they scared of pissing Mom off further?
Yikes. Shenshoujin’s illusion power works on its own wielder, it seems.
We get a flashback confirming last episode’s implications. Ver offered the Shenshoujin Symphogear to Miku after her kidnapping.
Miku says yes.
Ver extends a hand. But, not in the anime’s usual theme of hand-extending as a sign of friendship and trust. This is just more of his manipulation.
Ver is only using Miku. He doesn’t give a whit about helping her or giving her true power. Offering her Shenshoujin is part of his Evil Plan.
It’s worth noting Ver imprisoned her in the same cage which previously held the Nephilim. He sees Miku not as a person, but as a mindless animal to be controlled for his own ends, same as the Nephilim.
The flashback shows us the intense process of attuning Miku to Shenshoujin so she can wield it.
Is that a hole in her head?
THAT’S A HOLE IN HER HEAD
DR. VER CUT A FREAKING HOLE IN THE BACK OF OUR MIKU’S HEAD TO PUT HER RELIC IN
I want to unsee. Such horrific and invasive procedures Miku was subjected to, atop the already agonizing LiNKER injections new wielders undergo!
Last episode, I wondered why the FISters used so many hand towels that day. Now we know.
Those weren’t hand towels. Those were surgical towels from all Dr. Ver’s procedures on Miku.
I AM NAUSEATED, SYMPHOGEAR
Thanks for retroactively making last episode even more upsetting than it already was. Wretched fucking anime.
This skull modification is disturbing. And fascinating. More evidence of Symphogear tying in mythological and historical symbolism with their magical girls.
Cutting a hole in someone’s head is, shockingly, a real-life practice. It’s called trepanation, done since prehistoric times.
Most people underwent trepanation willingly, as Miku did. Like her, they knew it was dangerous, but believed the benefits would be worth it.
What fucking benefits could they believe would result from drilling a hole in your skull, a sane person asks. Well, trepanation had a mix of goals. Used as emergency head surgery, it could “bring the dead back to life” from an injury which seemed fatal. Even after that person’s friends believed they died.
Another benefit, this bore in the skull was intended to drain blood and release pent-up pressures. Heh, if Miku’s thirst for Hibiki isn’t a “pent-up pressure”, I dunno what is. With such a release, trepanation was hoped to cure mental illness or exorcise evil from the brain. This ties in with what Mom told us about Shenshoujin, that in addition to its illusion powers it can exorcise evil.
Trepanation not only releases what’s inside the skull, it lets new things in. At the simplest, this hole increases oxygen flow to the brain. Heightened brain functions supposedly result. In a mythological sense, trepanation creates an elevated state of mind by letting spiritual energy flow into the brain, amplifying your powers.
Symphogear followed this mythological background closely. The trepanation performed by Dr. Ver opened Miku’s mind to her new Relic. Becoming Shenshoujin’s wielder required Miku to take drastic measures to access those higher powers.
The attunement flashback ends. Mom points out that any girl from Lydian, the music school Miku and the rest attend, would make a potential wielder because of their musical aptitude.
Dr. Ver replies that even natural aptitude and LiNKER injections weren’t enough to bind Miku to Shenshoujin. There was one final ingredient.
AI YO!
Love was the missing key to unlock Shenshoujin’s true power!
Heavens. Miku is so gay for Hibiki, she drilled open her skull to gain magical power for Hibiki’s sake.
Miku uses her new power on the wrong side. Working with the terrorists won’t help Hibiki. If Shenshoujin can exorcise evil, Miku should be using it against the evildoers, not for them.
I’m laughing at how shocked Mom sounds.
A lesbian? In MY terrorist organization? It’s more likely than you think.
Down below, Miku faces the other wielders.
Shirabe defected from FISt, but the good guys don’t know this. So, Chris holds Shirabe captive, while Tsubasa keeps a sword at Kirika’s neck. Shirabe is helpless from the anti-Symphogear poison Kirika injected her with.
Miku flares out her black coils, summons her cricket bat, and levitates above the ship’s deck.
We get a close-up of the bore in her head.
Holy shit, this purple eye just moved. It’s not simply a decorative cabochon to make her helmet pretty, it actually pulses and dilates like a living eye.
Well, crack my pretzels. The hole in Miku’s head was filled with a third eye. A Third Eye is usually a sign of supernatural power, so it’s appropriate Shenshoujin formed such an eye in the opening created by her trepanation wound, the hole cut to help her access power.
A Third Eye is supposed to be earned through goodness and enlightenment. The anime casts Shenshoujin’s eye as sinister rather than enlightening. Further reinforces the idea Miku strayed from the right path by joining the terrorists.
Tsubasa and Chris are poleaxed by Miku becoming an enemy wielder.
Really, Chris? Don’t throw stones at other people’s wild outfits, dear.
Hibiki, Snoop Oni, and the other agents watch the chaos unfold from Section 2’s submarine.
Hibiki is speechless, just staring at Miku on the monitors. What do you even say in a situation like this, when your kidnapped bae suddenly drops out of the sky with new superpowers and attacks your friends?
Shenshoujin’s visor clamps shut, sealing Miku in, ready to fight.
Chris rolls for Initiative and charges at Miku. Hopefully, our Jellyfish can defeat Miku without harming her too much.
Tsubasa is busy keeping Kirika under control via sword-to-the-throat. It’s Chris alone versus Miku.
Mom told us Shenshoujin creates illusions by “bending light”. Miku uses it to bend light into weaponized beams from her cricket bat.
It’s cool to see this long-range fight compared to our usual melee fights. Miku and Chris make wide use of the space. They leap from ship to ship and glide over the waves while their bright attacks streak through the air. Impressive to witness.
Miku is surprisingly good for a newbie! I didn’t think she would hold her own in her first battle.
Up in the Osprey, the FISters also watch the fight. Dr. Ver explains to Mom and Maria that Miku’s fighting skills come from Shenshoujin itself.
Directly into her BRAIN?
REGARDLESS OF HER WILL??
Holy quacking shit. Shenshoujin gets scarier and scarier the more we find out! Not only is it a trepanation wound, not only is it a mystical Third Eye, now we find out it’s also an outright parasite. That bore in Miku’s head to let in magic came with the price of also letting in an entity which can control her regardless of her will.
God damn. Miku wanted power. She got it, but now she’s just another tool. A beast of burden is powerful, but it’s still the one wearing the harness.
