| Title: | Mushi-Uta |
| Episode: | 05: Stumbled Upon Dream |
| Synopsis | |
| Shiika awakens in Rina (Ladybird)'s studio apartment. Rina notes how cheerful she is for a Mushitsuki, and invites her to stay there. She also asks Shiika to come along as she visits her mother's grave. Rina describes her unhappy childhood, how she became a Mushitsuki, and her goal of crushing the SEPB. She also mentions her hopes of finding the powerful Mushitsuki known as the Winter Firefly--not knowing that Shiika and the Winter Firefly are one and the same. Then she insists that Shiika goes shopping with her, to provide her with some clothes. Back at the apartment, Rina deduces that Shiika has a boyfriend; the same seems to go for her, though she is embarassed and denies it. Late at night, Rina recieves a signal and finds MinMin waiting on her balcony. MinMin informs her that apparently the SEPB let Winter Firefly escape from Kaihin Park, and also that she got into a fight with Kakkou and may not be of much use as a spy anymore. At school the next day gossip about the incident at the park is flying about. Rina meets fellow Mushibane members Mosquito and Snail. Shiika can't help thinking about Kakkou; he feels the same way about her. After dark Kakkou meets Keigo Haji. Their conversation reminds him of his first mission as an SEPB Mushitsuki, in which he was sent to capture the Winter Firefly. That, and perform a little dirty work... | |
| Comments | |
| As I watched the first scene of this episode, I got the feeling that maybe I'd missed an episode. How did Shiika wind up at Rina's place?
What did Rina mean when she thanked Shiika "for saving me yesterday"? Did the SEPB opening it's cordon to let Shiika escape also enable Rina and the others to do likewise? Why was Shiika allowed to escape? Because she's so precious to Kakkou, and if she were harmed he might turn on the SEPB? Rina clearly doesn't realise that Shika is the Winter Firefly--does Shiika know it herself? The chemistry between Rina and Shiika, and the cleverness of the script and plot in beneral, left me grinning as I watched. The episodes go so fast--a sure sign of an entrancing show. This is a show which just leaves you itching for the next episode. In the case of most shows--even ones I like a lot--I don't allow myself to watch the next episode until I've watched an episode of pretty much all the other series I'm into; but this one I watch almost as soon as the episodes become available. Mushi-Uta is really classy--yes, that's the best word I can think of to describe it. The overall quality is like a magnet attracting me to it. I usually watch the AnimeOmake fansub, but in this case I watched the SBS Fansubs version (because it became available first). I was confused a bit by some words which one version translated but the other left in (Romanized) Japanese. For example: Fuyohotaru (SBS) = Winter Firefly (AnimeOmake) "Host" (SBS) = Mushitsuki (AnimeOmake) "Fallen" (SBS) = Ketsurakusha (AnimeOmake) Masks play a major part here--well, not in this particular episode, but in the series in general. If it weren't for masks, Rina and Kakkou would have recognized each other as schoolmates (Kakkou does seem to get a feeling that he's seen Rina somewhere before in this episode). You might think it's a simplistic ploy, but I like the way thinks are working out. At one point Rina urges Shiika to call her boyfriend, never dreaming that the "boyfriend" is the one person she hates more than any other! Another important element--I don't know if we'll ever get an explanation--is the term "place where we belong". Is it just that being a Mushitsuki makes people hate and fear you, so they feel like outsiders? Or something more? "I won't give up" Kakkou says, "I'll fight to find a place where I belong. So, someday, you'll remember your dreams, too." Remembering dreams seems important, too. Rina tells Mosquito and Snail that they needn't fear becoming a Seichuuka like Centi as long as they "don't forget your dreams". Thie version of Kakkou and Shiika's first meeting in this episode was a little different from the one in the first episode. What did Shiika mean when she said "let's become one" or "you can have my dream"? It must have something to do with why she recovered from becoming a Ketsurakusha (assuming she ever really did). A few more things... What was that computer chip-like device which Kakkou gave to Haji? A tracker to reveal his location (and proof that Haji doesn't trust him)? Finally, Shiika mentions "I just remembered another boy I met a long time ago", which kind of confirms that she doesn't remember that "Daisuke-kun" and the SEPB operative who shot her Mushi are one and the same--yet another incident of Masking, perhaps! Oh yeah, next episode trailers are done in a relatively silly style. Mushi-Uta is looking good and I'm eager for the next episode. I wonder why nobody else has submitted a review... | |
