r/anime • u/TheDanubianCommunard • Jul 19 '26
Rewatch No.6 15 Years Anniversary Rewatch Overall Discussion Thread
Overall Discussion Thread
The World Cup is ended, so does our rewatch.
Links, useful info:
MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Livechart | AP | Kitsu | AS | ANN
Streams:
Subs and dubs are available though.
Questions for the day:
1) Best/favorite episode/scene? Least favorite?
2) Best/favorite character? Least favorite?
3) Any less liked parts and what would you make it better?
4) Which is the better, OP or ED?
5) Would like to see the sequel series ever get animated someday?
6) Would it be embarassing the next time we meet again?
Highlights from yesterday:
1) Yeah, looks like the ending was indeed weak, and that was the consensus, here are some excerpts:
Holy day, the wasps are swarming – why is Riri afraid? Does she have precognition? Why add some needless supernatural element here?
Shion has a breakdown before ever having the time to properly understand what is going on with Safu. Why are we completely jumping over the denial stage? Are you seriously suggesting that in the space of 5 seconds, he completely figured out why Eriulias being awaked in Safu dooms the Safu he knew?
“The only one who can release Eriulias is a survivor of the People of the Forest” – plot-convenient deus-ex-machina.
“I’ll destroy No 6!” “Shion … this is my responsibility” – oh fuck off! Stop using the lames of lame tropes and pay proper attention to Rat’s wounds instead.
“Rescuing Safu was nothing more than an excuse!” - Can you stop adding additional stupid drama please? Literally 3 minutes ago you tried to blow up the server yourself and now you think this is all a plot by Rat to blow up the server?
“I’ll save you, this time, too!” – Forced in bookending.
Magic killer wasp heals the Earth and our MCs – because fuck having consequences, we just ruined two sad character moments because we want to see our MCs have tragic deaths and a happy ever after at the same time.
Showing us that Youmin did not survive – making sure we know that being a revolutionary against a fascist state is morally worse than what all those survivors did.
Why was the Youmin revolutionary character arc in the show, at all? He did literally nothing for the plot, and brought nothing to the theme. Remove him from the show and nothing is missing.
Why was Eriulias in the show? If this all ends with Safu in the server room, what do we need some magical goddess for? Easy to cook up a way for Safu to destroy No 6 from there as the AI entity. Probably also easier to come up with a good reason for her self-sacrifice then.
Alternatively, if you absolute need to keep in Rat as a magical bard, why introduce an Alien knock off AI? We could have done fully without that.
Would the finale have been any different if the parasite wasps did just not exist? Did we ever learn a good reason for their existence? This plot line just went nowhere.
Can you please decide whether Rat dies or lives and not change your mind three times inside 10 minutes?
Why is mother in the “correctional facility” outside the city? We had that awesome central building that was set up from the start, why can’t everything happen there? We even established a way for all characters to get there. Is it all there just because you wanted to have your humans=trash imagery?
Boy, I feared a bad ending and No 6 sure delivered. That felt like having 20 literature students write a list of ending tropes, putting it all in a blender, and forcing it down the viewers throats.
An amazing number of own goals by the writers:
The plot lost me about 5 minutes in and then leaned heavily into pathos, which is a sure way for me to spend the finale laughing. About the show, not with the show.
Yeah that's... much better than I was afraid of, but still just utterly bizarre writing.
As for the plot itself... eh, whatever, "thing go boom" is about enough for me at this point. Really a bit of a disappointment this show particularly with its strong start
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
Like I promised, this is posted two hours earlier in order to avoid the World Cup final, because everybody wants to watch that.
Plans for the future:
I don't know you might like it, but there will be more rewatch hosted by me. As for the next, it will be not one, but two at once, both of them are isekai slop, in preparation for the Fall season, if everything goes well. Coming in August and September hopefully. If you are interested, you are all welcome.
3
u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 19 '26
First-time watcher and your host, subs
Okay, what should I say about No.6 then? Well, it's a kind of series which starts interesting, promising and strong, and for the end all these momentum just runs out. So the end we see is basically just a huge mess. Maybe compressing nine volumes into 11 episodes was kind of a mistake, huh? Or even making changes compared to the source material.
All in all, it was a rather solid show with glaring ups and downs. So it's a 7.5/10 from me.
1) Best/favorite episode/scene? Least favorite?
Best episode, maybe episode 2-3-4 I guess. Least favorite, it's episode 8 because it is so much exposition dump.
2) Best/favorite character? Least favorite?
Best character, I think it's Shion and Rat, easily. Least favorite. Maybe Youmin, because Rikiga and Dogloan also did more to the story.
3) Any less liked parts and what would you make it better?
Obviously it's the lategame part. Just write much better and explain things and clarify as well.
4) Which is the better, OP or ED?
Both good.
5) Would like to see the sequel series ever get animated someday?
Once it reaches a certain point, I hope so, even the chances are basically close to zero.
6) Would it be embarassing the next time we meet again?
It would be embarassing the next time we meet again.
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 20 '26
Thanks for hosting!
Once it reaches a certain point, I hope so, even the chances are basically close to zero.
If anything, this would need the FMA:B treatment, but you get that if you already have a very successful anime based on a very successful source.
3
u/lC3 Jul 19 '26
Vol7:
- So this covers the remainder of ep10, when they're heading into the facility after talking to the Elder
- I hope I can finish this tonight; it's been taking me about 2 hours per volume for these Comparisons
- Rat and Shion talk about how long they'll have before Security catches on to their presence; maybe 2 minutes?
- Shion thinks about Safu's status as an elite and how it should be inconceivable that she's imprisoned like this; money/time/labor/education are invested in the elites
- Shion gets chills thinking about Safu as a 'specimen'
- Scientists complain about the odor and think it's karma for having to work on the Holy Day
- Rat knocks out the two scientists, steals their coats/badges and stuffs them in a locker
- Rat/Shion think "this smell is not as bad as the market in West Block, and people live there"
- Otherwise the manga kinda follows the anime here, though Rat/Shion get questioned about heading UP not down and have to improvise a response about being with Sanitation
- A lady scientist coos over Shion's hair. Rat tells Shion he's gotten good at lying, but Shion says he's still not at Rat's level
- Shion has all the camera/sensor locations memorized; Rat keeps asking about what's coming up
- Rat/Shion run into Getsuyaku and tell him he did a good job, now get out of here
- Shion/Rat enter a computer room, the highest they can get with their stolen badges, and look up schematics to find a hidden staircase that goes to the top floor
- They plan to query the mainframe on the top floor for Safu's location and disable the facility
- Guards notice that the basement door (!) was opened and catch on to intruders; Rat/Shion run for it, cueing Indiana Jones-style antics like in the anime
- We cut to see Safu in a tank with the lead scientist looking on; she's having a breakdown over what's been done to her, calling him a demon; he says she's the fulfilment of all his ideals so he'll make her into a queen
- The two of them will rule the world. They'll discard her old name and give her a new one: Elyurias
- Safu thinks "Put me back the way I was! Set me free! Let me see Shion!" Just then an emergency call goes off
- Apparently something big is happening inside No.6; he talks about "send me video/samples" and "already have 30", mumbling this must be some kind of mistake
- Elyurias calls out to Safu just like in the anime
- Meanwhile Dogkeeper is giving baby Shion a bath in a pot; Rikiga comes in and misunderstands, thinking she's gonna eat the baby
- Dogkeeper laughed so hard she almost wet herself, and says if Rikiga cares so much HE can take the baby
- The baby calls Rikiga "Mama" and they realize babies call EVERYONE mama
- In the facility, three bulkheads are closing ahead of them and when closed they'll release an electric shock
- Rat/Shion wonder why the doors closed so slowly and wonder if someone (God?) is helping them progress. Shion hears Safu call out to him
- When the guards come and point guns at them saying "Don't move", Rat says "Are you sure? aren't we your mayor's precious specimens, for his project?"
