Brnyhildr (What a damn name, seriously) continues this week as we discover our heroine lives in Hinamizawa. Seriously, she lives in the most Hinamizawa-ass villiage I’ve ever seen. It’s so urban-japanese-back-woods that they may as well be clawing at their throat while they’re there.
…Except for the fact that no one actually lives there. Yup, this village is completely abandoned save our heroine and her paralyzed co-heroine. Yup, she’s the one who can actually predict the future, not Kuroha. Interestingly enough, she can’t speak without a text-to-speech synthizer on her left hand, as it appears the procedures to make them magicians left her paralyzed. Most obviously, the show is not attempting to paint the one’s who experimented and created magicians out of our friends in a sympathetic light (Sorry, Okabe; scientists are rarely sympathetic in anime). To make matters more extreme, Kuroha exclaims that if they were ever found, they would be killed in addition to MC-kun.
I’m a bit unsure as to whether or not Kuroha is actually Kuroneko, although her reaction in the previous episode where she told MC-kun to bugger off was suspect; she looked slightly upset. I theorize that it actually IS Kuroneko and she’s made every effort to make it so that MC-kun can’t tell who she is, because as she said herself; the closer he is to her, the more danger he is in. In fact, it’s doubtful they ever would have met if he hadn’t been fated to die in the avalanche the previous day.
Another theory? When she fell from the dam, she got amnesia and no longer remembers who she was; she was re-purposed as a magician. Or perhaps this is just a clone of her. The theories get wild and baseless from here. Nobody can really say for sure although my bet is on my first point.
I must concede I found it disturbing and upsetting witnessing one of their friends being liquidated by the science goons. It’s bloody obvious it was supposed to be sad but I found something particularly somber about it.
I find the dichotomy between our MC and Kuroha to be particularly more interesting that in your usual show with a similar setup (Boy meets girl, girl has powers, etc.) for some reason. Is it because Kuroha actually has a bit of dimension to her? Not sure, but it appears to be quite interesting. Hopefully the potential isn’t squandered.
I’m a bit disappointed they didn’t infiltrate the scientist-esque facility to save their friend; that would have led to some interesting circumstances (and likely, bad circumstances.) The show has thus far captivated my interest. Looking forward to the third episode next week.
