One thing I can honestly say after ten episodes is that Kokkoku stubbornly refuses to be bound by convention.  While some things are predictable simply because they fit the logic of the narrative, on the larger issues this story forges its own idiosyncratic path.  Its twists and turns have rarely followed a conventional course – a common trait for seinen series, a demographic whose rarity in anime adaptations explains why the choices a show like Kokkoku often seem so unorthodox.

One of those predictable exceptions – because let’s face it, it had to be – was the collapse of Takafumi’s subterfuge when it came to Makoto’s power.  Neither he nor Makoto were a good bet to keep the secret to begin with, but when you factor in all of the logistical hurdles involved, it was only a matter of time.  Naturally enough Juri and Ojii-san want to take Makoto to safety (though that seems a relative term in this environment), which is hardly conducive to Takafumi leading the battle against Sagawa with Tobino as his champion.

Takafumi is, in the end, a small man with grand aspirations.  He does want to protect Makoto but he doesn’t blanche at putting him in harm’s way in order to convince the others that he’s “invincible”.  Indeed, in the hands of an adult I suspect Makoto-kun’s power would be the strongest we’ve seen in the Yuzawa family – not only can he control heralds, but track them (or at least, track Sagawa).  Sagawa figures this out soon enough, and not long after realizes (not that it was difficult) that it was actually Makoto pulling Tobino’s strings.

Even so, with the combined strength of Makoto and the rather clever plan built to take on Sagawa, the good guys more than hold their own.  Ultimately the idea is to use Ojii-san and Juri’s teleport as a means to distract Sagawa long enough for Tobino-herald to immobilize him, then have Juri expel the specters from his body – with Shiemi and Sako proving covering fire (via baseballs).  I like the symmetry of this – Sagawa’s arrogance about his own power causing him to be neutralized by the combined powers of three different Yuzawa.  It’s during this skirmish that the truth about who’s really controlling Tobino comes out – though by this point Shouko has already sussed it out, and Juri and Sako seem to suspect.

Takafumi’s true measure is again revealed here when he doesn’t think twice about ordering Makoto to kill Sagawa once Tobino has pinned him – he’s blinded by his own desire to be relevant, but Juri is aware enough to realize the implications for Makoto.  Sagawa is pushed to play a desperation card – force his body to expand, in the process draining his energy and leaving himself a desiccated husk.  Even a quick snack of Tobini’s guts (whether that finishes him off or not I have no idea) is only a temporary respite, and Sagawa is forced to flee – Juri pursues, being smart enough to realize that a better opportunity to finish him off will never come.

I certainly didn’t expect what happens next, or the way the episode ended – an origin story for Sagawa, which stops right in mid-sentence (virtually).  Sagawa is an interesting antagonist, not easy to categorize – his attempt to bargain for his life doesn’t come off as desperation, but negotiation.  In a sense he does have the Yuzawa by the tail here, knowing their best-case scenario finds Juri left behind in Stasis forever – and he can credibly argue that he offers an alternative.  As for his backstory, it remains to be seen how that’s going to fit　- though it certainly explains why he’s grown up with such a cynical view of his own religion…