Episode 106

Normally there's a pic of the title picture of the month here.

Unfortunately, because of an unforseen accident, the first 23 pictures (almost all of them) were overwritten. So, instead of going back and rescanning, resizing and touching up the old pics, I will instead present:

MS PAINT THEATRE!!!

First off, a note: This kind of thing happens a bit in translation/language: You pick up a nuance, and over time you unquestionly use a word or phrase over and over again thinking it means or is pronounced one way, when in reality it's another. When you realize what happened, you get really embarrassed. Ex: When I was in Japan, I learned "Sayou de gozaimasu" as a "cool Samurai/old school phrase". So I immediately began using it, AND OFTEN (at least once a week or so), as a "cool way" of saying "Sayounara/Goodbye" (Cause it sounds so similar). 2 years later, while watching an anime no less, I came to learn that "Sayou de gozaimasu" means "Sou desu/That's Right". Of course, I immediately had a flashback to ALL those times I've been using it wrong, plus thought about the fact that no one corrected me, and I was all like, "NOOOOOooooooo!"

Anyway, that kind of happened here. I dunno how long I've been saying it, maybe from the inital intro of his name, but the big moustached Edo gov't samurai guy is named "HABAKI", not "HAGAKI". Oopsie. Anyway, just so you don't get confused when the episodes start getting released in English...

So, when we last left our favorite samurai, he was strapped to a wall and approached by a couple of doctors: An older one with glasses and an assistant, and a younger one (who we thought was foreign, but isn't: He rather has "blonde" hair and an adopted/foreign-sounding name).

Anyway, this episode starts off with HABAKI (^.^) walking into the dungeon chamber escorting a bald, ugly, mean-lookin' prisoner.

Manji resists against his chains, doing one of those "TETSU-OOOOOoo..er, um... HABAKI KAGIMURAAAaaaa!!!!!" screams, but since he's chained up to the wall, he can't really do anything.

The older doc with glasses, Mozen, "recaps" (introduces for us) what Hagaki wants them to do: "You want us to transfer hes "Immortality" to this guy". Hagaki confirms this, and adds that he not only wants the secret to transferring it found, he wants to find out how to kill someone in that condition (he doesn't seem to know about the kessenchu-poison).

The younger doc, Brand (his name is the kanji for "Burando", or "To walk in Holland"- Holland, if you recall, was the only country at that time allowed to trade with Japan, and furthermore was known worldwide for its advanced medicine and doctors) bumps in: "So, are you going to make an army of these guys or what?", to which Hagaki says, "Hmmm, you sure have some... interesting... ideas". So either he's asying "yes" in a vague way, or he actually has some other, more mysterious, use in mind.

Anyway, he sets his plan: They each have a certain amount of time to figure out the secrets of Manji's immortality: 8 DAYS (they balk at this). Starting with Mozen, then Brand if Mozen can't figure it out. If neither of them figured it out, there's gonna be trouble (he hints at firing them).

Brand speaks up: He apologizes to Hagaki, and states that he's thankful for giving him service as a doctor and not killing him for his crime (his crime being that he left the country and travelled to 7 different countries in search of doctor techniques and the like), but in all the places he's been people who claimed to be "immortal" weren't. Neither of them have proof, so how do they know if Hagaki is pursuing something by mistake?

Hagaki's like, "OK, Toraemon! (Mozen's assistant) Go and cut him up". Manji laughs at them for talking about him like he's not there.

So Toraemon cuts him with an itty-bitty knife, making a small incision. Sure enough, in a couple secs it's healed. Even though Brand and Mozen are shocked, Hagaki yells at him:

"What the hell are you doing? A friggin cut like that on the battlefield and I could heal it myself just by thinking about it!" He pulls out his Katana: "Brand, you wanted to see if this guy is Immotal, right? Well have a good look!"

He hacks at Manji, cutting him way the hell open and splattering blood all over the place. Brand and Mozen are noticably freaked. "You have 8 days."

So they're both there in shock. Mozen tells Toraemon to get his medicine, but Brand's eyes light up and he grabs his hand. He wants to go first, before Mozen- He thinks he's the better doctor! Mozen, of course, is offended, and says that they'll go in order of age, just as Hagaki told them to.

Brand is still reeling from the good fortune of this job: "Wow... it's like the wind is blowing just for me!"

Rin is wandering around town, and happens to spot Hyakurin. She sits down by her and tells her that she hasn't seen Manji in 2 days. He's never left for that long without sending word.

.

She asks yakurin for help, and even though she can't guarantee anything because she's "under" Kagimura (he barks out orders, she follows them), she resolves to go over to his estate with Rin and ask what's happening.

@

. .

She makes it to the estate and has one of "those" conversations with the head servant: "He's not in" "OK, I'll wait for him" "He won't be in until late" "That's OK, I can wait", etc. Then the servant is like, "Oh, on this occasion the master asked me to read this for you:

"Um... MUGAIRYU: Second-in-Command Giichi. Third-in-Command Hyakurin.
Upon the very instant of reading this, I hereby command the dissolution of Mugairyu"
"Signed, The Former Leader and Head of Mugairyu, Hagaki Kagimura".

The old man says "Thanks for your hard work. Bye." [SLAM!]
Hyakurin: "Huh? HUH?"

So, that's it! Hyakurin and Giichi have been, oddly enough, relieved of service!

Well, this episode wasn't too long, but it did have some great moments: Hagaki swaggering in and whacking the hell out of Manji (and the look on the doctors' faces- Wow!), and the sudden break-up of Mugai-ryu (I love that... the "the former" bit in the letter). All in all, this episode gets a total of:

Three out of Five Manjis!