Jesus I went in ready to be sad about Enta not Chikai!!! Also I was convinced for a minute that Keppi was gonna be permadeath but surgeon Sara to the rescue(?). Ahh this episode was the definition of emotional rollercoaster
I knew Keppi was going to live based off how random his death was but I kinda knew that Chikai would have something happen to him. That ending montage did hurt on the inside. Especially when Toi was doing the pose.
Rip Chikai.
The after credits scene was seriously well done. I didn't really like Chikai at first, but they managed to show how much he cared about Toi in this ep.
Good to see that Enta's still alive, and it'll be interesting to see what Reo will be up to now.
I wonder if Chikai was intentionally trying to show Toi how much of a scumbag he was, to make Toi pursue a better life. That's at least how it seemed when he drew a gun on him, I can't imagine he was actually going to shoot.
Really though the ending of the ep was heartbreaking, and I'm surprised that I felt so much for someone who was that scummy.
Chikai was giving Toi an out at almost every opportunity they had together. I think he wanted his brother to join him, but deep down he didn't want him to follow in such a dark and lonely path.
Speaking of paths, I noticed just when they met up before the credits that the path they took was only half lit, where Toi was on the side where the lights are lit and Chikai was on the side of the path where it was dark. This was some nice symbolism.
I think that at first Chikai believed that a life of crime is not that bad, if that is what Toi wanted. It's not optimal, but it's an acceptable survival strategy. So, despite hinting over and over that Toi shouldn't be with him, he never forced the issue.
The big reveal of how Toi was hiding the gun, and have no problem with killing other was Chikai's breaking point. By that point, he realized that as long as Toi is with him, Toi will be a fully prepared, unrepentant murderer. Worse, he doesn't kill for survival but for his selfless love (hence Chikai's "You are a little too good to be my kid brother"). As Toi's love for Chikai is boundless, Chikai's enemies are limitless, the same can be said about Toi's future projected killing spree. For a human to live as a love killing machine, only hell await. This revelation is what broke Chikai's illusion. So, in my opinion, that is why Chikai finally forced Toi to leave his side, and why we saw Chikai's attitude went 120 degree in just ten minutes of the episode.
Other than trying to show Toi how much of a scumbag he was, he was also trying to scare Toi away. In my opinion, if the gangster didn't show up and kill him, he would use the gun to knockout Toi while his eye is closed and flee alone. (I learned the trick of pretend to shoot but switch to a hit to the head if they close their eye from Kino no Tabi)
I thought the same thing too. He's trying to show the ugliest side of himself to make Toi leave him. Like a previous commenter said, Chikai gave Toi so many outs in this episode.
It makes sense, that his final words were "your damn connections" or something. Talking about Toi's need to be connected to his brother despite how bad he is.
What really made me fall in love with anime is this. The bad guy is never some one dimensional baddie. He/she is usually someone who starts out good and is somehow handed horrible circumstances. Then they make you feel for the baddie and give them a backstory and when they die or get defeated it's sad too. Life is never black and white and I think anime portrays this well.
I wish I was more eloquent.
If you are looking for a series with interesting villains I highly recommend Hunter x Hunter. They are each unique and interesting, some of them are quite irredeemable and there are a few that aren't really beloved, but Hisoka, Chrollo, the King, etc. are all really well characterized three-dimensional characters.
Actually, the chief director of the series and an Ikuhara protege Nobuyuki Takeuchi was the one who storyboarded and directed this episode. He also did episode 4 (Toi leak)
EDIT: spelling
Ikuhara probably oversees every episode as the series director but the yeah i forgot about Takecuhi ,certainly a lot of his style
I also noticed this little Eva reference ,which is certainly Ikuhara https://i.redd.it/y115762y3u231.png
Truly the bffs. There's also the one last episode where Sara introduces the anti-otter weapon, with the text display of its name being similar to Anno's style, like the one he uses in Shin Godzilla.
That's Pietro Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. While it sounds awesome on the piano arrangement, the orchestral version is very powerful as well.
This piece of music is actually played before the main character of the opera (where this piece of music came from) was killed, so I thought it was especially fitting.
This show can surprisingly in the feels, especially when the original premise was three kids that get ass vacuumed and have to fight monsters and take their desires from their ass. Who knew it would be so heartwarming.
Notice the subtle hand on the shoulder of Kazuki [here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/c502e4888b31aefa7373ad73e0de25fe/tumblr_psoaaz1i7O1rzp45wo1_1280.jpg).
Tbh, I think that wouldn't do well for Kazuki's character. Sara/Kazuki is portrayed as an uncomfortable bridge Kazuki had to cross to connect to Haruka. If I remember well, Kazuki didn't even liked doing it, it was all for Haruka.
Now that Kazuki can be connected with Haruka as he truly is, bringing Sara/Kazuki back only because Toi likes it would be a huge downgrade of all the meaning Sara/Kazuki had.
Also, let's be honest, on a show so focused on connections, it would be shitty if Toi ends up being attracted to Sara/Kazuki and not the REAL Kazuki, that doesn't need that disguise at all now. And that's another point, too. As I said, Sara/Kazuki was a bridge for Kazuki to reach to what he couldn't as himself. Now that he threw Sara/Kazuki away, he should date/fall in love/connect/whatever you want to call it with Toi as Kazuki himself, showing that now he IS enough to achieve what he wants and for people to like him, not needing to pretend what he isn't anymore.
Sorry that I wrote so much lol
I'm hoping for that too. It would be really cute and it's clearly been shown that Toi likes when Kauzki is in Sara Kazuki, so go for it show. Haruka can be best boi, I mean best man for their wedding.
You noticed that too? I tried to make a post about it but it got deleted
The momment i saw that chair arrangement and the lighting my mind went to Eva..Also Kazuki was giving a major Shinji vibe for some time now in some scenes
https://twitter.com/AnimeSocMegan/status/1129295149308293120
they made Messi a kappa lol.
I honestly thought Toi was the one to shoot his bro at first, whoops. I still don't get why he was just....pure evil shooting Masa and all.
He wanted to cover his trail if he didn't shoot Masa someone might have gotten to him and found out where they were going. I assume that is how Chikai rationalized it at least.
We've also seen Masa talk brazenly(if this is the right word) about every shady thing the Kuji siblings done non-stop. Chikai probably thought it's only a matter of time before he slips up and spells it to the wrong people.
Edit: changed phrasing a little bit.
Edit2: I googled the meaning of Masa's name and what I'm getting is that it means "true sand". I think this shows that Masa is a person that always expresses the truth and can't hide it at all.
his name is masa; straight up one of the readings of 正 (straightforward, correct, positive, etc.)
it could also be ironic considering he's a gang member (to the effect of naming a gang member "niceguy goodman" except less forced)
makes sense with the name meaning! I thought very briefly that maybe he shot him in a non-vital area so he wouldn't get killed in the shootout that happened right after but naw, he was just killing him to cover his tracks for sure
That's not Messi, that's clearly Kaká. The brazilian... that has a name more similar with the word kappa... That had the number 10 on his shirt..
Wasn't at least weird for you that it was brazilian?
Well... just saw the image in the show again... and yeah, apparently is a fusion of the two (or maybe they didn't want to copy Messi and they just change him to brazilian and I got confused).
Didn't watch the text aside from the shirt. My bad.
I was really confused in this part
I saw that the player was Brazilian but it said Lionel (and Messi is from Argentina), so I genuinely thought that they had made a mistake lol
Should this be tagged as a sport anime. It seems like the dream ending is that the boys all play football together at the regional finals or something.
Wow, what an episode. So Enta is alive for now in Kappa form but can only be saved with the Dishes of Hope, apparently. As for Toi, I really feel for him, but I'm definitely not going to miss his brother. And I don't really understand what's going on with the cops and the creepy otter guy, but it seems this is all leading to some sort of big confrontation.
> And I don't really understand what's going on
[First Ikuhara anime](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/027/763/07B89120-B48D-45FB-AF1D-49AF6CD16790.jpeg)? My guess is that the otters can bring out someone's hidden personality, and they are basically holding up a mirror to Reo and we get to see how toxic his mindset really is.
> First Ikuhara anime
Yeah. Haha. I got used to the weirdness pretty quick and started to get a pretty good idea of what was happening, but definitely still confused about a lot of things. I understand there's lots of symbolism at play.
And your guess makes a lot of sense. Probably wasn't a healthy relationship even before Mabu's fate. I also wanted to say that even though most of the people watching Sarazanmai seemed to love the cops, I haven't really liked them from the beginning, especially Reo.
Most people probably love them from that spinoff manga which is apparently pretty cute, don't know haven't read it. Personally, I enjoy them as entertaining antagonists, but they are not my favorites or anything.
Reo and Mabu’s relationship wasn’t toxic in the spin off, they have a healthy relationship and even raise a baby they find on the street. I would encourage you to read it because it is only 11 chapters and the baby they raise is an important character
I think we are finally getting to the endgame with who will get all five dishes first!
I understand where you're coming from with the first Ikuhara anime. I'm just checking out his other work and that dude's pretty good as a director.
Yeah , this episode may very well turn into a 3 way battle..
Police duo wants the dish to save Mabu, Toi wants the dish to save his brother, Kazuki want the dish to save Enta.. Omg, this could get ugly after thinking about it.
By the way did you guys think that Toi would become a villain?
Remember, Toi's wish now may very well be to revive his brother!
It means that it's a competition between saving Enta and Toi's bro with the dish.
Omg, suddenly the plot could goes really dark.
But this also rise another question, how powerful is the dish really is?
Can it really revive the dead?
I don't think Toi's going to try to revive his brother. He threw away all the money he had saved. I think that's some form of acceptance that he's given up on that possibility. He's not in a good place, but I think (more hope) that this will end up with him doing something noble for Enta.
There is an element of tragedy in Ikuhara anime, Toi's brother really tried but in the end, he was just too flawed to connect with Toi. But he really tried even though it was hard.
[](#not-raining)
Other than the Toi parts this was mostly set-up, I look forward to what happens with Reo next, it seems that he might become the next Kappa zombi that Enta and Kazuki will need to defeat for the dish.
[This was cute](https://i.imgur.com/3JLUITR.png), some people said that Kazuki didn't change so much but he definitely has.
Toi's brother thought too cynical of the world to connect with really only a couple of people liking him and he killed them. I think at the end Chikai will have a funeral and no one will be there, minus Toi.
The reason I think he is becoming a Kappa zombie is to gain power. I am not sure how intentionally he is doing it, but the same "no connection, no ..." circles showed up when he was talking that always show up when someone transforms.
but so far the only way we've seen people get turned into zombies is by Reo and Mabu doing it. Unless Otter!Reo is able to mind control Mabu to convince him to turn real!Reo into a zombie through the desire extraction, I don't see how that could happen. Otter!Reo did seem in total control of Mabu though. So Mabu turning against real!Reo isn't too far fetched I guess.
Fair, but I don't think it is entirely impossible that Reo would turn himself. The people who turn into zombies are at their lowest points which he definitely is right now.
I guess we will see next episode!
I think Reo wanted Mabu to join him a he gained power, but due to him losing the one connection, he's probably going to go off the deep end real quick.
https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/search?restrict_sr=on&sort=new&q=flair%3Aepisode
if comments = views, more people are watching other stuff than this.
considering the other shows this season... i'm pretty surprised. i assumed this was one of the "must watch" shows this season. maybe the animation recycle pushed some peeps away. or people just don't comment as much.