Shenshoujin is, after all, the Illusion Relic. Ver offered Miku power, but he only gave her the illusion of power. Until she masters her own Relic, she’s a fancy puppet.
Symphogear layered this excellently. Miku’s Third Eye is now compounded with the separate symbolism of the Evil Eye. A Third Eye opens mystical power, but an Evil Eye is a curse of discord and decay. Crap, Shenshoujin has outright cursed Miku, and now Miku will spread that curse against the heroes by working with the terrorists’ evil plan.
Mom says a false will in Miku’s head and Dr. Ver’s LiNKER in her veins won’t make Miku strong enough to stand against Section 2. Team Rainbow fights on their own will and without LiNKER.
Maria melodramatically closes her eyes and turns her head, making a noise of anguish. Though she’s clearly unhappy about this entire situation, she doesn’t do anything about it. Wake up and smell the evil, Maria.
Even roided up on LiNKER, even with Shenshoujin’s battle plan and brain-fuck, even with that cricket bat shooting light, Miku can’t keep up. Chris remains the stronger wielder.
Hibiki is watching people she loves beat each other up. Watching her sunshine reel from each shot Chris lands.
Like her opposing Gungnir wielder, Hibiki looks anguished but does nothing. Hibiki only whispers, “I’m sorry.”
Hibiki has a better excuse than Maria, as Hibiki will die from her Gungnir fusion if she fights Miku herself.
Snoop Oni lays a hand on Hibiki’s head in comfort.
He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. This shot focuses on his huge freaking hand covering her tiny head, reminding us of that bitter contrast that however big and strong he is, he’s always the one to stay behind when his daughters run into battle. He knows what it’s like to watch those you love get hurt and not be able to protect them.
Even knowing it’s to “save” Miku and bring her to her senses, fighting her still cuts at Chris.
IS THERE ANY NICE WARM RELATIONSHIP YOU WON’T STOOP TO RIPPING APART, SYMPHOGEAR?
Miku was Chris’s first friend. She showed genuine kindness to Chris after a lifetime of mistreatment.
Their encounter was a heartwarming interlude during the Hell’s Home Stretch of last season.
Chris returned that kindness earlier this season, when she protected Miku from getting burned by Hibiki:
Oh you WRETCHED FUCKING ANIME, LOOK WHAT YOU SNEAKED IN:
Back then, I said I wanted more interaction between these two friends. Now, they’re trading violence. I should’ve been more careful what I wished for.
Miku and the Jellyfish land back on the deck of the first ship, near the other wielders. One last missile barrage KO’s Miku.
Chris rushes to Miku’s unconscious body and tries to tend to her. Just like Miku tended to Chris’s injuries.
I AM NOT OKAY
Dr. Ver interrupts, using Miku’s headset as a speaker. He warns against forcibly removing Miku’s Gear.
Yikes, he’s right. If our girls try to tear Shenshoujin from Miku, its parasitic grip will shred her brain, like ripping pith out of an orange.
Chris hesitates, not wanting to injure Miku further. In that hesitation, Miku recovers and attacks again.
Miku spreads her coils in a glowing ring around her. She revs up for…
…for BATTLE SONG TIME!
100% HERE FOR THIS
And what an awesome song it is! The darkly pulsing music is accompanied by Miku singing what almost sound like ghostly vocals. There’s kind of a back-bounce between lines of the song, where she echoes her following lines in a hollower voice. This battle song pulls off Otherworldly and Threatening at once.
Her reflective vocals further tie in with her mirror Relic’s symbolism. Mirror symbolism is always fascinating if done well. Symphogear knows how to do character symbolism well. With Miku, the anime cleverly pulled in and wove together companion motifs to her mirrors, like the light/dark symbolism, the mystical trepanation, and Shenshoujin’s controlling Evil Eye. All these motifs are on full display as Miku sings, her power glowing around her.
LOOK AT THESE GAY LYRICS YOU GUYS:
Now that’s a love confession! What a dramatic way to declare your love. Topped only by Homura’s “I will literally rewrite the laws of reality to make my love a fundamental concept of the universe.”
Miku’s lyrics demonstrate her love, and also her anguish. She’s devastated over Hibiki letting go of her hand at Sky Tower. Miku sees the problems between them as her own failure to protect Hibiki. The truth is Miku already saved Hibiki’s life at Sky Tower, and it was Hibiki’s choice to let go.
But, Miku can’t accept that, and insists on seeing her own inadequacy reflected in Hibiki’s suffering. Trapped inside Shenshoujin, the mirror probably won’t let her see anything else.
Powered by her song of AI YO, Miku’s energy blasts out, much stronger than her previous attacks.
Shooting Stars… The date Hibiki and Miku kept missing in Season 1, and the stars Miku finally saw when Hibiki died destroying the meteoroid.
Chris stands her ground rather than dodging this time. If Chris moves out of the way, Miku’s attack will hit defenseless Shirabe, who’s right behind Chris.
Chris can’t stomach more people dying because of her, even enemies. For all her bluster and social reluctance, Chris is a hero through and through. So, she stands firm and shields Shirabe from Miku.
Chris uses her butterfly-wing reflectors to block Miku’s energy beam. Like she did against Finé’s Kadingir blast at the moon. Rad that we get to see this ability again! This episode is loaded with perfect callbacks.
Kirika yells for Shirabe to get out of Miku’s firing line of sapphism-fueled death. Shirabe, still raw over Kirika’s betrayal, ignores her.
Chris’s reflectors burn up in that massive energy beam. She wonders what power could defeat what even Kadingir could not.
It’s AI YO! Ai yo is the most overwhelming power known to magical girlkind.
Kirika descends into further panic as Miku’s attack edges closer and closer to Shirabe despite Chris’s best efforts.
If Cherry Coke gets killed, it will be partially Sprite’s fault. Kirika poisoned Shirabe, leaving her unable to defend herself with her Gear. Judging by the horror on Kirika’s face, Kirika now realizes how badly she fucked up in her traitorous attempt to “save” Shirabe.
Boy, Kirika. It sure would be useful right now if you could, like… create some sort of shield for yourself and Shirabe. If only, huh.
Actually, fudge this whole mysterious terrorist “Frontier” plan to save the world. FISt should just max-exploit Kirika’s shielding ability until she can make a shield big enough to block the moon from hitting Earth. It’d be poetic. Finé caused the moon problem, so her reincarnation should solve it and atone for the past.
