Outbreak Company - Episode 8
Minori tires of moe moe kyuun rice omelets. Petrarca becomes a shut-in. And Miusel gets broken.
This week we explore the otaku phenomenon of hikikomori (å¼ćē± ćć), the shut-in or recluse. Some social trauma is usually the cause for the young person to pull away from society and lock themselves in their room. Petrarca has been so busy lately, that she runs away from the castle, only to be found in a nearby warehouse by Garius and Shinichi. She is still a young girl, even if she is the empress.
Meanwhile, meals at the Japanese consulate have become much more fun, with ketchup art, and cute incantations to make the food taste better. Even Bluk gets his own ketchup portrait on his leg of meat. However, Minori has quickly gotten tired of the ritual since this stuff originates from the male-oriented part of otaku culture. I'm sure she'd perk right up if it was done by Bluk or Garius wearing a butler uniform.
The next day, Petrarca is still not done running away from her duties, and locks herself in her room using Eldant magic. People from earth can still touch the door, so the royal advisors ask Shinichi to help get the empress out of her funk. Shinichi figures she has gone hikikomori, and as Matoba vouches that he is the foremost expert on shut-ins in Japan, he agrees to help on the condition that they do not interfere with his methods. Shinichi senses some digs at his social standing from Matoba's remarks... Garius explains why Petrarca may be running away from her duties: she took the throne at a young age because her parents were murdered by Garius' own father, the late emperor's brother. Not an uncommon tale in royal circles, but Petrarca wanted to make sure nothing like that would happen to the royalty again, thereby taking on more duties instead of delegating to other lines of royalty. Garius seems to be a kind man in distancing himself from his father's methods.
Shinichi enters Petrarca's room and sees all the videogames, manga, and junk food strewn all over the place. He also sees a book about shut-ins nearby. The Last Otaku hatches a plan to teach Petrarca all the ways of the hikikomori, and sticks them in a corner of her room with only a single bed and a small table for the TV, your clichƩ 4.5 tatami mat room. All the manga, snacks, and games are within reach of the bed, with only a backscratcher to reach for other stuff. That's pro level right there. Petrarca still has much to learn, because she wants to take a bath, which is a very rare occurrence for someone locked in their room from depression. Along the way to the large indoor bath, Shinichi must distract guards by dropping naughty fan art. The Last Otaku uses his weapons wisely and well.
Back at the Japanese consulate, Minori tells the staff that Shinichi won't be coming home for that night since he has to stay with the queen. Miusel has a little break down, and the household only discovers this by wondering why dinner is so late, and seeing that she has been stirring a totally burned out pot of stew. I'm sure she'll feel better when Shinichi comes back.
As Shinichi and Petrarca play videogames and read manga all night long, Shinichi shares his own tale of being a shut-in, which was a major depression caused by being rejected by his childhood friend. He says that it became easier and easier to stay inside, as that door became heavier and heavier to open. The problem there, is that the only one who can open that door is the shut-in himself. When Shinichi turns down the volume on the TV, he explains that the shut-in must be sensitive to others, because he's not working, and bothering other people would be rude. As something of a spoiled brat, being sensitive to others is a new thing for Petrarca, so maybe being a shut-in won't be for her. But instead of taking a negative view of that sensitivity, she will remember that feeling and take it with her when she rejoins the world.
As it is, Petrarca can only stand being a shut-in for one day. She's already worried about how she bothered her advisors, and feels embarrassment about it. This kind of shame should be familiar to anyone who has experienced long bouts of depression. But when she opens that door, Garius and Zakhar are waiting there, ready for her. This should also be a lesson for those depressed shut-ins: the shame you feel is many times greater than whatever disappointment you imagine your family and friends have for your behavior. They just miss you. This show is meta in its metanarrative.
However, as we saw earlier in the season when Miusel was recuperating for a month, things around the manor house devolve quickly when she's not there. The morning comes, and she's still stirring that burned out pot, and the other three have gone hungry. Which is the
worse situation here?