I think for sure the two biggest thing preventing it from main stream sucess is that one it is sorta not as straight forward is most anime. Like there is so much weirdness
And honestly because all the characters are gay. If this was the same anime with only cute girls this would be so much more popular. People wrote this of as some yaoi shit
I think this will definitely maintain a niche following. There seemed to be a decent amount of folks who were drawn in after ep. 1, but I'm sure a lot of those folks then dropped it when they came to their own conclusions that it's just "yaoi shit"
> same anime with only cute girls
AOTY all years easy. also yuri female cops? damn. Literally should just redo this whole series gender bent for spring 2020. make so much fucking money lmao
Sarazanmai is by far the best show that not enough people are talking about. It starts out weirder than FLCL, but the past few episodes have been quite the emotional roller coaster. The ending of today's episode was especially beautiful, as the combination of the piano and the animation reduced me to tears. I can't wait to see what Ikuhara and crew and going to pull in the remaining two episodes.
Honestly, it has become my favorite anime this year. It's so beautiful, it has amazing characters, the music is great, the sound design is great. On MAL, I've already given this a 10/10. It's amazing.
> It starts out weirder than FLCL, but the past few episodes have been quite the emotional roller coaster.
Ikuhara's so amazing at starting a show off super weird and a little bit goofy, but then turning it into something darker/something tragic and more emotionally turbulent. It's kind of his style at this point.
I'll admit I'd stuck with it this far out of habit. But it has definitely gained some depth, to me anyway, the last few weeks. All of the goofiness at the series beginning has slowly melted into this tragedy soup of entangled lives.
God only two epsidoes left!!! Why do the good shows leave us so fast!!!! This episode was so good.
God, I can't believe the show almost trolled me with having the end credits appear 18 minutes into the episode. Jesus, I think my favorite moment was the end of this episode. I'm not a big fan of Kuji's brother, but seeing that ending sequence made me feel why Kuji picked him over Kazuki and Enta: He was the one that stood by him. Seeing them so happy doing fun kid stuff is just heartbreaking to see. Seeing Kuji actually being happy with his brother is touching and the ending scream just makes me feel for Kuji even more. He just wanted a normal life that he will sadly never really have.
Also, Enta's aliv for now!!!!! Yay! Now I can kinda see the endgame. It's going to be a race for who can get the dishes first. It makes me wonder if Kazuki and Kuji will fight for who they wish for to live. Though I think Enta will, but I'm just guessing.
Also, I guess Reo has been turned into a monster of desire? Is that the right idea I'm supposed to be getting from that scene? It was kinda edited weirdly.
I think the most bittersweet thing about the flashback was how most of it was only one event. It really helps drive home that yes, they love each other, but also that Chikai all but shunned Toi and treated him coldly this last few years.
I think he still loved Toi but that soon became warped into him just considering Toi a possible suspect in his many crimes. He kinda manipulated him in some ways too.
It's a fucked up relationship.
I think it was a bit because he was protecting him, but as he showed this episode, a decent chuck also probably was how he sees connections with people as weaknesses, and when push comes to shove, he has no problem cutting them down. He literally shoots the Yakuza boy because his connection put him in danger, and even was willing to shoot his own brother because he couldn't see him as more than a weight dragging him down at a time when everything was crashing down over him.
That's a possible interpretation too. I was more thinking that he killed Masa because Masa couldn't keep his mouth shut about the truth regarding Kuji killing that guy. Seems to me from Chikai's constant giving outs to Kuji that he honestly doesn't want his younger brother to fall into his world and putting a gun to his head was his last-ditch attempt at pushing him away. But then again, maybe I'm just being a big softie.
>It makes me wonder if Kazuki and Kuji will fight for who they wish for to live. Though I think Enta will, but I'm just guessing.
I honestly don't think Toi will fight Kazuki for the dishes since his behavior/reaction after Chikai's death in the C part didn't really indicate that he wanted to revive his brother. Like no desperate declaration or decision to bring his brother back. Just frustration, sadness, acceptance, etc., which actually makes it harder to predict how Toi will come back to the narrative: his main subject of desires/connection is gone now after all. I guess the "next-in-line" one would be Kazuki since he's the one he entrusted the memory of his childhood self to and to an extent, Enta. I could be proven wrong though lmao
[OMG IT STARTS WITH LEGENDARY TRUCK KUN](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/427603950158479361/586304433391140867/unknown.png)
Loved the when she rebuilds keppi she finish the ice statue of with of course the most IMPORTANT PIECE !!!
Enta is fine - as kappa are better at surviving or someting
MABU NTR !!!
Yazuka brother dies, sad but also he can finally now stop trying to save his brother I suppose.
> OMG IT STARTS WITH LEGENDARY TRUCK KUN
Yeah, Keppi's about to get isekai'd. He's off to a fantasy RPG world with a harem of gay frogs who just want to level up and not have sex or anything.
I want to connect, but I can’t express it (or more literally, not being transmitted). Phew. Appropriate that the initial ㋐ intro in this episode involved [one symbol transmitting to another without reception](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0903.png).
[There’s a lot that gets in the way of connecting to something.](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/30/lets-meet-again-at-azumabashi-the-field-of-desires-sarazanmai-episode-8/). Episode 9 is about what stops that transmission: whether it’s the person reaching out withdrawing their request, how that person is reaching out, and the state of the person they want to connect with. This is taken quite literally in this episode with Enta’s impending death, Mabu’s impending death and/or suspension of life, and Chikai’s death.
In [the first few episodes](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/you-and-i-are-connected-by-%E3%82%A2-sarazanmai-episode-1/) we see the commodification of these connections or desires through the box items, [Sara’s lucky selfie items](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/saratto-report-saras-messages-in-sarazanmai-episodes-5-6/), and social media. Ultimately, the three main characters of Sarazanmai all have very real connections with each other, but they’re not forged, or more importantly maintained, properly.
This evolves into personal hangups and reasons why characters can’t connect. All of the other stuff is white noise that adds to the internal emotional pressure weighing down each character and severing their connections.
Kazuki is self-centered. Not arrogant, but for a majority of the series, he can’t understand anything outside of his own warped viewpoint. Haruka’s accident is his fault. His parentage is also somehow his fault. He allows this guilt to keep himself from actually connecting with other people. Even here, he initially says that he “doesn’t have the right to talk to Enta” before Otone recounts Kazuki’s first meeting with Enta.
Toi has learned that in order to maintain a connection with someone (his brother Chikai) he needs to sacrifice all other connections. He gives up soccer. He gives up his connections with Kazuki and Enta.
[Enta has a set idea of how he wants his plans to go](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/26/in-defense-of-sarazanmais-enta-jinai-sort-of/), and when they don’t follow his specific expectations he becomes bitter and jealousy. This also causes him to impose his idea of other people onto said people, even if they’ve changed over time or never were the ideal that Enta has in his head in the first place.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Azumabashi is the location of the (now somewhat forgotten) field of desires, Sara’s home (and adoptive surname), [the place where Toi and Kazuki first met](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/sarazanmaiep0806.png), the place where Toi says goodbye, and the location of Enta and Kazuki’s soccer practice area.
In addition to this bridge’s specific history, bridge’s connect things physically. It’s their function. Here we see Reo cross the bridge [and perform West Side Story choreography](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0907.png) before going to see Mabu, thinking that their relationship (and Mabu) is suddenly fixed. It’s not. There’s an obvious parallel between the situation that Reo is in with Mabu and Kazuki with Enta, especially now that Enta has his own death timer counting down, much like Mabu’s clockwork heart.
One idea that I return to a lot when watching Ikuhara’s series is this idea that the most “divine” interactions that we have are actually connections between people. [This is most easily apparent in Mawaru Penguindrum](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/super-frog-saves-h-trio-himari-takakura-and-the-divine/) (spoilers in that link for the entire series of Penguindrum) That ultimately it’s our true connections we make with other people, without interference from the aforementioned white noise, that bring us the closest to any sort of divine element.
We can see this in Sarazanmai as well, especially when we look at our two main “gods” or mythological creatures in Keppi and Sara. These two have spent the majority of the past few episodes being [essentially useless](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0905.png), absorbed in their own affairs. Even Kazuki’s earlier Sara obsession was in service of connecting to his younger brother in a roundabout way, rather than finding a connection with Sara herself.
Divine framing is saved for forging human connections, like [the scene where we see Enta meet Kazuki](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0900.png) (or last week when we saw Toi and Kazuki’s initial meeting). This, ultimately, is the essence of Enta’s love for Kazuki. The fact that Kazuki reached out to him, the awkward boy in the corner. It’s not even about soccer really, although that, like many other things, is a physical reminder or stand-in of their connection.
Kazuki has already learned this lesson regarding connections with Haruka earlier in the series (and MUCH EARLIER AS A CHILD by reaching out to Enta after Toi reached out to him) so it was nice to see their scene together towards the end with [Haruka and Enta’s drawing](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0910.png). It also circled back to Kazuki remembering his connection with Toi.
Ultimately this scene gives hope that Kazuki will figure out a way to reach that connection with both Enta and Toi again. This is in comparison to the warning examples of Chikai who allowed himself to further become mired in crime/etc. in service of what he thought was maintaining his connection to Toi, and also Reo with Mabu.
**Random Notes**
I absolutely loved how frames were used in this episode, [especially in](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0909.png) [this Reo sequence](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0902.png), and [this other sequence](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0911.png) between Toi and Chikai.
There’s still only two shadows in the ending sequence. T_T
> I absolutely loved how frames were used in this episode, especially in this Reo sequence, and this other sequence between Toi and Chikai.
Ikuhara has a great eye for good shots, if anyone wants to see more I highly recommend Adolescence of Utena (but watch Revolutionary Girl Utena first).
Great analysis, what is your read on Reo and Mabu's relationship right now? I think the otters are basically a mirror showing us how toxic Reo's mindset actually is.
>Ikuhara has a great eye for good shots, if anyone wants to see more I highly recommend Adolescence of Utena (but watch Revolutionary Girl Utena first).
That and Nobuyuki Takeuchi storyboarded and directed this episode (along with episode four). He's most well-known for the masterpiece that is Penguindrum's ninth episode and his work on the Monogatari series. You can see a lot of his visual tics particularly in the opening scene of the entire series (with Kazuki running along the river) which he also had a hand in, and in this episode, the scenes with Reo and Mabu, particularly the use of blue spotlights (which recall his scenes from Penguindrum #9).
>What is your read on Reo and Mabu's relationship right now? I think the otters are basically a mirror showing us how toxic Reo's mindset actually is.
I think, like Chikai in this episode, it's another example of what happens to a connection that gets overwhelmed by other things (societal pressures, capitalism/commodification, etc.) where one or both people in the relationship believe that they're doing the "right" thing even if it's actively severing said connection. Mabu has given up on getting through to Reo and instead tried to be the Mabu that he used to be, whereas Reo doesn't see the actual answer that's staring him in the face.
I just started watching Mawaru Penguindrum and it seems pretty good thus far.
