While the ending to this particular part of the story is entirely predictable, it was very well executed and managed to hit all the right notes.
What They Say:
Episode 13: “The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Part 3”
Yuki keeps having a dream in which she gazes into the memories of her other self and starts realizing that the time for her to go back to her other self might be approaching.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Current Yuki is beginning to be flooded more and more with Original Yuki’s memories. It’s making her fear that she will be replaced by the Original Yuki of this world. The static interference effect is back and sharper than before whenever Yuki is asleep and peering into the other Yuki’s memories. Now that exams are over, Ryoko asks Yuki where she would like to go to celebrate. Ryoko suggests an amusement park, but Yuki has somewhere else in mind: a book fair. Even though they are the Literature Club, this is the first time they’ve gone on a group trip to something like this. The Current Yuki wants to get in one last outing together that is meaningful to her before she reverts back to her old self.
As the inevitable end for Current Yuki comes into view and the reemergence of the Yuki original to this universe begins, it is accompanied by a lot of internal monologuing from Yuki. She starts to realize, before the end comes, that there is something very important that has happened: she’s in love with Kyon. While Ryoko has long suspected this, not just because of the other Yuki’s feelings, Current Yuki was in denial until now.
This last matter sets up the climax to the “Disappearance” arc as Current Yuki feels the need to tell Kyon before she goes away. After tying up other loose ends (having one last lunch with Ryoko, who already realizes that the old Yuki has been slowly coming back; finishing the book that she checked out from the library), she calls Kyon to drop the big news on him. While it might seem slightly trite or cliche, they did a good job of using meaningful imagery and symbolism to show Current Yuki slowly slipping away by setting the scene as late evening turning to dusk, the rays of the sun slowly slipping away below the horizon. The very last beams of light fade from view right as Yuki confesses her love to Kyon.
Kyon races to find Yuki before “Current” Yuki utterly disappears, but it’s already dark now. The meaning of that is clear. As the streetlights are lit, it’s a symbol of the old Yuki coming back in a way. Night comes for book-loving Yuki…
It’s a powerful way to end the arc, with Kyon hurriedly rushing to see Yuki before she reverts to her old self. They tantalize us with the prospect of Kyon reaching her just in time, but of course it was not going to happen. Kyon comes to find Yuki asleep and chides her for dropping such a big emotional bomb on him right before going away. He had not quite been aware enough to notice her changes in behavior the way Ryoko had, but now he realizes the signs were there. And the signs about her feelings too.
And…she’s back.
(…no, it wasn’t).
It was really important that Satelight nail this important manga arc considering how generic and bland quite a lot of the material before it has been. Fortunately, I think it’s safe to say that they have. Things seem to have been kicked up a slight notch this episode overall, with a great attention to backgrounds and scenery (but the budget was saved in places with still shots or short pans of characters sitting and not moving—Kyon’s race to see Yuki at the end was the only scene that required serious animation, but was not very hard to execute). The background music, which has been very well done overall this season in moving from quirky to happy to sad to wistful to melancholic to romantic, worked well with the visual imagery to get across Yuki’s emotional state throughout the episode. This entire arc is probably the strongest part of the entire season to date.
With original Nagato back, we can expect things to return to “normal.”
In Summary:
Yuki, the one who is currently Yuki at least, senses more and more that she is about to leave and be “replaced” by the original Yuko of this world. Before that happens, however, she wants to tie up all her loose ends. One major one of those is an unexpected realization that she’s in love with Kyon. She does not want to leave and be replaced, but she knows it is inevitable and wants to make sure she does not have any regrets. So, she sets about putting things in order before her disappearance. This entire arc has been deftly handled and the conclusion wraps things up nicely.
Episode Grade: A-
Streamed by: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
