S2,E1: The MCs, The Priest, The Student, & The Actor
1. The MCs
Even ignoring Season 1's ending, this episode had a rather uncanny vibe. The whimsical, low-stakes plot was certainly part of it, but the MC's passiveness was also a big contributor.
A typical S1 episode introduced an episodic conflict within the first few chapters and noted the MC's plan of action to address it. In this episode, the MC does actively check on the band's progress and assist, but she's not actively investigating her curse or the Bray Men; Jiro and Yuri lead those efforts.
The number of meta references also factored into the eerie vibe. Following S1's end, players are thrown back to October where a different timeline is unfolding. The writers were not subtle that shenanigans are happening:
CSC performing "Stuck On Repeat," the name referencing a loop
The Bray Men's "Thief," which references a circle and time blurring
Kaito and Ren referencing gameplay
Elias' pointed silences and convenient appearances
Throughout the episode, Kaito mentions his dream of becoming a lead singer and expresses hope for his year. Not only does he become the band's vocalist — he also fulfills other dreams like spending one-on-one time with the MC, having her cheer for him, and winning the contest.
It's bluntly sweet following S1's end. It rather feels like the whole boy-band journey serves fulfilling Kaito's wishes...
And of course, our knowledge from S1 indicates Elias knows more than he's letting on... So who is the main character? Or really, who is the master of ceremonies overseeing this all?
2. The Priest
This may have been obvious to everyone, but it finally feels safe to confirm that Haku was the "sketchy priest" referenced in S1:E2.
He is a ghoul, his eyes are quite unique, and he did transfer houses twice, but overall he's been described as knowledgeable and reliable... So "sketchy?"
Yuri is, of course, savage to everyone, but I do wonder if there's a reason he chose this insult, particularly in S2...
3. The Student
This Hotarubi student or his look-alike sure likes popping up in interesting places...
The student Jiro encountered in Obscuary is the same one who alerted Subaru and Haku to the cursed stickers stuck around Hotarubi. In S1, he's also the one who delivered the Yumeyashiki investigation order to Haku after nearly running into Rui and failing to find Subaru. Ritsu later met him outside Ultio after tracing Tohma's steps.
His sprite isn't used as frequently as the male brunette Hotarubi one... Personally, due to his suspicious appearances, I choose to believe all sightings are the same person or related to someone impersonating him.
Who is he? Why was he outside Ultio in S1 and wandering around Obscuary in S2?
4. The Actor
In S1, the game's dialogue emphasized a number of odd decisions Subaru made.
In S1E15, three chapters are spent mentioning Subaru's disappearance. S1E18 likely answers this -- Subaru likely wasn't feeling well since he was practicing using his stigma.
However, that same episode spotlights another odd moment. When the MC suggests they discuss the festival inside the Jabberwock dorm rather than outside, Subaru declines on the grounds of propriety (he also declines the option to head to the main building, but that one is more plausible due to distance). Perhaps he doesn't want to let on how much he likes anomalies, or perhaps he's avoiding someone. The latter seems unlikely -- he speaks to Haru normally later in that episode. Is he afraid of touching something? Or is he really being polite..?
Circling back to the first S1 mention, E15, Subaru asks Haku to write his/ Zenji's slogan entry, claiming his handwriting is poor. It's easy to infer that Subaru, as a famous celebrity the park manager almost recognized, wanted to take further steps to hide his identity, i.e. hiding his handwriting. But could this mean something else?
And of course, there's this famous moment at the end of that episode:
Beneath the Tree of Severance, after a bumpy mission where his past was mentioned, was Subaru merely contemplating cutting ties to his connections and experiences, or something more?
Jumping back to S2E1, Subaru opts not to wear his Hotarubi T-Shirt. He claims he forgot, which could be true, but why is there a pause when he agrees to wear it the next day? If he doesn't want to wear it, is it simply a style preference, or for some reason, does he not want to be associated with the dorm he captains..?
So many of Subaru's decisions superficially make sense, but when combined, they paint a suspicious picture.
5. Bonus: The Park Ranger
The S2E1 Star Contest takes place on the second day of Samhain, the same day the various dorms are running their events. Despite this, Towa claims Haru doesn't need his help that day. Maybe having a free-spirited murder suspect as a tour guide posed a poor choice to Haru?
Even more interestingly, Ren also appears to be free during Samhain prep and on the second day, working in the diner and attending the song contest (despite hating noise and people...). Did he blow off Haru like he did in the S1 Star Festival?
And of course, aside from wondering what Haru is doing, what does he know in this timeline? Did he get a heads up that the Dionysia ghouls would be released?
Samhain occurs between S1E9 and E10. Episode 10 sees Rui, Romeo, and Haru discussing the bar's closure for Samhain, Rui's upcoming mission, and then Haru's lack of action regarding the Dionysia students.
Canonically in S1, the Dionysia ghouls were captured in September and imprisoned. But something has happened in S2 prior to Samhain that sees them go free...
Haru has a lot of trust in Elias to handle something so complex. Why? Does he really know how Elias aims to settle things? Would he be fine with timeline-hopping as a solution?
This brings us back to Point #1...
Who is the MC, and just who is calling the shots?
