A Detailed Explanation of What's Really Going On In MPD Psycho
Well, Miike's mini-series is probably the most difficult brainteaser I've ever come across. Even the Korean film Spider Forest is no match for this one.
That said, what follows is my attempt to make sense out of this whole thing.
SPOILERS AHEAD
In the 1960s, American researchers were looking for generic similarities among criminals. They found seven genetic profiles (i.e., genes for criminality). Seven children were implanted with the seven genetic profiles and became the first generation with P-Net receptors. They called themselves Lucy Monostone (Lucy Monostone was a singer from the 70s who bombed five sites in Utah) because they admired him. They apparently escaped government custody and carried out terrorist acts in the late 1960s (including the first killing of a pregnant woman by removing the fetus). Six of them died. The 6th Lucy died in the U.S. in 1972, but first transferred to the 7th Lucy. The 7th Lucy fled to Japan, re-wrote the 6th personality as Nishizono Shinji, and created the Second Generation of Lucy Monostone. The 7th Lucy from the First Generation (who dies on his death bed in episode 6) asked Isono Machi (of the Second Generation) to create the Third Generation of Lucy Monostone with the help of other Lucy members – Nishizono from the First Generation, Ueno from the Second Generation, Lucy Z (researcher-turned-killer) and Moriizumi (the school counselor) from the Second Generation. Nishizono – a loose cannon – does not fully comply with their plans.
Two characters are very special in MPD Psycho – Nishizono Shinji and Lucy Z – because they exist as independent personalities that transport themselves to different bodies via electronic device or physical contact. The effects that they have on their hosts is complex, but it appears that they shift between dominant and recessive stages. At some points they are in direct control of their hosts physical actions while at other times providing mere influence. After Nishizono leaves his host’s body, the host seems to experience aftereffects in the form of violent tendencies. Nishizono himself argues that his hosts would have acted out their violent urges absent his possession.
Subsequent to the re-writing of Nishizono Shinji, the mysterious Gakuso Group was formed (with government ties) in an effort to take advantage of personality transfer. Newly developed P-Net receptors were implanted in subjects so that they could be infected with a given personality (e.g., Nishizono). The Gakuso Group’s goal was to perfect personality transfer and create artificially-induced schizophrenic murderers.
The flowerpot killings (Ep. 1) were the work of Ueno (architect and member of the Second Generation) and Lucy Z. Lucy Z would possess the victims and provoke Ueno to kill them. These murders were intended to mimic the bombing patterns of Lucy Monostone (the dead singer/terrorist) by planting the bodies of victims in the same geographical pattern. Ueno was simply creating an “ode” to the singer/terrorist. The Gakuso Group had no involvement in these crimes. Nishizono spoiled Lucy Z’s plan by killing Ueno and torching the flowerpot victims at the warehouse. However, Nishizono tells Lucy Z to escape via phone before starting the fire. Subsequent to this event, Lucy Z decides to take out Nishizono at some point in the future, probably because he is not a sure ally. The eyeball barcodes represent the mark of those with P-Net receptors.
The pregnant killings (Ep. 2) were primarily the work of Nishizono Shinji and involved the killing of pregnant women by removing their fetuses. These crimes started 27 years ago (the work of the First Generation), restarted 5 years ago by Isono Machi (who killed the detective’s first wife), then restarted again recently by Nishizono to assist Machi in her effort to cultivate babies with the criminality genes (a Third Generation). Phones were left inside of them. Nishizono used these women as vessels, purchased sharp knives, influenced them to safely carve out the babies from their own stomachs and slash their own jugulars, then teleported out of the women via phone before they died from blood loss. This explains why the telephones were found with the bodies. Nishizono would then return in a different body (usually the phone booth lady with short hair), steal the babies, then care for them. Lucy Z (while possessing the body of Isono Machi) would assist in certain instances by possessing victims, assisting in surgery, or picking up the babies. Machi kills the schoolgirl on the ferris wheel. Some of the victims did not have barcodes, and were therefore useless deaths for the perpetrator, who usually targets those with barcodes and wants to steal their children. This occurred because possession by a personality does not completely control the host. Some of the babies were discovered by the detective after a phone trace.
