/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>38240606
>I don't remember if it was ever elaborated on
It was, I just re-watched episode 24 of Gou. >>38240580 isn't quite right as Satoko doesn't LITERALLY say it. At the end of episode 24, Satoko and Eua use a metaphor that compares 1983 Hinamizawa to a birdcage that keeps a cat (Rika) locked inside of it. The same birdcage metaphor is also used at the beginning of the episode when Satoko calls Takano a hindrance and I think interpreting this metaphor is key.

>>38240738
>This comes after Satoko learns about memory leaks
You mean after Satoko learns about Takano's memory leaks. When Satoko calls Takano a hindrance at the beginning of Episode 24, she already knows that people are having memory leaks from her previous loops. Episode 24 starts off with Eua and Satoko talking about how remarkable Teppei's change due to the memory leaks was and Satoko opines that memory leaks are inconvenient, not Teppei's memory leaks, Satoko says she will make full use of him, but instead Satoko says that the hindrance is Takano, the full quote is:
>The true hindrance is the birdcage and this person in particular
"This person in particular" referring to Takano.
I would argue that at this point, when Satoko calls Takano a hindrance, Satoko already guesses that Takano will have memory leaks and will want to stop the GHD plans. Satoko can already see that if Takano changes her ways due to memory leaks, just like Teppei did, then trapping Rika in Hinamizawa becomes difficult. This is why she called memory leaks inconvenient. The reason why the birdcage and Takano are a hindrance is because without Takano succeeding with her plan to kill Rika, the birdcage (i.e. Hinamizawa) is no longer locked and is wide open allowing Rika to leave it freely.

During the rest of Episode 24, we see some of the bad ends that Takano has when the club stops her plan and that she is indeed having memory leaks. Satoko arrives at the clinic for her test and she and Takano talk. Takano tells Satoko she is thinking of leaving her job and Satoko responds with "huh?". There's a cutaway showing Takano reading her Grandfather's letter, but when we come back to Satoko and Takano, Satoko asks if Takano is really serious about leaving. Takano tells Satoko that she feels as if she has been misused by a group for malicious purposes, then Satoko asks Takano if they plan to dispose of Takano "like ingredients in soup stock", Takano replies that yes it would seem that they are panning to dispose of Takano "after all once the stock is made you throw away the ingredients". It seems as if Takano knows that she will not be treated well after the plan has been started, a feeling she would have got from her memory leaks. Satoko counters with "you can use the ingredients to make something else", now Satoko knows for certain that Takano is giving up her plan but it's as if Satoko is trying to convince Takano that she should still carry it out, that Tokyo won't just kill Takano to tie up loose ends, but will use her "to make something else". Takano counters right back with "the ingredients are no longer fresh" and Satoko concedes. Irrelevant to this, but it seems as if these lines are also a meta reference about how Takano being the villain again in the Higurashi sequel would be like using stale ingredients and that Higurashi needed new ingredients, a new villain - Satoko, to make it fresh.

The episode then cuts to the Watanagashi festival where Satoko sneaks away from the club to watch Takano and Tomitake break into the Saiguden where she confirms that Takano is longer on board with the GHD plan and has confessed everything to Tomitake. We get a shot of Satoko's face here and she does not seem pleased by this. We then cut to Eua who calls this fragment "a world where the cat's tragedy no longer exists" and that it is fascinating and all thanks to Eua's own powers. Satoko replies that it's no laughing matter and that when Rika wanted to escape the birdcage locked up, but now that Satoko wants Rika to stay the birdcage has opened and set her free and that wishes are not so easily granted in Hinamizawa. Here Satoko is quite clearly complaining that Rika will no longer be bound to 1983 Hinamizawa by Takano, that the birdcage is no longer locked up when she wanted it to be, unfair now that staying in Hinamizawa with Rika is Satoko's wish. Eua reaffirms to Satoko that with Takano having memory leaks "that birdcage is no longer certain to hold the cat prisoner", to which Satoko replies "That won't do" again complaining that Takano is longer able to force Rika to stay in 1983. Then Satoko avows to become Oyashrio-sama and punish Rika for the sin of wanting to leave Hinamizawa.

Satoko had already guessed that Takano would change, just as Teppei did, and shows herself to be annoyed when it happens, she vows to become Oyashiro-sama and punish Rika's sin herself. Takano's motive for the GHD was to make Oyashiro-sama real by also becoming the god herself.