Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat.
Stolen from darlas_mom: Which random people from different disciplines would YOU like to lock up together and force to collaborate on group projects?
Kudo Kankuro and Takashi Miike. Can you imagine? It'd be the most insane slasher comedy ever. Teenage schoolgirls would prostitute themselves to musical transvesite samurai in fedoras who play baseball, ( Read more... )
Kudo Kankuro and Takashi Miike. Can you imagine? It'd be the most insane slasher comedy ever. Teenage schoolgirls would prostitute themselves to musical transvesite samurai in fedoras who play baseball, ( Read more... )
I flailed, mentally and physically (arms and legs and all) several times!!!
Souda's death. Wow. That beating was... rough. And then to have Noriyoshi finish him off with poison cigarettes. So, so well done. (I love the editing in Maou too, making you think that he dropped the pen on accident at first.)
The footsteps over Souda's phone? YES! And then it was reiterated when Naruse walked up to meet Naoto afterwards (It was a measured and yet deliciously evil walk too...)
Oh I thought of you during the scene where Naoto goes to arrest Kasai. While Kasai's face was somewhat in shadow, the source of light was squarely behind Noriyoshi so you could barely make out his features.
I was really uncertain what would happen with Naruse now that both Shiori and Naoto have found out, but that first confrontation (including that unexpected first punch) was so well done. Naruse was cool, calm, and collected, nothing like the shock and panic when Naoto visited his sister. Now he can also let the anger and vengeance he has under the surface peek out a bit more, and really torment Naoto with the truth of his words.
I love love LOVE the way that Naruse and Naoto (not to mention Naoto's co-workers) have to interact now, "knowing" Ryou's true identity but being forced to work through the legal system! Even having to work with Naruse since his outward goal is still to bring out the truth and clear Kasai of his murder charge. I'm also overjoyed that now someone gets to notice all of Naruse's evil glances. (I mean, he does it all of the time but no one seems to see!)
(On a side note, I did have to laugh when the detectives said that the neighbors had heard Kasai and Souda fighting and Kasai had a flash back like, "Oh yeah, I did shatter that bottle on the floor, not to mention all those shouted death threats...")
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Anyway, I do believe that Naruse means what he says when he urges Naoto to catch the criminal. Right now though, I'm wondering whether he means it in the same way he meant earlier on in the series. At the beginning, he had a clear view of what he wanted out of his revenge. Borrowing from kegom 's theory, he was able to use the law to carry out his murders without (what he though was) any consequence to the "murders". Also he had (or so he thought) thoroughly purged any bit of humanity (or Manaka Tomoo) from himself. So, when he urged Naoto to catch the real criminal, he meant it, but in a taunting way. Naruse at this point did eventually want to be caught, but only exactly when and how he would eventually ochestrate it.
However, he soon begins to see that people still feel suffer even after being proven innocent by the law, and it begins to throw off his beliefs. Without strong beliefs that the law will justify his means he loses the validity and confidence in what he is doing, and begins to falter. On top of that is Shiori, who keeps reminding him of his inner goodness and emotions. Now when Naruse says "Catch the real criminal" I believe he means it more earnestly. He believes that he is already too far into his plan to pull out, perhaps too many things are already in motion, not to mention he truely does not want to abandon the memory of his brother and mother. But at the same time he can see more and more the pain he is causing to people he never intended to hurt (Shiori, the little girl, his sister) as well as the pain he is causing to himself (even though he thought he had snuffed out that part of him a long time ago).
When Shiori finally confronts Ryou again, the look on his face as he tries (and fails) to fight back any sort of emotion is just...painful. Somehow I feel like he'll die in her arms, tragically ending their love, but atleast with his emotions on the surface, looking like the kind person he used to be/could have been. T_T
(Also I guess touching the umbrella bear-handed was a mistake? He did look pretty shocked.)
Seriously, why would they take Noriyoshi down?
