Check out last week’s episode eighteen review here.
Well alrighty then, Kagehisa’s master plan is finally revealed: to show the shogunate just how weak they are.
To do so, they only needed a four-man cell to infiltrate the current imperial pet Hanabusa Ugen’s stronghold. Then, Magatsu literally wrote their core declaration in ink on the walls of the interior castle. I don’t even know what to say, I find the Itto-ryu so incredibly impressive.
Maybe this is a controversial thing to say, but I enjoy seeing their ideology blossom.
Are they destructive? Sure.
Do the people of Edo need more senseless violence plaguing their streets? No.
But in the long run, has the ghost of the Itto-ryu been effective? Absolutely.
Sometimes, the need to push complacency arises. If an entire garrison, or rather two entire squads could not take down four unarmoured men with swords, arrows, and sheer manpower…then there really is an underlying problem there.
I have to slightly wonder if Rin is attempting to join the Itto-ryu because she would like to become stronger. So much stronger, that she can finally have a serious attempt on Kagehisa’s life. Otherwise, I’d imagine Rin can’t handle or go back to her ordinary life. Although she hasn’t done much in terms of swordplay, the girl has gotten stronger mentally.
It was a funny scene to notice that Rin quietly knew the other two artist apprentices were the shogunate’s spies before they realized who Rin and Manji were. A strength not in the traditional sense is still meaningful. Maybe it is a woman’s strength Rin has, as lame as that sounds to type out.
This entire time I’ve been wondering where her journey in pursuit of the Itto-ryu would land her. For almost half of this series I sincerely thought she was hopeless. Now, not so much. Sure, she does rely on Manji far too much, but Rin has come into her own. Last episode when the two slept in a room together at the head of the bedding lay both of their weapons.
Manji has brute force – his swords and weapons. Rin has her hair loopeys – a covert but deadly tactic.
Maybe there is still hope for Rin yet. For the Itto-ryu, and their brutal but in its core function realistic ideology. I’ll be tuning into the very end, and I hope you will be too.
Will the Rokki-dan catch up to the Itto-ryu? What do you think will become of this final showdown? Will The Greatest Anotsu Kagehisa live to see the end?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Mugen no Juunin episode reviews!
次の巻: A Weak Stomach For Revenge
Twitter Instagram Pinterest BlogLovin
Blade of the Immortal is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. If you’d like to watch the series now, or even later on and binge-watch the series use this link for a free 30-day trial!
In Asian Spaces 