SPOILERFILLED REVIEW A blank sheet. A few tiny words. Spaces and lines occupied through time. Overtaken by a handwriting that cant be discerned. Nagase Iori is not the author of her story. https://animeviking.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/kokoroconnectiorinervousbreakdown.png Unveiling whats hidden beyond the residents door and rearranging the contents and the clutter in an attempt to convey what comprises man as a social creature and their behavior in the face of lifes inevitable challenges collectively spread throughout functional entities in an attempt to give us an orb of knowledge focused on relationship and identity as a utility meant to be wielded for the neverending path to growth is what Kokoro Connect wishes to impart. Each and every phenomenon is geared to entertain the antagonist Heartseed by throwing the club members into an array of supernatural messes which gives them license to basically each others lives and we the viewers privy to the sensitive sides of high schoolers. As a result the characters were quite literally forced to confront their most pressing issues many highly private in front of everyone else. Everyone pulls through in the end and comes out a more fortified version of themselves as overcoming obstacles usually does. But what if what doesnt kill us just hasnt killed us yet? To feel weakness is painful enough but showing it especially having it dragged into the spotlight against ones will is debilitating. People are so immersed in putting on an act as if life is all starlight while burying the ashes of failures and disappointments that being vulnerable which deviates from the norm takes courage. At the same time there are those who are empathetic enough to absorb the curse of pain just by being aware that everyone is going through somethingample reason to try their best to not be a burden by breaking the hardearned air of lightheartedness through sharing a problem and asking for help. Leaked miasma will only serve to dampen the stage. Being out of script will only offend the creators. So keep your guard up as high as your smile most especially in front of the people who care about you. Dont be sad when loving eyes are there keep that shit for when youre alone. Its out of their hands. Its not their duty to help you. Especially if the person is you. Has the guilt sunk in yet? Playing the part of a human being under societys rules so badly its laughable not having Herculean endurance to keep up the act inching closer to surrender from the boulders on our shoulders is not something that should be seen from uswe are locked doors with gilded exteriors for a reason. Our expense is lifes profitit is the truth of the universe. Such is the inner workings of a people pleaser tragically programmed to view life without selflove without care for the self who lives the given life. Michi Random was everything I ever wanted from Kokoro Connect. From the start Ioris friction of her identity resonated with me strongest and I was disappointed that it never had any magnification until the curtain call of the season. Whereas everyone stands on firm feet on the ground due to their confidence nay absence of issues on their identity Iori floats through everyday life like a phantom with an empty husk. Certainty in ones own agency ultimately dictates our confidence in survival. Iori does not have that which is why Inaba remarked from the very first phenomenon that she is the most threatened by all of this. Why she eventually and inevitably broke down like a robot low on fuel resembled Heartseeds emotionless demeanor and became dead exhausted in this special. Lets recount how each phenomenon affected Iori. 1. Body Swapping: A degree of worry of the club members learning of her family situation. Confronted with selfdisappointment after not being able to see through Yuis fear of men when all she is certain of is her ability to read people. Shared her trauma to Taichi against her will yet put her trust in him with an agreed promise which he broke right after. Heard that shed die instantly right after the glimpse of hope shes seen after all these years due to a play on fate orchestrated by Heartseed. 2. Unleashing of Desires: Extreme caution from the possibility that her true thoughts would be seen. With what we know of her by the end of Michi Random Ive come to believe that Iori has exercised colossal discipline to prevent that from happening. From my memory I dont recall any seriously negative outbursts from her an exception from everyone. Her admonishing of Inaba discounting their friendship together seemed to imply that Iori indeed possessed genuine love for their bond. With that in mind Iori has exploited a weak spot of the second phenomenon by overriding desire with selfcontrol something which Aoki believes to be possible which must have taken great pains. 3. Time Regression: Relived the point in time where she had to carry the whole family because of her abusive father. Faced her fragility by involving the club with her family problems. Declined the chance to redo her life even if all she ever thought of it was a big mistake on her part. Casted doubts about her relationship with Taichi. For a peoplepleasing person with a cracking sense of identity whos had to keep her chin up like everyone amidst the troubles theyve been through it comes as no surprise that Iori completely changed after knowing that theyre encountering another phenomenon especially one that snatches their inner thoughts for others to know now without control unlike the unleashing of desires. An infiltration to the mind selective at that. Closer and closer everyone will come to know just how exhausted Iori is and what she truly feels and how Iori is actually a prisoner of her own hazy self. Therefore I find it within the realm of reason inside the sphere of fiction which takes emotional reactions to the next level every action Iori undertook. Take off the mask and just not exert effort in upholding the cheery and agreeable atmosphere