Welcome back to your weekly dose of superpowered detectives outsmarting each other. After a very bumpy ride, we find ourselves back at the Armed Detective’s main office. Well, not quite. Poe has made a copy of the office inside a novel so they can hold a meeting. It turns out Ranpo got out safely and Yosano has healed Kunikida’s missing arms. This did remind me of something from last week’s episode that feels like an oversight on Fukuchi’s part. Maybe he knows more than we do, but him not killing Tachihara outright, instead only making him useless in battle, will likely result in Yosano healing him, will it not? It’s clear to him at this point that the agency and the port mafia are working together, so he should see this coming. I do hope Tachihara isn’t dead, but he’s one of several red headed young men that I confuse from time to time, so taking him out of the story might be better for my slow brain. Anyway, what’s this meeting all about then?
Ranpo reveals that although the vampiric scourge is doing the rounds, if the Europeans were to fight back, the problem would eventually be solved. There is more to this plan though as their goal seems to be putting their hands on an artifact called The One Order. This supposedly causes soldiers to follow orders, it’s mind control. I like the conversation they had about how many bullets it takes to kill a soldier on the battlefield. I have my doubts about the accuracy of the numbers, but some mild googling didn’t help much. I just saw people get scolded for asking insensitive questions. You’re right, we should start banning knowledge and perhaps even burn it, that won’t end poorly at all. Depressing real world opinions aside, it makes sense to me that many soldiers would shoot at random spots to avoid becoming murderers. I’m sure there’s arguments to be made that fighting a war can be needed (if you’re the defending party, or when they pushed back the nazi’s in world war II, but I can also imagine there are many soldiers fighting in wars that don’t want to hurt people, they’re there to protect. It’s complicated, and I like to think there’s good people in every place. As Ranpo points out though, this is an artifact that can backfire pretty quickly. He also points out how cliche and lame the Decay of Angels’ true goal is (I don’t mind some self-awareness from an author). World Domination sounds awfully exhausting. As much as I like to think I’d be able to make the world a better place, I am not smart enough to actually do so. I think anyone who truly believes they could be the one ruler of mankind and make a good and just world is thinking too highly of themselves and that’s dangerous.
We move on to the actual airport where the Hunting Dogs are gathering. They’re aware of the One Order being shipped to Fukichi. The fact that they’re not questioning the morality of such a weapon, especially after they’ve all seen strange actions from the organizations involved in this whole ordeal, is pretty damning. Something, something, one bad apple spoils the bunch and now they’re all bad apples. Except Tachihara, but he’s struggling right now. Man, these hunting dogs are such unlikeable douchebags. They make the Mafia seem like the good guys. I hope Jouno gets beaten to pulp before this season is over. Please make it so.
Okay so hear me out, we get to the next scene and I’m now thinking he’s like a double agent pretending to be evil so that Fukichi will trust him and he can betray Fukichi. With how many bad hands the Agency has been dealt, it’s time for Fukichi to experience some bad days too, right? I’m probably wrong on this, I’m often wrong on my predictions in this show, but that’s what makes it fun. Either way, he is let in on the plan and is shown where Bram Stoker is. I’m really hoping this backfires on Fukichi. I think the way for his character to lose is by being overconfident. I can’t see the man losing in any other way. Bram needing protection is a pretty obvious weakness. I think Fukichi and Fyodor shouldn’t have abandoned Nikolai and Sigma in the way they did. They probably would have ended up being liabilities either way, but this way Fukichi wouldn’t have had to bring in Jouno on the plan. Speaking of, I wonder if Nikolai is going to show up here, or perhaps at the prison where Fyodor and Dazai are locked up in. We haven’t seen those two in a while, so it could be the latter.
Man, Fukichi really is completely irredeemable. He even made me like Jouno only two paragraphs after wanting him to suffer. The goal of this show is making me write recaps that reveal how dumb I am at figuring out detective stories, I’m certain of it. But I’m having far too much fun with the ridiculous twists and turns this story keeps throwing at us. Let’s play a game of “where is Aya hiding.” My money is on the coffin. Man, this situation just keeps increasing in tension, I can’t wait for it all to come to a conclusion in another six or seven episodes. Thanks for reading.
Opal Kaharis 