Megami Kouhosei Curriculum 08: Death Picsummary
There are a few things I should probably address, before we get to the main point. First, this is the episode where the anime and manga split off from each other; not that the anime really followed it much anyway. Second, I'm going to be really over-dramatic about this episode, for obvious reasons. It stabbed me in the heart, twisted the knife, and left a permanent, gaping hole in my chest. Third, even if it did its job, the anime version of this story is heavily watered down. So, I suggest that anyone whose interested in the manga, should read it.
Tonight, we start off with a huge swarm of Type-R Victim. All the while, Tune is having an inner-monologue about Ernest.
Tune: Please, don't look into my heart...with those eyes that look into the hearts of others.
Tune: My heart is only filled with thoughts of you.
Tune: But you do not look at me, at all.
(Suddenly, Ernest pulls Garu aside and gives him a sharp lecture. I don't think we even need to know why, at this point.)
Tune: Because "they" are the only person you open your heart to.
Tune: My heart is...slowly fading.
Onii-sama...
Leena: Tune!
Tune snaps back to attention.
Leena: Stop daydreaming!
Tune: Y-yes!
Leena: Now, what are the Victim's type and number?
Type-R! Number: several thousand! Unable to ascertain!
Ernest checks with Tune on the situation, while striking a fierce pose.
Ernest: Are they headed straight toward Zion?
Tune: No. They're swarming in a wedge shape. They're headed toward Zion, but they are veering.
Ernest: The leader is controlling the others. Do you understand, Garu?
Garu: That means we have to find and take out their leader.
Ernest: Exactly.
Tune: Ernest-san?
Ernest: Yes?
Tune: When you come back, I'd like to talk with you.
Me: ... (Tune, I love you, but you're clearly not genre-savvy. T_T)
Ernest...I understand.
Tune sighs in relief. She can finally tell him, what she's been wanting to say to him the entire time...or so she thought.
The Ingrids are almost ready to launch.
Me: Onii-sama...
With that, Luhma-Klein heads out to her fated battle.
Back on GOA, Zero was just, literally, kicked out of class.
Azuma: How many times did I tell you to shut up, 88?
Zero: Uh...one, two...
Azuma: Stop counting! You're being a nuisance to Yamagi and Roose, while they're trying to train!
Zero: Really?
Azuma: "Go to the right!", "Throw a kick!"! ARE YOU THOSE GUYS' INSTRUCTOR?!
Azuma: CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THEY'RE COMPLETELY DISTRACTED?!
Roose: Hey! Somebody tell me what my next move is!
Yamagi: How should I know?
Zero: I can't help it. I get all excited, when I watch. My blood begins to boil, and even though I don't wanna say anything, my soul just screams out.
Azuma: You can yell all you want, in the Training Hall.
Zero: You're not gonna let me watch?! Don't be so stingy!
Azuma: DISMISSED!
Zero: YOU TIGHT-ASS INSTRUCTOR!
Me: (You got that right!)
A few seconds later, Erts comes out and tells Zero that he'd hang with him for a while.
Zero: You're a great guy, Erts!
Erts: Mm...by the way, I hope you realize that I am still your senior.
Zero: You don't have to tell me that! Let's go have fun!
(OH, THE PARALLELS!!!)
While Zero and Erts head to the Training Hall, Clay spies on them.
Clay: This is very interesting~!
(Clay supports Zero/Erts!)
Fencing!
Erts: Aren't you scared?
Zero: Of what?
Erts: The fact that I'm a telepathist.
Zero: Why should I be?
Erts: Most people are wary of coming in contact with me.
Zero: Because you can read their minds?
Erts: -nods- Scary, isn't it?
Zero: Not really. I don't have anything to hide, in my mind. The only thing I have on my mind, is to become a pilot!
Me: (He's soooo simple-minded. XD)
Erts: Exactly. ^^
Time to begin!
Zero: Oh! I get it! You didn't shake my hand that time, because you were afraid of reading my mind!
Erts: Oh, no! That's because...I am your senior, after all.
Commentator Clay is here!
Clay: You're supposed to salute your seniors. He's got no common sense.
Zero: I see. Well then, best regards, senpai!
Back on the battlefield...
