This was a huge episode for Kouga here. The previous episode already built this up, but this really is where the hole subplot with the white-haired guy comes together. While it’s hard to see what parts of his story were real and which one were a bluff, there nevertheless was a grain of truth to his words when Kouga noticed that he got ecstatic from fighting.
I am not sure how this scene worked in the manga, but here in the anime Kouga turned into this archetypical hero who actually gets bogged down by his own naivety and is forced into situations in which he screws up horribly and fails to save people’s lives. I like that a lot here.
This episode also had these scenes in which the animation got really good again, which really has my hopes up that the creators did save some great animators for next week, the series finale. The creators actually wrote it so that they can actually wrap up this story if they want to. But then again, there have been plenty of anime that also looked like they could wrap everything up in their final episode, only to go into a completely different direction with unnecessary sequel hooks.
My one concern: this episode really stood out. It was excellent psychological warfare that has been built up for quite a while now. Jin on the other hand doesn’t have that: he’s just a strong guy who fights stuff. The finale will definitely be action-packed, but what about the rest?
Rating: **+ (Excellent+)
“but what about the rest?” you gotta buy the manga to find out.
and yes Jin’s sections get REALLY good…
unfortunately, you’ll probably never see them animated.
I would give you a round of applause plus the whole Internetz if you get psgels to read manga.
if i hadn’t had a headache watching this ep, i wouldve like it. instead i thought it was terrible. they were trying to juggle too much plot points throughout this series and it wasnt really working; this episode just encapsulates the show’s flaws.
it is weird for me to write this because i do enjoy the series. i was in a relaxed mood when i watched the prior episodes and i was very forgiving of its faults. i’m still going to watch this show till the end because i still like it, just gotta watch the remaining eps without a headache.
This episode is once again very fast-paced, but I enjoyed it – I love how they added a little twist when fleshing out Kouga’s character. Jin may be a little flat at this point, but I am still drawn to the character – I love the irony that while Jin isn’t human, he dreams of having a family like a human and treasures the bond that a normal family would have.
I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you think animation like this episode used, is good. To me it was sloppy, like they ran out of budget already, and were cutting corners – pretty much ruined the episode for me.
For me I would agree with psgels. At least I noticed the fluid animation at the beginning of the episode with Jin jumping into the city. That really reminded me of the animation from the first episode that I have oh so missed ever since. The somewhat sloppy look gives it much more character and is far more memorable. One of my favorite examples of an anime that takes major advantage of sketchy/sloppy looking animation is Noein.
FYI there are two episodes left. This show is 13 episodes.
As for this one, it was rushed as all hell. At least they tried to explain everything (even why the auntie never got her scar fixed) but I don’t like when a villain gives a sudden motivation for their deeds. Basically it was revenge for Jirou and just plain greed for Hayami…
this episode is good, feel a shame not watching it as soon it out
btw great animation thorough the episode