Spoilers ahead and probably my last review of the series. My thoughts on this series remain all over the place in all honesty which shows how deeply confused the series has become 🤦🏻♀️
The final stage of grief: acceptance.
Through a combination of finally coming to terms with the fact that this series isn’t what it was and looking for and seeing the themes the series is communicating now, this volume was okay (copium).
The exposition dump from Mizuha (or Left Hand I suppose) at the start of the volume at least has answered some questions and gaps are starting to be filled in which has got the ball rolling and Bon’s new role as ‘deus ex-planus’ to give helpful insight when needed is at least pushing us forward (maybe Bon could be the new Man in Black? 🤔)
The grey area that’s being discussed is interesting to an extent, concerning if the knockers are doing a good thing in their eyes as the hosts they inhabit wanted to die before being taken over. While I don’t believe there’s too much nuance in this (parasites are people too shrugs???) it does shine a dark light on Fushi’s goal. Assimilation and integration is a form of peace, if everyone is the same and accepts their hosts then there is no war. Isn’t this the peaceful world Fushi dreamt of now being realised with the newly ‘evolved’ knockers and human race?
While I miss the old, calm and collected Fushi from the previous ‘past’ arc, these violent outbursts displaying his saviour complex have become a lot of fun. Accompanied by the chapter where Mizuha accepts Left Hand and the knocker that’s taken over her mothers body made for a wonderful chapter.
All that aside, a genuinely good chapter was the one focusing on Mimori from volume 15 and seeing her resolve to live after reaching the darkest point a person could ever find themselves in. In a series with such dark themes, it’s nice seeing someone rise above and vow to see themselves into a better future and I truly hope there’s more of this in the series from here on. Also, seeing the differences in how Fushi thinks people would receive the dirt ball he made with the little girl was interesting to see. Like I said before, there isn’t much nuance in the whole ‘should we let parasites live and allow them to kick humans souls out of their bodies’ line but this segment of the chapter illustrated that while Fushi may not be able to give love himself just yet, he can see the signs of it and feel it.
All this being said, it pains me to think about what this series could have been. The unique air around the first few chapters has gone in favour of Oima falling back on a setting she may be more comfortable with. Thankfully the themes are still there and are pulling the series together but that lingering thought of what could have been and what we had is still there.