Gnosia

Episode 19

As we all predicted, the previous 'ending' of Gnosia was not the true conclusion of Yuri and Setsu's adventures through time and space. As noble as it was for Setsu to exile themself and the original Yuri to another universe to give our version of Yuri a shot at a time-loop-free existence, there was no way that the story was just going to end on that note. The problem isn't that it is bittersweet instead of a perfectly happy ending; Setsu is just one of the only truly developed characters in this entire narrative. It would be utterly ridiculous to conclude Gnosia

by taking such a fundamental pillar to the story's success and just throwing it out into the vacuum of another universe with a shrug and a half-hearted, “Who knows what could happen next? You decide!”

While “Epilogue” doesn't solve all of my longstanding issues with the way Gnosia has decided to tell this story, it does immediately benefit from the change of pace and scenery. We have in Yuri's quest to save Setsu a much more concrete and emotionally compelling thread to follow compared to the vague “Figure shit out, I guess” directive of previous episodes. I also have to thank the show for allowing its characters to explore a setting other than the D.Q.O. I won't pretend that these dreary, rain-soaked streets are the most interesting locations in the galaxy, but I appreciate getting a chance to see more of the weird tech and cultural tidbits that we've only seen glimpses of until now. We've got hologram-filled cyberpunk strip clubs, giant floppy-disk readers, and hole-in-the-wall collector's shops that sell universe-altering, time-destroying Silver Key parasites alongside all the other bric-a-brac, for some reason. It's the kind of genre silliness that I can fully get behind.

I also appreciate the extra time that we're getting to spend with these characters, even if I feel like the show is cheating a bit by making them all act like close friends who know each other very well, despite the events we've been privy to over the last nineteen episodes never having occurred. I get that we're living in a universe of what is essentially space magic, and that we just need to accept that, like, the “soul memory" of the characters has retained a connection across the world lines, but Gnosia has never been good at solidifying its cast beyond their basic quirks, so I've never felt like we've truly gotten to know most of them. Jina, Racio, and Sha-Ming don't really have much to do other than re-explain to Yuri all of the exposition they need to know to save Setsu while also reminding Yuri of why they want Setsu back, but I'll take it. It's the most connected to the supporting cast that I've felt in some time.

While this “Epilogue” doesn't completely change our perception of the show or shatter our brains with mind-blowing twists, it does provide Gnosia with some much-needed emotional heft. I am looking forward to seeing how Yuri can ultimately bring this series to its true ending in the coming weeks.

Episode Rating:

Gnosia is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.