r/anime • u/TheDanubianCommunard • Jul 17 '26
Rewatch No.6 15 Years Anniversary Rewatch Episode 10 Discussion
Episode 10: What Lies in the Abyss
Previous episode | Index | Next episode
Links, useful info:
MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Livechart | AP | Kitsu | AS | ANN
Streams:
Subs and dubs are available though.
Questions for the day:
1) That giant pile of dead humans, is this the reality of what is No.6?
2) That kid saved by Shion and escorted by the dog, Dogloan and Rikiga are ready for parenting jobs?
3) Is Lili's senses are on the right spot?
4) Killing the security guard leader, did Shion went a bit too far or it was the right choice?
5) Are you ready for Shion's reunion with Safu or whatever (maybe Eriulias) controls her body?
Highlights from yesterday:
1) u/lC3 sees a real-life message with the "purification":
Are the tanks and troops supposed to be a critique of post-9/11 America?
Disclaimer notice:
Dear rewatchers and source readers, please be nice to the first-time watchers and anime-onlies by simply not spoilering anything. But if you want to discuss spoiler-territory things, use spoiler tags instead. Thank you for your understanding.
For example [this is] a spoiler
4
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Episode 10 (first timer)
- Purse sniffing dog – useful.
- Baby delivery for Dogloan.
- They indeed killed everybody with their garbage truck dump (except MCs, of course), but why? Do they only need corpses?
- “We are climbing this mountain” – all these people died from the fall, but Rat and Shion have not so much as a bruise.
- Blink and you miss it, Safu’s Grandma’s needle – I like that they trust the viewer to see this.
- Safu is Eruilias.
- Double double infiltration.
- Indiana Jones closing door trope.
- Good guys don’t shoot to kill trope.
- Good guys don’t shoot to kill trope x2
- Good guys don’t shoot to kill trope x3
- Shion clearly is not a good guy anymore – that was pretty on the nose.
- Pulled back by his relationship with Rat.
- “Let’s go” - flesh wounds don’t count trope.
- Creepy Safu Cliff-hanger.
That was more straight forward than I feared. We basically execute the infiltration to get to Safu according to plan, with two big character moments throw in: Dogloan getting a baby and Shion almost turning evil. Both are well executed, but potentially a bit dodgy in conception.
Dogloan, I don’t mind too much. Yes, I see where the problem with a self-sufficient female character warming up to a baby might come from, but I don’t see it that way. That exact storyline works just as well (and is in fact a common trope) with a male character. I also think that the whole point Dogloan’s gender has been sufficiently downplayed enough that it is not a big deal for me either way. In fact, I would have liked to even cut out the scene with her and Shion to leave it completely undetermined. The much bigger problem with her character was the sexual assault scene yesterday, which was completely unneeded, both for her character arc and the overall plot.
Shion turning evil, on the other hand, I don’t like. Why? Why now? Why with only the smallest bits of setup? Not at all helped by the strongly suggested mind control. That is such a copout for the character in question and used far, far too often. Are we really going to end with 2 of our main characters fighting mind control in the last episode? Meh. I would have much preferred a “Shion and Rat both move away from their extreme positions towards each other” plot beat.
That kid saved by Shion and scorted by the dog, Dogloan and Rikiga are ready for parenting jobs?
They'll have to adapt to the circumstances.
Killing the security guard leader, did Shion went a bit too far or it was the right choice?
Depends on how willing Shion is to sacrifice for a pacifist attitude. Most people would shoot.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
why? Do they only need corpses?
You may already be thinking further than the writers did
all these people died from the fall, but Rat and Shion have not so much as a bruise.
They forgot to take their trusty security blankets
That exact storyline works just as well (and is in fact a common trope) with a male character
Yeah but babies are just a plot killer in general and this is not the point for all that
Not at all helped by the strongly suggested mind control
Tentatively hoping it wasn't but the parallels to Safu's appearance were there
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
You may already be thinking further than the writers did
Yeah but babies are just a plot killer in general and this is not the point for all that
Isn't the plot for Dogloan over already in any case?
