Here’s the MTC episode I was expecting last time! And how fitting that we got the MTC version of the ED too.
Mad Trigger Crew is probably the most dangerous bunch we have right now. Yakuza and lots of fighting and drugs and whatnot. Jakurai is probably hiding a shady past, but both Buster Bros and Matenrou are a lighthearted and fun bunch, whereas MTC is anything but even though they have a pretty good bond with each other. I guess Rio is the one that brings some at least a little lightheartedness to them.
I do find it so funny how Japan is so strict on drugs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it’s just so funny (and this pertains to Ikebukuro West Gate Park that’s airing this season as well) that we have yakuza and gang wars and violence, but no, DRUGS. Yakuza fine, drugs no! It’s such a huge cultural difference but…ehh, okay.
We’re in Yokohama now and following Mad Trigger Crew, which consists of yakuza boss Samatoki, selfish cop wanting to climb the ladder Jyuto, and ex-navy seal Rio. There’s problems with a rival gang out to get Samatoki and the guys work together to deal with them and their drug heist, and we learn that it’s more personal than they thought when Rio’s old navy buddies are in on it. We get a tiny bit of worldbuilding but the episode mostly consisted of MTC working together to take down the rival gang.
I find it hilarious that Jyuto made them wear glasses and formal clothes at the casino to hide their identities, but Jyuto literally looked exactly the same. Dude, you already wear glasses. The casino scene was probably the most fun simply because it was the only part of the episode that made me laugh. As soon as we got to the casino I thought it would have been hilarious if Dice was there playing, and lo and behold he really was. Rio winning a bunch of money like it was nothing gave me a good laugh too. I also wasn’t expecting Rio and Dice to already know each other, and it’s funny that Rio just found him lying in the street. And again, it’s cool to see the past TDD members interacting with each other. They’re all so different from each other so I wonder how the four of them were able to meet and create a group together, but I’ll be patient.
The episode was pretty straightforward, maybe not as zany and fun as the previous episodes but it was still fine. When it comes to the characters this time, I wouldn’t say one stood out to me too much. Samatoki has a sharp mouth and is very temperamental, which I guess I shouldn’t be surprised about since he’s a yakuza leader. It seems that he also has a bit of a soft side to him as he showed mercy to the guy that was forced to betray him to protect his sister, giving him his own money so he could buy her a birthday present. It looks like Samatoki has his own little sister, Nemu, and I wonder where she is or if she’s even still alive. Just from the way his face looked, the relationship may be strained or something but at least he cares about family. Jyuto I think stood out the least, but I do find it amusing that he’s really just in it for himself. He takes care of crimes not because he has a sense of justice, but just because he wants to score points and reach the top and he’ll take any means to reach that, which includes working with someone like Samatoki. Interesting to see a cop who’s a main character so unabashedly selfish and owns it. In that sense I like him. And then we have Rio, who seems to have a large goal in mind with saving his ex-lieutenant commander from the prison he’s in. I feel like Rio has the purest heart of the bunch but he too also has a bit of a rough past.
Is there a reason Rio has to live in a tent and eat wild game? He mentioned that his unit was supposed to be arrested as war criminals, but his lieutenant commander offering himself for imprisonment circumvented that, so Rio should be in the clear, correct? So why live in a tent on his own and eat frogs and lizards as if he were still on the run? Does he just simply prefer this life or is he just used to it? Samatoki or Jyuto can’t just let him hang at their place, or at least buy him actual food? I feel like I’m missing something here. I will admit though it was cute how happy he was when the others decided to eat his food, as reluctant as they were. The food being censored was hilarious.
Only one song again this time, and it was pretty good. Just throwing this out here, so far Samatoki has the coolest intro and visuals with his giant skull speaker, and his army of skeletons attacking the enemy. Compared to the other divisions being all colorful, this one was more dark and it really sets them apart. So far we’ve only gotten one pre-existing song and I’m hoping we can hear more. It’s not like I was expecting Samatoki to break out into his solo song like Ichiro, though I admit that would have been really fucking funny. I’m kind of hoping for Shibuya Marble Texture next, simply because I just like that song a lot. Speaking of, definitely Fling Posse next time and they seem the most fun group so I can’t wait to see their episode!
