©Ino Asano/Shogakukan/DeDeDeDe Committee
This is another of these episodes where we move away from our core duo so that we can get a better idea of what’s happening at large. Thus, we focus on three people: Ikeda, Tsutomu, and Futaba.
Ikeda is the soldier we’ve seen struggling with his job in past episodes. He’s one of the first to kill an alien and is also one of the few to admit that the aliens seem to have human emotions—and seem to be trying to communicate in their final moments. In this episode, we see him return to his childhood home while on leave from the JSDF.
To say Ikeda is struggling would be an understatement. On one level, he feels the need to defend himself by attacking the position of those who want peace as naive do-nothings. But this is just deflection. The real issue is that he can’t admit to himself that what he’s doing is wrong because the moment he does, he’s not a soldier but a murderer. Yet, deep down, he knows this to be true. This is why he doesn’t want others to treat his sins as nothing more than bug extermination and doesn’t want people who have no idea what it means to take a life to crack jokes about the genocide he’s taking part in. He’s on the edge of breaking down completely and has no one in his professional or personal life supporting him.
On the other side of things is Tsutomu, the alien from a few episodes back who was reunited with his lover only to have her murdered brutally in front of him. Yet, despite this, he still wants peace and believes there is some way to communicate with humans. Unfortunately, the Japanese government has decided to cut out the human variable entirely and instead send in AI-controlled murder machines. So Tsutomu, surrounded by the bodies of the dozens of alien children who admired him faces the question, can you actually be a pacifist when your people are on the receiving end of a genocide?
Lastly, we have Futaba. When she came to Tokyo, it was to challenge her ideals. Of course, she immediately fell in with the first group that supported them and has since become a true believer in the cause. However, she’s now learning that few others share her zeal. Most of her friends, including her boyfriend, have left the group—revealing it to be a fad for young idealistic youth eager to change the world more than anything else. Once the novelty has worn off, they’re ready to move on.
With declining membership, the group has started to wonder if protests and fliers are enough—so they begin to change their ideals. What was once a peaceful organization is radicalizing, turning to violence to make their point. This leaves Futaba wondering about her place in the whole thing. Does she need to compromise her beliefs for the greater good? Is violence needed to show commitment to one’s ideals?
There are no answers in this episode—not for Ikeda, Tsutomu, or Futaba. Each are caught in their own moral quagmires with no way out. In the end, only one group of people seem truly happy: Kadode, Ouran, and friends. And that’s the real pessimistic message of this episode: perhaps the best way to live is purposely ignoring the world as it burns around you.
Rating:
Random Thoughts:
• This episode is almost entirely made up of new footage not seen in the film version of the story.
• It’s interesting to note that aliens see humans as invaders. That sounds like something that has greater implications as things go on.
• Is there anything more telling of Kenichi as a character than him being upset the government is killing too many aliens and ruining his fun? It shows he’s more concerned with personal revenge than any actual ideals.
• Also, it’s Ouran’s birthday—and she was totally not expecting that party.
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction is currently streaming on
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