The Final Episode
I go into this forewarned that this episode will be about an hour and a half in length. I sure hope there are no graphic surgeries in this, as I'm really enjoying my hoppin' john whilst I watch.
The assassins report back to Kusaka Genzui about how Sakimoto's body disappeared after he went over the cliff. They assume he's dead and his corpse sank to the bottom, which is good enough for Kusaka.
A bloodied Jin makes his way back to the Tachibana home where he begs for help in searching for Ryoma. Young Tachiban gathers together some men and they begin scouring up and down the riverside, asking villagers if anyone has washed ashore. Jin wonders to himself with the disappearance of Sakimoto, what will this mean for Japan's history? Just as important, if it was Sakimoto who time traveled to the future, does this mean Jin won't be able to return to his own time? Ah, good question, doc.
For everyone else, time continues to flow as usual. Saki is introduced to her prospective husband. Nokaze packs up and prepares to leave the brothel for her master's private residence. Jin's picture has changed again. This time he and Miki are both wearing their doctor's smocks and appear to be standing on the roof of the hospital. Saburi relents on his previous hesitation and hands over a book to Jin from the Hanoka School. Even Creepy Baby in a Jar makes a brief appearance.
Since his picture has changed again, Jin feels that Nokaze's lump must not be cancer. Still, he sends her a letter requesting to examine her again. He brings along Saburi since he actually has more experience with breast cancer than the neurosurgeon. After both men examine her (and just have to talk about secretions - blech), the two doctors butt heads over differing diagnoses. Saburi is pretty sure the lump is malignant, yet Jin is in denial and not wanting to operate. Also, this may cause the purchasing of Nokaze to be stopped, and Jin is still convinced her going to a new master is what's best for Miki. Oh Jin, I'm back to wanting to smack you upside the head. Nokaze, with a mysterious look that kind of says she knows he's sacrificing her for some reason, decides to go with Jin's prognosis and not have surgery. Saburi is hurt and disillusioned with his hero. He thinks Jin doesn't trust his medical skills.
Jin goes to visit Ogata's grave, which is too bad because while he's gone guess who shows up at the soy/penicillin factory. Sakimoto explains he was swept down the river almost to the sea when he was saved by a local fisherman. A fisherman who has a lovely daughter, which is why it has been so long since anyone has seen or heard from Sakimoto.
Jin sits in front of Ogata's headstone and confesses how selfish he is in disregarding Nokaze's cancer so that future girlfriend can be born. What Jin doesn't know is Sakimoto had come to find him and overheard everything. He begs Jin to save Nokaze, coming up with this cock and bull theory that once she has her breast cut off not only will she not be bought, but she'll be thrown out of the brothel as well, so then she'll have to get with Sakimoto because no one else will have her.
Jin still needs a day to think about it before he finally decides to do something about it. Jin and Saburi meet with Nokaze and ask to perform surgery on her. Saburi warns that the surgery may not be successful, or if it is, the cancer could come back. Nokaze, echoing the same sentiments Miki had before her surgery, says even if the operation isn't successful, if it helps the doctors learn more about treating the disease then it is worthwhile.
Nokaze says goodbye to all her prostitute comrades and she grandly parades down the main street of Yoshiwara. She's back to doing that odd strut on those platform shoes. It must be a geisha thing. Once she reaches the gate she steps out of her shoes. I swear they must be at least at least 12 inches high! She walks barefoot the rest of the way to where Jin awaits her at the factory. Because where else would you have surgery but inside a soy sauce factory? I mean, duh.
Meanwhile, her buyer berates the clan doctor for not finding the lump during his examination. The doctor blames Jin for this dishonor and swears he won't forget this. Oh dear, this doesn't bode well.
Saburi goes to the Tachibana's home to pick up the last of the medical supplies Jin left behind. This is how Saki learns they're going to operate on Nokaze.
Argh, Jin is looking at the damn picture again. Miki is disappearing again, yet this time Jin firmly places the picture away in a wooden box. No matter what happens in the future, he's going to deal with the here and now. He even goes to bury the box at the cliff side hangout. Good! Good riddance to the friggin' photograph.
Evil doctor pays off some guys to cause some trouble with the operation.
On the day of the operation, Saki is to become officially engaged. She's wearing this beautiful color of salmon pink but that's beside the point. As Jin begins, he slips into old habits and asks for Saki to hand him a scalpel, then realizes she's not there. However, Saki does seem to hear Jin's voice at her home. She knows where she is supposed to be.
