| "Choices", "Sentaku" (選択) | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 6 | |
| File:Mark.jpg | |
| Air date | May 11th, 2008 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Greed" |
Next "A Mind Made Up" |
Opening Song: "Crawl"
Ending Song: "HIKARI"
Production Cast[]
Director: Kunihisa Sugishima
Series Composition: Michiko Yokote
Original Creator: Yuhki Kamatani
Character Design: Kazunori Iwakura
Music: Michiru Ooshima
Production: J.C.Staff
Published: Monthly GFantasy
Voice Cast[]
Miharu Rokujou: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)
Yoite: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese), Joel McDonald (English)
Tobari Durandal Kumohira: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Eric Vale (English)
Kouichi Aizawa: Satoshi Hino (Japanese), Chris Burnett (English)
Raimei Shimizu: Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese), Kate Oxley (English)
Yukimi Kazuhiko: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English)
Tojuro Hattori: Jōji Nakata (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)
Masami Yamase: Tohru Kusano (Japanese), Chuck Huber (English)
Episode Summary[]
After regaining consciousness, Kouichi and Raimei still feel shaken up from Yoite’s attack, but quickly seek out Tobari, who just returned to Banten. Kouichi informs him that they’ve searched all over the city, but there aren’t any traces as to where Miharu may have been taken. Upon hearing that, Tobari blames himself for sending the others back earlier and decides to head straight to Iga, but Kouichi and Raimei insist that he calms down and gets some rest for now. Kumohira refuses to rest and starts worrying about what he’ll do if Miharu is killed, which causes Kouichi to adamantly tell him to properly calm down, realizing that Yoite could have easily killed them, but didn’t. Because of this, he believes that the Kairoushu definitely won’t kill Miharu either. Finally settled, Kumohira apologizes and decides to rest for a bit, while thinking things over.
While spying on them from above, Yukimi informs Tojuro over the phone that Yoite isn’t around and Yamase is off somewhere. Tojuro tells Yukimi that Yoite is probably close to his limit already, so it’ll be troublesome if they don’t “complete” him properly. Yukimi is more worried about Yoite’s unpredictable behaviour though, such as his random killings, but Tojuro reminds him that in order to change the world, you have to be an evolutionist and a criminal. Yukimi says he’ll abide by the leader’s decisions, but rants a bit about how he’s a writer on the surface world, but now has to gather information. In any case, Tojuro orders him to look after Yoite and tells him to contact his secretary for more orders.
Meanwhile, Miharu is “accompanying” Yoite and asks him if he uses the Kira - a technique that kills himself in the process - for the Kairoushu’s sake. He also wonders if he wants the hijutsu even if it means he’ll die, to which Yoite simply replies that he’s not alive, so he doesn’t fear dying. The two of them eventually makes their way to an abandoned railroad site littered with damaged train cars, where Yoite says he only wants to talk to Miharu and that this doesn’t concern the Kairoushu. Yoite says that he wants Miharu to grant him his wish—the wish to erase his existence. Miharu interprets this as wanting to die, but Yoite says that he wants him to change his past so that he was never “born” into the world. He tells Miharu that he doesn’t have to understand, but Yoite wishes he could never use the Kira in the first place. Hearing that, Miharu feels that he understands, but says he can’t use the hijutsu because the wisdom is too much for him. While his head overflows with information, it’s been drilled into his mind that he has to obtain this power. Miharu feels that he can’t do anything as he is now, and is not prepared yet. Yoite says if he’s able to clear that obstacle, he can obtain the highly sought after wisdom. When Yoite questions what Miharu plans to do with the hijutsu, he simply says that he’ll do nothing but get rid of it right away and return to a normal lifestyle. Yoite is a bit puzzled by this and tells him that the Shinra Banshou is his and that he should use it. Miharu simply says that Kumohira once said that the universe’s laws aren’t something that people should change, but Yoite says people have done tons of selfish things already. Miharu reverts back to his apathetic ways at this point, so Yoite questions if he has anyone important to him that he may want to save, or if going on without any love is his personal rule. Hearing this, Miharu says that it was a promise, but he doesn’t recall with whom. Yoite then lectures Miharu on his indifference and says that if he really doesn’t care either way, then he'll obtain the power nonethless and use it for his sake. If he can’t do that, Yoite suggests handing the hijutsu over to him. Miharu says that he can’t even if he wanted to, but Yoite mentions how the Fuuma ninja are also gathering the kinjutsu to develop a technique that will extract the hijutsu. Miharu however says the user may still die while trying to master the Shinra Banshou.