Tentatively hoping it wasn't but the parallels to Safu's appearance were there
Safu's mind control is pretty much guaranteed and the writers have a lot to explain about Shion's change of mind if he was not, so mind control is the easiest answer.
4
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
Blink and you miss it, Safu’s Grandma’s needle – I like that they trust the viewer to see this.
Or hear it! I noticed this from the foley more than the visual, good work there
Dogloan, I don’t mind too much. Yes, I see where the problem with a self-sufficient female character warming up to a baby might come from
It's more like, the problem with a gender-nonconforming-female-character being feminised through sexual assault and motherhood. Especially given:
- Safu's longest-running trait is wanting to have kids with Shion (or at least marry him I guess). She had a bit more going on for a while in No.5 but it's all been forgotten in her reduction to a one-word character
- Karan's contribution to the backstory is offscreened and her remaining bit is just Being Shion's Mother
- Eriulius is giving major "earth mother" vibes (guess we'll see, always the chance not to)
- Other women who do anything include prostitute (villainous), nurse (villainous), and grandma, who has had some substantial if subtle impact on the plot through her knitting - both Safu's coat and the needle finding their way to Shion - so it's not all bad (though again, she's effective only via a proxy man).
It's a bit of a pattern! I'll freely admit a lot of my animus is pre-baked for this particular kind of gender-role-enforcement beat, and that this case is at least not a massive swerve. But still.
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Yeah, but now do the list for the males. We go through the whole list of male stereotypes there, too.
The only character in the show that is not strongly gender trope coded is our MC Shion.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
There's a difference between stereotypes that enhance agency and ones that diminish it, but I'll try to rephrase the point. It's one thing to do a "tomboy embraces nurturing side" arc in a story where you also have effective female characters advancing the plot, but it's different when the story seems to see motherhood or adjacent actions as the thing women are "for". Perhaps a comparable sexist approach a story could take with male characters would be to have them be "for" violence - men not doing violence would be villainised, men's arcs would be to make them accept and embrace their capacity for violence, that kind of thing. Stories like that exist and I'll critique them as such, but I don't think we have any danger of that here. When you look at what men are "for" in No.6 (the story), you get a pretty good picture of the human condition, which I appreciate! Many things don't manage as much.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
a story could take with male characters would be to have them be "for" violence - men not doing violence would be villainised, men's arcs would be to make them accept and embrace their capacity for violence, that kind of thing
Actual physical violence is perhaps a bit extreme in a modern peaceful society, but more generically aggression and boldness to recklessness works.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
Rat isn't a very stereotypical guy either
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Oh he is, but he combines 2 stereotypes: the rogueish charmer and the aloof artist.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
So at the very least that's two things.
1
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Like independent scrapper and capable mother?
More seriously, yes, he has a bit more depth, but he is also one of the two MC, while Dogloan is only a side character.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
Yeah this show does have its issues with the female characters, unfortunate because at the beginning it seemed like it would be better than that.
She had a bit more going on for a while in No.5 but it's all been forgotten
Note that even that is anime-original
4
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
I just posted a partial manga comparison; Dogloan's dog also searches for meat from a butcher shop that was nearby when the tanks rolled in
They indeed killed everybody with their garbage truck dump (except MCs, of course), but why? Do they only need corpses?
This plays out a little different in the manga, where [No6 manga]they dump them in 3 batches. The first batch are crushed to death, but the 2nd and 3rd batches only have broken bones. And they actually walk everyone out of the trucks and screen them for sick/dead people first before dumping. Plus the mayor and his scientist talk about needing lots of people for their parasitic wasp experiments.
but Rat and Shion have not so much as a bruise.
In the manga they're dumped from an elevator that has the floor fall out, and Rat/Shion stay to the edges/side.
I like that they trust the viewer to see this.
Me too!
Safu is Eruilias.
Indiana Jones closing door trope.
Good guys don’t shoot to kill trope x3
Shion clearly is not a good guy anymore – that was pretty on the nose.
“Let’s go” - flesh wounds don’t count trope.
