Kondo Isami?
You don't deserve to call yourself that.
Tsukito, you're alive?
That's not my name anymore.
I'm Captain of the Masked Demons, Rashomaru.
Shine On!
Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Episode Five Show Them! The Pride of a Monk and a Doctor
Tsukito...
Why? Why are you a Masked Demon?
What happened after that? What about Ma?
You hear that?
Those are the voices of Dad and Mom, who died by this sword.
Pops and Ma?
I killed Mom. I stabbed her through the heart.
And now you'll give your life for this nation, too!
What are you doing, Dumboshi?
Well, well...
The drowned rat showed up to assist you.
I never make the same mistake twice.
Number 851.
Not bad, Vice Commander.
Unlike him, you're not weak.
Don't compare me to Dumboshi.
I won't hold back just because you're his family, Tsukito.
Call me Rashomaru.
I gave up that name when I killed my mother.
Are you bragging about your own misfortune? How amusing.
I thought you'd understand. After all, you killed your own father.
Who was that?
Captain of the Masked Demons, Rashomaru.
He's also Ichibanboshi's brother, Tsukito.
Shinsengumi Headquarters
Sogen-chan, have you figured anything out?
Yes. Take a look at these.
What are these?
I soaked the magic swords Ichibanboshi-dono collected in various chemicals,
and measured their corrosion levels.
It turns out these swords are made from ordinary copper.
I was unable to detect any substances responsible for their
peculiar glow or extraordinary power.
Huh. So, what about this?
I dissected the bodies of the ronin and found nothing exceptional,
nor did I find signs they'd taken any special drugs.
In other words...
I've got nothing.
I see. We'll have to come up with another idea, then.
Anyway, this room is crazy.
Trick devices, dissected corpses, and experiments.
You're a strange one, Sogen-chan.
They're all the same.
What do you mean?
I've simply been interested in the basis of all things since I was young.
New Book of Anatomy
This is the New Book of Anatomy, or Tafel Anatomie.
You sure do like that book.
"Anatomie" means "dissection."
The word "atom," which shares the same etymology,
is based on "a-", meaning "not," and "tom," "to cut."
In other words, the ultimate mission of mankind is to find the root of things
that cannot be broken down any further.
Yup, you're certainly strange.
Shinsengumi applicants, over here.
Just listen to them jabber.
Stand in a straight line, newbies.
Tell me where you're from and what your name is.
Why do we have to do this?
We don't want to get attacked again.
I know that! Man, this sucks!
Where did Ichibanboshi run off to?
You hear that?
Those are the voices of Dad and Mom, who died by this sword.
I killed Mom. I stabbed her through the heart.
Suzuran-dono, why are we going for a walk to take our minds off things?
Whose house is this?
It's Mokichi-san's house.
Remember the guy we helped who'd been stabbed in the street?
Ah, yes.
I come check on him sometimes.
His daughter, Oito-chan, takes really great care of me.
Is that not the real reason you come here?
A few more years, and she'll be in her prime.
Oito-chan, are you there?
Mr. Priest!
What? Already?
We should start by becoming friends first.
Something's wrong with my dad.
He suddenly became unwell. I don't know what to do.
The injuries I treated the other day have healed.
He doesn't seem to be afflicted by any other illness.
But his condition is poor regardless.
I've never seen a case like this before.
Oito...
Dad, I'm right here.
I won't last much longer.
Don't say that.
You know our relatives in Yamashiro?
Yes.
I sent them a letter. They'll take care of you.
Oito, thank you for all you've done until now.
Dad...
Impossible.
I'm sorry. It's my fault Mokichi-san didn't make it.
Not at all. You both did everything you could.
And my father seemed at peace in the end.
I can't stop thinking about it.
I'd like to dig up Mokichi-san's body and dissect it to determine his cause of death.
Don't. It may satisfy your curiosity, but Oito-chan wouldn't be able to handle it.
You held a Buddhist service for him, huh?
