This is a massive, massive spoiler about the ending of Shingu. Do not read it unless you've seen the series.

There's a really subtle thing I've noticed in the art of the last episode after Nayuta returns to the field. A lot of the kids seem to be glowing. All the ones that look like they're glowing are Tenmo natives, celestial/human hybrids, but not all of the Tenmo natives glow. Jirou doesn't, for instance.

Which I think may be a clue about how the situation was redeemed. After Nayuta lost control and was overwhelmed by the power, Jiltosh fought against the emerging form of Mugen. He had just managed to beat it down to the point where the humanoid form had gone away again, but there was still an uncontrolled energy flow which had to be defused.

Jiltosh thought that Nayuta was gone, consumed by the energy. Actually, of course, she was still in there. But she couldn't see out. She didn't know where she was, or what direction Earth was. Hajime was able to find her and reach her, and we saw a symbolic clasp of hands.

So why did that save the situation? Here's what I've come up with: After Muryou and Hajime show up, there's 3 minutes of straight plot exposition by Jiltosh. One of the things he says is that the people of Tenmo have been acting as a sort of safety valve for the power under Tenmo mountain, bleeding energy out of it so that it didn't detonate -- or words to that effect.

Nayuta knew what to do. The problem was that she didn't know where to do it. The link between Hajime and Nayuta allowed Nayuta to find Earth, find the kids in the field at the school, and to use them to drain power out of the energy maelstrom. Some of it went back into the mountain, but I think a lot of it went into those kids. That's why the flow of energy changed almost immediately; Nayuta was back in control. She didn't waste any time.

Once she reduced the maelstrom to nothing, she then used that same link to find her way back home. It's an interesting question whether she carried Hajime back, or he led her back. Probably some of both. But once the Shingu arrived on the field, and went through the normal shut down sequence, that's why she rematerialized sitting next to Hajime, holding his hand.

After that, a lot of the kids are still glowing. She didn't put enough energy into any of them to threaten their lives, but it was still a lot of energy total, and it takes a while to dissipate.

She's glowing, too. She kept her share. But note that she's more pale, sitting next to Hajime, than she is in the last scene, when she hugs Hajime and Muryou. Several days have elapsed by then and the energy had dissipated.

When I first noticed the fact that so many of the kids seemed to be glowing, I wondered if it was an art mistake. But it was selective, and all the kids who glow are Tenmo natives. I think it was deliberate. It's a hint as to how Hajime saved Nayuta.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in at 02:22 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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