That day he discovered something new about her. Inori Yuzuriha is one of the members of “Funeral Parlor”, a group that aims to free Japan from GHQ. In first involvement with the group, he gained some kind of power. The “King’s Mark” appeared on his right hand and it enabled him to reach inside a person’s body, extract and materialize a weapon or tools from it. Each weapon and tool represents the person’s heart and their personality as a person. However, Shu’s story is not just about resistance. It is also about his emotional turmoil and trauma with his older sister, Mana Ouma, who is known as the “Eve” of the apocalyptic situation or the “new world”.

Lost Christmas became the climax of his trauma. However, years before the incident, Mana was already infected by the virus, a pathogen that gives the infected a supernatural ability while also driving its host insane. During Lost Christmas, her mental state deteriorates. What is disturbing is that she demanded her own younger brother, Shu, to marry her. His obvious rejection triggered her and resulted in her violent outburst, releasing the virus to spread widely and causing destruction and death in Japan. This traumatic event is so overwhelming that it pushes Shu’s mind into coping hard, repressing all of his memories related to it, including the existence of Mana. This shows how the mind blocks out unbearable experiences to protect itself. Nevertheless, it still affects him beneath the surface, changing his behavior and emotional state throughout the series.

Mana Ouma is portrayed as a kind and gentle older sister until she got infected and went insane in effect of the virus. She became sadistic and spiteful. Her twisted mindset is revealed when she chose her brother to be her “Adam”, a mate to play a significant role for the new world. On the Lost Christmas incident, Triton, a boy whom Shu and Mana saved, decided to tell Shu about Mana’s deteriorating mental state, as he was the first to notice her concerning change. What is terrifying is that she was there first, as if she knew what Triton was about to do. She gave Triton a gift box with a gun and a few bullets inside. She referred to him as her “knight”, who had to protect her. She asks him to test it out and shoot the golden star on top of the Christmas tree in the church. Triton, who had been in love and manipulated by Mana obliged. It turns out that Mana had tricked him into shooting himself as the bullet went back and severed his stomach. 

Shu, who just arrived at the church, saw the horrifying scene as Mana demanded him to marry her. Using Triton’s blood as lipstick, she planned to make Shu as her Adam. Once Shu saw her hair crystallize, a symptom of the virus, he was terrified and shocked as he shouted and called her a monster. Realizing the virus' effect on her physical appearance, mental state and Shu’s horrified reaction as well as his harsh rejection, she asks for help. Shu could only back away in fear, causing her to lose control and ended up destroying herself with her own power.

After the incident, Shu’s mental health became fragile and fragmented as the traumatic event forced him into repressing the memories. He became emotionally numb and socially withdrawn. He struggles to form connections and often feels isolated. He constantly feels an intense sense of guilt and fear despite not remembering the reason. This trauma became the root for his moments of emotional breakdown and self-doubt. The truth eventually and slowly revealed as Inori Yuzuriha was revealed to be a sacrifice and a vessel for Mana. Shu was forced to confront the memories and it forced him to reconcile with the trauma that he had long denied and hid behind his head. Nevertheless, it is a necessary step for healing and development. 

The anime’s climax brought Shu’s journey into a bittersweet ending. After a lot of things happening with losses and death, Shu is forced to accept the full weight of his guilt and the consequences of his actions. His journey was marked with self-development from a weak-willed and passive person to someone with a stronger sense of self and responsibility. He moved to someone who is willing to make sacrifices for others. The ending suggests that despite the trauma and loss, Shu finds the resolution, not by forgetting the pain but by accepting it and carrying the memory of those he loved. 

Writer: Paulina Angelica Putri

Editor: Arinda Risma Wardani