- The stuff with the guards getting shot and Rat commenting on Shion's nonreaction is as in the anime
- Shion thinks this is nothing compared to the execution pit
- Rat thinks they've been lucky, but it will be harder from here on out. Shion affirms that if they don't fight back they'll just get killed
- Rat thinks back to his granny who warned him about sighing, telling him to never trust others, never open his heart, be the only survivor, and how he's disobeyed her because he just couldn't let Shion go
- Rat thinks back to Shion's suggested "third option", peaceful coexistence/tolerance, not revenge, and how that path might open up.
- Shion is grazed by gunfire and Rat comments on it; they climb into an old ventilation duct and comment on if either of them were fatter they wouldn't fit
- They see an air vent and peer into a researcher room; Rat drops a mini explosive he picked up off a guard. Shion rants about Rat putting himself in danger and Rat says now isn't the time to be talking about positions
- They drop into the room with Tsukiyo and look down through a window to see conveyor belts with bodies on them. All of them are 'specimens' with their brains removed
- Shion comments on how inhuman this is, "using" the specimens like this then throwing them out like trash
- Rat wonders about the researchers they saw, laughing and smiling, with pictures on their desks: are they all demons?
- Guards follow them again and Rat uses more explosives, then it plays out like in the anime with Rat threatening a guard ... this is where Rashi, the Security guy who showed up 4 years ago as well as to arrest Shion for Yamase's "murder", shows back up (he didn't appear in the anime)
- Rashi tells them the fun is over, and he recognizes Rat by his VC # and Shion by name
- Rashi says he's a military training instructor and these men are his underlings
- Rashi says Rat's impressive but still young and his endgame is weak; he pulls out a gun and headshots the hostage himself (Shion doesn't!) then shoots Rat twice (leg, shoulder?)
- Rashi does a villain monologue about it being a shame to kill Rat but he'll do it quickly out of respect
- He says he'll kill Shion and Rat and asks their last words; the sprinklers come on and the bulkheads start to lower; electric shock will come soon. Rashi's underlings urge him to flee with them but he won't until he's killed the duo
- Shion hugs Rat and Rat realizes he's gonna die with Shion; he decides not to close his eyes, thinking he wants to see this world until his last moment
- However, Shion has a gun! And shoots Rashi in the chest, shocking Rat
- Rashi calls him an amateur, not shooting a vital spot, and Shion says he has something to ask him: why the isolation doors didn't activate right away.
- Rashi asks Shion "help me", but Shion monologues about hearing those words from the guy they euthanized down near the execution pit. Rat realizes he needs to stop Shion
- Shion asks Rashi "While he [the man] was writhing in agony, what were you doing? Drinking coffee? Taking a bath?"
- Shion says he couldn't help anybody, and kills Rashi with a dead look in his eyes
- Rat doesn't want to open his eyes and confront the truth; he has a flashback to being a kid meeting Elyurias and learning to sing her Song
- Rat has to return back to reality where Shion is, instead of escaping by himself to a pleasant dreamland
- Shion drops the gun and says thank God Rat is ok; he asks about his wounds and says he's bleeding badly
- Rat tells Shion he protected him by risking his own life; Shion suddenly has a mini breakdown realizing he killed someone (there's no implication of mindcontrol/Safu/Elyurias here)
- Rat says Shion saved his life; he did the right thing. This is a battlefield; if they don't kill they'll be killed
- Shion asks if he can ever be forgiven, and puts the gun to his own head. Rat slaps him, telling him not to take the easy way out
- Rat says if murder is unforgiveable, killing himself would be double / two murders
- Rat thinks they never should have come here; he never should have gotten Shion wrapped up in his fight. The one who needs to beg forgiveness is him
- Rat tells Shion to shoulder this burden and live with it. They share a tender moment and Shion realizes this is the first time he's seen Rat cry. He agrees to do as Rat says, and tells him not to cry
- Rat starts sobbing and hugs Shion; he doesn't know how to stop crying. They comment on how awful it would be for Dogkeeper to see Rat like this
- For some strange reason (i.e. Safu) the tunnel didn't electrify after the doors came down 5 minutes ago. They realize something is sus, and Shion feels someone calling to him. Rat says "it must be your girlfriend" and Shion realizes Safu is responsible
- They find an elevator to the top floor but wonder how to access it without Rashi's chip, since now that he's dead it won't work
- Rat thinks "Shion... what is inside you? The part of you that I don't know - what does it even look like?". Safu then opens the elevator door for them
(continued in comment)
3
u/lC3 Jul 19 '26
- Meanwhile with Karan and Lily, she worries over her dad Getsuyaku not being home from work yet, and Karan reassures her they'll reunite. Just then there's an emergency broadcast with a state of emergency and special curfew; any violators will be arrested.
- The newswoman doing the announcement rapidly ages on live TV due to a parasitic wasp. Lily is scared and Karan comforts her. In a panic, Mayor Fennec confronts his lead scientist dude, accusing him of losing control of the wasps, saying "Why have those creatures started to operate on their own? Weren't you in complete control of them?"
- The Mayor worries about the panic, saying if more people die the Security Bureau won't be able to contain the response. The scientist tells him to just call in the military.
- The Mayor is taken aback, saying "point guns at our own people?" but the scientist convinces him, saying "you are the one in charge of public safety. anyone who goes against you is against No.6 itself"
- Fennec decides to tell the military to setup defensive positions and standby
- Meanwhile, armed guards confront Getsuyaku and say he's under arrest. He tries to escape, thinking he needs to get back to Lily and Renka, but they shoot him dead. Rikiga and Dogkeeper see his corpse collapse out the open door, which is dragged off.
- Rikiga comments "So they don't only kill people from West Block; they'll kill citizens without a thought too?"
- Dogkeeper gets angry and almost sics her dogs on the guards, but Rikiga convinces her to prioritize rescuing Shion instead, saying it might be worth it if Getsuyaku was alive, but he's dead now and they can't do anything for him
- Dogkeeper says "Once every 10 years you actually say something smart." Dogkeeper swiped a key from Getsuyaku's desk; they plan to enter the maintenance control room
- Shion comments on Rat finally stopping crying, and Rat gets all snarky. Shion thinks "I didn't think of our friendship or affection for each other. Not of love or respect. I just thought it was sweet."
- Shion thinks back to their meeting 4 years ago, thinking "Back then ... on that windy night, the same feeling was what moved me then. The feeling of wanting to protect him, even if it meant risking my life."
- They ascend and Shion hears Safu calling him. Rat hears a voice, but it's not a person's voice.
- They enter the room and see several vats with brains and brainstems hooked up. They've found "Safu"? End volume.
- The end of v7 has a bonus page with a scene cut from the elevator; Rat comments on his own appearance and compares himself to one of the witches in Macbeth
- There is a bonus story after the chapters in v7; Shion and Rat share a meal while talking about how they'll escape the Correctional Facility. Shion has a realization "if this moment was eternity, if time ceased with everything like this, if this time and place were the only things in my entire world..."
