Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru

Episode 11

Episode 11 is one of the weakest installments in the series to date, in large part because the way these events play out is unusually (for this series) predictable and conventional. It is also the only place so far where the logic driving the series gets a little shaky. Still, the weakness rating is relative here, as this is more a case of descending from a high plateau than actually turning bad.

The shaky logic comes in the form of Mimori's actions. Like Fu in episode 9, she went off the deep end in episode 10 when she finally got a sense of what being a Hero really means. Like Fu, she decided to vent by targeting the Shinju in an ill-conceived effort to stop further harm from being done to her fellow Heroes. Instead of flying into a rage, though, she remained more even-headed in deciding to bring the whole system down. Uncharacteristically, she utterly fails to consider that protecting her friends is utterly pointless when the whole world is getting destroyed in the process. An argument could be made that she has gone insane (and she has certainly witnessed and experienced enough to drive her to that point) or that people often make poor decisions when under stress, but neither of those feels like a good fit here and both are cop-outs. In short, it is the one place where the plot seems to be forcing matters to set up a particular scenario rather than letting them play out naturally.

But it does at least serve to set up a host of other requisite scenes. Naturally there has to be a Crisis of Faith, and that role briefly falls to Yuna, who feels like a failure when her first efforts to stop Mimori are rebuffed. Of course there has to be someone who steps up in a big way while the heroine collects herself, and in this case that's both Karin and, to a lesser extent, Itsuki. While the latter defends her sister until Fu can finish shaking off her funk, Karin is at the forefront of the battle, acting on Yuna's behalf against the new Vertex onslaught. Even though she still feels a little like an outsider in the group, the series has done just enough to justify Karin taking a stand and showing how whole-heartedly she has embraced the Hero Club tenets. Despite knowing what the consequences are, she not only finally takes her turn at achieving Mankai form but also pushes it harder and farther than any of the others. The result is a glorious, well-animated action sequence where she manifest multiple mechanical sword-wielding arms to single-handedly tackle multiple Vertexes while Yuna is a noncombatant due to “emotional instability.” The price for such reckless abandon is dear indeed, as her efforts leave her far more crippled than any of the other Hero Club members; the end result is arguably worse than her actually being killed. We get the definite sense, though, that even as bad off as she is left, Karin will have no regrets. She had trained and lived for that very fight, and her newfound motivation to fight for her compatriots, rather than the more nebulous Taisha, erased all doubts about the righteousness of her actions. Thanks to her sacrifice, the others have time to finish gathering their wits and come together to stop Mimori, hence setting up the series' finale next episode.

The more conventional turn of events here, combined with the revelations of last episode, raises questions about just how far the series is or is not going to go with its conclusion. A “reset button” option now seems like a distinct possibility, although exactly how the series might get to that point is uncertain; even given how spectacular the Mankai forms are, none of the girls have been even hinted at having access to that degree of power. I cannot see any way that it could happen without damaging what the story has wrought so far, either. All along a theme of the series has been the emotional, social, and tactical power of the Hero Club members when they act in concert and lean on each other; in fact, in retrospect episodes 9-11 are a detailed illustration of how much more fragile (both emotionally and combatively) the girls are alone. The best possible ending would be one which emphasizes the synergy they achieve together and promotes that as the ultimate key to a final resolution but does so without glossing over the sacrifices that have been made so far. If the final episode achieves that splendidly – and I think the writing is capable – then Yuki Yuna Is a Hero could finish as the year's best series. Though this episode has left me a little trepidatious, I eagerly look forward to seeing what the series will accomplish in the end.

Rating: B+

Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.