Welcome to my Shenmue anime Analysis, this time for EP11 Entangled, this Analysis will have SPOILERS of the anime and the games.
The episode begins exactly where the previous episode ended, with Ryo on the ground, Xiuying ready to fight Dou Niu. Dou Niu say "Who the hell are you? I don't give a damn if she is a woman. Get rid of anybody who stay in my way" his goons agree, Xiuying make the position to fight and we see that Ryo is in a lot of pain.
Dou Niu's goons try to attack Xiuying but Xiuying bests them easily, in the room Yuan see what is happening and ask for thee goons to bring Yuanda Zhu with them. The goons tried to grab Yuanda Zhu but Yuanda Zhu bests them with his cane, with a knife Yuan cut a part of Yuanda Zhu's cane and say that's quite enough, after that we see Xiuying kicking Dou Niu and he fall on the ground. Yuan say for Dou Niu that everything is good on this end, for them to leave, Dou Niu agree and get out of there with his goons. Xiuying look at Ryo, Ryo say "Xiuying-san..." and then he passed out.
I enjoy this scene, seeing Xiuying fighting and even Yuanda Zhu defending himself was really nice. In the next scene we see that Xiuying and Ryo are in a convent inside of Kowloon Walled City.
I remember this place in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well. Xiuying say for Ryo that she did what she can for his wound, that he still need to take it easy. Ryo is lying on a bench. Ryo remember the moments when he got in trouble, Ryo realized and thought that this explains it, that Xiuying has been saving him this whole time.
We see a nun and Xiuying do a bow for her and the nun do the same. Ryo ask where is this place, the nun say that this is a convent inside of Kowloon Walled City, that this place is where Ziming and Xiuying were raised. Ryo say... "Ziming" and Xiuying explain that Ziming is her brother, that Ziming grew up here but decided to leave to seek revenge, she continues... "Our parents were both murdered. My brother left to find their killer, much like you, but it led him down the wrong path. You must not make the same mistake." Ryo pick his jacket and get up saying that he have to get going. Ryo begins to walk and Xiuying say for Ryo to wait.
Xiuying make the fight position and say for Ryo to fight with her, that if defeating her proves to be a challenge, then he have no chance of surviving, not against the likes of Lan Di.
Ryo try to attack many times but Xiuying use the Counter Elbow Assault move, the move didn't hit Ryo, it was close but enough for Ryo to fall on the ground. Xiuying say that she don't want to make his injuries any worse, but obviously if she were Lan Di then he would be dead by now. Ryo ask what move was that, Xiuying explain that this move is The Counter Elbow Assault, it is one of the Six Big Opening techniques of Bajiquan, for Ryo to learn it before he go.
Ryo ask why teach him this move, Xiuying respond that like the stillness of the surface of water, he must clear his mind, that is important to become free from distraction, and channel his focus entirely on his mind itself, that only then he will have the serenity of a polished mirror, that should Ryo achieve that mental state, she have fate it will shield Ryo from the wrong path.
I'm glad that Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault and about the clear and serene mind like a polished mirror. It is sad that the catching leaves training is not in the anime, but at least Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault and the polished mirror, this lesson is important so i'm glad Xiuying taught in some way for Ryo in the anime.
In the next scene we see Dou Niu sitting, this place is probably Yellow Head headquarters, the goons say that they done it, that Hong Kong is practically theirs for the taking now.
Dou Niu is not happy and say not yet and punch the desk. Dou Niu is thinking about Xiuying, he ask who the hell was she, Yuan wonder if she is Chun's daughter. The name of Joy's father is Chunyun Liang, maybe her father is Master Baihu and we will see the revelation in the next episode, i think is possible, Master Baihu continue to be a mysterious character, it is a interesting theory.
Dou Niu look in a serious way for Yuan and Yuan say never mind, that this is just plain silly. One of the goons say that as long as they keep Yuanda Zhu locked up there is nothing to worry about. Yuan ask what if Ren and the japanese come back before the handoff? that it will be a real pickle if they sic that scary lady on them again. Dou niu say for Yuan to figure it out, that he hate having to use his head, Yuan say okay, all over it. I love the scenes of Yuan with Dou Niu, this expand more the story and the characters, loved it.
Ren's Hideout
In Ren's Hideout we see Shuqin, Shuqin say for Ryo that this is awful, that the Yellow Heads have Zhu now, Ryo say sorry and Shuqin say it's okay, that he is thankful that at least Ryo and Ren made it back safely.
Wong and Joy enter in the room and say that they figured out where they took Yuanda Zhu, the Yellow Head Building. Ren say "Great, so basically..." and Joy say "The headquarters of the Yellow Heads." Ryo say for Joy to show the way to get there, Joy say not so fast, that she's gone above and beyond for him, that now she want to know what's going on. Ren say all right, that he will give her the lowdown. We see that it was night time, the time pass we see that now is day time.
Joy say that she will get this straight with Ryo, Joy ask if he is choosing to pick a fight with Hong Kong's biggest baddies, Ryo say yeah, Joy make a serious face and Wong ask what's the deal, that whenever the Yellow Heads are mentioned she suddenly start acting all weird.
Ren say that everybodys got a few skeletons in their closet, Joy looks serious. Ren say that at any rate, the Yellow Head Building is in Dou Niu's home turf, that they can't just waltz right in. Shuqin say that actually he know someone who lives near the Yellow Head Building, that maybe this person can help.
