This week we got to see Kato and Daisuke work separately on the same case of the distribution of a drug known as Mescaline. An investigation was called into action when Daisuke litterally sniffed out the drug on two individuals performing on the street. From there on out, we got to witness two different approaches on getting the case worked out. At the end of the day, both Kato’s passionate investigation and Daisuke’s combination of advanced technology and financial background-checks, and purchase of information succeeded at more or less the same rate. However the one exception (which was actually a big deal) was the fact Daisuke held Kato back, recommending they keep their target on large to properly track down the person behind them. As result, they ended up successfully arresting the god-father of the organized crime group, Gondawara-gumi Mikio Umezu, and other influential individuals involved.
It was also nice to see how both of them each had their own intel source to help them obtain information. For Kato he was working with an entertainment journalist Mita, who is indebted to to for setting him straight. As for Daisuke, his partner was actually his sister Suzue, (I believe? They look almost identical, you could pass them off as twins even), who he had assigned to work undercover as a model at Millennium Entertainment— also she is a badass mechanic who can build all sorts of crazy things. (On the fluffier note, I thought it was adorable how Kato was smitten by her the moment he first saw her.)
Of course it is fun to see him use his highly expensive and crazy measures to round up criminals, but can we just take moment to acknowledged what an overkill Daisuke’s strategy was? While it certainly helped guarantee the capture and enabled the police to ‘cleanly’ round up the criminals, dude— I’m genuinely shocked there was no casualties! Had any of those things hit someone (for crying out loud, it almost hit Kato!) what would have they done then? If this is how Daisuke’s approach will continue, I find it hard to imagine he could get through this series without facing any consequences for his rash actions. And if he does, well not only would it make him way too overpowered, but this is the kind of thing that will get boring and even annoying if there is no price to be paid. After-all, buildings and objects can be repaired and replaced, but lives? Once lost, there is no way of getting them back.
However while Daisuke has his own problems with his methods, it is fair to say Kato had his own share of flaws too. He put his foot in his mouth by insisting they do things separately and their own way. Had he done so, he probably would have received a mask. His plan of going into the drug party on his own was also an incredibly reckless idea. His plan basically banked on him not getting caught, and sure enough that blew up in his face when his target noticed his phone was missing and raised a fuss about it. Had it not been for Mita just happen to be there per Daisuke’s instructions, Kato might have been in deep trouble. It just goes to show the two of them would be better off getting onto the same page, and need to figure out how they will compromise with each other.
That isn’t to say they are hopeless though. Daisuke showed Kato a bit more respect by doing simple things like asking if he wanted a meal or a bath without dropping snide comments about him being smelly. In the matter-of-fact, it was a welcomed surprise to see that Daisuke’s nasty attitude that dominated much of premiere didn’t have much of a showing today. That isn’t to say he didn’t do some stupid and reckless things, but it was good to see he can interact with people without being a pompous dick. I particularly appreciated seeing him willingly interact with other characters and accept their favourite go-to snacks (gummy fish and instant noodles), and offer to share his own luxurious meals as well (such as with Mita). Now he and Kato just needs to mesh things out and figure out how they plan — otherwise it will get boring real fast if Daisuke is able to solve everything, or constantly get an upper-hand thanks to his seemingly unlimited wealth.
And perhaps one way of doing that, is finding ways to help each other in unexpected ways. Daisuke was the one who (as expected) who revealed to us the reason why Kato had been demoted from the First Investigation Division. It turns out it was because he is unable to use a gun ever since he misfired and seriously injured the target during a during a siege incident. For a pure-hearted guy like Kato who believes so strongly in compassion and justice, I can understand why something like that would shake him to his core. (Not to say that wouldn’t normally affect anyone, but given the type of character he is, I see why he would have a harder time coping with that guilt than for some others). It will be interesting to see if and how Daisuke might be able to help him overcome that, and what Kato may be able to offer him as well.
Unfortunately due to COVID-19 Crisis, as of Episode 3, Fugou Keiji Balance: UNLIMITED will be postponed. There have already been a handful of titles this season that have already experienced the same, but now that Japan has issued a country-wide State of Emergency as of Friday (JST) until May 6th, I suspect we will likely be hearing more announcements of such over the course of this weekend.
So until then, like many other series, Fugou Keiji Balance: UNLIMITED’s coverage will be on-hold until further notice.
04/23/2020: UPDATE: FKB: Unlimited will restart broadcast on July 16, 2020
Due to COVID-19, the streaming of “The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED” has been postponed starting with episode 3.
Please stay tuned for more information on the future streaming schedule.
Thank you for understanding. pic.twitter.com/scMobdT1Xz
— Aniplex USA (@aniplexUSA) April 16, 2020
UPDATE: FKB: Unlimited will restart broadcast July 16, 2020