Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens - Episode 2 (Review)
By: RogueSymbiote
After a less than stellar start, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens delivers on what a series full of assassins and avengers can be. Hiyoshi's decision to protect Banba instead of murdering him as per Zhang's request creates a truly interesting dynamic. Hiyoshi demands that Zhang pay him the money he is owed and vows to deter any assassin from harming the charismatic detective until the transaction is complete.
Story Arc
After spending the night at Banba's, Hiyoshi is tasked with retrieving food his new client. After sending Hiyoshi on this tedious errand, Banba meets up with his tech savvy friend Enokida in order to learn about the crossdressing assassin. After learning his identity, Banba returns home to find his new bodyguard upset and restraining a rival hitman. Banba demands that the would-be killer be set free and the unlikely duo sit down for some ramen and conversation.After being abducted by a pair of avengers, Saito witnesses unspeakable horrors being committed against another victim of this agency. A man is mutilated (off screen) for having mutilated a cat. We learn that avengers can only harm their targets to the extent that their clients have been harmed. Essentially, avengers serve as a means to even the score in this city. The man torturing the cat killer explains that the cat's tail was removed so he had to be "creative." Yikes... Saito's gag is removed and he explains how there has been a case of mistaken identity. His business card corroborates his story and he is released. After returning home, Saito finds that he has been paid for killing Murase even though he was not the one to complete the task. We discover that Murase and his friends were murdered by men linked to mayor Harada. The mayor clearly wanted to eliminate them for their ties to his twisted son Yusuke who instigated the attack on the helpless men in episode 1.After spending some time together, Banba learns that Hiyoshi is in debt to his agency and offers to pay him in return for information. Hiyoshi agrees and answers Banba's questions as he wishes to leave his hitman life behind and return to his younger sister, Qioamei. He reveals that the organization he works for is Kakyuu Association and that they make most of their money from human trafficking. Hiyoshi is also able to identify the final person in the image with mayor Harada as Longfang Wang, the head of Kakyuu Association.
The men who work for the mayor are seen purchasing a woman who has been stuffed in a suitcase. She is then brought to Yusuke Harada, who has a poor track record of leaving women alive when he is done with them. Saito is floored by the money he receives for "killing" Murase and splurges on food, beer and lap dances. He wakes up the following morning in a hotel bed with a naked woman and discovers that she has been murdered. He runs out of the hotel in a panic. We then see Hiyoshi calling Zhang to inform him that he has the money to pay off his debt and that he wants out. Zhang then ominously mentions that Hiyoshi must not have heard what has transpired. As he walks past a news display, he sees that a young woman has been found murdered in a hotel room and has been identified as Lin Qioamei. Based on his silence, Zhang assumes Hiyoshi has learned of his sister's demise and professes what a shame it was and how the assassin should have played nicer. In a rage Hiyoshi vows to kill Zhang and the person who butchered his beloved sister.
Episode Review
I honestly was not expecting much from this series after the first episode. I'm glad to be wrong. This episode was well paced, intriguing, shocking and fun. There are some very twisted moments that caught me off guard. Witnessing what the avengers organization does was horrific and awesome all at once. Witnessing how all of these secret societies weave together will make for some exciting moments. It took me a moment to realize that the woman who Saito woke up next to was the same woman that was purchased for Yusuke. It was genius to have Saito be the fall guy for the murder. This guy can just not catch a break, but I guess that's the price you pay for being a hired gun. It's obvious that Hiyoshi will go after Saito as the cameras in the hotel will show him leaving the crime scene. It'll be interesting to see if the truth comes to light before Hiyoshi kills the wrong man. I loved the reveal of Qioamei's identity at the end of the episode. It was set up to perfection and tied into nearly every story arc in the series so far. The story and dialogue have drastically improved from the previous episode. The animation even appears to be more clear, smooth and dynamic. If the series can keep this level of excitement and suspense, this could be an extremely fun ride. Here's hoping that the chaos continues even more once this mystery assassin of assassin's shows up.
