Here it is, the day before christmas and I’m stuck with a friggin’ cold. In any case, this episode was more of an introduction-episode. The troupe travels to Edo, if I’m not mistaken, where Akizuki has been residing for the past two episodes in which he ran into Okita. It’s basically meant to introduce Soutetsu’s new script, reveal Nakaiya Juubei’s location (which would also explain why Soutetsu sent the troupe to Edo) and show the same guys who killed Sakamoto Ryouma(at least, I think it was them). It seems that the past few episodes were a sortof in-between arc, with the second major arc of Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto beginning right now.
Also, a few new names. Tatsugoro is the guy with the hat we saw during the previous two episodes. It seems that he lives in Edo somewhere, and I’m guessing that he went to visit Yokohama during the previous episodes. Also, Taiyou was the same girl we saw along with Katsu during the first couple of episodes, wasn’t she? What is she doing in Edo? Enomoto Takeasa, meanwhile, seems to be one of Soutetsu’s new allies. He’s also been hiding Nakaiya Juubei. I’m also wondering why Juubei was so friendly to Soutetsu, after he just took the Lord’s Head away from him.
I’m also wondering what Shiranui’s tattoo on his left arm means. There’s got to be some kind of hidden meaning to it. In any case, it indeed seems that Juubei has acquired eternal life of some sort, though I think there’s more to that. I believe that there are ways to really kill him. After all, he has to die at some point of this anime, hasn’t he?
