The Summer of Dreams

Key Events

Ruko replies to Iona’s message and is messaged back with a time and place to gather all Selectors. The location is the huge building in the middle of town.

Although Ruko had decided not to battle, she decides to face Iona as she now has a wish, to save everyone who’s been turned into a LRIG. However Yuzuki says it can’t be done due to restrictions of what can and can’t be achieved with the wishes. But since it’s the LRIG that’s completing the wish, Tama feels like she can fulfill it for Ruko. The reason behind is because whilst most LRIGs are normal girls, there are some who have powers. It could be that Tama is one of them, but Yuzuki doesn’t want Ruko to risk turning herself into a LRIG for the sake of freeing everyone. Which makes Ruko waver due to the fact that she may never see her grandma again.

Hitoe appears and takes back Yuzuki before running off and saying that she will participate in Iona’s event. Tama becomes reluctant to battle after hearing about what happens afterwards as she wants everything to stay the same. However Ruko has finally made her decision to battle.

At Iona’s event, she decides to hold it in a tournament style with the ultimate winner facing off against Iona. Each floor of the building host difference battles with the losers having to leave the building.

Ruko battles through to reach Hitoe and her conviction wavers. Both Yuzuki and Ruko try to make Hitoe remember the good times they had together, to remember that she has friends. However, it just causes her more pain.

Up on the roof, Iona tells herself that this will be her final battle and that she will go to the white room where that person is waiting.

Thoughts

Well, I did say at the very start of this series that the building was related to the story somehow, though I guess that was wrong in one perspective in that the building was more of a prop than part of the storyline. Though I’m still half convinced that the building itself will have some sort of interaction with the more deeper going ons of the plot. Like a link to that other world perhaps and not just the stage for the final battle.

I find it hilariously ironic that the first time Ruko has decided to battle, Tama doesn’t want to. Which is a first, though even then she’s still a bit sentimental. However I support her decision, well, just the very fact that she’s finally made a decision is already a huge event. And she also tried to think through her wish which is also good. Whether it’ll be accomplished or not, we’ll see, at least the theory is good.

What I will say though, is that by mentioning these LRIGs with special powers, I can see the anime heading down the happy ending route with the wish being accomplished and everyone’s freed. But that to me doesn’t explain a whole lot and it seems like a deus ex machina ending, which I don’t want. Everything had sounded quite good with Yuzuki’s explanation until the girls with powers part. They could also trap Ruko as the final LRIG to go down the route of a semi happy ending. That doesn’t seem like the more likely option to me though.

A minor point I wanted to make was that I’d be amazed if Iona managed to get the exact amount of people in for a single elimination tournament to take it down to a final person. Though I guess she could’ve just said first 64 or 32 etc to apply will get in, that would be an easy way. Either that, or people got byes.

I don’t think the anime’s even trying to hide the fact that Iona knows something. Yes she was quite vague with what she said and it could’ve been what her LRIG’s told her, but the implications are definitely that she knows more about the meaning of the game than anyone else. The main thing I’m interested in is not what she knows, as we probably know it anyway, but what she wanted with Ruko. She mentioned finding the one, or something to that effect, and that’s been on my mind for a while. Also, Iona’s speaking as if she’s already won, saying she’s going to that white room. Unless she’s more ‘connected’ to everything than just a normal selector.

Also, I have a cold, it really does not help writing this at all…