What a disaster.
Shine On!
Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Episode Nine Ponder! A Person's Thoughts and a Demon's Thoughts
Tsukito, join the Shinsengumi.
Join us in atoning for your sins and live.
Don't give up on yourself.
Even a criminal can start over in the Shinsengumi.
You'll have companions. You're not alone.
It's all right, Mom.
Soon our family will be together again.
Over here.
Stay calm, everyone.
Don't worry.
The Shinsengumi will defend Kyoto.
You're awake?
I failed to die again.
Todo Heisuke regrets being the only survivor of the Shinsengumi.
That's what Suzuran-dono told me.
Maybe he's right.
It's quiet.
Everyone's out,
on orders from Ichibanboshi-dono.
He said defending Kyoto is the Shinsengumi's job.
I see.
Heave-ho!
Wow!
He's like a sumo wrestler!
Thanks. Now we'll be able to build new houses right away.
Don't thank us.
All we do is break stuff.
Only you carpenters can build new stuff.
Chief, the rest is up to you guys.
You got it. We'll do our best.
Thanks for the work.
Gyata-nii, we'll help, too.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Get the area cleaned up. If you find anything valuable...
We'll return it to the people who were burned out of their homes.
Only pieces of shit loot after a fire.
Yeah, you're right. I was just thinking the same thing.
Come on, let's go.
Yeah!
Tomekichi's turned into a right little boss.
Aren't these guys arsonists?
Why do we have to dig graves for them?
Because I believe in lending a hand to souls that need to be mourned.
This drawing again.
It's the same bonji symbol.
We've got plenty more.
You don't need to worry about being first in line.
Thank you.
Here.
We have medicine for the injured.
Let us know if you need anything.
Hey...
Hijikata-sama!
So handsome!
Why is this happening?
I'd like some, please!
I don't know.
Man.
Commander?
Well, if it isn't Okayo-san.
Wait, I thought you fled to Osaka.
There's no way I could've left everyone else behind to do that.
Let me help you.
Sure, I appreciate it.
Who knew this would happen?
You little...
What a shame.
How does a master swordsman do such shoddy work?
When did you get here?
Whoa, there.
You nearly sliced my nose off.
Let me see.
Stay out of my way.
You're good at that.
As a child, I was put up for adoption and moved homes several times.
Because of that, I picked up cooking, cleaning, and everything else.
That should do it.
Why don't we go for a walk?
I came to have a serious discussion today.
Whenever you say that, it's bound to be about something ridiculous.
I want you to marry me.
See? You want to marry me?
Wait, marry me?
What?!
Is that really so shocking?
We already sealed the deal last night with a kiss.
That was just...
This is ridiculous. I was wondering what you'd say, but I—
Why is a woman like you dressing up
as a man and calling herself Okita Soji of the Shinsengumi?
I...
You don't have to tell me.
It doesn't matter who you are.
It doesn't matter what's in your past.
I love the woman standing before me now.
That's all that matters.
Will you tell me one thing, though?
What's your real name?
Akira.
Akira, written using the character for the color white.
Akira...
It suits you. It's a beautiful name.
That made me happy.
Huh?
That was the first time in my life I've been praised so much.
Yeah?
I'm glad I joined the Shinsengumi.
I'm glad I became a substitute.
Me, too.
Substitutes for the Shinsengumi...
Now that I think about it, it's a crazy idea.
Yeah.
I thought I'd only agreed to it to avoid being executed, but...
Today, I feel like thanking Todo for once, damn it!
Yeah!
I can't believe I fell asleep.
Are you feeling cold?
No, I'm fine. Sorry for waking you.
You haven't gotten a wink of sleep since you've been taking care of me.
You should get some rest.
I'm sure someone's just bad-mouthing me again.
It's hard playing the villain.
Wait, wait!
Don't bury him yet!
I knew it.
Akira's a masculine name, isn't it?
It can be a man or a woman's name.
It's the name my parents chose for a son who'd take over the family dojo.
Motomu Dojo
When I learned that, I figured my parents wanted a child skilled in swordsmanship.
So I dedicated myself to swordsmanship.
I was desperate to make my parents happy.
As I trained, eventually no one at the dojo stood a chance against me,
so I became an instructor.
That's when I finally realized something.
What my parents wanted wasn't a strong daughter,
but a son to take over the dojo.
You've lived a lonely life of swordsmanship.
I'm only capable of living in this clumsy way.
It must've been hard, but I know you.
You probably rejected even the idea of feeling that pain
and swung your wooden sword every day.
Maybe.
That loneliness will end.
If you marry me, that is.
All you ever do is trick and lie to people as a joke.
I wouldn't lie about wanting to marry someone.
There's no rush to give me your answer.
Let's take it slow.
Our relationship has just begun.
Man, I'm beat.
Dumboshi.
Eat.
Hey, thanks.
You haven't eaten since this morning either.
I'm fine.
Don't strain yourself.
You know, my family...
We lived deep in the countryside. We were poor.
What are you talking about?
I wonder when that was...
There was a festival at a nearby village.
I'd been given some pocket money, so I bought a steamed bun.
I gave it to Tsukito, but...
Here.
I told you, that's your share.
Food tastes better when you're eating with someone.
Fine, then.
He's a nice guy.
He was pretending to be tough.
His right eyebrow rises when he lies.
I can always tell.
Tsukito is Rashomaru now.
