Horses for courses, that’s the theme of the day. Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai is a match made in Heaven for me, obviously. But also for Studio Pierrot. They have an unerringly steady hand with this sort of material, to the point where there’s literally no studio I would trust more with any work of this genre that I cared about. With anyone else – even the likes of Bones or Wit – you’d run the risk of an adaptation that lost the essential nature of the original in narrative terms. The tradeoff would be flashier visuals, but it’s a gamble I wouldn’t want to make if I had the choice.
Yatagarasu is generally great, though the thread with Yukiya and the Prince continues to be the more riveting one. We start with Wakamiya losing Yukiya in a dice game – crapping out on a bet too large (theoretically) for him to cover. He leaves the raven chick behind as a dogsbody for the brothel where the game was held – and that’s the last Yukiya sees of his master for six weeks. Naturally the boy is good at his duties, and the staff clearly take a shine to him (it’s hard to imagine a kid his age could escape a sentence of that length in that setting with his chastity intact).
It soon becomes clear that this was all a ruse by the Prince – a chance to place a pair of eyes in a location where he knows his enemies gather. What’s interesting is not that the Prince did this – we know he’s playing five-dimensional chess as a means of survival – but that he didn’t tell Yukiya. Especially the matter of whether he really “forgot”, as he claims, or kept Yukiya in the dark on purpose. And if it’s the latter, why? I might speculate the following – he trusted Yukiya to seize the opportunity presented to him and keep his eyes and ears open, and thought the boy would act more naturally if he was acting on his own initiative.
When Wakamiya and Sumio finally come for Yukiya, he learns of the existence of a network of tunnels running through the mountain city – handy for court ravens on illicit trysts, but also for those hiding from their enemies. Yukiya is a very smart child, and he has indeed seized the moment. A meeting took place during his indentured servitude, called by Rokon and consisting of a network of Natsuka loyalists. Among them is Kazumichi (Yamamoto Manta), father of the young noble Yukiya baited into soiling his own bed in the premiere. Rokon has determined that he was the one who ordered the attempt on Wakamiya’s life, and that rash action has not endeared him to Natsuka’s strongman.
As with much of Karasau wa Aruji o Erabanai, it’s hard to know how much of this is genuine and how much is theatre. Obviously Rokon knew he would be making an example of Kazumichi that night. I suspect his claim that he called the meeting without Natsuka’s knowledge is BS, part of the plausible deniability strategy central to Natsuka’s operations. How about Atsufusa (Kawanishi Kengo)? That’s less clear. If Atsufusa was in on the operation, then his performance was the key to the evening’s success. And the question of whether he knew is critical to assessing his appearance at Wakamiya’s house at the close of the episode.
Wakamiya is clearly a ruthless man – though if he wasn’t, he likely wouldn’t still be alive – but he’s not oblivious to the emotional implications of events. He recognizes that Yukiya is troubled by the role his humiliation of Kazumichi’s son played in what happened to the man. Yukiya believes that Kazumichi isn’t smart enough to have masterminded the intricate assassination attempt, and he’s almost surely correct – and that the Empress is the obvious guiding hand from the shadows. But without proof that knowledge is useless to them. I still have questions about Natsuka’s ultimate aims here – I don’t think they’re as simple as wanting his brother dead and his ass on the throne. Atsufusa’s visit may shed some light on those aims.
The princesses, meanwhile, continue to await Wakamiya’s presence in vain. The upcoming Tanabata (or its Chinese ancestor the Qixi Festival, if you believe that’s where this series is set) seems to present Wakamiya with an obligation he can’t avoid, however. The four maidens “sew” (a single stitch for most of them) special kimono, and whichever one he chooses supposedly tips the Prince’s inclinations. Asebi has received a gift from Fujinami – a koto called “Drifting Cloud“. And her lady in waiting’s reaction to seeing it suggests that the instrument holds a deeper significance in this complicated ritual dance of power.
animealex
May 6, 2024 at 4:17 amWhile this is the show, I enjoy the most this season (a close second is Wind Breaker btw.), I still can’t get into the “princesses part of view”. They’re not fleshed out enough to care one way or the other about them. The main focused one (the East girl) gets on my nerves because a) either she is as naive as she appears or b) is playing the naive, harmless girl while plotting something (remember the East’s reputation for cunning and intrigue?) without giving us (the audience) enough meat to sink our teeth in. I hope that changes soon. There are some scenes (like the blood drop) here and there which might have a deeper meaning, but as of right now don’t do much for me. If this all is a lengthy setup for some drama later on, that’s good. But if the setup is too long without anything really interesting here or there, it doesn’t do much for me. I hope I’m not rambling to much, but the princesses and their plot feel too disconnected from the rest. You can speculate much about the intrigues, personalities and relations on the “male side”, but on the “female side” it isn’t there (yet); at least for me. I hope for a merger of the storylines soon.
