Drifters

Episode 8

Seeing as Drifters has been operating within a stable pattern of ups-and-downs so far, I wasn't surprised to see last week's action smorgasbord followed up with an episode of table-setting. Unlike some of its more aimless entries though, the show managed to dole out exposition and set up the next beats of the plot with relative grace and gusto. This wasn't top tier entertainment by any means, but it was solid storytelling from a series that seems to have finally settled into its groove.

I was glad to see Abe no Seimei and the rest of the Drifters arrive on the scene last week, and their involvement here helped speed things along and provide us with some more character development and information about this world. Seimei and Nobunaga's interplay was fun, highlighting just how much thought and effort Nobunaga is putting into his plans of conquest and domination. Seimei worries about the Drifters' clashing and self-serving goals, and you can't blame him. The man clearly has big plans for the people he is “freeing”, and despite his seemingly noble intentions, a not-so-subtle allusion to Hitler's modus operandi only further emphasizes how slippery the slope is from a perceived “benevolent freedom-fighter” to “dictator/warmonger”. While the comparison feels a tad over simplified, the message is clear: watch out for Oda Nobunaga.

Toyohisa drew some scorn last week for his off-color treatment of Joan's femininity, and while Abe thankfully addressed how silly that kind of gender bias is given the circumstances, Toyohisa's insistence on clinging to his code helps distinguish his character and highlight the tensions Abe encountered with Nobunaga. His “bonding moment” with the addled Hannibal helped cement Toyohisa as the most nuanced and relatable of the Drifters so far. The different motivations and personalities of the Drifters may provide fruitful conflict later down the line, and they also serve as reasonable substitutes for a larger conflict now, since we still don't have much of any clue regarding Murasaki and EASY's intentions. While I'm still not clear on where all this is headed, it is at least proving interesting to watch in the moment.

Outside of the main scenes involving Oda, Seimei, Butch, and Sundance talking the finer points of ballistic science, a lot of the episode is aimed toward comedy, including a lengthy digression that sees Scipio running into the Japanese fighter pilot from way back in Episode 3. The pilot has become a god figure to a group of anthropomorphic dogs, and the whole thing is extremely silly. Now I've given this series a lot of crap for its jokes in the past, mostly because they're terrible, but I actually enjoyed a lot of the gags this week. Maybe it's just post-Thanksgiving bliss putting me in a good mood, but I didn't have a lot to complain about this week as far as the humor was concerned.

My only real complaint lies with the fact that there are so many moving pieces, but only a few of them go anywhere at a time. Characters are being introduced only to be immediately sidelined for weeks, which makes getting caught up in the Big Plot a lot harder than just enjoying things on a week-to-week basis. For instance, we get the briefest, twenty-second long cutaway to Saint-Germaine and his posse for a quick joke, and they're never seen or mentioned again. (I get that it's a joke about talking behind someone's back, but I had seriously forgotten that guy even existed.) Even the fighter pilot had to wait another five episodes to get any screen time, and he's in the opening credits! I'm not against a story having a lot of threads to follow; I would just prefer a little more consistency in how those threads are developed. Things are moving at much more of an even keel now though, and this episode ends with a clear direction in mind for the Drifters, and therefore much more clarity of purpose. I'm excited to see where the next episodes take them, corny jokes and all.

Rating: B

Drifters is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is an English teacher who has loved anime his entire life, and he spends way too much time on Twitter and his blog.