Yeah, but that Tsukito still lives inside him.
I know he does.
You think Tsukito will come back if you change this shitty world?
That's right.
You may have to kill him.
I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
I killed my own father.
I came from a samurai family.
We had status and wealth, but...
My father was the worst kind of person.
He abused his status and was a tyrant to those weaker than him.
My mother simply endured his abuse
because obeying your husband was the duty of a samurai's wife.
One night, my father became exceptionally violent.
If I didn't kill him, he'd kill my mother, so I...
So you did it to protect your mother?
The night I killed my father, my mother killed herself.
I killed my father, who was practically the embodiment of this shitty world.
But it means I also killed my mother, who could only live in samurai society.
I abandoned my family
and became a hired killer.
Hired killers say
you'll see the world differently once you've killed a thousand people.
That's why you've been counting them?
Has the world you see changed?
You killed over a thousand yesterday.
I see. In that case, instead of counting the people you've killed,
count the people you've saved from now on.
I'll consider it.
Hey, that's the first time I've seen you smile.
Shut up. I didn't smile.
Wow, what a rare sight.
Come on, smile again.
I didn't smile.
Yeah, you did.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Did not.
Come on, smile.{a: inaudible to me}
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
You're working hard, Chief.
Well, if it isn't Kondo-san.
We'll get this back to normal right quick.
That's the Shinsengumi everyone's talking about.
They helped like mad during the fire.
Hijikata-san's such a fine man.
I think I prefer Okita-san.
He's got a pretty face like a girl,
but he's as strong as an ogre with a sword in his hands.
The Shinsengumi has become rather popular in the wake of the Ikedaya incident.
I wondered how that group of criminals would turn out,
but it would seem that Todo Heisuke and Matsudaira Katamori weren't wrong about them.
Several of our agents were foiled and failed to set fires.
We failed to gather enough souls for the ritual.
No, if anything, we should be glad to have this opportunity to test our plan.
Our ambition shall be fulfilled soon.
Rashomaru, as you have killed your own mother and become a demon,
I have bestowed upon you the highest responsibility.
Yes, my lord.
By accepting the corruption of this world,
you can become the foundation of this nation's salvation.
Therefore, you must kill your brother.
It is the final step.
But first, there's one other obstacle the stars have told us to eliminate.
So the moon has brought demons to my doorstep.
Rashomaru, Captain of the Masked Demons, is here to take your life, Sakuma Shozan.
That's not the first time someone's said that to me.
The night is long. Let's have a chat.
Are those the magical swords I've heard so much about?
How do they work?
Would you allow me to take a look?
You can see how they work with your own body.
What is your master planning?
Why do you give magic swords to forces both for and against the shogunate?
Are you weapons dealers motivated by money?
Or are you trying to start a civil war?
Don't belittle him!
How can I not when I know so little about him?
Though it'd be a different story if you'd tell me about your master's noble purpose.
You can take it with you to the grave.
Our country is protected by the souls of those who love it.
We transform those souls into swords so we can defeat the foreigners.
Using spells passed down since ancient times,
protective deities of the Underworld will defeat the foreigners
and bring eternal prosperity to our nation.
Rashomaru, your sins are hereby erased.
Together, let us save the fatherland.
How delightful.
He intends to protect this country using mysterious spells?
The spineless Tokugawa and the Satcho who suck up to foreign nations are mere pawns.
Japan will force all nations to submit.
The world will kneel before his type-zero weapon!
This is why your plan will never work.
Your thinking is too old-fashioned.
Sooner or later, this country will change.
The shogunate will fall, and the samurai will disappear.
When the new world arrives,
what will matter most is what you've got up here.
We won't need people who wait for their master's orders.
The ability to consider for yourself what you think
and what you want to do will become essential.
You fools!
You called yourself Rashomaru, didn't you?
What do you want to do?
Whatever he—
Think for yourself!
Too late.
It's too late.
After all, I've already...
become a demon.
You're saying these drawings show what the Masked Demons are planning?
No, we don't know that yet.
I thought the drawing we found at the Shirakawaya
and the drawing we found at the Shimamuraya
showed the locations they planned to set fire to.
We did, in fact, find Masked Demons at Seimei Shrine, too.
But it's a bit odd for a map.
What are these lines?
Exactly. It's full of mysteries.
There's not much we can say without more information.
Yeah, so I thought we could start by talking to those two.
If we showed these to Ichibanboshi-dono, he'd immediately call for a blitzing.
Yeah, it's a bad habit of his.
And his strength, too.
In any case, Suzuran, I'll leave this matter in your hands for the time being.
Look into the details.
There could be other drawings.
Got it. I'll follow all the leads I can find.
Shozan-sensei's dead?
Last night, he died after someone attacked him.
But...
Who killed him?
We don't know.
He had a lot of enemies, so it will difficult to determine who killed him.
There was still so much I wanted to learn from him.
Shozan-sensei...
I didn't call the Shinsengumi here just so I could give you the news.
Akizuki.
Yes, sir.
An ukiyo-e painting?
Demons?
The message Shozan-sensei left for us
was probably that the Masked Demons' next goal is to blow up foreign ships.
I command the Shinsengumi...
to head to Sakai Port in Osaka.
Osaka Sakai Port
Stop them from blowing up the foreign ships.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Shine On!
Bakumatsu Bad Boys
That looks fun.
You guys practicing a street performance?
We're cooking.
What?
Fin