But, Kirika still hasn’t told anyone she might be Finé reincarnate. She doesn’t seem to have control over her Finé powers anyway, so no go for that idea.
Whoa, Miku’s attack pose looks like Shenshoujin. I mean, the physical Relic.
Miku is becoming increasingly overshadowed by Shenshoujin’s influence.
Miku’s huge love-beam disintegrates Chris’s butterfly wings. Chris and Shirabe will be disintegrated next!
Tsubasa reminds us she is our resident BAMF by dashing in to scoop them up just in time.
Tsubasa races against the beam and grounds giant swords to impede its path.
Miku’s beam is so powerful it obliterates everything it touches, even Tsubasa’s giant sword-blockades. The beam nearly catches up to the girls. Tsubasa launches herself into the air above it, hauling Chris and Shirabe with her, barely avoiding destruction.
Coolness level: M A X I M U M
Miku, seeing the world only from within Shenshoujin’s mask, isn’t bothered that she nearly killed three people, two of whom are her friends. I’m not sure how much of Miku is Miku right now, and how much is Shenshoujin threading dark, illusionary thoughts into her brain.
We survived the first beam, but Miku takes aim for another. Kirika yells at Miku to stop so Shirabe won’t be hurt.
Kirika pleads with Miku that Shirabe is their teammate. Kirika calls Shirabe their taisetsu na, their most precious.
No, Kirika, she’s your most precious. And you bloody betrayed her. Get used to the doghouse.
Besides, more fool Kirika if she believes Miku is actually loyal to FISt. Miku has only one objective.
Dr. Ver talks through Miku’s headset speaker again. He tells Kirika that Shirabe betrayed FISt and helped the enemy, so she’s no longer “one of us”.
Kirika realizes she herself is the betrayer.
Kirika only wanted to save her most precious person. She botched it catastrophically by violating Shirabe’s body with the forced injection and taking away Shirabe’s decision to fight.
From across the ship, Shirabe calls out to Kirika. She tries to make Kirika see that Ver is the real enemy here.
Shirabe’s voice sounds so… so merciful. There’s no bitterness over the betrayal. Shirabe knows Kirika still values fighting for justice and protecting the weak. She also knows Kirika is just following awful leadership. Will Shirabe actually forgive Kirika someday? If so, she’s a much better person than me.
But, Kirika cannot stand by Shirabe’s side as her partner again, not until Kirika learns to make her own decisions about what’s right, instead of following misguided people like Mom, Maria, and Dr. Ver. Shirabe’s character arc peaked last episode, when Shirabe bravely stood up for justice and turned against FISt’s massacre. Kirika must likewise have a culminating moment where she takes her own power into her hands and uses it to become the hero she should be. Only after that can she rebuild with Shirabe, as two equals who are certain of their own purpose and identity.
Confronted by Shirabe’s gentle plea to see reason, Kirika’s expression shows the perfect disaster of just how lost she is right now.
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP THIS GIRL
As excellent as the voice acting in this sequence is, the character expressions and the rest of the animation in this episode are also top-notch.
Except that disgusting visual, but we’re pretending that doesn’t exist.
Ver puts the Staff of Solomon to use, since the wielders aren’t dancing to his tune.
With no way to defend themselves, the people on the ships are killed en masse.
Defeating Miku and protecting Shirabe apparently didn’t fulfill Chris’s quota for heroic badassery today, so she runs off to fight the horde of Noise. Chris is bent on stopping more deaths from the Staff, to atone for activating it in the first place when she was under Finé’s control.
Chris unloads a JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE missile barrage at the Noise.
Tsubasa wants to go help Chris. Unfortunately, she’s under attack by Sprite, who’s trying to retake Cherry Coke from Section 2’s capture.
While they’re busy, Ver continues taunting everyone, even his own girls. He tells Kirika to keep Tsubasa occupied so Miku can go unseal Frontier.
Ver keeps using Miku’s headset as a speaker. Ugh. It’s beyond vile. He could simply talk directly into Kirika’s headset, like he and Mom usually do when giving orders to Team Black. Instead, he deliberately forces Miku to be a mouthpiece for his own scummery. He loves reveling in his power over people.
Miku heeds him and glides away from the main ship. Shenshoujin can create illusion fields, but it can also strip illusion away. It has the power to neutralize a Relic’s magic. If Miku unleashes her devastating light beams on Frontier, it will destroy the magical seal keeping Frontier hidden. We still don’t know what the heck Frontier is, but we know it’s underwater nearby.
The few surviving sailors jump ship to flee the Noise. Snoop Oni surfaces Section 2’s submarine to rescue them. That recurring-yet-still-remarkably-nondescript agent guy jumps onto the wielders’ deck. He detains Shirabe so Tsubasa can focus on pursuing Miku.
He takes Shirabe back to the submarine by…
…running on the water??
Shirabe says only one thing as she’s taken away.
My heart is disintegrating faster than Chris’s reflectors.
Shirabe just got abducted by a strange man and carried off to who knows what fate. Plus, she already defected from her only family and is now completely on her own, and she’s still powerless until the poison wears off and she can wield her Symphogear again. Atop all that fear, Shirabe is an internationally wanted terrorist. Now that she’s in the government’s hands, she could be locked up, tortured for information, or put on trial and executed for the murders her group committed. I’d be shitting my pants with fright if I were in Shirabe’s place!
But, Shirabe doesn’t even worry about herself right now. All she worries for is:
KIRIKA, YOU DRIPPY WAFFLE STACK. TAKE BETTER CARE OF WHAT YOU GOT, GIRL.
With Chris busy trying to Fuck That Noise, it’s up to Tsubasa to chase Miku down.
“Chasing someone down” is far too mundane for She Who Crashes Motorcycles Into Water Towers. So, Tsubasa pursues Miku by launching herself off that runway slide mechanism which planes use to take off from the deck.
Those things are called aircraft catapults. Tsubasa launched herself from a frickin aircraft catapult. I mean, yeah, no big deal, Tsubasa just happens to be so strong that her body can handle the same amount of force propulsion as a FIGHTER JET.
I just – it’s too – oh my graces, I can’t handle the awesomeness of this episode.
