Episode four is very Nijo centric. Nanatsuki is paired off with him to question witnesses in a car bombing, via the bosses’ orders to ‘see how they would get along’. Which seems to be pretty well by the end of the episode, I mean, it’s not perfect but Nanatsuki does keep Nijo from killing a guy and then roundhouse kick the same guy.
Honestly, episode four is something of a bridge episode and nothing really revolutionary happens in it. It ties together three and five by having them capture the person known as ‘B’ that set up the bombs in episode three and set the devices in the car of the suspect in episode four. A man named Goto, who had the very inconspicuous job of Car Salesman.
At first, I didn’t notice the glaring clue of the blackened fingertips in the first scene we see him in as he is being questioned by Nijo. Upon a second watch though, it’s immensely obvious and I almost feel bad for not noticing it the first time around.
The best part of the episode by far is when Nanatsuki goes to check on the injured child at the hospital while Nijo goes to question the doctors and he hears the bomb from under the bed, picks the boy up and jumps out the window. Through the glass and all, and only comes out with a sprained ankle. Only furthering my idea that this boy isn’t entirely human, which I’ve suspected since the magic incident last episode.
We get a good talk between Nijo and Nanatsuki about Nijo’s views on Ichinose, which I’m not entirely sure Nanatsuki buys into.
The only other good scene is where the group sits down and figures out the case by sitting there and discussing the clues. You can almost hear the ‘Oh dear, how did we overlook this/not think of this sooner.’ in their voices as the entire thing comes together.
Episode five, on the other hand, is basically filled with action and tenseness. As Nanatsuki, Nijo and Ichinose are sent to stake out a mall and check it for magic. They really don’t know what to look for, so it ends up with Ichinose and Nanatsuki messing around while Nijo goes to speak with public safety. Who are staking out the basement due to warnings of an arms deal. Ichinose and Nanatsuki are speaking to Bellemer on the phone as the signal is jammed. I can’t tell you how much unease I felt here, as the voices around Ichinose start piping up about how their phones have gone dead.
There was something almost chillingly realistic about that. That tenseness at the moment before the windows blew in, that fear right as the terror came into the building and made their demands for everyone to remain there calmly. As they declared themselves the children of nine and that they were planning a ritual.
Of course, it doesn’t stay tense for long as Nanatsuki and Ichinose duck into a bathroom. Soon knock out a terrorist that came to check the area out, then dress Nanatsuki up in his clothing because they are a similar build and height. Of course, these terrorist have only ever talked online before this so nobody really notices the switch. He gets shoved up to the least guarded floor, the fourth floor and brings Ichinose with him pretending to be a mall patron. Honestly, the best part of all of this is Ichinose’s acting and the fact he gets pissed at Nanatsuki for kicking him despite telling him to do it.
There is a terrorist up on their floor who is obviously a giant cat lover, so Ichinose starts talking about his own cat. A precious little thing that will starve without him clearly, when he gets the terrorist to come over to look at his ‘address’ in a request to take care of the kitten in the case he died. That’s when Nanatsuki attacks, the rest of the group comes in now. Knocking out the only other guard on the floor with the dull side of Shikisai’s blade.
Bellemer dropping down onto Nanatsuki’s shoulders is also super cute. She’s so cute, why is she so cute?! Alright, Special 7 has assembled and it’s time to take down the terrorist. Wait, where’s Nijo?
We cut back to the basement, earlier in the episode we saw the people from public safety get wrecked by a group of terrorists. It seems unlike the people upstairs, the ones in the basements are professionals. Nijo causes a distraction and goes in to attack when he sees our mysteriously scarred man and his eyes widen. This is about the time in the episode that it hit me. I’d thought from the beginning of the series, that there was no way he was dead. Gone, probably a villain of some sort but never dead. Though, despite the very strong idea in my mind that he had turned to the cult of Nine. I never suspected that they were one and the same. The cop that saved Nanatsuki, the lost partner of Ichinose and Nijo’s brother is the same person working so closely with Warlock.
I have SO many questions.
First off, Why? Is it mind control? Magical brainwashing? A change of heart? Can he be saved? If he can’t, what will that do to the three characters most closely tied with him?
Most importantly right now though, the most important question weighing on my mind at the end of episode five is. Will be poor elf boy be okay? He has a gun in his face by his own brother and his back up is all the way on the fourth floor of the building!
I am very tense moving into episode six.