BTOOOM!

BTOOOM!

We rewind back to the point where Sakamoto and Oda launched their Crackers at each other. Himiko yelled out for Sakamoto while someone else yelled for Oda. And we see that Kinoshita has teamed up with Oda (probably planning on using him like she did that guy from last episode).

She takes off after Himiko, and knocks her out with a devastating kick. With her knocked out, she tosses a Timer onto her and walks away, assuming that she had won after hearing the explosion. But of course, Himiko is still alive — and in a more plausible way than Sakamoto — as she woke up in time to toss the Timer aside (though regretting that she didn’t throw it at Kinoshita).

BTOOOM!

The two begin a stand off as Kinoshita insults Himiko for carrying a stun gun, saying that girls that carry those are ugly and that she had a bad experience when she lost her virginity. Angered, Himiko attacks but gets caught and ends up in a head lock.

BTOOOM! BTOOOM!

Now, if you’ve seen the previous episodes where Himiko was in trouble (The Bloody High School Girl, Attack), you would see that she would try to kill herself in order to get it to stop. However, to her amazement, she fights back. And it seems that it’s Sakamoto that is keeping her going this time. Himiko refuses to accept that but continues to fight anyway, flipping Kinoshita and breaking free of the hold.

BTOOOM!

The fight continues with Himiko stunning Kinoshita, but with little effect as the gun is losing its voltage. Kinoshita reacts by grabbing Himiko’s head and slamming it against the ground. This would have continued had a bomb not have been thrown in. The two separate as the bomb goes off.

If you’re wondering where Date went after helping Sakamoto with the case, here is your answer. He appears after the explosion, causing Kinoshita to hide from them both. As you could probably imagine, Date is upset that neither one was killed. However, he feigns kindness towards Himiko as she dusts herself off.

BTOOOM!

However, Himiko doesn’t buy it for a moment, and she has every right not to. Date was clearly trying to kill with no regard to anyone and Himiko knows it. But she knows that she can’t allow him to know that she’s on to him just yet. For know, she feigns ignorance to his actions and follows him to Sakamoto.

BTOOOM!

Let’s start with what to look forward to right here. When Himiko said that she could only trust Sakamoto, she referred to him by his given name, Ryouta. That may not seem like much to us but the Japanese don’t typically use given names unless it’s a friend or a familiar. This is a very positive development in the relationship between Sakamoto and Himiko. Speaking of which…

BTOOOM!

How will Himiko approach Sakamoto regarding the incident with Date? I think that if she knows that she can trust Sakamoto that she’ll tell him about the event. It’s really all a matter of if she wants to trust him rather than if she can trust him.

BTOOOM!

Third, how in the freaking hell was Sakamoto able to escape from that explosion unscathed? Is there something I’m missing from all of this? Are they going to explain what happened at the beginning of the next episode? I sure hope they do.

Fourth, what kind of role will Kira play during the rest of this series? I’d imagine that we’re getting close to a conclusion to the game, particularly from how the Game Manager spoke in the teaser for the next episode. It’s not certain what will happen to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to stay on the island, even if he is offered a chance to go home.

BTOOOM!

Fifth, I’d imagine that Date is going to make a move if Sakamoto is able to claim all the gear from Oda (it appears that he will, from the teaser). The gear will also include four chips that Oda had on him. If Date finds out, he’ll probably have a duel with Sakamoto to claim the chips himself, still not believing that Sakamoto can get them all home. Frankly, I rather see some karma with Date missing the ride and Shiki waving good-bye, saying that she’ll live for both of them.

Finally, it appears that Oda and Kinoshita will come to blows in the next episode. Not sure how that will end but it seems that things will come to a head.

BTOOOM! is developed by Madhouse, published by Showgate, and licensed by Sentai Filmworks. You can catch new episodes every Thursday night though the simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Jeff Neuenschwander
Jeff has been a supporter of the website and campaign since the beginning. Joining in for E3 2012, he worked his way up the ranks quickly, making it to the Editing Manager post at the beginning of 2013. Jeff has a wide variety of tastes when it comes to gaming and pretty much likes anything that is quirky, although his favorite genres are Action, Platforming, and RPG. Outside of gaming, Jeff is a musician, being trained as a trombonist for Jazz and Classical music, and holds a degree in Sound Recording.