Ryo and Ren look at each other. In the next scene we see Ryo and Ren in the place Shuqin talked about, They're near a half-open door, the person inside the room say to come on in, they enter the room and Ren say its pitch-black in there, the person say that if that is enough to scare him then perhaps he should leave. We can see that this character is Kai, another NPC from the game, nice to see Kai in the anime.
Ryo walk a little more and Ren say to hold up, Kai say that he would like to spar with Ryo, Ren say is way to dark for that. Kai say that it is within the darkness that true skill is made most clear, Ryo make the position to fight and Kai say "Here i come" the spar begin and Kai bests Ryo. Kai say that in the darkness, Ryo must not rely on sight, for Ryo to sharpen his focus or else his mind succumbs to panic and distraction.
Ryo remember when Xiuying said to him that like the stillness of the surface of water, he must clear his mind, to become free from distraction and channel his focus entirely on his mind itself. The flashback ends and Kai say for Ryo to open his minds eye, Ryo say for Kai to give him another chance, Ryo close his eyes we see Ryo remember when Iwao say for him that he is lacking, also he remember when Liu ask for Ryo why he practice martial arts.
The flashback ends and we see an energy around Ryo, the spar begin and Ryo with eyes closed dodge all Kai's attacks and in the end block the last attack. The spar ends and Kai say that Ryo is a natural, the lights are now on and Kai say that Shuqin told him about Ryo, that when he heard the name Hazuki he had a sneaking suspicion, that sure enough Ryo is the son of Iwao.
Nice to see the predective explosion in the anime as well, Ryo remember what XIuying said and stay calm in this scene, character development for Ryo in this episode as well.
Ryo ask if Kai knew his father, Kay explain that it was, perhaps, a decade ago when Iwao first showed up there, that Iwao was fascinated by the Chinese martial arts, that they enjoyed each others company and traded their knowledge of various techniques.
Ryo say... "My father... he was here!" and Ren say "Your dad was murdered though, right?" and then Kai said "What?! Iwao was killed?!" we see Ryo making a serious face, Ren say that Ryo is trying to meet with Yuanda Zhu to get a lead on his dad's killer, but then the Yellow heads kidnapped Zhu before that, so they are looking for a way into the Yellow Head Building, Ren ask if Kai can help. Kai say that there is a way, however they will have to steel themselves for the consequences, i love these scenes with Kai, really nice. Ryo say that he already have. In the next scene we see Ryo and Ren walking inside the building.
Ryo say for Ren that he shouldn't come along any further, Ren say "Hun?! why the hell not?!" Ryo say that because the Yellow Heads know Ren, Ren say that they will recognize Ryo after all those run-ins with Dou Niu and Yuan.
Ryo touch his plaster and say he can't stop until he reach his goal, Ren ask if Lan Di did this cut, Ryo don't respond the question and just say... "You are not like me, you have to stay alive until you profit, right?" Ren say yeah, that he say that, but... Ryo continue... Ryo say that Ren done more for him than he ever had to, that he appreciate that.
To be sure to give thanks to Joy and Wong too. Ryo start to go away and Ren say... "Seriously...?" and the scene ends. In the next scene we see a man saying... "Gentlemen, this here is Enjiang Zhou, an unparalleled master of the acrobat style."
The man say "All you gotta do is knock him and you are the winner! One match for a bet of ten dollars! Anybody here to take him on?" Ryo raise his hand and say that he will do it.
It is so nice that the street fights are in the anime, Enjiang Zhou is a NPC from the game, nice to see this character in the anime as well. The man say great, for Ryo to step on up. A flashback begins, Kai saying that the Yellow Heads run an underground street fighting competition and make significant sums of money off the betting scene.
Ren say that he heard about that, Kai say that in order to keep it fresh, they are always on the lookout for talented martial artists who they can put in the ring, that Yuandao Huo is the man Ryo need to impress, Ren say... "And he is our ticket into the Yellow Head Building, yeah?" and Kai confirmed. The flashback ends and Ryo step up, the fight with Enjiang Zhou begin and Ryo bests him.
In the next scene we see Ren in a beautiful place, this place in in the game? i don't remember, as far as i know is not in the game, i enjoy seeing a new place of Kowloon in the anime.
Ren is thoughtfull about what happened when Joy appear and ask what happened to Ryo, she ask if Ryo get inside the Yellow Head Building, Ren say "Hell if i know" Joy say "You Just ditched him and ran, huh?" Ren say that he will never do that, that Ryo made the decision for Ren. A flashback begin where we see Ryo saying that Ren done more for him than he ever had to, that he appreciate that.
The flashback ends and we see Ren confused about the situation, he even sit on the ground while touching his own head, Joy say that the Ren she know would never have stuck his neck out so far for someone, not with the Chi You Men involved.
She ask what's the deal, Joy say for Ren that when he watch Ryo he feel like a smaller man for being unable to break the laws of the land, it makes him wonder why he can't just be more like Ryo, and she finishing saying... "Something like that, yeah?" Ren is still with his hand on his head and making a serious face. Joy say... "Well, that's life... okay then" and then she start to go away.
Ren get up ask what is her plan, she respond that she will go back to the familiar street of Hong Kong, that if he wanna turn back too then now is the time. Ren gets angry and say "ugh! damn it all!" and go to the other path, we see the one of Dou Niu's goons watched everything that happend there. This scene don't have in the game and it is one of my favorites of the episode, we Ren getting expanded here, confused about what to do, deep down now he cares about Ryo.
Back in the street fights we see that Ryo win another fight, Ryo go down and we see a man passing near him, the man stop and say... "Come to Dragon Street after dark." Ryo ask "Who are you?" and the man respond "The name is Yuandao Huo" and then he go away. Yuandao Huo is another NPC from the game, nice to see in the anime as well.
