This episode could have been entitled the Lifestyles of the Rich and Inbred.
Rating: 08/12 B+, Shinkurou’s lack of ability to save Murasaki seems too much like a convenient plot point and thus not really believable.
This episode starts with Shinkourou finally getting the full picture of who Murasaki is. Turns out the Kuhouin family plan on Murasaki (like all previous Kuhouin woman) to begin having children at the ripe old age of 13 with the fathers of the children being Murasaki’s two older brothers. She will stay within the Inner Sanctuary, away from everyone, and the brothers will take brides from the outside world and these woman will raise Murasaki’s children. Rather sick and twisted but it does explain how odd I thought the Kuhouin family was. This also explains why they want Murasaki back so much – I think she’s the only Kuhouin female currently alive.
Shinkurou, in a move that seems really dumb, asks Benika if he can take Murasaki back to the apartment so she can say goodbye to Shinkurou’s apartment friends. Benika agrees and they go back to the apartment.
Now instead of just saying good-bye (they are on the run after all) Shinkurou invites the two woman over for a hot plate dinner. They finish up eating and still no saying of good-bye by Murasaki (when do they plan on saying good-bye – next year?), instead Shinkurou and Murasaki decide to sleep in their apartment room. There is a touching scene where Murasaki re-iterates that she considers Shinkurou a very important to herself and they both go to sleep.
Benika breaks into the Kuhouin household to meet the head of the Kuhouin family. While they are conversing Benika says that she never intended Murasaki to stay free forever and that Murasaki is not the same person as she was before?!?! That must be why Benika seemed to place more emphasis on Murasaki having a memorable time then actually hiding her.
We cut back to the apartment and we see Murasaki’s one brother along with bodyguards and some sort of skilled fighter show up. They quickly take out the guard that always stay outside and restrain the apartment mates. Shinkurou puts up a half-hearted attempt to stop them – Break out the elbow blade, that’s what it’s there for. The brother convinces Murasaki to come back home and the episode ends.
I could almost stomach Shinkurou not using his blade since a quick rewatch of episode 4 shows that it’s only after Murasaki gets hurt does Shinkurou bust out his blade but you’d think he’d have the blade out and ready to attack since the Kuhouin family is bent on getting Murasaki back. What truly boggles the mind is that he thinks it’s a good idea to go back to the apartment and spend the night there. Have the guard that stands outside of the apartment all the time bring the two women to the hotel and say your good-byes there.
I’ll have to see how the rest of the show plays out, I wouldn’t hate this show over one glaringly stupid episode (mainly because I like the characters so much) but it better end good.
The Null Set 