Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman - Episode 2

Has Roman (or the reincarnation of Nezumi Kozo, as his night-time alter-ego seems to have become known as) met his match already?  It seems that way as he almost comes a cropper against a new addition to the law enforcement forces looking to put a stop to his activities.

The individual in question also proves to be rather a mysterious one - Suzuki Magoichi, who shuns the offers of his superior to go out drinking or for a meal, and keeps himself to himself with his emotions never showing.  He also happens to be the man who dropped by looking for Roman with a job in last week's episode, and this time around he gets to meet him properly (not knowing of his alter-ego of course) to offer a well-paid job tracking down a member of a performing troupe for reasons that he refuses to explain.

Without any knowledge of why Magoichi wants to find this man, Roman naturally refuses, only to find himself caught up in the whole incident as the man at the centre of this search, Yohei of the Ukigumo troupe, effectively lands on Roman's doorstep in a badly injured state.  It seems that Magoichi isn't the only one with an interest in this man, and ultimately Roman and his rival end up joining forces on this occasion to protect Yohei from some less scrupulous pursuers, although it seems that Suzuki's real goal isn't exactly a scrupulous one either...

Having produced the single most mediocre piece of anime I've seen so far this year (although 2013 is still young, dear reader), this second episode of Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman was a definite improvement - it wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, as it still struggles to keep its story-telling focused and coherent and with finding ways to make its characters interesting (Roman sure is a dull hero), but the full introduction of Magoichi and his role in proceedings feels refreshing in comparison and the series is at least aiming towards some wider plot points which seem more promising.  I'm still reticent in assuming that this series is going to be anything other than average after its weak start, but an improvement is still an improvement so I'll be keeping my eye on this series for a little longer yet.