In the next scene we see Joy getting ready to leave in her motorcycle when Wong appear, Wong ask what happened to Ryo, Joy say "Who knows" Wong ask if she is not worried and Joy say that of course she is worried, then Wong say that they can save Ryo, that when Ryo needed a hotel and when he was looking for martial artists Joy helped him out, that they can help this time too.
Joy say that Ryo has set himself up against the Yellow Heads and the Chi You Men, that people like her and Wong can't do anying against organizations like that, that they will have to let this one go, she tries to turn on her motorcycle but it didn't worked and she got angry.
Wong say that this sucks, that Joy is just like every other adult, convinced that nobody can make a difference, and ask how can she live with herself. After that Joy make a sad face and a flashback begins, we see Joy when she was a little girl near her we see her mother dead. The flashback ends and Joy say there's just nothing she can do, she leave the place with her motorcycle we see Wong surprised and sad about it.
I love these scenes, we see Joy and Wong getting expanded in the anime, Joy story is really interesting and sad, this don't have in the game, really nice to see in the anime, and Wong is worried about Ryo, for Wong Ryo is like his older brother now, really nice.
In the next scene we see Ryo walking in the Dragon street to meet Yuandao Huo, i remember this place in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well. Ryo saw Yuandao and say "Here i am" and Yuandao say there are too many eyes around, to follow him, Ryo follow him and Yuandao show a photo of Greg and say... "Go beat him. He is down that way, then we can talk."
After that we see Master Baihu winning a street fight but he looks serious and sad, Ryo was there looking at Baihu, Baihu looked at Ryo and then go away. We see the man saying that next up is the Illustrious Greg More, Ryo look at the photo again and saw that Greg is the one he needs to defeat, Greg is a NPC in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well.
The man ask if there is any challengers, Ryo go there and say "Right here" the fight start and Ryo bests Greg. Ryo encounter with Yuandao again and Yuandao show a paper to Ryo and say that Tomorrow afternoon for Ryo to come to the place written there, Ryo ask what for and Yuandao say that he will see.
We see the back of Ryo and something going directly there, we see that Ren did this, Ren say that this is bullshit, that Ryo have no idea how much he cost for Ren, Ryo say that he won and Ren say that's exactly why he lost, Ryo say "What? Don't tell me you..." and Ren say "Hell yes I did! Now shut your stupid face! You still haven't gotten the better of me just yet, dammit!" and we see Ryo smiling and happy about it, the Dou Niu goon that watched the conversion of Joy with Ren was also there watching everything in the shadows.
It is really nice that in this scene Ren said "Junnen hayai da yo" again, the phrase that Akira Yuki say when he wins a fight in Virtua Fighter, in EP 10 Ren said this phrase 2 times, now in EP 11 Ren said one time, Ren say this phrase in the games as well? i don't know but this is a beautiful detail and i will talk more about that in my Final Thoughts of the episode.
In the next scene we see the Yellow Head headquarters. Yuan say "Master Dou Niu, I've made contact with Master Lan Di. He will be arriving tomorrow to take Yuanda Zhu. Dou Niu say that he is glad to hear this and get up, Yuan say that the time has finally come, that once the Chi You Men have their backs, even those who hold a grudge for the power move that they pulled 10 years ago will have to fall in line. Dou Niu is looking for outside of the window and say he can almost smell it, that a little longer and Hong Kong will be totally his city, we see Dou Niu laughing after saying this. Like i said before i love the scenes with Yuan and Dou Niu in the anime, this expand more the story and the characters.
Bailu Village, Guilin
It is night time and we see Shenhua entering in her house, Shenhua say "Father? Are you home?" He is at the quarry again tonight..." On the table Shenhua see the diagram of the mirrors and say... "Wait, isn't this.?" and the scene ends.
Back in Hong Kong we see Joy in a cemetery looking at a grave, it is her mother's grave, Joy say... "Mother" and we see the flashback of the moment that her mother died, this time with some new moments.
The flashback ends and Joy say that nothing changed, that she never really forgave her father or the syndicate, she was shaking and we see a tear falling on the ground.
In the next scene we see Wong walking when he encounter the trio, Wong ask what's going on, They say the same as usual, a job for him, to go and do his thing, to find a good mark for them but Wong don't look interested about this, but one of them say for Wong to get moving. Wong enter in a building and see a member of the Yellow Heads talking to one of the Lan Di's goons, they are talking about Ryo, that Ryo was also searching for Yuanda Zhu, that when it comes time for the handover to be extra careful to not be followed.
Wong is there hearing everything in the shadows, the member of the Yellow Heads say that he has a formidable martial artist for an ally that could pose a threat, Lan Di goon say understood and to make certain that Yuanda Zhu is kept secure. The member of the Yellow head say to rest assured, that they are also taking every possible precaution, and plus they already got tabs on one of his buddies, Ren of the Heavens.
Wong is surprised and say... "Ren?!" the member of Yellow heads turn around and see Wong, Wong say "Uh oh!" and start to run away, the member of the Yellow Heads say "That brat! Did he just overhear everything?! Not good" and start to run after Wong.
Wong continue to run and the trio think he got someone so they can rob, they ask where is the target and Wong yell that they got big trouble while the member of the Yellow Heads is running after Wong.
Back in Kowloon we see Ryo walking inside a building, Yuandao say that Ryo made it, to follow him, Ryo follow him and we see that Ren is following them, the same member of the Yellow Heads continues to follow them. Yuandao open a door and say... "This leads to the Yellow Head Building. someone with use of your skills is..." at this moment Ren appear running and say "Thanks for the help, pal" and punch Yuandao's belly.
