Busou Renkin - 19: If I Can Protect You...

Title:Busou Renkin
Episode:19: If I Can Protect You...
Synopsis
"In order to stop his 'victorization', Kazuki, Tokiko and Gouta headed towards Newton Apple Girl's Academy where Tokiko originally retrieved the black kakugane. Meanwhile, at the Alchemic Regiment's headquarters, a team to re-kill Kazuki was formed, along with a team to track down Victor. Papillon, who is also after Kazuki, appeared right before Team Re-Kill on a mountain road. In order to learn Kazuki's whereabouts Papillon fought Ikusabe while Hiwatari and Negoro rushed ahead and finally caught up to Kazuki and the others".

Papillon realizes how he can counter Ikusabe's incredible full body restoration capability. The defeated Ikusabe keeps his word and directs him to Newton Apple. Hiwatari, meanwhile, has used his fire alchemy to burn the graveyard road to a crisp, to ensure a kill of Kazuki and the others; he assigns Negoro to recover the kakugane from the presumably charred bodies. His alchemy isn't nearly as effective as he had thought, however. Aboard an airplane Shuusui and his new comrades detect the presence of Victor nearby. After being knocked unconscious, Tokiko comes to with Gouta; Kazuki is nowhere to be found. "So, you're still alive" a strange voice says; "Although you are not my primary target, eliminating you is also a part of my mission"...
Comments
The first time I watched this episode, I found it frustrating and disappointing. Why did Papillon discard a crucial weapon? Why was Hiwatari so careless about verifying the fate of Kazuki? At least include some footage to explain why he thinks Kazuki is dead, because in fact he hardly had a scratch. One thing I did like was the cliffhanger ending, where Kazuki finds himself up against an unexpected opponent. Otherwise this episode seemed pretty substandard compared to the series so far--too much action (three more-or-less simultaneous fights) and too little plot, perhaps?

The second time I watched it, however, I found myself giggling at all the outlandish arms alchemy tactics ("Military Dog Arms Alchemy--Killer Rabies!") and enjoying myself. Perhaps this was because I knew what to expect and just went with the flow instead of hoping it would go the way I wanted it to. Maybe a person like me has to watch these fast moving, far-out fights twice in order to really grasp what's going on and why they turned out the way they did. Pausing the episode during action scenes makes it apparent how cheesy the artwork often is at these times--normally they move so fast that you wouldn't notice.

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