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Kotoko's Dehumanisation and Division of Self

One of the most important things I want to note about Kotoko is just how much she dehumanises herself. The first type of dehumanisation she engages in is a separation between her (emotionally) and her (values). She almost never allows her emotional thinking to override the value self. Rather, she filters each decision through the mindset of being a tool of justice. She is not simply a person ennacting her values. In a way, she is the justice code she has derived in her head.

(tl by @/milgram-en on X)

The second type of dehumanisation she engages in is separating her mind from her body. Despite focusing on her physical fitness and dressing in a revealing manner, she's incredibly self conscious when anyone actually objectifies her or analyses her appearance.

Insert that one Kazui Kotoko minigram where they discuss fighting style. (image by @/Phantom_horizon on X)

Kotoko hates when people start to figure her out. If Kazui has any idea of what fighting techniques she's learned or uses, he could exploit that to prevent her from ennacting further justice. That could be a weakness to her. It's a fault of being locked into this physical human body with no way to escape from perception.

The third type of dehumanisation she engages in is through her physical space. She lives and operates her justice ventures out of a warehouse. She sleeps in a chair, takes supplements to make up for her limited diet, and is often nose-deep in a device of some kind. Harrow paints a very bleak picture of her life outside of university.

Lastly, the most obvious case of dehumanisation is Kotoko associating herself with an animal. She takes on the "lone-wolf" quality and represents herself as a wolf, both as a running motif in her MVs and in her dialogue as "Es' fangs." Milgram further places this on her with the muzzle in her T3 design. Most important to note is that her justice persona in Deep Cover is a more humanoid, monster-like wolf, unlike the fully feral animal she is seen with in Harrow.

Kotoko's Relationship with Children

For someone whose whole deal is ensuring the safety of "weak victims," Kotoko sure does place a lot of moral and legal accountability onto children. Kotoko treats children/teens with the same capacity as adults. She puts malicious intent on a 12 year old who committed murder, trusts a 15 year old to uphold an intense deal she herself crafted, and is enraged by an elementary school student being pressured to withdrawal her testimony. She doesn't believe in juvenile justice at all, she believes everyone has equal capacity if they can make such an "adult" decision like murder or running a prison.

Her relationship with Lucky (the hat girl in Deep Cover) is an advantageous one. She is the victim she protected and the primary piece of evidence to secure a judgement of self defense. When Lucky "oversteps" Kotoko by pulling out, she, having an adult capacity, is now a hinderance and is no longer in need of watching over. No matter how much Kotoko projects onto suffering children, she is always going to have to choose her mission over their wellbeing. She treats them just like how the justice system would, presumedly because that's where she may have learned firsthand how overlooked victims are.

Kotoko has also made this comment to Amane that no mature adult would say with confidence.

(tl by Rochisama Wordpress)

On her relationship with Es specifically, she really values them as a person because they're in the position she'd die to be in. In Kotoko's eyes, they're capable enough at 15 years old to understand the extent of the law and make significantly important decisions that impact the prisoners' futures. They are also yet another example of Kotoko projecting both herself and her desires to protect the "weak" onto someone significantly younger than her.

The Child in Harrow

All this to say, I point to the concerete evidence: this one shot in Harrow, this child that we don't see anywhere else.

Clearly not Lucky, so who is this? Is it another one of Tsugumichi Kaneshiro's victims? I question why another victim of Kaneshiro's is so important to show a clear shot of like this, from this third person perspective that Kotoko couldn't reasonably get a photo of without being there in the moment herself. While there are other vague shots in Harrow, this is the only one with a visible face and unclear shadow figure.

I fully believe that is a young Kotoko being victimised. We're not seeing her as a victim of Tsugumichi Kaneshiro, but of someone else.

Her passion is so raw that I have a hard time grasping with the idea that nothing, absolutely nothing happened in her life or to at the very least someone close to her for her to pursue something like this. You do not develop this type of a stark view where you are willing to dehumanise yourself for the world in a vacuum, and I would assert that it's a disservice to her to imply that's the case. It doesn't make her easier to sympathise with, it just makes her motivations more clear.

"But what about her interro questions?"

(tl by @/milgram-en on X & MILGRAM Fancult Discord)

I run up on these often that Kotoko saying she had a normal childhood must mean everything was 100% okay, no traumatic experiences, and that she got out unscathed. And while her parents might have treated her well and she never encountered bullying, her circumstances don't have to reflect this otherwise. She uses a very specific type of defensive language to reflect any personal questions that could lead us to discovering something unsettling about her past. There is also repressed trauma (a common link between 0910 as a pair).