Ren ask where they are keeping Yuanda Zhu locked up, Yuandao say that they don't tell him, Ren pick his knife and threat Yuandao but he say he honestly don't know. Ren say for Yuandao to tell in which room they usually keep hostages in, Yuandao say that on the 17th floor, in the small room in the back, after that Ren say "That's what i like to hear!" and punch Yuandao in the head and he faints, Ryo say that this was reckless and Ren say that it went off without a hitch. Ren searched in Yuandao's clothes and found a communication radio.
Ren use this to talk to the other goons, he say that they got an intruder heading for the 5th floor, for everybody to get over there ASAP and of the goons say roger that, Ren say for Ryo "Alright, let's move" and Ryo make a serious face and we see that the same Yellow Head member is watching everything from the shadows. In the next scene we see Wong continue to run away from the Yellow head member when Joy appear near him with her motorcycle, she stop the motorcycle and Wong get up, Wong say for her to help him.
The Yellow Head member say to stop right there, Joy ask who is the big guy, Wong say that he will explain later, Joy say "Fine then" and leave the place while the Yellow head member say they won't get away.
After that we see an elevator door open, Ryo and Ren enter in the elevator and the door close, after the door close we see Joy and Wong again in the motorcycle, Joy ask what the hell was that and Wong say that he is a member of the Yellow Head, Joy ask why they are after him.
Wong say is because he overheard them talking, Joy ask about what exactly and Wong explain that they got Ryo and Ren under surveilance, that the Yellow heads know everything. Joy make a serious face and the scene change to Ryo and Ren again. I love the scenes of Joy, Wong and Ren in this episode, these characters were expanded in this episode, loved it.
Ryo and Ren enter in a room but nobody is there when they hear Dou niu say... "You sons of bitches. Gotta admit, you are pretty damn good to get this far!" Ryo and Ren go out of the room and see Dou Niu in front of them, Dou niu say... "Too bad i was one step ahead of you! It's time to celebrate our reunion with some head bashing!" after saying this Dou Niu laugh, we see Ren and Ryo with serious faces looking and Dou Niu and the episode ends.
What can we expect to see in the next episode?
In my opinion we will see Ryo and Ren trying to run away from Dou Niu, i think something will happen to Joy and Wong, and Joy will be kidnapped just like in the game. Ryo will probably encounter with Master Baihu and a fight will happen, some people say that maybe Master Baihu is Joy's father, it is an interesting theory, Master Baihu is still a mysterious character, maybe we will get more revelations about Baihu in this episode, i hope so.
Maybe we will see more scenes with Lan Di and more scenes with Yuanda Zhu, after that i think we will see the rooftop part but maybe will have some differences from the game. Some people say that Ryo will fight with Lan Di first, then Lan Di will ask Dou Niu to finish Ryo, and after that Ryo will remember Xiuying's words and defeat Dou Niu, i think is possible that this will happen.
I think we will probably see Ryo encountering Lan Di in this episode but i'm not sure exactly what will happen, a fight will happen or we will see Lan Di just in the helicopter like in the game? i don't know but it will be interesting to see a fight against Lan Di, Ryo will probably lose in a fast way but it will be interesting to see this different version.
In what part the episode will end? i'm not sure, i really donvt know how will be the pacing of this episode, i think it will be a fast pace but it is really difficult this time to tell where exactly it will end. It could end with Ryo encountering Lan Di, it could end with Ryo defeating Dou Niu and seeing Lan Di getting away, and it could even end with Ryo arriving in Guilin and meeting Shenhua, a lot of possibilities about the ending of this episode in my opinion.
The Guilin part is not confirmed in the anime so it will be really interesting to see where this episode will end, i hope the episode end with Ryo arriving in Guilin, seeing her trying to save the deer and then meeting Ryo, this way the final episode of the season can be dedicated for Gulin, this way the season can end in the cave part just like in the game.
In the first scene of the first episode we saw the cave scene, so if we see the cave scene in the final episode this will come full circle, it makes sense and i will like if this happen, but like i said last week, If the season ends in Kowloon or with Ryo arriving in Guilin it will not be a problem for me as well.
So many questions about these 2 episodes... i'm really looking forward for the next episode, and you? how do you think the next episode will end? how do you think the season will end? share in the comments below.
What NPCs do you want to see in the next episode?
I want to see Master Baihu, Joy, Wong, Ren, Xiuying, Dou Niu, Yuan, Niao Sun, Ziming, Lan Di, Shenhua, Yuanda Zhu and many other characters, and you? what NPCs you want to see in the next episode? share with us in the comments below.
Final Thoughts
Beautiful episode. Was nice to see Xiuying fighting Dou Niu and Yuanda Zhu trying to defend himself, One of the things i love in this episode is that this episode is by far the episode that the anime team expanded 3 characters the most. The characters are Joy, Ren and Wong, loved that.
With this episode we see more about Joy's story, the woman really is Joy's mother, Joy's mother getting assassinated because her father was in the Chinese syndicate. We see that Joy care about Ryo and what is happening but she is afraid because of what happened to her in the past. we even see Joy visiting her mother's grave. This things about Joy don't have in the game, it is a beautiful addition to the story.
With this episode we can really see that meeting Ryo made an impact in Ren's life somehow, deep down now he cares about Ryo, and Ren is even questioning what to do, the scene that Ren is talking with Joy made it this clear to me, i love the scene with Joy talking to Ren, one of my favorite scenes of the episode, later in the episode we see that Ren decided to be with Ryo again.
