Peace Maker Kurogane: Episode 22

Unbelievable. I was speechless at the amount of blood spilt in this episode. A concentrated half-hour violence was probably saved for this episode alone. Nonetheless, I am in awe. This must be one of the best episodes of this genre that I have seen in a long time. I was even staring at the screen with my mouth hanging wide open. The animation was excellent especially how it was able to recreate camera movements in sweeping motions. The sound effects were superb and also the reduction of sound in particular key scenes amplified the created atmosphere even more.

It was enjoyable — in a morbid way, perhaps — to watch how the seemingly care-free characters in this series act in a real battle. Kondou-sensei who has acted so kindly in the previous episodes, proved why he is the leader of the Shinsen-gumi. The narrow corridor was efficiently used by Nagakura to his advantage. Heisuke fought bravely but his carelessness almost cost him his life.

On the roof top, Suzumu was battling with the ninja girl and beat her in a deciding maneuver.

Okita-san was having the advantage on the match between him and Yoshida-san. However, his illness held him back into a dangerous position.

Yamanami who opted not to join the battle visited the traumatized Tetsu-kun and tried to help him make some sense out of his situation. The talk definitely helped Tetsu-kun decide to head for Ikeda Ya. Although he suffered some setback, he ultimately chose to fight. I couldn’t believe this image is our little Tetsu-kun. He’s all grown up.

Obviously, I went a little bit crazy with the screencaps. I had some difficulty in choosing what image to publish that I ended up capping quite a few. I guess it shows how much I love this episode. I can’t wait for the DVDs to come out. This series is a must-buy for me.

Do I really have to wait for another week for the penultimate episode?