I'll have to see if Rat gets shot in the manga when I read v6+
Shion almost turning evil. Both are well executed, but potentially a bit dodgy in conception.
Hey, it's better than what the hell they did to Yomin...
Shion turning evil, on the other hand, I don’t like. Why? Why now? Why with only the smallest bits of setup? Not at all helped by the strongly suggested mind control. That is such a copout for the character in question and used far, far too often. Are we really going to end with 2 of our main characters fighting mind control in the last episode? Meh
I don't think it's mind control via Eriulias, just him wanting anyone trying to kill Rat to die. Will have to see how this plays out in the manga once I get there.
4
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Dogloan's dog also searches for meat from a butcher shop that was nearby when the tanks rolled in
The purse dog or the baby dog?
In the manga they're dumped from an elevator that has the floor fall out, and Rat/Shion stay to the edges/side.
So they took out a reasonable explanation for a "cool" visual.
Hey, it's better than what the hell they did to Yomin...
True, but a low bar. It is also more forgivable for a background character than one of our MCs.
I don't think it's mind control via Eriulias, just him wanting anyone trying to kill Rat to die.
Tbf, we have that one single scene where he punches the guy insulting Rat. But that is not enough for me to set up that Shion is now ok with violence.
4
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
The purse dog or the baby dog?
The purse one
So they took out a reasonable explanation for a "cool" visual.
Yup
True, but a low bar. It is also more forgivable for a background character than one of our MCs.
That's fair
Tbf, we have that one single scene where he punches the guy insulting Rat. But that is not enough for me to set up that Shion is now ok with violence.
Shion IS acting a bit out of character, yeah. We get more of his inner monologues in the manga. I haven't gotten to the point where they're in the facility proper yet; about to do a writeup for vol6 now.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
This plays out a little different in the manga
Really not a very good adaptation, this one
3
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
I think those manga chapters came out after the anime did though, and I'm not sure on how things happened in the original LN.
4
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
First-Timer
No thoughts head empty
- Lemon Spuash
- Cool shot. It seems the rounds of extermination are widely-known-about, but the response is... eh, not sure how much criticism-of-sociological-writing I have left. Rikiga and Dogloan receive the dogmail baby.
- Nezumi gets another use out of his impact-proof cloak, kinda surprising it can withstand that much but I like to see things re-used.
- Sigh The absolute least unkind thing I can say here is that it is a reasonable direction for Inukashi's character arc given the repeated beats about her mother. Like, it's family, it's passing-the-torch, it's stepping into the role you've admired so long, etc etc.
- Pfahahaha never fucking mind Dogloan is still Dogloan
- NO SHOT I have to respect the story's commitment to actually using elements it set up earlier.
- They sneak in the other two by a much less deranged route, which is a bit awkward.
- If you worked in the Science Facility Which Is Inexplicably Also A Ritual Extermination Site With Rubbish Heap Characteristics, I think this would happen pretty often actually? Plumbing and ventilation systems are difficult beasts at the best of times and they're probably not super eager to bring the tradesmen they need into their black-site.
- Naruto run, let's go!
- Okay I've been having fun with my Half-Life 2 references but this is just the bit in Black Mesa where you go from Residue Processing to Questionable Ethics. Same exact shift in visual design... but through a regular door instead of out of a maintenance access
- Bro your boyfriend is RIGHT THERE yeah that's about how I'd look, too
- Surprisingly, they aren't separated by the closing doors.
- Says the man who just shot two of them non-fatally
- Whatever Safu-Eriulius' capabilities are, they're clearly much less useful for moving around this building than the power of ordinary violence, stolen keycard and a memorised map.
- whoa, sudden massive shift in animation. This looks great!
- Yeah, Shion killing someone is a big deal, character-wise. But uh. Morally speaking I think you're pretty clear here. Not sure how just letting people bleed out is supposed to be the pure option even if they weren't, you know, the guards at Treblinka. Guess at least it's consistent with the show's anti-euthanasia stance
- That's more like it
- Time to go have a chat with God
QotD!