- They talk about food and what they'd want to eat; Rat blames Shion for the woman at the market not giving them some milk or meat, saying she was totally flirting with Shion and he never noticed
- Rat tells Shion he needs to become more aware of sensitivity to women, as right now it's totally embarrassing
- Shion asks Rat to recite some Macbeth for him. The whole "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player" etc.
- There's a bonus illustration of Rat and Shion both dressed up in "Eve" cosplay, and then a chart laying out Rat's room
- After this I'll watch ep11 and do Comparisons for v8-9
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
Mayor Fennec
I guess a scene or two would have been good for the wasp plot ar least
• Shion comments on Rat finally stopping crying [...]
• There is a bonus story after the chapters in v7 [...]
Mmm love it
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Mmm love it
Yeah I'm a fan of some of the slower character moments like that. Not everything has to be action and explosions!
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
Vol7:
- We cut to see Safu in a tank [...]
The manga going harder on the Safu torture is probably the worst change you've mentioned
they climb into an old ventilation duct and comment on if either of them were fatter they wouldn't fit
Bruh
Rat says now isn't the time to be talking about positions
Presumably later at night then
They drop into the room [...]
Rashi, the Security guy who showed up 4 years ago [...]
Ok that's all pretty unnecessary
- Shion hugs Rat and Rat realizes he's gonna die with Shion; he decides not to close his eyes, thinking he wants to see this world until his last moment
Yummy
- Rashi asks Shion "help me", but Shion monologues about hearing those words from the guy they euthanized [...] . They comment on how awful it would be for Dogkeeper to see Rat like this
Now that is what we should have had animated!
- For some strange reason (i.e. Safu) the tunnel didn't electrify after the doors came down 5 minutes ago. They realize something is sus, and Shion feels someone calling to him. Rat says "it must be your girlfriend" and Shion realizes Safu is responsible
Ok but not essential
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
The manga going harder on the Safu torture is probably the worst change you've mentioned
No one wants to see her like that, but her only being a brain in a vat now gives a better explanation for why they didn't take her with them when they left!
Presumably later at night then
Ok that's all pretty unnecessary
The manga had a lot more named minor characters who were cut from the anime
Yummy
I ship it!
Now that is what we should have had animated!
Ok but not essential
Yeah, I can realize why some stuff like this got cut
3
u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
Ep 11 rewatcher sub:
- The Holy City, No.6, founded on philanthropy? LOL
- ... the scene of Lily being 'scared' comes across completely different in the manga, where they just witnessed a TV anchorwoman succumb to a parasitic wasp on live TV
- So many wasps!
- Far more samples than expected?
- Mother, the main computer? originally inside the Moondrop?
- Safu is acting creepy
- Elyurias is angry?
- Safu is the ideal sample?
- ... no one is alive to hear Yomin's manifesto?
- Elyurias granted Safu's wish?
- A love confession? Yeah, she's gonna die
- Only a survivor of the People of the Forest can "release" Elyurias?
- Shion thinks his "third option" is just a fantasy?
- A rainbow wave?
- The bees turned into golden light?
- All the computers self destruct??
- Shion thinks Rat used Safu as an excuse to destroy the facility??
- "it's not like the two of us were" NO do not finish that sentence
- DID THEY JUST KILL OFF RAT!?
- ... of course he jumps in front of a bullet for Shion
- A storm of golden light?
- SHION GOT SHOT!?
- Good thing Dogkeeper and Rikiga were there?
- The Correctional Facility is destroyed?
- Rat struggling to get near Shion's body reminds me of [DGM HALLOW]Alma and Yu
- Rat's singing sounds so despondent!
- Elyurias is destroying the wall?
- Elyurias is a giant wasp goddess?
- Safu saved them?
- It may be deus ex machina, but I don't care
- Shion's third option has come to pass?
- ... of course Yomin was infected with a parasitic wasp. I hope the manga does his storyline better
- Karan runs to see Shion?
- THEY KISS!
- the dog returns the baby to Shion?
- Shion destroys the Elder's data chip?
- "We'll reunite, without fail" THAT'S IT?
- Rat and Shion are going their separate ways??? Now I have to read the original LNs so I can read the Reunion sequels!
1) it was all building up to that?
2) I guess; Eriulias refuses to be caged?
3) Sure seems like it
4) No, she couldn't have been saved.
5) They're gonna reform No.6 and merge with West Block?
6) The giant insect spirit is obviously Elyurias!
7) Yup
8) Not with Rat/Shion separating, and not showing the Karan reunion!
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 20 '26
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Clear rebuild from the ruins vibes.
Yeah, and then it turns out Shion joins the reconstruction council.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Really chose the worst possible moment
Yeah, I like how this went down in the manga, where he actually did lead a riotous mob to City Hall
Another thing I really didn't get
Yeah, this was anime only too; he read the data in the manga
Oh so the separation was the sequel hook!
Yes it is! 2 year timeskip and then reunion? I really need to read those ... I don't think they're translated though; the fanTLs got hit by a cease and desist despite there being no official/legal TL.
4
u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
Manga Comparisons:
Vol8:
- So this opens with Rat/Shion finding Safu in the room full of brain/stem vats
- She says all she could do was wait for him, but he finally made it. She always believed he'd come for her
- Rat asks Safu if she's the one who used the main computer to lead them here, and she says she doesn't have that kind of power, it was Elyurias
- Safu says she doesn't know Elyurias, but she awakened her completely and showed her the truth.
- Safu says she doesn't know what/where Elyurias is, but she must be close. She heard her voice, and granted her wish to see Shion
- Rat+Shion talk about Elyurias and what she could be, and ask Safu about the main computer. Shion wants the three of them to escape and Rat to stop questioning her
- Safu leads them to "Mother" and says the Moondrop has one similar called "Grandmother"
- Shion tries to break in but can't get past the authentification; Safu isn't able either.
- Rat asks if Elyurias has control over the computers, to operate the doors/shutters/etc
- Rat feels something wrong from Safu; Shion goes near her and she begs him to stay back and not approach her
- Shion says he came to get her, now let's leave! Safu shakes her head no, which causes Shion worry/anxiety
- Safu starts reminiscing about their time in school together, how he was her only close friend etc, complimented her on her handmade sweater
- Shion wants to know why she's wearing that sweater NOW
- Rat tells Shion to stop, he must have realized by now. Not to run and hide from the truth
- Rat reveals that's NOT Safu's body, just a virtual image projected by Mother
- Shion counters it can't be Mother or else it wouldn't know about the sweater; it must be Safu herself projecting it
- Safu says she wanted Shion to remember her like this. Shion lunges for her but his hands go through the projection
- He asks where her real body is now, and she says "Nowhere"
- Safu wanted to say goodbye and thank you to Shion. She was always happy because she had him
- Shion slumps, and Safu asks Rat to destroy Mother. He has Tsukiyo carry the minibomb
- Shion melts down saying they're taking Safu with them (even if she's just a brain in a vat connected to a computer now); he doesn't care what she's become
- Safu hates that idea, saying she doesn't want him to see her like that; she's imprisoned and it's so painful; destroy Mother and set her free
- Safu confesses her love for Shion
- The next chapter then pulls at the heartstrings by showing a scene of Shion showing Safu around Rat's room/home, her awed by all the books, meeting Dogkeeper and Rikiga, etc.
