Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to Blue Reflection Ray, in the wake of a confrontation that proved devastating for our would-be heroes. Hiori’s positive attitude has always seemed brittle at best, an aspirational facade draped over a core of hurt and longing for her sister’s return. Having been abandoned by both her mother and sister, she was nonetheless beginning to embrace the new family of her fellow reflectors – until her sister Mio at last reappeared, now dedicated to stealing the pain from the hearts of others, and with a replacement sister standing at her side.
Hiori’s situation echoes the moral ambiguity of our reflectors’ general ambitions. Though they seek to address the pain of others through offering companionship and nurturing their hopes, Hiori clearly demonstrates that such an approach doesn’t necessarily address or repair their core emotional wounds. If even a blue reflector like Hiori is only pretending to have overcome her trauma, what right do any of our heroes have to claim their mission is just, particularly when the alleged victims of the red reflectors are outright telling them to mind their own business. Is it truly any healthier to live with trauma than to excise it? We cling to the post-hoc rationalization that suffering makes us who we are, but is it fundamentally noble to feel broken, or are we simply attempting to draw meaning from the senseless violence of life? With such difficult questions now clouding the air, we return to the battlefield of Blue Reflection Ray!
Episode 8
“Panic.” Yep, sounds about right
We open with Ruka relaying the events of the last episode to Miyako. A scene that naturally illustrates this production’s limitations, as it’s mostly composed of pans that avoid any movement beyond the occasional lip flaps
Miyako demonstrates her fundamentally kind nature, saying “that’s too cruel” and immediately inquiring about Hiori’s condition. Though she acts snarky and aloof, she actually seems to be the most sensitive and driven member of our team, as demonstrated during the Princess Yuki mission
“I wonder what’s for breakfast today. I’m starving!” Hiori arrives, and has unsurprisingly chosen to suppress her feelings regarding her sister’s reappearance, clinging to her usual cheerful persona. It’s the method she’s always used for handling her grief, and again calls into question how our blue reflectors are truthfully any different from the red reflectors. If the only two choices are to bury your trauma deep beneath a fake persona or forget it entirely, who wouldn’t choose to forget?
The other two fret over Hiori’s true feelings as she throws herself into class activities, finding whatever work she can to presumably distract herself. As her sharp asides in earlier episodes demonstrated, she’s used to suppressing her sorrow and bitterness
Miyako reflects on her own reasons for wanting to keep her dark feelings – how she felt they were a meaningful part of her, and that she wouldn’t actually be herself with those feelings extracted. It’s likely the best argument for the blue reflectors’ mission, but it’s unsurprisingly not a compelling pitch to people who are simply suffering, who cannot see their traumatized selves as anything but broken versions of their old selves
Miyako herself can’t deny the appeal of the red reflectors’ offer. I appreciate the acuity of her perspective; we’re not wasting any time on belligerently challenging the philosophy of their opponents, as Miyako can recognize from the start that what they are offering is understandably valuable
Miyako’s understanding of the opposing perspective makes it hard for her to know what to say to Ruka or Hiori, because she’s not even certain that what they’re doing is right
Momo takes the first step to clear the air, apologizing to Hiori and revealing her history with Mio
Momo reveals their parent organization may know something, but is refusing to elaborate. Even more ambiguity regarding the morality of their quest
Hiori once more attempts to put on a brave face, simply restating their most urgent objectives, but Ruka won’t have it. She’s not only come to know Hiori too well for this, she’s also gained the courage to speak out – the quality she previously praised in Hiori, her ability to actually reach out and lend a hand to those who are hurting. Embodying the strength she has gained from spending all this time with Hiori, she drags her away from the other two, and demands she acknowledge the pain that she’s surely feeling
“You just keep doing things for others. It’s so annoying… and frustrating.” I appreciate that in spite of this clear character growth, she’s still not actually good at articulating herself. She’s gained courage, but is still the same awkward, too-blunt speaker, the kind of person who has learned through unhappy experience to keep her thoughts to herself
Their hands part at this outburst, a break in connection underlined by Hiori’s “we didn’t resonate today. I wonder why”
Meanwhile, over at the red reflector church, Mio is still thinking about her confrontation with Hiori, which has Niina in turn worried about her own bond with Mio