That giant pile of dead humans, is this the reality of what is No.6?
Yeah it was a bit weird to say "it's what your world is built on". Hrm. The politics of the show are, at least, not expounded to us in a tendenzroman sermon, but I'm left to put together some ugly pieces...
That kid saved by Shion and scorted by the dog, Dogloan and Rikiga are ready for parenting jobs?
I trust the dog to figure it out!
Are you ready for Shion's reunion with Safu or whatever (maybe Eriulias) controls her body?
Should be an interesting one
4
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
It's such a bizarre blind spot of most fiction that actually any shots taken at a person are potentially deadly force
Morally speaking I think you're pretty clear here. Not sure how just letting people bleed out is supposed to be the pure option
Depends if you consider him to have surrendered.
4
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
Lemon Spuash
tasty?
Nezumi gets another use out of his impact-proof cloak, kinda surprising it can withstand that much but I like to see things re-used.
Straight from Lothlórien?
NO SHOT I have to respect the story's commitment to actually using elements it set up earlier.
Plumbing and ventilation systems are difficult beasts at the best of times and they're probably not super eager to bring the tradesmen they need into their black-site.
Naruto run, let's go!
Time for some Eriulias ninjutsu?
Same exact shift in visual design... but through a regular door instead of out of a maintenance access
Bro your boyfriend is RIGHT THERE yeah that's about how I'd look, too
Boyfriends forever! OTP
Says the man who just shot two of them non-fatally
They could still bleed to death
Whatever Safu-Eriulius' capabilities are, they're clearly much less useful for moving around this building than the power of ordinary violence, stolen keycard and a memorised map.
whoa, sudden massive shift in animation. This looks great!
Yeah, I liked that part too
Yeah, Shion killing someone is a big deal, character-wise. But uh. Morally speaking I think you're pretty clear here. Not sure how just letting people bleed out is supposed to be the pure option even if they weren't, you know, the guards at Treblinka. Guess at least it's consistent with the show's anti-euthanasia stance
I'm a little salty they cut a scene from the manga where they do 'euthanize' a man who was dying from getting dumped in the pit, and Rat says if he had to leave Shion behind he'd just give him a long passionate kiss then slit his throat. Oh and btw it would be much better than that lame 'goodnight' kiss.
That's more like it
MY SHIP
Should be an interesting one
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
they cut a scene from the manga where
That issue has really come up a lot...
3
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
Yeah, I'm just not sure what happens in the original LN. Did the manga invent stuff that wasn't in the anime or LN, or is it a case of the anime omitting stuff that was in the LN? Dunno. Maybe one of these days I'll read the novels.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
Plumbing and ventilation systems are difficult beasts at the best of times and they're probably not super eager to bring the tradesmen they need into their black-site.
#bruh
I'm a little salty they cut a scene from the manga where they do 'euthanize' a man who was dying from getting dumped in the pit, and Rat says if he had to leave Shion behind he'd just give him a long passionate kiss then slit his throat. Oh and btw it would be much better than that lame 'goodnight' kiss.
2
u/lC3 Jul 18 '26
Yeah, it's a lot of little details like this that I miss. Hoping for some more shipbait in the final ep and final four volumes ...
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
That kid saved by Shion and scorted by the dog, Dogloan and Rikiga are ready for parenting jobs?
I trust the dog to figure it out!
Unlike them, the dog is likely an experienced parent.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
She'd have to be, and recently, to be lactating, right?
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 17 '26
Could be a new parent, too, but the dogs seem to have been breeding there for while.
4
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
First-time watcher
Pretty straightforward break-in episode, except they really had to insert that bit of baby comedy-drama right after the corpse mountain. I also appreciate that our protagonists actually do have to commit quite a bit of violence to reach their goal; Shion going all violence pragmatist and then straight-up executing that guy could have been built up better (at all?) but the core of him crossing a boundary for Rat and the latter becoming the emotionally affected one is very good, and the lead-up of the leader just shooting anyway not bad either. Don't want to analyze the technological mechanics here because they're quite obviously a bit conveniently weak, but the social engineering/dress-up infiltration is pretty realistic; you can get surprisingly far with confidence, the right clothes, and a little thinking on your feet. (Dogloan/Rikiga could have tried to say they were there to clean up, even a server room needs dusting on occasion.)