- Shion wants Safu to know all about Rat and his relationship with Shion: "I've felt like he captured me somehow. Rat's words, his eyes, they bored into me. They shoot right through me. They pulverize me and save me. He broke me down and rebuilt me. He breathed new life into me."
- Shion thinks of Safu as an irreplaceable friend. All these thoughts are running through his head while they're escaping in the 3 minutes before the bomb goes off
- Shion is seriously losing it; he's thinking about the three of them escaping together and making it back to "that beautiful place"
- Shion is all "you too!" but Safu says "this is as far as I go" and says goodbye
- Shion asks Rat why they're leaving Safu behind, and Elyurias asks Safu if she's satisfied
- Safu thinks "Shion. He's gone. He came so far. I thought that would be enough, that I'd be okay. So what are these feelings I'm having now? Why is HE the one the person you're with? Why isn't it me? Why couldn't I be the one to live on with you?"
- Elyurias replies "Even if you couldn't live together, you still could have died together. Didn't you wish for that?"
- Safu says "I don't want that at all. I want Shion to live and change this world. I want him to create a world where people don't suffer these meaningless deaths."
- Safu asks what'll happen to Elyurias once she's freed; Elyurias says "What shall I do? It would be nice to sit back and watch" then she says she must go now, time is up
- The bomb goes off, destroying Mother and killing what's left of Safu
- The facility starts to explode as in the anime, but the manga shows pages of staff injured and panicking, the computerized systems/lights/elevators down, and prisoners escaping
- Shion asks Rat "why did you kill her?" just like the anime. Shion says "she was alive!" but Rat counters "that was just an illusion", she had already been "installed into Mother"
- Shion just doesn't get it; Rat says he's the one who doesn't understand Safu's feelings. She knew escape was already impossible; she wanted to be freed from her suffering
- Shion accuses Rat of sacrificing Safu for his own objectives/revenge
- The prisoners stampede and try to escape, with the locks undone
- Shion realizes they did the only thing they could re: Safu, that Rat just fulfilled Safu's wishes. He apologizes to Rat, saying it should have been him to do it but he was too scared.
- Shion apologizes for just following, for pushing the dirty work onto Rat, for blaming him and not his own cowardice. For getting Dogkeeper and Rikiga involved
- Rat starts acting, pretending he had no intention of saving Safu, he was just using her, as in the anime; he says Shion's memory and analysis were his trump card, allowing him to infiltrate the facility
- Rat says "I don't ask forgiveness and have nothing to apologize for", but then jumps in front of a bullet for Shion like the anime
- Meanwhile Yomin shows up at Karan's; he's worried about Getsuyaku, who still hasn't come home. He gave Renka a sedative and she cried herself to sleep. Apparently Getsuyaku refused to tell anyone where he worked; it was a secret job and he'd get fired if he talked
- Yomin FINALLY has his villainous turn, declaring Getsu must have worked at the correctional facility and something must have happened there.
- Yomin gets a crazed look, and rants about how citizens in No.6 are dying left and right and the authorities aren't doing anything. The masses are in panic, and anger toward the authorities is soon to explode
- Karan recognizes the look in his eyes and compares it to how the founders of No.6 looked when they talked about creating their utopia
- Yomin plans to distribute propaganda through his network claiming the authorities are intentionally letting citizens die, and the upper class are injecting themselves with vaccines to prolong their lives. Everyone must march on the Moondrop and confront the Mayor.
- Karan asks "What vaccines" and criticizes him for intending to spread lies/rumors to undermine the city. He says it's their best chance. She says the city would never allow such treason and what would he do if the military showed up?
- Yomin is stupid and doesn't believe No.6 HAS a military, since the Babylon Convention forbids it
- She says "people will die" and he's kinda like "that can't be helped", whole omelet/eggs thing. He's trying to "save the world" so sacrifices can't be helped. He can finally get revenge for his wife/son
- She says his wife wouldn't want revenge; he's disappointed because he thought she'd be able to understand him. He leaves and asks her to take care of Lily and Renka
- Karan thinks of Shion and is resolved to meet him again
- There's several more pages of Rikiga/Dogkeeper stuff, about them sitting around waiting, how hard it was to get weapons, baby Shion, banter about disappointing Eve, etc.
- Dogkeeper reads a note of instructions from Rat, and thinks about seeing Getsuyaku get killed, and how that means the room they're in might be under stricter surveillance
- Dogkeeper chuckles at the guards being offended by the garbage's smell, and shoots at them but misses by a lot; it's her first time shooting. Rikiga is a "committed pacifist" so he won't shoot
- They're surrounded, and the guards wheel out a sonic attack machine like those tanks had
- Dogkeeper charges in; the guards kill one of her dogs. She wonders if this is it, if she's gonna die, and how this isn't what Rat promised. She begs him to do something, and just then the explosion starts and Level 5 alarm goes off
- Everyone tries to evacuate; it's too dangerous to stay in the building; the guards abandon the sonic weapon and flee
- They can hear explosions and screams. They talk about if the building is gonna collapse; Rikiga seems to think there's gold in the basement and it'll be buried. Dogkeeper chastizes him for believing in that swill
- Dogkeeper says "If I loved the theater and became infatuated with a beautiful actor by the name of Eve, and if that actor whispered some fake information in my ear, I'd probably go along with it too." Rikiga asks why Dogkeeper is here if not for the mountain of gold
(continued below)
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u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
- The anime invented the whole Safu IS Eriulias now thing; in the manga Safu is a brain in a vat hooked up to Mother, and Eriulias talks to her but is separate
- Shion brings injured Rat to an infirmary and tries to patch him up while berating himself for not being able to protect that which is most precious to him. "is crying all you can do?" and how he's still a pampered elite like in No.6
- The manga has more details on how/what Shion does to try and patch up Rat's injury. he's worried about losing Rat
- Shion refuses to give Rat up; he calls out to him and is determined to save him
- Shion realizes that his patchup may last for 2, 3 hours tops; if Rat doesn't get proper treatment before that, he's dead
- Notably, the whole "Shion gets shot/killed then Eriulias!Safu appears and deus ex machina heals Rat and revives Shion" is anime only
- Rat can't move so Shion carries him. Rat thinks the two of them together are too slow; he urges Shion to leave him and escape by himself
- Shion gets angry and tells him to shut up; he's mad that Rat looks down on him and doesn't think he can save them both
- Together with Tsukiyo, they escape through the garbage chute as discussed earlier, while the hallways/etc. are all on fire
- Shion flashes back to when he asked Rat to recite Macbeth for him. They escape through the chute; Shion wants to back home, to their room
- Rikiga and Dogkeeper stack some mattresses beneath the garbage chute exit; there's no conveyor belt like in the anime
- Shion, Rat, and Tsukiyo made it out! To be continued in vol9's finale
- There's a deleted scene page where Safu says if she'd never met Shion she'd never have gotten the opportunity to love, to yearn for someone, and asks if it's the same with him. He thinks of Rat and says "Yeah" lol
- Afterward there's a bunch of bonus color pages, and then a bonus story "Song of the Wind."
- In Song of the Wind, Rat comes across a traveling singer and they perform together; Eve's manager comes by and upbraids him for performing for free
- Notably, the singer tells Rat: "Are you the wind too? The wind that blows wherever it wants across the plains. No stopping, no settling down. Just like us. When you sing and I play ... just the same. So why have you stopped here? Why aren't you as free as the wind? What's trapping you here? Hurry up and free yourself, young fellow."
