No mistake about it, The Fable has developed into a seriously good show. But as much as anything, for me this is a series for viewers who appreciate acting. There’s not much value added to the experience of a manga generally with the adaptation – it’s fine. But the cast is so tremendous. It’s easy to overlook Okitsu Kazuyuki, who brings a ton to a challengingly deadpan role with Akira. But Fuji Shinshuu’s work as Utsubu is spectacular on every level. So much depth of evil with this one. And do I even need to start on Sawashiro Miyuki? That line reading on the phone when she found out Akira was as the conbini – just pure genius.

Dammit, I can’t help but like Akira, even knowing what he is. His disconnect from the moral and ethical implications of his job is terrifying. But he’s got a bit of hitman Robin Hood in him somehow. Is it surprising that he tripped the grenade trap on purpose so no innocent person would? Well, not really – that’s in-character. He just doesn’t have it in him to take a threat to himself seriously – though I wish he was a little more open to it where Youko is concerned. Is it even possible for someone as good as Akira to be overconfident? I guess this arc puts that to the test.

Akira’s next step after leaving Casa Kabang behind is to send Youko off to tail Suzuki (sigh) and procure himself a car. To do so is calls Kuro-chan, with extraordinarily bad timing for poor Isaki (who’s a scumbag so screw him). Kuro is happy to offer the sporty Lexus he was going to sell Isaki to Nii-san, offering to have it to him in ten minutes. Akira kills the time in convenience store reading magazines and buying karaage (again, totally in-character) and engages in the aforementioned phone convo with Youko, which would have made Bob Newhart proud.

The N-System for those who don’t know (I didn’t until I Googled it) is the electronic surveillance network the cops and SDF use to track (theoretically) every vehicle in Japan. Suzuki takes a rugged mountain road to avoid it, which proves rather a problem for Youko in Ebihara’s (former) low-riding Hakosuka. I didn’t like that Akira was so cavalier about this, even if he did keep encouraging Youko to stop and wait for him. Suzuki and Utsubo could have killed her rather than just tie her up, and Youko as tough as she is isn’t Akira. She lets herself be fooled by Suzuki throwing a rock and acting like it was a grenade, and gets herself caught.

Even captured and alive Youko makes this appreciably harder for Akira. who hardly sounded surprised by what he assumes happened. The decision not to kill her is an interesting one – probably logical as she’s good leverage, but even so interesting. Otsubo gives Hina bullets for her handgun, with Akira obviously getting close. When they find the Hakosuka Akira instructs Kuro to safely get it to the edge of the road and lean on the horn. This accomplishes what it was likely intended to do – get under Suzuki and Utsubo’s skin and make them antsy.

The last ten minutes of the episode are just pure, raw tension. I was a live wire through the whole sequence, let me tell you. As I (and Utsubo, as it turns out) suspected Hina never intended to shoot Satou. She knew Utsubo was the one that killed her parents because he knew info that the police kept secret. Hina shoots Utsubo, but he’s protected by a bullet-proof vest. He taunts her, offering her a free shot with the three bullets she has left but scolding her that it’ll have to be in the head. Much to everyone’s astonishment Hina stands up to give herself a better shot – but in the process steps on Plan B, an anti-personnel mine intended for Akira.

Well this is just great drama, all of it. The horn, Youko tied up, Utsubo’s relentless barrage of vileness (Fuji-san, you magnificent bastard), and the mine. Is Suzuki-san concerned because he genuinely doesn’t want Hina to blow up, or just because he doesn’t want to be ten feet away when it happens (not to mention lose his Plan B)? Akira arriving in the nick of time to save Hina – along with his most chaddish line of dialogue in the entire series – is the definition of a grand entrance. But given his determination not to kill anybody, even Akira may be somewhat tested as far as defusing this clusterfrick.