“You took my sonar concept and applied it to every phone in the city.”
What They Say:
Even after those people were murdered, Daisuke claims that this incident is an internal problem of the Kambe family. The rift between Daisuke and Kato has become so serious that they decide to go their separate ways. However, Kato is apprehended by the First Investigation Division as a material witness. The remaining members of the Modern Crime Prevention Task Force follow the clues about the suspect that Cho-san left behind. Suzue claims to have seen the actual suspect inside the Kambe residence, and clearly states that it was none other than Shigemaru Kambe.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
In a lot of ways, this episode is the calm before the storm. It’s probably the last breather we get after a very eventful previous episode ending with dramatic tragedy and the action showdowns that begin as it finishes up. The rest of it comes with some expected reeling from the death of two beloved characters, one more beloved to us than the other due to recent events, but Haru has a slightly different perspective.
This leads us back to Haru’s story that we got a taste of early in, during the otherwise episodic chunk of the series. We learn even more about how his actions haunt him, a refreshing exploration when we see so many examples of police using excessive force without sufficient repercussions. Haru is still the best character in the series even when he hasn’t been of that much focus lately, so returning to that, combined with his mourning that manifests a bit more empathetically than that of other characters, is nice for the brief moment we see it.
Despite all this sadness, though, the episode also takes this opportunity to give us some laughs. The sequence with Kamei and Mahoro is a good bit of fun, even if it’s contrived and exaggerated for the sake of silly gags. Mahoro is a fun character in general, always shoving chips into her face and with a personality that always keeps things light. It would be nice to spend more time with these characters; I suppose this minor exchange is a consolation prize.
But as we approach the climax of the series, we naturally start to get back to how the series defined itself, with Daisuke and friends pulling out all the money-fueled tricks to achieve their goals. The Batman parallels are stronger than ever, though there are also plenty of Black Panther similarities to draw, an appropriate though obviously unintended tribute to our hero gone too soon. As we find ourselves faced with some true villains that use the kind of weapons you’d see in a superhero movie, it’s likely that things will be over-the-top for the remainder of the series.
In Summary:
It’s an in-between type episode, recovering from the tragedy of the previous episode while building to the confrontations of the next one. The video app to survey the city was a clever idea that I have to give credit for. Overall, the series continues to be very uneven, but it seems to have a decent idea of where it’s headed, so hopefully it finds a climax that works with what it’s set up so far.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Funimation
Review Equipment:
LG Electronics OLED65C7P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
