This review contains spoilers
I don't really know how to put into words the way this chapter made me feel. It was quite the roller coaster of emotions, but that was entirely the point. I'd probably give it a full 5-stars, but I think this chapter dragged on a bit longer than it should have, and I think the whole mix-up between the twins -- while intentional -- just got a bit too headache-inducing by the end.
Overall, though, I think this is phenomenal entry in the series. Being the first chapter in the answer arc, I think it served its purpose extremely well. I also love that Shion (I don't care if they were mixed up at birth or whatever, I am calling her Shion as that's how she was introduced) is a perfect contrast to characters like Keiichi, Mion, and Satoshi. You can tell she's a selfish, love-struck teenager. You can tell, that even after she committed so much murder, torture, and abuse, she just wanted someone to love her. Her demonstrably unhealthy attachment to Satoshi is evidence of that. Being robbed of not only her love of/from Satoshi, but love from her family and friends as well put a massive strain on her. While I will never excuse her of her actions (note: her abusing and victim blaming Satoko hit far too close to home and made me vehemently hate her for the majority of this chapter), I can still sympathize with her. And to be fair? I think that was the point.
Meakashi is not just an answer arc, but it's a test of how far ones sympathy can go. Shion is, in all sense of the word, irredeemable, and yet in her very last moments when she regrets being born, you feel that. I've been there, and I'm sure many others have as well. It is such a strong and borderline debilitating feeling that claws at your heart, trying to drag it down to the pit of your stomach. When Shion apologized for being born, I felt what she felt: an overwhelming sense of sadness and a desire to be held. When we are at our absolute lowest, and we've come to regret our very existence, we -- consciously or not -- long for someone to give us that love and reassurance we need. It's a natural facet of humanity, and in her final moments Shion was no longer demon... but human.
Overall, though, I think this is phenomenal entry in the series. Being the first chapter in the answer arc, I think it served its purpose extremely well. I also love that Shion (I don't care if they were mixed up at birth or whatever, I am calling her Shion as that's how she was introduced) is a perfect contrast to characters like Keiichi, Mion, and Satoshi. You can tell she's a selfish, love-struck teenager. You can tell, that even after she committed so much murder, torture, and abuse, she just wanted someone to love her. Her demonstrably unhealthy attachment to Satoshi is evidence of that. Being robbed of not only her love of/from Satoshi, but love from her family and friends as well put a massive strain on her. While I will never excuse her of her actions (note: her abusing and victim blaming Satoko hit far too close to home and made me vehemently hate her for the majority of this chapter), I can still sympathize with her. And to be fair? I think that was the point.
Meakashi is not just an answer arc, but it's a test of how far ones sympathy can go. Shion is, in all sense of the word, irredeemable, and yet in her very last moments when she regrets being born, you feel that. I've been there, and I'm sure many others have as well. It is such a strong and borderline debilitating feeling that claws at your heart, trying to drag it down to the pit of your stomach. When Shion apologized for being born, I felt what she felt: an overwhelming sense of sadness and a desire to be held. When we are at our absolute lowest, and we've come to regret our very existence, we -- consciously or not -- long for someone to give us that love and reassurance we need. It's a natural facet of humanity, and in her final moments Shion was no longer demon... but human.