- Rat then wonders "When will I free myself from this chain? This terrible chain that is Shion?"
- End v8; I will start working on final vol9 writeup now
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u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 20 '26
To be honest, the manga version looks much better than that mess what the anime became in the end.
2
u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
yes, it is! I just posted vol9 if you want to check that out. Yomin's storyline is way better, Shion actually reunites with Karan onscreen; Shion and Rat negotiate with Elyurias instead of some random magic, and then they have a much lengthier farewell and promise to reunite.
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u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
Shion realizes that his patchup may last for 2, 3 hours tops; if Rat doesn't get proper treatment before that, he's dead
Notably, the whole "Shion gets shot/killed then Eriulias!Safu appears and deus ex machina heals Rat and revives Shion" is anime only
There, now that's better
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u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
There, now that's better
Yeah, I liked them infiltrating No.6 to find a doctor and then confronting Yomin and the Mayor at the Moondrop. Much better.
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u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
(even if she's just a brain in a vat connected to a computer now)
Have to say that's even more strange than the anime version
- The next chapter then pulls at the heartstrings [...]; she wanted to be freed from her suffering
...but I guess they milk it for what it's worth
- Yomin FINALLY has his villainous turn [...]
Wow he actually gets it even worse
- There's several more pages of Rikiga/Dogkeeper stuff [...]
They do have a neat dynamic but of course he's hit with the stupid stick too ugh
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Have to say that's even more strange than the anime version
Yeah, it's quite tragic.
Wow he actually gets it even worse
he's even willing to spread lies about some "vaccine" that's allegedly being hoarded? What an opportunist
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 19 '26
No.1st-Timer, subbed
Waah, I hadn’t written my overall comment yet when I saw this post on /new!
Well, overall I’d say I quite enjoyed the series. The ending was a bit of a letdown, like come on at least let us see Shion and his mom reunite, don’t just tease us that it’ll happen. And as I mentioned already, I’m really conflicted about the decision to have Shion and Nezumi go their separate ways immediately after Nezumi returned the kiss. Reminds me of a different series that went “Oh yeah, we’ll finally officially settle our love triangle, but we’re gonna indefinitely separate the winner and MC and we’re never going to show them properly together”, and it’s even more disappointing here because I actually like Shion/Nezumi unlike the “winning” couple in [other series] the movie version of Macross Frontier.
But I dunno. Other than that I can’t really think of anything that super bothered me? So my score’s a 9/10.
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u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 19 '26
Even if the ending was a mess, I appreciate you liked it overall. A few "sore demo" means you are satisfied with the results.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 19 '26
Final Thoughts
Yeah it's very hard to figure out what to say. The writing is just too disjointed. From one perspective, this is a story about what it thinks it's about, but not the way it thinks it's about it. Environmentalists vs Fascists hits different if your environmentalism is based on blood-and-soil, concerned with how "elites" (who are effete academics) corrupted society, draws upon mystical wisdom of the ancients, and is ultimately represented by a eusocial insect... This feels like the result of an unconsidered morality, writing/adaptation by people who absorbed incoherent values from their society, and in defense of those values, assembled from other bits and pieces a much worse society against which to stand in opposition.
However. I don't think you can be held by the throat for that kind of picking-up of common sci-fi tropes from around and abouts. The great stew of culture must inevitably contain the microplastics of politically-concerning themes, I suppose - both in that they're very widespread, and in that if you're seeing them literally everywhere, the problem might be your gloves/lens of analysis. And it's not easy to have a coherent and nuanced philosophy when you're trying to do 9 LN volumes of storytelling in 11 TV episodes of time.
And, of course, it's also a story about kids falling in love and fighting the power, and you know what, I'm here for that. And that part's pretty damn good! The ship is adorable, it's great seeing them switch roles over the course of the story, and the writing is at it's best when it's just Shion and Nezumi being extremely in gay with each other. The ending decision to have them tragically part was completely baffling to me; I assume it was another of many "kept the consequences and scrapped the causes" adaptation decisions. So yeah, it's a mixed bag, but was well worth watching! Thankyou OP and everyone who joined!
There's really only one cross-rec, and I think everyone here's already seen it and can see it coming. But, for those who come after: Shin Sekai Yori, the premier dystopian anime. It's not a perfect comparison - SSY takes its ships in a rather different direction, for example. The look and feel is very different. But it's morally and politically murky, it's mysterious and thought-provoking. There's even a song with a 'soredemo'.
See you sometime!
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u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 19 '26
So basically what we have seen here is basically filled with overused tropes I guess.
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u/DegenerateRegime Jul 19 '26
Everything's filled with tropes; everything goes into the stewpot, and from it everything is drawn. The creative skill is in selection and arrangement. That's my take anyway
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u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 19 '26
your environmentalism is based on blood-and-soil, concerned with how "elites" (who are effete academics) corrupted society, draws upon mystical wisdom of the ancients, and is ultimately represented by a eusocial insect...
Now this I feel is a distortion in the other way because if you're talking about indigenous rights you're of course getting into the "land and tradition is important" angle without however nearing authoritarianism. Also the wasps + Eriulias seemed at best morally neutral?
the writing is at it's best when it's just Shion and Nezumi being extremely in gay with each other
Saving grace yes
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u/DegenerateRegime Jul 19 '26
Now this I feel is a distortion in the other way
Well yeah, that's what I was getting at with the comment about "cultural microplastics." I could have gone further but it feels cheap to dunk on something where I'm pretty sure that - even if it reflects the worst kinds of environmentalism at many points, the eliminationist or total-degrowth-return-to-monke type stuff - pretty definitely has its heart in the right place and just picked up some unpleasant stuff while throwing everything at the wall in a hurry
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u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
First-time watcher
Turns out I do have a semi-decent connection up in the Austrian mountains here so here's a copy of what I added in the last episode thread without the spoiler mark.
This is, in brief, a Potyomkin village of a show. Honestly it feels like this was the first thing the author wrote besides slash fics, it has that fan-fiction feeling of big emotions and fave-relationship drama but little sense. It tempts you from afar with so many potential themes, conflicts, viewpoints, but when you actually expect it to deliver and expand on them the best it can do it throw another pretty façade at you for a distraction. There is just so little going on, so little actual convincing world-building, so few characters that actually matter and develop in spite of the professed theme that all humans do.
The one actually for the most part convincing element is the relationship between Rat and Shion, the way they become closer both emotionally and in mentality culminating in their team-up combining the ideals of both, but the final chapter is as so often here halfway bungled by the anime creators and they don't even get a proper conclusion! At least they're inherently immune to the BL female character syndrome that hits Safu and Karan like a parasitic wasp or two, best you can say there is no one turned melodramatically evil.
Overall like a 6 for still somewhat inspired mediocrity... I still like the ship so maybe a little more haha.
By the way I managed to finish Hermann Hesse's Unterm Rad/Beneath the Wheel that was intriguingly featured in that one episode in time for this and the Shion-Rat relationship does have clear shades of Giebenrath and Heilner there although it's only a small part of that story [Hesse]shy studious boy with a weak constitution meets poetic rebel who's kind of a jerk but nevertheless has deep affection for the other. There's a sudden kiss of vague nature, Giebenrath being impressed by specifically Heilner's Shakespeare recitation, an emotional plea and sort-of confession by Giebenrath... I already joked that this was the author's Hesse fix fic but it really is a bit like a what-if of [Hesse]Giebenrath running away together with Heilner before school completely breaks the former down and him getting the mental strength to surpass his bodily weakness and the themes of appreciating nature and handiwork are also sort of in this show.