When you consider how Milgram is treating her, how when she's deemed "guilty" she's restrained in the same manner a trafficking victim could be—mouth restraint, bound arms in the same manner they are in the flashback, restricted movement, the strap tightened between her legs, keeping her hunched over—it's rough.

When you consider what she declares verbally in this state, it makes it all the more clear she's having a negative reaction to this type of torture.

"You’re sad right? You’re in pain right? This is how it feels to lose something precious because of evil. Affirm me, Es! Your anger and pain, I will return it all for you!"

Conclusion

Kotoko has had something stolen from her and she never wants anyone to experience the same fate as her ever again. Despite being blindsided by her views on people as the "strong" or the "weak," cases like Lucky's are a sensitive spot for her. She went so far as to murder Tsugumichi Kaneshiro unlike (assumedly) her prior victims for the personal satisfaction of seeing an abuser like her own be dealt proper justice.

*And guess it kinda  Hits me hits me hits me that the fault was always on me and that  Everything is fine as it is I want to feel alive someday, if i take a breath is that okay?

*Just tell me then When i say I’m sorry does it get back to you? (I hope it will get to you) x4

[Verse 2]

What’s the point of tomorrow anyway, want to forget my yesterdays My misery’s, telling me, and falling off the edge Can someone help me at all?

My misery’s, telling me, and falling off the edge Can someone help me at all? 

[Chorus] And if you’re gonna Get me get me get me for my flaws I’ll be the villain for you Is it okay to ignore it all  Endurance just means i’m used to it; what’s another small taste of it?

And in my dreams it  Gets me gets me gets me wide awake though I want to erase it  I might as well be done with it all  And one thing before every goodbye I’m kidding, it’s all in my head, leave it unsaid

[Bridge x2] And after the pain we can meet at the place, Used to it; so what’s another taste? Postmortem makeup can cover face but all my secrets still leave a trace

Devil’s hand on my waist and there’s no escape, whispers death would be such a waste  

What is up with Deep Cover?

Before we get into it all, let's look at the 2nd Trial MVs as a whole. (Though could refer to MVs entirely.)

The MVs tend to be of two settings, the Real World* and Symbolism Hell.

*note the Real World is highly influenced by their perspective so it's not always accurate

Now the Prisoners fall into these Three Categories:

Real World* and Symbolism Hell - Two Seperate State of Beings

This is Yuno, Muu, Amane and Kotoko

Symbolic Real World*

(it's not a clear cut difference between RW* and SH)

This is Haruka and Shidou

Symbolism Hell

This is Fuuta, Mahiru, Kazui and Mikoto

Okay. So why does this matter? Well A) I thought it was neat, and B) this distinction is important to discuss time and place in the MVs.

Real World* Segments take almost exclusively in the past, either pre-murder or during the murder as the final part of the Real World segment.

Symbolism Hell, however, can take place through time and space, reflecting the Prisoners as they are in Milgram, so it's not tied down to a specfifc time or place, even if it can be reflective of it.

Some examples are

Backdraft stops its linear story telling to depict Fuuta feelings about being voted Guilty

"Why are the others INNOCENT? I won't forgive, won't forgive"

in the middle, pre Killcheroy's Death

e.g. not linear

Muu breaking out of her chrysalis inside a broken hourglass is reflective of her time in Milgram

e.g. showing time in Milgram

Mikoto's is a mix of depicting his violence and also interograting the audience

e.g. reflective of Prisoners thoughts

The time and place that I want to discuss is their Murders.

For Haruka and Amane, their MVs end with their murder

For Fuuta, Kazui and Mikoto, after displaying their crime in Symbolism Hell, ends with them sort of addressing the Audience.

For Yuno and Shidou, their crime isn't really depicted, as they depict more their thoughts and feeling about their verdict and crime.

For Muu, she depicts her murder, and then depict her thoughts and feelings in Symbolism Hell.

For many of them, their crime is the final action depicted, or at least, ends the Real* World segment. As after their crime they go to Milgram not too long afterwards.

Even in Haruka's crime, his report ends after his second crime with the second child.

Muu states how she doesn't remember much after she commited her crime.

Though she definitely pushed Rei's body into the river, but perhaps that's part of what she's refencing what she "did"

So it makes sense we barely see anything about them post-murder, pre-Milgram, there wouldn't be a big gap of time.

If we assume Killcheroy is Fuuta's only victim, then perhaps there is maybe at most a couple days for Milgram to decide who did it (choosing Fuuta as opposed to someone else in the group), since we see him reacting to persumably someone's death. Or that he's finding out about Killcheroy's death the same time as Milgram. But regardless it seems to be a short amount of time.

Which brings me to the two I haven't mentioned above.

