Of course Evil Tanjiro would get his own Demon Slayer “sympathetic look at villain” montage.
What They Say:
“SALVATION”
Unable to bear anyone getting hurt because of her, Shizuka attempts to run to Shuhei Suzuri, the leader of GRAVEL, while ignoring the calls from Nirei and the others. However, she is stopped by Tsubakino, Seiryu, and Uryu. Tsubakino asks what she wants to do, to which Shizuka responds, “I want to stay with everyone!” This prompts Tsubakino to finally show the seriousness of the Four Kings. Tsubakino asks what Suzuri likes and gradually, their fists become part of a conversation, as the battle between Tsubakino and Suzuri continues.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Last episode was definitely the fight episode, which means now it’s time for the emotional aftermath. This is nothing new, but as comically evil as Suzuri seemed up to now, just a few words and a solid ass-whooping from Tsubakino are enough to make him see the world from a different perspective. It’s hard to fully embrace him as a sympathetic character so quickly, especially with how common a pattern this is, but his story is a sincere enough representation of how the underprivileged fall to crime. It just never quite justifies the sadistic glee, much less the sudden 180-degree personality shift. This is very much Tsubakino’s arc, more than it is Sakura or any of the established characters, so more than anything, Suzuri’s backstory is used as a contrast to Tsubakino’s own struggles and how each of them responded.
Continuing on the theme of it being Tsubakino’s story, just as she’s empathetic to the enemy that is Suzuri, she’s harsh on the friend they’re all there to protect: Shizuka. Learning about Shizuka’s own painful backstory was a powerful moment for her, so while Tsubakino is reprimanding her, of course it’s out of love and concern shared by everyone on Keisei Street. It ties Tsubakino, Shizuka, and Suzuri together: the three of them have had harrowing childhoods, fought for a better life, found themselves on Keisei Street, and crossed paths in their adolescence, albeit each approaching the hardships they’ve been handed in dramatically different ways. Tsubakino’s greatest strength isn’t punching some sense into Suzuri to save Shizuka, or even just showing Suzuri a better path. It’s meeting everyone where they are, finding common ground, and accepting them for what they’ve been through and become. At least, that’s how I’d like to interpret it. This is a show that seems to have less to say with each flowery speech.
Wind Breaker is promising something bigger than these short arcs that more or less follow the same formula. We saw some horribly evil mastermind teased at the end of the previous one, and now that’s a consistent arc-ending event. Will it become more fresh and interesting soon? It’s hard to say. But it sure wants us to think we should be really invested in whatever grand plan is in store.
In Summary:
Wind Breaker connects this arc’s star character Tsubakino with both her enemy and her beloved friend in surprising ways, both leading to dramatic character moments that develop all three. Ultimately there’s not a lot of depth to any of it; it’s extremely predictable and full of platitudes. But it’s still more interesting than simply treating each character as the cardboard archetype we initially meet. It also continues to tease a more overarching conspiracy, whether or not that will deliver in any satisfying way.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
