Jinemon finally gives his daughter a way out: if Inako truly doesn’t want to go through with marrying Yosuke, then she and Kihachi need to hand over the Electrical Catalog. Whaaaaaat? That jerk Yousuke had the Electrical Catalog in his hands at the start of the series, and he thought it was a fake! More importantly, way to put everything on Inako’s shoulders yet again. We wouldn’t be in this mess if Jinemon had learned a damn thing from his late wife about running a brewery. But no, he had to trade his daughter’s happiness to rectify his own failures, and now he’s making Inako choose between Kihachi’s happiness or her own. We know what she’s going to choose. Female characters in anime are almost always sacrificial lambs in some form or fashion. They often help other people achieve their dreams at the cost of their own.
Both Kihachi and Jinemon are pulling at Inako but from opposite sides. But the thing is, Jinemon had his chance. He was handed a fully functioning brewery, and he squandered the business all on his own. Inako might not believe she has a chance to live free, but she probably thinks she can at least help Kihachi be happy. As such, she doesn’t even hesitate; Inako immediately rejects the idea of handing the catalog over. Why can’t she stand up for herself like that? Still, a part of me wonders if this is a ruse cooked up between Jinemon and Yosuke, because I don’t think that bastard wants to give up anything. I think he wants to hoard both Inako’s family name as well as the catalog.
Kihachi overhears everything, so now he’s more determined than ever to open a vault door. Y’see, when Kengo returned from the war with nothing but the Electrical Catalog, he couldn’t bear to seek out Kihachi. So instead, he entrusted his half to Stuart, who locked it away in a vault for safekeeping. Unfortunately, the vault door stopped working, and no one bothered to find out why — that is, until Kihachi came along. Anyway, let’s get back to the original topic.
In my mind — or perhaps in my heart — I like to think Kihachi wants to save Inako from her arranged marriage. Still, I’m slightly disappointed that Kihachi isn’t going to address the elephant in the room. I’m sure he doesn’t want his friend to get married to some creepo loser, so he should say that. He should let Inako know how he feels. Of course, in an ideal world, neither of them should have to make a choice. Jinemon and Yosuke can take the arranged marriage and shove it. But for the moment, all we get is the kids briefly and vaguely talking about how they’ve both changed since they first met. Kihachi wants to attribute some of his personal growth to Inako, but he bottles it at the last second because he’s an awkward teen boy. This feels like an ominous portent of things to come.
As always, the ever-ingenious Kihachi gets the door open, and he finally gets his hands on the other half of the catalog. The kids even do this cheesy thing where they “fuse” the catalog together like it’s some mystical artifact that will come to life once you “solve the puzzle.” Well, if you were a romantic, I suppose you could see this as a metaphor for the kids being a perfect match, i.e. they complete each other. Sure enough, Kihachi is briefly transported to that idealized world where the electric revolution has already occurred. It’s the world he and his brother have always dreamed of ushering in. This time, however, Inako is by his side, and she encourages him once more to pursue his dreams. Back in reality, Kihachi suddenly announces that he will give the catalog up to Yosuke.
What a sudden and drastic decision… but is it the wrong one? Let’s think about it. Kihachi needs Inako’s faith to balance out his skepticism, but does he truly need the catalog? Like Inako, Seiroku always had full confidence in Kihachi. Yes, he annotated the Electrical Catalog, but those notes were only meant to help his kid brother. Kihachi could always figure everything out on his own, and Seiroku knew that. The notes speed things up, but what’s truly irreplaceable is your loved one’s support. He lost that when he lost Seiroku, but that changed ever since he met Inako. She is like a never-ending battery of support. To put it simply, Kihachi could give up the catalog and still usher in the electric revolution.
In return, what does Kihachi do for Inako exactly? Well, we know his inventions marvel her. They might even eventually inspire her to stand up to her father, but we’re not quite there yet. Hell, we might not even have time for that. And foolishly or not, I think this is why Kihachi came to this decision. I actually think he had already made up his mind when he overheard Inako stand up for him against Jinemon. When Kengo finally told his story and confessed his “sins”, what he really did was prove to Kihachi that his brother always had him in his thoughts. Again, he always had faith in his kid brother, and Inako now shares that faith. So what can Kihachi do but try to pay her back for everything she’s done for him?
