Category: 91 Days

Thus does 91 Days end, not with a bang but a whimper. I can safely say that the promotional material was a blatant lie as that showdown between Nero and Avilio never happened. Being that it was promotional material I am not all that surprised but after the way Avilio’s plan turned out to be disappointing I was at least hoping for a nice showdown between the two. Instead we get a mirror of their road trip earlier in the series followed by an ambiguous ending which it’s up to you own personal interpretation as to whether Nero killed Avilio or not. My money’s on Avilio being dead as I don’t really see a reason for Nero to forgive him after all he has done. In fact when Nero said to himself “Just why did I trust him so much” I was thinking to myself the same thing. Just why did Nero put so much faith in Avilio? I mean it’s not as if the kid showed himself to be trustworthy from the start what with the eyes that pretty much insinuate that he is thinking of killing you five times over. I originally pegged that Nero was suspicious of him as well and his little road trip was a kind of “Keep your enemies closer” move. However as it turns out, Nero literally did just decide to trust a complete stranger to help him run away.

My guess is this was supposed to be a moment the two remembered the good times on the road before ending everything. However this series characterisation has been too weak to let that have significant impact. Honestly if this was the ending I got after Nero and Avilio had a shootout and Avilio realised then that he didn’t really want to kill Nero, I would call this satisfactory. But it wasn’t our two titular characters that got the shootout. Instead that was reserved for a bunch of nameless goons of the Vanetti getting gunned down by the Galassia. Avilio has threatened to kill Nero a number of times throughout the show but right after pushing the Galassia to kill the Vanetti, the boy pretty much gave up. The ultimate message is that revenge is pointless. i would agree with that sentiment when it comes to the avenger, after all what is lost is not coming back so no matter what the avenger does he will never undo the past.

However I would argue that Avilio wasn’t really looking for satisfaction but rather equalibrum. They killed his family so he would kill theirs, that’s only fair. In that regard his revenge did have a point, to even the odds. However I figure that even without his influence the Vanetti’s were done. Fango was a walking time bomb and with or without Avilio’s help he would have killed the don of the Orco. Chances are he would be taken out soon after. Then without a third party to worry about the Galassia would either kill off the Vanetti’s or absorb them. It was really only a matter of time. So Avilio is likely dead and Nero is left to run and hide till the day he’s finally gunned down. Much like any Mafia movie we get the final moral. That crime doesn’t pay…except for all the hookers, drugs, money….well actually crime pays a lot. It’s just you might not have much time to enjoy it.

So this is it? This is the grand master plan of Avilio’s brought to full fruition? I guess it is and let me say that it’s certainly a let down. Edmond Dantes Avilio is certainly not as his plan pretty much feels like he was going along with the flow and calling it a plan. I mean there is just so much that could go wrong here, for example what would Avilio have done if Barbero hadn’t found him before entering the room with the Don? What if Ganzo didn’t hinge the entire plan on Avilio? Actually what was up with that Ganzo? Did you really decide to completely trust the guy with the shady eyes who stared at you with murderous intent any chance he got?  I guess you could say I am just irritated with this as with the Avilio has been portrayed through the series I expected his plan to be more interesting than just walking into a booth and shooting someone.

He did mix it up by shooting the Don of the Galassias spurring the family to take out Ganzo and decide to wipe out the Vanettis thus making it that he wasn’t just out to kill the four people of the letter but to destroy the entire Vanetti mafia family. Whether this was Avilio’s agenda from the start or a new decision after the family forced him to kill Corteo is anyone’s guess. Again, the boy doesn’t make his inner workings known but we do see that Corteo’s death did have an effect on him. Seeing hallucinations of his old friend seems overkill but it is nice to see Avilio express something that isn’t his usual impenetrable demeanor.

Vincent brings up the murder of Avilio’s family and it shockingly resembles that of Corteo’s death as he did it in order to prevent the Galassia’s from destroying the Vanetti’s. I say that does make killing Telsa understandable but I don’t get why you had to kill his family along with him. That just seems excessive. Either way I began to think that Avilio wasn’t really aiming for the Vincent’s life when it was revealed that Vincent is already dying. KIlling him now would be a kindness and having it be by the hands of the son of the man he regrets killing would help relieve him of his sins. But why is it that we only learn of this now, right before his death? This is what bugs me about this series the most, it only lays down the groundwork in the episode it becomes relevant.

