Thread:Shanethefilmmaker/@comment-397235-20140801024539/@comment-397235-20140808000546

See, I figured she didn't particularly care for Kouichi at all (she spends a large portion of his first day of school glaring at him). The only conversations they even have are shouting matches about Mei, and conclude with her kneeing him in the groin and stabbing him in the arm. That's not to say she hates him; she goes out of her way not to kill him, which is why I rank her significantly lower on my sliding scale of "People Who Deserve to Die" than Tomohiko, who just starting killing everybody.

The impression I got from her relationship with Izumi is this: Takako is desperately seeking her self worth and approval from everyone but herself. She's also shy (not like Yumi or Yuuya, who can at least form meaningful attachments with people). She and Izumi probably grew up together (they live on the same street); she was probably Takako's first friend, and is certainly her longest lasted friendship. The only reason she's ever with Junta is because of his devotion to Izumi, which may be what attracts her to him in the first place.

All Takako wants from Izumi is for her to pat her on the head and say "Good girl." That's why she goes after Mei: yeah, she remembers Misaki and gets confused, but I think deep down she knows Izumi hates her and thinks killing Mei will gain Izumi's gratitude. That's why she doesn't kill Kouichi: yes, she's not in her own mind a murderer, and knows he's not dead (again, contrast with Tomohiko and his "Fuck it, I'll kill everyone" approach), but she also knows if she kills him Izumi will never forgive her for it. And like she says, she can't imagine life without Izumi. That's really sad, when you think about it.

I think had events played out differently, she'd have attacked Tomohiko for the same reasons Izumi did: he's clearly a loose canon, and he's after someone Izumi cares about. She'd have probably beaten the hell out of Kouichi afterward to make him stay put, but I can still see it.

What amuses me about her is how irritated she is about the whole thing. Her expression the entire time is "Why am I even wasting my time explaining this? It's not my fault you're too stupid to figure it out."

If I were writing her, I wouldn't have her break into her psychotic laughter and shouting, since it's a little over the top (especially her American actress, who makes the character funny in ways she shouldn't be). Seeing a calm, rational person tell you she's going to kill you is far more unsettling than someone who's very clearly insane. I'd even have her apologize to Mei while trying to kill her. "Well, this is probably going to hurt a bit, but if you just hold still I promise it won't for very long."

I'm suddenly in mind of this guy.

"I am dangerous sociopath with a long history of violence. I don't understand how you keep forgetting that."

Back to the original discussion, though, all it would've taken to make her stop would've been for Izumi to tell her no. Since Izumi is driven to protect her friends and Takako is the last surviving member of that group (well, there's Kouichi, but friend is a strong word for their relationship), Izumi would've packed it in and gotten her out, so they'd have both survived. Her death was the final straw for Izumi; after that, it was really only going to end one way.