She interrupts the men only meeting between her brother and the messengers from her fiance and begs out of the marriage, saying she has to be somewhere else. The messengers are scandalized. Suddenly big brother Tachibana grabs Saki and throws her down into the dirt of the vegetable garden. (No! Not that pretty pink outfit!) Tachibana orders Saki to commit suicide (!) and grabs her own knife out of her obi and forces it into her hand. The messengers start to protest saying it isn't necessary to go this far. This is when Tachibana leans in close to his sister and whispers for her to go, he'll take care of this somehow. Loudly he yells for her to get out, he never wants to see her face again. Saki takes off.
Gross stuff happens as Jin takes out a perfectly round tumor from Nokaze. (Do cancer tumors look like meatballs?) Oh well, at least he didn't find a breast baby, then we would have two Creepy Babies in a Jar. One is enough as it is. Saki keeps running and running. Honestly, honey, by the time you get there the surgery will probably be over. More gross stuff is shown, and then the group of trouble-making samurai show up!
They start hammering (literally) on the door trying to break into the operating room. Jin attempts to finish what he started. This is when Saki finally arrives and she orders the men to stop. She certainly has the voice of authority as the samurai are temporarily shocked into silence. She manages to slip her way in front of the battered door. When the trouble makers swear they're going to get inside no matter what, Saki threatens to kill herself there and then. She pulls out her knife and holds it to her throat. Good grief, Saki!
Of course Jin and the gang can hear all this. Jin continues to finish the operation. Saki sweats. One of the samurai decides to call her bluff. He starts to rush her when a bloody Jin opens the door. The gang leader demands Nokaze be turned over to them. Jin asks who sent them, as their clan leader (the guy who was going to buy Nokaze) earlier sent word that he hoped she would recover from her illness. Who ordered them to come here? This spooks the leader enough that he and his men turn tail and leave.
Jin goes back to the cliff side to dig up the box only to find the entire photograph has now disappeared. He wonders if this means the future has been changed that he never met Miki, or Miki was never born, or maybe even Jin was never born. (Or, I wonder, did someone else see Jin burying the box and they came later to dig it up, take the picture, and replace the box in the ground. Just a thought.)
Nokaze recovers from her surgery. Sakimoto offers to marry her but she politely refuses. She thanks Jin for all he has done, plants a big wet one on his lips, and then leaves. I don't know where she's going, but at least she's free and belongs to no one but herself. Jin does some more of his ugly crying.
And then... things just go on. Fire Chief Shinmon Tatsugoro breaks ground for the hospital he promised to build for Jin. Kiichi continues to hock food. Nokaze opens up a private school (for what?!) Sakimoto gets his Western style footwear. Katsu suffers through speaking English, telling some white guy to punch somebody. (Seriously. That's what the subtitle says. "You may punch him as you please.") Tachibana receives his own marriage proposal. Saki helps Jin hang up a wall plaque.
What the hell kind of ending is that? What about Creepy Baby in a Jar? Who was Patient Zero from the first episode? What about Miki? What about Bob? What about the audience? What?????????
Since his picture has changed again, Jin feels that Nokaze's lump must not be cancer. Still, he sends her a letter requesting to examine her again. He brings along Saburi since he actually has more experience with breast cancer than the neurosurgeon. After both men examine her (and just have to talk about secretions - blech), the two doctors butt heads over differing diagnoses. Saburi is pretty sure the lump is malignant, yet Jin is in denial and not wanting to operate. Also, this may cause the purchasing of Nokaze to be stopped, and Jin is still convinced her going to a new master is what's best for Miki. Oh Jin, I'm back to wanting to smack you upside the head. Nokaze, with a mysterious look that kind of says she knows he's sacrificing her for some reason, decides to go with Jin's prognosis and not have surgery. Saburi is hurt and disillusioned with his hero. He thinks Jin doesn't trust his medical skills.
Jin goes to visit Ogata's grave, which is too bad because while he's gone guess who shows up at the soy/penicillin factory. Sakimoto explains he was swept down the river almost to the sea when he was saved by a local fisherman. A fisherman who has a lovely daughter, which is why it has been so long since anyone has seen or heard from Sakimoto.
Jin sits in front of Ogata's headstone and confesses how selfish he is in disregarding Nokaze's cancer so that future girlfriend can be born. What Jin doesn't know is Sakimoto had come to find him and overheard everything. He begs Jin to save Nokaze, coming up with this cock and bull theory that once she has her breast cut off not only will she not be bought, but she'll be thrown out of the brothel as well, so then she'll have to get with Sakimoto because no one else will have her.
Jin still needs a day to think about it before he finally decides to do something about it. Jin and Saburi meet with Nokaze and ask to perform surgery on her. Saburi warns that the surgery may not be successful, or if it is, the cancer could come back. Nokaze, echoing the same sentiments Miki had before her surgery, says even if the operation isn't successful, if it helps the doctors learn more about treating the disease then it is worthwhile.
