Kanbei agrees to help out Kirara and her village, and so the search for 6 more samurai kicks into high gear. Apparently, Kanbei does not really consider Kikuchiyo (too dumb) or Okamoto Katsushiro (too inexperienced, and not skillful enough) to be true samurai yet, and after seeing some of the action in these two episodes, I agree. Katsushiro is unhappy about this, but there’s not much he can do about it, so he rededicates himself to protecting Kirara. A new addition to the team comes when they meet up with a thrill-seeking samurai named Katayama Gorobei. He is quite good at catching arrows, and also seems to get off on getting through dangerous situations. He agrees, for the chance to fight alongside Kanbei.
The search for samurai becomes more difficult, now that Ukyo’s father (fat merchant man, Maro) has decided to hunt down the farmers and their growing band of samurai. The first toadies that come are quickly dealt with by Kanbei and Gorobei, but then blonde dual-wielding samurai Kyuuzou (one of Maro’s best personal bodyguards) joins the hunt. Kyuuzou is very skillful, and Kanbei battles him to a draw. It seems that Kyuuzou is unwilling to join the farmers, but that’s cause they haven’t brought out the mochi for him yet.
The action was very strong again (especially Kyuuzou vs. Kanbei), and the plot is starting to thicken. These episodes begin to hint that the fight will not be an easy one, and that the very best samurai are needed. However, a lot of different parties are starting to get involved, and things are getting complex. I’m very much looking forward to the next episode!
2 Comments
OMG, did you see the Matrix-esque battle in episode 3 between Katayama Gorobei and the villain with the metal arrows? Methinks Champloo has a rival in choreography! Yay for Gonzo!!!
Lol, Matrix was the exact same thing that first came to my mind when I saw him catch those arrows!