God damn it I am bawling here, MY EMOTIONS!!!!!
The episode picks up from where we left off in regards of the story with Shiro and the Earth-Spider Siblings. We learn the two of them lost their family to Humans and because of that Akatsuki became bitter and began attacking them, and trying his hardest to make sure his sister was kept safe. It is Shiro however who takes them in, having them sign a contract to serve as his bodyguards and slaves (yes he actually put that in the contract, even Aoi was shocked), but it merely an exaggerated label as he treated them well, and all they had to do was simply house chores and cook (although Akatsuki was a clumbsy one due to Shiro’s mischievousness and distaste for Ayakashi’s flavours). Eventually Akatsuki came around to trust him. However eventually it came the time for them to return to the Hidden Realm, and Shiro tore up their contract and sent them under Oodanna’s care. He wasn’t ready to leave him, he didn’t want to go, but Shiro told them it would be in their best interest to do so.
In the end, Akatsuki doesn’t hate Shiro, he isn’t a tsundere either, but someone who is consumed by grief. He couldn’t accept Shiro dying so suddenly. Cooking food with Aoi today was an important part of his healing process, and getting a sense of closure by being able to make and eat the dumplings Shiro fed them when he first took them home.
Suzuran has also shown us she is an incredibly loyal and dignified character. She is a strong individual who has a clear set of goals and intends to follow it through. Initially, she wanted to go because she didn’t want him to be lonely, but when she heard how he started living with his grandchild, she was relieved he wasn’t alone anymore. Although Shiro is no longer with them, she still wishes to be in the Apparent Realm, and watch over his grave. And If that wasn’t already enough to make me love her, when Aoi remarks how it must be nice to have siblings, Suzuran tells her since they have both been raised by Shiro, that makes them sisters (and Akatsuki her brother). At that point I completely lost it and was drowning in my own tears.
And now Aoi has found herself two precious siblings. Although they are not blood-related, Suzuran made a beautiful point that since the two of them were raised by Shiro, that makes them sisters. I definitely feel like Akatsuki is going to start acting like her brother, especially since he given her permission now to call him by his name. I absolutely loved watching the two of them interact with each other, especially when Aoi showed her robust side of her by outright forcing Akatsuki to eat, tackling him and guiding him on how to cook Shiro’s dumplings for his sister… AHHHH EVERYTHING IS SO PRECIOUS! I live for heart-warming scenes likes this! It heals me!
When Suzuran sets off to go to the Apparent Realm, the stalker Tan appears at the Tenjin-ya Inn and declares war against Oodanna. It was not some small fight either, Tan actually came with weapons to blow up and the the place on fire for real. We didn’t get to see how the fight played out though, only bits of it, with Akatsuki being the one to protect them until they were able to safely leave the circumstance of the battlefield. But even if had they not attacked, we know that Oodanna still intended to have Aoi escort Suzuran to the places she wants to go, as he had already prepared two tickets to the Apparent Realm.
Even though it was only for a short while, it was nice to see Aoi back in her origin world. It gave us the chance to see how she feels coming back a place where she has nobody to return to (with the exception of Suzuran who is now watching over Shiro’s grave). After they went their separate ways, Aoi felt lonely. Interestingly enough, it looks as though she doesn’t want to admit it, because despite her claims, being alone actually scares her. Fortunately for her, Oodana was there to pick her up by nightfall, so she is able to comfortably return to the hidden realm, this time bringing along her cute little Kappa friend who has been anxiously waiting for her meals.
Actually now that I think of it, I really like how the recent episodes have been directly continuing from where they left off in the previous one. It really gives us a better sense of time Aoi is spending with everyone. Oodanna likes curry, so I hope we will be seeing him eat it in next week’s episode. If so, I wonder if Aoi will ask him about why Shiro started behaving even more erratically than usual that caused him to to fall in debt in the first place?
Shiro is truly such a mysterious character, he has done a lot of good things, even if they can sometimes be through questionable methods. He rescued the Earth-Spider Siblings, gave them a place to stay and later offered them the contract to serve him. He spoiled Suzuran and taught Akatsuki many things, such as cooking, fighting and so on. We learned through Akatsuki that Shiro lied about her taste preference so she would learn how to cook food that suited Akayashi, which would help protect her.
However according to Akatsuki, right after he sent them to the Hidden Realm, Shiro suddenly started running amock after eating and drinking as he pleased, he even broke a pot that was like a national treasure, and offered his granddaughter as a collateral for his debt. He doesn’t know what the master was thinking to have accepted it, but this certainly makes us wonder what kind of situation was Shiro in. The timing in which he sent the two to Oodanna’s place seems to be not too long before he takes in Aoi.
Taking that into consideration, are two things to consider: Did Shiro fall into debt before or after Aoi was abandoned? And when did he and Oodanna make the promise?
At this time, I believe Shiro fell into debt after Aoi was abandoned. The reason for that is based on how Aoi was sent to an orphanage and it is there where she is later taken in her grandfather. However the tricky part is how Aoi’s family background is largely a mystery. She has yet to mention ever having a father, implying up until the point she was abandoned, she was raised by a single-mother. We also don’t know whether or not her mother is Shiro’s daughter, or daughter-in law, but for her mother to have abandoned her instead of sending her to her grandfather shows either they were not on good terms, or she is a horrible person who didn’t care what happened to her kid.
So if Shiro fell into debt after he learns Aoi was abandoned, I wonder if the reason behind his sudden erratic behaviour had anything to do with his distress of either being unable to find her, or consumed by grief to learn his granddaughter was abandoned. And when he does find her and brings her home, that is when he decides to go to Oodanna for the loan to clear his debt. This may possibly explain his motive for making her his collateral for his debt in the first place. It could be Shiro’s twisted way of ensuring that even after he dies, Aoi will not be alone. And at the same time, this could also explain why much to everyone’s surprise, Oodanna accepted the conditions, especially if he were to be the Akayashi who helped Aoi. This would further explain why Shiro made it his mission to teach her how to cook food that appealed to Akayashi’s taste, so that it becomes a source of power, her way of fighting and protecting herself.
This week was yet another fantastic episode, but it was icing on the cake to see the the animation quality was kicked up a notch, and it was absolutely worth every penny. I was also pleased to see a new Special ED Theme, and I find it to be a beautiful touch. I know for a fact I will be buying those character CDS, the songs are so freaking good to pass up on. In fact, this whole show is a freaking hidden gem, and more people need to be watching it!!!
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