Talking Points: Red Data Girl – Episode 6

This week, there has been some surprising movement in the narrative of Red Data Girl. Finally things are coming together. Early on in the season, I said I didn’t understand where the show was exactly going. Now I see there is a purpose. All the clues were hidden away in the small nooks of the plot, and what better place to have them come together than the midpoint of the series. What did others have to say about this episode?

‏@yeonmii: I’m so lost at Red Data Girl what is happening I don’t even know OTL #rdg_anime

Let me take a moment to explain what’s exactly going on. I was slightly confused as well at first blush, but after watching a few select scenes over, it became pretty clear. Hojou Academy is basically a training ground for Takayanagi to hone his skills. His final test will be at the Autumn Festival where other students are allowed to challenge him. The winner of this battle will be named the World Heritage Candidate.

The important question is, what is the World Heritage Candidate? We don’t know for sure but Yukimasa hinted at something that might be of note on his small trip with Izumiko. He said that Hojou Academy was the place where the spirituality of one generation was passed on to the next. The ‘heritage’ referred to in World Heritage Candidate might be this mystic transference. The winner of the Autumnal battle might just become the spiritual leader of the next generation. Think of something similar to the Pope in Catholicism.

Then how does the student council fit into this equation? Considering that they call themselves judges, they might decide who the winner of the battle actually is. As stated in this episode, the student council is neutral. Even if Takayanagi is the favorite to win, the odds are balanced out as the judges make the final decision.

@Ichi: #RDG 06 : First time that I am liking the heroine of Red Data Girl, and she has to be drunk w

Izumiko being drunk is one of the most memorable moments of the series so far. She becomes so incredibly adorable that if you didn’t like her before, you’re almost guaranteed to do so after seeing it. If you look at this scene critically though, the scene is more than a brief moment of comedic relief.

In Shinto belief, alcohol, more specifically sake and its consumption, is a tool to unify the human soul with the gods. It allows normal people to transcend their earthly bonds and grow closer with the spirits around them. This is shown in the episode, where Izumiko’s drunken state permits her to meet Masumi, the spirit of the departed Souda triplet.

What’s peculiar is her response to seeing him. She says that all of it must be a dream. Her statement reveals a disconnect that Izumiko has between illusion and reality. She can’t tell the difference between a dream and what is happening right in front of her. But this is not her fault. Much like the alcohol which clouded her senses, its the people around her that are deceiving her.

No one is who they seem to be. They are all hiding their ulterior motives behind their mystic instruments. Takayanagi uses his homunculi, Mayura has her fan club, and Hadoka has his dance rituals. In Red Data Girl, we see the Shinto spirituality that was supposed to enlighten its followers has instead corrupted them. It has come to the point where the arrival Himegami, which the series has stated as a arcane event of great importance, will end the world. Now isn’t that twisted?