The Ruler of Nabari #02 — Ain’t No Foo’ Gettin’ Me On That Train

April 13th, 2008

 

Kumohira = Japanese Mr T? More likely than you think.

Impressions:

Another excellent episode and they’re really sticking close to the manga, though at this point, Miharu could use a couple minor ninja abilities. I do like Raimei a lot, and not just because she’s a semi-aggressive twintailed swordswoman, but it certainly helps. She’s bubbly, she’s in your face, she’s assertive, and I don’t think she blushed or showed any attraction to Miharu at all for the entire episode. Then again, lest we forget, Miharu is voiced by a Kugimiya and one of his ninja tricks is apparently to pout at other men until they get distracted. How’s that for a thought… all traps are really ninja just using their mind clouding ways.

Most of (all of) the action this episode was tucked at the front with Kouichi and Kumohira’s little duel and then Raimei’s entrance and the rest of the episode was fairly expositional and comedic. I have no problems with that though since it was all done pretty well and it’s not like the first episode was overly serious anyway. There was also this weird little production error that I found when I was parsing through the caps. The Fuuma clan invitation letter’s text moves about the page between scene changes. Totally undetectable unless you compare caps since it doesn’t move much, but I just found it funny as I was sorting through stuff.

Next episode should at least start with a bang as Raimei’s village is being torched and the preview was most of the cast lying around half-dead. Poor Raimei doesn’t deserve to get beat up already.

Blah blah blah recap and a new girl arrives at the school.

At the Ninja Club, Kumohira and Kouichi spar against eachother. Miharu lazily watches a ladybug out the window. They yell at him… but suddenly sense a presence. Out of the roof, a girl falls and attacks the Holder of Nature’s Power… Kouichi. They trade a few blows before stopping, and Kouichi points out that Miharu is the one she’s after.

Kumohira recognizes the girl from Tokyo and they chat a little bit. She’s from the Fuuma ninja clan. However, she doesn’t believe in ninjitsu instead relying on her sword. She’s Shimizu Raimei, and she’s a samurai.

Miharu has already started to wander off to their collective dismay. Raimei declares that she’ll make Miharu prove himself, but he just waves her off and runs off. Kouichi calms her down.

At the gym, Raimei observes Miharu playing basketball. Miharu just stands there, ‘deceiving’ them all. He tells her that he’ll use his full power now. He walks over to the play and gets the pass. He then pouts at the other players and they’re so embarrassed that he easily dribbles around them and scores.

 Later in class, Raimei thinks that ninja only show their true power when attacked, so she throws sharpened pencils at him. He doesn’t even notice for a good two or three seconds after they hit.

Later, Raimei chews him out for being so laid back and not understanding anything. He simply notes that she ‘wants’ him too. Raimei gets pissy and goes over to pal it up with Kouichi who explains that that’s just how Miharu is.

At lunch, Raimei is getting into trouble with other students so Kumohira pulls her aside and and basically explains Miharu to her.

Miharu won’t give in to another person, nor will he give in to the Power. Raimei resolutely states that if he ever does, she’ll kill him.

Later, she follows somebody… but her mark wasn’t Miharu at all.

Miharu studies a book on a bluff while thinking about the power inside of him. A bird flies by and lands near a baby chick that fell out of its nest. He leans over to put it back in and falls off the wall, barely managing to hang on.

Raimei saw it all and runs up the wall then pulls her up. She yells at him for being so unconcerned even when his life was in danger. He just thanks her and walks away. As he leaves, Raimei realizes that there’s nothing his heart wants, but maybe that’s a bit lonely as well.

She asks him what he’s doing with that ninja book. Miharu explains that he’s studying ninjutsu to learn to control the power. Raimei makes up her mind, he’s coming to Fuuma village with her.

Later, Kumohira and Raimei argue about going there. She thinks that he’s too lazy and laid back. Koutaro of Fuuma knows a lot more than him and would be a lot better a teacher. Raimei eventually wears Kumohira down and he relents, but his condition is that Miharu must be guarded.

At the train station, Kumohira rants and raves about Miharu not showing up on time and them missing the train they paid for. Raimei and Kouichi razz him, saying that adults should be paying for stuff anyway.