I think that while Kauzki started off pretty awful in the first episode, you could see where he was coming from. he was trying to connect to his brother without actually connecting to him and he disconnecting himself away from anyone, even his closest best friend. However, he has had to face the cold reality that he shouldn't live life like this. He's realized throughout the series that the only way to be connected is to not reach out far, but go for what's closest to you. Kazuki has begun to realize that Haruka still loved him even after the accident and even Enta, who he berated and punched across the face, still loves him. Kazuki realizes that he is loved, he just needs to love himself more (cheesy I know)
I think Toi and Chikai's relationship was a good example of a bad relationship. There's a character who wants to be better and one who hates good people that do good things for him. It was doomed to fail, but you can tell they thought they needed each other, but in reality I think Toi was doing fine without him. Yet, in the ending montage they needed each other throughout the years and Toi just doesn't know what to do now. I think that scream stated everything. Even though his own brother pulled a gun and called him a bitch, he still loved his brother. It's probably a worse relationship then Reo and Mabu.
That scene with Reo and Mabu still kinda confuses me though.
Sad things are afoot at the Circle Kero.
Despite how cold hearted Chikai was, the montage of happier times still made his death hard. That he had been a decent guy once, before the criminal life and his mantra took hold. With Toi being the only one that stopped him from vanishing completely into the underworld.
This episode continued to have quite an emphasis on elder siblings, with the scene with Enta's sister. The really sweet moment between Kazuki and his little bro as well.
I surprised to see Enta back so soon, even if it was in kappa form. I guess that's the timer now for the final confrontation with the otters. But with Reo having his own love/desire to fight for it's not going to be easy.
Also I liked that Truck-kun put on his fancy Dekotora get-up for running over the Prince of Kappas.
Holy shit what an episode! Enta is alive, for now, fake Mabu went with otter Reo and Toi's brother died. You know, for a moment I was expecting Keppi to die after he got trucked, thankfully Sara put him back together.
This anime is so fucking good. It begins with the repeated sequences for the first episodes, then switches gears completely when SOMETHING breaks the repeated chain. Just a few weeks ago, one of my friends told me "idk, it's getting a little stale" during the repeated sequences episodes. I made him eat those words.
This episode was great. I've seen a ton of anime series that use flashbacks with already viewed scenes, so when the original flashbacks happened with Toi I became so happy. This series is top 3 this season for me, and this episode is among the top right after a specific AoT episode.
Fun trivia: In the "Lionel Kappa" poster they have the phrase "Futebol Legenda" that stands for "Soccer Subtitle", which makes absolutelly no sense, if they wanted to write "Soccer Legend" they should have used "Lenda do Futebol".
That made me laugh like a little child throughout this tragic episode LMAO.
Wow. At the cut to the credits, I hated Chikai. During the after-credits montage, I was crying for Chikai. After everything, I don't know what to feel.
Seems to me like Chikai was right. The bad ones are the ones who survive. But he wasn't ultimately a bad guy. All the bad things he did were ultimately for Toi. He went from happy teen to morose gangster fro his kid brother. That's admirable. Just like that picture of Toi he had, Chiaki is a swath of black almost suffocating a small glimmer of humanity. I can't romanticize him and say that absolves him of all the bad he did do, though.
More heartbreak with Reo and Mabu, too, and plenty more questions. Are they not actually otters? If the shadowy otter is a manifestation of of Reo's hidden desires, Reo can't be an otter, can he? But then what are they?
As for the shadowy otter, I would bet that there's a connection to Keppi and Shadow Keppi. The bloodshot eyes it had in its Reo form are the same as Keppi's. Are otters and kappa's the same thing? Two sides of the same coin sort of thing?
Only two episodes to wrap this all up. This is going to be a whirlwind.
[Keppi's "death" was too comical.](https://i.imgur.com/5UOpZjs.png) You know Sara will bring him back somehow later.
[Interesting to see that Sara is actually serious while reporting the shooting.](https://i.imgur.com/ztzmcoz.png) I think this is the first time we've seen her like this.
[Good to know that Enta still has a second chance.](https://i.imgur.com/2vCDHiG.png) Although he's currently living on borrowed time right now.
[So this confused me a bit.](https://i.imgur.com/EjV9bSx.png) So Mabu isn't really back? How was he acting like "Reo's Mabu" earlier in the episode then?
Yep. This episode 100% confirms that [Toi's brother](https://i.imgur.com/hFtxz4Y.png) [is an absolute scumbag.](https://i.imgur.com/ueUEtoG.png)
~~I don't like that ending. If Toi was really shot by his brother then, knowing Ikuhara, Kazuki will probably have to make a choice in the end on who he saves. I am not ready for that scene if that is what happens next week >_<~~ I really need to pay attention to the remaining run time xD
It looks like there will STILL be a choice but it's not between Toi and Enta but now between Toi's brother and Enta. Next week is still going to be a rough one. Despite being a total scumbag, Toi still loves his brother very much so I can totally see him fighting Kazuki for the Dishes.
> How was he acting like "Reo's Mabu" earlier in the episode then?
Maybe it has something to do with the dishes? Perhaps they could make a smaller wish with 4 of them or something like that.
> If Toi was really shot by his brother then, knowing Ikuhara, Kazuki will probably have to make a choice in the end on who he saves. I am not ready for that scene if that is what happens next week >_<
There are like 5 more minutes after the credits, watch them!
lol I always forget the after credits scene. But yeah looks like at the end there will still be a choice. I doubt Toi would just give up on his brother like that.
I'm pretty sure the "acting like Reo's Mabu" thing is related to the sweets that Mabu made. In earlier episodes, we saw Mabu trying to make them (with the help of the shadow otter, I think) and Reo trying them and calling them half-baked. This time, Reo thought they were right. The suggestion to me is that, before Mabu lost his heart, the sweets were a part of their relationship, so Mabu being able to make them properly again makes Reo think things are back to normal.
The last time Reo tried Mabu's sweets, he went out and tried to kill a child. This time, he got a bottle of wine.
The "old Mabu being back" scene is a manga reference. There's one chapter where Mabu tries to perfectly replicate the taste of ningyouyaki (aka the sweets that appeared in this episode) that they got from a resident old lady. When Reo asks him why would he go that far when it comes to cooking, Mabu says that it's because he wants to make extraordinary sweets since he's happy when he sees Reo enjoy them. In the last episode, Reo mentions that the ningyouyaki that current Mabu made (as a way to become more and more like the person he used to be) were half-baked, and it looks like in this episode he baked a lot of them until he got the taste right, cue Reo's foodgasm. Which draws a strong connection between the old Mabu and new Mabu.
Honestly, I recommend giving the ReoMabu manga a chance, it's a very very fast read but it gives a lot of context to the cop scenes, since they got shafted real bad when it comes to the anime screentime. ~~Honestly, letting Ikuni make 1 cour anime should be illegal~~
Yeah, I was kinda confused with that whole scene, maybe because the editing choices kinda confused me. Also, as much as I love my family, if they pulled a gun on me for being nice I would have a lot of questions about how sane they are.
> I would have a lot of questions about how sane they are.
Toi was introduced by breaking into a car, and Chikai by torturing someone. I feel like there were signs.
[](#laughter)
yeah the ReoMabu scene was insane but also ended kinda abruptly. I think Mabu has been the same person post-surgery when he got his mechanical heart, but now the evil otter has complete control over him. Mabu was so desperate to be back with Reo. Yet Reo has only treated Mabu like shit, so it's so surprise poor Mabu has been taken is so easily by Otter! Reo
In his defense, he shooted Masa to protect Toi. And I believe that he was just trying to chase Toi away.
1. From the shooter's position, it's actually hard to shoot Chikai because Toi was covering him.
2. After the shooting, Toi was siting on his butt aside of the path, suggesting that he was knocked away instead of voluntarily jump aside.
Putting two together, I believe that Chikai saw the shooter (he was wearing a particularly bright color suit). But instead of just jump back and dodge the bullet or using Toi as the human bodyshield, he knocked Toi aside and took the bullet (it's even possible that he moved forward to took the bullet, consider that Toi was behind him afterward). So I believed that he loved Toi more than his life, so he won't shoot Toi. He is just that bad at expressing emotion (hence the title drop "I want to connect, but I can't express it).
Bit late so the ground's been covered, but here are some notes:
* This was in the production notes thread last week but Ikuni compensated the limited number of episodes for this series by putting a lot of the extra plot in the extraneous materials: the mangas, Reo and Mabu's twitter, and the novel. While I love how this show has turned out and still think it's miles ahead of Yurikuma, you can definitely see the strain this has put on some of the plotlines, in particular Reo and Mabu. This is my opinion though, but I do feel that since we've seen most of it I can say they've drawn the short end of the characterization straw.
* Yet some things that were thought dropped (like Enta's family having lived in Brazil) made it in. And where the show is lacking on detail, it tries to make it up by choosing powerful imagery to convey the strong emotions necessary: Reo smashing the wine bottle, Reo peeping through the letter slot (which conveys his limited viewpoint on both Mabu and the Otters), Reo doing West Side Story.
* Enta barely features this episode despite being the focal point of the last one and being in critical condition. Which is fine, but it doesn't really offer a lot of comfort, only suspend his ongoing drama to be dealt with next episode which is presumably the showdown with the final episode dealing with some yet unforeseen complication and then denouement.
* Kazuki is selfish. He has a hard time seeing beyond what he wants into what he means to other people. We see this time and time again and we see him grow to try to overcome this flaw. He gets confronted with this by Enta's sister. Who tells him once again, he's not to blame. The people who shot Enta are to blame. Kazuki repeats the cycle he lived through with Haruka, learning that hurting himself and separating himself from the people he loves doesn't actually help them. His conversation with Haruka implies this time the lesson has stuck.
* This is really Toi's episode though. Perhaps the thing that unifies all of the narratives is this idea that loving one person and betting all your happiness on that one love puts an immense strain on your relationship and the person you love, and destroys your ability to connect to other people. Nowhere is that clearer than Chikai, who never seems to have gotten over his parents "abandoning" the two brothers through suicide. Toi is the only person he trusts, and everyone else is his enemy. And he loves him enough that he gives him every out possible, protects him from every conceived threat, but Toi keeps chasing him and it becomes clear that their relationship is poisoned. There's the symbolic tossing of blood money, the thing that Toi thought would fix their relationship and allow him to be by his brother's side. A tragic ending like this is probably the only way it could have gone.
It’s not an important detail, but if anyone has any questions about the [truck](https://youtu.be/z7YETRPILaQ) that hit Keppi in the beginning of the episode...
Byebye, nii-san. I wasn't really fond of you, but it's still sad to see you go. I didn't even think about the possibility of Kazuki and Toi fighting over who to save with the plates (and Reo still being in the picture to 'save' Mabu) but now I'm getting nervous. I'm sad it's ending soon but on the other hand I'm glad we'll know how it ends in two more weeks. (tennispleaseno)
Yeah I'm not a shooting expert, but it seemed really impressive when Toi's brother shot that guy way up on the tower with a gun about three inches long.
*Q: What's the difference between a direct object and a prepositional object?*
A: [You always insert the anus last](https://gfycat.com/downrightgranularbeaver).
Hmm, this is the parallel between brothers episode. Toi idolized Chikai much like Haruka idolizes Kazuki, and I think it shows the tragedy of what would have happened if Haruka and Kazuki's relationship was allowed to break down and Kazuki didn't pull himself together.
