| Title: | Angel Heart |
| Episode: | 12: Encounter And Farewell At Sea |
| Synopsis |
| Ryou and Xiang Ying have come aboard the tanker moored in Tokyo Bay for Qian De's funeral. Xiang Ying doesn't understand the point of a funeral--she was always taught that death only meant that you had failed to complete a mission. Ryou explains that a funeral "is more about easing the pain of the grieved than about the deceased." While Xiang Ying waits on deck, Ryou finds Master Li looking at a photo of his late wife, Lin Xiang Ping. She is clearly the spitting image of Xiang Ying, and Li explains that when they first met she was the same age as Xiang Ying is now. Back then, he and Qian De were small time syndicate members, smuggling refugees from mainland China to Taiwan. Qian De arranged a meeting between the two, and it was love at first sight. Li relates how his responsibilities as he rose in status within the syndicate kept his wife and himself increasingly apart, and how Qian De persuaded him to father a child. Li regrets that his twin brother, who served him so loyally, "lived as my shadow, never married, and died not knowing any of the freedom I had". Ryou responds with a couple of anecdotes from meetings between himself and Qian De whenever the latter was in Japan. "He was satisfied with his life" Ryou declares. "His smile was proof of that"... |
| Comments |
| Based on the episode title, I was afraid that Master Li, who I'd grown to like, was going to get assasinated while taking a ship back to Taiwan, but fortunately nothing like that happens here. Instead, more character development for Master Li, Xiang Ying, and Qian De (which is kind of curious considering he's already dead). So, here's where we stand: Xiang Ying will not be Ryou's lover, but rather his adopted daughter. Her boyfriend will in all likelihood be Xin Hong. With Kaori's spirit now residing in his daughter, will Ryou feel free to fool around once more? Will Xiang Ying take over the duty of "persuading" him to behave himself? |
