Angel Heart – 23

Summary:
Much to everyone’s surprise, Shanin points the gun at her own chest. Ryo tries to take responsibility, but Shanin wants this to be her problem. Ryo reminds Shanin what she had said before about how children dying before their parents is disrespectful. But then Yume starts to feel the beat of Shanin’s heart and experiences Kaori’s embrace. She drops the gun, and hugs Shanin because they’re friends. Outside, the Black Warriors have taken in Masaomi. Yume ends up leaving the country for Vienna, but Shanin isn’t there to see her off at the airport. Or rather, Shanin is there, but she doesn’t want to show herself. Before she enters the terminal, Yume decides to stop and play a piece on her violin. Ryo tells Shanin that this song is a goodbye to her, and encourages her to go make a good memory. As Yume is going through security, she hears Shanin’s voice behind her. The two happily wave each other goodbye.
After Yume is gone, Shanin gets Ryo to take her on a train ride around the city so that she can get to know it better. However, she ends up falling asleep on his shoulder. Shin Hon realizes how much of father and daughter they’ve become for her to be able to do that. When they get back to the cafe, Shanin remembers that they still haven’t solved the mystery of why Yume’s father’s face was so calm when he was killed. Shanin reflects that because they were similar, he had probably wanted death just like her. Ryo thinks that it’s because Mad Dog really felt like he was her father, and had wanted to die before she could learn the truth about him. On the way home, Ryo has to carry Shanin because she’s once again fallen asleep. The voice of Kaori asks him if he really intended to allow Yume shoot him instead of Shanin. Ryo replies that he didn’t want to lose the person he loves a second time. In her sleep, Shanin mutters that she loves her father. Ryo thinks to himself that he does too and that they’ll always be together.

This arc’s conclusion was just about what I had expected in that feel-good sense, but Kaori talking to Ryo again at the end was a bit of a surprise. I had assumed that the last time she showed up just to let Ryo know that she was there, but I guess she can talk to him whenever Shanin is sleeping and their hearts are near each other. The arc itself wasn’t that great, partly because the villain wasn’t very good and partly because I think they’re over-emphasizing the father/daughter thing.
Hmm, something makes me afraid that next week’s episode is going to be recap…