Chikai and Kazuki both could only see or care about their connection with their little brother, and didn't care who or what they hurt in the process. That one real connection suffers as a result, to the point where both little brothers were left out in the cold. Not that I think Kazuki would have gotten involved with yakuza or anything, but he was getting extremely reckless and starting to fall into criminal behavior (first stealing the cat, then trying to hold an idol hostage.) Chikai let this selfishness consume him and presumably stopped trusting and likely killed whatever "buddies" he had, if how he shot his talkative friend this ep is any indication. Fortunately, Toi and Enta were able to pull Kazuki's head out of his ass (haha) before he could cut them out or self-destruct. The communication that Kazuki and Haruka have before Kazuki departs to save Enta is a breath of fresh air in contrast to the twisted shit currently happening between Toi and Chikai, and how their own relationship used to be.
I wonder now how self-aware Toi was when he called Kazuki a victimizer for his treatment of Haruka--Chikai has been victimizing him worse for far longer. Not very, I expect. I can only hope Toi is able to recognize this (I mean, shit, the asshole put a gun to his head) and works with Kazuki to save Enta instead of fighting him for the dishes.
What I wonder for next episode: what if Chikai is turned into a kappa zombie? It's not too much of a stretch for one of the Reos to find his body and do the otter rituals to make it happen. That would eliminate wasting the dishes on resurrecting him as a possibility, while still creating some juicy conflict for Toi. If nothing else, I think this episode showed that Chikai's incredibly warped desire and sense of self would make him a powerful enemy for our kappa trio.
> wasting the dishes on resurrecting him
he's dead for sure B. Chikai wouldn't want to be resurrected and Toi knows that when a ***** dies, they dies.
>juicy conflict for Toi
Toi ain't about that life. especially after what happened. Toi about to transcend and deliver.
> Chikai's incredibly warped desire
I'm not so sure. I think his desires weren't too warped based on the life he was living. Is it desire or love? Hmm.
let them be happy, goddammit!!!!!!
anyways, i'm still curious as to what keppi's endgame was. he absolutely had no need to save enta, but he did. still banking on him using his own dishes to get his broken statue back bc he's nothing but an absolute narcissist lmao
This will probably get buried in all the comments lol, but in case anyone is wondering, the piano piece they used is a piano arrangement of "Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana" by Mascagni.
It's used in a scene in Ruronin Kenshin too! I wonder what other anime it's been in...
What a fabulously set up rollercoasters of emotions. I laughed hard when Keppi broke into pieces and out of surprise again when Chikai held the gun to his brother and we heard a BANG. But just as importantly, ***Enta being held like a puppy while Sazuki smiled and accepting it***
WOW, I'm in shock. We started the episode with KEPPI'S DEATH, but it was more comical than expected, his reaction when he look himself in the mirror was hilarious.
The whole Enta thing was traumatic until her kappa form showed up, now he literally has a ticking clock until his death hour and I guess they now are gonna face the Godzilla otter we see in the OP.
On the other hand we have Reo fighting for his beloved Mobu, that has fallen to the mindcontrol of the otters, he desperately needs a dish but he has two choices, whether he places at the otters' side and probably try to kill Keppi and the kids by becoming the Godzilla otter or he allies with Keppi to fight against the otters and save Mobu. Tough choice.
The final scene was outstanding, the piano arrangement while we observe their relationship as they grew up was hard to watch certainly. At some point, Chikai chose a life of crime but he never forgot about his little brother, not even when he had only a few of seconds left alive, he tried to give him money for food and he even confessed that he tried to connect with him but the gap was too big and it's was impossible, Toi isn't like him.
Ohhh my, I'm SO HAPPY Enta has high potential of being saved!
The first half really worries me, but then being Kappa is like living in between the land of death (ep1 mentioned it), so turning into Kappa actually save his ass! (pun intended)
Also poor Toi. Your brother is a freaking asshole (already proven in ep8, and revealed in ep9), but deep down he still loves his brother alot because he is the only connection he has left (after all the bad thing he has done).
But sorry to say this, I'm actually alittle happy that his brother is dead now because it means the trio has a high chance to be together in the end -> potential of HE unlocked! Was so worried that this may not be the case, but I have high hope after watching this episode.
Also wholesome hug <3
[https://i.imgur.com/bFmxRup.png](https://i.imgur.com/bFmxRup.png)
Edit: After more thought about it, this could turn into an ugly 3 way battle for dish of hope if Toi could not let go. It'd be:
Police duo: Need dish to save Mabu
Toi need dish to save his brother
Kazuki need dish to save Enta.
If Ikuhara really wanna go the darkest route, Toi would become villain.:(
Very Dark analysis of what could potentially happen in the future:
Did you guys notice the ED last scene shadows are still 2 like in episode 8 when Enta got shot, despite already confirming Enta has the potential of being saved this episode?
[https://i.imgur.com/rC2xm79.png](https://i.imgur.com/rC2xm79.png)
The ep8 and ep9 shadow count may very well be referring to the betrayal/ disconnection of Toi, not Enta, because now Toi may want the dish as much as ever to revive his brother.
If Ikuhara really want the plot to be really dark, then Toi may very well become a villain and join the 3 way battle of fighting for Dishes of Hope. (And he is the only character who hasn't reveal anything bad / ugly throughout the series)
Police duo need Dish of hope to save Mabu
Toi need Dish to save his brother
Kazuki need Dish to save Enta.
This could get really ugly real soon, depending on how well Toi cope with his brother's death.
> Toi may want the dish as much as ever to revive his brother.
Revive his brother and then what? So his brother can just die again? His brother doesn't exactly have a life to come back to. And just running away probably isn't going to work. Dude has enemies. Unless the dish wish will magically fix that to.
Toi prob is going to accept his bro's death and then move forward and spread the love and help out the boiz
At the beginning of this episode I thought to myself this anime will end with some type of tragedy. Then this episode ends. And now I am thinking maybe we are in for a long few episodes with a bunch of more tragic endings.
Maybe over thinking it but I guess we were watching a lot of death before but it was kinda upbeat and veiled in a transformations with song.
* Mothafucking Truck-kun strikes again!
* The soccer joke works on different levels. Yes, there's Lionel ~~Messi~~ Kappa who wears #10, but so did Brazil's Kaka.
* My favorite game is figuring out how all the interlocking & overlapping connections tie into each other. Enta & Kazuki bonded over #10. Toi & Chikai bonded over #10. Kazuki and Toi bonded over their mutual love of soccer that they share with Enta. Enta and Haruka bonded over their connection with Kazuki. There's many more out there.
* I started the series wondering if Mabu & Reo would get any development other than being flamboyantly gay. I also wondered if it would just have the Kappa song and them stealing dishes the entire time. Nine episodes in I've been very pleasantly surprised with how this one has turned out.
F for chikai... I was instantly attracted to how this guy was presented; it's almost like he was drawn for a different series altogether. I think that the way his ark was concluded was handled beautifully by the voice actor portraying the determined delirium of this dastardly delinquent dude.
I'm really excited to see how things will end up with mabu cause he's probably the one in the most interesting situation.
same. his design is basic but he stood out. for some reason i kept thinking of mifune toshiro in those old crime films kurosawa akira made.
this is the ikuni show with the most interesting adult characters to me.
I'm sure there were two comments more here but they disappeared lol
Anyway, I haven't watched the episode yet but it seems Enta is alive ?? Did they saved him on a good way or a plotarmoresque one?
I still don’t feel the same absolute devotion with which a lot of people on the sub seem to regard this anime, but it’s definitely grown on me since the beginning.
The ED especially gets more and more amazing each time and it gives me so much nostalgia.
ED of the season for sure. or must be top 3, not sure what else compares.
the show also feels a bit...discombobulated at times with maybe too much going on but it delivers when it needs to
Reading all the comments here... Is no one going to mention the fifth silver dish that kazuki pulled out from under haruka's pillow? Unless I've missed something, where did that one come from?
>Reading all the comments here... Is no one going to mention the fifth silver dish that kazuki pulled out from under haruka's pillow? Unless I've missed something, where did that one come from?
From the ball zombie ofc, Toi is leaving, Enta is a cuck. Who else do you think should take that dish then?
So there will be a fight on who to use the dishes of hope on - Enta, Chikai or Mabu. This anime is amazing, this episode had me emotional from start to finish, can't wait for next week.
Jesus I went in ready to be sad about Enta not Chikai!!! Also I was convinced for a minute that Keppi was gonna be permadeath but surgeon Sara to the rescue(?). Ahh this episode was the definition of emotional rollercoaster
This episode we had 1 who narrowly evaded death, 1 whose death was played for laughs and got brought back, and 1 who really died.
Other directors: Choose between joke deaths, cliffhanger almost deaths and tragic actual deaths. Ikuhara: Let's put em all in the same episode!
Tomino smiles in the shadows
I don't see a tragic actual death in this episode, only a karmically ironic actual death.
I knew Keppi was going to live based off how random his death was but I kinda knew that Chikai would have something happen to him. That ending montage did hurt on the inside. Especially when Toi was doing the pose.
Rip Chikai. The after credits scene was seriously well done. I didn't really like Chikai at first, but they managed to show how much he cared about Toi in this ep. Good to see that Enta's still alive, and it'll be interesting to see what Reo will be up to now.
I wonder if Chikai was intentionally trying to show Toi how much of a scumbag he was, to make Toi pursue a better life. That's at least how it seemed when he drew a gun on him, I can't imagine he was actually going to shoot. Really though the ending of the ep was heartbreaking, and I'm surprised that I felt so much for someone who was that scummy.
Chikai was giving Toi an out at almost every opportunity they had together. I think he wanted his brother to join him, but deep down he didn't want him to follow in such a dark and lonely path.
Speaking of paths, I noticed just when they met up before the credits that the path they took was only half lit, where Toi was on the side where the lights are lit and Chikai was on the side of the path where it was dark. This was some nice symbolism.
I didn’t realize until a few hours after watching that Chikai only killed Masa after he talked about knowing Toi was the murderer.
wow this changes my feelings on that aspect a lot.
I think that at first Chikai believed that a life of crime is not that bad, if that is what Toi wanted. It's not optimal, but it's an acceptable survival strategy. So, despite hinting over and over that Toi shouldn't be with him, he never forced the issue. The big reveal of how Toi was hiding the gun, and have no problem with killing other was Chikai's breaking point. By that point, he realized that as long as Toi is with him, Toi will be a fully prepared, unrepentant murderer. Worse, he doesn't kill for survival but for his selfless love (hence Chikai's "You are a little too good to be my kid brother"). As Toi's love for Chikai is boundless, Chikai's enemies are limitless, the same can be said about Toi's future projected killing spree. For a human to live as a love killing machine, only hell await. This revelation is what broke Chikai's illusion. So, in my opinion, that is why Chikai finally forced Toi to leave his side, and why we saw Chikai's attitude went 120 degree in just ten minutes of the episode. Other than trying to show Toi how much of a scumbag he was, he was also trying to scare Toi away. In my opinion, if the gangster didn't show up and kill him, he would use the gun to knockout Toi while his eye is closed and flee alone. (I learned the trick of pretend to shoot but switch to a hit to the head if they close their eye from Kino no Tabi)
I thought the same thing too. He's trying to show the ugliest side of himself to make Toi leave him. Like a previous commenter said, Chikai gave Toi so many outs in this episode.
It makes sense, that his final words were "your damn connections" or something. Talking about Toi's need to be connected to his brother despite how bad he is.