Mahiru and Kotoko, who's crime is depicted at the very start of the MV.

Now Mahiru is easily explainable. She spends her entire time in Symbolism Hell, giving us context and showing the lead up to the crime. Nothing that odd.

Which is why Deep Cover is so strange. Because Kotoko doesn't just stay in Symbolism Hell, she shows events post her crime and pre her time in Milgram.

THIS v

IS STRANGE ^

Now you could say Milgram was slacking with her, as the final Prisoner. But isn't it weird, that enough time passed after her crime:

For a Press Conference to occur,

For Kaneshiro Isamu (Tsugumichi's father) to have a personal investigation occured.

For Lucky to have given a Testimony that she later withdrew.

And the fact, Kotoko is reading about the Press Conference that details all this after the fact.

These are a lot of events, that presumably would have taken time.

By the by, do you like the Moon?

Deep Cover loves the Moon, so does Harrow.

So hey, let's take a break and look at the Moon. (Meet Moon Theory)

In Harrow, when Kotoko comes across the warehouse, where the crime will eventually take places, her Symbolism Hell has a cresent moon. And then we see her return to that spot, maybe the same day or a day later, it's unclear.

Now, this isn't much. Afterall her Symbolism Hell Pack always has a Cresent Moon throughout the MV. Specifically a Waning Cresent. But I want this kept in mind.

When she murder Tsugumichi, it's the only time her Pack Mind Place changes, instead depicting the Sun (since the crime takes place during the day).

The reason I say this is the Sun, as opposed to a Full Moon, is due to the crime being during the Day (it's daytime at 2:27, but cloudy, hence why it appears dark, we also see it begin to rain while she's inside, implying it those same clouds from earlier) and due to Deep Cover.

In Deep Cover, after she goes through her Roundtable Symbolism Hell, it focuses on the fact that it's a Wanning Cresent.

Which leads me to believe it's meant to be the same Wanning Cresent from Harrow. And that there is a very good chance that the crime took place during the Wanning Cresent Moon Phase.

Also may explain why her Symbolism Hell is the Waning Cresent, because that's the moon she killed Tsugumichi under (even if it was daytime).

But there's a very interesting scene in Deep Cover, that is very much in your face.

We see our beloved Cresent Moon, turn into a Half Moon.

This to me, further implied that Tsugumichi was killed under that Cresent Moon. Afterall, if he wasn't why is it so prelavent?

So under this assumption, let's take a step back.

This occured at a Cresent Moon:

And this occured at a Half Moon:

Since a Moon Cycle takes 29.5 days, and the time between each phase is roughly 3.5 Days.

Meaning that Kotoko was hanging around after her crime for 3 and a half days at least.

It wasn't like Milgram would have a hard time finding her. Everyone knew who the perpetrator was, and which school she came from. It would have been incredibly easy to reach her, as opposed to the likes of like Amane.

I find it very weird. Especially since no one else seems to show their time post-crime and pre-Milgram. Since, persumably, they were taken pretty shortly afterwards, within 24 hours.

So why is Kotoko different, to the point she show things that occured after her crime. Was Milgram just slacking?

Another thing!

I mentioned how the Cresent Moon is a Waning Moon.

Well the Half Moon depicted is known as the Third Quarter, or the Last Quarter.

Aka, the Half Moon before The Wanning Crescent.

Now unless, Milgram has made a mistake about the Moon phases, which I deem unlikely since they shove this Shift in Moon Phases in the viewer's face, possibly trying to mislead the viewer by making it appear to be a 3.5 day shift, this means that this time skip isn't 3.5 days;

But instead around 26 days. Or 3.7 Weeks. Almost a Month.

So, unless, Milgram was really slacking in regards to collecting Kotoko, giving her 26 days of fun. Then there is a different possibility.

If Prisoners are collected shortly after their murder, then the only way to remedy this weird interval between Post-Murder and Pre-Milgram, is that Kotoko simply had another murder after Tsugumichi.

Makes sense right? More believeable than her just chilling. Also correlates with Shidou and Mikoto being serial killers. Since they can have multiple murders. Maybe when she did her first kill Milgram wasn't interested, and after her second it was? Who knows.

That's roughly Moon Theory.

And due to it, I think there's a very good chance that Kotoko had a second murder.

Now, with all this address, let's get to it!

Who is Kotoko's 2nd Victim?

Well we see Kotoko at the end of Deep Cover in her Ass-Kicking outfit. Someone is either getting a beating or is gonna die. And for this, we'll assume dead.

The thing is: The ending is clearly depicting her desire to Punish all the Prisoners. So we're not given much.

We do see The Moon go from being a Half Moon to a Full Red Moon. As she transforms into a Werewolf.