Kirika is not as impressed as I am. She’s adamant that Tsubasa not be allowed to stop Miku unsealing Frontier.
Kirika still believes Dr. Ver’s Frontier plan is the only way to save their world. Shirabe’s world.
Kirika catches up to Tsubasa and entangles her.
Kirika flattens her scythe into a guillotine and prepares to strike. She’s not dicking around, she’s seriously trying to kill Tsubasa.
LOOK AT YOURSELF, SPRITE. What happened to Shirabe’s sweet Kiri-chan who wanted to fight for justice? The Kiri-chan who went out of her way to avoid hurting bystanders?
I’m appalled by what Kirika has become. Betraying her most precious person, aiding Dr. Ver’s evil plan, and now attempting to kill Tsubasa for interfering.
Kirika was terrified by the idea of being taken over by Finé…
…But, Kirika already is losing herself, and Finé hasn’t even possessed her yet.
Tsubasa wrenches free, barely avoiding getting her head sliced off.
Forget what, that you betrayed and sabotaged her? You want her to remember that forever?
My immediate vicinity right now is full of hideous screeching and impotent flap-slamming into windows. The tragedy of Kirika’s downfall is that it’s completely understandable. Kirika could have made better decisions, like Shirabe did. However, it’s equally plausible Kirika makes these awful, self-defeating decisions we’re seeing.
Kirika’s entire life has been spent in a frightening, constraining, violent atmosphere, and now she lives a terrorist lifestyle of even more chaos and death. Compounding this is the manipulative and exploitative leadership she’s been under from Mom and Dr. Ver. To top it all off, Kirika is fighting an invisible enemy inside her own body, like trying to fight off a disease. How can she hold herself together through all that?
The worst part of the impending Finé possession is how isolating it is. It’s a unique problem. No one currently alive can possibly understand what Kirika is combating inside her own head. She is forced to fight this alone just by nature of the condition. Like all the wielders, they are weakest when they fight alone. Their strength is their teamwork.
Kirika now knows she should’ve opened up to Shirabe and been honest about her possession fears, instead of hiding it. Shirabe grew up in the same shitty situation that Kirika endured, but Shirabe was able to see the right path. They could have helped each other. Their bond is strong enough to overcome this challenge. At least, it was strong enough, before everything collapsed. Who knows if they can rebuild. Who knows if both of them will even survive the coming apocalypse.
With Tsubasa hindered by Kirika, Miku is off causing havoc on the other ships on her way to Frontier. Shenshoujin won’t be easy to defeat, as it can neutralize other Relics’ magic.
Up in the Osprey, Dr. Ver is pleased by this mayhem, because he’s the Chaos Is A Ladder type of guy. With Miku’s love-energy on overdrive, it’ll definitely be enough to unseal Frontier.
Don’t even talk to me right now.
Mom coughs up blood, and honestly it’s such a Big Mood for this episode.
Wow, Maria actually lets Dr. Vile take Mom out of her sight for treatment. How do you know he won’t just dump Mom out the plane? Maria, you feeble taffy stick.
With Mom and Ver gone, enacting the plan is up to Maria. As soon as Miku releases her Shenshoujin energy into a Final Attack, Maria must make sure that energy is directed at Frontier.
We catch up with Chris. She cleared the Noise, but it was too late for many victims.
Chris stands next to piles of carbon dust, all that remains of these people. The audio track is silent as she stares at everyone she couldn’t save. We all know Chris blames herself for this. She activated the Staff that summoned these Noise.
Chris knows there will soon be a little girl somewhere crying for her dead father. How painfully familiar…
Thanks.
Thanks, Symphogear.
This wretched fucking anime is my cross to bear.
Section 2 pulls their submarine alongside whichever ship Miku is currently hecking up.
Our heroes’ sub is LARGE. That looks like a Spruance-class destroyer on the American side, which are around 560 feet long. Our sub is half-again as long. But, the longest sub in the world is only a few feet longer than that Spruance. Meaning, Section 2’s submarine is massively larger than the world’s largest submarine. Government funding at its finest, people.
(Don’t ask me how long I researched battleship specs for this. Definitely don’t ask me how many of the search results were Kancolle.)
Hamster stands atop the conn tower to confront Miku.
Hibiki sure knows how to slide into the DMs: atop a pimpin-big submarine!
Hibiki tries to talk Miku into stopping this hot mess. Hamster-Jesus is ever an optimist, always trying peaceful resolutions first.
Miku opens her visor. There’s enough of Miku left in that head that she wants to see Hibiki with her own eyes, not Shenshoujin’s eyes.
Hibiki and Miku haven’t seen each other since the disaster at Sky Tower. Miku’s song lyrics made it clear she’s still heartbroken that Hibiki refused Miku’s attempt at protection by pulling her hand out of Miku’s. This act was made even worse by Symphogear’s ever-present hand-holding symbolism as a sign of love and trust. Hibiki pulling her hand away was taken by Miku as a rejection of love. Hibiki didn’t intend it as such, but the damage is done.
Hibiki needs to navigate this conversation carefully, else it will worsen their current schism.
Miku refuses to abandon the terrorists’ plan and go home with Hibiki. She tells Hibiki why she agreed to wield Shenshoujin for Dr. Ver.
WOW, MIKU, LOOK AT THIS NEW WORLD DR. VER HAS CREATED:
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD.
“Everyone can live in peace.” Right, except everyone who got fucking slaughtered! The only peace those people found is the grave.
Dr. Ver is so full of shit, it’s seeping out his eyeballs.
Miku tells Hibiki she wants to bring peace to the world so Hibiki won’t have to be a fighter anymore. Not only is Miku worried Hibiki will die in battle (you know, a SECOND time), but the Gungnir fusion will kill Hibiki if she continues to wield it. Miku, like Kirika and Maria, believes Ver’s Frontier plan will bring about a peaceful new world where they can all be safe.
Hibiki looks at the destruction surrounding them.
Yeah, aiding in massacres doesn’t seem like it will bring about the peace Miku hopes for.
Hibiki can be so romantic when she tries. My heart’s aflutter.
This is the first open conversation between Hibiki and Miku in ages. It took a face-melting level of catastrophe for them to talk about their communication problems. Their relationship needs a lot of work. Can they keep it together amidst the suffering-laden Plot bombarding them from all directions?
