Episode 11

This series was always destined to end this way. It was inevitable. We have two fathers who are so devoted to their families that they would commit any crime – even murder – to keep them safe. Of course, the difference between them is that one of them has already lost his family while the other is going to lose his family.

The similarities between him and Matori are not lost on Tetsuo. Seeing Matori’s pain in discovering the crime scene, he can’t help but sympathize with the man, father to father. Thus, rather than committing another murder, he exposes himself and confesses his crime. He expresses his willingness to turn himself in to the police and be duly punished for his actions. Ultimately, as long as his family is safe, he is willing to face the consequences of his actions.

However, there is another difference between Tetsuo and Matori – one that is blinded by his sympathy at the moment. On a basic level, Tetsuo believes in justice. His father was a police officer, and his main hobby is reading books about good detectives who beat the smartest criminals. But Matori lacks such a foundation. He cares nothing for justice. He desires revenge. He wants Tetsuo to suffer more than he does – not only him but his wife and daughter as well.

With that, we’re back to where we were in the first episode where Tetsuo attempts to kill a man to save his family. Make no mistake, Matori will stop at nothing to torture and kill Tetsuo and his family – and he certainly has the means to do so. But here’s the great thing about Matori as a villain: while he has real power, it’s borrowed power. Sure, the yakuza would do anything to keep him happy; However, in a one-on-one fight, he is just a middle-aged man with no combat experience. In other words, it’s just like Tetsuo.

Thus begins our “climax battle”. And though the music tries to make it as tense and epic as possible, what we get is nothing more than two men writhing in futile attempts to kill each other. And make no mistake, this is not a complaint. This is exactly as it should be. It’s perfectly in keeping with the realistic tone the anime has worked so hard to portray.

And the best part is that Tetsuo loses in the end. Because when it came right down to it, he couldn’t let go of his compassion even in a life or death struggle. He simply has to make a last plea to the man to kill him and his family.

…well, that or he heard the police sirens in the street and knew the loser in the fight naturally appears as the victim.

evaluation:

Random thoughts:

• Aww. Delight Kasin with some festive sushi. She is still the best wife.

• Not even the Yakuza will be able to save Matori from this. From the outside, it appears he broke into his son’s girlfriend’s apartment and attacked her father, who found him there. Then the police show up as he does his attempt to kill said father? Yes… this is way too general to cover up.

• I wonder if the remaining blood evidence alone is sufficient for a conviction. He probably didn’t think Nobuto was a yakuza and no doubt had all sorts of enemies who might be willing to kill him at his girlfriend’s house – not to mention that the lock on the door contains all kinds of evidence that he was taken.

• my prediction for the end? The yakuza, knowing what he has done, blackmails Tetsuo into becoming the new Matori and taking over all of his business. Anyone who can fool them all is a tool to use, after all.

anime“>My hero is my home Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.