But since it's way more in Symbolism Hell, with it's Red Glow and Indigo Sky, it's harder to infer what this means. Is this the Moon in Milgram? Or when she did her final Kill?

I'm more akin to say the Half Moon is when Kotoko did her second kill, as it's in the Real World*, while the Red Full Moon is representing her in Milgram.

Is the blood she's covering just her symbolic drive for Punishment, or is it real blood? Then again she has always killed with her feet/shoe, so it wouldn't make sense for this to be real blood. She's never been shown to cut someone as her method. Typically she bashes.

So, I'll say this Full Moon (and her blood) is her in Milgram, and the Half Moon is when her second murder takes place.

So let's go back a bit.

The yellow smoke remind me of the Sun Symbolism Hell when she killed Tsugumichi. I definitely wouldn't say it's a reach that she's planning to murder someone here. So just as she's about to kill someone else it cuts to Symbolism Hell so that the viewer still believe she has one victim.

Now, there is almost no one who could be this victim that is that satisfying. Unless it's just one of the many faceless people in her MV, there is no one who is given a great amount of importance outside of herself, her victim, and Hat Kid.

Before we discuss the Lucky possibility, I will say this scene is probably the biggest evidence it isn't Lucky. As Kotoko walks pass Lucky to go to her victim. Which very much makes it seem like Lucky isn't the victim.

But perhaps that Kotoko trying to confuse us. She does eclispe her. And afterall, if Lucky is the victim, it's in Kotoko's best interest for us not to know that.

Hat Kid (Lucky) as Kotoko's Victim

Kotoko's 2nd Trailer Distorted Voiceline

"From the begin I've never asked for your understanding! My actions, one by one, are bringing earth closer to peace. Useless Weaklings should just shut up and let me protect them!"

This does not sound like Kotoko talking to Tsugumichi. She's addressing someone who is going against her.

This someone, could be Lucky, who would also be considered a useless weakling by Kotoko.

Kotoko views herself as a shield for the weak. That she protects them from those who are evil. But she also has her frustrations with those she considers weak.

When they don't act against evil.

She also mentions those with weak wills easily turn to evil. And in regards to evil, there is no away to start anew.

Which leads to motive. Lucky is going against Kotoko's justice as she withdrew her statement about Kotoko's murder being of self-defense. Making it much more likely Kotoko goes to Prison. In this way Lucky is preventing Kotoko from protecting weaklings like her.

More importantly, since Lucky withdrew her statement, that must mean Lucky she has had at least some change of mind. Which is dangerous, as she may confess that what Kotoko did was not self-defense. Lucky as the only proper witness to the crime, has a lot of power, and if she gets doubts, it can ruin Kotoko. Something that Kotoko would not want.

Since Lucky is the only eyewitness to the truth, Kotoko may have killed her since she would have stopped her from continuing her justice. She can't afford to try to get Lucky back into her grace as she does with Es, since she's already being suspected as a result. And Lucky suddenly changing her mind and giving back her statement isn't the greatest look.

So Lucky being the victim would also make sense why it's not shown at all in Harrow. Why Kotoko would not want us to know of this kill.

Kotoko wants Es/us to team up with her. So she focuses solely on the crime that is most justifiable. She murdered a child kidnapper! She only wants to protect the weak! She is a fang for justice!

If she had shown us her killing Lucky, for going against her, there is little chance that Es + us would want to team with her at all. Because while the murder would be right for Kotoko, she'd recognise it may not be favourable to an outsider.

WIth Lucky, it shows how far her ideology can go. To make sure evil is punished. Which I think is very interesting.

CONCLUSION

That's my kind of thought process. But to be completely honest, I'm not sure if there's enough right now to make a call. If I had to, I would say; yes, Lucky is another victim of Kotoko. But if she isn't I wouldn't be suprised.

I'm really curious to know more about Lucky, what drove her to withdraw her statement? And if she isn't the 2nd victim, who the hell is?

So to answer your question.

I am curious about your stance on the idea that Kotoko's milgram murder is Lucky (the hat kid).

I think there is a good chance that she killed Tsugumichi and Lucky, both showing the two sides of her ideology, the evil that must be punished, and what happens to weaklings who don't accept her protection. I believe it can work well, makes sense and explain some things. So a positive stance? Haha.

At the very least, she has two victims.

Hope this was an interesting response at the very least! Maybe I've missed something which I would love to be informed. But overall had a blast with this!

Thanks again Anon!

English Translations from MILGRAM Wiki

Crying B - milgrammer (Tumblr)

YONAH - oehale/o3ha_le (Twitter)

Kotoko's Second Interrogration Questions - Milgram Fancult