Nokaze says goodbye to all her prostitute comrades and she grandly parades down the main street of Yoshiwara. She's back to doing that odd strut on those platform shoes. It must be a geisha thing. Once she reaches the gate she steps out of her shoes. I swear they must be at least at least 12 inches high! She walks barefoot the rest of the way to where Jin awaits her at the factory. Because where else would you have surgery but inside a soy sauce factory? I mean, duh.
Meanwhile, her buyer berates the clan doctor for not finding the lump during his examination. The doctor blames Jin for this dishonor and swears he won't forget this. Oh dear, this doesn't bode well.
Saburi goes to the Tachibana's home to pick up the last of the medical supplies Jin left behind. This is how Saki learns they're going to operate on Nokaze.
Argh, Jin is looking at the damn picture again. Miki is disappearing again, yet this time Jin firmly places the picture away in a wooden box. No matter what happens in the future, he's going to deal with the here and now. He even goes to bury the box at the cliff side hangout. Good! Good riddance to the friggin' photograph.
Evil doctor pays off some guys to cause some trouble with the operation.
On the day of the operation, Saki is to become officially engaged. She's wearing this beautiful color of salmon pink but that's beside the point. As Jin begins, he slips into old habits and asks for Saki to hand him a scalpel, then realizes she's not there. However, Saki does seem to hear Jin's voice at her home. She knows where she is supposed to be.
She interrupts the men only meeting between her brother and the messengers from her fiance and begs out of the marriage, saying she has to be somewhere else. The messengers are scandalized. Suddenly big brother Tachibana grabs Saki and throws her down into the dirt of the vegetable garden. (No! Not that pretty pink outfit!) Tachibana orders Saki to commit suicide (!) and grabs her own knife out of her obi and forces it into her hand. The messengers start to protest saying it isn't necessary to go this far. This is when Tachibana leans in close to his sister and whispers for her to go, he'll take care of this somehow. Loudly he yells for her to get out, he never wants to see her face again. Saki takes off.
Gross stuff happens as Jin takes out a perfectly round tumor from Nokaze. (Do cancer tumors look like meatballs?) Oh well, at least he didn't find a breast baby, then we would have two Creepy Babies in a Jar. One is enough as it is. Saki keeps running and running. Honestly, honey, by the time you get there the surgery will probably be over. More gross stuff is shown, and then the group of trouble-making samurai show up!
They start hammering (literally) on the door trying to break into the operating room. Jin attempts to finish what he started. This is when Saki finally arrives and she orders the men to stop. She certainly has the voice of authority as the samurai are temporarily shocked into silence. She manages to slip her way in front of the battered door. When the trouble makers swear they're going to get inside no matter what, Saki threatens to kill herself there and then. She pulls out her knife and holds it to her throat. Good grief, Saki!
Of course Jin and the gang can hear all this. Jin continues to finish the operation. Saki sweats. One of the samurai decides to call her bluff. He starts to rush her when a bloody Jin opens the door. The gang leader demands Nokaze be turned over to them. Jin asks who sent them, as their clan leader (the guy who was going to buy Nokaze) earlier sent word that he hoped she would recover from her illness. Who ordered them to come here? This spooks the leader enough that he and his men turn tail and leave.
Jin goes back to the cliff side to dig up the box only to find the entire photograph has now disappeared. He wonders if this means the future has been changed that he never met Miki, or Miki was never born, or maybe even Jin was never born. (Or, I wonder, did someone else see Jin burying the box and they came later to dig it up, take the picture, and replace the box in the ground. Just a thought.)
Nokaze recovers from her surgery. Sakimoto offers to marry her but she politely refuses. She thanks Jin for all he has done, plants a big wet one on his lips, and then leaves. I don't know where she's going, but at least she's free and belongs to no one but herself. Jin does some more of his ugly crying.
And then... things just go on. Fire Chief Shinmon Tatsugoro breaks ground for the hospital he promised to build for Jin. Kiichi continues to hock food. Nokaze opens up a private school (for what?!) Sakimoto gets his Western style footwear. Katsu suffers through speaking English, telling some white guy to punch somebody. (Seriously. That's what the subtitle says. "You may punch him as you please.") Tachibana receives his own marriage proposal. Saki helps Jin hang up a wall plaque.
What the hell kind of ending is that? What about Creepy Baby in a Jar? Who was Patient Zero from the first episode? What about Miki? What about Bob? What about the audience? What?????????
No comments:
Post a Comment