The beginning of this episode reads like a war movie, with Hazama and his group being tortured by the Vietnamese. I’m not exactly sure what kind of information they were trying to get out of them. They kept asking Hazama about an American Doctor, I don’t think they were asking him if he was one. That would be stupid, I mean, he’s obviously Asian.
Maybe I just misunderstood it, who knows. Anyway, they’re tortured for the first part of the episode and then a guard of theirs that had been helped by a Japanese doctor with no regard for his own safety slips them a key to escape when the group goes out.
The torture is just tasteful enough to understand the struggle of what they are going through without crossing over into anything that is super uncomfortable. Which is a hard line to pull off and I respect the show a lot for being able to walk this line so perfectly.
They stumble off into the jungle and wouldn’t make it if Yabu-san didn’t come in contact with Phan, the girl with them and go out to get them. This was my favorite part of the episode, seeing the friendship between Hazama and Yabu-san. Seeing Yabu realize that Hazama brought himself to this dangerous land.
Watching him break down and cry over his friend. This episode also showcases Yabu’s growth in a wonderful way. When the American medic shows up and begins surgery. Yabu does not flinch at all at the blood, showing that he has overcome his fear.
I also pointed it out last episode, but he looks so much healthier then in previous episodes.
Speaking of the American medic, Doctor/Kirii has a slightly antagonistic feel to him when we first see him parachute down to help the solider that Hazama patched up in the previous episode. He comes off as a little arrogant and a bit of a jerk, though his ideas are rooted in experience and he does manage to help Steve survive with a well done and clean surgery.
He comes off as a little less antagonistic as he speaks to Hazama at the end of the episode and compliments the work that he did out on the battle field. He shares his drink with him, which i think he almost said has scotch in it?
The experience of this episode once again left us with a feeling of understanding war and the stress that the doctors went through there. Yabu was working on the villagers there with less then proper equipment. If ‘Doctor’ had not been so eager to jump on this case it would of taken three days for Steve to get treatment.
He would of surely died during the time. Also, maggots….yes…i know the medical properties of them and they’re even discussed in length in the episode. Still, kinda of gross regardless of if it’s true to the timeline that they would use treatment like that to end dead or dying flesh.
As my title says, this is the only episode so far in which Hazama himself did not do the surgery or somehow get cornered into doing a surgery. He merely stayed there to observe because he felt, as the person who patched Steve up. He should be there to see the procedure through to the very end.
He at last, rather then being forced to act. Got to be a proper medical student and observe and help the doctor on hand. Though it seems like he may be entering the fray in the next episode. Next episode, more adventures in ‘nam. This time including ‘doctor’ and Yabu-san.
~Midnight
I didn’t expect them to portray North Vietnam as antagonist lol, I thought it would be like they were captured and ended up understanding the North’s point of view. I hope they would do that because as a Vietnamese who was raised up in the glory of “good North, bad South”, I feel it’s not enough here. But I guess we should focus on the doctor side for now.
Btw, the reason they tortured them because they just wanted to force them to admit the crime they didn’t do. They kept asking “American” with an intention that they want Hazama to say “Yes”. You know…killing a Japanese who has no connection to both sides just make them look injustice.
I actually like the new doctor, maybe he is a little arrogant but he makes sense. The last scene when they both admired each other is good. About the maggot therapy…just like how Hazama surgeried in the middle of battle field, it feels surreal lol.