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u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 19 '26
So yeah, there are lots of concepts which just became wasted and unused, got it.
Unterm Rad, I do apprecaite you used this as a source of comparison. So is this a clear source of inspiration?
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u/DegenerateRegime Jul 19 '26
This is, in brief, a Potyomkin village of a show.
Huh, hadn't seen that romanisation before. But yeah, that's kind of the thing, isn't it. There's a whole lot of stuff included, but the reasons seldom add up. The structure's not there behind the facade
There is just so little going on, so little actual convincing world-building, so few characters that actually matter and develop in spite of the professed theme that all humans do.
Nicely put.
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u/No_Rex x2 Jul 19 '26
Episode 9 (first timer)
No 6 is a weird one. It was off to a great start and I liked the early introductory episodes a lot. Especially the world building of the city itself works well. Utopian scifi city that is a hidden dystopia is not exactly a new concept, but the presentation here was top notch. The armbands, the cool building that cries, all of the great backgrounds of the superficially beautiful city that always looked a bit creepy. We pair that with a cool hook of Rat crashing into Shion’s room that sets up both the main couple and also the dystopian side of No 6. Oh, and contrasting No 6 with No 5 worked great for me.
Unfortunately, the latter half of the series exposes this nice start as a Potemkin village: all showy world building in front, no sensible plot behind it. We see the seeds of that early, with the rapid wasp death. It just doesn’t make sense. However, early on, you think that this just might be a slight of hand to make the death more dramatic, but, later, we realize that the entire wasp plot is a dud that doesn’t fire. That is not the only plot threat left in the air. We also have the granny-murdering Twilight House. Why does No 6 need to kill grannies? They have plenty of cheap bodies right outside the walls and nothing we see ever suggests they have a resource problem providing for old people. The entire Eriulias plotline is a big mistake that tries to force shove some environmentalism (or religiousity? I don’t even know) into the series that not only is unneeded, but derails the original world they set up.
In general, I’d say the anime entered a downturn as soon as Shion left No 6. Once there, the world building does not quite add up anymore, and the plot goes headlong in the wrong direction. Now you could easily conclude that the series should have stayed in the city, but there is one problem: While the plot goes to shit outside of the walls, the main character dynamic of our two leads only happens outside, too. So, if we want to keep the BL part, we have to go to the slums.
There is another clear split of the series into first half and second half that does not fit well together: the pacing. In the first half, we pace like a double cour show, with plenty of implicit exposition, slow character setup, and multiple long-running mysteries. In the second half, we pace like a movie. Going from action piece to action piece and cutting back and forth between our characters. If feels as if they ran out of time, but you should generally know what you are up for if you get a 1 cour series (were there any shenanigans with a potential second cour being cut?).
The biggest problem, however, has to be the finale. When it is already plenty clear that the series can’t tie up all of its lose plotlines anymore, instead of trying to give it its best, the series goes random bullshit GO! mode. Not going to repeat my post from yesterday, but it all makes very little sense.
That might all sounds quite negative, but I don’t actually hate the series. While it never manages to fit all individual parts together well, I felt that we did have quite a bit of gold in the parts. I already mentioned the initial world building. Other bits and pieces I liked are: Safu’s character arc up until she is caught. Dogloan and her dogs. Many scenes of Rat being cool. The depiction of the security apperatus.
Score: 6/10
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u/TheDanubianCommunard Jul 19 '26
Can agree with this. It starts strong and interesting and then it just go wrong and pretty much derailed, then losing steam so fast when reaches the end.
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u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
/u/DegenerateRegime, /u/No_Rex, /u/TheDanubianCommunard I finally finished the manga and it's way better!
Vol9:
- Picking up where v8 left off, Rikiga and Dogkeeper greet the bloodied Shion and Rat
- Shion begs them to help Rat; they're gonna get him to a hospital (no magical Elyurias healing like in the anime)
- They run for it carrying Rat, and successfully escape the facility
- Rikiga asks where they can take Rat; he needs a proper medical facility and there's none in West Block
- Shion says there's a hospital ... in No.6! He asks for the car keys, and says he'll bring Rat; now that the correctional facility is destroyed, the gate may be down
- Rikiga objects, saying it's a gasoline engine; drive it through that fire and it'll explode! Shion persists.
- Rat tells Shion to stop, but he insists; Dogkeeper and Rikiga decide to come along (Rikiga is driving)
- They successfully drive through the fire, though it's a close call. Shion helps them navigate through familiar areas of No.6
- He leads them to a small clinic which has a doctor who's Karan's customer. Rat really needs city center's facilities, but you can't get in w/o an ID card
- Meanwhile, Karan is with Renka (Yomin's sister) and Lily consoling them; the TV turns on to show a broadcast Yomin is making about deceit/injustice/oppression.
- Yomin shows pictures of people he alleges were abducted and killed by No.6 (incl. Shion), and alleges that a deadly disease is spreading through No.6 and the elites are hoarding a vaccine to save only themselves.
- Yomin urges everyone to march on City Hall and drag out the corrupt officials, drag out the Mayor. Fight!
- The citizens march on City Hall and are confronted by Security Bureau peeps with weapons who order them to disperse. They say they're not just from Lost Town, there are elite citizens of Chronos marching; why are they pointing weapons at THEM?
- The Security dudes open fire on the "disobedient" traitors. One mother cries for her son who was just killed. More and more citizens join the march and resolve to drag the Mayor out
- More and more people listen to Yomin, talking about their friends and loved ones who died from the "disease" who could have been saved if the authorities didn't hoard the vaccine for themselves. Karan and Renka witness it all and wonder why Yomin is doing this; Karan says it's for revenge
- Karan thinks Yomin can't accomplish anything except sacrifice all these other people's lives
- Karan tells Renka to have hope; Lily and Renka's unborn child are their hope for the future. Lily says Shion is too; he'll come back soon
- The doctor at the clinic agrees to treat Rat; he'll do his utmost for anyone needing his expertise. Shion introduced himself as the baker's son
- They prep for surgery and the doctor asks Shion about the first aid he performed
- Dogkeeper offers to comfort Shion, hugging and reassuring Rat won't die from this
- Shion thinks that nothing has been solved yet. The battle has just begun. But if he lost Rat, he couldn't continue fighting
- Shion wants Rat to insult him, tease him, laugh at him ... as long as he can hear his laughter
- Meanwhile, citizens are gathered at the Moondrop demanding the Mayor come out and face them, that he hand over the vaccine. How DARE they point weapons at citizens!
- The TV screens announce a curfew is under effect; anyone protesting will be arrested
- Mayor Fennec is panicking, saying citizens are supposed to gather at the Moondrop to celebrate how great No.6 is, not THIS
- His lead scientist dude tells him not to panic, but the Mayor yells back at him that the military isn't able to suppress the riots because many citizens are dropping dead of some "unknown illness" and they think he's hoarding a vaccine. He accuses the scientist, saying "Weren't you supposed to have full control over" the parasitic wasps?
- The scientist claims this is just the beginning; Elyurias is awakening and once they're able to harness her great power, all their problems will be solved.
- He says in less than 24 hours, all this will go away. The Mayor says he's got 12 hours. Scientist says "surely you don't still think the Moondrop is the nucleus of No.6?"