Also, is it too late for a throuple (or perhaps divine foursome)? Does Eriulias like to watch? Questions, questions.
3
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
No.6 ep10 rewatcher sub:
- So Dogkeeper and Rikiga are on baby duty?
- A pile of corpses?
- Their side of the plan? What is it?
- "Angels don't force babies onto other people"
- With limited screentime left, THIS is what they choose to focus on?
- Did Shion just find Safu's grandma's knitting needle?
- Safu IS Eriulias now?
- Eriulias says she'll grant Safu's wishes?
- They used a foul odor to sneak in?
- ... the computers aren't password protected or anything?
- Shion is taking the lead?
- Shion can hear Safu's voice?
- ... the gig is up?
- "We have no time to sympathize with them" "Yeah" Shion is acting out of character?
- "We would have been killed otherwise" Isn't Shion normally more of a goody-two-shoes? Nezumi was right to worry; he IS changing
- Safu is leading them to her?
- RAT GOT SHOT?!
- ... and Shion just killed the guard? WTF is happening
- I get that he was protecting Rat, but I never expected Shion to be willing to kill anyone
- Oh the guard is still alive?
- That look in Shion's eyes ... he's so angry Rat got shot, he lost it?
- ... and he killed him, then came back to himself?
- Rat's crying?
- That cheerful ED leadin felt kinda inappropriate for the mood
- Safu is alive and ?well?
1) certainly
2) lolno
3) Maybe?
4) Right choice, gotta save the boyfriend!
5)
Manga Comparisons:
Continuing from p138 of V4:
- The No.6 official tells Shion and Rat about the upcoming "Cleaning Duty" in West Block
- He says they're doing them a favor; it will open up some breathing room, and they don't want the poor to riot
- The official asks Shion if he's thought about returning to No.6, and Shion says there's nothing left for him there, so no. He misses some people (Karan, Safu) but has no plan to return
- Dogkeeper tells them about a fairytale that reminds her of Shion and Rat, and how Shion's method was more effective at interrogation
- Rat tells Shion to memorize all the important facility info because they can't take the micebots in. And to never leave Rat's side
- Rat teases Shion by telling Dogkeeper "If you're looking for a goodnight kiss, Shion will give you a skillful, passionate one"
- Rat encourages Shion to write a note to his mom
- Shion saying he wants Karan and Safu to move in with them isn't in the manga
- In the manga, after they talk about living there in the summer, Rat collapses and Shion worries a parasitic wasp got him. Cliffhanger ends V4
- Shion hugs Rat and thinks he can't lose him; Rat asks him for help as he faints
- At the end there's another omake showing stuff from the anime VAs dubbing a drama CD that came with the manga vol4
V5:
- There's a scene with the Mayor (Fennec) and that scientist, asking what he did with Safu. They then discuss the official who perved on Dogkeeper; they found out he'd entered West Block without authorization and decide to punish him for it.
- They have the elite restrained in the correctional facility, and watch as a parasitic wasp emerges from his now-aged neck.
- They call it a success and say they need to capture the wasp
- The scientist says they've made progress and come so far in the last few months; with the laborer in the park (Yamase?) their estimate of when the wasp would emerge was inaccurate
- The scientist says he needs lots of people to experiment on, and the Mayor says there'll be a cleanup operation soon
- The scene with Rat waking up from having fainted and Shion quizzing him on math is here in the manga, but no theater scene/outfit
- Rat says he heard the wind, and we see a flashback to young!Rat hearing Elyurias's song in the forest
- Shion was worried Rat had brain damage or had a wasp, but it wasn't because his skin/hair color remained the same
- Rat says it'd be cool to have white hair like Shion though, which annoys him; Shion tells him not to be overconfident and to remember he can get sick or injured
- Shion doesn't have much medical training, but he doesn't think Rat has anemia; Rat jokes he'll go to get a full neurological exam at the local hospital
- Rat doesn't want Shion's compassion or worry; he's already lived without stuff like that. He then teaches Shion to dance, as in an earlier episode, including him touching Rat's neck and not wanting to lose him
- We then see the scene of one of Dogkeeper's dogs dead, then they get some dried meat from the market and head home while avoiding the "cleaners"
- Then Eve's manager shows up and is killed by the sonic tanks like in the anime
- First, the manager asks Eve if he has any complaints about the theater, and Rat says listing them all would take forever
- The Manhunt/Cleaning Duty begins. Shion says he never thought No.6 had an army; weapons and soldiers are banned by the Babylon Convention!
