Platinum End episode 17 sees Mirai and company search for the final God candidate. In their quest to bring all the God candidates together, they encounter a number of interesting characters and take a bold step out into the public. Let’s talk discuss the key talking points from this week’s episode. Spoilers ahead!
The most emo child
In Platinum End episode 17, Mirai meets the edgiest kid in existence. Shuji Nakaumi is a child who’s been using his red arrows to help people by giving them the push to off themselves. He himself wants to delete himself from existence, and throughout the episode, he gets to display his disposition many times. Nakaumi has such a cartoonishly bleak manner of looking at life, coming off as an emo edgelord in the process.
The inanity of the character fits really well in the whacky premise that Platinum End poses. Of course, the subject matter Nakaumi’s character is centered around is one that should be spoken of very delicately. It alludes to the very real issue of Japan having very high suicide rates when compared to most places in the world. However, the allusion to this issue is done in a very lip-service-y manner, not really tackling the issue of the matter in a truly meaningful way. Again, it doesn’t necessarily have to, but that it brings up something so socially relevant in the modern-day in a manner that comes off as quite offhand seems a bit strange.
Perhaps it is a bit of a nitpick, and perhaps this character does address these concerns in meaningful ways as the story progresses. But as of now, Nakaumi comes off as a caricature of the overly emo, edgy teen stereotype. It will be interesting to see how this character changes and progresses as the show moves forward.
Gathering the candidates
Another big plot point Platinum End episode 17 touches on is the team’s search for the final God candidate. At first, they believe they know all the candidates already after meeting Nakaumi, but Mizukiyo Minamikawa reveals that he’s just an ordinary dude. This kicks off Mirai and Saki’s search for the remaining candidates.
They make a public appearance, which finally allows them to meet Susumu and arrange contact with him. With the aid of their angels, they also manage to make contact with Yuri Temari, who has been trapped in police custody. And after having already made contact with Nakaumi, that leaves all but one candidate still missing from their roster.
This is perhaps the most that the show’s plot has been pushed forward in a while. Things are going quite swimmingly for our protagonists so far, so there is the concern that a twist in the tale could be coming sooner rather than later. Either way, it’s good to see the candidates finally get brought together, as we get one step closer to determining just who God ends up being.
Who’s the last one?
All that happens in Platinum End episode 17 leads to one interesting question. Just who is the last remaining God candidate? Have they already been seen somewhere in the previous episodes? Are they going to have a grand reveal? Are they going to cooperate with Mirai? Or will they pose another threat on the level of Metropoliman?
There are a lot of questions that arise from the uncertainty, and this heightens the source of tension from the show. It’s definitely an interesting hook to keep viewers on, and hopefully, the payoff ends up being satisfying. Regardless, their only way to find answers to these questions is to wait until next week.
Platinum End is streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation. Episode 18 will air on February 11th, 2022.
© Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, Platinum End Production Committee