Rio: No matter how many nets I cast, it doesn't seem to bother these guys at all!
Garu: The leader's gotta be around here somewhere. Can you find him, Luhma-Klein?
Ernest: I'm searching now!
While Ernest gives us some EX fanservice, I should probably take this moment to say that I feel bad for all of Klein's past, present, and future pilots. All they do is stand out there, and act as a living communications system.
Garu: At this rate, they'll all collide with Zion.
-fires another shot-
Direct hit!
Garu: Damn! Where is their leader?!
Suddenly...
...it has begun.
Garu: I see it. Luhma-Klein?
-static-
We're going to lose it, at this rate!
-flies off-
Me: YOU IDIOT!!!
Ernest: -snaps out of his trance- Garu! Once again, you're-Oh, for God's sake!
-flies off after Garu-
Oh, man! When Yu looks surprised, you know something is about to go down!
Rio: What are you guys doing?! Eeva-Leena, Luhma-Klein, don't get outside of the barrier!
While the final conflict is beginning, Teela is zoning out.
Garu: Don't break the formation!
Me: Speak for yourself, you moron! DX
(It was at this moment, that I realized what was about to happen.)
Ernest: If it weren't for me coming out here, you could have done something foolish again!
Garu: I spotted the Victim leader! Oh! Dammit! Now, I've lost it!
While the boys argue, Garu notices the Victim were headed right toward them.
Garu: They're coming! Retreat, Ernest!
-starts playing "My Precious Blue" on her media player-
Ernest: You're coming with me, Garu!
Garu: Fine! I get it! I'm going!
Just then, the swarm came...
Fortunately, Eeva-Leena managed to escape.
Rio: Wait! Where's Ernest?!
Ernest: I'm back here! Can you see it? I have the Victim leader!
(Then, my eyes widened in absolute horror.)
Ernest had caught the leader, while giving Garu time to escape!
Rio: Hurry up and release it, Ernest! Luhma-Klein's armor isn't going to hold out for long!
Ernest: If I could...I would have done so, already! I have the leader! NOW, USE ME AS A TARGET!
(Whoever had the ingenious idea of not giving Klein any way of defending herself, needs to be shot!)
Garu: Don't joke around, man! You're the one whose always telling us to stay out of trouble!
Garu: YU! RIO! COME WITH ME! WE'RE GONNA SECURE AN ESCAPE ROUTE FOR LUHMA-KLEIN!
While the Bishounen Brigade heads out to help their comrade...
...WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU OUT THERE WITH THEM, TEELA?!
(With that, my respect for the lone female pilot began to fall.)
Next, we go back to GOA; most likely as a means of dramatic irony.
While Zero and Erts continue to face off, Kizna, Saki, and Rome join our favorite commentator.
Kizna: What are they doing?
Clay: Facing off...for almost 15 minutes.
Kizna: Duel of the minds? That doesn't seem to suit Zero.
Clay: Yeah, I agree. However, I think he's about to reach his limit.
Sure enough, Zero had enough of over-thinking how Erts would attack him.
Zero: THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE OF THIS!
Kizna and Clay: THOUGHT SO!
EN GUARDE!
While they fight, Erts starts laughing.
Zero: Why are you laughing?
Erts: I'm glad!
Zero: About what?
Erts: You are, ultimately, one with no deceit.
Zero: Are you trying to say I'm stupid?!
Erts: That's not it. You take pleasure in fighting, even though this is not a real fight.
Zero: Victim is our real opponent.
Erts: That's correct!
That's totally Utena's first finishing move!
Erts: I'm sorry, but I've won.
Oh, really?
Zero, then, jumps backwards.
Clay: HERE IT IS!
Clay: Zero's quick thinking and reflexes, might just out-wit the mind reader!
Rome: But, Erts will catch him.
-gasp-
But it still wasn't any good.
...
Just then...
...Erts started having a seizure.
Everyone else gets up, and rushes to Erts' aid.
Zero: Erts! What's wrong?!
Erts:...Broken...
Zero: "Broken"?
Erts: ...Something's...broken...
Elsewhere, he was breaking...
Ernest-sama!
ERNEST-SAMA!!!
Heltage: I cannot go on, any longer. TEELAAAAAAA!!!!!