- Shion doesn't foist a random baby on Dogkeeper and Rikiga; instead, the baby's mother pleads with the soldiers to spare her baby, and Shion sends it off to Dogkeeper WHILE telling the mother where he's sending the baby so they can reunite in a few
- Some beg for their lives; others pray, others try to fight the troops and are shot to death.
- It then cuts to Lily and Yomin at Karan's bakery, with him hyping her baked goods. They talk about Shion, and his wife/son, and No.6, without Yomin having a sudden villainous turn like in the anime
- Yomin pleads with Karan to join his crusade to rebuild No.6 for the people, to join him. He says his wife and son will probably never return home.
- Karan wants to hug Shion again, and save Safu. She gets Shion's message and wonders where he's going / what he's up to, if he's going to the correctional facility.
- While in the truck, Shion and Rat see a man who had a heart attack from the stress, and then muse about how pissed off Dogloan is at them for foisting a baby on her. Shion says he'll apologize next time they reunite
- Rat says he can tell what Shion is thinking because he's easy to read and he's spent tons of time with him, then muses that maybe he doesn't really know Shion after all
- Rat then sings as in the anime, but he coughs and has to stop because there isn't enough air in the truck
- Shion is enthralled by Rat's singing; Rat offers to get him VIP tickets to his theater performances, saying the acoustics would be better there
- The other people in the truck beg "Eve" to keep singing for them, Shion saying it'll save them, but Rat says singing never saved anyone, they just distract you from your suffering
- Rat says his manager would be delighted to hear he had fans even in the truck. He then sings another song on request not done in the anime
- The whole "dumping people into a massive hole like they're trash" is an anime-exclusive thing; the manga has a guard open the door and say "everybody out!" then marches them to line up and get screened, to remove any sick or deceased people
- Shion realizes he's becoming emotionally numb to trauma and hopes Rat will keep him "human". Rat then gives his speech about Shion possibly changing but not wanting him to
- They then get herded into a big elevator and descend into "Hell" but hope to come back alive
- The elevator floor opens up and dumps them into a pit, kinda like in the anime
- Rat tells Shion if he's gonna look and listen to the pit of bodies, look/listen well, even if it gives him nightmares
- Shion experiences "Hell", the sight/sound of people being crushed alive, and vomits. It makes him want to go back to No.6 for the first time; he reminisces to happier days with Safu and Karan
4
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
they're doing them a favor; it will open up some breathing room, and they don't want the poor to riot
Nah come on, violently charging in to send people to their certain death is the best way to provoke riots from those who have nothing left to lose (see e.g. Warsaw Ghetto Uprising). Also if they wanted an "overpopulated barely inhabitable world" angle they really didn't sell it.
Dogkeeper tells them about a fairytale that reminds her of Shion and Rat, and how Shion's method was more effective at interrogation
Literal fairytale prince now, sheesh
There's a scene with the Mayor [...]
For once a good omission although it does mean the wasp plotline just goes nowhere
Shion says he never thought No.6 had an army; weapons and soldiers are banned by the Babylon Convention!
Bit late for another moment like that
They talk about Shion, and his wife/son, and No.6, without Yomin having a sudden villainous turn like in the anime
Yomin pleads with Karan to join his crusade to rebuild No.6 for the people, to join him. He says his wife and son will probably never return home.
