Kokoro's magical girl story is probably the most interesting to me so far. I think it does a better job integrating her original story in with a new one and it even asks some pretty uncomfortable questions.
"Do you think you would have been happier if I were never born?"
The answer this magical girl story provides?
(to be clear, it's not the parents themselves saying this, it's the parallel world the story shares).
In a parallel world, they ARE happier. Their marriage works out and they're in love, managing some sort of cafe. And Kokoro has to sit there and take this all in.
Like damn, the balls to do that. I love it. Have you ever had that irrational fear in your head, something like "everyone would be better off without me" or something like that? Well, what if it actually was true? What then?
I'm of two minds of this ending. The first one says that it's safe and wraps everything up neatly with a bow so we don't end with conflict and concern and everything can keep going the way it is.
But on the other hand... I actually kind of love this for Kokoro. She comes to the conclusion that yeah her parents might have been happier... But Kokoro wouldn't. She's very self-sacrificing, so for her to say "you know what, that scenario has its merits but it's not the one I want. The one I want is right here, and I'm gonna be selfish about it" is incredible.
It's almost an entirely different answer to the question. The question is born out of concern for her parents, but the answer is born out of concern with herself. But really, when you think about it, the question is also the product of discomfort with herself: is she the one ruining everything? What if she just wasn't there? And she finds there is happiness, but it's not the happiness she's looking for specifically.
I think this bit from her parents also helps with the ending:
With the implication that they were worried about her daughter, having asked them "hey would you be happier if i was never born" and their response? "we never would have experienced this without you."
Maybe their relationship IS more dysfunctional with a kid in it but... They'd both rather have a kid than just just each other.
Maybe the cookies would be better in the other world, but that's not what Kokoro wants. She wants a specific kind that can only exist with her in it. So there's no point in working with hypotheticals, she's got to work with what she has and keep her eyes out of impossibilities.
It's sweet. I liked this one.
