Yuki Yuna is a Hero – Ep. 6

The last episode of Yuki Yuna is a Hero left me wondering where the show will go since the Hero Club fulfilled their Vertex quota much earlier than I anticipated. I’m betting there’s going to be more fighting down the road though how and why it’d continue remains to be addressed. In the meantime, we have the aftermath to the “final” battle. The girls check in at a hospital about their powers (not an image I expect to see in a magical girl anime) and the results are pretty alarming.

As it turns out, everyone who used Mankai in the last episode has suffered from some side effects. Yuna has lost her sense of taste. Mimori can’t hear from one ear. Fuu can’t see from one eye. Itsuki can’t speak at all (now I know why Episode 4 was about her singing career). Karen is perfectly fine since she didn’t use Mankai but it’s thanks to her that everyone grows suspicious about the side effects. The Taisha believe the effects are temporary though they do tell Fuu that they need to investigate some more. Between this and their understanding of the Vertex, you’d think they’d know more definitively but a lot of the information they pass on tends to be speculative. All I got to say is that there’s a really dark implication about these side effects, that using magic will eventually come at the cost of your own physical body. Thinking along those lines, I’m more inclined to expect the effects to be permanent.

Everyone deals with the situation in a variety of ways. While Yuna finds her loss of taste concerning, she says she doesn’t regrets the lengths she took to save the day. She also doesn’t make a huge stink about her condition with Mimori being the only one who’s able to notice it. Mimori is taking the side effects very seriously, recording data and convincing Fuu to contact the Taisha about them. Curiously, she stays in the hospital longer than the others which feels intentional to me. Maybe she strained her powers more and needs to recover longer or perhaps since she already can’t walk, the Taisha want her check up to more thorough. Either way, I’m getting more and more curious about this character.

Fuu is able to find some enjoyment out of it since she gets to wear an eye patch and pretend she has chuunibyou. Frankly, it would’ve been amazing if that was actually her side-effect (someone please make a chuunibyou magical girl anime). Itsuki communicates with a notepad. I expected her to take things the worst since this condition impedes her singing aspirations but I’m guessing she’s really hanging onto the hope she’ll recover. Something I wish the show depicted was these sisters’ classmates reacting to their new conditions. I imagine Fuu simply did the chuunibyou angle but what did Itsuki tell her peers about her muteness?

Oddly enough, it’s Karin who takes the situation the worst. Finding out about everyone’s side effects from using Mankai, makes her feel like she came out of the last battle unscathed which leaves a bad taste in her mouth since she talked so big about her abilities. On top of that, Karin is forced to realize that she has no purpose left to fulfill now that the Vertex are defeated. All those years training to be a literal Hero and it’s already over after two battles.

Because she feels so empty, Karin isn’t visiting the Hero Club anymore though her decision doesn’t last for very long when Yuna visits her and convinces her otherwise. Tough Karin still claims she’s only part of the club for business, deep down, that’s not true. Her past actions has proven to show otherwise. And Yuna makes a very convincing argument. The Hero Club will continue operating and everyone in the club also just wants Karin to stay. Staying is really only advantageous for Karin. It’ll not only give her something to do but, more importantly, it’s somewhere she can feel a sense of belonging. Ultimately, Karin is won over by Yuna (not romantically though maybe Mimori should be on the lookout). In fact, she’s so touched that she requests to the Taisha that she stays in the school. It doesn’t get any more resolute than that.

Also, give the Taisha some credit, they actually approve Karin’s request. At least they care about their candidate’s education and social life.

The episode ends on an optimistic note, reaffirming the Hero Club is still together. The scene even comes complete with them staring off into the sunset together. Still, I can’t stop wondering constantly about what lies ahead. The side effects from using Mankai remain a concern and I know for a fact that it’s not going to be the characters’ only concern.

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