It seems to me that there’s a certain amount of the stages of grief model intrinsic to being a Fumetsu viewer. Not “bargaining” so much – what would be the point? But the other four do cyclically repeat themselves. The series manages a great ep or two and denial sets in – “maybe it’s really back”. Then the inevitable happens and you become angry, knowing what the series is capable of and rarely is. You think back on Fushi and Gugu at the airport and mourn the fact that Fumetsu can do that and then pretend it never happened. And finally, after the shark has fully been jumped again (like now), you just accept that’s what this show is and always will be.

It is what it is. This whole ridiculous action montage at the school. Itsuki blasting Fushi avatars one by one as he tries to save Mizuha’s gramps. Being asked yet again to be sympathetic towards Mizuha. We’re long past the “fool me twice” point now – Fumetsu is definitely not sucking me back into believing it’s something it isn’t. That’s not what sticking with it is about. It’s about accepting that it’s an unbelievably flawed and often misguided piece of work, and that’s the price you have to pay if you want to be around for those rare occasions when it’s transcendent.

The only time this meshugge exercise actually gets interesting is when Satoru shows up at the end. I mean, finally. But why now? The Man in Black has sat out a whole series of debacles, and declared that he was out of the omnipotence game for good. So why come back? It implies this current confrontation has bigger stakes – either for Fushi or the world. At the very least Fushi is going to need help getting his body (bodies) back. Nice of Satoru to finally get off his ass and help, I suppose.