Miharu finally shows up, in tiger print shorts and a pink hawaiian shirt. Apparently he was dressed by his mother, probably as a joke.

By the time the next train shows up, Miharu is in less embarassing clothes. Kumohira is outside the train though. They’re all surprised… but Kumohira explains in fear that he hates all transportation. Raimei and Kouichi try to pull him onto the train, but he explains that public transportation is crazy and anything could happen, they could hit something, something could hit them, etc. Kouichi tries to talk sense into him, and Raimei asks how he made it to Tokyo before… walking. They drag him in… Miharu finally steps in scares Kumohira into unconsciousness. I swear this happened on the A Team too.

The kids are bored on the train. Raimei tries to make conversation… asking Miharu and Kouichi about the love lives… but Kouichi turns it back on her. She teases him if he’s interested, but then she says that he’s not her type anyway.

Miharu keeps thumbing through a book and finds a picture of the guy they’re going to see. Raimei explains her past with him, that he’s a big writer on ninja crap et all and nobody knows what he really looks like. It’s nothing particularly interesting… except that he’s the one that regathered the scattered Fuuma clan, including her. Miharu’s not really certain what being a shinobi means though.

A little later, it starts to rain outside the train. They chatter… but Kumohira thinks to himself that he hates rain. His memory drifts back to the past… A man carries a child. The kid asks what happened to their family, but the man can’t bring himself to answer. They’re surrounded by ninja all after the Power. They attack at once.

The train continues through the city as the weather gets better.

They head off and take a bus next. Kumohira is still zonked throughout. More small talk about Kumohira from the students. As they reach a busstop, Kumohira wakes up and flips out.

Now in the wilderness, Raimei leaps off the side of the cliff and onward. The other two ninja follow her as she leads them through the mist to the village. She suddenly stops and realizes that the village isn’t hidden at all.

She rushes forward as people fall all around her in splatters of blood. They’re Fuuma ninja.

Preview:

The attack on Fuuma village.

Posted in Nabari no Ou | 7 Comments »

7 Shouts From the Peanut Gallery

  • Zyl says:

    Thanks for the detailed summary, Aroduc. A couple of things I didn’t understand from the raw though… apparently Kumohira has some sort of connection with Ireland? Thus the ‘Durandal’ in his name? And the Western-looking woman that he kisses in the ED?

    Seems that Raimei has some sort of condition that affects her ability to remember/recognize people? She was talking to a student in the canteen thinking it was Kumohira and then followed the wrong person, thus losing Miharu after school.

    Kumohira’s dream… the person carrying Miharu is definitely Kumohira then? I was assuming that it might be the silent hat guy…

  • Aroduc says:

    I haven’t actually read any further in the manga than I’ve watched, so I don’t really know any more about Kumohira than you.

    I dunno what’s exactly up with Raimei and her people recognition. Miharu’s ability to slip away undetected is a lot more pronounced in the manga, so I assumed it was more that when she followed the wrong person and her ranting at some random guy in the cafeteria was just a throwaway joke. Could be though. *shrug*

    And yeah, Kumohira’s the one that carried off Miharu, though in the manga, the people attacking him are basically mindless zombies and Kumohira admits to killing their family.

  • sherri-chan says:

    Just wanted to make a slight correction, it’s Miharu’s GRANDMOTHER, not mother, who dressed him into that hilarious look XD

    To poster above, Kumihira comes from Ireland.

  • Shinji103 says:

    “She’s bubbly, she’s in your face, she’s assertive, and I don’t think she blushed or showed any attraction to Miharu at all for the entire episode.”

    Wait, so does this mean that there is some relationship between them later on in the manga, or were you just guessing that she might get a crush on him?

  • sage says:

    Oh, here comes the Sasuke clone. With his power that crawls into your skin. And his wounds do not heal.

  • […] mistaking people (even though?) you’ve just met? Mainly why I asked, over at Aroduc’s post, if Raimei has problems recognizing problem. Interesting problem for a shinobi… something to […]

  • Nabari looks decent x]] says:

    Raimei reminds me of a useful Sakura. Oh wait, THERE’S NO SUCH THING!