Another nice detail in this episode about Ren is that Ren said again "Junnen hayai da yo" one of the phrases that Akira Yuki say when he wins a fight in Virtua Fighter, Ren say this phrase in the games as well? i don't remember right now but this is a beautiful detail.
In my opinion in Shenmue IV or Shenmue V we will really see Ren admitting that he view Ryo as a friend, and i have a feeling Ren will die maybe saving Ryo and this will have a big impact in Ryo and in the story, i feel that this is the reason Akira say Junnen Hayai da yo in VF, i feel that Akira say this phrase as a way of honoring and remembering his friend, i think that Ren saying Junnen Hayai Da Yo is in The Legend Of Akira scripts/novels.
Akira's headband probably is a part of Ren's bandana and Akira wears for the same reason, i like this theory, to me Ryo is like a younger version of Akira, in my opinion Yu Suzuki changed to Shenmue but the main story of Akira's journey is the same, the journey of how Ryo (Akira) learned all the Bajiquan moves, the journey of how Ryo (Akira) became a powerful martial artist, in my opinion in the end we will probably see Ryo similar to Akira like this.
Wong have more screen time in this episode as well, we see how Wong care about Ryo, Wong really want to help Ryo, for Wong Ryo is like his older brother now, and in this episode we can even see that Wong is not interested in robbing people anymore, it is like Wong now want to be similar to Ryo, character development for Wong in this episode. i love all the new scenes with Wong in the anime, the scenes expanded more the character and i love that. We can see that Ryo made friends in Hong Kong that really care about him, the people he meet, the friends, the things that Ryo learn along the way and much more, it is beautiful to see Ryo's journey
These things about Joy, Ren and Wong don't have in the game and it is a beautiful way to expand the story and the characters. In the games we see the story through the perspective of Ryo, so most of the time in the games we see what Ryo see, i like this style in the games but in the anime we see the story not only through Ryo's perspective but through other characters as well.
We know that Yu Suzuki shared many pages of the story with the anime team, so there is a good chance that these things are from Yu Suzuki's vision about the story, about what Yu-san wrote at that time but for some reason is not in the games. this is one of the beautiful things about the anime to me, to see how the anime is expading the story and the characters.
I love the street fights but it was sad that we didn't saw Chunyan and Rod Stunt in this episode, maybe these characters will appear in the next episode but in a different situation? the anime have many differences in relation to the games so it is not impossible but maybe this will not happen, but i really love the street fights in the anime. Really nice the way the anime team did the street fights in the anime.
It is sad that probably we will never see the catching leaves training in the anime, like i said other time we lose in some areas but we win in other areas like more scenes for Iwao, Yamigishi-san, Joy, Dou Niu, Yuan, Shenhua, Lan Di and many other characters.
At least Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault for Ryo and talked about that Ryo have to clear his mind, this lesson is important so i'm glad that Xiuying taught this in some way for Ryo.
Just 2 more episodes left to end the season.. i will miss this time of Shenmue content every week.
With just 2 more episodes left to end the season i feel that it is possible that the last episode we will end in Guilin in the cave just like in the game, i'm not sure yet, it will depend on what will happen in episode 12, but maybe this episode will end with Ryo arriving in Guilin, i'm not sure, all i know is that i'm looking forward for the next episode.
Next week i will come back with my Analysis of EP 12 Guidepost, thank you all for reading and remember to keep friends... those you love... close to you, bye bye. ~
The episode begins exactly where the previous episode ended, with Ryo on the ground, Xiuying ready to fight Dou Niu. Dou Niu say "Who the hell are you? I don't give a damn if she is a woman. Get rid of anybody who stay in my way" his goons agree, Xiuying make the position to fight and we see that Ryo is in a lot of pain.
Dou Niu's goons try to attack Xiuying but Xiuying bests them easily, in the room Yuan see what is happening and ask for thee goons to bring Yuanda Zhu with them. The goons tried to grab Yuanda Zhu but Yuanda Zhu bests them with his cane, with a knife Yuan cut a part of Yuanda Zhu's cane and say that's quite enough, after that we see Xiuying kicking Dou Niu and he fall on the ground. Yuan say for Dou Niu that everything is good on this end, for them to leave, Dou Niu agree and get out of there with his goons. Xiuying look at Ryo, Ryo say "Xiuying-san..." and then he passed out.
I enjoy this scene, seeing Xiuying fighting and even Yuanda Zhu defending himself was really nice. In the next scene we see that Xiuying and Ryo are in a convent inside of Kowloon Walled City.
I remember this place in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well. Xiuying say for Ryo that she did what she can for his wound, that he still need to take it easy. Ryo is lying on a bench. Ryo remember the moments when he got in trouble, Ryo realized and thought that this explains it, that Xiuying has been saving him this whole time.
We see a nun and Xiuying do a bow for her and the nun do the same. Ryo ask where is this place, the nun say that this is a convent inside of Kowloon Walled City, that this place is where Ziming and Xiuying were raised. Ryo say... "Ziming" and Xiuying explain that Ziming is her brother, that Ziming grew up here but decided to leave to seek revenge, she continues... "Our parents were both murdered. My brother left to find their killer, much like you, but it led him down the wrong path. You must not make the same mistake." Ryo pick his jacket and get up saying that he have to get going. Ryo begins to walk and Xiuying say for Ryo to wait.
Xiuying make the fight position and say for Ryo to fight with her, that if defeating her proves to be a challenge, then he have no chance of surviving, not against the likes of Lan Di.
