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Episode 5: For the Person That You Must Protect
Air date: November 1st 2006
Channel: TV Tokyo
Length: 23 minutes
Summary
Washio has taken Kazuki and Tokiko to a forest area away from the city, where they have to fight the eagle-homunculus.
That means that the two have another problem, additionally to having to fight Washio: They also have to return to the city and find Chouno again - before the next day is over, or else Tokiko is lost.
New main characters introduced:
none
Guest starring:
Kentarou Itou as Washio
Compared to the manga...
The anime adaptation generally seems to elaborate on the slapstick and humouristic scenes from the manga. In the fifth episode, too, they seem a little more prominent. The main attention still lies on the battle against Washio, though. This episode covers the chapters 11 to 14 and follows everything very faithfully, often reproducing the exact panel. There are only subtle changes that can easily be missed if you are not looking for them.
Opinion
For an episode centered around a battle, there is surprisingly little actual fighting going on. This may be only my impression, and you may disagree, but this could have been more dynamic. On the other hand, though, Busou Renkin's battle scenes are usually short, and a fight is limited to a few precise attacks.
Anyway, I love Washio, and therefore enjoyed the episode. I am easy to please at times.
As far as the plot is concerned, it is very apparant from this episode that the story is nearing its first finale. The time limit creates a sense of urgency, and is (handsomely) reinforced by the lighting: over the course of this episode, daylight fades to night and night turns into a warm sunrise. Considering Kazuki's busou renkin, this is a rather appropriate technique.
(Written by Kaeli on November 1st)