Miku is determined to keep Hibiki safe and not allow her to be a fighter anymore. Hibiki doesn’t do the same with Miku. Hibiki doesn’t delegitimize Miku’s choice to become a wielder and fighter. Hibiki only insists Miku not fight in this way, with the whole killing-lotsa-people thing.
Hibiki hears out Miku’s reasons, and doesn’t talk down to her or scoff at her dream of making a peaceful world. Hibiki loves Miku and wants to understand her. I think Hamster is okay with Miku now being a Symphogear wielder, just not on the evil side.
Miku is being honest about her feelings, and Hibiki is being receptive toward Miku’s concerns. It’s exactly the two ingredients their relationship was lacking.
I’M SURE THEY WILL MAKE UP NOW, GO HOME HAPPILY TOGETHER TO EAT POPCORN ON THEIR COUCH AND TALK ABOUT MIKU’S GAY LOVE SONG, AND CONFLICT WILL NEVER CROSS THEIR DOORSTEP AGAIN, RIGHT?
But, of course. They still can’t reach each other.
The discussion hits a wall they can’t compromise on. Miku refuses to let Hibiki keep fighting and risking her life, even if that goal means Miku must work with the villains. Hibiki equally refuses to let Miku and the terrorists cause any more deaths for their supposedly peaceful cause.
Hibiki appreciates the sentiment behind Miku’s actions. But, it’s Hibiki’s decision whether to risk her life for what she believes in.
Miku has no right to take that decision away from Hibiki in the name of protecting her. Just as Kirika had no right to do the same to Shirabe.
AI YO isn’t the most rational of emotions. But, maybe it shouldn’t be.
As Hibiki says she’s determined to keep fighting, the camera gives us a close-up of her clenched fist. Hamster tried reaching out a hand to Miku by speaking with her, but now it’s time for fisticuffs.
Hibiki is taking advice Snoop Oni once gave her about their old friend-turned-enemy, Ryouko/Finé:
Miku also readies to fight. Like Hibiki, Miku is taking the advice of a friend:
Hibiki sings her activation phrase, transforms into her Gear, and strikes up her battle song.
Hold on, that’s not Hibiki’s usual battle song.
New battle song?
New battle song!
A BLESSED DAY. Two new songs in one episode!
Miku snaps her visor shut and meets Hibiki head-on.
Agents track Hibiki’s status from the submarine. Now that she’s Geared up, that 2 minute and 40 second countdown is all Hamster has until Gungnir consumes her.
Hibiki and Miku clash, and I’m starting to worry I’m the one who might not survive 2:40 of this.
This pair should be cuddling in bed or laughing together at school like they always do, not fighting each other. How did it come to this? Prior episodes well showed the gradual erosion of their relationship, but I still wasn’t prepared to see them reach this point of actively hurting each other.
It’s a demanding duel for them both. There’s no clear upper hand.
Hibiki punches and kicks while she sings. Miku swings her cricket bat to block and return attacks.
Hamster-Jesus eats a smack right to the face.
Miku, doesn’t all this seem… counter-productive? I thought the goal was for Hibiki not to fight.
You know what, everyone… It’s time to bring back those ancient, cringey memes of a bygone era. An era of legend known as “the 2000s”. Memes like Paranoid Parrot and Advice Dog.
I’m creating one right now. I name it Mal-Effective Miku.
Miku’s not mal-intentioned. She wants to do good things, she tries so hard, but… she gets twisted along the path and ends up ruining her own goals. Mal-Effective.
I adore Miku. She’s brave beyond measure, she won’t hesitate to help people she loves, and she’s patient and enduring. She’s an admirable person. But she, like a couple other well-intentioned characters lately, made some terrible decisions. She’s basically sabotaging herself.
What other Mal-Effective Miku moments did this episode give us?
Hmm, how about:
Or her fight versus Chris:
Let’s see if we can make any more Mal-Effective Miku memes in the remainder of this episode.
Hibiki needs to speed up this duel. She’s already deteriorating from Gungnir’s corruption inside her chest. Hah, in more ways than one, Hibiki’s heart can’t take fighting Miku.
I got so caught up in the Hibiki/Miku drama that I forgot the other wielders. Chris, Tsubasa, Kirika… what are they doing right now? Last we saw of Kirika and Tsubasa, they were locked in combat.
Are Kirika and Tsubasa still fighting? Or, are they taking a break to bond with each other while they stand around watching their teammates Hibiki and Miku tussle?
Miku corners Hibiki. She then lashes Hibiki with her coils.
What in putrid pestilence am I witnessing? So much for Miku not wanting to hurt Hibiki! All Hamster can do is raise her hands and try to protect her face from the lashes.
Whipping… It’s as if Miku wants to punish Hibiki. For what? For letting go of Miku’s hand? For Hibiki insisting on making her own decisions about risking her life and not letting Miku cage her to “keep her safe”?
Backing your girlfriend up against a wall and whipping her until she starts obeying you and your demands to never leave you again, while said girlfriend just stands there with her hands over her face trying to protect herself, is fucked up. Please end this fight soon, Symphogear. I’m hammering the Exit Next Stop button on this bus.
I mean seriously? Whipping? This type of attack is a whole different arena from the straightforward punches, kicks, and swings they threw at each other earlier.
Whips aren’t devised to kill or defend. Their specific intent is to force submission by causing pain. It’s a weapon of pure cruelty. The only others we’ve seen use whips are Finé and pre-redemption Chris. Not great role models.
Time for another Mal-Effective Miku.
Let’s take the easy way out and chalk this disturbing sequence up to Shenshoujin’s dark influence on Miku’s mind.
Hibiki musters her strength. She only has a little time left, and she wants to spend it bringing Miku back to the light.
“I can’t die! I’m the main character!”
She’s our Hamster-Jesus, besides. Even if she dies, she’ll probably resurrect again.
Hibiki breaks free of the whips and counters with a BRUTAL knee to Miku’s abs.
Owie ow ow. This move Hibiki smashed Miku with is a Muay Thai flying knee.
A flying knee strike is hella reckless, since you forfeit your power-root by leaving the ground, compared to a less risky standing-kick. But, if you can connect that flying knee, your opponent is wrecked.
Amusingly, the non-flying version of this attack is called a spear knee. Heh, Hibiki never could get Gungnir’s spear to work, but she found a different Striking Spear.
