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Episode 6: Butterfly of Black Death
Air date: November 8th 2006
Channel: TV Tokyo
Length: ca. 23 minutes
Summary
With only hours left to save Tokiko's life, Kazuki hurries to the Chouno family's mansion. But when he arrives there, he learns that none of Chouno's family are interested in Koushaku Chouno's fate. Both his father and his younger brother Jirou (also voiced by Mitsuaki Madono) do not know, nor care, where Koushaku is, and rudely turn Kazuki away.
Kazuki finally manages to find Chouno in his great-great-grandfather's laboratories, where Chouno is waiting for the completion of his final homunculus-embryo, which he wants to use to turn himself into a homunculus, thus saving his life.
But suddenly, Jirou appears with two bodyguards, having followed Kazuki. He turns against his brother and tries to destroy the embryo, but by calling to it, Koushaku still manages to go through his transformation, albeit prematurely.
As Papillon, Chouno is both disturbingly half-naked and much more dangerous than in human form. The tables have turned, since Kazuki himself is still almost too exhausted to even summon up his lance. But with Tokiko's life on the line, Kazuki does not give up yet, and follows Chouno to his family mansion.
New main characters introduced:
none
Guest starring:
Keiichi Sonobe as Shishaku Chouno
Compared to the manga...
Considering that Chouno is mostly prancing around in his underwear in this episode, one has to be grateful that the anime is not toning things down in the least, but stays faithful to the manga.
The most significant deviation from the manga is probably that Jirou's role got a little bigger, and there is more interaction between the twins, or so it felt. On the other hand, Captain Bravo's appearance is reduced to an absolute minimum.
The Rurouni Kenshin injoke (Tokiko bandaged up as Shishio) is blessedly left intact.
This episode covers chapters 15 to 17, thus concluding the second volume and the first story arch.
Opinion
This is definitely the highlight so far: at the same time the most dramatic and the most hilariously weird part. Busou Renkin reveals its true face and its special kind of humour.
The conversion from manga to anime worked very well for this episode. In fact, the animation definitely becomes Papillon and the visual humour connected with his appearance.
(Written by Kaeli on November 9th)