It’s really pretty silly, but I gotta admit Tokyo Revengers is fun in its bombastically goofy, over-the-top way.  This episode was preposterous on so many levels but I still found myself rather enjoying it.  Maybe it’s just one of those shows where you have to give up and let the bakayarocity wash over you to really appreciate.  I keep trying to figure out of there’s any sense of self-awareness or irony to Wakui Ken’s writing but in the end, I don’t think it even matters.

Take that snowy scene where Chifuyu and Takemitchy make stirring speeches about Baji-kun and execute the ritual exchanging of the sash.  There’s no way Wakui could have meant that straight-up, could he?  The sheer absurdity of these idiot kids (one of whom is actually 28 and doesn’t really have that excuse) pretending there’s something noble to their petty violence and wannabe militarism is this series’ conceit exemplified.  In a way, really, these guys are all chuunibyou – it’s just that they’re chuuni for organized legal violence and not fantasy and magic.  Sadly, that means they can live their fantasies out in far more dangerous fashion.  If Wakui actually intends to portray that message, it’s actually a really clever piece of narrative observation.

Takemitchy’s speech to Hakkai in the church is a little easier to take at face value, even if they hypocrisy run’s pretty deep given what he imagines is happening (but actually isn’t) outside.  He is correct in that Yuzuha certainly wouldn’t be happy to have her little brother in jail for murder, no matter how much both of them hate their brother.  But I can see Hakkai’s perspective here too – victims of domestic violence are often cornered like this, with no obviously good options to move forward.  And no one who hasn’t been in their shoes can really understand that.  Of course, the elephant in the room (with TMR the damn room is wall to wall elephants) is that pursuing a life of violence only ever leads to more violence, which is why the whole Toman mythology is so stupid in the first place.

Was there ever a doubt that Kisaki would double-cross Takemitchy and Chifuyu?  Of course not – as I said last week they should 100% have planned for that contingency, but between the two of them they’re barely a 40-watt bulb.  Kisaki’s game is to goad Yuzuha into killing Taiju, which means Takemitchy is effectively the cause of the future he’s trying to be prevent.  I’m quite interested to know what this secret about Yuzuha and Hakkai that Taiju refers to is – Hakkai was certainly desperate to keep it a secret.  Are they incestuous lovers?  Has Hakkai been participating in Taiju’s abuse of their sister?

Whether in some ironic (that word again) way Takemitchy managed to change the timeline by saving Taiju’s life remains to be seen.  But that knife wound certainly didn’t look fatal.  It’s tough to tell with knife wounds, but there’s too little blood for it to be really deep (Taiju’s massive muscles would indeed be some protection against a knife attack, especially if Yuzuha isn’t particularly powerful herself).  Either way, what happens now?  I thought for a second Takemitchy was going to try and convince “devout Christian” Taiju not to kill in a church (that would have been delicious) but Taiju clearly isn’t bothered about that.