Future Diary - Mirai Nikki - Episode 17

With Yukiteru at risk of falling to his death as this episode begins, it's perhaps a little unfair of Mirai Nikki to take us through a character's back story at this exact moment in time, but that's exactly what we get as episode seventeen of the series opens by telling the tale of Seventh, aka Ai and Marco; a pair of orphans who both suffer the harsh cruelties of life before finding one another and living happily ever after.... or at least trying to, preferably as new gods of time itself.

Back in the present however, it's Yuno who manages to catch Yukkii before he falls to his doom, although any joy at his survival is short-lived as Sakurami Tower threatens to collapse around their ears while Marco and Ai look set to make good their escape with both Yukiteru's father and some handily procured parachutes.  Of course, they can't all survive this particular challenge of the survival game, and thus it's time for another face-off between diary holders.

For once, Yukkii's perceived weakness actually works to his advantage - after he pretends to hide to draw Marco away from Ai, himself and Yuno are able to face off against the female half of Seventh alone, even if Yuno takes this situation further than he'd like (as usual).  Just as it seems to be advantage First and Second, up pops Yukkii's Dad to steal the one remaining parachute and escaping, leading to a confrontation with his former wife that looks set to reverberate throughout future episodes.  Without a parachute, it seems as if Yukiteru and Yuno are powerless to avoid the tower's inevitable collapse, although luckily for them Ai's presence proves to be a trump card which ultimately allows them to escape as the cost of Seventh's folly catches up with both of them.

As per my usual proclamations of glee after watching my weekly dose of Mirai Nikki, I can't help but love the nasty, cynical but utterly compelling world that it produces - a world where your Dad would steal your parachute, your classmates would have you gang-raped and a cute teenage girl would slit your throat without a second thought.  The fact that the series revels in its ridiculous nature and uses it as an excuse to push its boundaries ever further is what makes it such a great watch, while it doesn't forget to provide some smart twists and turns to boot as it goes about its grisly business.  We could be in for a big change as a result of this week's cliffhanger too, which is more than enough to keep me coming back for more.