Episode 5: The Drifter

April 24, 2006

As the Tortoise Express speeds on to Kanna village, a farmer sights it and yells to the others. At the Great Elder's, the Elder announces that Kirara has found two samurai and will bring seven. A farmer protests, saying the Elder only told them to bring four. The Elder tells him he thought they would need ten, but had he said that they would have come with fifteen. The same villager as if it is a good idea to take samurai into their homes, for fear of turning on them. The Elder asks him, Manzo, about the bandits. Rikichi begs a samurai to come with them, but in vain as the samurai takes two rice balls and leaves. Gorobei instructs him on how to ask a samurai, Rikichi disbelieving. He tells him to practice telling the samurai they are beautiful and he is in love. He makes Rikichi practice saying it, to his embarrassment. Katsushiro lays out his records to Kambei and Gorobei, saying that they asked fourteen samurai and have two. Kiku starts to gripe about him saying he would fight too, and Gorobei keeps talking. Kiku gets mad and rips up the records, but Gorobei draws his sword and catches all of them on his blade. Kiku goes back to sulking, and Kambei complements Katsushiro on his record keeping. Gorobei says that they did leave out Kyuzo, spurring Kambei's memory of the fight. Hyogo comments about Kyuzo's cut, saying how an experienced samurai must have made it. He then goes out to fight the group. Throughout the city Rikichi, Katsushiro, Kirara and Kambei ask samurai to help them, all of them turning down the offer. Kirara comments on how they have been turned down by six, but Katsushiro says the next will say yes because he will be the seventh. They stoop to rest at a teahouse, with the waiter telling them it's on the house because it was a samurai that chopped the wood for the fires. He tells him that a samurai came through and chopped wood from morning till dusk because he had no money. He even chopped the toothpicks, which spurs Kambei to inspect them. Kambei says that this samurai may be someone worth looking for. At his shop, Masamune tries to sell someone a motorized pulley, but he doesn't have any money. Masamune and Kiku watch as the person chop wood. Kiku comments that Masamune made him chop wood for something he would melt down anyway, but Masamune says the person suggested it. Gorobei goes out to watch the person, and he acknowledges him and keeps on chopping. He tells Gorobei that chopping wood doesn't live up to the samurai tradition, but Gorobei says it looks more fun than chopping up people. He asks him which he prefers, but he says he hasn't killed a single person because he always ended up working with engineers. He says it might seem cowardly, but Gorobei says if you live you win and if you die you lose. As he goes back to chopping wood, Gorobei asks if he would like to kill the bandits. Gorobei meets the rest of the group at the door, telling them to meet his newest recruit, a woodcutting samurai. They wonder if he was the one they were looking for. When introduced to Heihachi, the woodcutter, they ask if he was the one who chopped wood for the teahouse, and he says it was he, giving Gorobei a confused look.

Heihachi notes that they are from Kanna village, giving them a proverb about rice being born from a farmer's 88 hardships and that rice contains seven deities. Kirara says that she will pray that the seven deities will come and protect Kanna village. Gorobei asks that they are deities now, and Kirara asks if Heihachi will join the cause provided that Kambei approves. He does, and Heihachi also agrees. Kiku starts to gripe that Heihachi should prove that he is a samurai and pulls out a family scroll. He shows his name, but Gorobei points out that is a woman. He points to another, but Gorobei notes that the Kikuchiyo mentioned there is only thirteen years old. This starts everyone laughing at him, and Kambei asks where he stole the scroll. Kiku starts to sulk, and Komachi tells him to cheer up because they are almost the same age. Hyogo stands on a ledge with two steel pipes and orders them to track the group down. Komachi plays on a wooden slide when Kiku comes out to challenge Heihachi to a duel. Heihachi turns him down, saying that he doesn't like all the swordplay. Kiku gets mad, but Heihachi calms him by telling them they are both samurai and to value their time. He gives him a proverb that a samurai's sword is his spirit. Kiku is confused but pleased because he called him a samurai. Komachi comes rushing out with Kambei, telling him that they are fighting to the death but see Heihachi and Kambei with their arm around each other. Kambei asks Kiku to help search, and Kiku gets excited that he is finally asking him to help. A steel pipe sees the group on a ledge below as they walk. Kiku spots Hyogo and swings at him to test him. Hyogo quickly dodges, and Kiku rushes at him but is blocked by a steel pipe. Katsushiro draws his sword, but Hyogo tells him to stand down. He does, and Kambei draws his sword. Hyogo rushes at him, Kambei dodges all of his attacks. Kambei ducks and kicks at him, but he jumps back. They rush at each other again while the second pipe attacks Katsushiro and Kirara. Heihachi runs down a level, Kiku griping at him the whole time. Kiku and the first pipe keep trading hits, while on the level below Heihachi finishes tying the winch to the pillars beneath. He goes to the next level and starts the winch, while Kiku finishes off the pipe. The walkway collapses with the pipes falling off, and Hyogo and Kambei both plant their swords. Kirara starts to slide off, and Katsushiro slides down and plants his sword, grabbing Kirara as well. Heihachi ties a rope to Kiku and throws another rope with a stick on the end to tether Katsushiro as he falls. He throws another to Kambei. Kambei grabs his sword and swings down to attack Hyogo. Having to grab his own sword to defend, Hyogo jumps down away from the group. In another part of the city, Kirara thanks Katsushiro for saving her. Kambei commends Heihachi for his daring strategy. He also thanks Kiku, and Kiku is almost left because he boasts to himself. At the magistrate's house, a guard tells the envoy that everything is prepared for him to go. Hearing no response, the guard opens the door to see the envoy lying in a pool of blood with a sword beside the body. Ayamaro, Kyuzo, Hyogo, Ukyo and Tessai rush in to see the scene.

Here we get to see the third samurai, Heihachi. He has joined the team and we even get to see him in action a little bit. He is kind of odd, seeing as how he doesn't like fighting but would rather be an engineer. We also are introduced to another enemy, Hyogo. He is pretty good, though not near as good as Kyuzo. With the envoy being murdered, I think it will spell trouble for the samurai. Other than that, not much here in this episode. Very little character development, though not much is needed, except in the Katsushiro-Kirara department. You know it is going to happen, so speed it up.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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