Train to the End of the World – Episode 09

Episode Synopsys:

Yoka is living in Ikebukuro, her reality-altering powers (and by extension the current state of the world) kept nervously under control by Pontaro and his henchman, Pochi. Meanwhile, the girls and their train are approaching, but they meet up again with the map-maker in his swan boat. He tells them that Ikebukuro is physically expanding, and at some point reality will collapse if things stay the way they are. He also gives them a vague warning that the Witch of Ikebukuro has powers that will be difficult to go up against. Undeterred, the girls continue on their way.

Episode Review:

For the first time, the show really pulls back the curtain on what’s going on in Ikebukuro, and with Yoka. Contrary to anything people on the outside have guessed or wondered, there’s really no one in charge, and no plan; instead, everything there is in an extremely fragile balance of sorts. With the disaster that is 7G, Pontaro has one objective – to not take the blame.

The best way to avoid blame? Don’t let the world return to the way it was. Unfortunately for him, he has no direct control over the state of the world. It is Yoka’s mental and emotional state that is reflected in reality, so avoiding blame means keeping her stable and relatively happy. She herself seems to have been significantly affected by the 7G event, often confused, with little to no long-term memory, and clearly unwilling to examine herself or her surroundings critically.

The result is a deeply unstable kind of stability, where the two men are constantly mollifying and coddling Yoka so she’ll never have to feel unhappy or sad about anything. Because if she does…

…she’ll use her reality-altering powers to obliterate the offending thing. In this case turning a person who wants her to return the world to normal into a small cup of egg custard

(side note: what is it with Japan and having magic users turn people into food?)