Revenger

Episode 11

Another fascinating episode of Revenger. The final act tees up, and the crew is ready to roll: who will be alive when the dust finally settles?

This episode dwelled on several key character revelations that help us understand what motivates everyone. Usui's conversation with Raizo's fiancee was a fascinating new wrinkle to the ongoing saga; Usui is very by the book even though he understands the broader context, and his choice to go easy on Raizo is an interesting twist. It's rare to find twists this compelling, and I think it's because it manages to thread the needle between “important enough to matter” and “not so out of the left field that it makes prior information irrelevant.” Well played, Gen Urobuchi. The man knows his craft.

The other wrinkle about Saimon's fascination with death is also quite revealing. It's very much an evil-for-evil's sake sort of motivation, but I think it works here. Saimon is almost like a butterfly collector, but the subject matter of human suffering makes it particularly vile. It puts a very human-like quality on the inhuman macro-evil of the opium trade, and I'm pretty excited to see him get his just desserts.

The only negative would be that it is a rather chatty entry with little action, similar to last week's episode. This may only be a drawback to some, however. Earlier episodes could manage good characterization, interesting plotting, and high-octane action together. The action sequences have since taken a backseat to the ongoing character enrichment and slow plot revelations. It might be for the better, as it makes for compelling reasons to tune in to the final battle, though I can see how this might be a letdown if you wanted a little bit of everything like in those first few weeks. I guess we'll get plenty of bloody action to tip the scales back in that direction in the coming weeks.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Revenger is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.