"Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1)"
It's been a long time since I've watched an episode of a series with such a cruel cliffhanger.
The fellowship is broken in this episode, as Mugen and Jin decide to split up and abandon Fuu. The three of them all eventually end up in the same town, however, in a situation that is clearly (blatantly) inspired by and an homage to Yojimbo, one of Akira Kurosawa's most well known and loved movies. The most obvious homage is the scene in which Jin's conversation in the restaurant, which is almost line for line from Yojimbo.
The plot of this episode revolves around two Yakuza clans which are battling over control of the town our heroes find themselves in. As you might expect, Mugen and Jin find themselves on opposite sides of the fight, with Fuu stuck in the middle.
The show is still fun to watch, with great animation and good fight scenes (whenever they pop up), and the stories are engaging enough. In some ways, this is the "hip hop" successor to Cowboy Bebop's jazz, but the score isn't nearly as effective or utilized as in Cowboy Bebop (not having Yoko Kanno probably has something to do with this).
Still, if you watch this episode, you're going to want to watch the next.
Rating: A
Posted by Kei at August 22, 2004 01:34 PM