Today I am writing a newsletter pondering upon the ending of Requiem for Phantom.
Before I began, I would like to summarize the plot of the anime. Ein and Zwei, were extraordinary assassins also known as Phantoms, working for a crime syndicate named Inferno which was owned by Raymond McGuire. Here, both of them were brainwashed and deprived of their identity, and they had no memories or any sort of social support. They were merely puppets who were used for the execution of crimes to benefit the organization. Ein and Zwei were created by a German scientist named Scythe Master for the sole purpose of murdering people so that the organization may rise and become invincible. So, this anime portrays the journey of Zwei and Ein’s quest to search for their lost identity, memories, and redemption for their sins.
To understand the ending of this anime, there are two scenes that one can keep in mind. The first scene is that which depicts Ein’s last conversation with Scythe master. This scene is significantly important because it reveals Ein’s transformation from a puppet to a human being. During their conversation, Scythe Master knew that Ein wants him to die and warns her about the consequences of killing him. He reminds her that she would also die and without him, she would only experience life in spirals, a life without purpose. However, she shoots him after speaking her last words:
“Please go to hell first. I still want to stay with him [Zwei] a little longer”.
This line suggests that Ein is aware of the consequence of Scythe Master’s death and she accepts it. She reveals to him her true name and her desire to spend her last days with Zwei in search of her memories and identity. One can also say that Scythe master in this last scene was a personification of her own most inner intimate thoughts that conflicted with her before she accepts her fate.
The second scene which is minor yet one of the most significant scene to understand the ending. When death of Scythe Master was reported to Mr McGuire, who was the boss of Inferno. Throughout the anime, it is observed that Mr McGuire only cared about what he wanted. He was never interested in Scythe Master’s plan or Phantoms. However, after hearing about his death, his final words were:
“There’re things that we must do”
McGuire did not care about Scythe Master’s death and simply feels that it is natural for the young generation to overthrow the old ones. Though he realizes that assassins were no longer interested in affiliating with organization and were like ghosts with no identity. Yet, being boss of the crime syndicate he felt responsible for what had happened and was determined to get them killed. While he spoke his final line, his bloodthirsty eyes were glimmering which symbolized his determination to kill Phantoms.
In later scenes, Zwei and Ein finally found Ein’s hometown which was situated in the town of Mongolia. Ein remembers the bright blue sky of her hometown and feels a sense of contentment. She no longer wanted to search for anything. If one observes closely, it is noted that anime ended with two different monologues which took place in different time dimensions- the first was Zwei’s monologue where he tells that he found his purpose within Ein, second was Ein’s monologue after Zwei’s death.
Their monologues may look confusing as if both characters are talking to each other. But if we look closely, then it is observed that both of their monologues are going in parallel to each other. Their eyes were peering at the orangish-yellow hue of the magnificent Mongolian landscape. While Zwei spoke about his future with Ein, he contemplates his dark past and now only aspires to make her happy but his aspirations were crushed at that very moment as he got killed by a sniper. When he got shot, he stood peering through the sunlight which engulfed him. His eyes gracefully embraced his fate, his expression softened and he smiled depicting that he found tranquillity in death. In parallel to this scene, one can listen to Ein’s monologue about Zwei, where she reminisces about the time she had spent with him. She spoke with a deep sense of gratitude and affection.
However, those two different monologues merged into one, when Zwei gets shot and at that very moment Ein clutches the blue Mongolian flowers. Mongolian flowers are poisonous and symbolize death. Ein’s eyes looked dreamy and she gently smiled remembering Zwei for one last time. She was later found lying among a bunch of Mongolian flowers with one of its petal missing which symbolized that she killed herself. It may not be necessarily true that she died by eating a flower petal but rather it symbolized her death itself. Zwei was aspiring for a future with dreams, hopes, and aspirations whereas Ein was reminiscing a past drenched in affection, companionship, and gratitude, the sniper who killed Zwei symbolized the present that haunts them which they could not escape.
The ending of Requiem for Phantom reminds me of a quote from the classic novel “Jude the Obscure” written by Thomas Hardy which states:
“She’s never found peace since she left his arms, and never will again till she’s as he is now!” (Hardy,379).
This specific quote comments upon Ein’s mental anguish that she went through after Zwei’s death and concludes that at times death is the door that sets people free.
This was my interpretation, do let me know in the comment section what you think about it and how you have interpreted Requiem for Phantom’s ending