Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy - episodes 11 and 12

Amazingly, by the end of this 12 episode run, literally everyone in the world except Techno learned a valuable lesson. Marvellous! Social reform for everyone but the one who needs it the most! One of the hardest things to understand about Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy was that it was actually created by a woman.

The eleventh episode somehow managed to pass without any offensive scenes, a small miracle. This episode centred on Anii, the blue-lipped cyborg designed to keep Techno in check who I hadn't mentioned before because her role had previously been inconsequential, and stupid. This time, with the introduction of war and the feelings of Techno's well meaning but poorly executed Grandfather, some good scenes are allowed to happen. Post war paranoia definitely fuelled the actions of Techno's Grandfather, and the wartime scenes were very well done. The effects of war also led to the creation of the Yamakawa family: the ultra-nationalists and the alienated "rebel" X are very much the products of an outdated system. The mentality of the forties definitely damaged everyone here, and this allows Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy to have a sideline in "anti-war sentiment" that ultimately leads to the nuclear disarmament of the planet.

The problem is not that Hitomi started to feel for Techno - in her dreams he was always a well adjusted young man, so she only committed the "sin" of hope - but that Techno couldn't see the error of his ways ever. Even when he changes direction, he still believes that Hitomi is an alien, that her name should be Daisy ... the fact that she starts to go along with him just means he doesn't have to be as forceful. In effect, Hitomi ends up encouraging his character defects. These are not simply eccentricities, and should never be considered as such.
The part of the series that should be most powerful seems to mean nothing to the stupid boy, despite revolutionising the rest of the world. His backwards thinking is very, very dangerous. Turning destructive power into creative means nothing if your mentality remains the same, so it feels like Techno has achieved nothing as a character. This is a major source of frustration.

Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy was an occasionally sickening account of the complexities of society. It can not really be considered "entertainment". The best that can be said for it is that it's not a von Trier film: there is humanity here, and that is when it shines. Techno is putting his skills to better use by the end, but he still doesn't understand the fundamentals and it doesn't seem that he will; such an unshakeable character is what made this series hard to watch.