[Switchblade]

I was waiting for the watermelons to show up. I knew they were coming, I just forgot which episode it was. Apart from absent-minded knife-wielding Midori, I just love the cute humor of the whole "everybody keeps bringing a watermelon." It's such a Hibiki thing to do.

So, Tsutomu is another example of the show playing with expectations. The guy gives off a vibe that, in other shows, would probably be trouble. You kind of expect him to be a dick in some way, but he's not. He's just a guy who was going to be an Oni and then didn't. He even has some valuable life advice for Asumu.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but the question of Asumu training to become an Oni himself has come up a lot lately. I don't know what the original plan was, but I've always felt that he probably wouldn't. It just doesn't seem to fit with the character. Asumu is a sweet kid, I just don't buy the idea of him breathing fire at giant CGI crabs. I've always liked that the show seems to want him to find his own path in life.

We get our first look at two new adversaries here, too: the Man (aka Japanese John Lennon) and the Woman. It's a pity that they came in so close to the production change, as we'll never really get the planned story about what they're up to. I love the scene where Ibuki is chasing them, though, and they always seem to teleport ahead of him. Like you said, it's a great horror vibe.

Finally, I cannot fail to mention the fantastic fight between Zanki and the Cat Douji/Hime. I am always down for watching Kenji Matsuda being a badass.

Oh, and as far as the "Tamaya!" thing at the end, I looked it up and the reason they shout it is