What They Say:
“Wandering Hero”
Masayoshi Hazama: a man who has become a superhero “by himself” with no superhuman powers or any sort of high-tech conversions, NONE!! Hidenori Goto: a cop who found out the true identity of “the superhero” by a strange twist of fate and thus constantly gets in trouble thanks to Hazama, the superhero. This is the story of the birth of a true hero featuring these two young men with a touch of comedy and serious drama, while they come face to face with hardships as they search for the true meaning of becoming a hero of justice in this world!
The Review: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I’ve touted Samurai Flamenco over and over again for its insistence to have every single episode bring home the same theme. The plot has, honestly, been all over the place but the theme is always there.
“That’s an order from the Prime Minister.”
It’s people like the Prime Minister that bring home this theme so well because he’s not just a one dimensional villain. King Torture and From Beyond were great evil characters, but they weren’t great villains. They challenged our heroes to think of new ways and to do new things, but they were relatively two-dimensional. But the Prime Minister has his priorities straight. He will use anything and anyone to get to the next election (quite a nice commentary on the electoral process, I might add) and the Flamengers are just one in a line of victims on his road to power. And that’s all he really is, power hungry. But it’s extremely believable and astoundingly compelling to watch. Especially that time that he blasted Flamen Blue into the ground last episode.
But of course, the heroes are what drive us to want to watch more (but as Kazuo Koike says, “Make a great villain and you’ll have to make an even better hero to defeat him.”). In this episode, we FINALLY get a look into Mari’s psyche, which has broken beyond measure following the events of episode 10 and King Tortue’s ultimate demise.
“But right now, you look like the sorriest person in the world.”
So how much is Mari NOT a superhero, especially compared to Masayoshi? She’s egotistical and seemingly is only in this for the glory. And how much of a perfect foil to Masayoshi (and to Moe) does she provide for the show? A butt ton (one metric butt ton).
Mari is scarred because she was so embarrassed after she was so handily beaten by King Torture. Moe came out the hero and she was merely the one spouting lines because that’s what a hero would do. She’s beaten more than a lot of characters I’ve seen that have gone through more just because of her ego, and it’s affecting to see that. You can see it in her eyes and the way she moves and dresses and it’s so heartbreaking to see this strong person suddenly feel so transparent.
“She talks about how wonderful you are all the time.”
It’s Mizuki that gets her out of the rut, sort of. Moe’s the one saying the words, but I really think its Mizuki’s presence that pushes it the extra inch that she needs. Especially the line above, which was said by Moe about Mizuki. That’s kind of the breaking point for Mari, where she realizes that she didn’t have to go through this strife alone—well, technically with Goto—because she had her fellow idols from Mineral Miracle Muse. It’s here where we get into theme again…
“The entire country stands against you.”
…Because Masayoshi has been alone since his fellow Flamengers were taken captive. He doesn’t want to be a burden on anyone else because a hero has to be able to solve these things alone, right? Masayoshi could not be more wrong. If he’s learned anything from the previous five episodes, it’s that the Flamengers (and the Flamenco Girls) got him out of so many messes and helped him so much along this amazing journey he’s been through. But of course, with a situation like this, doubts occur and Masayoshi has moments of weakness, like in the screenshot above.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have become a superhero.”
It’s when he encounters the man he saved back in episode seven (my review has Samurai Flamenco holding some deadly tape in front of him; it’s just after that), now homeless, that he turns around. He realizes that he doesn’t need recognition. All the fame has clouded his judgment for him to believe that he needed something to know that he’s being a superhero. But that’s not what being a superhero is about. Being a superhero is about, as the old man says, just helping your fellow man. What more can you want but that?
But it’s not just that. When the police come to question the homeless about a suspicious figure, the homeless man helps him escape. Because that’s just what decent men do. They can’t help it. More importantly, Masayoshi realizes that he isn’t going to do this alone. And there’s only one guy who won’t immediately turn him into the police or think that he’s being bothersome.
“Took you long enough stupid.”
In Summary:
It seems a lot of the time, Samurai Flamenco looks like it doesn’t know where it’s going. But with a show that wears its themes so transparently and so cohesively, I just can’t believe that’s true. With each episode, it seems that its themes are only strengthened and it’s tough to do that over 22 episodes and still be as exciting as Sam Flam is. The current plot makes me think that the Prime Minister planned it all, even down to Sam Flam and the Flamenco Girls, but that just can’t be right…right?
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: Radeon 7850, 24 in. Vizio 1080p HDTV, Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II
