The Magistrate stumbles upon a way to return her powers, which will also allow her to once again spend time with Jinbei.
What They Say:
“To Kishuu! The Ten Crucifix Insects of Sanada Appear!”
Content: (please note that the content portion of a review may contain spoilers)
The last episode ended with a sudden attack on a peaceful village; this one begins with the aftermath, and a group of insect-men are not just killing, but crushing the skulls of the humans they catch. The show decides to up the gross factor when one of the insect-men dives into the mountain of corpses and causes an upward explosion of human blood. Honestly, this show has had people stabbed in the gut, and had their blood sucked out through the neck, but this is the first scene to really make me go “Ugh.” There’s a ceremony behind the gore, however, as the insect men talk about how many each of them has “saved”, and the blood explosion seems to be a sign of something that’s beginning, though what is still unclear.
The story then shifts into a meeting with the Shogun, the Magistrate, and other leaders, in which they discuss last episode’s appearance of an insect-man. Though everyone is worried, they are comforted by the Magistrate’s powers, which can keep the very powerful creatures away. Of course, only the Shogun and the Magistrate know that her powers have been gone since the battle with the Insect Hunters, and now she struggles to figure out how to return them. Enter Ieshiga, our favorite flamboyant, agoraphobic son of the Shogun. While the Magistrate is initially interested in talking to him because of his relationship with Jinbei (how can someone with such a high status maintain a friendship with someone of low status?) he helps her figure out how she might regain her powers, by traveling to Ezo, the furthest point beyond the insects’ reach.
On top of the serious and sometimes bloody moments, this is a pretty goofy episode, too. First there are the moments with Ieshiga, where we see that his feelings for Jinbei go beyond simply friendship — he is obsessed with the samurai, having a room full of dolls, toys, and Ukiyo-e paintings of Jinbei. He also has a telescope that he uses to spy on Jinbei and his friends, which he shows to the Magistrate when he learns that they are kindred spirits, and we switch to an almost torturously goofy moment as the two watch Haru fall, boobs first, right on Jinbei’s face. This switches into a moment with Jinbei’s group, where we (and Jinbei) find out that his dad is still around, announcing that Haru, because of her endowments, should marry Jinbei (which makes the other two ladies witnessing the event awfully annoyed). Then, without much of a segue, he launches into the story of how he met Jinbei’s mother. Both traveling swordsmen, they launched into an epic battle that lasted a year, during which they fell in love, and apparently conceived and gave birth to Jinbei, if you can figure out the logistics of that. It’s incredibly over the top, but, in certain ways, sweet, and an interesting look into Jinbei’s background that apparently even he had never had before.
In Summary
Despite some of the heavy things that come up this time, this episode is pretty light, with the time with Ieshiga and Jinbei’s ridiculous father taking up a good portion of the episode. While some of the humor is a little too awkward, most is enough to bring a smile to your face, and Ieshiga tends to improve most episodes he is in. There is definitely the feel that some big battles are coming up, as we see the power of these other insect-men, as well as their ruthlessness in dispatching their own comrades in order to prevent the humans from getting any sort of advantage. As the Magistrate begins her journey to regain her powers, requesting that Jinbei come along with her, there will probably be more tense moments, as well as some unwelcome awkwardness if her reactions to Jinbei’s interactions with Haru are any indication. But the plot, while full of predictable characters and situations, has been turning in some unexpected directions, leaving me more curious about where this show is going.
Grade: B-
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: 13″ Apple Macbook set to 720p