Ryo try to attack many times but Xiuying use the Counter Elbow Assault move, the move didn't hit Ryo, it was close but enough for Ryo to fall on the ground. Xiuying say that she don't want to make his injuries any worse, but obviously if she were Lan Di then he would be dead by now. Ryo ask what move was that, Xiuying explain that this move is The Counter Elbow Assault, it is one of the Six Big Opening techniques of Bajiquan, for Ryo to learn it before he go.
Ryo ask why teach him this move, Xiuying respond that like the stillness of the surface of water, he must clear his mind, that is important to become free from distraction, and channel his focus entirely on his mind itself, that only then he will have the serenity of a polished mirror, that should Ryo achieve that mental state, she have fate it will shield Ryo from the wrong path.
I'm glad that Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault and about the clear and serene mind like a polished mirror. It is sad that the catching leaves training is not in the anime, but at least Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault and the polished mirror, this lesson is important so i'm glad Xiuying taught in some way for Ryo in the anime.
In the next scene we see Dou Niu sitting, this place is probably Yellow Head headquarters, the goons say that they done it, that Hong Kong is practically theirs for the taking now.
Dou Niu is not happy and say not yet and punch the desk. Dou Niu is thinking about Xiuying, he ask who the hell was she, Yuan wonder if she is Chun's daughter. The name of Joy's father is Chunyun Liang, maybe her father is Master Baihu and we will see the revelation in the next episode, i think is possible, Master Baihu continue to be a mysterious character, it is a interesting theory.
Dou Niu look in a serious way for Yuan and Yuan say never mind, that this is just plain silly. One of the goons say that as long as they keep Yuanda Zhu locked up there is nothing to worry about. Yuan ask what if Ren and the japanese come back before the handoff? that it will be a real pickle if they sic that scary lady on them again. Dou niu say for Yuan to figure it out, that he hate having to use his head, Yuan say okay, all over it. I love the scenes of Yuan with Dou Niu, this expand more the story and the characters, loved it.
Ren's Hideout
In Ren's Hideout we see Shuqin, Shuqin say for Ryo that this is awful, that the Yellow Heads have Zhu now, Ryo say sorry and Shuqin say it's okay, that he is thankful that at least Ryo and Ren made it back safely.
Wong and Joy enter in the room and say that they figured out where they took Yuanda Zhu, the Yellow Head Building. Ren say "Great, so basically..." and Joy say "The headquarters of the Yellow Heads." Ryo say for Joy to show the way to get there, Joy say not so fast, that she's gone above and beyond for him, that now she want to know what's going on. Ren say all right, that he will give her the lowdown. We see that it was night time, the time pass we see that now is day time.
Joy say that she will get this straight with Ryo, Joy ask if he is choosing to pick a fight with Hong Kong's biggest baddies, Ryo say yeah, Joy make a serious face and Wong ask what's the deal, that whenever the Yellow Heads are mentioned she suddenly start acting all weird.
Ren say that everybodys got a few skeletons in their closet, Joy looks serious. Ren say that at any rate, the Yellow Head Building is in Dou Niu's home turf, that they can't just waltz right in. Shuqin say that actually he know someone who lives near the Yellow Head Building, that maybe this person can help.
Ryo and Ren look at each other. In the next scene we see Ryo and Ren in the place Shuqin talked about, They're near a half-open door, the person inside the room say to come on in, they enter the room and Ren say its pitch-black in there, the person say that if that is enough to scare him then perhaps he should leave. We can see that this character is Kai, another NPC from the game, nice to see Kai in the anime.
Ryo walk a little more and Ren say to hold up, Kai say that he would like to spar with Ryo, Ren say is way to dark for that. Kai say that it is within the darkness that true skill is made most clear, Ryo make the position to fight and Kai say "Here i come" the spar begin and Kai bests Ryo. Kai say that in the darkness, Ryo must not rely on sight, for Ryo to sharpen his focus or else his mind succumbs to panic and distraction.
Ryo remember when Xiuying said to him that like the stillness of the surface of water, he must clear his mind, to become free from distraction and channel his focus entirely on his mind itself. The flashback ends and Kai say for Ryo to open his minds eye, Ryo say for Kai to give him another chance, Ryo close his eyes we see Ryo remember when Iwao say for him that he is lacking, also he remember when Liu ask for Ryo why he practice martial arts.
The flashback ends and we see an energy around Ryo, the spar begin and Ryo with eyes closed dodge all Kai's attacks and in the end block the last attack. The spar ends and Kai say that Ryo is a natural, the lights are now on and Kai say that Shuqin told him about Ryo, that when he heard the name Hazuki he had a sneaking suspicion, that sure enough Ryo is the son of Iwao.
Nice to see the predective explosion in the anime as well, Ryo remember what XIuying said and stay calm in this scene, character development for Ryo in this episode as well.
Ryo ask if Kai knew his father, Kay explain that it was, perhaps, a decade ago when Iwao first showed up there, that Iwao was fascinated by the Chinese martial arts, that they enjoyed each others company and traded their knowledge of various techniques.
Ryo say... "My father... he was here!" and Ren say "Your dad was murdered though, right?" and then Kai said "What?! Iwao was killed?!" we see Ryo making a serious face, Ren say that Ryo is trying to meet with Yuanda Zhu to get a lead on his dad's killer, but then the Yellow heads kidnapped Zhu before that, so they are looking for a way into the Yellow Head Building, Ren ask if Kai can help. Kai say that there is a way, however they will have to steel themselves for the consequences, i love these scenes with Kai, really nice. Ryo say that he already have. In the next scene we see Ryo and Ren walking inside the building.