Hibiki’s not the first to devastate some poor abs:
I think at some point our Gungnir wielders heard the expression “I re-arranged my girl’s guts”, and took it way too literally.
After that painful knee strike, Miku retreats to a distance for her next attack.
Close-quarter combat is a more personal way to engage Hibiki, but it really is not to Miku’s advantage. Hibiki’s might is in hand-to-hand punches and kicks. Miku made the unwise decision to confront Hibiki in a melee fight.
However. Miku isn’t the only one making decisions inside that head.
Shenshoujin is taking over the fight, now.
We can tell by the change in tactics that Shenshoujin is once again feeding its battle plan into Miku’s brain through her Evil Eye. Instead of continuing the melee fight, Shenshoujin switches back to the methods it used against Chris: keep your distance, kite your opponent, and use your light beams instead of swinging your bat like a club. Shenshoujin even forms that glowing mirror-ring around Miku once more, to pump out stronger, amplified energy blasts.
Shenshoujin basically elbowed Miku aside and said, “We’re never gonna win with you in charge. Give me the damn controller and I’ll show you how to really play this game.”
Besides, Hibiki’s on a countdown. Shenshoujin doesn’t even need to defeat her. It only needs to keep Hibiki at bay long enough for her to succumb to Gungnir.
Shenshoujin’s battle plan proves much more effective than Miku’s. Hibiki is forced to expend a ton of energy just chasing Miku, who keeps kiting away. Hibiki also has to dodge volleys of light-beams.
Hibiki pursues Miku, trying to get back into melee range where she’ll have the advantage again. Hibiki punches away the shots of light coming at her, because of course Hibiki can flipping punch light beams, who am I to doubt the power of Hamster-Jesus.
Miku’s battle song was beyond gay, but Hibiki’s comes close.
Not an anguished love like Miku’s dark song. A bold, burning passion. Hibiki giving her last life embers to save Miku.
Mirror, mirror, on the the wall, who’s the gayest of them all?
This song really will turn into an elegy, a song for the dead, if Hibiki goes any further. Gungnir’s corruption eats more and more of her each moment. The Relic fuses with Hibiki’s body, calcifying her flesh into rocky chunks erupting from her skin.
Insert Kenny Loggins music here.
Trapped inside Shenshoujin, Miku begins to doubt. Shenshoujin is feeding her a battle plan, but she can tell it intends to kill Hibiki, the exact opposite of what Miku wanted.
The camera spiral-zooms into the Evil Eye. It twitches and pulses, tightening its choke on Miku’s brain, trying to silence Miku’s resistance. But, as Gungnir consumes more and more of Hibiki’s body, Miku’s doubts worsen. She’s watching her beloved die right in front of her.
Shenshoujin has Miku too firmly in its grasp. Even if Miku wants to stop, it won’t let her.
Oh shit, the squiggly veins are back! We saw similar veins when Finé fused with Nehushtan:
These veins are the sign of a Relic forcibly asserting its hold on its wielder. Shenshoujin is trying to fuse with Miku and erase her will completely. I’m about to stick my face in a pepper grinder and start churning.
OVERCOME IT, MIKU! I believe in you! This isn’t who you are!
With the last of her strength, Hibiki rams into Miku, shattering the mirror.
Hibiki clutches Miku in her arms through the shattering.
Miku screams for Hibiki to let her go. Hibiki is trying to save Miku’s life, at the cost of Hibiki’s own death from Gungnir’s takeover. Miku would rather Hibiki let her go and let her be the one to die from Shenshoujin’s takeover, to spare Hibiki’s life.
NO
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE EVOKING WITH THESE CAMERA SHOTS, SYMPHOGEAR
AND MY REPLY IS NO, I CAN’T TAKE IT RIGHT NOW
Hibiki is making amends for letting go of Miku at Sky Tower. And unmaking my damn heart in the process.
Up in the Osprey, Maria deploys reflectors in the sky to funnel Miku’s lances of light into a single Hyper Beam.
Hibiki holds tight to Miku…
…and carries her into the magnified Shenshoujin beam meant to strip the seal from Frontier.
If this massive energy beam can strip a Relic’s power, it can blind Miku’s Evil Eye and free her from Shenshoujin.
I often tease Hibiki for being dense. But, she’s proven herself a quick thinker at outmaneuvering an opponent in battle. Like Shenshoujin here, or the season opener when Hibiki trapped Noise in a train car.
Look at these damn lovebirds. They’re right beside each other as their armor shatters and the blast of energy opens the bloody seventh seal of the apocalypse. Both are being taken over by corrupted Relics destroying them from within, but they use the last of their strength to come together and do the one thing that matters most: save each other.
Hibiki is returning the help Miku gave her in the finale of Season 1:
Miku helped Hibiki find the determination needed to overcome Gungnir’s darkness. And now, Hibiki helps Miku defeat Shenshoujin’s darkness.
Wretched fucking anime.
WONDERFUL FUCKING ANIME.
The camera makes a point to show us the Evil Eye detach from Miku’s head and disintegrate in the light beam.
With the parasitic part of Shenshoujin gone, hopefully Miku will have more control over her Gear next time she wields it.
So, the “evil spirit” Shenshoujin exorcised today was… itself?
Hibiki and Miku soaked part of the Hyper Beam, but that didn’t stop the main force from hitting Frontier.
Dr. Ver returns to the cockpit to gloat over everything going according to keikaku.
Episode after episode hearing about the mysterious “Frontier”, now we finally see it!
It’s a… very large building?
Well, that clarifies nothing.
Looks eerie. Like some sort of temple or burial mound.
That looks like a spin gear on the central axis. So, Frontier is a machine? What would a machine that huge be used for?
Maybe it’s a terraforming device to fix Earth after it’s wrecked by the moon-fall? Or maybe a shield generator to protect us, or a portal generator to open an escape route. It could be any number of things, especially with Relic magic involved. Seems we won’t learn the answer to Frontier’s mystery today.
Tsubasa and Kirika pause their fight to watch Frontier rise from the ocean. They don’t hear Chris sneak up behind them.
Oh shit, Kirika about to have her Finé-reincarnation problem solved by way of bullet to the head. Look out, Sprite!
That… did not hit Kirika.
That… wasn’t even aimed at Kirika.
CHRIS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
------------------
Fantastic episode.
Everything we all adore about Symphogear wrapped up in one glowing package. Action, gayness, music, and great character drama.
