We’re reaching the homestretch! *throws confetti* Kokkoku is reaching its conclusion and honestly, I have no clue how this anime is going to end… This week’s episode was just bizarre, even by this anime’s usual standards. I’m still processing it all.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 㐧拾壱刻

Plot

Juri and Grandpa form a temporary truce with Sagawa and the latter reveals his reasons for entering the Stasis world as well a the truth behind his past…

Episode Highlights

Nightmare Fuel: Disembodied brain that shoots out razor-sharp threads: CHECK! Character gets fingers sliced off by razor-sharp threads: CHECK! Unnatural blood spurt: DOUBLE CHECK!

Close ups and Slow pans: This week’s episode was an emotional one, and to highlight this, there were a lot of close-up shots of people’s faces, especially during arguments. And, let’s not forget the dramatic slow pans, to really add that emotional sucker punch.

Last minute plea: Just before Juri and Sagawa have their final ‘showdown,’ Juri experiences what one might liken to a Vulcan mind meld, getting visions of key moments from Sagawa’s past. This is, of course, a last ditch effort on the part of Sagawa to illicit some sympathy from our heroine… it doesn’t work…

Memories are just snapshots in time: When Juri erases Sagawa, the audience is treated to a replay of his memories, but rather than a clear image, the scenes are grainy, like old photographs. But, that’s not all, as Sagawa’s consciousness fades, the images seem to burn in places, like a photo that has had too much exposure.

Themes & Trivia

Who’s really the villain here?: Juri’s dad has demonstrated on a number of occasions that he is without a doubt the most frightening character in the series, even more so than the main villain Sagawa. Takafumi is without conscience and at times demonstrates traits of someone with antisocial personality disorder. Hell, early on he summons a Herald by just thinking about killing someone…

Nice job breaking it, hero: Takafumi rushes in and kills Sagawa, seemingly solving everyone’s problems… that is until Sagawa’s brain reanimates and flees through an open window. Turns out he just made everything 10x worse for himself and everyone else…

We’re not so different after all: Juri comes to the realization that she and Sagawa aren’t all that different from one another. In fact, if things had been reversed, Juri could have just as easily become Sagawa.

Comments

WHAT THE FUCK! I was going to be good, I was going to attempt to be impartial, but this anime finds new ways to set me off each week… I just… I have no words for what I just saw. It’d be one thing if the series had done a halfway decent job of setting, oh, I don’t know, ANYTHING up early on. But, no, now they’re trying to cram an entire season’s worth of story into the last two episodes and it’s just not adding up! This is supposed to be the final showdown between the bad guy and the good guys and it is literally over in a matter of minutes with about as much tension as a Peppa the Pig episode… and don’t get me started on that ending… seriously?! A BABY!? *goes to happy place*

I’m really REALLY hoping that next week’s episode is truly the end of this anime because, I just can’t see how they could possibly stretch this out any longer…

If I Could Turn Back Time

…I’m seriously trying to think of something good to say here and all I can manage is that this is the penultimate episode. Just one more of these bad boys to go and I am a free elf! I mean, this week’s episode tried to come off as emotional and heart-wrenching, but when there was absolutely no set up in the previous episodes… why the hell should I care?!

What did you think of this week’s episode of Kokkoku? Are you ready for this to be over? Or are you actually invested in this show? Let us know in the comment section! And don’t forget to check the rest of the Winter 2018 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO!

NEXT TIME: The Twelfth Moment (㐧拾弐刻)

Kokkoku (Moment by Moment)

Winter 2018 | Anime Info | Simulcast