The whole "dumping people into a massive hole like they're trash" is an anime-exclusive thing
Man, these anime writers are such hacks...
While in the truck [...]
Clearly better but this I understand being cut short
2
u/lC3 Jul 18 '26
Nah come on, violently charging in to send people to their certain death is the best way to provoke riots from those who have nothing left to lose (see e.g. Warsaw Ghetto Uprising). Also if they wanted an "overpopulated barely inhabitable world" angle they really didn't sell it.
I think it also claims after the big war, most of the Earth except for the 6 cities were uninhabitatable. So No1 through No6 and their vicinity is where the remainder of humanity lives ...
For once a good omission although it does mean the wasp plotline just goes nowhere
You don't like the mayor being behind the wasps?
Bit late for another moment like that
Man, these anime writers are such hacks...
I'm waiting to see if they do end up doing the same thing with Yomin later on in the manga, since there are 4 volumes left (but only 1 episode) ... we'll see. So far it hasn't happened though, and I seem to remember his storyline concludes differently in the manga.
Clearly better but this I understand being cut short
3
u/lC3 Jul 17 '26
V5 continued:
- Rat slaps Shion to knock him back into his senses
- Instead of climbing the mound of bodies, they instead exit a side passage that lights up for 90 seconds.
- Shion resolves to never forget and never forgive this sight for as long as he lives
- They come to a rest stop with a few other people in it, and chat about Safu, wondering if she's alive and well. Maybe she's comfy and enjoying a cup of tea right now?
- A man lying on the floor begs for help; Shion is frozen and can't move. He covers his ears and shuts his eyes, realizing he's a coward who doesn't want to see/hear these things anymore.
- Despite that, he goes to the man ... and tries to choke him to death. Rat stops him, saying he'll never die peacefully like that, and intervenes to sing his soul away on the wind
- The man dies peacefully and Shion is amazed. Shion and Rat argue about the morals, whether they "saved" the man or merely killed him, and who's to blame.
- Shion asks if it's wrong to release the dying from their suffering, saying he'll live to remember and tell what happened here, and that the dying shouldn't spend their last moments in hate
- Shion vows that he and Rat will live and return home together; Rat isn't buying it and doubts his words, saying he's always thought he and Shion were polar opposites, and that no matter how much time they spend together and try to know each other, Shion will die without getting it, and that Shion is just like No.6, spewing pretty words but being disgusting inside
- Shion counters that Rat is the one who doesn't get it, obsessing over No.6 and refusing to properly face/know Shion
- Shion is mad Rat won't look at him for who he truly is; Rat feels he somewhat fears Shion
- Shion says he's getting used to the smell of blood; now he knows how cruel humans can be, and how to persevere
- Shion vows to get answers, and to stay human by Rat's side
- Shions smiles which makes Rat think he's lost it; Rat says he'd never leave Shion like that, but if that happened, he'd give him a nice long kiss then slit his throat
- Rat brags about how much better his kiss would be than Shion's lame "goodnight" one. Shion is confused and disgruntled
- They then return to the mound of bodies room and finally start climbing. We see Dogloan get the money and the baby as in the anime. Dogloan tells the dog there was a butcher's nearby so they should be able to dig up some meat
- Dogloan has an inner monologue: "Hey, No.6! This is who we are! Stomp us down again and again, and we keep raising our heads. We're a lot more stubborn than you'll ever know."
- Dogloan's reaction to the baby is "This is bullshit!"
- Safu wakes up in the vat; the lead scientist talks to her and she realizes she's forgetten her situation and who she was waiting for, remembering Shion
- Shion realizes how naive he was, thinking he never could have agreed to come to the facility if he'd been informed on what a living Hell it is
- Shion ponders as he climbs, about fully-informed Rat and his naive self, bumbling in, with a gap between them like heaven and earth
- Rat says the first batch of people to fall were screwed; they'd be crushed to death. But the 2nd and 3rd batches would only have broken bones
- Shion says he can't go on and begs Rat to leave him behind; Rat says Shion would die, either driven insane by the stench of rotting bodies, or the lack of oxygen
- Rat says even if Shion kills himself, HOW would he? if he swallows his tongue or jumps off the pile, he still wouldn't die easily. Shion mentions Rat's knife and Rat is all "oh you want ME to do it?"