Yamase abruptly later arrives and tries to retrieve Miharu so that he can redeem some credibility back to Kairoushu, but Yoite decides to kill him with his Kira in front of Miharu and makes him watch. Shortly after, Miharu manages to run away into the bamboo forest, but Yoite quickly catches up. After coughing up some blood, Yoite surprisingly says that Miharu is dying more than he is. He then provides Miharu with three options: One - he will no longer concern himself with the hijutsu. Two - use it for his own sake. And three - use it for Yoite's sake. However, Yoite adds the stipulation that if Miharu chooses either options one or two, he’ll kill his friends right away with the fragment of his ki (life force) he’s shot into each of them during the battle in Fuuma. Hearing this troubled Miharu and he questions as to why, so Yoite says it’s because he’s apathetic and wouldn’t think about suicide or revenge.
Miharu is reminded of the words that Tobari, Kouichi, and Raimei said to him before, but before he can decide, Yoite dispels the Kira that’s been affecting the vision in his right eye. Yoite explains that he’s the only one who can do so and that his lifespan isn’t very long, so he needs Miharu to hurry up and obtain the hijutsu and grant his wish. Placed in a difficult position with no real choice to begin with, Miharu chooses option number three, so that no one dies for his sake. According to Miharu, this was the easiest choice since he was always troubled by people being nice to him when he had nothing to offer in return. This way he can alleviate his friends' burdens.
Enthused by his response, Yoite tells Miharu that this is their secret. He tells Miharu to consult with him about anything he might need before he can finally disappear from this world. He also claims that he’s going to help him be the Ruler of Nabari. The two then head back to Miharu’s house, during which Yoite explains their plans of continuing to collect the kinjutsus as they have always been. Since kinjutsus are unlike any other normal technique, Yoite feels that it should give them a manual of how to use the Shinra Banshou once they've collected it all and learn it. According to Yoite - with great risk to the user’s mind and body - a kinjutsu is a technique that comes at a really high cost, but is unparalleled by other techniques, just as the Shinra Banshou is. Yoite explains that while the Kairoushu are collecting the kinjutsu to develop a technique to extract the Shinra Banshou, they're only interested in finding a technique on how to use it. Exhausted from talking so much in a very long time, Yoite takes his leave, but not before Miharu confirms that they’ll meet again. Kumohira, Kouichi, and Raimei later drops by Miharu’s okonomiyaki store and are surprised to find him there. Kumohira breaks out in tears of joy and is all over Miharu, but gets punched in the process.
Returning to his apartment, Yoite finds Yukimi there, who doesn’t question where he went, but just wants to confirm that he didn’t kill Miharu. After confirming that he didn’t, Yoite questions Yukimi if he’s truly alive, since no one ever really recognizes him. Yukimi reiterates that he’s alive, since "Your breathing the air, ain't you?", but Yoite wonders if he’s actually concerned about anyone for their own sake. In the surface world and the Nabari world, he feels that all he can do is injure people, but Yukimi says that’s just how some people live. Offering him a cup of hot lemon tea, Yukimi says that alive or dead, he'll always be welcomed. He also mentions the saying, “when it rains, taking shelter from the rain is the right thing to do; when it feels gloomy, going home is good” before going back to filing his report. In response to this, Yoite says he has a bad feeling about that, but Yukimi simply says that’s why he hates emo kids.
Trivia[]
- Notice, that although this is the first time they've spoken, both Yoite and Miharu call each other by their first names alone, without the usual polite suffixes of address (in their cases, -san or -kun) that we expect in Japanese dialogue. This is a familiar, even intimate, gesture that's normally reserved for close friends and those you know well, and it would usually be considered presumptuous and rude to use it in a first meeting. Ordinarily, in these circumstances, we could guess that they were speaking as enemies and deliberately acted to insult each other - but their manner and tone - especially in parting, makes it clear that the opposite is the case - they feel known to each other almost at once, and they realize that the feeling is mutual.