Sabikui Bisco – 09

「きみを愛してる」 (Kimi o Ai Shiteru)
“I Love You”

Episode 09 of Sabikui Bisco throws in another possible fake-out when Bisco is given a heart-breaking demise at the end of the episode as he sinks into liquid hot magma. But what will Milo’s next move be when he placed so much of his own self-improvement on being Bisco’s equal.

LIVE WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO COME

My main takeaway from this episode is that Milo is either trying to cover up his own feelings for Bisco by pairing him up with his sister Pawoo, or Milo is a bi icon who’s hooked up with his fair share of women, yet still saves a part of his heart for Bisco. And with Bisco as a potential brother-in-law, it’ll give Milo more opportunities to have the Mushroom Keeper all to himself.

Considering that Bisco shows far more resistance to the idea of getting with Pawoo than he does holding Milo’s hand and reassuring him that they’ll be together forever, Bisco is absolutely not helping. Milo’s suggestion for Bisco to hook up with his sister definitely feels like a sleight-of-hand on the writers’ behalf to offer a straight ship for those not eager for a gay/bi end-game, and even that is cast aside as Bisco looks for excuses not to humor Milo’s ringing endorsement for his well-endowed domme dream-girl of a sister.

But as much of a wonderful option Pawoo would be, there is an added level of intimacy to Bisco and Milo’s dynamic that it would feel odd for them not to be a couple. Bisco using Milo’s notes to heal him and offer him an olive branch after their fight is one thing; Bisco putting in the effort to reassure him that they’ll always be partners is even more intimate. I was writing down the dialogue in my notes, and it’d be difficult not to read Milo’s yearning for Bisco’s company as something that wasn’t intimate with lines like “Partner’s stick together forever, right? Even when they die?”, “Would you… Hold My hand?”, “Don’t leave me, Bisco!”, and “You’ll be here… When will I wake up?”

ONE TIME I WON A NARUTO GAME FROM DAISUKI.NET, BUT IT WAS SADLY FOR THE WRONG SYSTEM

It’s no surprise that Milo would confess to Bisco by the end of the episode given how their exchange in both the cave and the magma pool reads like two lovers having to bid farewell to one another. Of course, it was after Bisco supposedly died so that he wouldn’t have to hear him and either reciprocate or be put off by Milo’s confession. But the “Oh this means nothing because they’re like brothers,” explanation is far too simple and reductive, especially when “aishiteru” holds a far deeper meaning that solidifies the significance Bisco has on Milo’s life that goes beyond brotherly love.

“Daisuki” or “suki” are the strong feelings of puppy love or affection that would’ve been expected for Milo to say to Bisco if the intent was to show that you’re just really fond of your good bro. “Aishteru” is the transcending feeling of finding a long-lost soulmate who had been separated from you for a myriad of past lives, only to show up to you as a partner who you wish to grow alongside.

I have a feeling it’d be one-sided since Bisco comes off as seeing Milo as a close bro and balks at any instance of affection. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Milo’s intentions are on a deeper romantic level if Bisco meant so much to him that he’d throw in “aishteru”. With all of the articles on the word itself, combined with his own protective and yearning behavior around him, I’d imagine that Milo sees his bond with Bisco as inseparable.

I NEED A VACATION

Since this might be the last episode for Kurokawa, let’s talk for a moment about this character. All of the near-death experiences this dude has faced made him tenacious as hell, and it’s been a riot to see how his character constantly flips on a dime.

When things work out for him, he really dips into theatrics, gloating about his success as he brags about whatever positive outcome he happened to stumble into. It’s surprising that he got as far as he did, given how erratic he acts and how susceptible he is to being violently mangled at any given point.

But when a situation is at its worst, he’ll freak out and frantically babble about needing to be saved from a tight spot. Sometimes, he’d scrap well-composed tactics altogether and pull out a gun without a second thought. He might not have had much to say when Bisco was shouting “Terminator 2” quotes at him as he was submerged in magma, but it was crazy to see how many attitude shifts Kurokawa had in this episode as he had to constantly shift between the maniacal mastermind and the cornered fox.

A lot of props have to go to his voice actor, Tsuda Kenjiro, who has proven to be a formidable secret weapon for any anime to utilize for crazy, fun rival characters. He plays Kurokawa with such smarmy delight as he relishes in taking the characters down a peg, but is also equally quick to lose his composure when he’s in a pinch. He captures both the sleazy pettiness that he revels in and the anguished fury he grapples with when he’s at his lowest.

THE AKIRA BIKE SLIDE! SHE’S GONNA DO THE AKIRA BIKE SLIDE, WAIT FOR IT!

With both Bisco and Kurokawa effectively submerged in lava, the main takeaway from the end of the episode is how exactly things are gonna move forward from here. Bisco might not be immediately dead since there are quite a few books in the series that still feature him on the cover.

But if Kurokawa ends up dead for good, the only people he can rely on to carry forward his plan to spread Rust and create demand for an expensive cure would be whichever underlings he might’ve trusted enough to be his understudy. Jabi, Milo, and Pawoo are currently the last protagonists alive for this section of the story, placing a lot on their hands personally to try to put a stop to whatever remains of Kurokawa’s plan. Whether that means destroying the material for Rust bullets, artificial Rust wind, or the Tetsujin they have on reserve, it’ll be interesting to see what our remaining three heroes would have on their shoulders with the aftermath of this episode.