Nabari no Ou - Episode 14

In typical Nabari no Ou fashion, last episode proved to be the set-up for the far more action-packed instalment offered up here, which made for what was probably one of the best episodes of this series in a while.


After the confusion surrounding why Alya's student council had decided to attack their guests last time around, all now becomes clear here, with the fight for the Kouga clan's 'Daya' kinjutsu scroll becoming a four-way scrap which both Kairoshuu and Banten's collectives both get dragged well and truly into. Indeed, this state of affairs sees the two rival factions working together to defend themselves, so that once again you could argue the lack of real hostility between clans as a disappointing downside or a positive of the series as whole. The real lack of a true 'good versus evil' battle as this series has progressed has been quite refreshing, with most of the main characters on both sides turning out to be pretty likeable and largely 'just doing their job', albeit in different ways, although on the flip side of that coin the lack of 'needle' between Banten and Kairoshuu does have the unwanted side-effect of detracting from any feeling of urgency or indeed important regarding the Shinrabanshou.

Overall though, this episode manages to pack in some claustrophobic action with a fair old slice of emotion, with a few shocks and some new questions being answered, to make for a pretty fast-paced episode, particularly by Nabari no Ou's occasionally lethargic standards. While things get a little confusing at times in the main scrap featured Miharu and Yoite (I just couldn't get my head around the location to be honest, leaving me frequently confused as to how characters ended up in particular places), there are plenty of good old-fashioned anime ninja show moments to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The end of this instalment also brings us a pretty big (and again slightly confusing if I think about it too much) cliffhanger, which promises some big moments next episode. Once again, I find myself wishing that every episode of Nabari no Ou could have been a bit more like this rather than the on/off relationship I've enjoyed with it, but when it puts its mind to the task it rarely fails to do the job with its source material.