Samurai Flamenco - Episode 16

Now that the Prime Minister's plan is in full swing, the Flamengers and Kaname are under arrest while those around them are most certainly under suspicion.  Only one man has managed to evade capture thus far... Flamen Red, Hazama himself, of course.

While Hazama roams the streets alone in a continued attempt to evade his captors, our focus shifts for a while take in what has become of the Flamenco Girls - and what a sorry sight it is too, with Mari lashing out once confronted by her colleagues out of a mixture of genuine loathing and self-pity.  Moe and Mizuki are having none of this in their own unique ways, but with no signs of a resolution Mari storms out, making straight for the source of her pain - King Torture's lair.  It's an odd decision, but one that ultimately lets the girls kiss and make up - quite literally, as it happens.

Meanwhile, things are getting desperate for Hazama as he wanders aimlessly with nowhere to go, and no sources of water.  Although stealing the food he desperately needs could be an option, he simply can't bring himself to do it, and it soon all becomes too much for him as he falls asleep on a park bench, only to find himself taken into the care of a homeless man - a man whose outlook on life was changed by Samurai Flamenco, no less.  Despite Masayoshi's protestations, this man assures him that it's perfectly okay for Hazama to seek out help from those close to him, even if it may cause peril for them in the long run - no prizes for guessing who Hazama turns to in light of this advice, of course.

Strip all of the humour and larger than life insanity of its story away from Samurai Flamenco (as this episode largely did), and it soon becomes clear that you don't have a lot left to work with - this show thrives on its bonkers premise and the execution of that craziness, bolstered by a really sharp line in comedy.  Without any of that, things quickly become dull, and this episode was certainly one of the show's most boring - although some of the drama surrounding Mari was pretty well-realised its conclusion was an anti-climax, and Hazama's plight never really felt as dangerous as it should have considering he was Japan's most wanted criminal.  This isn't really the time for Samurai Flamenco to start taking itself too seriously, so hopefully it'll lighten up rather than become bogged down in its current story.