Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter

Episode 7

I'd say it's a testament to my own preference for storytelling sensibilities and just how far those of the Yuki Yuna series have come that I felt this story revolving around Chikage got much more interesting after she died. Dealing with the fallout that comes from the former Hero's actions, the circumstances her departure leaves the team in, and this whole story's situation as a prequel is a compelling piece of world-building, because we (as well as presumably the present-day Hero crew reading the story) can see the seeds of how things progressed to the system we know today. Given the nature of the franchise and this novel-adaptation story's place therein, we could of course always guess that things were going to turn out badly for Nogi the First and Proto-Yuna. But not only do those devilish details make that expected outcome engaging regardless, but the more reflective parts of the plot we've arrived at also manage to push those emotional buttons this series is always grasping for.

Of course, before we can talk about the show's effective handling of the aftermath of Chikage's death, we have to actually watch her die. I don't think the fight between her and Nogi is the best Hero vs Hero battle that Yuki Yuna has ever delivered, as the CGI use seems a little more clunky and obvious than in the past (I do appreciate the cool dissolve effect on Chikage's scythe as she loses her powers right before landing her last blow on Nogi though). Rather, the thematic and character threads that get hashed out here work well in setting up what's to come, while somewhat smoothing over those issues of motivation on Chikage's part I was unsure about last week. Particularly, I'm into the idea that the "Side Effects of the Spirit System" excuse is more Nogi trying to whitewash the situation than anything else, as Chikage's accusations of her former comrade's platitudes call the degrees of Nogi's motivations into question carrying on through the rest of this episode.

The question of the Heroes being 'public' figures at this point in the timeline, the effects on them because of that, and the contrast with how we know they're set up later seems to be the driving theme of this arc. It interrogates the role of such 'heroes' in society both in fiction and in real life: In Wakaba Nogi's time, the people of the world are aware of the terrible situation with the Vertexes, and the Heroes are meant to provide hope in the face of that. Whether that not actually working is meant to be a commentary by the writing on how such efforts would inevitably end in the real world, or simply intended as a reflection of the opposite informative tactic being enforced in Yuki Yuna's time, is perhaps a matter for later, more broad debate.

Rather, in the moment, the expressed idea here is that we must remember that 'Heroes' in their setting are still people, and can't act as platitude-reinforcing monoliths at all times. This persists even at times where an understanding of narratives would dictate otherwise; As we see with Chikage's final sacrifice, and how it's clearly less about actually saving Nogi in that last moment, and more about simply trying to end her own life in a way that lets her forgive herself for what she's done. A heroic act that helps others, but actually done for yourself. Have the other Heroes been better than that, or are they too aware that the only reason they didn't go down the same path as Chikage was because they knew enough not to read the comments?

That sort of raw search for answers in the wake of a tragedy is the center of this episode that I think makes it work as well as it does. As I mentioned last week, I recognize Chikage's status as a victim in her own story regardless of the deeds she perpetrated therein, and that's reinforced with the indignity of her even being left out of the original version of the Hero Memorial. In a way, that's carried on by the narrative itself, that the telling of her story only becomes more nuanced and interesting after her passing. But the real-world-style effects of such a happening are specifically leaned into by Great Mankai Chapter here, using this as an opportunity to tackle depicting that hard situation of discussing the bad things a person did after they've died. The Heroes can remember the actual good times they had with Chikage even then, reinforcing that there really are no easy answers among the choices of fighting a losing battle for the sake of a public increasingly hostile towards them, or only looking out for themselves despite the nominally noble task they've been assigned. With that in mind, it's probably a good thing that this prequel story came so long after everything we've seen of the Yuki Yuna show proper, as at this point we know that things did finally manage to get better.

I've been vocal about my issue with Yuki Yuna delving too far into mere misery porn, but I think this episode actually avoids that. It's grim as the subject matter it's cultivated for itself must be, but it leverages that to explore new thematic ground about the old Hero System. It lets its characters (Chikage included) ask the question of the overall value of parading out characters like this if they primarily exist to be subjected to traumas as dramatic outlets or scapegoats. In that respect, I can see the value in adapting this series after the previous two seasons, and its portrayals of Hero scandal PR cleanup and magical girl press conferences makes a clear case for its unique past setting. What I'm saying is, not only did this episode work for me, but this point it's arrived at retroactively made me appreciate the journey of the previous couple episodes a bit more. I think the quality of Chikage's story is complex to judge on its own merits, but that platitude embodied by the remaining characters in this episode, for her sake or their own, rings true: I won't be forgetting her any time soon.

Rating:

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Chris is a freelance writer who appreciates anime, action figures, and additional ancillary artistry. He can be found staying up way too late posting screencaps on his Twitter.