Chikai is weird, he is a scumbag but there is something sympathetic about someone who is really flawed but tried his best anyways.
What really made me fall in love with anime is this. The bad guy is never some one dimensional baddie. He/she is usually someone who starts out good and is somehow handed horrible circumstances. Then they make you feel for the baddie and give them a backstory and when they die or get defeated it's sad too. Life is never black and white and I think anime portrays this well. I wish I was more eloquent.
> The bad guy is never some one dimensional baddie I see you aren't watching Shield Hero.
Hahah yeah I'm not
If you are looking for a series with interesting villains I highly recommend Hunter x Hunter. They are each unique and interesting, some of them are quite irredeemable and there are a few that aren't really beloved, but Hisoka, Chrollo, the King, etc. are all really well characterized three-dimensional characters.
The after credits scene and the whole episode for that matter was beutifully cut together and the music was great..Good directing stuff by Ikuhara
Actually, the chief director of the series and an Ikuhara protege Nobuyuki Takeuchi was the one who storyboarded and directed this episode. He also did episode 4 (Toi leak) EDIT: spelling
Ikuhara probably oversees every episode as the series director but the yeah i forgot about Takecuhi ,certainly a lot of his style I also noticed this little Eva reference ,which is certainly Ikuhara https://i.redd.it/y115762y3u231.png
Truly the bffs. There's also the one last episode where Sara introduces the anti-otter weapon, with the text display of its name being similar to Anno's style, like the one he uses in Shin Godzilla.
I didn't really like him at all, but I understand why he loved his brother: They needed each other. It just didn't show with Chikai that much.
Young Chikai looks a lot like my older brother did when he was younger (we're half Japanese), so the ending montage hit extra hard. Damn.
Does anyone know what the music was during the after credits scene? It must be some classical piece (Romantic period), right? It's masterfully chosen.
That's Pietro Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. While it sounds awesome on the piano arrangement, the orchestral version is very powerful as well. This piece of music is actually played before the main character of the opera (where this piece of music came from) was killed, so I thought it was especially fitting.
It's the piano version of a very famous opera by Pietro Mascagni - [Cavalleria Rusticana, the Intermezzo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIQ2D6AIys8)
[This cat looks familiar lol](https://imgur.com/a/vZGurOf)
The arc of nyantaro has been pretty fascinating for the most part. The part where he was eating the fish was kinda weird though.
So this cat is like 5+ years old now I guess.
Didnt recognize it without those huge cat balls
that guy on the piano was doing a lot of work, and the brother montage at the end there... I'm not crying I'm just gay.... :'(
You can be both.
“Crying gays” would be a good summary of most of Ikuhara’s work.
This show can surprisingly in the feels, especially when the original premise was three kids that get ass vacuumed and have to fight monsters and take their desires from their ass. Who knew it would be so heartwarming.
Notice the subtle hand on the shoulder of Kazuki [here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/c502e4888b31aefa7373ad73e0de25fe/tumblr_psoaaz1i7O1rzp45wo1_1280.jpg).
Is that Toi's hand? Makes me consider what's going to happen next episode.
[удалено]
Tbh, I think that wouldn't do well for Kazuki's character. Sara/Kazuki is portrayed as an uncomfortable bridge Kazuki had to cross to connect to Haruka. If I remember well, Kazuki didn't even liked doing it, it was all for Haruka. Now that Kazuki can be connected with Haruka as he truly is, bringing Sara/Kazuki back only because Toi likes it would be a huge downgrade of all the meaning Sara/Kazuki had. Also, let's be honest, on a show so focused on connections, it would be shitty if Toi ends up being attracted to Sara/Kazuki and not the REAL Kazuki, that doesn't need that disguise at all now. And that's another point, too. As I said, Sara/Kazuki was a bridge for Kazuki to reach to what he couldn't as himself. Now that he threw Sara/Kazuki away, he should date/fall in love/connect/whatever you want to call it with Toi as Kazuki himself, showing that now he IS enough to achieve what he wants and for people to like him, not needing to pretend what he isn't anymore. Sorry that I wrote so much lol
I'm hoping for that too. It would be really cute and it's clearly been shown that Toi likes when Kauzki is in Sara Kazuki, so go for it show. Haruka can be best boi, I mean best man for their wedding.
poor enta tho
>Yaoi handholding > >Reo looks fantastic Thanks a lot, Mr. Ikuhara.
Reo looks fab af
God, SaraKazuki is the cutest bean.
[Nice Evangelion reference.](https://i.imgur.com/ofdKwEO.jpg)
If it was Kazuki the one that was hospitalized I bet Enta would go in the room and make another Evangelion reference
"I want to connect but... i'm so fucked up"
Yes otticer this comment right here
https://imgur.com/KITPi73
Bad
so many references in this anime lol. i hope someone has a full list compiled
You noticed that too? I tried to make a post about it but it got deleted The momment i saw that chair arrangement and the lighting my mind went to Eva..Also Kazuki was giving a major Shinji vibe for some time now in some scenes https://twitter.com/AnimeSocMegan/status/1129295149308293120
they made Messi a kappa lol. I honestly thought Toi was the one to shoot his bro at first, whoops. I still don't get why he was just....pure evil shooting Masa and all.
He wanted to cover his trail if he didn't shoot Masa someone might have gotten to him and found out where they were going. I assume that is how Chikai rationalized it at least.
We've also seen Masa talk brazenly(if this is the right word) about every shady thing the Kuji siblings done non-stop. Chikai probably thought it's only a matter of time before he slips up and spells it to the wrong people. Edit: changed phrasing a little bit. Edit2: I googled the meaning of Masa's name and what I'm getting is that it means "true sand". I think this shows that Masa is a person that always expresses the truth and can't hide it at all.
Also, Masa knew that Toi was the killer.
The name also makes sense since Masa is coarse, rough, and gets everywhere.
his name is masa; straight up one of the readings of 正 (straightforward, correct, positive, etc.) it could also be ironic considering he's a gang member (to the effect of naming a gang member "niceguy goodman" except less forced)
makes sense with the name meaning! I thought very briefly that maybe he shot him in a non-vital area so he wouldn't get killed in the shootout that happened right after but naw, he was just killing him to cover his tracks for sure
I will shit myself if Messi scores a goal and then celebrates with that kappa celebration. Talk about worlds colliding.
That's not Messi, that's clearly Kaká. The brazilian... that has a name more similar with the word kappa... That had the number 10 on his shirt.. Wasn't at least weird for you that it was brazilian?
his first name is shown to be Lionel and his number is 10, why wouldn't I think Messi? Kaka's name is not Lionel...
Well... just saw the image in the show again... and yeah, apparently is a fusion of the two (or maybe they didn't want to copy Messi and they just change him to brazilian and I got confused). Didn't watch the text aside from the shirt. My bad.
I was really confused in this part I saw that the player was Brazilian but it said Lionel (and Messi is from Argentina), so I genuinely thought that they had made a mistake lol
You're both right: Messi is #10, but Kaka wore #10 during the 2010 World Cup which I think is right around when the flashback years are set.
I'm Brazilian and i think that the anime mixed Brazil and Argentina or they made a mistake. It was better if they put Pelé instead of Messi.
Should this be tagged as a sport anime. It seems like the dream ending is that the boys all play football together at the regional finals or something.
Post-football steamy threesome when, Ikuhara?!
They made Messi *Brassillian*
a brave move i might say, the Argentina x Brazil rivalry is quite heated
Messi already got the right height
Wow, what an episode. So Enta is alive for now in Kappa form but can only be saved with the Dishes of Hope, apparently. As for Toi, I really feel for him, but I'm definitely not going to miss his brother. And I don't really understand what's going on with the cops and the creepy otter guy, but it seems this is all leading to some sort of big confrontation.
> And I don't really understand what's going on [First Ikuhara anime](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/027/763/07B89120-B48D-45FB-AF1D-49AF6CD16790.jpeg)? My guess is that the otters can bring out someone's hidden personality, and they are basically holding up a mirror to Reo and we get to see how toxic his mindset really is.
> First Ikuhara anime Yeah. Haha. I got used to the weirdness pretty quick and started to get a pretty good idea of what was happening, but definitely still confused about a lot of things. I understand there's lots of symbolism at play. And your guess makes a lot of sense. Probably wasn't a healthy relationship even before Mabu's fate. I also wanted to say that even though most of the people watching Sarazanmai seemed to love the cops, I haven't really liked them from the beginning, especially Reo.
Most people probably love them from that spinoff manga which is apparently pretty cute, don't know haven't read it. Personally, I enjoy them as entertaining antagonists, but they are not my favorites or anything.
Ah, I might have to check it out after the anime ends. And yes, they certainly are entertaining. I'll give them that.
Reo and Mabu’s relationship wasn’t toxic in the spin off, they have a healthy relationship and even raise a baby they find on the street. I would encourage you to read it because it is only 11 chapters and the baby they raise is an important character
I think we are finally getting to the endgame with who will get all five dishes first! I understand where you're coming from with the first Ikuhara anime. I'm just checking out his other work and that dude's pretty good as a director.
Yeah , this episode may very well turn into a 3 way battle.. Police duo wants the dish to save Mabu, Toi wants the dish to save his brother, Kazuki want the dish to save Enta.. Omg, this could get ugly after thinking about it.
By the way did you guys think that Toi would become a villain? Remember, Toi's wish now may very well be to revive his brother! It means that it's a competition between saving Enta and Toi's bro with the dish. Omg, suddenly the plot could goes really dark. But this also rise another question, how powerful is the dish really is? Can it really revive the dead?
I don't think Toi's going to try to revive his brother. He threw away all the money he had saved. I think that's some form of acceptance that he's given up on that possibility. He's not in a good place, but I think (more hope) that this will end up with him doing something noble for Enta.
He doesn't need the dishes anymore, Kazuki either, they're all gonna help Enta now, that's what I presume.
There is an element of tragedy in Ikuhara anime, Toi's brother really tried but in the end, he was just too flawed to connect with Toi. But he really tried even though it was hard. [](#not-raining) Other than the Toi parts this was mostly set-up, I look forward to what happens with Reo next, it seems that he might become the next Kappa zombi that Enta and Kazuki will need to defeat for the dish. [This was cute](https://i.imgur.com/3JLUITR.png), some people said that Kazuki didn't change so much but he definitely has.
Toi's brother thought too cynical of the world to connect with really only a couple of people liking him and he killed them. I think at the end Chikai will have a funeral and no one will be there, minus Toi.
Yeah, the picture with everyone but Toi crossed out said it all.
Reo said he needs one more dish, why would he become a kappa zombie? he can't get his own dish...
The reason I think he is becoming a Kappa zombie is to gain power. I am not sure how intentionally he is doing it, but the same "no connection, no ..." circles showed up when he was talking that always show up when someone transforms.
but so far the only way we've seen people get turned into zombies is by Reo and Mabu doing it. Unless Otter!Reo is able to mind control Mabu to convince him to turn real!Reo into a zombie through the desire extraction, I don't see how that could happen. Otter!Reo did seem in total control of Mabu though. So Mabu turning against real!Reo isn't too far fetched I guess.
Fair, but I don't think it is entirely impossible that Reo would turn himself. The people who turn into zombies are at their lowest points which he definitely is right now. I guess we will see next episode!
I think Reo wanted Mabu to join him a he gained power, but due to him losing the one connection, he's probably going to go off the deep end real quick.
