Hello, and thanks for stopping by Anime Rants. Hell’s Paradise Season 2 episode 10 (or episode 23 total) was top-notch in terms of audiovisual quality and character writing. The installment focused on Shion and Nurugai as they fought with Zhu Jin. For this season so far, I’ve endeavored to write fairly detailed reviews of Hell’s Paradise episodes. In comparison, this one might be shorter and less exhaustive. I want to focus more of my energy on series reviews, which means a little less energy and time will go toward episode reviews. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, here are my notes about this episode.
Episode 10: Master and Student
Episode Rating: 9/10
The fight with Zhu Jin was a long, ugly battle of attrition. Shion kept slicing up his opponent, hoping to slow their regeneration. It was gross when Zhu Jin used Tao manipulation to throw their own dead body parts at Shion and Nurugai. The good news was that Zhu Jin was certainly losing Tao slowly, resulting in delayed regeneration and an aged appearance. At one point, when they were cornered, Zhu Jin leaped into the pool. When they resurfaced, they looked young again and took on a new form with black claws and tendrils. Shion kept fighting, not fooled by the flashy transformation or by Zhu Jin’s taunting. He still knew that the enemy’s Tao was weakening.
During this fight, we saw a flashback and learned about Shion’s past. We learned that the two scars over his eyes were carved there on purpose by his mother, who made him into a performer to bring in money for their survival. The boy was born blind, and the mother spread the word that he had survived a battle at a young age. To make ends meet, young Shion fought wooden sword duels with challengers, using Tao to see and be victorious. Eventually, his skill grew to the point where it was noticed by professionals. Shion was eventually accepted as a Samurai in training. His mother never told the truth about her son’s scars, and Shion couldn’t bring himself to shame his mother by revealing it.
At first, Shion had a difficult time coming to terms with his past. Living as a Samurai, he was well-off, but he felt shame for his scars and his background as a poor entertainer. It was Tenza, a young student he trained, who taught him that the past doesn’t matter as long as you are doing your best and living right in the present. After Tenza taught him this, Shion became attached to his student. Though it probably wasn’t romantic, it’s safe to say that Shion loved Tenza. That’s why he couldn’t forgive himself for letting the young man die and running away. This brings us to Shion’s current emotional state – it was in shambles.
It soon became clear that Shion planned to die killing Zhu Jin. This was his way of atoning for running away and letting Tenza die alone. All this time, in Shion’s mind, he thought Tenza must have died in pain and regret. So he couldn’t forgive himself for living. Shion was winning the battle by skewering the Tanden/ovule of Zhu Jin while their regeneration was slowed. But vines from Zhu Jin kept burrowing into Shion’s flesh. Zhu Jin was trying to take Shion with him, and the despairing swordsman was determined to see it through. He ordered Nurugai to run away and rejoin the others. In other notes, I absolutely loved the voice-acting for this scene. Shion is voiced by Chikahiro Kobayashi, who I also know as Legoshi from Beastars. His performances are so intense and emotional, leaving me floored during moments like Shion’s despair in this episode.
Nurugai ran away in tears, her heart breaking as she realized that Shion was in the same position she had been in not long ago. As the only survivor of her Emishi tribe, she thought she deserved to die. It was Tenza who made her realize that she didn’t actually want to die. Nurugai wanted to keep living. At that moment, as Nurugai wept on her knees, she saw a vision of Tenza. I sometimes get annoyed when there is excessive or clumsy use of this trope of seeing dead loved ones in a time of need. It often isn’t executed well. But for the most part, I enjoyed Nurugai’s vision of Tenza. It was very sweet and wholesome. He told her, “There’s only one thing to do,” while handing over her sword.
Thanks to that powerful experience, Nurugai found her courage, running back to save Shion before he sacrificed himself. She tore the vines off him, moved him out of danger, and clung to him with all her strength. This was an attempt to restore his Tao. It seemed to work, because Shion was soon energetic enough to push her off him and tell her not to use her body in such a way. Nurugai then explained that Tenza did not die in pain and regret. Shion couldn’t see it, but Nurugai saw Tenza smile as she was carried away by Shion on that fateful day. As she recalled the memory of the young man’s cool smile, Nurugai was trying not to break down. When Shion realized that Nurugai had saved him from dying a pointless death, he gave her a heartfelt hug. Nurugai then broke down into tears, bawling like a baby, and understandably so. It was an emotional and healing moment for both master and student as they hugged and cried. Truly beautiful.
There’s something I’m not exactly clear on. Is Zhu Jin dead or not? It sounded like they were alive when Shion and Nurugai left, still trying to regenerate despite the sword embedded in their Tanden. (Shion and Nurugai went to rejoin the others.) But Gui Fa made it sound like Zhu Jin was dead. The last scene cut back to Gui Fa, who was still talking with Sagiri and Mei. I’m not certain if Zhu Jin is dead or simply out of commission for a while. That aside, Sagiri was saying the Tensen should reconsider their plan. Surely, it was too sad to continue losing fellow Tensen. Before Gui Fa could respond, Sagiri noticed Gabimaru’s talisman burning away. This meant he was possibly dying. To be continued! It was another epic episode of Hell’s Paradise!
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
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