Chief of the foibles I’ll find loathsome in anybody is lying. I’m sure you’ve all met at least one person in your life who’s got an unfathomable talent to play the role of somebody you can trust and otherwise feel comfortable spending time... all while it's a sustained put-on for them.
Few feelings of disgust equal that of finding out that what you thought was a genuine moment with somebody was actually a carefully-calculated bid to play on your confidence. In my experience, this type of weasel usually hides behind a very blown-up, too-good-to-be-true facade of propriety…
…like, say, a blind single mom who can only make money by singing tragically-beautiful ballads.
Again, what I appreciate about SAMURAI CHAMPLOO is the amount of experience - - be it with music or with history books or with real life - - that obviously underpins all of its plots. I feel like Watanabe and his people have run into exactly the sort of person I describe above. I can totally get behind the theme here that this gorgeous and pitiful swan turns out to be a venomous, deceitful threat while this ugly, cackling hermit toad winds up being a legitimate and sage friend.
Real character can be found in the dregs of society, not in the ivory towers, am I right?
Maybe the only the false note here is that I really think Mugen would've spilled the beans about Fuu’s affections for Jin during their reunion. Maybe you can argue for that being beneath his concern, but the case doesn’t seem as convincing as the one for him being really petty and vindictive about the headache this girl’s games just caused him.
It’s very easy to picture croaking, “And all this bullshit because she’s in love with you!” while they’re in the hut - - or something to that effect. Wouldn't you agree?
Watch this episode, "Elegy of Entrapment, Verse 2” below and decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.
Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk
C'mon Tom, you didn't give Sara (the blind assassin) nearly enough credit. She could have killed both Jin and Mugen and she was so calm and modest about it. That is badass. This story really got to me. A mother struggling to take care of her child and defying the odds to do so.
And once again, the rain punctuated the occasion for dramatic effect. Such a good episode.
There are a couple crazy episodes before the finale. I hope you write a lot about them.
The fact you mentioned plots in this one is my problem with the series actually..when you have plots...can you really have Plot?