Vanno was given extra development in the episode where he dies, Ronaldo and Fio’s relationship was only highlighted in the episode he dies and she is put on a bus, Ganzo was only made suspicious in the episode he was outed as the one who wrote the letter and even in this episode the Don of the Galassia’s is introduced for the sole purpose of dying in the exact same episode. You can argue this keeps future episode unpredictable but the problem is that you expect what is happening in the episode itself for whatever character becomes relevant becomes the focal point of the episode. I would prefer it if these things could have been alluded to beforehand and it’s not as if the series couldn’t do that. It spent an episode with Avilio and Nero getting chased by a Mexican terminator, wouldn’t it have been beneficial to cut that out and use the time to flesh out these plot points? I for one would have liked to know that person who got stabbed to death by Avilio and the others because he seemed pretty badass.

The episode ends with Nero finding out secondhand from his father about Avilio’s betrayal and Avilio lying bleeding to death in an alley as they taunt the idea of that being the end for him. Not buying it show, he still has to face off against Nero so he ain’t dying yet. Having played it’s greatest card the final confrontation is the last note to me this show can redeem this lackluster plan. Maybe after having watched the finale DanganRonpa Despair and seeing someone enact a master plan that resulted in a mass genocide and throwing the world into chaos, Avilio’s plan felt a little low key for me to be all that impressed.(On a off note those DanganRonpa animes airing this season really were quite excellent.

I probably should have covered DanganRonpa despair as that really was something.) So as this series draws to a close I think over it and say that it was disappointing but nonetheless a solid show. If Funimation happen to give the dub the Baccano treatment then it could go up in value for having the accents but the story itself is just rather muted and not as exciting as one would expect. it could be on me for expecting something more bombastic rather than methodical but even then I think this series keeps its cards too close to hand for a viewer to get interested in the inner workings. A finale can change a lot but I don’t expect this series to have much left in surprises.

After the drama of last episode this series takes so time to cool off as we see the aftermath of Corteo’s actions. For the most part it appears to have worked for the Vanettis benefit as without a head the Orco family is essentially finished and thus have incorporated themselves into the Vanettis. This hasn’t caused the Vanettis to be lenient with Corteo as he’s being interrogated in a garage outside the estate. This puts Avilio in an interesting position as his friend that he dragged into this mess is now being tortured for information. It is here that I really would like to know exactly what Avilio is thinking as I can’t discern his exact feelings about this situation. In front of the Vanetti’s, Avilio is as cool as a cucumber, never showing a sign of weakness. Outside he’s a little more aggravated but I question as to exactly why that is.

The obvious reason would be his own guilt over his friend suffering because of his own actions but I happen to see another reason as to why this particular scenario would make him equally flustered. After all Corteo is the only one who knows Avilio’s true name and real agenda for joining up with Nero. If Corteo breaks under the torture or speaks out of revenge then Avilio is completely screwed. It would be debatable as to how much faith the mafia family would put in Corteo’s words but it certainly would light some suspicions about Avilio and make his goal harder to reach. It’s that which has me wonder as to just what is getting Avilio worked up here. Guilt or self preservation? Nero is also made Don in this episode which may be part of Avilio’s plan for all I know. The former Don remarks about how he was never able to protect what really mattered in the end which may be his way of saying the Nero that even as the head of a mafia family, one can be powerless.

However as Avilio goes to rescue/potentially silence Corteo, someone else gets to him first and killed one of his guards while lightly injuring Ganza. Here is the first point of suspicion against Ganza which ultimately justified his reveal of being the man who sent Avilio the letter and likely the fourth man whom Nero mentioned. This doesn’t really stand all the well with me as all the evidence which points towards Ganzo is given in this episode when before he was mainly a background character. For a show that generally puts a lot of subtle visual foreshadowing, I think it as cheating to only just lay groundwork right before the reveal. It feels unplanned and it calls to question as to why Ganzo didn’t get more screen presence for this reveal to get a reaction besides a “Oh, so it was that guy.” I have praised this show for it’s show don’t tell policy of storytelling but I must admit that it is keeping a little too much to itself. Avilio is the obvious example as his plan of revenge has been an enigma for the start and his stoic nature makes it hard to see what he is really thinking. He is now in a position where he can kill Nero easily and take out the don while he’s at it.

