Episode 11 Summary, The Definition of Dependency

A group of students at Naginomori High are secretly gathering together in a room. Megumi was ready to break up the Kagenuki meeting together with Takuro and Shin by dealing with their leader. She was not going to let any more people get hurt. However, they burst in only to find Kanaru as the organiser much to their surprise.

Under the angry and concerned gaze of Megumi, Kanaru explained that she just wanted to do it for one last time before she abandoned the activity but in the end, she couldn't. Megumi slowly reaches out to hold Kanaru's hands and tells her they will break up their friendship if she performs Kagenuki again. Takuro tries to put in a good word for Kanaru but fails. While they argued, Kanaru started to fall into tears but recovers surprisingly quickly after yet another call to a game of Kagenuki. Megumi cries out in frustration.

Later, Shin is accompanying Kanaru home just in case she ran off to another Kagenuki again. Kanaru reports to Shin she's refused all the invites but the phone rings once again. It was a message from the people who called her earlier but she lies that it was from her mother.

Shin too continues his effort to make Kanaru quit Kagenuki once and for all reminding her of all the disappearances of those who took part in it. Kanaru answers that she understands and soon arrives at her stop. After returning the charm from their last little adventure to Shin, she was just about to get off when Shin tries to confirm she wasn't going to participate in Kagenuki again. She answers no but after the train was out of view, the boys she was going to meet up with were waiting for her.

That evening, it still bothered Shin that Kanaru won't be able to stop her addiction. Their brother Ryo wasn't going to be home for night so it was just him and Jun having dinner together. He decides they go out to the Bamboo Restaurant where Kanaru met her Kagenuki partners. There he tells her partners to go away and never to bother Kanaru again. As a result, he gets punched in the face. When Kanaru arrives, she apologises once again looking very concerned at the painful bruise on Shin's face. Shin said he will keep the meetings a secret from Megumi on the condition that Kanaru will really quit this time.

The next day Takuro was very curious about Shin's bruise while Kanaru still felt very guilty about what happened. Megumi drops by to lay out the conditions between she and Kanaru so that they won't break up. Kanaru was to change her e-mail address immediately and block all incoming calls from her Kagenuki partners.

Kanaru looks over at Shin thinking he told her about what happened yesterday but Jun owns up saying he had told her. He looks out of the classroom and the others follow to find Kanaru's group of Kagenuki partners gathered together. They run off panicking at the sight of Megumi. Just as she was about to chase them off, Jun stops her saying it was best if Kanaru told them to go away. Things just weren't working out.

The friends finally decide to get Kanaru to stay at the dorm so that they can watch over her. Shin packed his things and was ready to head over but Jun insisted he went along too.

That night, Megumi slept together with Kanaru. She apologised for saying the horrible things she did earlier and explained how she too performed Kagenuki some time ago while she was practising at the dance club just for fun. In the end, some of the students that had attended stopped attending school and that's when Megumi realised it was a dangerous game to play. She encourages Kanaru to stop and believes she can do it.

However, despite the friend's efforts Kanaru could not restrain herself. Slipping out of bed quietly she e-mailed her list of Kagenuki partners to see if anyone could join her. She quietly apologises to the sleeping Megumi before making her way downstairs but ends up waking Shin and Jun.

Appearing to be in much pain, Kanaru crawls over to Shin begging him to perform Kagenuki with her. By now Takuro had also woken up. He had seen many who became addicted to Kagenuki but it was the first time he saw someone in so much pain like Kanaru so he wanted to give it a go. Megumi soon wakes up too, running over to Kanaru quickly. Hearing how she wanted to stay together with everyone, Megumi gives her a reassuring hug.

Moments later, even Inui had woken up and invited them to his room for a little talk. He too had heard of Kanaru's nickname "Mori" and explained that others who practised Kagenuki were also given the name. Takuro blamed them for what's happening to Kanaru since her surname "Morimoto" started with "Mori".

The friends are surprised when Inui continues about how the participants are all actually "Persona Users" who are more or less the same as they were. When asked, Inue reveals that he saw them summoning during their trip at Kurobe and that there were many such users long ago around him but the numbers has since decreased over the past ten years. He also says that Kagenuki's effects can rival that of a Persona user's powers. Jun is suspicious about how Inue know all this but Inue manages to avoid any questioning.

Takuro was still puzzled about what Personas were. When Inui tries to explain, Kanaru interrupts to say that Personas is another self hidden deep within one's heart through which power can be realised. For some reason though, Kanaru didn't know what she had just said which makes the friends worry about her even more.

The next day, everyone were all asleep at their desks after staying up all night. Only Kanaru was awake and she was looking at the poster they had drawn her telling her to keep up her efforts. However, moments later Shin wakes up and finds her gone. After learning from Mayuri that she had gone off with some boys, Shin rushes off to find her and sees her up on the roof. He gets there just in time when Kanaru's Persona goes out of control and was about to attack the boys. Shin slaps her and says their friendship is over. Kanru falls on her knees with her hand to her face.

It was soon evening again. Kanaru had decided not to let the others watch over her and had returned home. Mayuri was with her and offered her a chance to Kagenuki claiming to understand the pain she was in. Kanaru closed her eyes ready to accept but manages to stop herself when she remembers the lengths her friends has gone to help her.

Meanwhile, Shin was bothered about what had happened and decides to go find Kanaru. He meets Mayuri on the way and learns she had disappeared. Mayuri hints she could be at the park because that's where he always went when she was sad, hiding in one of the playground apparatuses crying.

Sure enough, Shin finds her hiding but she didn't want to see anyone because of the state she was in. Shin lays his charm down and gently backs off saying he would wait outside. Suddenly, he hears Kanaru screaming and rushes back in. She was vomiting violently and struggles to get away from Shin.

Holding onto her desperately, Shin tries to give her support. The others arrive just in time to see a the pair ascending into the air with a strange round object floating above them.

Next episode, "Saviour"

When Shin goes to the hospital on a routine check with Jun, he asks about the brain surgeon who saved Jun ten years ago. Shin had wanted to thank him and was interested in his skills but unfortunately, he was now dead. That night, Ryo unexpectedly meets again with a former policeman he had worked together with as part of the Special Forces Establishment Program.

Thoughts

A nice episode showing how strong the friendship was between the friends as they did all they could to relief Kanaru of her addiction to Kagenuki. It was kind of surprising how addicted she was actually.

I wonder who could be the other person that's talking through Kanaru though? Somehow I don't think it's her Persona but, I think that little event on the roof was pretty similar to what happened to Saki (i.e. Mayuri) during episode eight when her Persona was out of control as her heart ached for Touma. Now that Shin's helped Kanaru soothe her mind, I think her Persona is back under control but, surely that big bubble isn't it.