Episode 27

 

Title: Chokuzen, Ikedaya Jiken! (Before The Ikedaya Incident!)
Broadcast Date: July 11th, 2004
Ratings: 13.4%

 

Synopsis
Isami meets again Tadasaburo Sasaki who came to Kyoto. He came as a leader of Mimawarigumi, a group of direct retainers of the Shogun which was established with a strong sense of rivalry against Shinsengumi. Hijikata mumbles 'mimawarigumi' and chuckled...

~June 5th, 1864~
Shinsengumi is having a meeting. Before they start, Isami is asking where are Okita and Saitou.
Toudou: Ahh....Okita is going somewhere...
Inoue: Moushikashite....with that person?

Voiceover of the members talking about them, while the screen showing Okita and Hide are holding hands...Hide, smiling widely, seems like pulling him to go somewhere, and he is kinda reluctant to follow. While, Toudou behind them watches and looked really sad, and looking at his own hand.
"Aa-ah....it seems those two lovebirds are really in close terms ne...."
"Hee....who with who??"
"Okita to Hide-chan, of course"

Toudou: ah...but im sure they're only friends...
Shimada: No way, they must be together already!! They're together everyday,"
Yamanami: Isnt this good? It will make Okita happy....
Hijikata: Yes, true.....but women will make troubles, when the guys about to break 'em up...
Isami: That's just you! ....well, I'll talk to Okita later about this....how bout Saitou?

Shimada: (voiceover) Ah, Saitou-san is really weird these recent days! He always lying around...I thought he's sleeping, but turns out his eyes are widely open!"
Scene showing Saitou lying on the floor and with his eyes wide....not moving at all. A fly flying around him, then landed on his nose, but he's still not moving an inch^^;

Takeda: Oh well....we better start the meeting....yoroshi desuka?
Then, they talk about these mysterious findings informed by Yamazaki Susumu. Isami command Takeda to investigate it.
 

While watching Shinsengumi members exercise kenjutsu, Isami is thinking out loud and Yamanami who sits behind him, is listening. "We have killed so many lives for the sake of Shinsengumi....Niimi, Serizawa, Uchiyama.....but is Shinsengumi really that important, that it needs to take so many lives?? I keep wondering whether we have done the wrong things, instead.". To reply Isami's worries, Yamanami give him comforting words and cheer him up...and assured him that they have done the right things.

Okita and Hide are actually visiting a doctor. Hide insist to have Okita's cough checked. Okita feels they dont need to, he feels fine. Hide keeps insisting, "Shinjiranai, what if its a warui byoki?? I feel so worried about Okita-san, but you dont respect my feelings!". Okita feels uneasy, "I'm very happy you worried about me....but....oh, alright...." Okita give in. Hide widely smile. Then, a painful screaming heard from inside. Okita and Hide's eyes widened. Okita stands up, "Yappari.....ii yo....!(i feel fine already!)". "Hee...?? Chotto matte, Okita-san!!!!".

The eldest brother of Tani is suggesting Isami to adopt his youngest brother, Masatake. Since Isami only have daughter, he will need a son, to carry on Kondou name. But, Isami hesitates...since he always thought of adopting Okita.

In the foodshop, Isami is having a talk with 4 Shinsengumi regular members, Masatake Tani, Shuuji Matsubara, Kawai Kisaburou, and this other man(gomen, dont know his name^^). He asks them what they think of him. Remotely, in a very loud and firm voice, Matsubara tells him that Isami Kondou is a subarashii man. Isami then ask them, is there anything else. Nervously, Kawai said, "Kowai....desune...". Isami is stunned, "Kowai(scary)??". "Yes, you never smile, and always put on a kowai face,". Isami think for a moment....then says, "Yosh!! Do you know that I can put my whole fist into my mouth?!". Then, Isami does so, which shocked all the 4 of them!^_^;;

Meanwhile, Takeda Kanryuusai finds a large number of weapons and ammunition hidden in a storehouse of Masuya and arrests an owner of the store.
Soon, Hijikata is informed about it and together with Yamanami and Okita, they visit the storehouse. On the way, Okita keeps coughing non-stop...Hijikata asks whether he caught a cold. While coughing, Okita just shake his head.
They are looking around and indeed there are really many weapons and ammunition.

Isami and Masatake Tani are having a talk in the foodshop. Masatake tells him that he actually only interested in studying, and hated violence and killing people. Isami smile, he said he reminds him of himself. Masatake said, it is okay if Isami refuse to adopt him.

