Azuma and his party are targeted by the U.S. team, who is after Azuma’s heart. In this episode, we will see Shizuru’s growth, an impressive climax that loops back to the opening scene where Azuma pounds on his chest with frustration, plus, Azuma’s tears. Let me introduce to you the highlights of the ninth episode.
Come on, heart, move!
Oubu’s heart stopped moving in the middle of the U.S. team’s assault. Azuma struggles to make it work again.
Hiiragi tries to protect Azuma from the opponent’s vicious attacks, however, he misses; the impacts knock him off to the ground. He lies flat face down, unable to get up.
One of the U.S. Bubuki Users, Luis, praises Hiiragi for risking his life to protect the Buranki Heart holder Azuma. Then he calls out Azuma a coward, criticizing him staying in defense mode.
Epizo stops Luis, saying that from now on it is the fight between the leaders, he’s going to finish Azuma. Epizo brandishes his fist at Azuma.
Azuma engages in an one on one fight with Epizo. Azuma’s fist crushes with Epizo’s, at that precise moment, a strange thing happens. Epizo’s memory starts flashing through Azuma’s mind. Additionally, the same thing seems to happen to Epizo. He saw a glimpse of Azuma’s past. Eventually Epizo decides to resign from the battle. He overlaps his own hardship during the childhood with Azuma’s equally miserable past. Epizo gives up on exploiting someone else’s heart, and instead, he starts seeking a way to recover his own heart first. Azuma learns something too. The level of trust Epizo garners from his team members taught Azuma an ideal integrity of the Bubuki Heart users.
Since having lost the battle against Akihito, Shizuru has been depressed. Right now, she is engaged in a combat with the U.S. team’s twin sisters, Lyudmila and Diana, who had learned combat techniques from Akihito. The sisters start a verbal assault on Shizuru in an attempt to depress her even more. They told Shizuru that Akihiro has described Shizuru as a “stone, not a human.”
This would-be-ridicule has the opposite effect on Shizuru.
If you remember Akihito and Shizuru’s conversation in episode 6, you’d notice that he said something similar to Shizuru.
“If you are certain that you are indeed a stone, then, stop being afraid of being one. You should polish the rock in you. You will become the gorgeous shiny gem that no one can copy.”
Lyudmila and Diana’s remarks actually validated Akihito’s encouragement, so, Shizuru gains confidence by his statement; she may be not normal, but she can choose to keep polishing her talent to become one and only being.
With the revamped confidence, she springs back as the fighting genius. She delivers a stunning combat and defeats the twins. This combat scene is a sight to behold!
In an effort to revive the heart that stopped working, Azuma feels responsible to find a breakthrough.
“Pain, terror, suffering – I will take all that, not only mines, every member’s too. So move! Get on it, heart!”
Azuma pounds on his chest, but, his heart still doesn’t work. The members pour him encouraging words.
Kogane says, “Let me work harder with you A-chan.”
Kinoa says, “Just be the kind of heart that only you can be.”
Hiiragi says, “We’ve got all four limbs, plus the heart. We’re all in this together, get that?”
Shizuru “ditto – right and left.”
Azuma finally shouts. “Come’ on, move, my heart! Work with everyone, together!”
When the member’s feelings became one, Azuma cries tears of joy. He pounds on his chest again, and this scene actually loops back to the opening scene. Azuma and the members are wrapped with blue light, and then, Oubu rises from it.
This means that Azuma and his friends finally established their own definition of how the team works together. When everyone got on the same page, Oubu revived. It warms up my heart to see a true friendship making the team stronger than ever.
In the next round, we will see the fierce battle between Zetsubi’s Entei and Azuma’s Oubu… When can they reach Treasure Island?
The first season of the new year is just one month away from its finale. It was a great start with many amazing titles that made these past months worth the extra hours we put in front of our sets. Now, it is time for the cold wind to give way to the pink hues of the sakura tree and for the Winter 2018 season to give the anime baton to Spring 2018.
