House of Five Leaves 3

Obligatory leaves shot.

Once again I am baffled by this how good this show is at deceiving me. I, quite foolishly, still believed the main character to be Masa, yet once again the show has given more development on Yaichi in two minutes than Masa has received, period. After my previous posts someone pointed out to me that Yaichi isn’t necessarily Seinoshin, I say humbug to this. If Yaichi isn’t Seinoshin taking the name of his favourite, currently believed to be treachourous, bodyguard as a child than I am not Canadian citizen. I am sure that soon we will see the leaf mark on Yaichi’s back and all will be settled and the Canadian government may or may not have words for me.

Just the two of us, building castles in the sky!

Summary:

Masa is currently employed by the Oomiya family who are in the rice business. He is working as a bodyguard and a teacher and is finally happy that he can work an honest job to send money back to his family. Yaichi has other ideas however when he plans the next kidnapping to be from the Oomiya family. It’s all part of the plan to get Masa more involved.

You're out of toilet paper.

Masa gets to know a boy called Yutarou who he believes to be one of the servant’s sons, but actually turns out to be the child of the head of the family and his mistress. Yutarou was adopted into the family because his adoptive mother can’t have kids, but also doesn’t want them as she hates everything about Yutarou. Masa is told by Yaichi that Yutarou is the next target. Matsu had been observing the house for a while but did not know that Yutarou is the young master.

Sorry, couldn't get that vocaloid figure after all...

Ume gives Masa some rice cakes and suggests he share them with his new young friend. Masa does so and also partakes in one himself which knocks them both unconscious. Matsu comes across to take the boy and is disappointed, to say the least, at Yaichi’s favourite unconscious bodyguard. The note left by the Five Leaves says that the bodyguard has to be the one to retrieve the boy, which was all part of Yaichi’s plan. Masa leaves and is told by Matsu to go straight to Ume’s place.

*WARNING* FOOT AND MOUTH PRESENT!

The episode ends with Yaichi reminiscing of the time he was kidnapped by people hired by his mother who plan to kill him and not give him back. The leader of the kidnappers says he hates meaningless death so he offers Yaichi (then Seinoshin) a place in his group since he has no where left to return to. Seinoshin says that Yaichi (his bodyguard) will protect him so he will go home. The kidnapper replies that it was Yaichi who came to him with the job.

Animation still good? Check.

Thoughts:

Once again Masa proved how likable he is by his interaction with Yutarou. Ume is now completely natural around Masa, which is more than I can say for Matsu. Matsu does not seem to like Masa, Ume does not like Matsu. Otake is liked by apparently both Ume and Matsu. There is a fragile balance that Yaichi manages to keep together among his Five Leaves, but it just goes to show his strength as a leader. The fact that Masa was clueless for most of the episode led to the easy kidnapping of Yutarou, and it might just be me, but Yaichi sounded surprised when he mentioned that Masa was useful.

Almost an entire cast shot, can't beat episode two's shot.

Matsu has a loyalty to Yaichi that a bodyguard has to a master. This leads me to believe that Yaichi has known Matsu for a very long time, probably since he was Seinoshin. Matsu’s face when Yutarou’s mother told him of her disgust for Yutarou implies that he knows about Yaichi’s past. Also, Otake knew that Matsu was a member of the Five Leaves, so I am changing my approach to the random samurai. I think that instead of being a member, he is a member of the authorities in some way, and Masa is a newcomer in a group he has probably been watching for some time and that is why he approached him.

"I'm looking for the samurai who smells of sunflowers..."

I think that Yaichi’s namesake went to the kidnappers he did because he had no choice and wanted Seinoshin to live. I also think that Matsu could be one of the two younger kidnappers involved in Seinoshin’s kidnapping. I can’t tell yet whether Otake knows of the other men’s affections for her or not. She seems to be fond of Masa and may come to be a romantic interest for him, which would cause huge problems within the Five Leaves. I am very happy that I chose this series to blog as it is keeping me thinking about each characters importance, and what could come in the future for them.

/ 2 Commentsleave a comment /

• Joojoobees says:

  May 11, 2010

  I completely agree with you about Yaichi's identity. It is difficult to believe Seinoshin is anyone else. The story of exactly what happened, and why he took the name Yaichi will probably be revealed in good time.

  I really wonder about Otake. I find it difficult to believe the entirety of her job is collecting those leaves.
  .-= Joojoobees´s last blog ..Durarara 17 – love triangle =-.

  Reply
• Vivi says:

  May 11, 2010

  LOL love the Samurai Champloo reference haha.

  Reply