Ryo say for Ren that he shouldn't come along any further, Ren say "Hun?! why the hell not?!" Ryo say that because the Yellow Heads know Ren, Ren say that they will recognize Ryo after all those run-ins with Dou Niu and Yuan.
Ryo touch his plaster and say he can't stop until he reach his goal, Ren ask if Lan Di did this cut, Ryo don't respond the question and just say... "You are not like me, you have to stay alive until you profit, right?" Ren say yeah, that he say that, but... Ryo continue... Ryo say that Ren done more for him than he ever had to, that he appreciate that.
To be sure to give thanks to Joy and Wong too. Ryo start to go away and Ren say... "Seriously...?" and the scene ends. In the next scene we see a man saying... "Gentlemen, this here is Enjiang Zhou, an unparalleled master of the acrobat style."
The man say "All you gotta do is knock him and you are the winner! One match for a bet of ten dollars! Anybody here to take him on?" Ryo raise his hand and say that he will do it.
It is so nice that the street fights are in the anime, Enjiang Zhou is a NPC from the game, nice to see this character in the anime as well. The man say great, for Ryo to step on up. A flashback begins, Kai saying that the Yellow Heads run an underground street fighting competition and make significant sums of money off the betting scene.
Ren say that he heard about that, Kai say that in order to keep it fresh, they are always on the lookout for talented martial artists who they can put in the ring, that Yuandao Huo is the man Ryo need to impress, Ren say... "And he is our ticket into the Yellow Head Building, yeah?" and Kai confirmed. The flashback ends and Ryo step up, the fight with Enjiang Zhou begin and Ryo bests him.
In the next scene we see Ren in a beautiful place, this place in in the game? i don't remember, as far as i know is not in the game, i enjoy seeing a new place of Kowloon in the anime.
Ren is thoughtfull about what happened when Joy appear and ask what happened to Ryo, she ask if Ryo get inside the Yellow Head Building, Ren say "Hell if i know" Joy say "You Just ditched him and ran, huh?" Ren say that he will never do that, that Ryo made the decision for Ren. A flashback begin where we see Ryo saying that Ren done more for him than he ever had to, that he appreciate that.
The flashback ends and we see Ren confused about the situation, he even sit on the ground while touching his own head, Joy say that the Ren she know would never have stuck his neck out so far for someone, not with the Chi You Men involved.
She ask what's the deal, Joy say for Ren that when he watch Ryo he feel like a smaller man for being unable to break the laws of the land, it makes him wonder why he can't just be more like Ryo, and she finishing saying... "Something like that, yeah?" Ren is still with his hand on his head and making a serious face. Joy say... "Well, that's life... okay then" and then she start to go away.
Ren get up ask what is her plan, she respond that she will go back to the familiar street of Hong Kong, that if he wanna turn back too then now is the time. Ren gets angry and say "ugh! damn it all!" and go to the other path, we see the one of Dou Niu's goons watched everything that happend there. This scene don't have in the game and it is one of my favorites of the episode, we Ren getting expanded here, confused about what to do, deep down now he cares about Ryo.
Back in the street fights we see that Ryo win another fight, Ryo go down and we see a man passing near him, the man stop and say... "Come to Dragon Street after dark." Ryo ask "Who are you?" and the man respond "The name is Yuandao Huo" and then he go away. Yuandao Huo is another NPC from the game, nice to see in the anime as well.
In the next scene we see Joy getting ready to leave in her motorcycle when Wong appear, Wong ask what happened to Ryo, Joy say "Who knows" Wong ask if she is not worried and Joy say that of course she is worried, then Wong say that they can save Ryo, that when Ryo needed a hotel and when he was looking for martial artists Joy helped him out, that they can help this time too.
Joy say that Ryo has set himself up against the Yellow Heads and the Chi You Men, that people like her and Wong can't do anying against organizations like that, that they will have to let this one go, she tries to turn on her motorcycle but it didn't worked and she got angry.
Wong say that this sucks, that Joy is just like every other adult, convinced that nobody can make a difference, and ask how can she live with herself. After that Joy make a sad face and a flashback begins, we see Joy when she was a little girl near her we see her mother dead. The flashback ends and Joy say there's just nothing she can do, she leave the place with her motorcycle we see Wong surprised and sad about it.
I love these scenes, we see Joy and Wong getting expanded in the anime, Joy story is really interesting and sad, this don't have in the game, really nice to see in the anime, and Wong is worried about Ryo, for Wong Ryo is like his older brother now, really nice.
In the next scene we see Ryo walking in the Dragon street to meet Yuandao Huo, i remember this place in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well. Ryo saw Yuandao and say "Here i am" and Yuandao say there are too many eyes around, to follow him, Ryo follow him and Yuandao show a photo of Greg and say... "Go beat him. He is down that way, then we can talk."
After that we see Master Baihu winning a street fight but he looks serious and sad, Ryo was there looking at Baihu, Baihu looked at Ryo and then go away. We see the man saying that next up is the Illustrious Greg More, Ryo look at the photo again and saw that Greg is the one he needs to defeat, Greg is a NPC in the game, really nice to see in the anime as well.
The man ask if there is any challengers, Ryo go there and say "Right here" the fight start and Ryo bests Greg. Ryo encounter with Yuandao again and Yuandao show a paper to Ryo and say that Tomorrow afternoon for Ryo to come to the place written there, Ryo ask what for and Yuandao say that he will see.