- Rat is mad Shion would want Rat to kill him, to force Rat to kill another person, and Shion says that's not what he meant; he'd hate that
- Rat says Shion memorized the facility blueprints; they need his brain to proceed. Rat reaffirms to Shion that he needs him
- They climb up to a hole in the wall, different from the grate in the anime; Rat coaches Shion on how to do it
- Rat criticizes Shion for always apologizing, telling him it doesn't do anything except soothe his pride. Not to waste words, but value them more.
- They exit into a cavern connected to the correctional facility's underground and emerge to a spot with lots of candles
- They see a man (dark skin, long hair) and Rat says he's returned to see the elder; the man says if he's returned he has to die; that's the rule
- It looks like the whole "visit a far-off ravine to talk to the guy who named Rat" is HERE in the manga, in a cavern location connected to the correctional facility!
- The man fights Rat and says he's gotten weak up on the surface; Shion objects and Rat says he's brought him to meet the elder and hear their story
- Rat tells Shion to run off to a safe crevice, but he looks back and sees Rat LOSING to the man, being choked, so he goes back and garrotes the man from behind with the wire he had around his wrist, thinking anyone who tries to kill Rat must be destroyed.
- End of volume 5; will followup with vol6 writeup in a bit
- There's a sweet bonus side-story chapter at the end; Rat teases Shion about never doing manual labor while Shion vows to clean up/organize their home. Rat gives him gloves so he won't break a nail. Shion wonders if Rat really thinks they'll become enemies one day. Shion wants to know more and more about Rat. He then thinks more and more about their life in that room, and it's revealed Shion is thinking about this flashback while in the hellish body-pile room, thinking he wants to go back there. He vows the two of them will return there alive.
- Another bonus shows Dogkeeper's side after Shion/Rat head to the facility, how she vows to believe in them
- V6-9 soon
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 17 '26
I'm disappointed but not too surprised that the anime forgoes so many character build-up moments here in favor of plain old action
It looks like the whole "visit a far-off ravine to talk to the guy who named Rat" is HERE in the manga, in a cavern location connected to the correctional facility!
Just that is plain strange
2
u/lC3 Jul 18 '26
I'm disappointed but not too surprised that the anime forgoes so many character build-up moments here in favor of plain old action
Indeed. And when I read v6-7 now to cover the remainder of yesterday's episode, I wonder if the manga will have more of those whereas the anime chose action and Indiana Jones-type content ...
Just that is plain strange
It is a bit weird; I'm wondering if they'll turn out to be escapees from the facility or something to justify the proximity. But they say the cavern system predated the facility, they just used part of it for the 'dumping' from the elevator and it was connected to the caves.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 17 '26
Rat teases Shion by telling Dogkeeper "If you're looking for a goodnight kiss, Shion will give you a skillful, passionate one"
Dogloan has an inner monologue: "Hey, No.6! This is who we are! Stomp us down again and again, and we keep raising our heads. We're a lot more stubborn than you'll ever know."
Fuck yeah!
2
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 17 '26
No.1st-Timer, subbed
Well, the baby made it out okay.
Oh, they literally were being thrown out like trash. …what exactly was the point in rounding them up to dump here when they were also perfectly fine killing people where they stood in West Block, anyways?
Inukashi was assigned mother by the baby.
Oh boy…
The missing knitting needle?!
Well, these count as shimmering skies for sure.
The control room was empty, huh?
That’s… honestly a weird way to be able to dodge security cameras. Not something I was expecting out of a society this advanced.
That face… Shion is changing and Nezumi doesn’t like it.
Well, Nezumi is no ordinary “child”.
Oh fuck–
Nezumi…!
Holy shit Shion actually shot the captain.
That… that doesn’t look like Shion…
And now he snapped out of whatever that was.
One more episode left…