everyone loves and deserves. Be true to ones own frustrations no matter the thorns it leaves after every footstep. Be tired set boundaries be contrary to whats fake. Be annoyed that your friends cant see past your act and constantly question your credibility be annoyed that the ones whom youve shared your trauma with cant even understand your behaviorhere I note Taichi and Inaba constantly telling her This isnt you where is the Iori we all know? when God knows that Iori explicitly shared to her the foundational explanations. In that manner I felt that the group is liable for further igniting Ioris explosion just because of shoving into her face minus the emotion transmission that how shes acting is as if shes not Iori not even leaving that out when put into spoken words. But well its true. She doesnt know how to act like the Iori that is not a caterer of peoples needs. And it isnt the groups fault that shes been pushed to the brink its Heartseeds for involving them in his social experiment for plain entertainment awful motives for someone unexplained btw. Shes already afraid of losing herself from the first phenomenon alone she thought she could also face life headon after seeing everyone do the same over the course of the season especially at the end when she felt for herself the power of true friendship. But then its happening once again its whittling against her once again the onslaught persists and she has no control over her own person once again. The extreme circumstances are stretching Ioris sense of identity thin when life has given her more than she could take at a set period. What all of this has come to is Iori being further taken away from her rights as the writer of her own story when its recently just been a higher beings indulgence which blurs her originality. Problems do not go away that easily. They linger like bacteria despite the strongest solution. The diamond trust built up within the group can sometimes have the opposite effect wracking up guilt in Ioris own helplessness instead. Taichis alright Aokis alright Inabas alright even Yui is seeing a miraculous recovery from a phobia. Only Iori had something left clearly unsolved something so simple and overlooked until Inaba made it visible: that her life is her life and she can do anything she wants with it. What this ultimately means is that Nagase Iori is the author of her story. She recoils at the thought of something so simple. Truth is not easy to register even when it comes right at you and even if it benefits you when youre used to subjecting yourself to the whims of others its hard to accede to the thought of freedom kind of like a case of Stockholm Syndrome. And a simple tiny truth against a towering lifelong plight? Its something unheard of And here I note Inabas body switch conclusion where problems become trivial when shared. Despite that she made a decision to heed her friends words and held onto perhaps the only thing that was certain was hers even before her rebirth: Ioris connection with the Cultural Research Club members. Through this Iori can finally be conscious of her innate ability to write out her own character as she fits and make it something genuine for her identity. To fill any missing space allow time to be a companion in weaving any suitable origins or developments. And its beautiful that in the end Ioris movements follow her lively personality which shows that deep inside she isnt a cynic nor was she ever a mere fabrication and an actress that fulfills the wishes of her surroundings echoing Taichis words on the bridge telling her that all that shes showing is indeed a part of her real self. Kokoro Connect: Michi Random wraps up the series with a human beings discovery of who she truly is: a person one who can carve her own future and write her own tale with the support of the people to whom she shares mutual love with people which take note are not perfect in the slightest. Together they have bested Heartseeds ploys and colored their school year with 15 years worth of growth. With a talented set of voice actors the series has been brought to life with brimming emotions that actualize the essence of the intense drama. How it all played out was perfectly fine to me for I see consistency in Ioris character writing which isnt really perplexing at all along with the rest of the cast. Speaking of bar Inaba they remain like bland supporting characters due to the difference of treatment they had from the two girls. Not even Taichi was blessed with dimensional characterization. As for my comment on Kokoro Connects aesthetics lacking compelling attractiveness in the 13episode package I found no repeated problems in this OVA as they appropriately conducted facial expressions atmospheric weight pacing and sound with appealing intelligibility. For an encompassing statement since reviews practically need one by convention Kokoro Connect: Michi Random was a powerful presentation heeding the tense atmosphere of severed bonds and the pains of reuniting with ones self and others exhibiting the meaning of friendship animestyle although not fully carrying the wisdom of past phenomena yet directed with substance nonetheless. In the end what does Kokoro Connect comment on humans? That we are creatures helpless against lifes challenges when faced on our own. Manifestations of our shadows can and perhaps should be permitted proper disclosure to the people we wholly trust as it is proven that they can understand simple as that. Lest we break down and explode due to testing our capacity its healthier for everyone involved to just release it. We only have one life after all better make use of it taking up space with authenticityfor how could it be called living in reality when were not living real?and mind for whats relevant that needs to be imparted whether that be lessons of trust kindness an ear or an eye or a voice or a virtuous promise. So cherish your bonds write your own story and then you will see that hearts connect naturally. https://i.ur.com/cemfyYD.jpg