It was especially invigorating after the previous episode, my least favorite yet. When some episodes leave me wondering, “Why do I watch this anime when it frustrates and depresses me so much?” I can then watch episodes like this one and realize, “Oh yeah, this is why I watch it!”
This episode packed a lot in. It was masterfully done how the anime gave us a ton of big, loud action sequences while smoothly maintaining the subtle character developments and symbolism Symphogear does so well with its girls.
My ovaries are swollen from this radness. Everyone’s been such a badass lately.
EXCEPT A CERTAIN DIVA
Maria’s still drinking the terrorist Kool-Aid and aiding in Dr. Ver’s cruel machinations.
Maria has a good heart underneath, so we can hope her alliance with evil is temporary. If she ever wakes the heck up and realizes their terrorist group does much more harm than good.
With Ver, on the other hand, evil is a feature, not a bug. Not a single episode runs its course without him proving himself more and more despicable. It’s like he’s in a perpetual contest with himself to Gonna Be The Very Shitty-est, Like No One Ever Was.
I want to be a good person and hope for his redemption somehow, but…
Wow, man.
As for Chris… is her evil a feature or a bug?
I think a better answer is: it’s a bug, but Chris thinks it’s a feature.
Chris’s sense of guilt is her own greatest impediment toward redemption.
The danger of backsliding into her old antagonism was always present. But, I wasn’t expecting today’s turn of events. There’s no clear explanation why Chris shot Tsubasa in the back. The camera pans away and we hear another shot fired, implying Chris tried to finish Tsubasa off.
I’m so over these manipulative cliffhangers Symphogear keeps bashing over our heads. We’ll probably find out later that Chris was mind-controlled, or Chris was actually protecting Tsubasa somehow, or it’s not even the real Chris, or some similar cop-out.
Jellyfish might be acting like a bad guy to infiltrate FISt and stop them from within. Chris might even be trying to do what Miku did to Hibiki: not to kill Tsubasa, but to injure her badly enough that she’d no longer be able to fight and therefore not at risk of dying in battle. “Helping” Tsubasa in a twisted way.
I’m too annoyed by the anime’s decision to pull this cliffhanger to actually be interested in trying to understand it. If Maria can be revealed as a fake Finé a couple episodes after the cliffhanger, if Hibiki can grow her arm back a couple minutes after the cliffhanger, why not expect Chris to change her mind soon, too?
It’s just… too jarring. This betrayal doesn’t jive with Chris’s seasonal arc, nor with her actions the rest of this episode.
This is the last we saw of Chris before the shooting:
How does “I must atone for my past” result in “I must shoot my comrade”?
Even if turning against the team is part of some scheme by Chris, why not tell them beforehand? Her teammates probably would’ve helped Chris stage something. She didn’t need to act alone and without warning. Remember that whole theme about how fighting alone dooms you to failure.
Unless… was this the subject Chris attempted to broach with Tsubasa at the restaurant?
Chris consistently labors toward atonement. She’s haunted by her role in activating the Staff of Solomon, which continues to kill so many people. In addition to dialogue from Chris demonstrating this, Symphogear uses callbacks and parallel shots to reinforce her struggle.
Look at Chris regretting the deaths of others because of the Staff when Finé sent Noise to hunt Chris:
And then Chris regretting the deaths of others because of the Staff when Dr. Ver sent Noise to terrorize Sky Tower:
We don’t need dialogue in the second shot to know she’s feeling the same as she was back then. Symphogear set up the parallel well enough and trusts its viewers enough to make the connection. I love when a story is confident enough in its own storytelling that it allows viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Which is why the end of this episode is so confusing.
Chris betraying Tsubasa was a shock, but not painful. It was just… weird. More of a Huh than a Heartbreak.
Compare it to Kirika’s betrayal of Shirabe, which was also a major shock, but more believable.
After the initial spike of confusion faded, you could see exactly why Kirika did this and what she hoped to gain from it. It was a terrible decision and a dishonorable violation of Shirabe, but it wasn’t off. It was consistent with the overall decay of Kirika’s judgment ever since she found out she’s Finé’s next host. Thus, this scene had deep impact as a tragic moment for Kirika as an individual and for her shattered relationship with Shirabe.
Chris shooting Tsubasa, by contrast, is not consistent. It’s too abrupt, too hard to take seriously.
Earlier today, Chris risked her life to protect Shirabe, an enemy. And now, she’s back to killing people? Besides, if Chris descended into her old violent self, why start the kill streak with Tsubasa?
Chris and Tsubasa fought each other before. But, I mean…
…we kind of already knew this is exactly how another Chris vs Tsubasa fight might play out.
Using her pistol reinforces the idea that Something Is Up. Chris is an AoE shooter. She doesn’t single-target unless it’s super personal. Like her attempted headshot at Maria-Finé, or later that episode her snipe at the Osprey to get the Staff back.
So, Chris using her pistol against Tsubasa instead of her regular weapons is curious.
One of the resounding themes of this season is Fight Your Shadow Self. The obvious Shadow Selves being the black wielders versus the heroes.
But, Symphogear is complex, layering this simple theme into meta levels. We have Hibiki fighting her own Gungnir, Maria struggling to live up to a false persona she faked even to her friends, Tsubasa fighting her ingrained sense of failure for letting Kanade die, and other subtle examples.
Chris, like Tsubasa, is fighting her Shadow Self from her past. The self ruled by Finé. Even with Finé dead, Chris has a “cross to bear” as she put it, since the consequences of Chris’s actions are still playing out. The Staff she activated on Finé’s order keeps killing people.
I don’t know how betraying Tsubasa will help Chris defeat the ghost of Finé’s influence. I only hope Chris has some justification for it.
Kirika is also fighting a Finé-ruled self. And somehow faring even worse than Chris.
We still don’t know if Kirika actually will be possessed by Finé, or if it’s another false lead. Kirika is fighting a Shadow Self that might not even exist.
But, at this point, it doesn’t matter. Whether the possession is real or not, the damage Kirika is doing to herself and others is plenty real. Finé doesn’t need to possess Kirika to turn her into a villain.
Like our Mal-Effective Miku, Kirika does more harm than good. Both girls are well-intentioned. Of course, you know what they say about the road to hell…
Chris and Tsubasa, plus Kirika and Shirabe, weren’t the only ones who found themselves on opposite sides today.