But don't you pray not like this,
but like this instead?
How did you know that?
Let's say a quick Christian prayer before someone shows up.
We can leave a cross on his grave later, so no one will notice.
Thank you, Father.
Kondo-san, Hijikata-san...
Someday I'll make proper memorials for all of you.
Please watch over the Shinsengumi until then.
Suzuran-dono, how did you become a criminal?
Like you saw earlier,
a government official discovered me
conducting a secret funeral service for Christians in hiding.
It was awful.
How did you become a criminal?
I was arrested for dissecting abandoned corpses and making euthanizing medicines.
It's embarrassing.
So nothing's changed, then.
Sogen-chan, what do you think happens to us when we die?
There isn't anything after death, only nothingness.
I believe we have souls.
Souls only exist in picture scrolls and fairy tales.
If you could see souls, would you believe in them, too?
If I could observe them, then I could research them.
Are you saying you can see them?
Who knows?
This world is unfair.
Rich and poor, lucky and unlucky, healthy and sick...
There are only a few things in this world that you can choose for yourself.
I'd like if everyone were at least equal after death.
I hope we are, anyway.
What's this?
Are your hands shaking from drinking too much?
No. Are you sure you didn't make some weird modification to it again?
I made no such alteration.
Come to think of it,
Ichibanboshi-dono and Gyataro-dono said their swords made noises.
Are you saying the soul of Saito Hajime-san that resides within this sword
is trying to tell me something?
It stopped?
I wonder what caused that phenomenon.
Saito Hajime-san, I don't know what you're trying to say.
I see.
Thank you.
Did you say something?
No, nothing.
Anyway, I figured out what the sword was pointing at.
It's that building.
Shirakawaya
Is something the matter with the Shirakawaya?
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Shinsengumi Headquarters
You're saying Saito Hajime-san's Kijinmaru Kunishige
responded only in front of the Shirakawaya?
That's right.
I saw it as well.
What should we do?
Sit down. We're still in the middle of a meeting.
Let's blitz 'em.
If his sword responded to that building, then it must be a Masked Demon hideout.
Yeah, let's get 'em!
We're number one!
Idiots!
Ow!
We can't raid the Shirakawaya without any evidence.
We can figure that out while we're there.
You just want to see your brother again.
I'm gonna ask Tsukito why he did it.
Supposing the Shirakawaya really is an enemy stronghold, how many are there?
Are there any civilians present?
How do you know your brother is there?
You'd never get the chance to talk to him.
You'd only suffer a disgraceful defeat.
Shut up!
Patience, Ichibanboshi.
I'm sorry you met your brother again under those circumstances.
But for now...
That's right. We don't know yet that the Shirakawaya is up to anything shady.
And you may have been named after Kondo Isami,
Isami Kondo
but I can't "Kondone" your rash behavior.
Kondone
Huh? What?
Was my joke really that bad? Huh?
The Shirakawaya is one of a few large shops in the capital.
If we're wrong, it could mean trouble for Matsudaira Katamori,
who directs the Shinsengumi.
We need evidence first. Got it?
Yes, sir.
If it's information we need, then we should see what they have to say.
Let's go see the kids.
I'll look into my own leads, too.
What should we do?
We'll have to walk around the city and see if my sword responds to any other places.
Get out of my way.
Do you intend to go to the Shirakawaya alone?
Your selfish actions will cause trouble for everyone.
Ichibanboshi, you've lost your head over the incident with your brother.
I don't want you doing anything.
I'm forbidding you from leaving our headquarters. That's an order.
Damn it!
Looking for a good time, Mr. Samurai?
Actually, I—
Is this your first time seeing a working woman like me?
I'm actually meeting someone here.
Thanks for waiting, Okita Soji.
You're...
Hey, wait!
What are you doing?
You're the one who requested a clandestine meeting.
That's why I'm here.
There's nothing clandestine about this meeting.
I'm here to clarify once and for all—
But aren't things more fun when they're not cut and dry?
