Season 1, Episode 2: Act Two – Founding
Rin gets her fathers sword back
In the second episode of Blade of the Immortal, Manji and Rin visit the famous swordsman and artist, Master Sori. Rin informs him of her parents murder. He apologizes for missing the funeral. Rin asks Sori to become her second bodyguard, as a man in green spies on them. Manji doesn’t seem to like Sori much. Sori admits that he’s no longer capable of being a swordsman. Manji leaves, cutting a hole in the fence.
Rin stays at the home of Sori. She awakes to find the spy trying to kill her. Manji arrives and they face off against several of the followers of Itto-ryu. While the fighting is going on, Sori is contemplating his art. When Manji decapitates one of the men, the blood splatter hits Sori’s art. He’s elated as his art finally has the “most basic red.” However, his joy is short lived as the leader of the gang destroys his artistic work.
Rin finds her fathers sword
During the fight Manji gets trapped on the spikes of a nearby tree. This leaves Rin to handle the leader. She’s outmatched, however, just as he’s about to kill her, Sori stabs him in the throat. Sori proclaims that “anyone that will trample on art deserves to die.” After the battle Rin takes Manji’s weapons to a blacksmith to get sharpened. While there she sees her father’s sword. One of the members of the Itto-ryu had it sharpened. She chases after him offering 30 ryo for it. He agrees to sell it, but only if she tells him where to find the daughter from the Asano dojo. Later that night she tells Manji about her day. She apologizes for constantly bring up her father. While she sleeps, Manji searches for Magatsu. They have a dramatic fight, resulting in major injuries for both.
Magatsu verses Manji
During this fight, Magatsu tells the story of his childhood. His friend was killed in the mud that formed after a flood. Manji gets trapped in the mud. Magatsu stabs Manji through the chest. Magatsu remembers that his sister was “kicked by a Daimyo horse and torn in two.” From this tragic event came a hatred of samurai. To Magatsu all samurai are his enemies, including Mr. Manji. The entitlement of “samurai families,” has given birth to swordsmen like Magatsu. Manji isn’t dead of course. He stabs Magatsu through the stomach from behind. Manji and Magatsu barely survive this encounter. However, Manji returns with Rin’s father’s sword. Rin’s attempt to hide her emotions or even get rid of them doesn’t make since. If her pain from her parents death inspired her journey, what would happen to that journey if she got rid of the pain?
Read More: First Impressions: Blade of the Immortal – Episode 1: Recap and Review