kiznaiver thoughts / speculation
I know it’s early and all since it’s only been 2 episodes and the actual plot won’t kick-off until next week, but I can’t help myself lol I’m seriously intrigued (and confused) by the timeline, so I wanted to write down my thoughts about it so far to try and make sense of them.
We know Katsuhira was involved in a Kiznaiver experiment when he was younger. But there’s just… something that doesn’t really add up about what we’ve been told so far, IMO.
(Image heavy post!)
In this episode, Chidori says that Katsuhira changed in Grade School.
According to Google, the Japanese Grade School / Elementary School is from ages 6 to 12. So as far as Chidori is concerned, something changed in Katsuhira around that age.
Except something in him must have changed before that too, right? Because we literally saw a change in Episode 1′s flashback, what with the hair color switch and all.
And given that the show takes place 12 years later and Katsuhira’s now in 10th grade, he must’ve been around 4 rather than 6 back then.
I suppose there’s always the chance that whatever changes his personality went through didn’t truly kick in until some years later. But there’s something else that strikes me as odd about the whole thing:
Going by that line alone and Katsuhira’s desperation, I had actually assumed he didn’t have much else going for him outside of the experiments. Like Blue Girl was literally the only thing he had in that place. Whatever that place even was.
And speaking about That Place, it seems they were living underground?
Or at least, the shows seem to be hinting at that:
So that makes me wonder. Maybe Katsuhira did grow up with Chidori, but then he was taken in for the experiment and he started to change after being released. Or maybe he was part of the experiment all along? If so, that’d mean he “came to the surface” - for another phase of the experiment, maybe? - sometime after Blue jumped off, which in turn could mean both he and Chidori have got their memories trampled with and they weren’t always part of each other’s lives.
Or maybe everyone in the group was also part of the experiment when they were children and they just don’t remember it lol Though that seems to be more out there, given that the ending only seems to hint at two kids.
Another thing that caught my eye is the experiment itself. In the flashback, we see that Katsuhira and Blue were most likely connected by the Kiznaiver system since her mark activated the moment he fell and cut his hand.
Interestingly enough though, Blue girl didn’t even flinch. This either means she’s also got a high tolerance to pain, or perhaps she truly doesn’t feel it at all.
Another thing that points to them being linked is Katsuhira’s own mark reacting to her jumping off:
And this right here is another thing that’s taking me 10 different directions at once. What’s up with the position of that mark? Does it hint at another possible facet of the Kiznaiver experiment? Aka one involving not only physical pain but also emotional one?
Plus, why did Blue jump? In a way, it reminds me of Noriko throwing Katsuhira off the stairs so the others would be “bonded” by his wounds and share the pain. I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar went down back then, except perhaps for opposite results?
Though it’d depend. Was Blue jumping part of the experiment, or did she do it on her own volition for Katsuhira? And if so, did she get the result she was aiming for, or did it backfire on her?
Lastly, there’s another parallel that I found interesting. First, we have Blue telling Katsuhira that he’s not “like them” and that he would be able to get his pain back.
Meanwhile, here we have Katsuhira telling the rest that he’s “not like them” and that he’s uninterested in interpersonal relationships.
It feels like Sonozaki is trying to make him realize the opposite: that he is like them. Or that he could be, at least. The one that’s different is her Blue and the others like her, whoever they are.
Plus, what “secret” did Katsuhira forget?
And what did Noriko mean when she said Katsuhira “hadn’t changed?” What facet of his personality, exactly, was she talking about?
So many questions! Since this is one of those shows that is pretty deliberate about directing and foreshadowing (aka the best kind.), it’s just a lot of fun to theorize even though we have little to go off on for now haha
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