Yet Avilio still plays the role of faithful lackey for a large amount of time. Still the series did tease the thought of Avilio killing Nero near the end of the episode as he was given an ultimatum by Ganzo to kill Nero to save Corteo. Sadly this tease holds no tension as we all know that Nero is going to be the finale. They are not going to kill him next because they have been clearly setting him up to be the last man Avilio kills. Even the promotional material right from the start insinuates this. Still the only thing which could be delaying his death from a narrative standpoint is the identity of the fourth man. Which Avilio could have easily gotten either by questioning Nero to a greater degree or even forcing it out of him before killing him. Really, just why is Avilio procrastinating? Has he taken a liking to the Mafia life? Has he come to think of Nero as a friend? Is he just losing his nerve to go through with it? Whether these emotions are swirling inside Avilio or not we do not know, for all we see is a grim faced man who looks like he has a plan..

This may be why 91 Day’s engaged me so much more last episode when Corteo was the focus. You knew what was going on in Corteo’s head which it made him relatable and the situation all the more engrossing. However I never know what’s going on in Avilio’s head and he rarely shows his emotions so I can’t relate to his situation. He is ever stone faced, seemly apathetic of his surroundings. Thus because he isn’t moved by the situation, I too as a viewer is equally unmoved. This may be at the core of why 91 Day’s isn’t as engaging as it by all rights should be. Still with the unveiling of it’s greatest question we may be at the point where Avilio’s nature will be unraveled and his plan finally comes into play. Once Ganzo is taken care of there really will be nothing stopping Avilio from taking his revenge. With so few episodes left I think this slow burn needs to turn into an inferno.

I will admit that I was losing interest in this series as of late and the recap episode aired last episode had me not very concerned with checking out the new episode. However upon watching this you can sign me right back up for whatever you got planned 91 Days because this episode was marvelous. What we have this week is the slow breakdown of Corteo who looks to have seen just how dangerous the path he followed Avilio onto really is. With Avilio becoming closer to Nero and more distant from Corteo, Corteo was slowly getting driven into a corner. Much like we have no real idea as to what Avolio’s agenda is, Corteo is also clueless on just what his friend is planning. From his perspective it’s very easy to see his actions as him warming up to mafia life and changing in a man very different from the one Corteo used to know.

The big turning point was Nero’s decision to kill the inspectors family which Avilio didn’t oppose in the slightest. It certainly is odd for Avilio to commit to such an action when you consider just what drove him to revenge in the first place. Though perhaps he should have put more faith in Avilio as it looks like he never intended the family to die in the car explosion. The was smart as well considering that actually killing his family would have been a boneheaded move to make. Avilio is well aware of the draw of revenge and if they took out the inspectors family then he would truly be a man with nothing to lose. Instead Avilio tricked him by making him think his family died in the car bomb and gave him a taste of just what he could lose. After that it’s no wonder he canceled the investigation much to the dismay of the residents cheering him on.

I like to think of the inspector as a kind of metaphor. Namely that the one who have the power to change things for the greater good are often those with the most to lose. Still this move was enough to encourage Corteo to betray the Vanettis and help Fango attempt to kill Nero. A very unwise move as now he has Fango to deal with along with the Vanettis and Fango is hardly the most trustworthy. Corteo is enraged by Avilio’s attempt to give him an out from the mafia life and quite frankly he has every right to be. Avilio dragged him into this, used him and now is sending him home. Even if those are not his intentions, it’s sadly what it feels like. With the Vanettis suspecting him of being a traitor and Fango pushing him for more info on the Vanettis, it really was only a matter of time before he snapped. And damn, it was glorious. Out of all the cast I never suspected that the one to kill Fango would be Corteo. In fact Fango never suspected that either which ultimately lead to his downfall. But that’s what happens when you back a dog into a corner, they lash out. In this case Fango gave Corteo no other option and he made it clear that with the formula to make Lawless heaven he no longer had any need of Corteo.

Fango was about to inform the Vanettis of his actions and the only thing awaiting him was death. The stress of being under surveillance, the abandonment by his only friend, the constant threat of death, his own drunken state and now all his options gone. The moment he just let out all his rage and frustration on Fango was a damn fine anime moment. The skipping of the record as Corteo violently smashed his head in with each sickening thud felt so visceral and real. With Fango gone this feels like a turning point in the series, where everything is going to burn. There are two Mafia families left and with Fango removed you can bet they will be itching to grab his territory. With the end of prohibition coming I think it would be quite a finale for the Vanettis and the Galassias to go to all out war and destroy each other. Then with all three families destroyed, Avilio will take his revenge.

