Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens Episode 11 Review: Brawl

It’s the final countdown~ It’s here, the penultimate episode of Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens and it more than delivers! Like a fine wine, this series just gets better with time and this week’s episode gives us one last hurrah before we have to say goodbye to the Ramen crew… So let’s get to it, let’s dive into this week’s nonstop episode!!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 乱闘

Plot

With Fei Lan closing in, Lin has decided to cut his losses and flee. But when it becomes apparent that Fei Lan is out for revenge, Lin changes his mind and decides to stay and end things once and for all.

Episode Highlights

Action Packed Opening: The episode opens with Shunsuke and Fei Lan locked in an epic sword battle! It’s a real callback to the action in the earlier episodes, with high energy background music and dramatic camera angles. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

The Evil Eye: Whenever Fei Lan is on screen, the camera always shoots him in such a way that his left eye (the eye with the scar) is given more emphasis, either through exaggerated red tinting or just keeping it at the forefront of the shot.

Big Goodbye: All of the Ramens come out of the woodworks to give Lin a proper send-off, by randomly popping up around town and giving him gifts and just leaving. Turns out Enokida is the one that tipped everyone off about his planned escape… everyone except Banba.

End Credit Voice Over: Usually during the end credits, a few lines from the upcoming episode will play to give viewers a taste of what’s to come. But, this time around it’s just a bit of back and forth between Lin and Banba.

Themes & Trivia

One Fatal Flaw: Shunsuke, badass assassin… Shunsuke, hotblooded shounen protagonist wannabe… Shunsuke, the infamous Submarine Samurai, can’t swim…

No-Win Situation: Fei Lan offers some captives a chance at freedom, but at a price: they must fight to the death and only the victor will be set free. But, given Fei Lan’s track record, we kind of already know where this is headed…

What’s in the Box?: There’s a scene where one of Shunsuke’s associates appears with a box containing the severed head of another man. This scene is similar to the climax of the 1995 American crime thriller, Seven, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Morgan Freeman opens a box from an infamous serial killer that contains the severed head of Brad Pitt’s wife…

Confirmed Gay?: So, in a throwaway quip from Lin, it is revealed that torturer for hire, Jose is gay… though given Lin’s tsunderella tendencies, it could just be him deflecting again.

Straight to Voicemail: All episode, Lin has been ignoring Banba’s calls, but that doesn’t stop him from calling every 15 minutes or so.

Join Me: In traditional bad guy fashion, Fei Lan asks Lin to join him and become his partner once again, but thankfully, our boy tells him to eff off, leaving us with one of the most anticipated showdowns ever!!

Comments

This show has had a fantastic setup from start to finish and everything has been leading up to this conclusion: the showdown between Lin and Fei Lan, or should I say Lin and his past demons! There wasn’t much of Banba this time around, but as I speculated last week, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is really Lin’s story, so it kind of makes sense. This last arc is very much about him and his growth over the series and it promises to pay off in a big way! I can’t wait to see what they pull next week, but, I’m also secretly wishing we get more time with the Ramens… I’m gonna miss them so much…

It’s about to go down!

The end is near, and I can’t wait to see how this anime ends!! It all ends next week and I am not ready to say goodbye to this fantastic series! Everything is coming to a head and it’s about to go down. This was a nice middle point for the arc with just enough action to carry the episode. The conclusion is a big damn cliffhanger, but it’s far more satisfying than anything else I’ve seen all season!

What did you think of this week’s episode of Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens? Are you ready for the end? Or do you wish there were a few more episodes left? Let us know in the comment section below! And don’t forget to check the rest of the Winter 2018 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO!

NEXT TIME: Walk-Off Home Run (サヨナラホームラン)