Forum - View topicNight Head 2041 (TV).
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2931 |
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For the psychic brothers, it appears the memories they had of their family and their childhood were most likely real since there are too many objects tied to them to dismiss as something that is manufactured. Their family home was sealed off by the police and later demolished, while the street lamp which broke when the elder brother lost control remains broken. Although they are no closer to finding their parents, they have a lead to work with instead of wandering around aimlessly.
This week's mini-arc raises a few interesting questions. It's clear the government does not have the control over the populace it would like with regards to ESP and other non-rational powers, but trying to hold all the cards and denying the populace the rest as a means of control remains the national policy as evidenced by the strict laws in place. There is no mention of the girl who was at the factory; I had initially thought she was the one responsible for the mind control. The boy clearly is, and his motive is an obvious one. For the special forces pair, it's more likely they also had a similar experience to the psychic pair and their parents were told to drug them so that they could be removed. However it seems the paths of the two pairs diverge significantly after that point. Not enough to go on for now, but the mysterious interloper might have something to say about this since it's highly likely he was tracking one of the pairs and waited for his chance to intervene. The mysterious girl from the first episode now has a name, but there's not much else to work on other than her role as a guide using her unique set of powers. |
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Gina Szanboti
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That's what it looked like to me. They weren't just both drugged, they were playing the same game that night (though the furniture is different, as are their parents). Still, I'm wondering if we have overlapping timelines here or something. Not only do we have Shoko popping in and out, and mystery guy coming to the rescue, but also unidentified orange haired girl lurking at the factory. I'm guessing she's with mystery guy. Maybe they're remnants of Miracle Sleaze's cult, but I hope they're a more competent, less infiltrated, resistance group of psychics. No idea what's up with Mikuriya's group experimenting on Shoko. |
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SHD
Posts: 1756 |
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Finally we had the "niisan, atama ga...!!" line.
 That became such a meme that even today this is what the drama is mostly remembered by.  I wonder how many takes it took to record it without someone giggling.
That was my original guess (blacked out now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ), although my money is on parallel universes colliding, brought on by some glitch happening when the barrier broke and the Kirihara brothers escaped; similarly, I'd bet real world money that the Kirihara brothers' escape and Takuya's first manifestation of his power overlapped and it had something to do with the glitch. As for the Kuroki brothers - and again, mods, I've no idea if this is true or not, this is not based on any existing knowledge, 2041 is a completely new universe and the Kurokis are completely new characters and I'm just going by what the show gives me - so anyway, as for what happened to them, going by their commander's words I think they were collected by the state as children with supernatural powers, brainwashed into not knowing they have them, groomed into soldiers. Now their power is being awakened for the state to use them to its own purposes (likely something nefarious/oppressive/that sort of thing). Seeing how Kimie apparently tazed Masayuki instead of killing him, I'm sure they'll do the same with him, too. He's in the opening so I wouldn't be surprised if we see him again. (Trivia: spoiler[this suicide story is a remix from a similar one in the drama, except there the kids ran over the dog and left it to die. Masayuki is doing more or less the same, making them fall into despair and driving them to suicide. Except there it ends on a less violent note, at least for Masayuki, who gets taken in by Mikuriya.]) Edit: add spoiler tags. Errinundra. |
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ACｘS
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4:
Just when society's trying to tell everyone that psychics don't exist, they are now all coming out of the woodwork. I LOVE IT! |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2931 |
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#4
One question from last week is answered: the girl with the violet long hair wasn't part of the student group. The "free speech" resistance movement have a common enemy with the Kuroki brothers, but that's all they have and I'm not sure the temporary alliance will last if the brothers exhibit what they're capable of in public. Shouko Futami and Masayuki's mother have an unexpected link with each other. Is that why the boy Masayuki has powers of his own? Or is it an unrelated coincidence? More world-building. Dystopian totalitarian societies in the near future are not new, but the interesting thing this series presents is how everyone's memories of the process in which 2/3rds of the world's population is decimated is hazy, only the aftermath being clear. The Kuroki brothers suspect hypnosis, I think it's a bit more nuanced than that but will have to wait for the series to reveal more. The limits to which the government is trying to control its people's thought processes hit new heights in this episode, even present-day North Korea would struggle to reach the control level and extreme policies this series is presenting the Japanese government. All four of the special forces members now show powers, but I'm sceptical about Michio since it's not confirmed those are real (the mind control illusion might be at work there since its exponent was smirking after the phenomenon). When they do brain scans for all four of them again there will be official confirmation for Michio. Reika's powers appear to be telekinesis, compared to Takuya's force projection. Yuuya's power appear to be similar to the younger Kirihara's, so less useful if the psychics have to fight each other using their powers. Separating the boy Masayuki from his mother isn't a good idea, but the psychic brothers think it's for the best. Somehow they need to stop Masayuki from going berserk or it's another repeat of the HQ massacre. As far as public opinion is concerned, they'll get over it with another tailored news broadcast since the physical damage to the building can still be attributed to a terrorist attack using explosives. |
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Gina Szanboti
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So this has got me wondering - how does the government trip onto potential psychics? They kidnapped the Kuroki bros years before either of them displayed any powers, unlike the Kiriharas. How did they know? Or were they displaying powers as kids and the government suppressed them until they grew up? Or do the highest higher ups know about Shoko and whatever is going on parallel universe/time travel-wise?
