Therapist Answers "Who Betrayed Mizu?" — Behavioral Analysis and Reaction!

To be honest most people in Mizu's past are just horrible to her, with the only exception being sword father. He is definitely the best person in her life.

It was actually the horse. He had a lot of gambling debts. Look at him. Hes always got a long face.

I felt so sorry for Mizu in this episode. She was willing to let go of revenge, let go of the sword, and be the woman society always told her to be and then she gets betrayed by the 2 people (one of whom she believed to be dead FOR YEARS) she loved and wanted to care for

Mizu killed Miko using the knife throwing skill that he taught her. What a fitting end to his betrayal.

I think the important thing is that it doesn't matter who called the guards: Both of the people Mizu tried to start a normal life with betrayed her. Her "Mother" was discovered to have abandoned her and immediately started manipulating her to get what she wanted. Her husband turned out to live up to his own shameful reputation and murdered her mother in cold blood. Even if he was telling the truth, he left her to die when she needed him. All of this while she was fighting for her life just for being different. It doesn't matter who called the guards, the point is that she is alone in this world and was punished for trying to live otherwise.

I thought about it to try to figure out who betrayed her and then I realized it didn't matter. The fact that it wasn't clear meant they both were unworthy of her trust.

I think another important clue here is the episode is called “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride” - and Mizu is the Ronin and then the Bride, and in the bunraku play, the turning point is when the Ronin kills the Bride. That death symbolizes a betrayal of love and that is what creates the Onryo.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Mikio's look of sadness at the top of the hill is one of pity for Mizu knowing that she is about to be torn apart. He turned away because he could not bear to see her be slaughtered before his eyes but was firm in his resolve. It is also important to note that Mizu's mother DID NOT love her. She protected Mizu because it served her interests and married her off for the same reason. I also think that Miz's mother kept abusing opioids behind her daughter's back without her knowing it. The wicked side eye meant, "I'm going to have my way whether you like it or not. And you're not going to stop me."

Another thing is that by selling her horse without informing her, he's cutting off a mode of transportation for her. So she can't leave as quickly as she might have otherwise planned. She was trapped, and he knew it

Another thing about when Mizu pins Mikio in the fight; she was excited, exhilarated to be in the thick of battle again, to the point it was a turn-on (with the little kiss) It's not just Mikio was beaten, it was that he saw how much Mizu loves fighting to the end. Most people of that time period (heck even many people now) who saw a woman enjoying violence * that much * would consider her a freak. Regardless of his past I think Mikio was genuinely terrified of her bloodlust. Think if the tables were turned and he had been the one kissing her with a blade at her throat

I actually kinda disliked Mizu until this episode. I felt that her pursuit of vengeance was stupid because she just could’ve let it go and tried to live a normal life, but then we find out that she did and was completely betrayed. I don’t blame her for only seeking revenge now. She had an actual chance at love and living like a normal person, and it all ended in tragedy. It was so sad.

One video I saw said "it doesn't matter who sold her out, they both could have, and that's why she leaves them to die" and it is SO revealing of Mizus character.

I just realized when Mikio said "I love you" he was begging for his life not wanting her back

As soon as her husband called her a monsters it was over. And when he road off and didn't help her, I hurt for her so much.

This entire episode was such a knife to the heart. I did not expect to feel any kind of sympathy for Mizu after some of the horrible things she'd done in the show up to that point. But seeing her happy and letting herself just be a person only for it to ripped away like that. Just hurt so much.

One thing I love about these flashbacks is the knife throw she purposefully fumbles in front of mikio earlier is the same knife throw she uses to kill mikio at the end.

It's a dead give away, that it was Mikio: If her husband thought her a monster before, what was he thinking now, after seeing her slaughter a bunch of soldiers; and what exactly were his intentions while literally sneaking up on Mizu with a sword? He could have just dropped the sword after seeing all the soldiers were dead, but only actually did after Mizu seeing him. So he walked a dozen foot in her direction with a sword, even though he knew she wasn't in any danger.

To mizu at that point, it didn't matter who actually did it as since they both could have. There's even a possibility that they both did separately. She knew that even if she forgave one and continue to live with them she'd always think 'what if'. Alternatively she may not have been able to confront the truth of which one really didn't love her and the easiest thing to do to hide from that truth is to cut off any possibility of finding out.

The husband did it, but only because he beat the ‘mother’ to the punch. Sooner or later I think that the mother would have sold Mizu out the moment that it benefitted her more than the status quo.

It could have been either one. Mizu's husband asked her to show him ALL of her & couldn’t handle it. Mizu's mother/maid was using her to get a better life; "what woman doesn't want a man to take care of her, of her MOTHER!?" Seeing the husband taking even Mizu's beloved horse off to his lord she may have though he was going to throw them both out, meaning her cushy ride was about to end.