Love Your Mother: 'Your Lie in April' Episode 13 Analysis

I just finished the thirteenth episode of 'Your Lie in April'. You know, the show everyone says rips out your heart? Yeah, that one.
Out of the thirteen episodes I've seen so far, this one hit me the hardest. Not Kousei and Kaori on the stage playing together for the first time. Or Kousei realizing he loves her. Nope. This episode where Kousei faces his fears.

We used to see Saki (Kousei's mother) as a demon. She was the evil mother who forced Kousei Arima to break. She pushed him to be so perfect. But we all know that perfection is impossible. Not without losing your soul.

But in this episode, we got to see Saki as a human being. Not a monster or a demon. She was a mother. She was a loving person. It was a complete reversal of earlier episodes where she yelled at Kousei and all.
Remember the iconic scene of Kousei being slapped so hard by Saki and him telling her to die? Well, we got to see the next part. The part after Kousei exits. And gosh, it hurt my heart.

We got to see Saki as a person who just wanted the best for her son. And isn't that what all parents want?
Saki brought up a point like this. (Not an exact quote but the general idea.) She wondered if Kousei could do music full-time, as a professional pianist. Of course, people can do this, but they have to be good. So she forced him to play exactly as it said. And this really changed my view on her. She was trying so hard to be a good mom. Maybe she seemed harsh. But it was for the better.

We also saw Kousei change. He used to hate his mom.
Then this episode came around. And he understood her. And he understood himself. It changed a lot. I started to see his change. Not just the 'playing piano' change. But changing emotionally.

If this is any indication, I cried so hard during this episode. Not teary eyes. Full frontal crying. And, man, was it rough.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Did you cry too?

How Episode 17 of 'Magi: Labyrinth of Magic' Made Me Cry So Hard

Aka a picture of me during the end of this episode

Oh my god. I just watched this episode. To get an idea of how much of a rollercoaster it was, I'll tell you this: I ended up crying and laughing at the end of the episode.

Here's a bit about the episode if you forgot or something. By the way, SPOILER ALERT.
We're in Balbadd, Alibaba's home country.  We have the Fog Troupe that attacks nobles and government officials in the fog. Aladdin and Sinbad and Morgiana go to fight the Fog Troupe, but they discover Alibaba, and his childhood pal Kassim, are in charge.
Of course, things are thrown off course by the Kou Empire's arrival and want to annex Balbadd. The king Ahbmad is a weakling who succumbs to the wants of riches and gold and accepts this annexation. Ahbmad is to marry a Kou princess and sign an agreement to hand over his people as slaves to the Kou empire.
The people, though, are thirsty for blood, and the Fog Troupe prepares to attack. Alibaba, on the other hand, sides with Sinbad and Aladdin on a mission for peace. He tries many different strategies, including trying to talk to the king, but none work.
His last solution is to announce a republic and tear down the agreement. The Kou princess agrees, but the king is reluctant to give up his power. He finally does, but Kassim comes in with his weapon of smoke/fog and turns into a monster. Alibaba has to defeat the Kassim demon...but can he?

And that's a short recap of the goings-on so far. Now, onto the episode itself.

Aladdin has returned from his comatose state and comes to help Alibaba. He's been out of commission for a good few episodes after trying to help Alibaba and that group fight the other magi Judal. His magoi was depleted, and Ugo seemed to be lost to him. He, of course, is fine and is just resting. Aladdin returns and gives Alibaba (who has little to no magoi left) some power. This power helps Alibaba go through the black demon and to its heart--where Kassim is. And this is where I get emotional. Kassim acknowledges his faults and his reasoning for this whole mess (which can be pinned on him.) And this scene crescendos to this masterpiece of light and sound.
And Kassim is saved.

And that's what happened in this episode. So why do I care so much?

The thing that hit me the most about this episode was not the magic but the emotions behind the episode. Sure, Judal and Aladdin had lots of fun destroying each other (Or trying to), but the real heart of this episode is in the connection between Alibaba and Kassim. I felt so many emotions watching their exchange in the glassy otherworld. Kassim finally opening up to Alibaba was a knife to the heart.
There were so many things he did wrong, but he did have a good heart. Really. I know that the show might try to paint him as a villain, but he had this good heart. And it showed.
We got to see his change from cocky to open in this episode, and it really resonated with me. I know not everyone is as open as they should, but Kassim really was an extreme form of closed off. If he had spoken to Alibaba more, something else would be the result.
Also, we got to see what their lives could have been if Kassim was more open. And, man, was that gorgeous. I love seeing things where the possibilities from other options are seen. (Maybe that why I love 'Steins;Gate' so much.) It really hit the nail on the head. If things HAD been different, live would have been drastically changed. (Then again...Alibaba wouldn't have met Aladdin.)

And another thing. The ending scene where Aladdin grants the dead souls a chance to be with their loved ones? I started to cry. And laugh. Because that was such a good deed. I can't even imagine.

So, overall, this episode was gorgeous. I adored it, and it really got me in love with this show. I'm not done with it yet (At least as I write this post), but I do appreciate it's awesomeness.