And Momo decides to search for Mio on her own, certain that Mio still loves her sister. Momo’s recklessness and Miyako’s thoughtful pragmatism make for a fun contrast – I assume they’ll eventually become a pair as well, and am looking forward to seeing them bicker their way there
Hiori takes Ruka to a rooftop garden to talk privately. Interesting how this greenery echoes the floral patterned backgrounds of the reflector world, which is also a place of unvarnished emotional honesty. A minor visual motif there, one that contrasts against how technology in this world is often exploited as a false promise of connection that ultimately just leaves people feeling more isolated
“At times… no, you were always annoying.” Ruka can’t really turn off her brutal honesty. She’s the opposite of Hiori, who always masks what she truly feels behind a chipper facade
“Just like you care so much about everyone else’s feelings, I want you to realize how important your feelings are, too.” Ruka and Miyako are in truth the only successful instances of the blue reflector philosophy, while Hiori has learned to suppress her feelings, and Momo’s feelings seem to have been tampered with in a manner similar to the red reflectors
Hiori essentially talks her way into confidence confessing her feelings, first beginning with neutral reflections on how the fireworks must have seemed from this rooftop, and from there winding her way towards admitting everything that happened on the bridge, and how she frankly isn’t sure how to feel anymore. This show’s character-rich dialogue remains its greatest strength; everyone has a voice and a perspective, but they all feel naturalistic, conveying great differences in perspective without relying on exaggerated affectations (except for when the characters are consciously putting on such affectations)
“Why did I want my feelings taken? What did I want to do?” Even the pied piper of the red reflectors is now doubting her cause, realizing that without her negative feelings, she has no motivation at all. I suppose that is the strongest counter to their philosophy – that without the great tumult of our emotions, we simply cease to exist as passionate, driven actors in the world. We live without purpose, content purely with the fact that we’re not being hurt
“I can’t remember myself. I can’t remember how I felt or what I was thinking… at all.” The promise of the red reflectors is fantastical, but it’s a fair enough parallel for the various ways we can actually turn from pain by courting mental oblivion
“I don’t exist.” Without her feelings, painful as they are, she is nothing
“I guess I’m already dead.” There is sadly only one escape from the inherent anguish of consciousness
With nothing left to feel or live for, Kana walks in front of a truck, but is saved by Hiori and Ruka
“Does that mean that once you lose your feelings, you disappear? Does my sister know that?” Hiori’s learning more about Mio, but it’s not particularly comforting knowledge
Ooh, I like this sort of “videotape rewind” effect they use for the world falling into red reflector darkness. This production’s resources are certainly limited, but they’re offering what flourishes they can for these witch world sequences
Apparently the red reflector Shino has the ability to conjure this domain, and make all within it vulnerable to extraction
But Hiori still can’t transform. Ruka again demonstrates her personal growth, assuring Hiori that everything will be okay. It seems she’s learned that trick from Hiori, of believing in a better ending and thereby making it possible
The stolen emotions are transferred directly to the church’s windows, suffering captured within the glass
Ruka attempts to counter Shino’s spell, banishing this miasma with a power of her own. And looking up at her brave friend, Hiori is reminded of how her sister used to protect her as well
“I hated that other people saw our lives as sad, so I always made sure to smile in front of others.” Her mother’s disappearance swiftly taught her to dislike being pitied. Mio was the only one she was able to cry with, and Hiori’s been holding in her pain ever since losing her too
Her memories bring clarity: she still loves her sister, and she trusts in Ruka’s feelings as well. Even if she doesn’t know how things will proceed, she holds these things true
And Done
Thus Hiori can finally cry in Ruka’s arms, once again holding her feelings tightly, and no longer apologizing or pretending to be brave. A crucial episode for Hiori, who’s been concealing her suffering ever since this series began, and who has only acquired new reasons to feel lost and abandoned along the way. But alongside the revelation of her sister’s disappearance, she has also found Ruka, a friend with whom she no longer has to perform a cheerfulness she can’t actually feel. To hide your feelings behind a mask is little different from what the red reflectors are doing – it is a denial of self, a tragic assumption that feeling nothing is preferable to engaging with your pain. But it is only through embracing our feelings that we can hope to accept and move beyond them – and with Ruka at her side, it seems Hiori is ready to reach out to her sister as well.
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