Jyuto’s glasses in the casino scene were red-framed, as opposed to his normal ones which only have about half a (black) frame…Still not much of a difference in the end, though.
TDD’s formation is covered in a manga called “Before the Battle – The Dirty Dawg”. I’ve been studying Japanese for years (this is my 9th year, not counting the hiatus I took last year) so I can get around the language barrier with a bit of effort…but I’m prioritising the DH & BAT manga first (more revelations there right now) and I have a whole lot more manga to keep up with, so I’m not done reading it yet.
Speaking about Nemu will involve spoilers. Similarly, Jyuto’s hatred of drugs and his motivations for being a cop involve spoilers.
Riou’s hobby is cooking, but his ingredients…uh…(Eating emu eggs, as suggested in the game event, is a legit thing if I’m right – the eggs are even noted in the item description as being nutritious – as is eating the emu itself. Bats though…? Not so much.) They never actually elaborated upon why Riou chooses to live out in the woods, since he does seem to know skills that don’t pertain to wilderness things, but apparently he doesn’t like crowds and cities are crowded, so that’s the explanation I’m taking. Samatoki and/or Jyuto do treat him to food sometimes, though.
You know what I’d like to see? Gentaro writing the story that leads to Stella…but knowing where it falls releases-wise, I don’t think we’ll get to see Stella this season.
I’m definitely going to look into the manga but I’m going to do that after the anime. I definitely want the full story, and wanna keep up with the newer stuff as well. Also props for continuing japanese for so long, that’s amazing! :O
Huh, pretty extreme for not liking crowds but I guess I can accept that. And good to hear that Samatoki and Jyuto bring him some stuff sometimes. But where did he get an emu in Japan?! Ohh Rio, you fascinate me.
hand behind head Truth be told, the hiatus means I now get some of the basics wrong when I really shouldn’t, although my reading things (mostly manga) in raw Japanese means that skill’s the only one that can keep me up with everyone else…I learnt simplified Chinese for 10 years (some of them overlapping with my Japanese years) previously, which helps. The speed and quality at which unofficial English translations come out means I’m rendered fairly useless fandom-wise, because I’m much more prone to editing and making mistakes than others…
According to a translation of the Riou’s Kitchen event I found, a bunch of illegally-shipped animals were left in the Yokohama port…then again, ARB isn’t entirely considered canon to the rest of the series, so I don’t know if this is true of canon too.
Aww, hang in there. You can probably contribute in other ways, but just keep it up!
Well that’s just…amazing. Even more amazing that Rio would just eat it lol. I should definitely look into the ARB translations, especially the current Halloween one! With how Hypmic is with its story being passed around different things (songs, manga, etc), the game may as well be a little canon.
First off, I have to apologise for misinformation. After thinking about whether I’d accidentally conflated Dice’s moments of being treated to food in the manga with MTC stuff, it turns out Riou doesn’t get treated to food after all. Sorry.
One of the reasons why I’m so attached to the series is because I heard about it in the back end of 2017 (i.e. when it was starting out). However, I tried translating the relationship chart as it stood then and I read most of the arrows the wrong way. Looking over my archived translations of tweets for a different fandom, I’m still picking up mistakes I made years ago, which is why I don’t trust myself as much anymore with translation outside ones where only I benefit and only I can take the fall for misunderstanding things. I keep saying on my translations “these are rushed, so please take them with a grain of salt”, but when other people rely on you for translations…it’s simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying.
Aww no worries! But damn…the others really should just treat him to food haha
Yeah I can understand that what you mean. It seems to be just a matter of practice, mostly for yourself instead of for others. Just work your way up to where you feel comfortable, but I’m sure others still appreciate your translations.
Also I accidentally spoiled myself about Nemu after watching a CERTAIN video. I don’t know the details about the whole situation, but I at least know about her whereabouts. ;;>_> (still trying to figure out the spoiler tag so i won’t say)