© ぬじま・小学館/ 「怪異と乙女と神隠し」製作委員会
I don't always or even often object to fanservice. It has its place, and if it doesn't affect the story or character development, my general feeling is that you should know that it's there and move on. Unfortunately, The Mysterious Disappearance uses fan service in a way that gets in the way of the ongoing plot. Mostly, this is because it insists on shoving Sumireko's breasts in our faces when it's not necessary—the scene of her holding a seriously injured Adashino in her arms without having to show us that her shirt has once again been torn burst out, nor is it necessary to show us whether we need to see her in a too-small tracksuit to prove that she has regained her adult form. I would give them a look at her burned body because it showed the extent of the damage she had sustained, but for the most part, it was just a distraction.
I deserve to complain because there are so many really good things about this episode. It recounts the story of a teacher who is too focused on seeing bullies everywhere, this time coming back to show us why she pays so much attention to it. It's no wonder she was bullied as a child and became a teacher to ensure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else; in fact, it's actually believable. In my experience, most teachers want to do their best for their students, and finding ways to stand up for victims is an authentic way to do so. But she went too far—instead of stamping out the bullying as she had experienced it, she overread every situation, seeing bullying where there wasn't one. It's true that one of the most frequently bullied statements (especially in anime) is “But we were just joking!” and yes, a lot of times, it's not. But this teacher was so focused on the idea that kids lie one hundred percent of the time about what they were doing that she became a bully herself.
It's easy to see how that could happen, especially if you've been a victim of bullying in the past. The drive to prevent anyone else from experiencing that particular pain is intense. Manami is still reliving her trauma to the point where school can traumatize her. Certainly, the measures she is using to curb what she perceives as bullying are out of bounds, even if we don't consider the crude element. (No one should lick the floor in school.) Good intentions can't always make up for actions, and unless I'm wrong, the girl in the wheelchair we see at the end of the episode might is one of the bullies Manami”stop.”
In some ways, this episode reminded me of Hell Girl. It might be because of the use of the phrase”curses always come back home,” which I tend to associate with that show, but I think it's the meaning of “what goes around, happens around.” around”, which admittedly is a difference. similar way of speaking. When Adashino faces Manami, we see her crouched on the ground with many signposts behind her, as if she is suffering from the curses she has for”dribblers”. It goes back to the idea of her going too far and becoming the thing she hates the most–the markings where she caused pain are now weapons used against her. Adashino's reading of Oto Sumireko's book also resonates with this idea of full circle; Oto doesn't want to like Sumireko's words, but they reach her nonetheless, which further validates Sumireko's desire to write again. It's important not to forget the steps you're taking on the way to achieving your goals.
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Mysterious Disappearance is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
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