#also i am lowkey rly into miyooda ok bye

[dollofdeath]

Od(d)agiri - A Rewatch of JG Ep 12

(bestboy.png)

(I-It’s still Odagiri month, r-right?? I-I actually made it on time --)

Anyways, hey there! Originally I said my last analysis was gonna be my last since I wasn’t sure if I could spit out anything more, but you know what, I lied; I remembered how much useless Odagiri analysis/character study/what-have-you I’ve built up. Although I suppose this isn’t much of an analysis as it is more like highlighting aspects of Odagiri in Episode 12, so it’s more or less me just crying over this dear child of mine lol all righty.

Typical disclaimer here: I’m not too well versed in regards to the historical context of the setting which may lead to shortcomings in my analysis. Anyways, without further ado, here I go! (•̀ᴗ•́)و

As I've said before, Odagiri is an anomaly of an anomaly -- neither a common man nor a monster like the other spies -- and we constantly see this in not only what we’re told of him, but in his actions. Whether he means to or not, Odagiri has this tendency to stick out when he’s not supposed to (which is something I find especially interesting in regards to Japanese values of conformity, but I digress; that's a conversation for another time haha).

For example, as I’ve covered in my Episode 1 rewatch, Odagiri most likely tells Sakuma that they game they've been playing was actually the Joker Game out of his own volition. In the context of the anime, the other spies probably let Sakuma believe they were playing a regular poker game for their own amusement but Odagiri decided to have mercy on him and told him what was really going on. To me, this is a bit of a defining moment for Odagiri; here we see his concern -- his humanity -- win out over what he's been trained to do.

Similarly, this is how we’re introduced to Odagiri in Episode 12. Right from the get go, we’re shown his concern for others in the form of him protecting his fellow soldier. Instead of letting them be left to death from their training exercise, he stands up for them, even going so much as to defy their superior.

Although there’s something I find interesting between the two scenes. The Odagiri we’re introduced to in Episode 12 had still yet to undergo spy training -- still a “human,” so to speak. In his introduction scene, he seems completely ready to protect his peer despite the consequences. However, in comparison, Odagiri seems less willing to let Sakuma know about the Joker Game. As I’ve said in my first analysis, he is almost hesitant in doing so, knowing that doing it would earn him some judgement from the other spies.

He knows his concern -- his humanity -- is considered a liability, and any other good spy would’ve left the situation as it is. In the end, however he decided that it was more important to let Sakuma know what was going on. After all his spy training, it must’ve been difficult to arrive at that choice -- a spy is supposed to be a heartless monster, one who shouldn't let their emotions dictate their decisions -- but it was the choice he made nonetheless. As Odagiri says himself, he will never be able truly be like the other spies due to him unwilling to let go of his humanity.

Another thing I find interesting is how Odagiri’s role sort of parallels (or perhaps “contrasts” is a better word to use) Sakuma’s in Episode 1. As we see, Sakuma, the military man whose views oppose the spies’, is absent from Episode 12. In a way, Odagiri, a former military man whose views don’t completely fit in with the other spies’, takes his place.

Similar to Sakuma, the spies give off a condescending vibe towards Odagiri. Throughout his debriefing, it’s clear in the body language of the others that they think less of Odagiri for failing his mission. It’s especially clear with how Miyoshi, Kaminaga, Hatano, and Jitsui voice their objections towards Odagiri’s conclusions. Fortunately, Amari, Tazaki, and Fukumoto are a bit more merciful, but that hardly changes the atmosphere of the room. Likewise, Odagiri looks uncomfortable by being underneath everyone’s scrutiny, knowing that the others are judging him.

This is where things differ, however (hence the “contrast”), between Sakuma and Odagiri’s roles. Whereas it seemed as if the spies sans Odagiri had no hope for Sakuma, they do seem to acknowledge that Odagiri has competency. It may be per Yuuki’s orders, but all the spies report back to Odagiri with the information they got in regards to the mission. Of course, Odagiri is confused by all this but Miyoshi puts it bluntly with “This is your case.”