I'm kinda feeling like WWIII didn't actually happen. Since no one seems to clearly remember it, we don't see any evidence of a world-wide catastrophe, and we don't have any numbers to confirm that 8 billion people became 2.5 billion, maybe they think there used to be 24 billion. Or they have no idea how many people there actually are. Like they think there are 3 b, but there are actually 8 b. Or maybe 2/3 of the population slipped into other timelines or dimensions and WWIII is the excuse they came up with to explain all the missing people. And the epileptic trees gently rustle in the background. 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2931 |
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You're assuming the institute who held the Kuroki brothers is run by the Japanese government. I don't see anything to support it beyond their use of military equipment like helicopters. If anything, the presence of two Slavs in the scientific team suggests it's not related to the Japanese government and is either opposed to or working independently and clandestinely. |
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SHD
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At this point in the story there are three institutes in what appears to be three separate timelines - whether they'll turn out to be related and if yes in what way, or they are indeed separate institutes remains to be seen. - One is Mikuriya's institute where the Naoto & Naoya used to be - they spent 15 years there, so as we already know the timeline doesn't add up: they were taken in by Mikuriya in 2014 so for them it should be 2029, not 2041. - One is where the Kuroki brothers used to be and where Masayuki was also taken to. This is definitely run by the state, considering they belong to the military, and their modus operandi seems to be collecting children who show psychic abilities and doing whatever with them. From the boss' words I think what happened with the Kurokis (and their two teammates) was that they were taken in as children, had their powers sealed somehow, and then they were brainwashed into thinking that supernatural powers don't exist, but with the plan of having their powers reawakened at the right time. This is the present, 2041. - And there's the lab Mikuriya was in when they collected Shouko and did whatever it was that they did to her. However, as we know from episode 1 that was in 2023. spoiler[(And most likely it's in Russia, not Japan.)] At this point I'm starting to get a fairly solid theory as to what might be going on in the background, but the details, the whys and wherefores are still pretty fuzzy, and a number of details still don't add up... The central mystery is pretty good that it keeps me guessing like that, just when I thought I had it figured out I realized a huge flaw in my theory. So I'm genuinely interested in seeing how this is going to play out. My money is still on parallel worlds colliding, rather than simple time travel shenanigans, but anything might be possible. Also, re: WWIII, I also think it didn't happen, or at least definitely not the way it's described in the brainwashing-- er, propaganda video. I'm with Naoto, there's most likely some mass hypnosis thing going on. By the way, I liked that the Resistance members were all "haha, yeah right, psychic powers". They're not about representing the oppressed superpowered people, after all, but they're genuinely for free speech and expression and whatnot. Psychic powers may be a silly idea, superstition that is obviously not real, but that doesn't mean it should be a taboo and not be discussed at all. On the other hand, though, poor Kiriharas, their existence keeps being denied over and over again. ;; (Also, I'm sure the boss, Sugita Tomokazu, knows better... also, that girl, Emily? has some doubts, too.)
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2931 |
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#5
More on Futami Shouko this week. After this week's revelation, it appears she has the most advanced version of the power shared by Naoya and Yuuya. We don't know why she asked her friend to follow that peculiar request, but having one person with no experience of what happened in the intervening three months must have some kind of meaning. Looks like Michio wasn't being fooled last week; he really has a power of his own. However, he's given similar training to Reika. Although he's no longer labelled a powerless dunce, it appears he still has more difficulty than the other two as far as control is concerned. The Kirihara brothers revealing their powers had to come sooner rather than later. Unfortunately they've shown it to the wrong group of people. As much as I'd like to sympathise with a group of oppressed people who have lost everything to the totalitarian dystopia, starting an armed rebellion against an opponent they have absolutely no knowledge about is tantamount to suicide. It's also shown Yuuya is better at reading the future than his counterpart. Interesting concept about the "shield". It looks like it's a common technique to all who have special powers, since the Kirihara brothers mentioned keeping the heart under control when they were first introduced. There are still too many disparate threads to connect together into a bigger and more coherent picture, but the series is interesting in how it keeps obfuscating the details with its multiple factions. |
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SHD
Posts: 1756 |
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I think it was clear why she told Miki to hide in the shrine - whatever it was that caused everything to go awry happened in 2023, at that particular time. The shrine could be some kind of "pocket dimension" or, perhaps more likely, protected by a barrier similar to the one that also kept the Kirihara brothers unable to leave Mikuriya's lab. In any case, I think it's clear that by being in there Miki was spared of experiencing whatever happened. Also, I think it's important to point out that the plotline about Mikuriya putting Shouko in that machine also takes place in 2023.
