This state of affairs of course turned the tide quite substantially against Shichisei, with some of them defeated within minutes of this final instalment, leaving Akasha and Hokuto (now Akasha's own Shikabane Hime) leading the line in their ever-decreasing hope of victory. While this pairing look to be about to beat Makina and Ouri, so the arrival of Sadahiro turns the tide, as they turn their attentions to Akasha's real weak point - His heart. By attacking his former, now entombed, Shikabane Hime, and reminding him of his love for her as a result, Akasha's bond to Hokuto is broken, leaving her alone and none too happy about it. Hokuto does, however, manage to escape, albeit not for long...
From here, this final episode tidies up a few lose ends, settles the question of Makina and Ouri's future plans, and then leaves us with oddly unsatisfying ending, as Makina takes on Hokuto once again. Does she win? Does she die? Do they all give up and decide to go to McDonalds instead? Who knows, thanks to the open-ended closing scene of the show, but the suggestions seems to be that this is a battle that won't end any time soon.
So, Shikabane Hime has come to end, with its Kuro-labelled second half both suffering and impressing in many of the same ways as Aka did. Having done so much to build up the story in the first half of the show as a whole, I was expecting a faster start to Kuro than that which eventually manifested itself, as things became rather ponderous for a while, but once it got into the swing of its major storyline then it delivered far more consistently in terms of action and pacing. While the horror potential of the series often (disappointingly in my book) took a back seat, when it did come to the fore it was often excellently done, with episode nine in particular getting all of its ducks in a row to offer up one of the best individual episodes of anime I've watched in the past year. It's highlights like that which perhaps make you realise that this series wasn't all that it could and indeed should have been, but come the end of it all Shikabane Hime remained engaging enough to be watchable and, more importantly, enjoyable throughout. It was no classic, but were I to drop dead tomorrow I wouldn't be coming back as a Corpse based upon the regret of having watched this series.
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I heard that there's gonna be a special episode for DVD only, so we need to wait and find out of that is true.
Yeah the episode is DVD only and is set to release in a couple months. MAL called it "episode 13" so I don't know if it is the finish to the series or if it is something else.
the animation really sucked for this 12th episode... rather disappointing in story & wrap up, also...
overall, it's been an enjoyable series, but it could have been something very special.
My guess is that you, like pretty much everyone else, did not watch the subbed version when you posted this, so you guided yourself by what you saw and understood from what measure of Japanese you managed to learn from other anime. Therefore, you lost some small nuances in the dialogue between characters and those represented the actual conclusion, not the fight between Makina and Hokuto.
I learned a term in school that describes this anime really well: "Buildungsroman", which means, approximately, when referring to a novel, that its main focus is the growth of the characters and their path towards maturity; this anime is, as pretty much every GAINAX creation I know, based exactly on this formula. The characters confront difficult situations and this forces them to discover things about themselves, others and the world in general. They learn, grow up and become better persons. The main focus isn't the finale of a confrontation, but what the characters learn from it. So, you shouldn't compare it to other typical shounen ("CHAOS Head" comes to mind first, without any intention of bad mouthing), but with series like Evangelion or Ergo Proxy; I know "Shikabane Hime" isn't a work of art but, as someone else said in a review, it isn't just action and fighting scenes either.
Now, I don't want to spoil your surprise (at least any more than I already did), but my advice is that you watch this episode with subtitles for a better understanding. It is posted by FUNimation on their Youtube channel. Afterwards, you should review your comment in the light of those little things that actually make up the essence of this episode.
Cheers,
Lazarus
I know what you are trying to say about the idea of this anime having to be character development. However, as a normal, regular fan of Shikabane Hime Aka and Kuro, I would like to say that I really hoped that ouri and Makina would end up together or at least lived happily realizing that there is something that can ever be replace in their relationship~... just disappointed in that part. Other than that, It was an AWESOME anime, filled with action, romance, horror!!.. Thanks
Actually, they DID, as you said, realize that there is something that can ever be replace in their relationship~. That's on the latter part after Makina walked out of the gate of the orphanage and started headed for Hokuto. That little, "you're-my-contracted-priest-and-I'm-your-shikabane-hime-made-to-fight" dialogue carries a lot of weight after all they've been through. Yeah the last scene was open ended from a certain perspective, but I too believe that Makina found closure in her inner struggle and thus content with who she was and what she had to do. What she calls her "proof of living"
so what happens to shikabane himes who kill more than 108 corps? they become super shikabane? if these super shikabane can't die, and has to be wrapped up in scripture and kept in coffins, how did the original shikabane hime die? how did akasha make shikabane hime of hokuto if it takes a strong bond for them to be linked? and if it was a strong bond, how did it break so easily? akasha has been saying all along that he was the one who killed his own shikabane hima, but he knew what happened to her, and she was still not dead. why would akasha lie?
It may not have been satisfying in plot terms, but metaphorically the end makes a sort of sense. Makina was always the physical body, Ouri the spirit/soul, and Hokuto death. So for a whole person to be formed at the end, you needed Ouri and Makina to reinforce their bond with each other (body and spirit in harmony), and for Makina to refuse to give up the fight against death. Death is inescapable, but it's the battle against it that defines what Life is. If that makes any sense.
the whole growth thing, if you remember correctly the entire series revolved around a certain phrase, " im a corpse not a living being." or something like that. The events of Minai Ruo dying where due to ouri's treating her not as a corpse but as a person. its a central theme and at the end when Makina is punching Hokuto she said "I fight in order to live. I am alive right now. I am, i am! You and I both are alive!" to me it looks like shes grown and acknowledged that she is not just a corpse. thats just my 2 cents
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