Mnemosyne ep 4
I watch Mnemosyne just for entertainment’s sake and don’t give it much thought once an episode is over, but to my surprise I really like ep 4. The reason is, pure and simple, Mimi - Mimi and the change in the relationship between her and Rin. For the first three episodes, she’s been a rather one-dimensional character, what with Rin taking center stage and Kouki being the human foil; Mimi’s the sidekick with a taste for vodka and a rather forward way of displaying affection towards Rin. We’ve seen Rin and Mimi as colleagues in a dangerous line of work. They’ve been together a long time, and they care a lot about each other. We know Mimi flirts a lot with Rin and Rin takes it in stride; in episode three, their interactions indicate that they are in a relationship.
In this episode, however, 14 years or so have changed things. Mimi still teases Rin, but she doesn’t flirt with her. More tellingly, when Mimi decides to go to the information dealer, it becomes a point of tension. Rin prods Mimi by saying she thought Mimi didn’t quite like the woman. Mimi responds indignantly that of course she does not, but Rin says, somewhat teasingly, that it seems Mimi has been using her more than Rin herself, lately. Mimi then becomes defensive, telling Rin to make sure to turn off the gas and lock the door. Rin then mentions casually that perhaps she will take Teruki to her home (there is no indication that Rin and Mimi live together), to which Mimi looks shocked and upset. Rin but smiles kindly and says, “It’s all right.”
Now, I may just be reading too much into this, but to me it appears that Rin and Mimi are no longer together, and it’s an issue that’s been eating at them for a while. Perhaps Kouki’s death hit hard, or maybe it was the passing of time… More likely, I think it was Mimi who fell in love with Rin, back then, and Rin reciprocated but was never fully in love with Mimi; rather, she had always loved that mysterious bearded man, or angel as the case may have it. And Mimi’s heart got broken, and the relationship was no more because Rin couldn’t love Mimi like Mimi loved Rin.
And Rin knew this, and so she been trying to let Mimi go for several years now. When she said, “Maybe I’ll take Teruki home with me”, it was her implicit permission for Mimi to go to someone else. When she said, “It’s all right”, she meant that she didn’t want Mimi to continue trying to stay in love with her, that it was all right to start having feelings for that woman.
Some people might argue that Mimi doesn’t enjoy her “payments” with the woman. I’d say that may have been true in 2011, but it’s no longer so in 2025. In 2011, Mimi did it for Rin. In 2025, she did it for a boy in trouble. Admitted, Kouki’s son, but still, obviously she’s been buying information for more than a few cases before then already. Look at their interaction in bed. The woman teases Mimi, and Mimi’s reaction isn’t terribly hateful or resentful. When the talk turns serious, Mimi sounds somewhat melancholic. Would it be too much to read that the woman may hold affection for Mimi, and Mimi, while loathe to admit it, does as well? I see the last scene from the episode, where Mimi walks off with a lone suitcase and Genta, as someone in deep pain when the woman she loves ie Rin has failed to return. But I can imagine Mimi burying the tears inside and stoically showing up on the information dealer’s door, so that she would at least have someone to hold her.
Anyway, that’s my take on this episode. How utterly depressing. But now I am a Mimi fan ;-)
Although, dammit, Rin looks too damn good when she tells Teruki they are going out, and she says, “Ii toko! <3″
2 Responses to “Mnemosyne ep 4”
Bah, I totally spoiled myself by reading your entry. But not really, since you focused more on characters themselves than plot.
I never really looked at Mimi, so all the things you mentioned about her are rather interesting. Thinking back, I always thought she was just teasing with Rin.
I haven’t seen the episode yet, but Mimi being ‘melancholic’ with the information dealer seems to me that she’s doesn’t really enjoy it. As such, I doubt that she’s found a new object of affection.
…Can’t believe I just looked past the ostensible fore and nudity in writing this comment. lols.
By Nagato on May 10, 2008
Well, the thing with Mnemosyne is, if you take it at face value, it’s not much beyond gore, nudity, and hawt moaning :D The plots are kinda loopholey and the mystery of the Time Spores and Apos aren’t incredibly compelling. But I like the characters, and so personally the thing that makes this series stand out is when they show how the the passage of time affects the characters.
The most obvious is how everyone around Rin and Mimi age, while they remain the same. That, however, isn’t quite original. But if I imagine that Rin and Mimi themselves change subtly, then the series progression becomes much more interesting and enjoyable.
Rin and Mimi’s relationship is completely open to interpretation so I don’t put much authority on my ideas; that said, it was great fun to use my imagination a little, heheh.
By No Make Girl on May 11, 2008