I guess we should talk about Kengo’s confession. “Three years ago, during the conflict in Europe…?” Well, that’s how Kengo’s recollection starts. I’m no history buff, but I don’t recall that happening. Sent overseas to study? Sure. Sent to fight… or even as reserve soldiers? Eh, I dunno about that. According to this flashback, however, Kengo and Seiroku were directly in the trenches. Sure, there was the Russo-Japanese War, but that didn’t take place in Europe or anywhere near it. But again, I’m not an expert on history, especially not Meiji Japan. After all, this is a reimagining of events, so whatever. I can’t take any of it too seriously when we just saw Inako perform a metal song onstage just a couple of episodes ago.
At the start of their assignment, while on a boat to Europe, Seiroku shown Kengo the Electrical Catalog. When Kengo flipped to a random page, Seiroku commented, “My sweetheart entrusted that one to me.” Oh? Sweetheart? Who might that be? Normally, I wouldn’t care about a person’s love life, but considering how much Yosuke seems to love this guy, I wonder if there’s even a chance he was that sweetheart. Seiroku then teased an even bigger secret hidden in the catalog, but he says no more. Man, these characters are never yappers. They never elaborate. Nor do their conversational partners ever ask follow-up questions. Secret? Sweetheart? Bah, time to change the subject!
At the start of the episode, when Seiroku was under Stuart’s tutelage, we were told that this was the 34th year of the Meiji era, which puts us at… 1902? He and Kengo went off to Europe to fight a year later, so 1903. What major conflicts were even happening back in Europe at that time? Hmmm… there was stuff in the Balkans, but we’re talking about a Japanese story here. I might be presumptuous, but I don’t think Japan has ever particularly cared about that part of the world. Look, it’s not a criticism; most people don’t. I think we just have to chalk this up to “creative reimagining.” I think they want us to think WW1 even though the years don’t line up, but it’s fine, because Japanese soldiers shouldn’t be here in the first place.
As you might expect, fighting broke out, and Kengo’s company was devastated. He quickly scanned the field to find Seiroku already dead. Even worse, Seiroku got shot where the catalog should’ve been. Kengo didn’t hand it back, so he blames himself for his friend’s death. I’m not sure the catalog would’ve necessarily stopped the bullet, but again, grief makes you think crazy things. Survivor’s guilt is also a doozy.
We finally see Kengo on a ship heading home. He had the catalog in his possession; in his grief, he almost threw it into the ocean. We know, of course, that he kept it. Did Kengo ever try to find Kihachi? The answer is seemingly no. He thought about it, but was too “afraid” to do it — afraid of being blamed. I don’t get it, man. You can charge enemy lines, but you can’t do that? You leave the kid brother in complete limbo about his brother’s whereabouts? I dunno, maybe I’m being too harsh, but this seems insane to me. I feel like that would be my first instinct. If there was anything I could do at all to honor my friend’s legacy, it would be to get the book back to his kid brother.
What’s even more perplexing to me is that he went directly to Stuart instead, who proceeded to lock that half away in his vault. So how did the other half end up in Noriko’s possessi-… wait a minute, is she the sweetheart that Seiroku was referring to?! Back in the present, Stuart asks about the other half. Noriko then whips out the letter Kengo had left her, and wants to know why he never opened up to her. Unfortunately, the oaf just apologizes, pities himself by saying he doesn’t deserve to be her husband, then slinks off. He’s kind of a coward despite his size. Again, he can charge enemy lines, but he can’t even talk to his future wife. Bah. The men in this show, I swear…
Stray thoughts & observations:
— A flashback at the start of the episode reveals that Stuart had introduced Seiroku to volumes upon volumes full of ideas about electricity. The last book, however, was blank. This book eventually became the Electrical Catalog that he shared with Kihachi. Back in the present, Stuart explains what we’ve already surmised: he met Seiroku four years ago and basically served as a mentor of sorts to the young man (as well as Yosuke and Kengo).
— Since Kate is an anime original character, I can’t help but wonder if her dad is one as well.
— Hm, we get the same OP as last week. Maybe this is just the generic OP going forward. But hey, they tricked me into watching it in hopes of seeing something new. Like I’ve said elsewhere, I normally skip OPs in general. If there’s a banging song, I might let it roll, but that’s extremely rare for me. I like maybe 2% of the songs used in anime. A good chunk of the ones I do like end up being Western songs anyway, e.g. Eden of the East using “Falling Down” by Oasis.