(reason 34289 as to why Odagiri is #relatable: reacts to being in charge with internal screaming)

I also find that this is another contrast with Sakuma. In Episodes 1 and 2, Sakuma merely masqueraded as the MP Captain, which only gave the appearance of him being in charge of the situation. In reality, Sakuma had nearly been a pawn in the greater scheme of things. Odagiri, on the other hand, hadn't realized that he was in charge of this case, believing that his failure ruined his credibility. What's good is that both boys were able to take control of their respective situations and figure things out for themselves.

Moreover, just as Miyoshi and Sakuma’s dynamic had been given the spotlight of sorts in Episodes 1 and 2, we’re given light to Miyoshi and Odagiri’s dynamic. Already, they have a different foundation than the Miyoshi and Sakuma dynamic. It was probably clear to Miyoshi and the others that Odagiri had been part of the military, and that may have lead to some doubts in Odagiri’s abilities as stated above. However, as also stated, Miyoshi acknowledges that Odagiri is capable of handling himself and the mission to some extent, unlike Sakuma who had to prove himself.

Miyoshi and Odagiri’s dynamic isn’t designed to be a foil like Miyoshi’s and Sakuma’s, but I think it’s interesting to see how Miyoshi pushes Odagiri to reach his potential. As with the above scene, it’s Miyoshi who tells Odagiri that he’s the one in charge of the mission. However, he’s not condescending nor mocking Odagiri like he typically is with Sakuma. He tells it like it is, as if it were obvious and seems frustrated that Odagiri didn’t realize it. In fact, he even looks confused when Odagiri questions him. He knows Odagiri is capable of solving this case and snaps when he doesn’t seem to get it, which brings about Odagiri’s realization. 

(miyoshi: i thought we were friends :c i run the out of context blog, as u can tell,,,)

The next time we see Miyoshi and Odagiri together is towards the end of the episode, after Odagiri sees the play again. The way this scene is set up reminds me of Episode 2, where Miyoshi was waiting for Sakuma to come out of Yuuki’s office. Here, Miyoshi seems to be waiting for Odagiri and it’s Miyoshi who calls Odagiri’s attention unlike Episode 2, where Sakuma noticed Miyoshi. Also in contrast to Episode 2, Sakuma thinks Miyoshi had come to mock him but Miyoshi had actually come to praise Sakuma. Here, Odagiri responds to Miyoshi with confidence and it’s Miyoshi doing the questioning -- but out of genuine curiosity. We also learn that Odagiri had given Miyoshi a lead to follow and Miyoshi listened to him -- a sign, I think, that he trusts in Odagiri’s judgement.

Unfortunately, we’re not given any closure to this scene, but I do like to think it ends somewhat similarly to the one in Episode 2, with Miyoshi having some kind of newfound respect for Odagiri as he did with Sakuma.

Moving away from the characters, I find that Episode 12 resembles Episodes 1 and 2 in general in the way that it’s structured and how some scenes play out, for example:

(While the frames are similar, I do think it’s interesting how Sakuma’s and Odagiri’s resolves are different within their respective scenes -- Sakuma means business, Odagiri’s just been roasted to hell and back and is suffering from low self-esteem (jk)).

(okay i s2g there was like an exact image of this in like episode 1 or 2 but i can’t seem to find it...??)

(I suppose this more of a contrast than a parallel though haha)

A~nd that just about wraps this up. I feel like this didn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table, but these are just some things that strike my interest whenever I watch Episode 12. I project myself onto see a lot of myself in Odagiri, so it’s interesting seeing how he reacts to everything and handles it all, how his relationships with the other spies work, and all that fun stuff.

Anyways, thank you all so much for reading this!!  And once again thank you JGFiles for giving me the opportunity to share all my thoughts in one coherent post haha  ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