Hibiki and Miku staggeringly out-gayed themselves today.
Shenshoujin is the embodiment of Miku’s love for Hibiki. Her love is what unlocked this mirror Relic’s true power.
Shenshoujin empowered Miku, but also trapped her.
Miku struggling with Shenshoujin for control of her own free will is another facet of the Fight Your Shadow Self theme.
Wielders always match their Relics. There’s a reason Miku resonated so well with Shenshoujin. Wielder-Miku is the mirror, the reflection, the imitation. Miku thought becoming a wielder like Hibiki would solve their problems. The Relic that counters other Relics. But, like her mal-effectiveness I meme’d about… Miku creates a twisted, light-bent version of her own goals.
Shenshoujin remains the Relic of Illusion. It preyed on Miku’s insecurity about her love. Miku believed her love was only an illusion. She feared Hibiki didn’t return her love, and that this was the reason Hibiki wouldn’t listen to her pleas to stop fighting. Miku believed she was too weak to save Hibiki, and that that’s why Hibiki rejected her at Sky Tower.
Like Kirika toward Shirabe, there’s no doubt Miku loves Hibiki and wants to protect her.
But, same as Kirika, taking away your beloved’s agency and putting yourself on the opposite end of a battlefield from her is… not a loving thing to do.
Miku’s love song references light and sunshine:
Since early in the series, Hamster calls Miku “my sunshine”. The reality, as shown by Miku’s song, is that Hibiki is actually Miku’s source of sunshine. Hibiki brings light to Miku’s world. You could say Miku only reflects the light given to her by Hibiki’s love. Heh, I see you, Symphogear.
Hibiki’s new battle song was also one of love. Even fighting against Miku, Hibiki still adores her. She came within inches of death to save Miku. Hibiki demonstrated her love for Miku enormously today.
Hibiki used energy created by Miku’s love, to express Hibiki’s own love. By freeing Miku from Shenshoujin’s curse, Hibiki freed Miku from the illusion of thinking their love was one-sided. Shenshoujin can’t deceive Miku’s heart any longer. Now, Miku knows for sure that Hibiki truly loves her back.
Miku’s love unlocks her power… and through that energy beam, Miku’s love defeats her. Miku fights her Shadow Self and loses to it beneath the light. It ties in even tighter with her mirror motif: the only thing strong enough to defeat Shenshoujin was a reflection of itself.
It’s a beautiful moment for this couple.
It also hurts like hell. Miku poured all her love, all her hopes, all her pain, all her light, into this song of power. And, all it undid was herself. There’s something so tragic about this recursive interplay between Miku’s power and powerlessness.
Hamster, you just gave yourself seven years of bad luck.
Miku is free of Shenshoujin’s curse now, but it doesn’t matter. She’s become Shenshoujin in truth. She’s become the broken mirror, shattered and unable to reflect any more light.
I said Symphogear knew how to handle character symbolism well. I should have said handle it well and devastatingly painfully. Bravo, Symphogear. Wretched fucking anime.
Hibiki and Miku took a firm step toward healing today. They have lots more work to do.
They haven’t solved their main relationship problem: the poor communication from both sides.
Miku needs to acknowledge it is Hibiki’s decision whether to risk her own life. Hibiki needs to acknowledge Miku’s concerns about her wellbeing and be more open with Miku about all the bad shit happening. They could reach some kind of compromise where Hibiki still wields her Symphogear but agrees to be less reckless about hurling herself into battle.
Now that Miku’s a wielder, she’s better able to protect Hibiki in such a situation. At least, if Miku switches back to the good guys’ side. Hopefully, today showed Miku the mistake of allying with FISt and Ver.
You know what, despite all this suffering… I still got what I wanted out of this episode. No Wielder-Miku cop-out!!
Praise Hamster-Jesus for this mercy. I was worried Symphogear would cowardly backpedal and turn Miku back to normal. But now, there’s no need to axe-cleave anything to vent my rage.
I have zero complaints about this episode. Everything far exceeded expectations. I needn’t have fretted so much. Wielder-Miku as a development was handled excellently and is welcome to stay.
I’m excited to see where Miku goes from here and how she learns to master what’s left of Shenshoujin! If they resolve their relationship problems, Miku learning to fight alongside Hibiki as a battle comrade would be an interesting new spin on their relationship. Miku is one of the bravest characters I know. She’ll make an unflinching warrior for Good.
If Shenshoujin’s light weakens a Relic, is Hibiki cured of Gungnir’s corruption? We’ve seen x-rays of Gungnir choking every vein in Hibiki’s body. Heck, if Shenshoujin can remove something from inside your veins, what can it do for my cholesterol?
Maybe Shenshoujin didn’t eliminate the Gungnir fusion, but scaled it back some, giving Hibiki time before it builds back up.
I don’t think Hibiki nor Miku lost their Symphogears permanently from this beam. We didn’t see those red amulets on their chests break, the source of their Symphogears. The camera instead focused on that Evil Eye splitting from Miku and disintegrating in the light.
Besides, the point of this encounter was for Hibiki and Miku to save each other. Miku’s Shenshoujin saved Hibiki from Gungnir’s fusion, and Hibiki saved Miku from Shenshoujin’s evil fusion. It would be monumentally unfair if Hibiki emerges from this mutual rescue still a wielder and Miku does not.
Hibiki and Miku will probably just be temporarily de-powered until they recover from the beam. Like Shirabe after that poison injection.
…At least, I think that’s what this scene was trying to convey to us viewers?
Hmm. I’ve been wrong plenty of times. Guess we must wait for how this plays out.
It’s too early to tell what Symphogear has in store for us as we near the climax of this season. All I have to say is the anime better not return Miku to a non-wielder after all this.
Keepin’ that axe at the ready…
So many threads converge as we approach the endgame. Almost every character is struggling to escape their own tangled weavings. (EYEBALLIN’ YOU IN PARTICULAR, SPRITE.) So far for our girls, struggling has only accomplished pulling those threads into tighter and tighter nooses. And with only a few episodes left, it won’t be long before the gallows-panel drops out beneath their feet completely. Can they save themselves before then?
We’ll have to see how loyalties re-balance after the many recent betrayals and side-switchings.
And, we’ll have to see the outcome of Miku raising Frontier from the ocean. The new world is upon us, for better or for worse.
------------------