— I guess this is Inako’s first time wearing Western clothing, and she feels embarrassed to be in a skirt. It’s a long one so it’s not like she’s showing any skin — oh, how scandalous it would be to see an ankle! — but it probably doesn’t make a difference to someone who is almost always in a kimono. I think the thing that makes her look odd to me, however, is the lack of colors. She looks so different in all white. She’s almost unrecognizable.
— Meh, Kihachi is still at that age where boys think they should tease or bicker with girls instead. He needs tips on how to talk to them.
— Stuart introduces the kid to yet another first: coffee. Kihachi doesn’t enjoy it without milk and sugar, but who can blame him? Yes, some people legitimately enjoy black coffee. Some people, however, think it makes them mature to choke down a bitter drink, and I think that’s silly. I’ll enjoy what I want, when I want. Milk and sugar? Sure. Fruity cocktails? Bring them on. Who the hell cares what others think?
— Kengo lurks in the background, wearing a frown the entire time. We should get an explanation for his behavior. We better.
— Stuart is accompanied by a lady adorned in pearls. She also has on a pink suit, and she’s sporting a short, non-traditional hairdo. Well, this is Saki, and I thought she was gonna say she was Kate’s mother, but that doesn’t come up. So what exactly is her relationship with Stuart?
— Saki glibly recommends having coffee with whiskey, but then extols the virtues of wine. She knows whiskey ain’t wine, right?
— How would you even go about commissioning the construction of a metal vault door back in this time period? Hell, I wouldn’t even know how to do it now. Apparently, it has an electric-powered lock, which stopped working a while ago.
— Kengo starts breathing heavily once they reach the vault. Again, he buries his face in his hands. Dude, just spill the beans already. It’s ridiculous how long some stories will delay a reveal. But not yet, as we watch him run away from the group and right into his future wife and father-in-law. Yep, that asshole is here to drag Inako back.
— How did Jinemon even track them down so quickly? Did Noriko reveal whose house the kids were going to? I just don’t get it. Noriko wants her sister to be free, but she also helps her father out. C’mon, girl, pick a side and stick with it.
— Jinemon’s anger is thankfully interrupted by Kengo sobbing profusely and muttering an apology to Seiroku. Noriko rightfully wants to know what he’s hiding. Finally, it’s flashback time…
— After finally learning the truth about his brother’s unfortunate demise, Kihachi goes off on his own to process what he just heard. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to hear about a family member dying in battle. I hope I will never have to.
— After a while, Inako tries to seek him out — maybe to comfort him — but dearest father suddenly grabs her. C’mon, old man, not now. And again, he never speaks to her normally. His tone is always harsh. This is anime, so I know they will mend their relationship when it’s all said and done, but this guy does not deserve either of his daughters. He’s always yelling. One wonders if he is ever happy. He’s yelling loud enough that it even pulls Kihachi out of mourning.
— Yosuke is barely in this episode — he’s probably onscreen for less than a minute — but we learn he’s planning a party. He’s confident that he’ll get the catalog. But what can Yosuke even do with it? The damn thing was originally written by Kihachi, and Seiroku filled it to the brim with annotations for Kihachi. When Yosuke first saw it, he dismissed the book immediately because he couldn’t comprehend any of the childish doodles. How would having the catalog now change anything? I doubt he would be able to make any of the ideas come to life. Has he considered that? Then again, we’re talking about a guy who has fashioned a puppet of his dead friend. Yosuke is not exactly right in the head.
— Thanks to Inako’s klutziness, Kihachi discovers a… what? A hand scanner molded to read and respond to Stuart’s palm print only? Really? This, however, leads them to a thick electric wire, which then leads them to a water mill housing a power generator. Basically, Kihachi needs to get the wheel turning. Finally, the kids reach a sluice gate that is only sealed shut thanks to rubbish and detritus accumulating over time. All Kihachi has to do is pull some weeds out, which takes him mere seconds. Just like that, the water mill is back in action. Did Seiroku really set all of this up? Not only that, Stuart’s vault was shut tight this whole time, and he never did his own investigation? I dunno, it’s all a bit hard to believe. On the other hand, this show has consistently taken wild creative liberties with history, so I don’t even know why I haven’t gotten used to it yet.
