English Dub Review: Bucchigiri?! “Fallen Friend! This Love, This Pain, This Almond Tofu!”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Under the influence of Ichiya, Matakara becomes much more aggressive and more likely to pick fights, eventually picking a fight with Marito. He seems on the ropes at first, but when things seem lost, he finally makes a wish for power with Ichiya, obtaining his first Bucchigiri and soundly defeating Marito. Meanwhile, Arajin becomes unable to get in touch with Senya, who isn’t denying the idea that he may be trying to take over the boy’s body, until the end of the episode.

OUR TAKE

We’re two episodes from the end and we now have our two protagonists primed and ready for a final battle. Matakara’s descent into darkness reaches its zenith as he finally achieves Bucchigiri for the first time. But unlike Arajin’s usual more energetic version with Senya, Ichiya’s is much more sinister and dark, which makes sense considering he preys off Matakara’s fears and anxieties, where as Senya…took from Arajin’s desire to lose his virginity? This show is mad goofy, man, I don’t know what to tell you. Anyway, now these two former friends, who were divided by lies and cowardice, are now in their lowest states since the story began, with Arajin being unsure with how to proceed with Senya, while Matakara is so full of despair and so easily manipulated by Ichiya that he’s going to keep fighting until some major damage is done. Obviously this is all setting up for them to fight in a final showdown in either the next or the following episode, though that’s really just by process of elimination since there’s only two episodes left and they are DEFINITELY GOING TO FIGHT. In fact it may take Senya actually fully taking over Arajin’s body to fully take on Matakara and Ichiya!

As for Marito, this is I think the second big fight he’s lost in the last few episodes? So yeah, all his power and influence have to be completely gone at this point. Arajin beat both him and Akutaro, but now he’s lost to Matakara too, so I don’t know how he holds onto any sort of influence now. Unless we get a third, GREEN spirit somehow and he gets all that power back in a big fight. I’m also pretty curious how Mahoro is going to feel about all of this. She was pretty empathetic towards Matakara before since his brother died, but now he’s beat the shit out of HER brother who she loves, so maybe this will finally make her look to Arajin for help to stop the guy. And of course a discussion of this show is not complete without referencing the guy who keeps going to the cat cafe every episode! Like seriously, why the hell is that in every episode? It has nothing to do with anything else other than the guy is the teacher of the main characters. All of this and more in the final two episodes of Bucchigiri!