Welcome bck to Anime Rants. This episode focused on a variety of characters as they visit the lively Shima family for a New Year’s wedding. But for me, the most interesting parts were those focused on Yukio. He’s acting more strangely than ever. Let’s go over this episode and see what happened.
Episode 9: Congratulations
Episode Rating: 7/10
As you may recall, the previous installment ended with Yukio angrily yelling at Rin for not caring enough about the truth of their birth. Rin snaps back, demanding to know why his brother is so mad. Suddenly, Yukio switches attitudes and laughs before putting on his fake “Saleman’s Smile.” He tells Rin to forget this ever happened.
A few days later, Yukio and the Exwires all go to visit the Shima family, where one of the young couples is getting married. Suguro’s father, Tatsuma, will preside over the wedding. The group will also be celebrating New Year’s together. Rin enjoys the lively family atmosphere, but Shima isn’t happy about seeing his family again. They make him feel boxed in, made to deal with responsibilities he never wanted.
If you want an example of his misfortune, Shima was forced to be the one who inherited the demon-god Yamantaka after his older brother died in the Blue Night. It’s difficult to master Yamantaka due to his immense power. But Shima got some interesting perspective from Konekomaru, who says he envies the other boy’s large family and powerful summon. Konekomaru and Shima have a few bonding moments after realizing that they were both “born into the wrong kind of family.”
At the New Year’s sunrise, Rin and Shiemi get separated from the rest of the group. While they’re alone, Rin tells Shiemi that he no longer understands Yukio at all, which alarms Shiemi. The next day is the wedding of Shima’s brother and his new wife. Suguro asks his father Tatsuma about Shiro Fujimoto, and Yukio overheard it. When Yukio asks directly what he wants to know, Suguro says he can’t disclose any information about the investigation he and Lightning are undertaking.
Meanwhile, Lightning tracks down Drac Dragulesc, knocks him over, and casually tortures him while asking about his connection to the Illuminati. The protesting old man was getting sliced up by Lightning’s green fairies, until suddenly, Lightning saw a mysterious mark on his chest. It may be the key to undoing a Morinath contract, something that Lightning desperately wants to know. After all, anyone who took a Morinath oath should not be able to join the Illuminati – unless there was a secret way to cancel it. Lightning left Drac alone after that.
Back at the wedding party, Yukio grabs Suguro and holds him at gunpoint, demanding to know what he and Lightning are investigating. But he backs off suddenly as if realizing what he’s doing for the first time. Quickly, Yukio puts on his fake smile and tries to leave. Shima warns him to cut it out and reminds him that he should consult someone for his issues. Yukio says there’s no point in consulting anyone since they are ultimately different people and cannot understand each other.
After seeing Yukio’s behavior in this episode, I’m confused. Is Yukio with the Illuminati or not? He seems like he’s barely aware of what he’s doing. It’s possible Lucifer or someone else is manipulating his memories. It’s also possible that I’m completely wrong about everything and Yukio hasn’t gone to seek help from the Illuminati at all. If anyone else is watching this season as it airs, let me know your guesses in the comments. (However, please don’t give manga spoilers.)
At the end of the episode, we learn that a Cyclops demon is attacking in part of Tokyo. Shura calls Yukio and Rin to come help her fight. To be continued.
~Thanks for reading~
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Written by 7Mononoke
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