Teela: Heltage!
Me: OH, NOW YOU SNAP OUT OF IT!
(And my respect for Teela dropped, even more.)
Garu: Ernest...
ERNEST!!!!!!!
ERNEST-SAMAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
-gasp-
Garu: ERNEST, PLEASE RESPOND! TALK TO ME, ERNEST! ERNEST!
Garu: YOU BASTARD!
-flies back into the swarm-
Rio: Don't go out there, Eeva-Leena!
Garu: If I don't do something, then Ernest is gonna die!
Me: IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT!!!
Garu continues with the fruitless attempt at trying to save his best friend.
Then...he saw it.
...
ERNEST!!!!!!
Garu fires off Eeva-Leena's guns, in fury.
Suddenly, everything went still, as if time had stopped.
Ernn-Laties races across space...
...and slash's the Victim's eyes, causing it to let go of Luhma-Klein. Then, Teela continues time. (Think Rolo's Geass, here.)
Garu continues to unleash his rage.
Teela: Cease fire, Eeva-Leena!
Garu: I'M GONNA KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE BASTARDS!!!
Realizing that it's useless to argue with a grieving teenager, Teela uses her second EX.
Her second EX power is the power to control the other Ingrids. In this case, she shut off Eeva-Leena's power supply.
JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING...
...FIRST?!
Teela: Vessel recovery takes precedence. We will temporarily retreat from battle.
Dammit!
KUSOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Rio and Yu fly up to their fallen comrade.
Teela watches over the boys, with a cold gaze.
(I began to feel a surge of rage mix in with my sorrow.)
Frantically, Tune runs down to the Ingrid hanger.
Zero: Are you going to be alright, Erts?
Rome: You're still shaking.
Erts: It's alright.
Erts: I'll be fine.
The pilots and repairers line up to hear Tune's report.
Teela: Repairer, damage report.
Tune: The pilot...can no longer be used. Priorety, given to the airframe.
Teela: I will put in the request for a new pilot. You will start repairing Luhma-Klein.
(The rage that was burning under my sadness was growing worse.)
The other repairers gasp at Teela's callousness.
Teela turns to leave, and Garu turns on her.
Garu: Wait, First! You don't have to make her do it now!
Teela: Tune is the only repairer for Luhma-Klein. Reparations takes precedence over everything else.
(My respect declined even further, while my yandere side was increasing.)
Garu: But why now?
Teela: Victim is not going to wait.
Me: YOU FREAKING BITCH!!!
Tune: Yes! I'll get to work on it, at once!
-runs away-
A long time after this occurred, I realized that she had a point. Nevertheless, cold logic and harsh words are the last things that a person, who had lost someone very important to them, would want to hear. And, in case I haven't made it totally clear, my obsessive love for that boy was beyond any other bishounen I've obsessed over. I'm talking like how Nina thought of Euphemia, minus the table rape. I could never taint his image in that way.
And now, for the moment where I started sympathizing with Garu.
THIS CAN'T BE REAL!!!
Rio: We are bound to the whims of space.
DAMMIT! I WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!!!
With that, Garu sank to his knees and started pounding on the floor.
But...dammit!
All the others could do, was watch.
It's actually worse in the manga. Everyone's on edge over Ernest's passing. EVEN YU WAS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS!
Back with the GOA boys, they're getting ready to switch out the teams.
Roose: The road to becoming a pilot is exhausting.
Yamagi: It must be because you've lost so much weight.
Roose: Don't go there!
Force and Hiead are getting ready for their turn.
Suddenly, Azuma gets a call.
Their opponents are the Zero/Erts group. Force warns Hiead to keep his hands off of Erts, for he wants to have a shot at him.
Hiead: That depends on the battle conditions.
Force: You bastard! Follow your senior's orders!
Hmph!
Azuma: I understand. I'll be right there.
-gets off the comm-
Azuma: Training's been postponed! Don't do anything, until I get back. Understand?
Hiead: (What? I don't get to fight?)
Azuma walks out, leaving the boys confused.
Force: This is something really big.
Headmaster: Azuma, I leave the selection in your hands.
Azuma, walks around to find the person he's decided on. Naturally, there is only one boy who can do it.
