天下制覇

No, we don’t actually get to see Raikou in action yet.

Impressions:

Yawn. More exposition. Lots and lots of exposition. One might even say an irritating amount of exposition. Honestly, Yamase? Wasn’t he a throwaway grunt in the first episode? Why is he back and why on earth did they even spend any time building up some possible sinister atmosphere for him. Even Miharu is more than a match for him. I guess I’m interested in Raimei’s brother just because I want to see a decent swordfight, but I’m relatively certain that the pink haired ‘girl’ in the OP is meant to be Raikou. No wonder Raimei’s family is screwy. She’s got a trap for a brother who dyes his hair pink.

Kotarou’s shapeshifting ‘attack’ on Kumohira could have been a bit more interesting if it had been set up a little bit better. Instead, we had his subordinates literally saying that his ‘idiot switch’ had been flipped and then DRAGON and other random nonsense thrown around. I’m pretty sure that was all taking place in a small crowded room to begin with. I don’t even know. Thinking about it makes my head hurt.

I’d be more enthusiastic about Yoite showing up again if he wasn’t painfully overpowered compared to the other Banten kids at the moment, and if the preview didn’t seem to be about Yoite taking Miharu for a trip on a train. The last thing I think I want to see is some Yoite/Miharu bonding over OUR LIVES ARE SO HARD. Leave the emotional melodramatic crap to Da Capo. Please.  

PIANO. CHIME. DING. DING. Someone lurks outside Miharu’s house. Only the cat notices.

In the morning, Kouichi and Eri Raimei greet Miharu as he leaves his house. They all leave together, but someone watches them go.

Flashback to Kumohira telling the kids to go back to Banten and basically regroup. Oh, also, since they won’t be able to protect it, destroy the various secret Banten documents and whathaveyou. Raimei is in personal charge of Miharu’s safety since Kumohira’s not going with them yet.

The three keep lurking in some storage room at school while discussing the situation. Kouichi reaches behind a bookcase and releases a trapdoor that sends a bunch of dusty books falling out. Raimei asks what the secret technique of Banten is… but Kouichi doesn’t even know, just Kumohira.

After stacking all the secret books, Kouichi explodes them. Miharu thinks about the situation some more. There are more secret caches to destroy, so they wander off. Kouichi makes small talk with Raimei… is it okay for her to be missing school, her family… friends. Miharu gets in her face, asking about her friends. Raimei blushes a bit, and says that she has something to take care of. She runs off.

She thinks about friends and looks down at her sword. Flashback to her youth. Her sword is her life. Her life is sworn to the Power of All Nature. She and her brother  both. Even if they become a monster for it.

A bit later, they’re all gathered again. Raimei’s trying to put those thoughts out of her mind. They’ve made it back to Miharu’s house and his cat greets them. Raimei and Kouichi leave Miharu to his family.

The teacher, Yamase… coincidentally, the same person that was stalking Miharu, is there for noodles. The cat gets nervous and runs out.

Miharu wonders what Yamase has to say. Yamase has a request. He’s there from Iga, but now that he’s been defeated by Kumohira, he has nowhere to go. He begs Miharu, but gets shot down immediately.  He becomes increasingly panicked, but Miharu tells him that there’s nothing he can do.

Yamase pulls a knife and pricks Miharu’s neck. He then tries to drink his blood to gain his power or something. Or at least, lurches his face forward. Miharu shakes him off and runs out. Yamase immediately gives chase, but Raimei’s waiting outisde for him. He attacks her, but she easily knocks him down. He prepares to draw a hidden weapon, but Kouichi suddenly appears and holds a pair of knives at his throat, warning him against it. Yamase demands they kill him, but Raimei stops Kouichi. Revenge against the Iga should belong to a Fuuma.

She swings her sword, but stops… and tells him of another swordsman like her, Raikou… her brother.

Flashback. A bloodstained Raikou says that he’s joining the Ash Wolves. He stands over a pile of bloody corpses. He killed their parents.

Raimei demands an answer. Yamase gives her all that he knows… which isn’t actually too much useful. ust that after he left an Ash Wolf meeting, Raikou appeared and introduced himself as a samurai.

Raimei demands to know where he is now, but Yamase is clueless. That was the last time he saw him.  Raimei grits her teeth and lowers her blade.

Yamase laughs as he gets up and warns Miharu and them that Raimei is the same as Raikou. Kouichi tries to knife Yamase, but he disappears and then jumps away.

Raimei tries to talk to Miharu and explain things, but he’s his usual apathetic self. Perhaps his stuff will help and she’ll be free to do whatever so don’t worry about it. Raimei takes his hand and comforts him.

She’s glad to meet him, and while she wants to search for Raikou, she promised that she’d stay with him. Please believe in her. Miharu says that he does. Kouichi goes all teary eyed at the beautiful feelings.

Kumohira cooks Japanese cuisine for the Fuuma ladies. He… uh… gets a little too into it. Apparently he’d been trained for a long time in it. A random old man shows up and steals some food. Actually… it’s just Kotarou in disguise.

After the meal, Kotarou shares his information with Kumohira. They have a lead on some woman in the television industry and they think the president of her company is connected to all this. This part sort of got away from me since I was zoning out and folding laundry at this point, but I’m pretty sure can best be summarized by "WE ARE THE NPCS, PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT TOWN TO CONTINUE YOUR QUEST! DON’T FORGET TO UPGRADE YOUR WEAPONS AND BUY MORE POTIONS. SNAKE, THIS IS A SNEAKING MISSION."

Kotarou wonders if Kumohira is being serious enough about all of this and whether or not they’re putting Miharu’s wishes first.  Kumohira declares that he’ll do anything but wholesale slaughter to protect Miharu, while Kotarou seems happy to throw away the lives of his clan. This flips Kotarou’s ‘idiot switch’ and he goes nuts. He hates guys like that. 

First the bottle of sake goes flying while he rants about being serious, then he transforms into a dragon and threatens Kumohira. Kumohira dispels it when it attacks, but Kotarou isn’t finished. He shifts into Raimei next, still ranting about fighting anybody and anything seriously. SHe blasts Kumohira back and shifts again, this time into Kumohira himself.

Kotarou transforms into Miharu, completely putting Kumohira off his guard. It ends with an elbow to the head and Kumohira collapses.

Still unconscious (or perhaps just sulking), they load Kumohira into a truck and start driving him home.

Back in Banten, Raimei gets a call from the Fuuma. Kumohira’s on the way back, etc etc. Kouichi keeps a lookout, but Miharu just ignores them entirely. Suddenly, Kouichi and Raimei collapse. Yoite is standing behind Miharu.

Preview:

Pretty boys on pretty trains.