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「失礼つかまつった」 (Shitsurei Tsukamatsutta)
“Pardon My Rudeness”
Durarara may have just concluded, but Souji’s revelation of Yaichi’s past with the Bakuro gang had me more shocked and on the edge of my seat than that finale. The reason being that the Yaichi we know now is nothing like the Seinoshin of the past. It was somewhat disturbing seeing Yaichi burst out into a sadistic laughter upon learning that Five Leaves’ most recent abductee wasn’t wanted by his family either and how they were given half of the ransom money to have them kill him off. I figured Yaichi would be a bit compassionate about finding someone in the same situation as him, but it’s almost like he’s been kidnapping all this time for this very moment — to feel what it’s like being on the other side of the situation. I’d almost say it’s a rather pitiful life he’s been living if that’s what’s been driving him to this point, and Masa’s sentiments seem to be the same. It looks like this proved to be a breaking point for Yaichi as well, since everyone was at a loss for words after seeing him not like his usual self and wake up the retainer’s son just to see how he’d react to being told that his parents paid to have him killed.
With the arrival of Jin, Yaichi’s even more riled up about his past now, so much that Masa’s mere mention that Yaichi’s caught up in it caused him to lash out at him. I thought Masa did a good job of relating to Yaichi’s situation by explaining his own first, but evidently it’s not something that Yaichi can forget so easily. Judging by the preview where Yaichi’s crying over the real Yaichi’s grave, I gather that’s one part of his past that he can’t get over. Then there’s Souji’s flashback depicting how “Sei” killed Ryu in atonement for unknowingly attacking him and Ichishi gang co-leader “Demon Spider” Benzou (Ishizuka Unshou). The fact that Sei somehow instinctively interpreted Bakuro leader Kuhei‘s (Nishimura Tomomichi) orders to “settle things” as killing Ryu instead of just chopping off one of his fingers as Souji suggested left me in awe at how heartless Yaichi was before. As Jin noted, he didn’t show a single sign of hesitation or remorse over decapitating Ryu even when the latter was scared to death about losing a finger, which even caught Souji’s attention.
In any case, I’m still not sure if Jin’s simply out to kill Sei for his betrayal of the Bakuro gang at some point that got them all arrested by police. Monji was clearly upset about Sei killing Ryu, but Jin was only really bothered by how he didn’t show any hesitation, suggesting there’s more to Jin’s character than a merely harboring a grudge all this time. In the present, he didn’t appear to be armed when he approached Sei either and was quick to leave without a fight when Masa stepped in, so I get the feeling we’ll learn more about what’s actually on Jin’s mind in the series finale next week. With the disbandment of the House of the Five Leaves looking like it’s imminent as well, it should be a good one as all of the questions surrounding “Yaichi” finally get answered.
Preview
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Oh dang i’m watching this episode right now and its intense 😮
Absolutely incredible episode. Though, given how brilliant this whole series has been I’m not at all surprised that they managed to pull out the awesome for the final episodes.
Such a shame it has not gotten the attention it deserves really. But aahhh, what’re ya gonna do, eh? :p
Anyways, I am eagerly anticipating next weeks finale now. Definitely the conclusion I’m most looking forward to this season (well, this and Youjohan anyway), so the week can not pass by fast enough. :p
I haven’t been this excited about a series since… I can’t even remember. I’m kind of sad there’s just an episode left… Oh well. I’m becoming a fan of Ono Natsume’s works. 🙂
On an unrelated note, Bakemonogatari’s final episode is streaming today. It FINALLY ends…
I just hope that Masa gets to show his stuff as a samurai in the last episode. They have hinted all along he is skilled with a sword but we never really got to see him in action because the series is character and plot driven and not action driven. Im ok with that but would at least like to see him be bad ass at least one time.
Same as honeythief i dont think i’ve been this excited about a series since…. well a long time.
Compared to Durarara’s ending i got to agree with Divine, i was more excited and pumped seeing the most mellow/slow show this season LOL
It’s likely because it’s not something we were expecting to see in this series, so it totally caught us by surprise. That’s my take on it anyway. 🙂
This series was made by the folks that made another great “laid back” series Restaurante Paradisio. The characters are drawn weird and that seemed to put some folks off. Also set in historical times tends to scare people off as well. If you haven’t seen Restaurante Paradisio you are missing out on a great series.
Loved the Neko’s voice in the preview lol
This is definitely the most underrated and under-appreciated series of the season. Like Divine said, it’s really all about the subtleties that make all these revelations both shocking and rewarding to those who have been paying attention. I can’t wait for the season finale.
Another thing about this series – I can’t find myself recommending it to everyone. While I like it very much, I can see how this isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. The pace is slow and the attention to detail is absolutely crucial to piecing the story together (even though it is pretty much spoon fed by the end).