Even if the animation in this episode is spotty, it does deliver some big impact moments. Plus, the battle tactics we get from Hijikata are as sound as ever.
One thing in this series is that despite how violent it can be, so far the only major deaths for long-running characters have been Kiro and Wilk. Granted, Wilk has made his biggest presence after Kiro had Ogata kill him. There is no hesitation from Toni Anji to protect Hijikata after it; thanks to him, he has managed to live a bit longer.
For Toni, he lost his vision in the mines when he was introduced. His death is done well because, for once, he can no longer hear, as it is pure silence for him. In a way, that is him coming to peace with his fate. His death allows him to be at peace, and it is perfectly executed. Though this is the first death since Kiro that Asirpa has seen. Still, she pushes forward, which is good.
The scene between Koito and Tsurumi is great because now Koito is back at the location where the kidnapping was staged. You can tell that Koito is a good guy because he is thinking of the consequences should they fail. Tsurumi on the other hand, doesn’t have a doubt he will succeed, so he doesn’t need to consider what happens if they fail. Tsurumi is a great manipulator and antagonist, but lies don’t work when you expect them. Since now Koito knows that Tsurumi might be lying as easily as he breathes.
One thing to point out is that Tsurumi has never been one to only lie to manipulate. He is a great manipulator because he mixes the truth with his lies. Which is one consistent thing for him. It’s clear the family that Tsurumi had was real, even if he won’t throw away his plans for revenge. While he manipulated his men, he could still care for them, but he might not know how to express those feelings normally. After all, everything has been for the future of Japan. It would be easier to evaluate Tsurumi if he were just 100% scum, like we have in many anime, but Tsurumi is a bit more complicated than that.
As usual, we have Nikadou running to Sugimoto so he could have his revenge. Not surprisingly, he fails, but his face gets split where each side faces each other. Right before his death, he is looking at himself and is reminded of his brother, who was killed in the beginning of the series. Probably the best way for his death to be played out is because now he gets to be reunited with his brother.
One plot point that comes back is how Hijikata learned Asirpa’s Ainu name. Well, it should be no surprise that if Hijikata had a tattoo made from Wilk, then that is where he would mention his daughter’s name. Funny enough, everything would be easier if Wilk told Hijikata everything, but there is no definitive way for Wilk to know what Hijikata looks like since Hijikata has all gray hair now.
As expected, Shiraishi aims for Asirpa to get away with the deed even if his plan wasn’t the best. Still, thankfully, Sugimoto is around because Tsurumi is giving Asirpa a chase