Lot of info dropped on us this week. As was expected, one of the major contributing factors for the decline of Daigo’s land is that the deal that Daigo made with the demons has been broken – Hyakkimaru is reclaiming his body parts currently. What’s truly interesting is the way that Tahomaru decides to handle this.
Tahormaru I honestly thought was a pretty open-shut case – he was raised exclusively by his father and mother, and with his father being “very dominant” for lack of better words, it would not surprise me if he were unrelenting in mercy and truly believed in the kind of eminent domain his father displays. Tahomaru is not only interested in his brother but, upon learning the truth, initially condemns his father for his actions. I was impressed that Daigo’s “deal with the devil” is now common knowledge – I was under the impression he had hid that from everyone, including Tahomaru’s mother.
I was nearly certain that Daigo’s motivations for doing so were so that he would be known as a great ruler – he hasn’t behaved as anyone who is interested in being benevolent for the sake of it, and I don’t think we have any reason to believe that is in his character. Daigo (perhaps in order to sell the viewpoint) paints his reasoning for bargaining with the demons as for the good of his people, although I suspect Tahomaru’s bit about how he was looking to act self-serving is a little more accurate. Daigo did a good job trying to paint as though Hyakkimaru’s death had any sort of effect on him though – we know he wasn’t losing sleep at night.
Also, anyone notice how well Hyakkimaru speaks Japanese? He picked this up pretty quick. What’s your excuse for not learning it yet huh?
(I’m in the same boat and yes, these are glass windows)
Tahomaru appears to have accepted (as has his mother) that Hyakkimaru’s sacrifice, although regrettable, is for the good of many so he must be put down for the good of his kingdom. His mother finds it so unbearably sad that she offers herself up as sacrifice so she may suffer with her child. I understand where they’re coming from, and it does help that they are not as easy with the decision as Daigo, but they are still complicit in what both myself and Dororo see as a greater evil.
Quite ominously, the old shinto style priest mentions that he feels a great evil contained in the hall of hell. I assume we’ll be dealing with him in about 10 episodes, maybe he’s a little cross about the broken deal.
Oh yea, and the subplot with the little kid was resolved, or whatever. He was essentially a plot device to give Hyakkimaru/Dororo a reason to go to Banmon. That’s ok.
Also, is Hyakkimaru’s mother dead? I assume the answer is “yes”, but Daigo still requests Tahomaru’s retainers retrieve her as they are retreating and I don’t remember seeing a body. Does seeing a body even mean anything in anime anyway? Generally you find out the show’s “death tolerance” and work your way from there – some anime you get a paper cut and you’re dead, others you get shot and bleed a river’s worth of blood but you’re fine for some reason.