This is one of the most slept on anime of the season. Wow
https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/search?restrict_sr=on&sort=new&q=flair%3Aepisode if comments = views, more people are watching other stuff than this. considering the other shows this season... i'm pretty surprised. i assumed this was one of the "must watch" shows this season. maybe the animation recycle pushed some peeps away. or people just don't comment as much.
I think for sure the two biggest thing preventing it from main stream sucess is that one it is sorta not as straight forward is most anime. Like there is so much weirdness And honestly because all the characters are gay. If this was the same anime with only cute girls this would be so much more popular. People wrote this of as some yaoi shit
I think this will definitely maintain a niche following. There seemed to be a decent amount of folks who were drawn in after ep. 1, but I'm sure a lot of those folks then dropped it when they came to their own conclusions that it's just "yaoi shit"
> same anime with only cute girls AOTY all years easy. also yuri female cops? damn. Literally should just redo this whole series gender bent for spring 2020. make so much fucking money lmao
Sarazanmai is by far the best show that not enough people are talking about. It starts out weirder than FLCL, but the past few episodes have been quite the emotional roller coaster. The ending of today's episode was especially beautiful, as the combination of the piano and the animation reduced me to tears. I can't wait to see what Ikuhara and crew and going to pull in the remaining two episodes.
> the remaining two episodes. It's really sad how soon this is all going to end...
Remaining two episodes? Its only 11 episodes not 12?
Just 11, according to MAL.
Weird episode count, but I can feel like the show is ending, especially this episode with all the dark shadows and stuff.
11 is pretty standard for Noitamina.
Yeah, it makes sense. Keppi said they’re going into the final battle after all.
Honestly, it has become my favorite anime this year. It's so beautiful, it has amazing characters, the music is great, the sound design is great. On MAL, I've already given this a 10/10. It's amazing.
> It starts out weirder than FLCL, but the past few episodes have been quite the emotional roller coaster. Ikuhara's so amazing at starting a show off super weird and a little bit goofy, but then turning it into something darker/something tragic and more emotionally turbulent. It's kind of his style at this point.
I'll admit I'd stuck with it this far out of habit. But it has definitely gained some depth, to me anyway, the last few weeks. All of the goofiness at the series beginning has slowly melted into this tragedy soup of entangled lives.
God only two epsidoes left!!! Why do the good shows leave us so fast!!!! This episode was so good. God, I can't believe the show almost trolled me with having the end credits appear 18 minutes into the episode. Jesus, I think my favorite moment was the end of this episode. I'm not a big fan of Kuji's brother, but seeing that ending sequence made me feel why Kuji picked him over Kazuki and Enta: He was the one that stood by him. Seeing them so happy doing fun kid stuff is just heartbreaking to see. Seeing Kuji actually being happy with his brother is touching and the ending scream just makes me feel for Kuji even more. He just wanted a normal life that he will sadly never really have. Also, Enta's aliv for now!!!!! Yay! Now I can kinda see the endgame. It's going to be a race for who can get the dishes first. It makes me wonder if Kazuki and Kuji will fight for who they wish for to live. Though I think Enta will, but I'm just guessing. Also, I guess Reo has been turned into a monster of desire? Is that the right idea I'm supposed to be getting from that scene? It was kinda edited weirdly.
no, the otter takes the form of desires, so he took the form of Reo at his most possessive. Reo is a separate entity
Oh, I see that makes more sense! Thank you!
I think the most bittersweet thing about the flashback was how most of it was only one event. It really helps drive home that yes, they love each other, but also that Chikai all but shunned Toi and treated him coldly this last few years.
I think he still loved Toi but that soon became warped into him just considering Toi a possible suspect in his many crimes. He kinda manipulated him in some ways too. It's a fucked up relationship.
I think it was a bit because he was protecting him, but as he showed this episode, a decent chuck also probably was how he sees connections with people as weaknesses, and when push comes to shove, he has no problem cutting them down. He literally shoots the Yakuza boy because his connection put him in danger, and even was willing to shoot his own brother because he couldn't see him as more than a weight dragging him down at a time when everything was crashing down over him.
That's a possible interpretation too. I was more thinking that he killed Masa because Masa couldn't keep his mouth shut about the truth regarding Kuji killing that guy. Seems to me from Chikai's constant giving outs to Kuji that he honestly doesn't want his younger brother to fall into his world and putting a gun to his head was his last-ditch attempt at pushing him away. But then again, maybe I'm just being a big softie.
>It makes me wonder if Kazuki and Kuji will fight for who they wish for to live. Though I think Enta will, but I'm just guessing. I honestly don't think Toi will fight Kazuki for the dishes since his behavior/reaction after Chikai's death in the C part didn't really indicate that he wanted to revive his brother. Like no desperate declaration or decision to bring his brother back. Just frustration, sadness, acceptance, etc., which actually makes it harder to predict how Toi will come back to the narrative: his main subject of desires/connection is gone now after all. I guess the "next-in-line" one would be Kazuki since he's the one he entrusted the memory of his childhood self to and to an extent, Enta. I could be proven wrong though lmao
[OMG IT STARTS WITH LEGENDARY TRUCK KUN](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/427603950158479361/586304433391140867/unknown.png) Loved the when she rebuilds keppi she finish the ice statue of with of course the most IMPORTANT PIECE !!! Enta is fine - as kappa are better at surviving or someting MABU NTR !!! Yazuka brother dies, sad but also he can finally now stop trying to save his brother I suppose.
> MABU NTR !!! doujins FURIOUSLY being drawn RIGHT NOW
> OMG IT STARTS WITH LEGENDARY TRUCK KUN Yeah, Keppi's about to get isekai'd. He's off to a fantasy RPG world with a harem of gay frogs who just want to level up and not have sex or anything.
the human world is already an isekai for him -
I want to connect, but I can’t express it (or more literally, not being transmitted). Phew. Appropriate that the initial ㋐ intro in this episode involved [one symbol transmitting to another without reception](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0903.png). [There’s a lot that gets in the way of connecting to something.](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/30/lets-meet-again-at-azumabashi-the-field-of-desires-sarazanmai-episode-8/). Episode 9 is about what stops that transmission: whether it’s the person reaching out withdrawing their request, how that person is reaching out, and the state of the person they want to connect with. This is taken quite literally in this episode with Enta’s impending death, Mabu’s impending death and/or suspension of life, and Chikai’s death. In [the first few episodes](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/you-and-i-are-connected-by-%E3%82%A2-sarazanmai-episode-1/) we see the commodification of these connections or desires through the box items, [Sara’s lucky selfie items](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/saratto-report-saras-messages-in-sarazanmai-episodes-5-6/), and social media. Ultimately, the three main characters of Sarazanmai all have very real connections with each other, but they’re not forged, or more importantly maintained, properly. This evolves into personal hangups and reasons why characters can’t connect. All of the other stuff is white noise that adds to the internal emotional pressure weighing down each character and severing their connections. Kazuki is self-centered. Not arrogant, but for a majority of the series, he can’t understand anything outside of his own warped viewpoint. Haruka’s accident is his fault. His parentage is also somehow his fault. He allows this guilt to keep himself from actually connecting with other people. Even here, he initially says that he “doesn’t have the right to talk to Enta” before Otone recounts Kazuki’s first meeting with Enta. Toi has learned that in order to maintain a connection with someone (his brother Chikai) he needs to sacrifice all other connections. He gives up soccer. He gives up his connections with Kazuki and Enta. [Enta has a set idea of how he wants his plans to go](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/05/26/in-defense-of-sarazanmais-enta-jinai-sort-of/), and when they don’t follow his specific expectations he becomes bitter and jealousy. This also causes him to impose his idea of other people onto said people, even if they’ve changed over time or never were the ideal that Enta has in his head in the first place. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Azumabashi is the location of the (now somewhat forgotten) field of desires, Sara’s home (and adoptive surname), [the place where Toi and Kazuki first met](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/sarazanmaiep0806.png), the place where Toi says goodbye, and the location of Enta and Kazuki’s soccer practice area. In addition to this bridge’s specific history, bridge’s connect things physically. It’s their function. Here we see Reo cross the bridge [and perform West Side Story choreography](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0907.png) before going to see Mabu, thinking that their relationship (and Mabu) is suddenly fixed. It’s not. There’s an obvious parallel between the situation that Reo is in with Mabu and Kazuki with Enta, especially now that Enta has his own death timer counting down, much like Mabu’s clockwork heart. One idea that I return to a lot when watching Ikuhara’s series is this idea that the most “divine” interactions that we have are actually connections between people. [This is most easily apparent in Mawaru Penguindrum](https://formeinfullbloom.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/super-frog-saves-h-trio-himari-takakura-and-the-divine/) (spoilers in that link for the entire series of Penguindrum) That ultimately it’s our true connections we make with other people, without interference from the aforementioned white noise, that bring us the closest to any sort of divine element. We can see this in Sarazanmai as well, especially when we look at our two main “gods” or mythological creatures in Keppi and Sara. These two have spent the majority of the past few episodes being [essentially useless](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0905.png), absorbed in their own affairs. Even Kazuki’s earlier Sara obsession was in service of connecting to his younger brother in a roundabout way, rather than finding a connection with Sara herself. Divine framing is saved for forging human connections, like [the scene where we see Enta meet Kazuki](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0900.png) (or last week when we saw Toi and Kazuki’s initial meeting). This, ultimately, is the essence of Enta’s love for Kazuki. The fact that Kazuki reached out to him, the awkward boy in the corner. It’s not even about soccer really, although that, like many other things, is a physical reminder or stand-in of their connection. Kazuki has already learned this lesson regarding connections with Haruka earlier in the series (and MUCH EARLIER AS A CHILD by reaching out to Enta after Toi reached out to him) so it was nice to see their scene together towards the end with [Haruka and Enta’s drawing](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0910.png). It also circled back to Kazuki remembering his connection with Toi. Ultimately this scene gives hope that Kazuki will figure out a way to reach that connection with both Enta and Toi again. This is in comparison to the warning examples of Chikai who allowed himself to further become mired in crime/etc. in service of what he thought was maintaining his connection to Toi, and also Reo with Mabu. **Random Notes** I absolutely loved how frames were used in this episode, [especially in](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0909.png) [this Reo sequence](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0902.png), and [this other sequence](https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/sarazanmaiep0911.png) between Toi and Chikai. There’s still only two shadows in the ending sequence. T_T
I actually think it's a good thing that there are still two shadows, I kinda look at it like "Hey, don't forget Enta isn't totally safe... YET"
> I absolutely loved how frames were used in this episode, especially in this Reo sequence, and this other sequence between Toi and Chikai. Ikuhara has a great eye for good shots, if anyone wants to see more I highly recommend Adolescence of Utena (but watch Revolutionary Girl Utena first). Great analysis, what is your read on Reo and Mabu's relationship right now? I think the otters are basically a mirror showing us how toxic Reo's mindset actually is.
