「われ思考う」 (Ware Omou)
“I Think”

 

Next Episode:
「われ存在り」 (Ware Ari)
“I Exist”

Impressions:
I was eagerly anticipating this episode after how last week’s showing ended and boy did it not disappoint. For those who want to see more action and less talk, this week surely delivered in that department. In addition to seeing Shinkurou, Benika, and Yayoi take on Lin and a bunch of henchmen, Ryuuji showed that he’s quite capable as well.

Aside from all the fighting, it was a bit of a shame to see the maid who originally helped Murasaki escape the Inner Sanctuary get killed while trying to help Benika, but the sight of her death did cause Shinkurou to uncontrollably activate his bone technique. When I saw that happen, I was thinking that Lin would finally receive a beating in return, but unfortunately, Benika quickly pulled Shinkurou aside and ran off with him instead, as he seemed to be in a lot of anguish. Unlike the last time Shinkurou fought with Lin, he was able to land a blow on her this time, albeit it being just a slap to her face. I’m hoping that Shinkurou will use his technique in the last episode though, as he doesn’t stand much of a chance against her as he is now. Benika faired a lot better against her, but that only lasted until Ryuuji intervened.

As for Murasaki, I was kind of surprised to hear her accept her fate in the Inner Sanctuary and tell Shinkurou to leave after coming all this way to save her. While Shinkurou believed she was only spouting out words that she was instructed to, a couple of the latter scenes seem to indicate that she was only saying that in order to save Shinkurou and the others. In any case, I find it quite remarkable that a seven year old is already thinking so self-sacrificially, but I guess that should be expected from Murasaki’s adult-like thinking.

Also, for those of you wondering, Yayoi did not die, although it seemed like she was on the verge of doing so. Next time, it looks like Renjou will meet up with Shinkurou (where I imagine he’ll play a key role in deciding Murasaki’s future) and Ryuuji looks like he’s pyschotically stabbing something. Lin only appeared briefly in the preview in what looks like a car chase after Benika, but she’ll undoubtedly fight with everyone again before all is said and done. There still seems to be a fair bit to wrap up for next week’s series finale, so I’m hoping that the ending won’t feel too rushed even though I get the feeling that it will be.

 

Cast:
– Kurenai Shinkurou (紅真 九郎) / Sawashiro Miyuki (沢城 みゆき)
– Kuhouin Murasaki (九鳳 院紫) / Yuuki Aoi (悠木 碧)
– Juuzawa Benika (柔沢 紅香) / Ishige Sawa (石毛 佐和)
– Inuzuka Yayoi (犬塚 弥生) / Ookubo Aiko (大久保 藍子)
– Kuhouin Renjou (九鳳院 蓮丈) / Kuroda Takaya (黒田 崇矢)
– Kuhouin Kazuko (九鳳院 和子) / Koyama Yuka (小山 裕香)
– Kuhouin Ryuuji (九鳳院 竜士) / Okamoto Nobuhiko (岡本 信彦)
– Grandfather (祖父) / Katou Seizou (加藤 精三)
– Lin Chenshin (リン・チェンシン) / Ueda Kana (植田 佳奈)
– Head Maid (女中頭) / Kurata Masayo (倉田 雅世)
– Kuhouin Man (九鳳院の男) / Ueda Youji (上田 燿司)
– Preview narration (予告ナレーション) / Marumatsu Ken (村松 健)

12 Comments

  1. Wow, looks intense! I’m happy on the news concerning Yayoi but here’s to hoping that Shinkurou can actually be a hero for a change in the next ep and save Murasaki properly.

    TheRep
  2. how comes no one thought of bring guns when trying to save the little girl? why fight against a better fighter when you can shoot them? unless they have a metal detector at the gate, someone should had brought a gun to a fist fight.

    xdotx
  3. Well, actually it was quite disappointing for me (everyone has his/her own tastes).

    I mean, again Shinkuro was not able to do much. Benika did most of the job (and for some reason, it is giving me some vibe that she might die saving Skinkuro). I understand Shinkuro not wanting to use the mutation powers and instead use his own physical to fight. But if he really wants to save someone, you do it without any regards or exceptions.

    And about Murasaki, well i did not like her telling Shinkuro to go home even though she did it for a reason. But i hated the most Shinkuro’s usual wimpy attitude asking her what are you talking about? He should have asked her whether she really wants to stay or get out and that where is her all mighty self that she usually shows.

    This show just keeps pissing me off at the very end but i guess it is just one more episode left so i guess i just watch it.

    banzmanga
  4. This only goes with the first novel from what i’ve been told. So if it goes well we should get more, there are 4 novels so far.

    But then I don’t know how well it’s been doing rating wise and if the DVDs will/are selling.

    GP
  5. Sorta agree with banzmanga regarding Shinkurou….. I mean, If he really wants to save Murasaki, he should use any weapon at his disposal….. We still dunno much about that horn of his though. He seems to be always fighting it.

    Also, wonder why Benika stopped him? Was it because he was in pain, or was he gonna go berserk and kill everything? All we know is she hates that horn, ref: Ep1, when she said Shinkurou had a disgusting body, with reference to the horn, probably. Perhaps someone who reads the light novel can fill me in.

    @Divine
    I share your worries regarding the last episode. It seems like they have a bit too much material to fit into one half-hour timeslot. Are you sure it’s 12 eps?….. it would be nice if there were 13, at least then he’ll probably rescue Murasaki in ep12 and we can enjoy their time together (and the comedy) in ep13.

    Also glad you didn’t get stabbed in Akihabara on June 8, Divine. Hope your enjoying your holiday? Just don’t visit the Kuhoins.

    Lithium17
  6. i believe there will be a second season as seeing how the manga will continuously expand its storyline. the progress might lead fans to a bitter disappointment, or may just be the dose of medicine the doctor ordered.

    andynai
  7. It looks like Lin’s killing of the Kuhoin maid got edited a bit. In each shot where there was stabbing from Lin, there was either a still shot of Benika or bits of the scene got cut.

    ggultra2764
  8. I liked this episode and I’m just now catching the anime 14 years later lol. I knew about the manga and so far the anime is tons better than the manga imo, don’t know about the novel tho. I loved and hated the treatment of Benika in this episode, it made her look strong(though not as strong OP as she was in the manga, which is a good thing I guess) but then she got beat by a made up character for the anime Ryuuji. I guess she wasn’t at full strength thanks to already fighting in the snow, but come on now…

    Shinkurou was useless in this episode, and I really don’t know why he didn’t use the horn, like come on man.

    Tyson

Leave a Reply to Tyson Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *