Bōnen no Xamdou - Episode 22

Xam’d: Lost Memories 22

What does it mean to be human?

Ishuu: “I don’t want anyone playing lone action hero”

This is one of the most common mistakes in human body drawing.

Note how food and communication are weaved throughout this episode.

Midori’s Father: “I don’t think of my daughter as property. I know your father didn’t either!”

“Why are you crying? I see, tears of happiness.”

Tojiro: “No, I suppose it wouldn’t have been. Not in the south either. They’ve always treated me as a second-class citizen because of my Sentan Island blood.”

Tojiro: “As long as you are here, please take responsibility for saving my life.” Nakiami also often mentioned that she is responsible for the people she saved.

Ryuuzou: “In my tent that day I saw only a young man shot through the chest.”

Tojiro: “Don’t twist the story.” Ryuuzou: “I didn’t realize you were a Southerner, my enemy.” Rather than relying on some idealized traits, characters in Xam’d are portrayed as humans. You can recall a similar instance in Episode 20 during encounter of Nakiami and Yango. Indeed, moral principles guide behavior of some people, but it is uncertain what you’ll do in a particular situation. Would Ryuuzou have saved Tojiro, knowing that he is an enemy? Probably, yes because he is a doctor and it is his duty, but you never know…

Tojiro: “All Southerners are murderers, they said.”

Ryuuzou: “But those blue eyes of yours betrayed your desire to live.”

“She is our future” Keep this phrase in mind when you see the scene at the core of the chamber later.

“In the words of the ancients, Xam’d was known as Xam’dyunda (“Guiding Hand”). As I mentioned before, one of the episodes was dedicated to guides.

Tojiro: “The girl is being returned to her motherland.”

Tojiro: “The life you saved, this is its final destiny.” Note the transition.

“At the destined time, the Quickening Door will open. The Hiruko must be guided to join the flow of Ruikon which leads to heaven. That is Xam’d's designed purpose. The Yohorogi are saying that becoming a Hiruko is the way to save their souls. To throw off one’s dirty shell and return to the Ruikon Flow, as a butterfly emerges from a cocoon. Your role is to assist them with this process.”

Some Buddhist monks perform a ritual meditation leading to death. The bodies of people who undergone such a procedure exhibit only minimal decay. The method varies by region, but in Japan it is called Sokushinbutsu (即身仏) were Buddhist monks or priests who allegedly caused their own deaths in a way that resulted in their being mummified. This practice reportedly took place almost exclusively in northern Japan around the Yamagata Prefecture. In the Inu Yasha series, a monk by the name of Saint Hakushin went through the process of Sokushinbutsu in times of famine and war in order to be able to protect his people forever as a living buddha.(Source)

“The world has been preserved for countless thousands of year, thanks to the Great Pilgrimage. To die here means more than to merely die. The Yohorogi willingly endure the hardships of their pilgrimage and throw off their unclean shells, so that people of the world can live on.”

Tojiro: “If you are not prepared to do that, it doesn’t matter if you pull the trigger or just watch!”

Tojiro: “Then humans are ugly and weak.”

Ryuuzou: “The person I am killing is the Commander.”

We see juxtaposition of Tojiro and Yohorogi with Ryuuzou, Akiyuki, and Haru in this episode.

This boy looks somewhat like Tojiro…

…and these two resemble Midori and Kujireika. This may be just coincidental, but I just keep wondering how Jibashiri are linked to people as Azami mentioned.

Other Xam’d: Lost Memories Episodes

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