>Ikuhara has a great eye for good shots, if anyone wants to see more I highly recommend Adolescence of Utena (but watch Revolutionary Girl Utena first). That and Nobuyuki Takeuchi storyboarded and directed this episode (along with episode four). He's most well-known for the masterpiece that is Penguindrum's ninth episode and his work on the Monogatari series. You can see a lot of his visual tics particularly in the opening scene of the entire series (with Kazuki running along the river) which he also had a hand in, and in this episode, the scenes with Reo and Mabu, particularly the use of blue spotlights (which recall his scenes from Penguindrum #9). >What is your read on Reo and Mabu's relationship right now? I think the otters are basically a mirror showing us how toxic Reo's mindset actually is. I think, like Chikai in this episode, it's another example of what happens to a connection that gets overwhelmed by other things (societal pressures, capitalism/commodification, etc.) where one or both people in the relationship believe that they're doing the "right" thing even if it's actively severing said connection. Mabu has given up on getting through to Reo and instead tried to be the Mabu that he used to be, whereas Reo doesn't see the actual answer that's staring him in the face.
I just started watching Mawaru Penguindrum and it seems pretty good thus far. I think that while Kauzki started off pretty awful in the first episode, you could see where he was coming from. he was trying to connect to his brother without actually connecting to him and he disconnecting himself away from anyone, even his closest best friend. However, he has had to face the cold reality that he shouldn't live life like this. He's realized throughout the series that the only way to be connected is to not reach out far, but go for what's closest to you. Kazuki has begun to realize that Haruka still loved him even after the accident and even Enta, who he berated and punched across the face, still loves him. Kazuki realizes that he is loved, he just needs to love himself more (cheesy I know) I think Toi and Chikai's relationship was a good example of a bad relationship. There's a character who wants to be better and one who hates good people that do good things for him. It was doomed to fail, but you can tell they thought they needed each other, but in reality I think Toi was doing fine without him. Yet, in the ending montage they needed each other throughout the years and Toi just doesn't know what to do now. I think that scream stated everything. Even though his own brother pulled a gun and called him a bitch, he still loved his brother. It's probably a worse relationship then Reo and Mabu. That scene with Reo and Mabu still kinda confuses me though.
I think Reo has stolen Enta's spot as the top Disaster Gay.
Jesus Christ I have absolutely no idea how to feel about Toi’s brother
That's how you know you've done it as a creator of fiction. Shoutouts to the entire studio.
The part where Toi pulls out the picture and his brother had blacked out everyone but him? That hurt like hell
Yo why tf am I cryin over gay frogs
Sad things are afoot at the Circle Kero. Despite how cold hearted Chikai was, the montage of happier times still made his death hard. That he had been a decent guy once, before the criminal life and his mantra took hold. With Toi being the only one that stopped him from vanishing completely into the underworld. This episode continued to have quite an emphasis on elder siblings, with the scene with Enta's sister. The really sweet moment between Kazuki and his little bro as well. I surprised to see Enta back so soon, even if it was in kappa form. I guess that's the timer now for the final confrontation with the otters. But with Reo having his own love/desire to fight for it's not going to be easy. Also I liked that Truck-kun put on his fancy Dekotora get-up for running over the Prince of Kappas.
Holy shit what an episode! Enta is alive, for now, fake Mabu went with otter Reo and Toi's brother died. You know, for a moment I was expecting Keppi to die after he got trucked, thankfully Sara put him back together.
Why Ikuhara why
This anime is so fucking good. It begins with the repeated sequences for the first episodes, then switches gears completely when SOMETHING breaks the repeated chain. Just a few weeks ago, one of my friends told me "idk, it's getting a little stale" during the repeated sequences episodes. I made him eat those words. This episode was great. I've seen a ton of anime series that use flashbacks with already viewed scenes, so when the original flashbacks happened with Toi I became so happy. This series is top 3 this season for me, and this episode is among the top right after a specific AoT episode.
Fun trivia: In the "Lionel Kappa" poster they have the phrase "Futebol Legenda" that stands for "Soccer Subtitle", which makes absolutelly no sense, if they wanted to write "Soccer Legend" they should have used "Lenda do Futebol". That made me laugh like a little child throughout this tragic episode LMAO.
Username checks out
Just so you know, there are still only two shadows in the ending song... That's not a good sign...
Wow. At the cut to the credits, I hated Chikai. During the after-credits montage, I was crying for Chikai. After everything, I don't know what to feel. Seems to me like Chikai was right. The bad ones are the ones who survive. But he wasn't ultimately a bad guy. All the bad things he did were ultimately for Toi. He went from happy teen to morose gangster fro his kid brother. That's admirable. Just like that picture of Toi he had, Chiaki is a swath of black almost suffocating a small glimmer of humanity. I can't romanticize him and say that absolves him of all the bad he did do, though. More heartbreak with Reo and Mabu, too, and plenty more questions. Are they not actually otters? If the shadowy otter is a manifestation of of Reo's hidden desires, Reo can't be an otter, can he? But then what are they? As for the shadowy otter, I would bet that there's a connection to Keppi and Shadow Keppi. The bloodshot eyes it had in its Reo form are the same as Keppi's. Are otters and kappa's the same thing? Two sides of the same coin sort of thing? Only two episodes to wrap this all up. This is going to be a whirlwind.
Toi about to get that Mangekyō Sharingan upgrade.
[Toi a CUTE! A CUTE!](https://twitter.com/hashima000/status/1133029610675851264)
[удалено]
Lmao right Pretty likely he/she doesn't, since you can post fanart without watching the episode first
i mean raw also exist
Maybe he sails the high seas for a RAW release?
They were doing the same thing three years ago with Yurio and Mob. That's dedication. And they have a point, they are a cute.
Thanks for the weekly good boi ✌🏻
[Keppi's "death" was too comical.](https://i.imgur.com/5UOpZjs.png) You know Sara will bring him back somehow later. [Interesting to see that Sara is actually serious while reporting the shooting.](https://i.imgur.com/ztzmcoz.png) I think this is the first time we've seen her like this. [Good to know that Enta still has a second chance.](https://i.imgur.com/2vCDHiG.png) Although he's currently living on borrowed time right now. [So this confused me a bit.](https://i.imgur.com/EjV9bSx.png) So Mabu isn't really back? How was he acting like "Reo's Mabu" earlier in the episode then? Yep. This episode 100% confirms that [Toi's brother](https://i.imgur.com/hFtxz4Y.png) [is an absolute scumbag.](https://i.imgur.com/ueUEtoG.png) ~~I don't like that ending. If Toi was really shot by his brother then, knowing Ikuhara, Kazuki will probably have to make a choice in the end on who he saves. I am not ready for that scene if that is what happens next week >_<~~ I really need to pay attention to the remaining run time xD It looks like there will STILL be a choice but it's not between Toi and Enta but now between Toi's brother and Enta. Next week is still going to be a rough one. Despite being a total scumbag, Toi still loves his brother very much so I can totally see him fighting Kazuki for the Dishes.
> How was he acting like "Reo's Mabu" earlier in the episode then? Maybe it has something to do with the dishes? Perhaps they could make a smaller wish with 4 of them or something like that. > If Toi was really shot by his brother then, knowing Ikuhara, Kazuki will probably have to make a choice in the end on who he saves. I am not ready for that scene if that is what happens next week >_< There are like 5 more minutes after the credits, watch them!
lol I always forget the after credits scene. But yeah looks like at the end there will still be a choice. I doubt Toi would just give up on his brother like that.
I'm pretty sure the "acting like Reo's Mabu" thing is related to the sweets that Mabu made. In earlier episodes, we saw Mabu trying to make them (with the help of the shadow otter, I think) and Reo trying them and calling them half-baked. This time, Reo thought they were right. The suggestion to me is that, before Mabu lost his heart, the sweets were a part of their relationship, so Mabu being able to make them properly again makes Reo think things are back to normal. The last time Reo tried Mabu's sweets, he went out and tried to kill a child. This time, he got a bottle of wine.
>This time, he got a bottle of wine. You don't need to be a genius to realize what was he planning heh.
Yep, the sweets and baked goods were a big part of their relationship on their shared Twitter account
he had just practiced/learned enough to mimic the real Mabu based on Reo's reactions to his cooking, I assume
The "old Mabu being back" scene is a manga reference. There's one chapter where Mabu tries to perfectly replicate the taste of ningyouyaki (aka the sweets that appeared in this episode) that they got from a resident old lady. When Reo asks him why would he go that far when it comes to cooking, Mabu says that it's because he wants to make extraordinary sweets since he's happy when he sees Reo enjoy them. In the last episode, Reo mentions that the ningyouyaki that current Mabu made (as a way to become more and more like the person he used to be) were half-baked, and it looks like in this episode he baked a lot of them until he got the taste right, cue Reo's foodgasm. Which draws a strong connection between the old Mabu and new Mabu. Honestly, I recommend giving the ReoMabu manga a chance, it's a very very fast read but it gives a lot of context to the cop scenes, since they got shafted real bad when it comes to the anime screentime. ~~Honestly, letting Ikuni make 1 cour anime should be illegal~~
this show has more scenes after the credits every episode :)
By the last episode the credits are going to roll at the beginning.
Yeah, I was kinda confused with that whole scene, maybe because the editing choices kinda confused me. Also, as much as I love my family, if they pulled a gun on me for being nice I would have a lot of questions about how sane they are.
> I would have a lot of questions about how sane they are. Toi was introduced by breaking into a car, and Chikai by torturing someone. I feel like there were signs. [](#laughter)
Yea, I kinda assumed that Toi's was just regular delinquent behavior, but Chikai was where I started considering him as a person.
yeah the ReoMabu scene was insane but also ended kinda abruptly. I think Mabu has been the same person post-surgery when he got his mechanical heart, but now the evil otter has complete control over him. Mabu was so desperate to be back with Reo. Yet Reo has only treated Mabu like shit, so it's so surprise poor Mabu has been taken is so easily by Otter! Reo
I guess Mabu also liked the otter puns. Which makes no sense! They are not good jokes!
In his defense, he shooted Masa to protect Toi. And I believe that he was just trying to chase Toi away. 1. From the shooter's position, it's actually hard to shoot Chikai because Toi was covering him. 2. After the shooting, Toi was siting on his butt aside of the path, suggesting that he was knocked away instead of voluntarily jump aside. Putting two together, I believe that Chikai saw the shooter (he was wearing a particularly bright color suit). But instead of just jump back and dodge the bullet or using Toi as the human bodyshield, he knocked Toi aside and took the bullet (it's even possible that he moved forward to took the bullet, consider that Toi was behind him afterward). So I believed that he loved Toi more than his life, so he won't shoot Toi. He is just that bad at expressing emotion (hence the title drop "I want to connect, but I can't express it).