Suddenly, Masa, the food shop's owner, interrupt and said she'd like to talk to Isami. She showed him a letter which says, "Dear beloved Omasa-chan....". Isami pondered, then Masa pointed the signed name. "Sanosuke!!" Isami's eyes widened. Turns out, Harada has very often sending her love letters, and also sending her daikon. But, Masa tells Isami, that she dont like that guy...he smell bad. And have such a bad temper.
Later, Isami talk with Harada outside the foodshop, and Isami show him the love letter. Harada is shocked, "How come this letter is in your hand?!?". Isami clearly stated what Masa have told him, that there's no way Masa will love him back. "I'm really serious here! Why wont she like me??". "She dont like guys with bad smell,". Harada sniffs himself, then saying that he will take a bath now. "She also dont like bad-tempered guys.....forget about her,". Harada looks really sad.

A middle-aged man from inside, suddenly comes and said, that a member of Shinsengumi has kindly contribute stuffs to him, as an owner of geisha house, named Okita. Isami confused, then he visits the geisha house with Inoue. He sees Toudou there accompanied by 2 geisha, who keeps calling him Okita-sensei. Isami is surprised, while Toudou is more than shocked to see his kyokuchou there.

In Yagi house, Hijikata-tachi are interrogating the hostage, to no avail.... Hijikata tells Shimada to torture him to make him talk.....

Isami asks Toudou why he disguise himself as Okita. Toudou explained, that it was not planned, and a coincidence, he did not cheat those geisha. Those geisha knowing Toudou is a Shinsengumi member, talks about that they heard a rumour that there's the strongest one in Shinsengumi, named Okita Souji. Coincidentally, those geisha thinks he must be Okita.....Toudou, naturally answered yes. "So I didnt cheat them!" Toudou try to defend himself. "That's just the same!! Why did you say yes to that?" Isami asks.
Toudou feels left behind. Okita is always one step forward than he is, in everything! He can never win from Okita, he feel depressed. Isami cheer him up, "Souji is Souji. Heisuke is Heisuke. You dont have to be Okita Souji, and do everything Souji can. Just be yourself, I'm sure you have your own plus points, which people can recognize them as "Heisuke Toudou"! Find your own personal character.........lets find it together with me,".
Toudou is really touched with Isami's speech, he's in tears. When suddenly, Okita comes. "Kondou-sensei! What are you doing here? Hurry, come!!".

Takeda-tachi showed Isami the weapons and ammunition, and tells evrything they found, including the hostage they caught. Then, Isami goes to the torture room to meet the hostage who is being hanged now. "Isami Kondou, Shinsengumi kyokuchou," Isami bows. Isami ask him kindly to tell him what do they plan. But the hostage keeps silent. Isami cant stand it anymore, he flared up and yelled at him.

Meanwhile, knowing their friend has been caught, Choshuu samurai are attacking back and taking the weapons with them.
It has really angered Hijikata, "Chikusho!!!!". Hijikata asked Saitou, the best way to torture a hostage, so he'll talk.
Then, Hijikata goes inside....he exits again with some tools, 2 candles and 2 big nails, saying to Okita to guard the torture room's door...and do not let anyone enters, before he exits. Okita keeps pondering what the candles are for.....but Saitou just smile, wont answer.

Hijikata finally exits with a shocking information and told Okita to gather everybody. There is a conspiracy planned mainly by Choshuu radicals to set the whole Kyoto city on fire, to kill the Military Commissioner of Kyoto, Katamori Matsudaira, and to abduct the Emperor to Choshuu Domain. Isami gets astonished with the plan and declares that this is going to be a war.
 

Review
Rate: A

In case anyone wondering, what is Hijikata doing inside the torture room with those candles. I wont know either, if I didnt read Kaze Hikaru manga^^ In the manga, it was shown, how Hijikata use the candles. The hostage is hanged upside-down. Feets up, head down. Then, the candles are nailed on his feets. Hijikata tells him that the burned candles will melt, and it will enter inside his body, slowly flowing together with the blood, and reach his heart. First, it is his feet which will freeze....after 7 days, 7 nights....it is his heart which will freeze and stop.... Listening to this, the hostage cant take it anymore and ask him to put off the candles...and so he finally talk.

What an inhuman way nee....^_^;;; Sasuga onifukuchou... x)