Subculture Anime Blog

The effect a mere letter can have on someone.

Summary:

Two girls talk of a rumor of a mail carrier that brings letters with the deceased’s last words to those that they knew in their lives. While detectives work on the scene of a crime in the city below, a girl named Fumika discusses with her staff Kanaka about how troublesome humans are. A boy named Machiya Shota enjoys his time with a girl named Ayase Asuna at school, until she receives a phone call about her father. Asuna is escorted away by officers, leaving Shota at school. In the sky, a lone white feather falls. While thinking to himself in class, Shota even hears news about Asuna’s now dead father from the video player belonging to the student in front of him. When Shota makes his way to the roof, he sees smoke coming from the room he is usually in. Inside he finds Fumika, who has come to deliver a letter. Shota panics when Fumika assumes he is Asuna’s boyfriend, but he then goes on to explain how he met her. Shota had failed one of his usual rocket experiments on the rooftop, when he found Asuna watching from a distance. From then on, she had come to watch him. Fumika puts the letter she has back in her bag after finding out that she was wrong about Shota, then explaining that the letter is a Shigofumi. This is a letter coming from a deceased individual, relaying their last message. Shota is of course unable to believe this, but he becomes shocked when he finally realizes that the staff Kanaka can talk and move. Fumika starts to leave, but Shota panics at the thought of the Shigofumi not getting delivered. He quickly stops Fumika, proposing that he would become Asuna’s boyfriend in order to receive the letter.

Shota makes a call to Asuna while she is in the middle of packing with her younger sister Miku. He is unable to get to the point, but he promises Asuna that his rocket is close to being successful. Before hanging up, Asuna thanks Shota for the call. Shota brings up the need for correct timing of a confession to Kanaka afterwards, and the need to complete the rocket is then realized. Shota gradually makes progress with the rocket while Fumika stays with him, keeping up with Asuna along the way. While Shota tries to come up with a name for his rocket, Fumika approaches him alone. Shota thinks it is strange when Fumika states that Kanaka needs to sleep, but Fumika thinks Shota is also strange for believing in the Shigofumi. When he is asked for the reason, Shota replies that it is because he was believed. No one believed that a rocket made by a high school student could fly, but Asuna believed him and wanted to see it take off. Fumika thinks this is simple, but it is fine that way. Elsewhere, preparations are made for Asuna and her sister to leave soon.

Shota returns to his usual room, but all he sees is the lone Shigofumi laying on the ground. Meanwhile, Fumika and Kanaka have been walking in the structures below. The two see a room with a bed in it, but this makes Fumika see a disturbing vision. When Kanaka brings up their leaving Shota alone, Fumika realizes that the Shigofumi is missing from her bag. Fumika quickly hurries to the room, where she finds an angry Shota. As he has read the letter, he wonders what the nonsense is. He does not believe that it is possible for Asuna to have killed her father. Kanaka sees this as a form of revenge, but Shota expresses that he was foolish for him to believe in the Shigofumi. He quickly runs to Asuna’s location, and meets her soon after she sees a woman off with her sister. Shota talks with Asuna on a bench that night, finding that she and her sister have been left by themselves. Asuna reveals that she plans on quitting high school in order to work, so that her sister would be able to reach her dreams in the future. Shota is unable to believe that Asuna is the culprit, so he quickly reveals that the rocket has been completed. He suggests that if the rocket successfully flies, Asuna should go out with him. Asuna apologizes to Shota because she cannot, when Shota turns to see Fumika watching them. Shota begins to yell out that he will believe Asuna over Fumika. However, he is quickly stabbed in the back by Asuna. As Fumika expresses how horrible living humans are, Asuna approaches and slashes with her still bloody knife.

ED: “Chain” by Snow* – The song is very slow and fitting. The animation is simple, but it definitely works.

Preview: The story continues with what looks like more focus on the Ayase sisters. I had chills has soon as Fumika said the word “rocket”.

Impression:

Wow. No seriously, WOW. This was amazing, and one of the best first episodes I’ve seen in a very long time (please forget that I watched Zoku today or this statement won’t work). I had discussions with resident JCStaff whore Aroduc before the season started about this show, as it is completely different from the stuff this studio usually does, but I suspected that they wouldn’t let us down. Well, I was right. This series is wonderfully done, from the animation to the awesome soundtrack. If this wasn’t interesting enough to watch on its own, the ending was nothing but epic and shocking. The certain person that I just mentioned had problems with the talking staff, but it didn’t really bother me that much. I mean, it’s the same stuff we get from ZnT and Shana right? As impressed as I was with this episode, I will definitely be continuing to watch it. This isn’t the type of show I usually blog though, so unless Tenka Seiha and Random Curiosity both fail to deliver, I probably won’t be covering this show. Oh by the way, girls that say “boku” ARE hot. Thanks.