Taking it all into consideration, I think Momoyuki Mogura is the most interesting character of the season. Among non-sequels, anyway. Despite his frequent ventures into comedic territory (Momoyuki would be a natural at rakugo), there’s a palpable gravitas to the guy. He’s been there, done that – seen it all and then some. He’s tired, he’s cynical. Hell, he’s trying to find a way to die. But there something heroic and noble to Mogura-san, all the more so because he’s so utterly disinterested in calling attention to that fact. I think Dekin no Mogura has more gravitas generally than Hoozuki no Reitetsu in fact, and Momoyuki than anyone in it. That was much more a straight-up if utterly esoteric comedy – The Earthbound Mole tackles weightier topics with more earnestness.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say Eguchi’s writing has a bit of a rakugo feel to it (and this only just struck me). Both in Hoozuki and Dekin no Mogura – there’s a flow to it, a rhythm, a sense of rakugo in the way it pulls you into the story. Her characters are larger than life in the way rakugo characters often are, even the everyman and everywoman ones. This whole island arc could be a black comic rakugo story very easily, and Momoyuki would be equally at home as the rakugoka or the main character.
“Should we mind our own business? Honestly I don’t know… Call it being a busybody or self-serving, I can’t deny that. But at the very least, I’ve seen too many people die without anyone noticing. And others feeling regret because they didn’t notice”. If any speech sums up a character, it’s that one with Mogura. It’s clear that “notice” is a hugely important word to him – “seeing is noticing” is practically a mantra. He doesn’t have the option to not see what others choose not to – the weight of his long existence is the ability to see everything. And the weight of his conscience is the imperative to act. He’s basically a superhero, this guy, in his own way. And one who really hates injustice.
I really want to know why the Universe has decided to punish this man for being too good – but all in good time (and good sequels, hopefully – the manga sales are strong). What’s happening to Mori-kun is obviously bad, but the more we learn of it the worse it gets. And Momoyuki just isn’t going to take that lying down. There’s evil in this place that needs ass-kicking, to be sure – but the priority is Mori. He’s in a bad way, so much so that Momoyuki is convinced he could be gathered up by the merfolk at any time. Even if they can do nothing more for him than be with him at the moment, that’s probably what he needs more than anything else (as Momoyuki knows all too well). “Some people want to die because they want to live.”
Mori-kun doesn’t want to talk, that’s for sure. But Momoyuki is insistent. And if there’s anyone he trusts in the world, it’s Yaeko. Sadly, that’s why it was so hard for him when she left the island. The story he relates is heartbreaking. Mori came to the island as a middle-schooler, and was immediately popular for his good looks and kindness. But he turned Yui down (“not my type”), and even if Mori’s father hadn’t gotten on the Samejima family’s bad side too, one suspects that would have been reason enough for Yui to destroy him. And she goes about it systematically and ruthlessly, spreading a wealth of false rumors about Mori that in a closed ecosystem like this because so accepted that even Mori begins to have trouble distinguishing them from the truth.
As this conversation is happening Father and Son Nekozuku are continuing to research the merfolk legend. Yae-chan’s dad takes them into the family kura, which is full of all sorts of treasures (as one suspects many of them are). Dad asks Great-grandpa if he knows anything that could be of us, and the old man directs them to a chest containing his father’s notes. He also finds his old knapsack from the war, a quick glance into which sets him off on some chilling reminiscences. And when Dad notes that Mogura-san has the same style of pack, it seems the light of recognition is still very much burning in the old man’s eyes.
What happens out on the dock is almost battle shounen stuff. Mori’s head seems to clear almost Theoden-style once he’s able to talk to people who actually believe and understand him. But Yui shows up at the perfect moment and that’s enough to send him back into existential panic. So much so that the merfolk chooses that moment to drag him into the sea. Magi-kun’s true colors show through in a crisis moment, as so often happens, and he grabs Mori’s ankles just as he’s going over the railing. But Mori outweighs him by a fair bit, and the pair of them tumble towards the water. Maggie shows off his impressive spiritual powers again – not quite enough to float all that weight back to the pier, but enough to deflect the waters and allow Magi to breathe (and rescue the injured Mori-kun).
That injury is a serious one and he’s bleeding out, but Momoyuki (he’s just showing off now) slathers some of his ghostfire on a sacred arrow and fires it to Merfolk Rock, grazing the wound just enough for the ghost fire to heal it. Confronted by the furious company president, Momoyuki-san almost wistfully observes that of the three of them the President actually has some redeeming qualities, if only he were “weaned”. And he makes it clear on no uncertain terms, he’s on to their entire game. Not only that, he ties the Samejima directly to the merfolk – though how literal his accusation is I’m not 100% certain. Momoyuki may be the nicest guy in the universe, but he’s definitely not someone you want pissed off at you.
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