Episode 11 of Sarazanmai has been released. I thought it was episode 12, but it's actually the final episode! Seriously?! I was wondering what the next episode would be about for the last 10 minutes, but I never thought it would be the final episode. So, this time I will give a brief summary and analysis of the final episode of the anime.
A brief summary of episode 11 of the anime
Yuu has entered despair. By shooting his past self, Yuu erases the connection. Two people and one animal have followed Yuu into despair. Kazuki tries to travel to the world of four years ago, fearing that the connection between them, when they first met and received the friendship bracelet from Yu, will be shot. An otter appears and gets in his way, but Keppi fights back. Yu, who arrived in the world of four years ago first, first shoots his brother Chikai. He then tries to shoot his four-year-old self, but Kazuki and Enta appear and stop him. From there, the story takes a sudden turn. Black Keppi shoots Yu from the past, and as the connection between the three is about to be erased, the three of them go to Sarazanmai. Then, they go to the final battle with Black Keppi. Black Keppi and Keppi successfully fuse together and become Prince. After that, there are many depictions of the possible future of the three. Then, the Prince is united with Princess Sara. Then, Yu goes to prison during the ending song to atone for his sins. Yu comes out of the prison during the usual scene after the ending, and the two of them greet him. Then the OP song plays again, and at the end, it's time to move on to the future. Yes. I know that words alone can't convey it all.
Keppi's eyes were red by default
Don't let go of your desires! I thought that these words were coming from the otter's side because Leo and Mab said them, but they might be coming from the kappa's side. The meaning of the words desire and despair is that desire is the feeling of lack and the desire to fulfil it. Despair is the disappearance of hope. The otter said to Keppi, "I had too much despair to handle so I separated myself from it." In other words, Keppi who split off from Black Keppi had no despair = hope never runs out. That's why I thought his eyes were red like an otter's, but the eyes of the fused Keppi were also red.
What did the kappa symbolize?
The otter was explained as a concept, but what did the kappa symbolize? Was it a symbol of a desire, of a heart that desires? In the final episode, Sarah says that only those who weave desires... so it seems like kappa = desire, but if that's the case, then all the otters would have been born from kappa, which seems a bit odd given the concept of the story and the flow of love and desire in the beginning. At the beginning, love and desire are depicted in contrast to each other, and love is wanting someone to do something. Desire is depicted as wanting to do something. Love, wanting Kazuki to smile. Kazuki regains his smile. And he gains a connection with people. The kiss zombie became a kappa zombie, saying that he wanted to kiss. They are those who cannot be connected, as they are expressed as desires. And so they disappeared from memory. And the kappa were creatures who lived between love and desire. And the focus of the story, along with the fusion of despair and keppi, was also depicting connections with people. The origin of the name Kappa Bridge is the connection between people and kappa. Considering that, I think kappa are depicted as a symbol of "connections with people". In a society where values are diversifying, I felt that this work depicted the importance of being tolerant of others while not being selfish, and connecting with people (Asakusa is a downtown area and a city with a lot of people).
There were a lot of things I didn't understand
There were a lot of things I didn't understand in the final episode. I'll list them here along with my speculations, but I'd like to hear your interpretations.
・Why did Leo and Mab come back to life?
Prediction: Because the two of them regained their connection.
・The plate Keppi had and the meaning of what came next
Prediction: If it becomes popular, we'll make a sequel.
・What was the otter trying to do with the plates of hope?
Prediction: Something that was in line with desire
Anyway, Sarazanmai was a great anime!
