Release the Kraken

I don't know what switch was flipped for Takao, but the ending scene of Aku no Hana on episode 7, to say the least. The walls that our protagonist, Kasuga Takao put up, has finally been torn down and we see the beautiful destruction that was unleash by both him and Sawa, in their classroom.

Like a lot of things in this series, they seem to have a large range of contrast in scenes. To me, the way Takao and Sawa vandalized their classroom was presented in an uplifting and freeing matter -- Takao can finally be honest with him -- but you have to remember, what they are doing is anything but empowering. Takao was pushed into a corner, and Sawa continued to manipulate him until he finally snapped, making him ended up in a more "impure" state.

But how did he get to this point so quickly? Well, the trigger was pull when he outright lied to his now girlfriend, Saeki Nanako. Takao tried to cover his own ass, but ending up feeling more guilty, all because he says he isn't hiding anything from Nanako. With said guilt, he attempts to convince Sawa to help him out, but she refuses because of Takao's unwillingness to cooperate with her and tries to leave him for dead. And now we are here, in this scene of splendor mixed with chaos; caught in a feedback loop of defacement, that all stemmed from Takao taking Nanako's gym clothes and Sawa seeing him.

It's not too easy for me to predict what might happen for our three main characters, but I have a hunch on the fate of Kasuga Takao. He is obviously sinking more and more into the control of Sawa -- and that is exactly what she wants -- so it is clear, to me at least, that Sawa is only going to go more extreme, from this point on. It is up to Takao if he will continue to be pushed or if he will stand his ground.

Now that Takao is essentially Sawa's partner in crime, the previous leverage Sawa had on Takao -- him having stole Nanao's gym clothes -- is irrelevant; however the much stronger bond -- created in this episode -- it doesn't matter much to Sawa. His peers will soon find out what he has done, and maybe he will have to break off ties with Nanao because of this, the only person Takao has to turn to is Sawa. Either way, I'm still excited for what's to come in the next episode.