I know this is odd coming from me but I actually will miss Fango. I have always hated his presence in the series as he often was just too crazy for the sombre tone. However since becoming Don, Fango has dialed back on his crazy and as a character he really started to work. Perhaps he realised that no one was willing to do business with someone who shot crazy eyes in their direction. He was calmer and more calculating while saving his beastly nature for the moments he decides to just let loose. A Fango who puts on an act of civility only to outright kill someone who dares to undermine him is a much more interesting character than a hyperactive psychopath.  Nero also looks to be taking the death of his brother hard as he develops the same tired eyes his brother had at the end. Perhaps this is a hint that he has picked up a drug habit or may it’s just hard for him to sleep but his easygoing personality appears to have morphed into a cold murderer. Avilio appears to be trying to cheer him up but as to why is still a mystery. He has his full confidence and could kill him at any time. But what is he really waiting for? A chance to kill the Don of the Vanettis? I am beginning to think that Avilio’s plan isn’t to get revenge on those who killed his family but instead to destroy the very mafia itself.

Avilio’s machinations are truly coming to fruition and his plan is looking more Monte cristo-eqe as it unfolds. Fango has a new hairstyle and is itching to take down the Vanettis and the Galassias but I must admit that for someone as psychotic as him it’s strange how he allows his girlfriend to steal his lines. As she continued to cut him off I was expecting him to pull out a gun and kill her, or at least get her to shut up. Yet it seems he is more whipped than expected or has a soft spot for her. Either way it looks like his craziness has calmed down and I would personally prefer it that way. The big focus of today’s episode is a falling out between Nero and Frate as tensions between them lead to one taking out the other. The true victim in all this is Fio whom got a lot of screentime before she was put on a train and likely out of the plot forever. From the looks of things, she married Ronaldo to protect her brothers despite having no real love for him. Yet despite her efforts Nero and Frate ended up fighting each other with Ronaldo pushing for Nero’s death despite Fio’s pleas.

A lot of reasoning was happening to try and work for a peaceful outcome, which Nero wasn’t all that against. They sent his uncle to smooth things over and even Fio tried to talk the two into a truce and very nearly succeeded. But peace isn’t in Avilio’s plan and this is where is revenge gets muddy. He fooled Nero’s most loyal man into attacking Frate and killed any chance for a truce. Though heres what I don’t particularly like about this episode as it appears a large amount of time passes after the attempted hit and the two appear to have been in a gang war for quite some time. However this is all represented in a few newspaper page montage before returning to the story within seconds and suddenly Frate is worn down by a war that only started a few seconds ago. It felt far too sudden and that moment would have been perfect to have a good old mob massacre montage like in the opening.

Frate was a pawn though and though. He never truly realised it though. When things got tough he ran to Ronaldo who pretty much dictated his decisions and appeared to have gotten him hooked to a drug which he supplies. What that drug is, is a matter of debate. It doesn’t seem to be cocaine seeing how he attempted to ingest it through his mouth. Opium is a safe bet though considering Frates symptoms I would think it was some sort of drug to keep him submissive, like toluene. Despite Fio’s efforts it looks like even if Avilio didn’t push for this outcome that Ronaldo likely would have. Perhaps that’s what lay in the note Avilio gave her along with the flowers and the gun. Ronaldo underestimated the level of stress he was putting on her and likely didn’t quite realise that having a child be a bridge between mafia families wasn’t the best way to rescue his wife. Still this move was a big risk for Avilio as while he did give her a nudge in the right direction, there was no guarantee than she would have what it takes to shoot Ronaldo. But perhaps he had more contact which her than was suggested based on how he whispered to her before boarding the train. Honestly Avilio’s plans seem to require a lot of luck and great foresight or just him rolling with the situation.

