天下制覇

Rika’s perfect world… destroyed.

Aroduc’s note:
Okay Sage, you win. I’ll fully summarize, you can deal with the impressions. Slacker. Not a fan of the drastic shift in… well… everything between the two episodes, but otherwise pretty well done. Still, there should have been at least some form of trasition, not an immediate and unseen jump in Rika’s entire outlook.

Impressions:

Awesome episode. Sure, the shift was drastic, but I think that was the whole point of it. Fill Rika with false hopes and then beat her to the ground and make her realize that if things were that easy, she would have gotten out of the loop a long time ago. After all, she did mention on the first episode that Tatarigoroshi-hen is the BADDEST END scenario, and the trigger for that arc clearly is Teppei’s return.

Rika just rolled her worst one after rolling all those sixes, but at least she does acknowledge that she’s not able to save Satoko by herself. It’s Keiichi, armed with the knowledge of previous arcs, who is setting things right. Letting Shion bash him hard with a chair just to cool her off? Not too shabby. And that’s only the start.

NEXT EP PREVIEW: Kameda-kun. Laughs are expected. Also, Keiichi’s otaku army.

ps. Good to see Rika’s EFD. Maybe it turned kinda boring with DEEN overusing it on the previous season, but I still dig that sh*t when used right.

Summary:

At night, some gangsters walk in on a panicked Rina, feverishly stuffing money into a bag.

Rika is looking for Hanyuu, but can’t find her. Something is wrong with Satoko. Rika goes running off to look for them, and finds Satoko lifeless with a bag of groceries. A window opens, and Teppei is there. He yells at her and throws an ashtray at her. Rika is concerned, but Satoko is pretty lifeless and won’t do anything.

At the police station Oishi is receiving a call from Rika. She asks if she can talk to Akasaka, but he’s gone. She hangs up on him, and becomes angry, but says that she won’t give up.

Rika goes to Irie and Takano for help next, but despite her impassioned pleas, they don’t want to interfere with Satoko’s family either. Takano says that without the police’s consent, there’s really nothing they can do since Teppei is being watched closely. Rika gets really pissed at this and says that waiting will take too long and angrily chews them out and accuses both of them of being the ones to cause her death.

At home, Rika is drinking her problems away with Hanyuu. Rika is thinking that this world is hopeless after all and it’s impossible to save it after all.

At school, everybody is asking Rika where Satoko is and why she’s not present, but Rika is in dark mode and refuses to answer. She excuses herself and goes to the nurse office where she tells Chie about Satoko. Chie says to leave it to her and she’ll talk to Satoko, but Rika says that Satoko won’t come forward on her own.

As Rika goes to leave, all her friends were listening and heard it all… about Satoko being abused by Teppei and refuse to stand idly by. Shion is especially hurt by it, but Chie says to leave it to her. Hanyuu appears beside Rika as Chie leaves, but Rika again says that this world is basically over.

At the Hojo house, Chie is demanding to talk to Satoko, but Teppei says that she has a cold and won’t let her in before slamming the door in her face.

That evening, the schoolchums are arguing to Chie to let them help Satoko. Shion is pissed again and says that she’s going to go save Satoko, even if it means killing Teppei. Saving Satoko is the most important thing for her and killing him is the only way to do that. They argue against her and Rena says that there has to be another way. Shion says that there’s nothing else left, nobody else will help Satoko but her. She turns to leave, but Keiichi blocks her way.

He tells her that he understands the feeling, but there’s absolutely no way he will let her do it. She repeats that there’s no other way, but Keiichi thinks otherwise and killing him will do nothing. She raises a chair to attack him, but he wonders if she will really do it. She says that she’s a Sonozaki and has no problem with it.

Mion tries to interrupt, but Rena stops her and says that Keiichi will definitely be okay as she remembers fighting him. Shion smashes Keiichi over the head with the chair, but then drops it. She goes and sits down darkly as Keiichi gets the blood mopped off his head by Rena. The other door opens, and Chie and another man (principal) come in and tell them that Chie talked to him and they’ll try to do what they can.

As everybody smiles and Mion comforts Shion, Hanyuu appears again and expresses hope, but Rika still thinks that this won’t change anything and this world is still screwed.

That night, Mion, Rena and Keiichi are thinking on Satoko and how she can be saved from Teppei. They’re pretty hopeful and think that Shion will be able to convince them to step in. Keiichi wonders where his resolve came from, and remembers brutally killing Satoko in the past, as well as falling to his death by her hands, but he says that he can’t allow that to happen.

At the Maebara house, Keiichi tries to talk to his father about recent things. I didn’t catch the gist of the conversation particularly well, but it was something about trying to report to a child care facility.

The next day, the group, minus the chibis are thinking about ways to save Satoko again. Rika says that it’s useless and destined that she cannot be saved. Keiichi doesn’t believe in that destiny and gives his usual “screw destiny” speech and pose.

The kiddos are trying to report the abuse to a counselor, but since Satoko won’t come forward herself, they can’t do anything. The kids make an impassioned plea for them to step in. She thanks them for reporting it and excuses them while she reports to the others and whatnot.

Outside, they’re discussing how useless the adults are, and Shion especially hates her idiot grandmother for being at the head of this. Rika finally drops the bombshell to the rest that she knows Satoko’s going to die, and she’s is going to die as well. She begs Keiichi to save them both. Keiichi gets resolved and says that they need to take things into their own hands.