| While out shopping with Kaori, Ryo catches a woman who tried to pick his pocket--a woman who Kaori recognizes as Mariko, her best friend from high school! The last Kaori heard, Mariko was studying psychology at college; she explains that as her senior thesis on criminal psychology, she chose to research pickpockets. Somehow, she has become addicted to picking pockets herself; "It's at the moment that I make the snatch" she explains, "that I feel truly alive". Kaori asks Ryo to help Mariko break her habit, and he challenges her to try to steal his wallet again--if she can't, then she's not all that good and must give up pickpocketing. Though Mariko normally immediately returns the items she has stolen, a piece of cheap jewelry she has retained is in fact considered extremely valuable by three thugs... |
| This one didn't exactly "flow" as smoothly as usual--Ryo's challenge to Mariko, the drug syndicate, and her final day as a pickpocket almost seemed like three seperate plots. Nevertheless, the usual comedy and action mix. Points for including that old favorite of mine, Umibozou! Ryo going into "effeminate mode" was amusing, too. My grade: B |