Him removing the bullets from Frates gun with slight of hand looked to be an impulsive move to stop Nero getting gunned down. The beauty of it was that Frate pulled the trigger first before Nero shot but the gun only clicked. It was almost as if it was a test to see if he really would kill Nero but I am uncertain if Nero was truly aware that the gun was empty. Having killed his brother Avilio steps up to be Nero’s most trusted companion but it’s possible that he intends to get rid of him soon. He has taken out one of his targets with Nero’s father, Nero and the mystery man remaining. I am having second thoughts over Corteo being the fourth man, thematically it would make sense of his reaction to the letter and his efforts to convince Avilio off the path of revenge as well as being a kick to the gut of Avilio’s motivation. I would actually prefer it as he is one of the few in the story to have a constant presence and thus the reveal would have more weight to it rather than some person introduced at a later date or someone who has stuck most to the background. I don’t think he was a gangster back then but perhaps played a role in informing the murderers for money or in a potentially interesting turn, revenge. However i admit the reasoning is somewhat flawed and it’s highly doubtful he sent the letter to Avilio. Though it’s possible the letter was not sent by the fourth man but rather an outside party. We have had a slow burn of a story so far but I hope with the coming episodes we can have some great set pieces to give 91 days a memorable note to go out on.

Todays episode reminded me a lot of an off kilter episode of cowboy bebop. Speaking in terms of plot progression it was rather poor, seeing as all we really get is that Avilio learns there is another person responsible for his family’s death. This was a fairly enclosed episode as an antagonist is introduced and shiftly defeated by episodes end. However that doesn’t make this a bad episode. I would like something with more meat to it but we did have some nice character moments with Avilio and Nero. As well as a nice action sequence. For a small change of pace this episode is fine. Assuming of course that the remaining episodes don’t take a similar format. I need some mafia in my mafia drama after all. Vanno may be dead but his presence hasn’t left the show yet. In this episode we have a flashback of him getting drunk and depressed over his sister getting married. That looks to be the reason why he was so confrontational at the wedding in the previous episode and no doubt he wouldn’t be happy about his sister being married off to a enemy mafia family to keep a truce. I have a feeling she won’t take her brother’s death well and could throw a wrench into Avilio’s plans for vengeance.

I like the way Nero interacted with the kids as it shows that despite the sins of his past, he is still a good man. Even Avilio I think is getting somewhat swayed by his charisma. I still think he is cautious of Avilio but this episode certainly doesn’t show it. The two make a good duo with Nero being the charming outgoing and Avilio the strong silent type. I adore the fact that despite having high intelligence, Avilio is a terrible driver It added some nice comedy to have him straight faced as he nearly crashes the car. Plus him holding a grudge against the signpost man outside the camp zone and scaring him when driving out was so childish and petty of him that it made me smile. Really, these two have great chemistry and it’s going to be a shame when Avilio moves to kill him. Why he hasn’t killed him yet hasn’t been made clear though perhaps he wanted to get more information about the murder of his family. Nero confessed that he was the one who nearly shot Avilio when he was running away from the house that night which should be quite disastrous for him seeing as Avilio is back to enact revenge count of monte cristo style. One interesting detail is that it appears the letter that was sent to Avilio left out a person who was also there that night which could be the person who sent him the letter in the first place. I am fairly certain that someone is trying to have Avilio do the dirty work for them.

The opening of the series is something I think has great visuals but I am not keen on the band they used. Maybe because it reminds me too much of Psycho Pass whom this band did the opening for. I would have personally prefered something along the lines of Baccano’s opening with a more melancholic tune. It might be the singer I am not all that fond of as they have a an exasperated way of singing. Ultimately I don’t think it fits the show. I really can’t let this episode go by without mentioning the Assassin sent after the two. He has the same quality of Fango in that he is very much out of place with the nature of the show. However unlike Fango I don’t quite reject his existence so heavily. He reminds me heavily of “the Cousins” from Breaking Bad in that he is almost a eternal near supernatural inhuman threat. Perhaps a greater comparison would be Pierrot le Fou from Cowboy Bebop as they hold the same level of being outwardly silly yet dominantly mencing. He at points turned this episode into a comedy, in particular when Nero and Avilio escaped the pub and ran him down with the car. All that was missing was the benny hill theme but the music got close to that. It was a nice reference to David and Goliath with Avilio using a sling to fling cans at the man though I don’t understand why he thought that would be more effective than a gun. I say this was a nice little side story to help endear the characters but next episode needs to get back to the main story. While Nero and Avilio’s excellent road adventure sounds like an interesting show in it’s own right, I think the main plot has too much potential to be sacrificed for that.

~AidanAK47~