This episode was quite the roller coaster! It really doesn’t feel like a full 24-minute episode went by, but they really did cover a lot of stuff in this episode and left us with a pretty solid cliff hanger! I wasn’t expecting to get backstory on Draken or even how he became friends with Mikey, but I’m so happy that they included it. It really just makes me want to see Takemichi succeed even more… even though it looks like all odds are against him right now. And based off where we ended this episode… you’re going to need all the help you can get.
I’m glad that we started off the episode with a bit of a refresher from last week. Having the chance to re-establish how important Draken is to Mikey was fantastic. Draken definitely seems like a second conscience to Mikey which in turn helps to keep them both grounded. I mean, at the end of the day they are still delinquents and, in a gang, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have morals. But then we dive right into Draken’s backstory which just makes me want to see him survive even more! He’s essentially being raised by the brothel but you can see that everyone he interacts with at least treats him like a kid. Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have a father figure so he’s just doing whatever he feels like and causing trouble however he pleases. But hey! At least he’s going to school.
I can’t believe it took me this long, but I just realized the name Draken is a play on the word dragon… which then of course explains his dragon tattoo. I actually hope that his dragon tattoo becomes more significant over time! Even if it is just the “Oh snap, it’s Draken”. Everyone knows who he is because of that look. But what was also fun in this episode is that we get to see the first interaction of Draken and Mikey. I love the fact that Draken was ready to take down this punk and bring him to the other delinquents, but upon seeing Mikey he was just like “Oh… uh… you’re not as scary as I’d thought you’d be. But I was told to come get you”. Which makes me think… have Draken and Mikey ever fought? Even just in a we’re best friends, but you’re being really dumb right now so I’m going to knock some sense into you type of fight. … They probably have, but I’m definitely on Takemichi’s side in thinking that they would never harm each other maliciously. So, whoever is pulling the strings…. you better leave them alone.
As for the second half of the episode, I’m actually pretty satisfied that we made a surprising jump back to the present. We got a quick transition and then bam! we’re looking for a guy named Osanai. And the guy that they found is certainly not the one that you would think was leading a gang around. But then you think about it…. Takemichi was a delinquent, but when he grew up, he was certainly a lot more like Osanai. Consistently keeping his head down and apologizing. But it was honestly a surprise when we jumped back to the past and saw what Osanai used to be like. It was like night and day! It’s an incredible transformation. I’m just really stressed out about this confrontation. It doesn’t matter how meek Osanai is in the present. In the past he’s ready to cause problems and has the back up to do so. I mean, Pah? He’s pretty much out for the count. How can just 5 people take out that whole group???
So Takemichi has found himself in a rather… tricky situation, but he has to be successful. So many lives are riding on the success. But one moment that definitely hit quite a bit in this episode was seeing Akkun again. We haven’t seen him since he jumped off the building in the present, so it was great seeing him again. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a little put off by Takemichi’s sudden change in behavior. I mean, one minute you’re joking about farts, then the next you’re talking about dreams. But… I suppose it’s not really that easy to tell your friend “hey, I watched you die. don’t do that.” Still! I’m glad they got to have the moment! Akkun, you’ll be a great hairdresser, so you better succeed!!
As always, I really can’t wait for the next episode. I would love to be able to binge the whole series in a single sitting. But I suppose waiting each week really lets that suspense build up. But Takemichi… you have no room for failure. You better stop Draken and Mikey’s fight and you need to stop Kisaki Tetta from doing whatever the heck he is trying to do. It’s game over if you let anyone die! You can’t go back again!!
