Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ (Sea Story) episode 12 review (the finale); learning to embrace our inner darkness.

 

       This episode begins with us seeing the last couple of minutes of the previous episode where Marin and Kanon slowly losing consciousness after discovering Sedna’s true nature and having been infected by the heart of darkness. As this is happening, Urin wonders what she’s has done? Sedna tells her that she’s obtained her power while she’s obtained Urin’s body and that the darkness has won out. Urin asks what will happen to her sister? Senda says that unless Marin embraces the darkness she’ll fade away with the light. Why don’t I feel sad? Because you’ve been released from the eternal sorrow. As Marin calls out to her sister we get the introduction animation, but this time everything is dark and there’s no living creatures in the sea or on land.

       Urin goes to her sister and takes her hand and she tells her that she would have been better off if she’d never went to the sky, or became a shrine maiden. Marin struggles up and takes her sister’s hand, hugs her, and tells her it seems like its been so long since we did this. Urin then tells Marin that she’ll use her powers to turn her heart black too; Marin says no because she’ll lose her affections for Urin, and this seems to have some affect on Urin because she takes her sister in her arms and takes her away from the others.

        While Urin is holding Marin she asks Urin if she wants to see the coral again, and Urin tells her that it would be better if we had never seen them or we had never met. Urin tells her that it would have been better if she had never called to her, or met her, or that Urin had ever liked her right away. Marin begins to cry in Urin’s arms, and Urin says that way she never would have become sad. While Urin is holding Marin, she asks Urin if she wants to see the coral again, and Urin tells her that it would be better if we had never seen them or we had never met. Urin tells her that it would have been better if she had never called to her, or met, or Urin had ever liked her. Marin begins to cry in Urin’s arms, and Urin says that way she never would have become sad.

       After a few minutes, Kanon and the Turtle Elder wake up, and Kanon explains to him what exactly Sedna is, and how she was born. They both decided to try and find where Urin and Marin have gone off to.

        Then we see that Urin has taken Marin to the place of their memories where she wants to use her powers to make Marin hate her so she’ll turn to darkness and won’t die. As Urin unleashes her power memories of the two sisters come flooding back and Marin asks her to stop, and Urin says she has to hate her, or she’ll dies. Urin also tells Marin that it’s OK if she’s hated, and alone. Marin tells her no, she’s sure that they’ll be able to return to those days from before, and that someday she see her smile again. Marin’s words seem to have some affect on Urin.

       While Marin makes her way toward Urin she tells her that nothing she could ever do would make her hate her, and that she could never think of anything more painful than hating her sister. When Marin gets to Urin, she hugs her and tells her that she always loved her and still does.

       Sedna’s spell over Urin seems to be broken, but Sedna’s powers is inside Urin fighting for control. Urin screams in pain and pushes Marin away from her, she says she’s sorry, she won’t do bad things again, and that she still her heart of light inside of her. As Sedna assaults Urin’s body, Urin says that she loves her sister, and that every time she thinks of Marin it causes Sedna pain.

      As Senda continues to assault Urin, she tells her sister to keep back, she tells Marin that she has the power to seal Sedna. Then Sedna’s voice tells Urin that if she goes, she’ll take Urin with her and that Urin will evaporate into bubbles of light and disappear, Urin tells Sedna she’s fine with that.

       As Urin starts to be consumed by Sedna she says she’s alright with it but Marin yells that she’s not. Marin tells Urin that she loves her, and doesn’t want her to disappear. Soon, Urin also cries out for her sister saying she doesn’t want to disappear, and that she loves her. The turtle Elder tells the girls to keep back, but both Marin and Kanon enter the power bubble to reach Urin. Marin hugs Urin and tells her that she won’t let her go anywhere.

       At that moment, the Turtle Elder notices that Sedna’s power is weakening. Sedna’s voice says that she’s doesn’t want to be alone, and that she wants to her I love you. Kanon says that she can feel Sedna’s heart, it’s all their hearts and feelings that were unable to be expressed, it’s not light or dark, and it’s just our weak hearts. Kanon, Marin, and Urin’s love embraces the darkness that is Sedna, and her power begins to transform and blend with the light, the darkness is melted by the light. Urin transforms back to her normal self and Sedna’s power begins to fade from the land and the sea.

     Then we see the island’s sea priestess over looking the transforming sea and she tells us that the darkness and the light now understand each other, and now it’ll return to the hearts of the people, and even if the darkness returns, we just have to remember to forgive.

       Back on land, Marin and Urin have to return to the sea with Warin and Sam, and they ask Kanon to come with them but the Elder says, no. He tells them that soon everybody except people born with sea or sky priestess blood will soon have their memories of this fade to a dream, plus they aren’t meant to live together. Marin tells Kanon that she loves her, and before Marin can fully return to the sea Kanon finally tells Marin that she loves her too.

       Later, when summer break is over, we see Kanon finally tell Kojima that she loves him. This is overheard by a lot of other school kids including Ooshima who says the real competition begins now. Well, that’s all for this series, until the special DVD only episode comes out next year.

       Well, this was a very sweet ending to a very enjoyable magic girl series where the power of love and understanding reigns supreme. Since Sedna’s was a creation of every one’s abandoned feelings the only real solution was to embrace all those hurtful and scary emotions, we don’t throw them away, we allow ourselves to be transformed and changed by our life experiences.

      If anything, Sea Story was a tale about growing up and learning to accept all the scary emotions that come along with being an adult. Kanon’s fear of being rejected, Marin’s fear of the darkness, Urin’s fear of loneliness, we shouldn’t hide these emotions, we need to share them with others who care for us, and forgive the weakness inside our hearts.

       While our nature might be good, we all  harbor some darkness inside our hearts, it waits, quietly, until we become fearful, uncertain, lonely, and depressed, then it slowly grows, and can cause us to say cruel thing, and to be unkind to others. But, with the knowledge of its existence we can fight to keep it in check, and when we do slip up, we ask for forgiveness.