The tenth entry in the diary of Shu Ishido, GDF Inspector to SKIP from Ultraman Arc, was released on UC earlier this week. Now that folks have had time to read it, we felt that it was time to give our thoughts. While “To My Distant Friend” was deeply poignant, almost painfully so, did Shu’s thoughts reflect that tone? Let’s go through and figure out exactly what’s going on in Shu’s thoughts.
The core of Shu’s initial thoughts are a reflection on the unexpected incident of Arc “eavesdropping” on SKIP finding a solution to Noiseler. WE know Arc’s true identity, but to Shu, this is the first indication that Arc actively pays attention to SKIP, and though Shu is unwilling to draw any final conclusions, it’s clear that his hopes of being able to work with Arc as a team are approaching reality… which, once again, makes it very funny to remember that Yuma is partners with Shu, perhaps more than anyone else on the team.
Directly after this, however, alarm bells start ringing, as Shu almost tells us what brought him to Hoshimoto in the first place. Granted, this is one of the first times that Shu mentions that something specific brought him here — something that isn’t Arc.
From here, things begin to get melancholy again, as we delve into the aftermath of Kazuo’s personal story. Through the GDF, Kazuo gets to immortalize Fio, telling her story and making them part of the official record. She existed, and though we know little about her world or her people, Kazuo’s story serves as a memorial to them.
We learn that Yuma and Kazuo are actively hanging out together in the aftermath, and Shu remarks dispassionately that he doesn’t have bonds like they do, due to his upbringing that took him around the world. In some ways, the fact that it doesn’t bother him very much makes it much sadder…
To lighten things up in a final note, Shu despairs that Yuma was repulsed by the bitter taste of instant coffee from Kazuo, and seems to be uninterested in the stuff. Don’t worry, Shu, you’ll get him yet…!