You mean Naoya? Yuuya is just starting to find out what he's capable of. spoiler[Naoto and Naoya seem to be much more in control of their powers in 2041 than in the original, there Naoya is extremely uncomfortable being around people, and for the most part would give anything to make his power go away. Here he was able to "put a lock" on his heart (which yes, seems to be his version of the "shield") and he's more confident around strangers. (Naoto too, seems to be having a better grip on his temper.) ] Anyway, I thought it was interesting that Yuuya was manipulated by Kimie. When he first experiences the full extent of his empath abilities it's due to Kimie's mind control, and the things the "crowd" says toward the end seem to be very specifically about Yuuya and Takuya, and seem to be touching on their issues with their parents. (Yuuya also hints that he wants to use his power to understand why their parents abandoned them.) And perhaps she did something else, too, because the vision he had in the end, when he connected with Naoya, had Naoya's flashes of the future mixed with the memory of Yuuya's parents, creating a false message... I think the boss and/or Kimie have some kind of info on the Kirihara brothers, and they're planning to use Yuuya and Takuya to capture them. By the way, the novelization for 2041 has just dropped, I haven't read it yet, but I flipped through the first couple of chapters, and it makes one point clearer than it is in the anime: that apparently the Kirihara brothers have no idea what happened to them, not simply why they're so far in the future, but just overall. (Spoiler just in case, but I don't think the anime will elaborate on this more than it already has) spoiler[In the drama they were actively trying to escape, and finally managed to do so when the person keeping the barrier up died. In 2041 it seems they were just going about their day when bam, suddenly they found themselves lying on the ground. They just kind of assume that oh yay, the day has come, but clearly there's something more behind it.] |
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ACｘS
Posts: 947 |
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5:
This is really starting to feel like X-Men. Yeah, it's a trope: the Resistance is meant to be suckers. You know how the story always goes: the incumbent organization who always has the upper hand, versus the resistance led by a crazed, hate-driven dude who won't get his revenge because it clouded his judgment and got the better of him. At this rate, Takuya and Yuya are going to learn that (just maybe) the organization they've been serving is the one that took his parents away, and everything is a lie. Are they going to fight against their own organization, especially their own comrades? Probably. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11506 |
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I usually tolerate cg animation without much issue (unless it hits Ex-Arm lows), but I'm still not a big fan of it. However, one thing this series is doing that most usually do not, is paying attention to its characters' eye movements.
Usually cgi eyes are fixed in their cgi faces (ok, tbf, 2D does this too), and they often don't even seem to be focused on the person they're talking to. But here, characters' eyes are nearly always moving, with those tiny saccadic adjustments people make when they're talking to someone or looking at something or thinking about something else during a conversation. I admit that I only noticed in this episode, when the mother was panicking in the car after their escape. Her eyes were subtly darting all over as if seeking her own escape or words that would make them hear her pleas. It really sold her emotional state, and I think it helps make all the characters a bit more human and a bit less uncanny-valley, and enhances the rest of their facial expressions. Even if they're not speaking, you can still see their gears turning.
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SHD
Posts: 1756 |
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Yes, I think it's pretty neat actually! And also, the animators do a pretty good job with the main characters' body language and poses. It's a lot more life-like and less "sock anime poses". Even some small movements are done with care, like in episode 1 at the Stinger, when Naoto is having his small monologue about how the world is not what Mikuriya had told them it would be like. Even without any sound the mood and emotions come across from the way he and Naoya move, in a way that you don't often see even in more traditional animation regardless of its budget - despite Naoto having his back to the camera for most of the time. This is one of the reasons why I'm sad that this show is not getting more recognition (other than me being a raging fangirl for the franchise, my hate for Genesis notwithstanding), it really shows how this kind of animation can be done well. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2931 |
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#6
There's something off with Naoya's vision. Initially he said the plan would fail after seeing the armed resistance group strewn all over the corridors. What actually happened was most of them getting arrested in the studio itself with just one casualty. Perhaps he was right, but the intervention of the SWE changed the process rather than the outcome. Also, it's not entirely surprising who the traitor was since he'd been very consistent in emphasising his realist stance since he met the brothers. Takuya isn't his brother, so he misinterpreted what he said during last week's brief vision. The younger brother Yuuya didn't help matters by clarifying what he saw exactly, so both sides are to blame. Takuya's powers have progressed significantly to briefly overpower his opponent, but it appears Shouko might have intervened since the disappearance of the four characters from different places could only be done through her by some unknown means. The disappearance might be a similar mechanic to teleportation or the experience Tachibana Miki had when she was in the shrine, but future episodes will need to explain where they went at the very least. It's not explained clearly how the SWE laid their trap. Did they do it the traditional way via the traitor's tip-off? Or did Yuuya's vision give advanced warning of the plot? Perhaps a bit of both? Interesting seeing the two face off against each other with similar powers. I don't think it's a coincidence the pair of brothers have similar abilities, what's more interesting is how they're linked together and what role they will play. One is already happily settled in with his lifestyle as an enforcer, while the other is very vocal in his opposition to what society has become since he and his brother were taken away decades ago. Not sure how they'll reconcile, if at all. The overarching plot linking them all together remains obscure. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15543 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I did think that the show is getting more entertaining for me, with its action.
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