I’ve never been too fond of shows that rely heavily on plot twists.

— Apparently, this place has the “‘home of a serial killer’ atmosphere.” Matsuoka does not elaborate on his odd remark. In any case, we are getting more details about the serial killer responsible for the death of Narihisago’s daughter. To nobody’s surprise, Narihisago didn’t let the man live for very long.

— I’m not shocked that they can still find Narihisago’s cognition particles at the site of the crime even after three long years. After all, cognition particles are basically a plot device to suit the show’s needs. It can be whatever it damn well pleases. I am surprised, however, to learn that this joint still has power.

— I’m still not entirely convinced that Narihisago can be considered a serial killer. Okay, he definitely killed one person. Then perhaps he talked a few more into killing themselves… but he didn’t really persuade them. Not like how Michelle Carter persuaded her boyfriend to kill himself. We’ve only been given one example in which Narihisago broke one man’s spirit. He did not, however, directly tell the man to kill himself. Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. But I mean, the entire premise of this episode is built on this idea.

— Either way, Hondomachi is going to take a closer look at our hero’s ID-Well. This better be fun. More importantly, what’s her code name? Narihisago has Sakaido, so what does she call herself in the dream world?

— We immediately see a bunch of frantic individuals attempting to dodge lightning strikes from the sky. Hm, is this Narihisago passing judgment on his victims? But he’s one of the victims as well. Maybe he’s passing judgment on everyone — including himself — for failing to protect his family. Then again, his family is also on the board so… I should probably just watch the episode and stop speculating.

— Of course, Kaeru is here too. Can’t forget her.

— Hondomachi’s name is Hijiriido Miyo? Um… that’s a mouthful. C’mon girl, protagonists need an easy name that sticks with the viewers!

— Plus, her outfit is a bit odd. What’s with the shorts? And the midriff baring top beneath her coat?

— Y’know what? I can’t even disagree with him. Even if this was Inami’s request, they didn’t have to agree to it. Plus, if Narihisago is guilty of murder, then these guys have to be guilty of manslaughter for sticking them in a cell so close to him.

— Looks like Inami now has a grudge against Hondomachi. But what can she do now that she’s in prison?

— I would actually like someone to dive into their own ID-Well at some point in the series… just to see what it would look like. I know we’ve already been told that this would doom them. They would become trapped. But still… inquiring minds want to know.

— Meanwhile, Narihisago beats his head against a wall when he realizes that they’re looking into his ID-Well. But he knows it’s futile. His death won’t stop the dive. So what exactly is he trying to accomplish? Maybe he’s just frustrated and full of rage at the situation.

— I guess if the connection is found between him and John Walker, then our recurring villain is ultimately responsible for Narihisago’s daughter’s death. But revenge rarely gives us the catharsis that we seek. It has been three years since he killed the Challenger, but his anguish hasn’t subsided one bit. He’s been redirecting his wrath from one victim to another with no end in sight. I’m not sure if catching John Walker will help Narihisago heal. I’m also not sure if he’s been receiving any sort of mental help. The anime doesn’t mention this at all. 

— The investigators call Miyo cold for not trying to save people… but they’re not real. The fact that she even stopped to talk to them is more than enough. She’s got a job to do.

— It’s kinda weird how cognition particles are left behind after we commit a murder, and they can be used to enter a dream world in which dream people can respond to you as if they’re real. And they’re not even scripted responses. These cognition particles contain an amazing amount of logic in them. It’s all kind of ludicrous.

— Ah, okay, nevermind what I just said. I did not have complete information and neither did the investigators. Miyo ends up finding a cockpit that couldn’t have possibly existed three years ago. As a result, this ID-Well is somehow being updated by Narihisago’s current unconscious mind. That would better explain why figments in people’s dream worlds can talk and interact like fully realized personalities. So did Narihisago beat his head against the wall to try and influence the content of his ID-Well?

— Miyo doesn’t know what she’s looking at, so she goes to climb into the cockpit. Can you dive within a dive? Momoki doesn’t want to find out, but before they can extract her, a bunch of men barge in and accuse of him being… John Walker?! They found the remains of the Mizuhanome’s inventor buried in his home?! And just to cap it all off, they also found that ridiculous get-up. Obviously, this smacks of a set-up. He has no motive.

— There has always been something very shady about old man Nishimura.

— To make matters worse, our investigators magically can’t extract Hondomachi from the dive. Technology always craps out on us at the most convenient time, doesn’t it?

— “They say every sequence of numbers appears in pi’s endless sequence.” Nah, that’s not necessarily true.

— Nevertheless, the investigators determine that the first lightning strike occurred back on the day of Narihisago’s daughter’s death… um, okay? What does this neat bit of information do for us?

— Speaking of Narihisago, when Togo delivers the bad news, he flips his shit (and the table). He then requests to enter Momoki’s ID-Well. But that’s the thing: can they enter his ID-Well? Even if they found copious amounts of evidence that points to John Walker being the killer, that doesn’t mean that they’ve also found cognition particles — his cognition particles.

— Plus, what the hell happened to Hondomachi? They made it seem like she was in real danger when they couldn’t initially extract her… but the show never showed us how this got resolved. I gotta say that this episode kinda ended on a very disappointing note.