Hello and welcome to another bi-weekly checkup of Kokkoku. This time we have one episode of action and mystery, while the other is the first dud of the season for Kokkoku. Apologies in advance, this is going to be a shorter one as there simply isn’t much to talk about. Lets jump in!
To start off, Kokkoku has been flagging recently. The cliffhangers for instance all fall short, as immediately upon starting the next episode they are resolved. Its like Kokkoku is afraid to leave the fate of its characters in question. Atleast in regards to the main cast. Then since this cliffhanger is over, Kokkoku chooses to throw more trouble Tsubasa’s way as he gives in to Stasis and slowly becomes a Handler. Really, if he was going to get pushed out or needed to be in danger, why not just continue it with the knife fight? I recognize that mystery of the Handlers and how Sagawa is planning to use them is central, but I don’t see the point of Tsubasa’s conflict anymore. The only interesting thing that can still happen to him would be for another spirit to choose him.
Speaking of Spirits, terrible info dump aside, we finally learn Sagawa’s master plan. Turns out hes not after world domination but just wants to live for a very long time. I have to admit its interesting, especially now that his cult is turning on him. I am glad to see that such a calculating and cold character doesn’t actually believe in his cult, just using it for his own gain. It makes a lot of sense now that you think about it. He was never particularly reverent to the Handlers and he never seemed to care about how Stasis was used. We was the least passionate about their religion. It makes sense now that we learn he was just using them for his own gain. With 5 episodes left, I am looking forward to what becomes of him and his plan, since he is transforming into a Handler now.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have everyone’s favorite father Takafumi, stepping in to be an unwitting antagonist. As the main source of comedy in Kokkoku, I am quite fond of Takafumi. The man is funny because of how pitiful he is, not because he is actively trying to get a laugh. Even the comedy from him comes from the minute details, the care the creators put, into showing off Stasis. His fight with a vending machine while everyone else is having a serious discussion got a good chuckle from me. As did his dark but amusing descent into “Might makes right”, Make Stasis Great Again, philosophy. I expect Takafumi will either unwittingly solve everything, or more likely, plunge the last few episodes into chaos. Either way he is sure to make it amusing.
All in all, after the action of episode 6 as Juri takes down the Handlers, episode 7 falls flat. Majima’s side story with her family is complete, even getting her brother back and proving Sagawa can indeed survive being a Handler. However with her role complete she is not necessarily safe, and neither is our new Thug friend who is quickly becoming a good addition to the group. I suspect one or both of these two wont make it out of the series in one piece, but maybe thats just a hope on my part. Still should be interesting to see what becomes of Sagawa next week. See you then!
Note: Apologies for the short one this week. Work combined with Kokkoku simply falling out of interest has made writing on it generally tedious affairs. Hopefully with the main plot coming to a head though, the inspiration strikes and Kokkoku becomes worth 700+ words a week again. See you next week folks!
Biweekly posts are the move. Glad people are catching on. 😉