Well? You have something to ask me, don't you?
Yes. The truth is...
The Shirakawaya, huh?
We don't know why,
but we believe they've made some kind of deal with the Masked Demons.
It's true that the rumors I hear about the Shirakawaya aren't very positive.
They've made a killing by unfairly raising the price on kerosene.
Kerosene?
Hey, what are you—
It's the middle of the day, and they're already going at it.
Don't look.
Sorry. Be patient for a moment.
Fine.
Ichibanboshi? Tsukito?
Did you get in a fight again, Ichibanboshi?
Look at you.
It's Tsukito's fault.
I... I...
Ichibanboshi, we know you're undefeated around here.
But it's Tsukito who's strong.
What?
Why? I'm number one.
Because no matter how much he's hit, kicked, or insulted,
Tsukito endures it and doesn't fight.
That makes him the strongest.
You can practice all you want, but there's no point.
Shut up.
Your brother killed your mother and sided with the enemy.
Why do you hesitate? Why don't you try to kill him?
You need to steel your resolve.
There must be some reason he did it.
Otherwise, Tsukito never would've done that.
So you're going to talk to him about it?
Such a lukewarm attitude. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you.
I'm not like you! You killed your own father!
He didn't deserve to live.
He was the embodiment of this shitty world you're always complaining about,
like Rashomaru is now.
Tsukito's different. He's not a piece of shit.
He's a kind man.
I know because I've fought against him.
He fights like a demon who's killed countless people.
He lost his humanity a long time ago.
If you won't kill him, then I'll kill Rashomaru myself.
I came to tell you that.
If he's useless on our next mission, then I'll kill Dumboshi first.
Those who can't follow orders should be dealt with immediately.
Regarding your question about the existence of souls...
Yeah?
Are you aware that when people die, they become about five momme lighter?
I didn't know that. Is that widely known?
Among those who study medicine, yes.
Hold on. Have you measured that yourself?
Yes, with about a hundred bodies.
There was some variation, but they all lost roughly the same amount of weight.
So those five momme a person loses when they die is their soul?
I had the same thought.
Souls may not be visible, but perhaps they have weight.
Interesting.
That sword...
Saito Hajime-san's Kijinmaru Kunishige.
You modified it so it would carry an electric current, right?
Yes. Normally electricity isn't visible, but its power moves objects.
Like a soul.
Yes. Souls work in the same way.
Perhaps they're a power source.
A power source?
Yes. Not only that, but a mere five momme has the power to move an entire human.
Electricity can't compare.
Is that what they're trying to do?
Use souls as a power source?
But how do they collect and store the souls?
Maybe the answer to that question is inside the Shirakawaya.
This is the place.
Well, well...
If the Masked Demons themselves showed up to attack us...
Then we were right about the Shirakawaya.
You're not getting past that door.
Your mysterious swords killed Mokichi-san.
Remember this.
There's nothing a doctor hates more than losing a patient they've treated!
And priests hate seeing restless souls treated so disrespectfully!
Give your lives for the nation!
So Kondo Isami's substitute is your brother.
Yes.
Rashomaru, you must hate me.
What are you talking about?
You're the one who gave me the name Rashomaru and a noble mission.
I have no reason to hate you.
What shall we do with Kondo Isami's substitute?
If he aims to ruin our plans, then I'll kill him.
We're back.
What happened?
We were attacked by Masked Demons.
While scouting out the Shirakawaya.
That makes things clear.
Tomorrow night, the Shinsengumi is going to the Shirakawaya on a job.
Make sure you're well-prepared.
Yes, sir.
Ichibanboshi.
Yeah?
You're staying here.
What?
You're not going on tomorrow night's job.
I can't allow someone so flippant to wield Kotetsu.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Shine On!
Bakumatsu Bad Boys
Recharging
Hm?
Sogen-chan! Is my staff...
Please wait just a little longer.
That's how that works?!
Fin