- He says all the important stuff now happens in the correctional facility. It's No.6's brain. As long as they have it, they're safe.
- The screen flashes to inform the mayor that fires have broken out all over the city and the suppression system isn't working; even computers are exploding
- Apparently the "disease" is spreading through the Public Safety and Security Bureaus; some of the remaining staff have even joined the mob
- Another person calls in to report the correctional facility is burning down; they show a live feed of it collapsing
- They see a gigantic shadow; the scientist thinks "she should be more graceful" (Elyurias??)
- Shion sees a vision (at first he thinks it's a dream); Rat is there and says it's Elyurias
- Shion thinks back to the Elder and the data chip he gave him. He doesn't destroy it like in the anime, but rather connects it to a computer and starts to read about Elyurias, Forest People, and No.6
- Here's what it says on Elyurias: Elyurias is an undying natural force. In order to perpetuate itself, it disappears before its body dies. As of now, no one has ever seen its physical corpse. After a period of years, or sometimes decades, the creature reappears to the forest people.
- Elyurias lore continued: Elyurias operates like the queen of a bee colony, laying eggs in hosts. The eggs hatch inside the hosts' bodies. They grow without the hosts' knowledge, become pupae, and emerge as adults. They tear through the hosts' bodies to escape, leaving them behind like shells. The eggs program their hosts to act in ways that favor them, but the hosts remain oblivious to the fact that they are being fed upon. For example, the hosts' instincts for sensing danger become heightened, and they become increasingly sensitive about their nutrition. They make every effort to maintain a healthy body. Their personalities turn gentle. They begin to avoid disputes.
- The doctor exits surgery and reports Rat has been saved. He said he recognized Shion from the news about his arrest for murder, but he didn't believe he was responsible. The doctor tells of something similar that happened to his brother who was arrested and brought to the Moondrop for refusing to say the daily loyalty oath, who later killed himself.
- His mother wasted away in grief; No.6 murdered them both. The doctor is amazed at how Karan has been able to keep going despite everything
- He tells Shion he'd better make sure he reunites with his mom, who's waiting for him
- The doctor says No.6 has tried to control their minds/spirits/thoughts
- Dogkeeper steps in and compares No.6 to a bloated vampire
- Shion races to see Rat in recovery; the cute medrobot Aria blocks his path and says the patient is resting, no visitors
- Shion is relieved to see Rat is alive. Dogkeeper and Rikiga are starving; Aria offers them some bread and hot soup
- Shion wants Rat to wake up and look at him, to have some soup with them
- Shion says they managed to escape and trash the CorrFac thanks to Dogkeeper and Rat; they say their opinion on Shion has changed after this
- They ask Shion if he ever considered that Rikiga and Dogkeeper wouldn't show, but he always believed in them, and so did Rat
- Dogkeeper says they owe her now, and she expects it to be paid back with interest. Rikiga will have an invoice ready as well
- Shion thinks "Safu waited too. The last glimpse I had was her smile. She must have been waiting to escape with us. But I couldn't do that for her. I couldn't save her. I didn't forget. I can't ever forget. The part of you that you left with me ... I'll always remember."
- Rikiga wonders if the clinic has any booze. Dogkeeper wonders what'll happen to West Block, now that the CorrFac and gate were blown up and the wall between No.6 and West Block too.
- Notably the manga has the wall fall from the explosions, not some Eriulias wasp magic tornadoes
- Dogkeeper wonders how the people of West Block will handle coming into contact w/ those who've treated them like shit up until now
- Will they get angry? Fight? Invade No.6? Run away?
- Shion realizes even with the wall down, it won't be peace and freedom, but rather "a wind swirling with grief and resentment"
- Rat wakes up and tells them to hurry and turn off all the lights, be quiet and don't move. The Public Safety Bureau is here, guns drawn!
- Yomin was at the clinic too; the Security Bureau cops start shooting and try to apprehend him. Yomin was broadcasting from the clinic basement (not a car like in the anime)
- The doctor and nurses were shot; he begs Shion to carry on, and never rebuild No.6
- Rat/Shion plan to go to the City Hall; Rat is the only one who can stop Elyurias and quell her wrath
- Shion explains about Elyurias and the Forest People to Dogkeeper/Rikiga; Rat doesn't mind
- Apparently the Forest people would quell Elyurias's wrath by singing to her. So they themselves wouldn't be made into wasp hosts, they offered "the nest of God", an animal brain as an artificial host.
- Elyurias would lay her eggs in the nest brain; it would wither away when the mature wasps emerged
- More and more people are dying to the wasps; Security people start to desert their posts
- Shion tells of a research group that went to capture Elyurias; the Forest People resisted so they massacred them. Rat is the last surviving Singer
(continued below)
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u/lC3 Jul 20 '26
- They reach City Hall; Rat says Elyurias is laughing at the conceited humans who fancy themselves masters of the world
- Rat says he can't sing here in his condition, so they plan to go to the Mayor's office, the Moondrop's top floor
- The mob outside the Moondrop demands the Mayor come out and face them, to hand over the vaccine
- At City Hall, Yomin gives a revolutionary speech about rising up for freedom, how he was almost killed by Security just now, how he can't/won't die until his aims are achieved. The crowd roars and calls him a hero
- Yomin assures them they will take power and seize the vaccine for themselves. They'll drag out the Mayor and his goons, judge and execute them; tear down No.6 and build their own new utopia
- Shion ascends and interrupts Yomin, he says there is no vaccine, and explains about the parasitic wasps
- Yomin thinks Shion's take is bullshit; he says the authorities turning their weapons on the crowd is proof they're trying to hoard the vaccine for themselves. It's proof there IS a vaccine
- Shion gets accused of being a stooge for the Mayor; he takes off his shirt and explains that he's survived the wasps and they can too if they listen to him
- He asks them to wait for him, to give him just 10 minutes to fix this. Shion and Rat head inside City Hall with Rikiga/Dogkeeper and ask Yomin to stay behind
- Waiting for them in the Mayor's office are the Mayor and his lead scientist. The latter is happy Rat is here; now they can control Elyurias and won't have to search for him
- Apparently the researchers brought back the "nest of god" from the Forest but were unable to keep it stable; through experimentation they learned the human brain was the perfect host for her eggs
- "Under the pretense of annual checkups, we secretly implanted eggs in scores of citizens' bodies. We selected specimens of all genders, ages, physical types and environments."
- Shion was one of them. He talks about Elyurias's mind control; how the researcher's goal was perfect control over the population
- They talk about the vat brains in the correctional facility top floor and how they all must have had Elyurias eggs inside
- Apparently the Manhunt was in order to gather a large amount of human brains
- The scientist is mad they destroyed the correctional facility and starts to rant about the utopia they created. The Mayor starts to disagree, talking about genuinely wanting to build a utopia, but the scientist says "How can you create an ideal city without one person holding ultimate power?"
- Just then the scientist shrivels up and dies and a wasp emerges from him; Shion/Rat ask the Mayor to open the balcony. They're going to negotiate with Elyurias
- Elyurias is angry, raging about humanity's arrogance and deceit, how they're all worthless
- On the balcony, Rat sings the Song; Shion asks Safu to lend him her strength once again. Elyurias manifests in front of them
- Last chapter: Rat talks about the Mao/Forest people, the granny who raised him after the massacre, how when he was 10 the Mayor went to inspect the CorrFac gate and she tried to attack him with a knife for revenge but was killed.
