Banila

Spoiler for Ending. Don't read until you finished watching

SPOILERS AHEAD.

I am leaving this review because I loved this drama so much. As a longtime fan of mythology, it’s rare to see Japanese supernatural lore depicted in a global drama series. Most mainstream shows lean toward Chinese or Western mythologies. This show was right up my alley, and the OST was incredible.

The ending leaves some room for interpretation, so I wanted to capture my thoughts here. If future me ever stumbles back onto this drama, I will remember the emotional rollercoaster this ending put me through. And hopefully this spoiler will also help those who wonder about the ending

1. The Lore of "Kotodowatashi" (事戸渡し)

In the series, erasing a god’s divine memories via the ritual (kotodowatashi) only makes them live as an ordinary human. A deity is only completely extinguished (vanishing into thin air / kamikakushi) if their physical human body is killed while their divine memories are gone. When Amano enacted kotodowatashi on herself to protect Okitama’s true identity from Hiruko, she gave up her divine consciousness and agency to protect him, but she was not killed. Her soul and body remained alive in the world.

2. Why She Can Still Become / Exist as a God

Because she was never killed in that amnesiac state, her divine existence was never permanently destroyed:

a) The God Within Her Survived: A deity who simply loses their memories remains a dormant vessel until their divine nature is reawakened (as happened earlier in the series when Amano gradually remembered who she was).
b) Okitama’s Lifted Finger: When Okitama performed the final ritual at the end, lifting his finger ensured that the severance was incomplete. He did not strip her soul away or seal her permanently; he left the thread intact.
c) The Final Bell (Kagura Suzu): A normal human with no divine spark cannot wield or activate sacred divine tools (shingi). The moment she draws the ritual bell and rings it on the street, it confirms she is not just an ordinary mortal whose godhood vanished into nothingness.

The Verdict
She did not suffer permanent extinction. She is living out this current human life as Amano Koyume, but because her divine core was preserved, Ame-no-Uzume lives on in her and will continue the cycle of reincarnation as a god in future lives, just as the other deities do.

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Characters are too stupid

While the premise of the show is intriguing, the main drawback so far is the characters' total lack of situational awareness. They seem oblivious to the obvious clues surrounding them and take far too long to realize they've ended up in an "other world" setting. Their density can be frustrating to watch at times, as any reasonable person would have caught on much sooner

That being said, despite the annoying character logic, the overall mystery and world-building are compelling enough to hold my interest. I’m still curious to see how the plot unfolds and how they adapt once reality finally sinks in, so I’ll definitely keep watching.

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