天下制覇

STATION MESSAGE STATION MESSAGE

Impressions:

God, what was even the point of this episode? It always blows when comedies decide to throw away everything that won them fans and spit out some half-cocked drama for the last two episodes in an attempt to suddenly fabricate a plot from a show whose high drama formerly consisted of "hit clown in face with pies." This episode was especially bad. If you recall where we left off last time, Ibuki had been regressed to her childhood and abandoned by Sakyo and Ukyo. If they had just held onto her, we could have skipped this episode entirely and not missed a single bloody thing. I will note that I got a laugh from the dramatic Yoichi conversation towards the start when the station alert blaring over the quiet mopey drama, but that was really about it for my amusement this week.

There was also a rather curious direction decision that gave me hope for a moment, only to crush it like squishy pudding. When Ibuki didn’t recognize Kagome, they decided to really crank the drama up to the max, even to the point of giving Ibuki pupil-less dead eyes. I thought for a moment that maybe that could mean something was up with Kagome (her not really being part of the family or something) and the whole Ibuki thing was leading somewhere more interesting, but no… it was just an unneccessary overly dramatic way to say that Ibuki had regressed to before Kagome was born. I also don’t want to know how or why Washizu was carrying around babydoll clothes for Ibuki to change into. Creeeeeeeeeeeeeepy.

Brief Summary:

Ibuki runs around the house looking for her parents in a panic. She doesn’t recognize any of them, and doesn’t even know anybody named Kagome. She even breaks Kagome’s doll in her carelessness. After Ayame yells at her for slighting Kagome, Yoichi comforts her and brings her back inside. That night, Ayame asks him what he’ll do if Ibuki never goes back to normal, but he doesn’t have an answer.

The next day, Ibuki brutalizes her students, and then gets into another fight with Ayame when she cuts up some of Chihaya’s work. Yoichi tells her to apologize, but she runs outside in tears instead. Sakyo and Ukyo enter and explain that they’ve returned Ibuki to when she was happy, when she didn’t have the dojo or her sisters to take care of, and that there’s no way to undo it. They also have a bribe for the family. Leave Ibuki to them, and they’ll be showered with riches. Meanwhile, Ibuki leaves the grounds while chasing a cat and finds Washizu. She glomps onto him.

While the sisters enjoy being waited on, Ukyo has his own bribe for Yoichi. He’s promised to fund the restoration of Angie and Tsubasa’s school too. He tells Yoichi that everybody’s happiness relies on Yoichi leaving Ibuki to them. Yoichi can’t bring himself to say no, especially with Angie there, and the siblings leave with tacit approval. A servant tases Washizu and carries Ibuki away. Yoichi wonders if they did the right thing, but the sisters think that if there’s no way to save Ibuki, this is best for all. Except… Kagome’s in her room, crying over her broke irreplaceable doll.

Yoichi makes his decision, even knowing what it’ll cost the others. The sisters agree with him and throw away their rich clothes and follow him out. 

In the limo, Sakyo playfully admonishes Ukyo for lying to the others.

Preview:

Showdown at generic Japanese castle.