Back with the main group, Clay muses them with a theory about his EX. He thinks it might have something to do with observation and his memory.
Zero: By the way, since when did you become a commentator?
Clay: Yeah, yeah! It's all part of observing you guys. Someone has to do it!
Just then...
Rome: Instructor.
Azuma: #05. No, Erts Virny Cocteau...
Erts: Yes, sir?
Azuma...At 20 hours, 08 minutes, I'm naming you as a commissioned Goddess pilot.
(Notice what they did, there? 08:08, and this is Curriculum 08. Nicely done, Xebec.)
Zero: A commissioned pilot?! That's awesome!
Erts: My brother...is dead, isn't he?
Azuma nods. He also adds that there will be a shuttle coming to take him to GIS in 18 minutes.
Zero: There's no time! He can't be ready by then!
Azuma: #88, you're going to help him pack!
Zero: HUH?!
A few minutes later, Zero helps Erts pack stuff up.
Zero: Hey, Erts, are you still scared of fighting?
Erts: Not really. I was afraid that fighting would isolate me and make me lonely.
Zero: How about now?
Erts: Now, I feel that my older brother will be fighting alongside me.
Zero: I see.
At the ceremony, Erts tells Rome that her tenure has ended. Tune will stay as Luhma-Klein's repairer.
Rome: To your success.
Erts: Thank you.
Erts: Zero.
Zero: Yes, sir!
(He actually saluted properly!)
Erts: Let's shake hands.
Zero: Sure.
Zero: (You are not alone. I'll surpass you. So wait for me.)
Erts: (Thank you, Zero.)
Erts: I'm off, now.
Azuma: You take care of yourself.
Erts: Understood.
Azuma: Company salute!
Me: Good luck, Erts.
Zero: (I absolutely will get there, Erts.)
Kizna notices Zero's profile, and has an odd moment.
Kizna: (That is Zero, isn't it? I know I've seen that profile somewhere before, but where?)
Before we cut to one of the most painful scenes I've ever had to sit through, I have to mention a dream I had prior to the first time I saw this episode. I'm only mentioning it now, because it pertains to the next scene.
April 17th, 2002: It was the middle of the rainy season here, and I had caught strep throat. It was my second day home from school, and I slept most of the day. While I was sleeping, I had a dream. I heard a girl crying, and I turned around to see some of the pilots and repairers gathered around something. I went over to get a better look, but all I could see, besides them, was a double of myself with a cart.
I got over to one side, and started jumping to see what "I" was handling. Suddenly, I started floating to the ceiling...and then, I saw it. On that cart, was a flower-filled coffin with a beautiful corpse inside. Of course, the "beautiful corpse" was Ernest. Just as I was about to scream his name, I woke up in a panic. (Fortunately, because I probably would have actually done it; and I'd curse myself for doing so with a sore throat.) I tried to shrug off that dream, but it was useless.
On April 20th, 2002, my dream became reality.
And now, for Tune's final farewell.
Tune: Why did you take such an unnecessary risk?
Was it because that person ment so much to you, that you'd sacrifice your life for them?
Were you really that scared of losing him?
NO!
No! I was the one who was scared! That's why I couldn't tell you!
Tune: I loved you, ever since we first met...always.
(As you can guess, I'm an all-out wreck, over here!)
And I'm warning you all, right now...
...no one is to call Tune a necrophiliac. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!
Tune: Thank you, Ernest-san.
Garu: Ernest Cuore! Company salute!
Ernest Cuore, age 17, pilot of Luhma-Klein. Gave up his life for his most important person, Gareas Elidd. He lived up to his surname, being the "heart" of the group. Survivors include his repairer, Tune Youg; his younger brother Erts Virny Cocteau; his allies, Gareas Elidd, Rioroute Vilgyna, Yu Hikura, and Teela Zain Elmes; and their respecitive repairers, Leena Fujimura, Phil-Phleira Deed, and Kazuhi Hikura.
While Ernest's funeral is nearing it's end, Teela calms Heltage.
Teela: Heltage, don't cry. Your dreams and aspirations will be intertwined with mine, forever and ever.
...Yes, it's for the future.
And with that, we end with Erts looking out toward Zion.
The next day, it poured outside; as if the heavens were crying with me.