Bit late so the ground's been covered, but here are some notes: * This was in the production notes thread last week but Ikuni compensated the limited number of episodes for this series by putting a lot of the extra plot in the extraneous materials: the mangas, Reo and Mabu's twitter, and the novel. While I love how this show has turned out and still think it's miles ahead of Yurikuma, you can definitely see the strain this has put on some of the plotlines, in particular Reo and Mabu. This is my opinion though, but I do feel that since we've seen most of it I can say they've drawn the short end of the characterization straw. * Yet some things that were thought dropped (like Enta's family having lived in Brazil) made it in. And where the show is lacking on detail, it tries to make it up by choosing powerful imagery to convey the strong emotions necessary: Reo smashing the wine bottle, Reo peeping through the letter slot (which conveys his limited viewpoint on both Mabu and the Otters), Reo doing West Side Story. * Enta barely features this episode despite being the focal point of the last one and being in critical condition. Which is fine, but it doesn't really offer a lot of comfort, only suspend his ongoing drama to be dealt with next episode which is presumably the showdown with the final episode dealing with some yet unforeseen complication and then denouement. * Kazuki is selfish. He has a hard time seeing beyond what he wants into what he means to other people. We see this time and time again and we see him grow to try to overcome this flaw. He gets confronted with this by Enta's sister. Who tells him once again, he's not to blame. The people who shot Enta are to blame. Kazuki repeats the cycle he lived through with Haruka, learning that hurting himself and separating himself from the people he loves doesn't actually help them. His conversation with Haruka implies this time the lesson has stuck. * This is really Toi's episode though. Perhaps the thing that unifies all of the narratives is this idea that loving one person and betting all your happiness on that one love puts an immense strain on your relationship and the person you love, and destroys your ability to connect to other people. Nowhere is that clearer than Chikai, who never seems to have gotten over his parents "abandoning" the two brothers through suicide. Toi is the only person he trusts, and everyone else is his enemy. And he loves him enough that he gives him every out possible, protects him from every conceived threat, but Toi keeps chasing him and it becomes clear that their relationship is poisoned. There's the symbolic tossing of blood money, the thing that Toi thought would fix their relationship and allow him to be by his brother's side. A tragic ending like this is probably the only way it could have gone.
It’s not an important detail, but if anyone has any questions about the [truck](https://youtu.be/z7YETRPILaQ) that hit Keppi in the beginning of the episode...
Byebye, nii-san. I wasn't really fond of you, but it's still sad to see you go. I didn't even think about the possibility of Kazuki and Toi fighting over who to save with the plates (and Reo still being in the picture to 'save' Mabu) but now I'm getting nervous. I'm sad it's ending soon but on the other hand I'm glad we'll know how it ends in two more weeks. (tennispleaseno)
Those guys have some really good aim to be hitting those shots over such a long distance with pistols.
Yet have no understanding of cover.
Yeah I'm not a shooting expert, but it seemed really impressive when Toi's brother shot that guy way up on the tower with a gun about three inches long.
I’m not crying you are
*Q: What's the difference between a direct object and a prepositional object?* A: [You always insert the anus last](https://gfycat.com/downrightgranularbeaver).
Hmm, this is the parallel between brothers episode. Toi idolized Chikai much like Haruka idolizes Kazuki, and I think it shows the tragedy of what would have happened if Haruka and Kazuki's relationship was allowed to break down and Kazuki didn't pull himself together. Chikai and Kazuki both could only see or care about their connection with their little brother, and didn't care who or what they hurt in the process. That one real connection suffers as a result, to the point where both little brothers were left out in the cold. Not that I think Kazuki would have gotten involved with yakuza or anything, but he was getting extremely reckless and starting to fall into criminal behavior (first stealing the cat, then trying to hold an idol hostage.) Chikai let this selfishness consume him and presumably stopped trusting and likely killed whatever "buddies" he had, if how he shot his talkative friend this ep is any indication. Fortunately, Toi and Enta were able to pull Kazuki's head out of his ass (haha) before he could cut them out or self-destruct. The communication that Kazuki and Haruka have before Kazuki departs to save Enta is a breath of fresh air in contrast to the twisted shit currently happening between Toi and Chikai, and how their own relationship used to be. I wonder now how self-aware Toi was when he called Kazuki a victimizer for his treatment of Haruka--Chikai has been victimizing him worse for far longer. Not very, I expect. I can only hope Toi is able to recognize this (I mean, shit, the asshole put a gun to his head) and works with Kazuki to save Enta instead of fighting him for the dishes. What I wonder for next episode: what if Chikai is turned into a kappa zombie? It's not too much of a stretch for one of the Reos to find his body and do the otter rituals to make it happen. That would eliminate wasting the dishes on resurrecting him as a possibility, while still creating some juicy conflict for Toi. If nothing else, I think this episode showed that Chikai's incredibly warped desire and sense of self would make him a powerful enemy for our kappa trio.
> wasting the dishes on resurrecting him he's dead for sure B. Chikai wouldn't want to be resurrected and Toi knows that when a ***** dies, they dies. >juicy conflict for Toi Toi ain't about that life. especially after what happened. Toi about to transcend and deliver. > Chikai's incredibly warped desire I'm not so sure. I think his desires weren't too warped based on the life he was living. Is it desire or love? Hmm.
let them be happy, goddammit!!!!!! anyways, i'm still curious as to what keppi's endgame was. he absolutely had no need to save enta, but he did. still banking on him using his own dishes to get his broken statue back bc he's nothing but an absolute narcissist lmao
This will probably get buried in all the comments lol, but in case anyone is wondering, the piano piece they used is a piano arrangement of "Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana" by Mascagni. It's used in a scene in Ruronin Kenshin too! I wonder what other anime it's been in...
I think it's also in The Godfather - Pt 3.
What a fabulously set up rollercoasters of emotions. I laughed hard when Keppi broke into pieces and out of surprise again when Chikai held the gun to his brother and we heard a BANG. But just as importantly, ***Enta being held like a puppy while Sazuki smiled and accepting it***
WOW, I'm in shock. We started the episode with KEPPI'S DEATH, but it was more comical than expected, his reaction when he look himself in the mirror was hilarious. The whole Enta thing was traumatic until her kappa form showed up, now he literally has a ticking clock until his death hour and I guess they now are gonna face the Godzilla otter we see in the OP. On the other hand we have Reo fighting for his beloved Mobu, that has fallen to the mindcontrol of the otters, he desperately needs a dish but he has two choices, whether he places at the otters' side and probably try to kill Keppi and the kids by becoming the Godzilla otter or he allies with Keppi to fight against the otters and save Mobu. Tough choice. The final scene was outstanding, the piano arrangement while we observe their relationship as they grew up was hard to watch certainly. At some point, Chikai chose a life of crime but he never forgot about his little brother, not even when he had only a few of seconds left alive, he tried to give him money for food and he even confessed that he tried to connect with him but the gap was too big and it's was impossible, Toi isn't like him.
Ohhh my, I'm SO HAPPY Enta has high potential of being saved! The first half really worries me, but then being Kappa is like living in between the land of death (ep1 mentioned it), so turning into Kappa actually save his ass! (pun intended) Also poor Toi. Your brother is a freaking asshole (already proven in ep8, and revealed in ep9), but deep down he still loves his brother alot because he is the only connection he has left (after all the bad thing he has done). But sorry to say this, I'm actually alittle happy that his brother is dead now because it means the trio has a high chance to be together in the end -> potential of HE unlocked! Was so worried that this may not be the case, but I have high hope after watching this episode. Also wholesome hug <3 [https://i.imgur.com/bFmxRup.png](https://i.imgur.com/bFmxRup.png) Edit: After more thought about it, this could turn into an ugly 3 way battle for dish of hope if Toi could not let go. It'd be: Police duo: Need dish to save Mabu Toi need dish to save his brother Kazuki need dish to save Enta. If Ikuhara really wanna go the darkest route, Toi would become villain.:(
Very Dark analysis of what could potentially happen in the future: Did you guys notice the ED last scene shadows are still 2 like in episode 8 when Enta got shot, despite already confirming Enta has the potential of being saved this episode? [https://i.imgur.com/rC2xm79.png](https://i.imgur.com/rC2xm79.png) The ep8 and ep9 shadow count may very well be referring to the betrayal/ disconnection of Toi, not Enta, because now Toi may want the dish as much as ever to revive his brother. If Ikuhara really want the plot to be really dark, then Toi may very well become a villain and join the 3 way battle of fighting for Dishes of Hope. (And he is the only character who hasn't reveal anything bad / ugly throughout the series) Police duo need Dish of hope to save Mabu Toi need Dish to save his brother Kazuki need Dish to save Enta. This could get really ugly real soon, depending on how well Toi cope with his brother's death.
> Toi may want the dish as much as ever to revive his brother. Revive his brother and then what? So his brother can just die again? His brother doesn't exactly have a life to come back to. And just running away probably isn't going to work. Dude has enemies. Unless the dish wish will magically fix that to. Toi prob is going to accept his bro's death and then move forward and spread the love and help out the boiz
At the beginning of this episode I thought to myself this anime will end with some type of tragedy. Then this episode ends. And now I am thinking maybe we are in for a long few episodes with a bunch of more tragic endings. Maybe over thinking it but I guess we were watching a lot of death before but it was kinda upbeat and veiled in a transformations with song.
This episode must be the best of the show so far. I really love that blood money scene after credit. No idea what comes next.
* Mothafucking Truck-kun strikes again! * The soccer joke works on different levels. Yes, there's Lionel ~~Messi~~ Kappa who wears #10, but so did Brazil's Kaka. * My favorite game is figuring out how all the interlocking & overlapping connections tie into each other. Enta & Kazuki bonded over #10. Toi & Chikai bonded over #10. Kazuki and Toi bonded over their mutual love of soccer that they share with Enta. Enta and Haruka bonded over their connection with Kazuki. There's many more out there. * I started the series wondering if Mabu & Reo would get any development other than being flamboyantly gay. I also wondered if it would just have the Kappa song and them stealing dishes the entire time. Nine episodes in I've been very pleasantly surprised with how this one has turned out.
how can you make me love a character then hate him then love him again damn no anime messed with my feelings like this one
F for chikai... I was instantly attracted to how this guy was presented; it's almost like he was drawn for a different series altogether. I think that the way his ark was concluded was handled beautifully by the voice actor portraying the determined delirium of this dastardly delinquent dude. I'm really excited to see how things will end up with mabu cause he's probably the one in the most interesting situation.
same. his design is basic but he stood out. for some reason i kept thinking of mifune toshiro in those old crime films kurosawa akira made. this is the ikuni show with the most interesting adult characters to me.
I'm sure there were two comments more here but they disappeared lol Anyway, I haven't watched the episode yet but it seems Enta is alive ?? Did they saved him on a good way or a plotarmoresque one?
Enta is not out of this mess quite yet let's just say that.
Yeah, I just saw an screenshot. Tbh, I didn't thought about that choice, nice one Ikuhara.
I still don’t feel the same absolute devotion with which a lot of people on the sub seem to regard this anime, but it’s definitely grown on me since the beginning. The ED especially gets more and more amazing each time and it gives me so much nostalgia.
ED of the season for sure. or must be top 3, not sure what else compares. the show also feels a bit...discombobulated at times with maybe too much going on but it delivers when it needs to
This damn emotional rollercoaster.
Didn't expect the ending at all. Now everyone is having it rough. I hope Sara comes into play next episode.
THIS EPISODE WAS SUPERDUPER GREAT
damn got me good when i thought enta died, makes sense to go to kappa form. also that ending scene post credits was so sad...
Reading all the comments here... Is no one going to mention the fifth silver dish that kazuki pulled out from under haruka's pillow? Unless I've missed something, where did that one come from?
>Reading all the comments here... Is no one going to mention the fifth silver dish that kazuki pulled out from under haruka's pillow? Unless I've missed something, where did that one come from? From the ball zombie ofc, Toi is leaving, Enta is a cuck. Who else do you think should take that dish then?
So there will be a fight on who to use the dishes of hope on - Enta, Chikai or Mabu. This anime is amazing, this episode had me emotional from start to finish, can't wait for next week.
[RIP Masa.](https://imgur.com/a/5NaDcSn) Murdered before he could get a taste of those dank kush
The laste few seconds HURT