It seems that the final stories of Hakaba Kitarou will consist out of two episodes, as this episode yet again ended with a cliff-hanger. This episode was mostly unspectacular, and al it did was set the tables right for the second episode. I’ve got no worries, as episode five showed that this series can turn the entire tables with its second episode.
And there is a lot of potential in this story. Basically, in order to earn some money, Kitarou ends up collecting money from a water-spirit who hasn’t paid back its loan for fifteen years. Kitarou, as mischievous as he is, starts messing around with the spirit after paralyzing it with a special powder. The water-spirit in exchange escapes, and engulfs the entire world with water in order to take revenge on Kitarou. He then gets saved by Nezumi Otoko on a hot-air balloon, for the price of his father.
One thing that I did realize with this episode is that Kitarou’s character simply is boring if he isn’t sadistic. But I guess it does have a certain charm. Kitarou is a nice example of an anti-hero, and it’s a bit different from all those noble heroes who want to save the world and stuff. In any case, I’m curious for the next episode. We’re already past the halfway-point of this series, so it’d better have an excellent second half in store!
I liked this episode. It was funny to see how much of a mess Kitarou made.