Subculture Anime Blog

Are we watching a play or an anime? Touka Gettan continues to be one of the most unique anime of its time.

Summary:

A large audience applauds as the curtains rise to the start of a play. On screen is Touka who questions his existence, while Yumiko tells him that he exists to be loved by her. Nene walks on stage to comfort a troubled Yumiko, who explains that she was having a nightmare. Yumiko wonders what the difference between a dream and reality is, because it causes her pain either way. The scene slowly shifts to a younger Kiyoharu, who is holding a piece of the mask fragment. When his father sees this, Kiyoharu convinces him that it is something else. His father then introduces a young girl to him, Yuriko. He explains that she is Kiyoharu’s younger sister, who has come back from others’ care for various reasons. Kiyoharu goes into Yuriko’s room later during the night, convincing Yurkiko that he has come to play. Taking the role of the doctor and making Yuriko the patient, he starts performing a sexual act on her. Six years later, Yuriko has entered Touka High School. Even after learning that siblings should not act in such a way, she has become very close with her brother. Kiyoharu arrives one night and makes love to Yuriko. After finding out, Kiyoharu’s father attempts to convince him of his wrong doing. After learning of his older brother Kiyotsugu, Kiyoharu wonders what will become of the child. His father tells him that they will not acknowledge it, but he turns to find Kiyoharu screaming in pain afterwards. A child named Yumiko is born to Yuriko in the future. Nene explains that it is her duty to protect Juna who is inhabiting her.

Sixteen years in the future, Kiyoharu is cursing his older brother Kiyotsugu in insanity. Yumiko enters in search of her father, but Kiyoharu mistakes her for Yuriko. There is a loud thud in the darkness after Kiyoharu charges towards Yumiko. Kiyotsugu makes his way to the room after hearing this, and finds Yumiko standing over Kiyoharu. In front of him is also the stone sword. Kiyoharu suddenly gets back up, and forces the mask shard into Kiyotsugu’s eye. A girl then appears, and shoots Kiyoharu with a rifle. Although she seemingly succeeds in hitting him, Yumiko falls as well. Misuzu later reports Kiyotsugu’s injuries to his father, but also reports that Kiyotsugu believes that he is Kiyoharu. Misuzu reveals that she is still in nurse training before she can take her leave, so Kamiazuma orders her to come to his room later. Kiyoharu in Kiyotsugu’s body approaches Yumiko at night, still believing that she is Yuriko. Despite her disagreement, he pulls her away and rapes her. In the distant future, Kiyotsugu asks if Yumiko would like to go to his room for the first time in a long time, but she denies because she has work. Momoka arrives home and asks Yumiko if Touka has returned yet. Yumiko tells her that she doesn’t know because she has been working, so she suggests to Momoka that she check his room. Momoka does not see him in his room, but finds his school uniform. Embracing it, she takes in his smell with joy. Afterwards, Momoka asks who she is and why she exists. Touka tells her that she is herself, and she exists because she exists. Touka tells Momoka that the world is hers, and confirms that the world exists because they are living in it. Momoka makes a wish in the hopes that they will be able to see things that they could not see before, as snow flutters around them. The actors of the play bow down to the audience afterwards, and the curtains close.

Impression:

I cannot tell you how glad I am that Touka Gettan has finally returned to the plot that made it so interesting in the beginning. Not only have they done that, but they also took a very interesting approach that I have not yet seen in an anime by presenting the episode in the form of a play. I have mixed feelings on this approach, but I can certainly say that it was interesting and unique. There was quite a bit of development in this episode. We finally find out why Kiyotsugu and Yumiko were being called two different names in the first episode. Through the power of the mask shard that was put into his eye, Kiyotsugu took on the mind of his destroyed younger brother Kiyoharu. Yumiko was simply being called Yuriko because of Kiyoharu’s belief that she was her mother, Yuriko. You could say this episode was pushing the limits again with all of the incest, but we’ve been shown so much already that I don’t think anybody was extremely shocked by it. I will just say that Kiyoharu is one sick little man, and his father isn’t exactly the most honorable person either. Probably the most important question that is still left open is about Touka and Momoka’s existence. Hopefully we will find out a bit more about this in the next episode, with it’s title being “Momo” or “peach”. You know I am excited about seeing a Momoka centric episode!