?Unknown Episode - Part 6

[davidn]

And this time, it's my turn - a large portion of this episode is me monologuing, punctuated by a series of disbelieving squawks of "WHAT?!" as another of my characters kills everybody once again. He isn't named here out loud, but there's a quite striking point where you can tell from my voice that I've realized exactly who it is.

Then, in the best of Hatoful traditions... things start to get even worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGvD1mhRe1w

0:15 Stormtrooper
0:35 Hope
1:35 Mental institution
1:55 Transformation
3:15 Not evil
4:25 My guess
4:45 The King's story
7:20 Interlude
11:40 Betrayal
12:20 Realization
14:45 The King's Picture Book
18:15 True throne room
18:45 We don't like this
19:10 Not the time
20:50 Dark metamorphosis
21:30 FORMAT C:
21:50 What we're dealing with

Comments

[ravenworks.livejournal.com]

Yes! I thought I commented on that during the stream, but maybe it was in the chat after all.... That's the moment it goes from sick to horrifying. And then to say that to Kazuaki after he spent all those years trying to convince Nageki otherwise..... he'd clearly already gone absolutely irretrievably mad.

I have such a hard time reconciling this with his classroom behaviour! And his participation in the magical girl storyline for crying out loud! I guess some sane part of him was finally able to re-emerge once he surrounded himself with friendly students? (But so close to the site of his love's death... and casually working side-by-side with his killer...??? Biding his time until... what??)

[kjorteo]

Biding his time until... what??

BBL. He was waiting for Shuu to open the abandoned medical facility so he could confront him there and "take Nageki home."

[ravenworks.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhh, right...

[davidn]

It must have been in the chat (as usual, I didn't remove anything from the huge monologue apart from when I read a line wrongly)... I think I remember saying that Hitori must have had such contempt for someone who could have had a good life and instead wanted to die, when Nageki hadn't been given the chance to really live at all.

I would not count on a "sane" part of him having emerged anywhere near the Absolute Zero magical girl fight :) Like the original game before it, it's so strange looking back to that now from down in the realm of the King...

[ravenworks.livejournal.com]

But Nageki himself was saying things like "but wouldn't it be easier for you without me around". Just because Nageki was too meek to phrase it as a direct statement instead of a fairly plain question...

[davidn]

Oh :(

[quadralien.livejournal.com]

I got the impression that that particular line annoyed Hitori enough even when he was in a more stable frame of mind?

[ravenworks.livejournal.com]

Annoyed him because he didn't believe it was the case! And now he's insisting that it is to someone else?

[quadralien.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Consider how Shadow-Nageki has altered his viewpoint on everything else he thinks he should be doing.

"Make sure there is nothing left of me" became "Retrieve my body."
"Go on with your life and be happy" became "Live forever with your shame."
"Everyone is worth keeping alive" could quite possibly become "Slaughter those who are a burden."

[kjorteo]

There are several subtle differences between the situations, Nageki vs. Kazuaki, Hitori's own mindset at the time he was dealing with one versus the other, etc. I suspect that in Hitori's head, the situations were different, but as for why, any of these (or some combination of all of them?) could be it and I honestly don't know what the canonical choice is, or if there even is one.

1) Hitori was well-adjusted and kind and happy and everything was fine when dear sweet Nageki was there, but when Nageki died, well....

2) Hitori and Nageki loved each other very, very dearly (to the point where if their feelings for each other were any stronger they'd be incestuous, and even as-is they make it extremely easy for imaginative shippers to go there.) Kazuaki was just some random friend and nothing even close to that level of love wasn't there. Also add in #1 here, as Hitori was probably already insane from grief by the time he and Kazuaki even met.

3) Nageki was depressed, but always in an extremely selfless manner. He hated being sick all the time because he wanted to help out with the chores or get a job or something, but just physically couldn't. He hated being a burden. He cared about Hitori so much that he hated himself for relying on him; "Hitori would be better off if he didn't have to take care of me. He could afford better food for himself if he didn't have to buy medicine for me. (Etc.)" Hitori could have seen Kazuaki's depression as more selfish--"classes and pressure and stuff are too much and meeting expectations is hard, I want to die." (Nageki never wanted to die; he just thought it would be worth it if it made Hitori's life easier. Also Charon virus in the end, there.)

4) As davidn just said, Hitori just dealt with a dearly loved bird who tried his hardest to live but couldn't (and then died,) and in contrast, could be perceiving Kazuaki as throwing a perfectly good life away. "Nageki once almost passed out because he was still trying to push through it and wash dishes and stuff when he had a stupidly high fever, and all this bird has to do is quit whining and go to class." Or something.

5) Someone in one of the Youtube comments pointed out that a bird suffering from almost (not quite until he got tricked) suicidal depression might not be the most reliable narrator ever, and some of Hitori's betrayal lines might have been somewhat exaggerated. Maybe. (Not that Hitori didn't still trick a suicidial quail into doing it just to steal his identity, of course, but also keep in mind that the Hawk Party was after him. It's stated elsewhere that another part of that switch was that he disguised Kazuaki's body as Hitori's so they would think Hitori was dead and thus end their search for him.)