School shootings start occurring (Ep. 3) in schools that received funding from the National P-Net Control System, a program organized by the Gakuso Group in an effort to perfect personality transfer and create artificially-induced schizophrenic murderers. This explains why mutated P-Net receptors are capable of deterring personality transfer. In addition, it also explains why bar-coders now have altered DNA that resulted from the transmission of bar-codes, which effectively increases the number of bar-coders and is much more efficient than the Gakuso Group having every subject be treated with gene therapy. The school shootings were most likely the result of Nishizono’s influence on the schoolkids in conjunction with his personality transfers. In reality, the kids were not the Third Generation but only guinea pigs for the Gakuso Group to perform their research. Moriizumi (lady counselor and a member of the Second Generation) and Oe (the leading schoolboy) are helping the Gakuso Group with their research. Nishizono proves to be a problem again, killing Moriizumi, leading Oe to be shot by the cops, and warns the detective about Isono Machi.
Nishizono continues his rampage of murder and dismemberment (Ep. 4). Lucy Z strikes back at Nishizono by possessing the big bald gang member (with an eyeball tongue), interrogating fellow delinquents, and informing the police of Nishizono’s actions. However, Nishizono escapes into the internet. Lucy Z’s previous possessions of Isono Machi are revealed. Lucy Z was at one time within the body of Lucy 7 (from the First Generation), but transported into Machi after Lucy 7 was bed-ridden.
Spontaneous combustion is seen in a variety of schoolgirls (Ep. 5). They were a part of the P-Net Program and had special antibodies that caused the combustion when Nishizono passed thru them. Amamiya now has that same antibody, even though he didn’t have it before. This explains why Nishizono has not entered the detective’s body since separating from him years ago. These antibodies were most likely developed by Lucy Z (with the assistance of the Gakuso Group) to take out Nishizono once and for all. Simply let Nishizono enter the body of a person with the antibody, isolate him temporarily, then watch him explode in a burst of flames. Interestingly, Nishizono succeeds in not only eluding combustion by speedy personality transfers but actually igniting the combusions of his hosts in such a way that the geographical pattern points the police directly to the hospital that the Gakuso Group uses as their base of experimentation. In addition, Nishizono makes an assassination attempt on Lucy Z by possessing her current host and igniting the spontaneous combustion. She saves her personality by escaping onto the internet a split second before her host dies.
At the hospital, Isono Machi locks down the communication lines to prevent Nishizono from entering the hospital, but he is able to smuggle his personality via compact disk. Lucy Z makes a deal with Nishizono, promising to tell him where the babies are if he promises to leave her one. After finding the secret 13th floor in the hospital, Nishizono possesses patients with the antibody, thus causing spontaneous combusion. This effectively sets the entire floor ablaze, destroying Gakuso Groups research facility. Machi (possibly possessed by Lucy Z), kills Chizuko (B) and takes the detective’s baby for herself. She wants that baby because Chizuko (B) is a Second Generation relative, and a child would be a pureblood Lucy Monostone.
Subsequent to the hospital incident, the Gakuso Group uses its governmental contacts to eliminate the entire investigation unit. They also kill the wife, son, and mistress of the detective’s partner (using the shady video shop guy). The video shop guy tries to kill Nishizono, but Nishizono gets the upper hand and blows the guy’s brains out instead. Afterward, Nishizono gives the detective a vaccine to eliminate the antibodies within him, thus allowing a personality transfer. Despite the fact that Nishizono killed the detective’s girlfriend, the detective considers the fact that both he and Nishizono want to destroy the Gakuso Group and Isono Machi. They also consider themselves to be a part of the same essential person, thus completing each other’s identity. The detective then allows Nishizono to enter his body.
The detective tracks down Isono Machi (with Lucy Z inside her). He shoots Machi dead and allows Lucy Z to access a phone line. His partner then blows the hell out of the nearest phone tower, which kills Lucy Z while in transport – or so it seems.
See my next post for Character summaries and Possession trails.
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