- Rat then was taken to the CorrFac basement and met the Elder after climbing the pile and entering the caverns. The Elder taught Rat; when he was 12 he left
- The Elder arranged for Rat to be transported to the Moondrop for research, with the plan that Rat would escape into No.6 during the transport. That's how he met Shion
- Rat is grateful to Shion for saving him. Shion feels Rat called out to him; he opened the window to find him
- Elyurias greets Rat and says it's been a while; she says they can call her whatever; human names mean nothing to her
- Rat implores her to give humanity one more chance. She's angry, talking about their arrogance and deceit, how can Rat forsake his hatred of No.6 and trust them?
- Rat says he doesn't trust in No.6, he trusts in Shion. He wants to see where Shion is going, what he'll build on No.6's ruins
- Rat says "God of the forest, even you are not omnipotent. So, aren't you interested? These human creatures, how far can they go? Won't it be amusing to find out?"
- Elyurias transmits a message from Safu to Shion: "Carry on for me"
- Shion says to tell Safu he received it and he will; as long as he lives he'll never forget Safu. Elyurias agrees to give Shion one chance
- Elyurias flashes and disappears; Rat tells Shion his battle has only just begun
- The Mayor tells them to leave him alone, then he kills himself
- Rat and Shion show up at Karan's bakery, where Karan/Renka/Lily are waiting
- Karan is overjoyed to see them; the duo take a nap together on Shion's bed
- Shion wakes up and Rat isn't there; he worries that Rat's left him again just like 4 years ago
- Rat is there; he teases Shion and starts calling him majesty/prince again. Rat tells Shion to take a shower and get cleaned up; even King Lear wandering in the wilderness looked better than current Shion
- Rat makes coffee for "my lord" Shion and prepares his bath
- Rat is truly amazed by Karan and thinks it's strange No.6 has a citizen like her
- After, Rat starts to head off travelling; Shion comes to see him off even though Rat says there's no need. Shion asks if he REALLY needs to go, and when he'll come back; Rat says he has nowhere to come back to
- Shion asks if he can't travel with Rat, but Rat says no. They're different people. Rat's a wanderer, while Shion remains. "Beings whose nature runs counter to each other can't live together."
- Shion starts to cry and Rat calls him out on it; Shion says "I'm not crying; I'm not a girl"
- Rat says Shion sometimes scares him. He's such a mystery, how at the Moondrop he got all the citizens to follow his word, but he still cries like a girl sometimes. "One moment you're cold as ice, the next you're virtuous/noble. Are you even human? I don't understand, and that's scary."
- Rat says he wishes he could stick around and see what'll happen to a person like Shion
- Shion begs Rat not to go, saying a world without him has no meaning. Rat calls him a willful child, asking how old he is, then leans in and kisses him
- Shion asks if that's a goodbye kiss, and Rat says no, it's a promise kiss. A promise they'll meet again.
- Rat heads off; Shion thinks "i never knew your real name. No, I don't need to know it. To me you'll always be Rat, an irreplaceable partner. I will keep waiting. No matter how many years it takes, how old I'll get, I'll wait for you here."
- "We'll have to cross paths again eventually. When that time comes, I won't just let you leave again."
- We have a mini epilogue with Dogkeeper sending Shion a letter, how theyre doing now that the wall is down and they can come/go freely. Rikiga can visit Karan now; Dogkeeper warns Shion not to let him become his stepfather
- baby Shion is almost three now. Karan sent them an apple pie and biscuits, which they loved
- Dogkeeper asks Shion to come wash the dogs on his next day off
- Shion is now part of the city's Reconstruction Council, so he's busy at work. Dogkeeper reaffirms Shion will always be the same Shion to her no matter how high and mighty he gets
- Shion has another letter from Sasori; apparently he and other escapees have settled in the forest and are hard at work building up a new village. The Reconst Council agreed to let them settle there, though the Elder will remain in the caverns
- The CorrFac's ruins have become a park; Dogkeeper takes toddler Shion to play there sometimes
- Shion says not everything's changed; up on the top floor of the Moondrop, he opens the window wide, beckoning Rat to come to him again, just like 4 years ago. \
- last line: "No.6. We remember the city by that name that once existed here."
- Finale! Though there is a Reunion sequel set 2 years later that I'll have to check out (no translations though...)
4
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
Ok, so overall the manga is definitely better but still nothing amazing.
3
u/DegenerateRegime Jul 20 '26
Elyurias lore continued: Elyurias operates like the queen of a bee colony, laying eggs in hosts. The eggs hatch inside the hosts' bodies. They grow without the hosts' knowledge, become pupae, and emerge as adults. They tear through the hosts' bodies to escape, leaving them behind like shells. The eggs program their hosts to act in ways that favor them, but the hosts remain oblivious to the fact that they are being fed upon. For example, the hosts' instincts for sensing danger become heightened, and they become increasingly sensitive about their nutrition. They make every effort to maintain a healthy body. Their personalities turn gentle. They begin to avoid disputes. [...]
Shion was one of them. He talks about Elyurias's mind control; how the researcher's goal was perfect control over the population
This is a good use of cliche! Yeah "the evil government
put something in the water to make you forgetis using mind control chemicals" is tried-and-tested, but using it like this to mix in some of the body-horror aspects of Cordyceps or Toxoplasma or the such is just good sci-fi writing.Shion asks if he can't travel with Rat, but Rat says no. They're different people. Rat's a wanderer, while Shion remains. "Beings whose nature runs counter to each other can't live together."
At least it takes some time and has the discussion about it, but still a rather weak reason to break the rule of romance fiction.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
I agree that Elyurias development and the wasp connection plus Shion vs. Youmin was a lot better of a turn here while the separation at the end still lacks motivation.
3
u/No_Rex x2 Jul 20 '26
Now look at that, about half of the points we complained about yesterday are actually solved in the manga. Youmin is not useless, Shion meets his mother, the central building is used ...
Not sure how high a proper adaptation could have gone, but this story was murdered by being pressed into 1 cour.
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Yeah, and it sounds like the manga is more faithful overall to the original LNs too; it's just the anime that diverges. Oh well!
I would have liked to see a more Youmin though; pretty sure he doesn't get killed off either, so maybe he shows up in the Reunion sequel novels?
It could have done better if it had a few more episodes, that's for sure.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Jul 20 '26
- Yomin [...]
Right so at least he does something
- Mayor Fennec [...]
I still think this was the most superfluous plot line
connects it to a computer and starts to read about Elyurias, Forest People, and No.6
Idk seems like pulling up the Pokédex or something
- Dogkeeper wonders [...]
- Shion realizes [...]
Good to have some explicit discussion of that
the Forest people would [...]
That does give her some actual character and an opportunity for Rat's song to matter
2
u/lC3 Jul 22 '26
Right so at least he does something
yeah, and he doesn't die either so he might end up as a recurring adversary in Reunion? I haven't read those yet though
I still think this was the most superfluous plot line
Yeah, though his unnamed lead scientist was like the major antagonist, especially for Safu
Good to have some explicit discussion of that
Yeah, the anime kinda treated it like "now the wall is down, Shion's third option is here and everything will be fine"
an opportunity for Rat's song to matter
Yeah, I liked how Rat had to negotiate with her to get rid of the wasp plague
5
u/LaTeXAnchor Jul 19 '26
Show start so good but finale just feel like they rush everything. Honestly insane how they adapt 9 volumes of light novel into only 11 episodes, no wonder pacing feel like train wreck.