But look who has the pictures? Not Ryou, but Yamano! I wouldn't be surprised if Yamano's pushing this forward himself. Naruse may want Kasai proved innocent simply to bring the affair to light and further indirectly hurt Naoto (and also Pimp Daddy Serizawa) but Yamano may push out a bit more evidence to make sure that Noriyoshi gets caught simply because...he's Yamano.
What I want to know is why Kasai is risking a murder charge to save Noriyoshi's wife when it was made clear a few episodes ago that she was not as in love with him as he was with her. Even in the car her most sincere words were "Thanks for the support" while his were "This was the happiest time of my life.".. I guess we just chalk it up to his onesided love?
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"...he was able to use the law to carry out his murders without (what he though was) any consequence to the "murderers"
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I LOVE NARUSE'S WALK. I love every dramatic, echoing second of it. I love the shoes of evil. You see those shoes turning the corner, you know you're fucked.
I love love LOVE the way that Naruse and Naoto (not to mention Naoto's co-workers) have to interact now, "knowing" Ryou's true identity but being forced to work through the legal system
YES. Massive, massive balls. Every person in that room knew who he was, and they couldn't do a damn thing about it. AWESOME.
(I wonder if they'll ever search Naruse's apartment... the darkroom of pain might be a bit of a giveaway... Also I can't wait for Naoto's face if/when he finds out Yamano was a co-conspirator. Alllll your sins are coming back to you, buddy. You killed a lot more than just Hideo with that knife.)
Without strong beliefs that the law will justify his means he loses the validity and confidence in what he is doing, and begins to falter.
I want to heartmark every word you said. That's perfect. Maybe it did mean something more sinister in the beginning, maybe Naruse enjoyed playing with his food, but the meaning has changed now. I think he genuinely wants to be caught, not only to be brought before the law but as a way out. He's slowly shedding Amano Makoto (or, to be more accurate, everyone's poking holes in it and he's floundering in angst and confusion) and the Tomoo in him, the lost little boy who never stopped hurting, can't possibly forgive himself without some kind of penance. Facing the legal consequences of his crimes may be exactly what he needs to let go of revenge for good. (Which is why I'm so afraid it'll mean a redeeming death, because I can't see any mainstream drama sticking their main character in prison to rot. Maybe we'll get lucky and an intervention will do!! *hopes*)
I wouldn't be surprised if Yamano's pushing this forward himself.
Ooh, I can see it. Creepy little Yamano getting in over his head, drunk with power...
That's the real heartbreaker of Kasai's situation, IMO. He loves her so much it doesn't matter if he was just a comforting fling; he cares about her so much he'll go down for murder.
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Me too! The entire thing was off, but you couldn't tell exactly where until Souda started choking. Noriyoshi in that scene reminded me more of a mob boss than the kind man we saw at the beginning of the series.
(Which is why I'm so afraid it'll mean a redeeming death, because I can't see any mainstream drama sticking their main character in prison to rot. Maybe we'll get lucky and an intervention will do!! *hopes*)
I can't really see exactly how this is all going to work out. (Which is kindof awesome from a plot and suspense point of view!) I agree with a comment beneath this one which said that any of the three (Naoto, Naruse, or Shiori) could die, all for distinct reasons. And I can't really imagine an ending in which they all come out alive. (Unless Naruse is in a prison/insane asylum constantly being visited by Shiori??...T_T Though, you're right that doesn't seem like something Maou would do...maybe)
And if Naruse is planning to take the fall for all of the murders, then wouldn't that free Kasai? So does that mean that Naruse has some sort of contingency plan in the works to make sure Kasai gets his portion of the revenge?
I want to heartmark every word you said.
<333 Thank you!
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(Unless Naruse is in a prison/insane asylum constantly being visited by Shiori??...T_T Though, you're right that doesn't seem like something Maou would do...maybe)
AHAHAHA. NARUSE GOING HANNIBAL LECTER ON ALL THE GUARDS. "So why aren't you married?"
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