Yukija smiling brightly while trying to deck the crown prince after he finally comes to get him, was my highlight of the episode. A shame the prince is always a step ahead of everyone else, because that hit would have been deserved.
Guardian Enzo
May 6, 2024 at 9:17 amI think this is a function of them trying to interweave two narrative threads that were handled seperately in print. So far at least the princess one is less compelling so I’m glad they’re focusing more on Yukiya and Wakamiya.
Nicc
May 7, 2024 at 7:09 amWe got another darn good episode here. In this episode, we are introduced to the Ravine, which is literally a ravine where the slums are. That it gets little sun because of its location adds to the seediness. It’s also a good spot for clandestine encounters and for activities that you don’t want to be caught doing.
Wakamiya is there with Yukiya when he loses big in a dice game. Wakamiya doesn’t have the money to pay now, but the brothel can have Yukiya as collateral. He may have had better luck with betting on horses. I spent a good amount of time watching the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Yukiya is diligent with his work and enough that the brothel would rather keep him around. Wakamiya does return several weeks later, though it seems that Yukiya still a hundred years too early to fool Wakamiya with that surprise attack.
Inside the Ravine itself is a network of caves that eventually lead up towards the mountain. It’s a good way to get back and forth without being seen. But, one should still be careful as Wakamiya notes that people have been known to get lost and die. Wakamiya and Yukiya end up going to a brothel at the surface. Hey, at least this one isn’t as seedy. Yukiya reports about some secret meeting amongst Natsuka’s supporters.
As you said, Wakamiya already knew about the meeting and basically planted Yukiya as a spy without his knowledge. He may not have any allies, but he’s got reliable sources for intelligence. This meeting is headed by Natsuka’s bodyguard, Rokon, and seemingly without Natsuka’s knowledge. There’s a certain official in there he wants to call out and blames for the earlier assassination attempt on Wakamiya. Right, he’s the father of the boy who was supposed to serve Wakamiya until that public humiliation from Yukiya. I do agree that it seemed staged, including Natsuka himself showing up in a meeting that he supposedly should have been kept in the dark about. Natsuka himself apparently doesn’t give any orders and just goes with the flow. This makes it sounds like there’s no overall plan on how to take out Wakamiya if he’s not the one calling the shots.
Is it up to individual initiative, then? Natsuka’s personal aide, Atsufusa, didn’t care for the bloody scene and is visiting the Crown Prince for some reason. The assassination attempt itself was masterminded by somebody else, very likely the Empress. She wants him gone now.
Yes, and we back to the ladies again and they’re still waiting at the Cherry Blossom Palace. It’s almost time for Tanabata and this is a social event that Wakamiya cannot avoid this time. Him showing up at the palace means that the Empress will make a move there while Wakamiya will have to dodge trying to put on a kimono at the same time. And there’s something significant about that koto too and it looks like it’s being featured in the next episode as well.
Raikou
May 7, 2024 at 10:01 amFinally I caught up to your newest review.
Great series. I love that both Wakamiya and Yukiya are well written, smart characters that I can root for.
Miyu Irino as Wakamiya is a new take, I’m used to Irino playing straight good guys.
Atsufusa might be becoming an ally, but it could be something else. I’m intrigued.
Guardian Enzo
May 7, 2024 at 10:41 amI kind of see it like Hirata Hiroaki’s performance in Made in Abyss. A bit of a departure from their normal persona but they’re just great actors, they can handle it.
Raikou
May 7, 2024 at 1:12 pmYeah, Hirata is amazing at antagonist role too, MIA, Ultraman and Heroaca, he’s never boring.
Irino never bores me as a seiyuu. Too bad he’s not focusing on voice role right now.