Dazai and Akutagawa meet before all of the current season transpires in a hidden place in the forest. That’s right, we’re diving straight in, just as the show seems to do. I doubt we’ll get an opening today if the credits are showing on top of this. Dazai asks for Akutagawa’s help with an upcoming disaster: The Decay of Angels problem. He asks Akutagawa to be neutral in the upcoming fight and be Dazai’s eyes. Akutagawa is such a Dazai simp. And just like it seemed last week, Akutagawa is here to help out Atsushi against Kamui/Fukuchi. And it doesn’t seem like he’s come to just play either.
We saw a flash of young Akutagawa before and it seems to be confirmed that this forest spot is where the two of them met, a long time ago. Dazai gave Akutagawa a reason to live, which is why it’s that much more painful for the young Port Mafia executive that his friend and mentor left the organization and joined the Armed Detective Agency. It seems like Dazai has long planned to create powerful people to fight against a Demon. Maybe that’s Kamui, but I’m guessing it’s left vague enough to allow the author for another villain to appear after this that could be this demon he speaks of. I always like how this story continues to up the scale but somehow still feels grounded enough – in a sense – that it raises the stakes even more. Maybe less so after this arc, but not every arc needs to see the cast in terrible danger all the time to be intriguing.
Kamui’s power is crazy and Akutagawa is strong but struggling. Being driven by the idea that Dazai didn’t actually abandon him makes him incredibly powerful. I wonder how much Dazai actually cares about the people around him and how much of it is pure manipulation. Either way, Kamui is far too much for the two of them to take on. Akutagawa struggles with Dazai’s intention too. This duo is so interesting, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen it. They both have very different mentalities in how they fight. Akutagawa has no qualms killing people, but the influence from both Dazai and Atsushi is definitely changing him. Even though it might just be a promise he made for now. He’s still pretty dumb though. Luckily for us, Atsushi has a good head on his shoulders. Unfortunately for us, so does Fukichi.
I know it’s probably more for aesthetic choices than for realism, but the fact that there’s a giant clock tower on a ship is just so funny to me. That’s beyond extravagance. It does make for a great set piece though. Fukichi blames his PTSD for becoming a villain in the way that he has. Maybe he just needs therapy like the rest of us. Unfortunately for us, we’re aware that there’s another half a dozen or more episodes to go, so the likelihood of Atsushi and Akutagawa defeating Fukichi here is very small. Using a coat to put your bones back in place is metal as fuck. But despite the insanity that is Akutagawa, this fight looks bad. Fukichi summons a sword out of nowhere, which probably means he’s a Hexblade Warlock (that’s a D&D subclass, in case you’re unfamiliar). As is tradition with this show, I am worried about what is about to happen. And sure enough, Akutagawa goes down in an instant. Before Atsushi can figure out what happened he gets stabbed. Both fighters are down and Fukichi doesn’t even have a scratch on him.
I think Atsushi often mistakes himself for a coward, but that’s far from true. He’s reasonable in most of his fears. Trusting someone like Akutagawa might make sense to us as a viewer, since we know how much he cares for Dazai’s approval. But Atsushi could just get killed by Fukichi and everything would be over without Akutagawa ever really caring. I think Fukichi is making a grave mistake here in underestimating Akutagawa’s obsession with Dazai. He’s absolutely planning to work with Atsushi here, right? I’m glad Atsushi is catching on too, since he’s dense. It’s kind of crazy that Fukichi didn’t catch up in time, but it makes for an amazing moment. Wait what? Why does the clock so ominously strike when Fukichi gets cut down? I’m scared of what that means. Fukichi appears dead, but I do not believe it for a moment. I would like to say I figured it out before the show panned back to the clock, but right as the clock started rewinding was when I made the connection. He cut time. That seems illegal. Is there anything this man can’t do? Here’s the answer. Ame no Gozen can cut through both space and time. So he has the physical enhancements from being in the Hunting Dog program, he has a crazy power that makes his weapons much stronger and he has a legendary sword that allows him to cut through space and time.
Fukichi just killed Akutagawa. He sliced open his neck, I don’t think even he can come back from it. But I’ve also watched enough anime to know that someone who dies at the end of an episode has a pretty good chance of survival. So we’ll see, but I for one cannot wait for next week. Thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 