We see the back of Ryo and something going directly there, we see that Ren did this, Ren say that this is bullshit, that Ryo have no idea how much he cost for Ren, Ryo say that he won and Ren say that's exactly why he lost, Ryo say "What? Don't tell me you..." and Ren say "Hell yes I did! Now shut your stupid face! You still haven't gotten the better of me just yet, dammit!" and we see Ryo smiling and happy about it, the Dou Niu goon that watched the conversion of Joy with Ren was also there watching everything in the shadows.
It is really nice that in this scene Ren said "Junnen hayai da yo" again, the phrase that Akira Yuki say when he wins a fight in Virtua Fighter, in EP 10 Ren said this phrase 2 times, now in EP 11 Ren said one time, Ren say this phrase in the games as well? i don't know but this is a beautiful detail and i will talk more about that in my Final Thoughts of the episode.
In the next scene we see the Yellow Head headquarters. Yuan say "Master Dou Niu, I've made contact with Master Lan Di. He will be arriving tomorrow to take Yuanda Zhu. Dou Niu say that he is glad to hear this and get up, Yuan say that the time has finally come, that once the Chi You Men have their backs, even those who hold a grudge for the power move that they pulled 10 years ago will have to fall in line. Dou Niu is looking for outside of the window and say he can almost smell it, that a little longer and Hong Kong will be totally his city, we see Dou Niu laughing after saying this. Like i said before i love the scenes with Yuan and Dou Niu in the anime, this expand more the story and the characters.
Bailu Village, Guilin
It is night time and we see Shenhua entering in her house, Shenhua say "Father? Are you home?" He is at the quarry again tonight..." On the table Shenhua see the diagram of the mirrors and say... "Wait, isn't this.?" and the scene ends.
Back in Hong Kong we see Joy in a cemetery looking at a grave, it is her mother's grave, Joy say... "Mother" and we see the flashback of the moment that her mother died, this time with some new moments.
The flashback ends and Joy say that nothing changed, that she never really forgave her father or the syndicate, she was shaking and we see a tear falling on the ground.
In the next scene we see Wong walking when he encounter the trio, Wong ask what's going on, They say the same as usual, a job for him, to go and do his thing, to find a good mark for them but Wong don't look interested about this, but one of them say for Wong to get moving. Wong enter in a building and see a member of the Yellow Heads talking to one of the Lan Di's goons, they are talking about Ryo, that Ryo was also searching for Yuanda Zhu, that when it comes time for the handover to be extra careful to not be followed.
Wong is there hearing everything in the shadows, the member of the Yellow Heads say that he has a formidable martial artist for an ally that could pose a threat, Lan Di goon say understood and to make certain that Yuanda Zhu is kept secure. The member of the Yellow head say to rest assured, that they are also taking every possible precaution, and plus they already got tabs on one of his buddies, Ren of the Heavens.
Wong is surprised and say... "Ren?!" the member of Yellow heads turn around and see Wong, Wong say "Uh oh!" and start to run away, the member of the Yellow Heads say "That brat! Did he just overhear everything?! Not good" and start to run after Wong.
Wong continue to run and the trio think he got someone so they can rob, they ask where is the target and Wong yell that they got big trouble while the member of the Yellow Heads is running after Wong.
Back in Kowloon we see Ryo walking inside a building, Yuandao say that Ryo made it, to follow him, Ryo follow him and we see that Ren is following them, the same member of the Yellow Heads continues to follow them. Yuandao open a door and say... "This leads to the Yellow Head Building. someone with use of your skills is..." at this moment Ren appear running and say "Thanks for the help, pal" and punch Yuandao's belly.
Ren ask where they are keeping Yuanda Zhu locked up, Yuandao say that they don't tell him, Ren pick his knife and threat Yuandao but he say he honestly don't know. Ren say for Yuandao to tell in which room they usually keep hostages in, Yuandao say that on the 17th floor, in the small room in the back, after that Ren say "That's what i like to hear!" and punch Yuandao in the head and he faints, Ryo say that this was reckless and Ren say that it went off without a hitch. Ren searched in Yuandao's clothes and found a communication radio.
Ren use this to talk to the other goons, he say that they got an intruder heading for the 5th floor, for everybody to get over there ASAP and of the goons say roger that, Ren say for Ryo "Alright, let's move" and Ryo make a serious face and we see that the same Yellow Head member is watching everything from the shadows. In the next scene we see Wong continue to run away from the Yellow head member when Joy appear near him with her motorcycle, she stop the motorcycle and Wong get up, Wong say for her to help him.
The Yellow Head member say to stop right there, Joy ask who is the big guy, Wong say that he will explain later, Joy say "Fine then" and leave the place while the Yellow head member say they won't get away.
After that we see an elevator door open, Ryo and Ren enter in the elevator and the door close, after the door close we see Joy and Wong again in the motorcycle, Joy ask what the hell was that and Wong say that he is a member of the Yellow Head, Joy ask why they are after him.
Wong say is because he overheard them talking, Joy ask about what exactly and Wong explain that they got Ryo and Ren under surveilance, that the Yellow heads know everything. Joy make a serious face and the scene change to Ryo and Ren again. I love the scenes of Joy, Wong and Ren in this episode, these characters were expanded in this episode, loved it.
Ryo and Ren enter in a room but nobody is there when they hear Dou niu say... "You sons of bitches. Gotta admit, you are pretty damn good to get this far!" Ryo and Ren go out of the room and see Dou Niu in front of them, Dou niu say... "Too bad i was one step ahead of you! It's time to celebrate our reunion with some head bashing!" after saying this Dou Niu laugh, we see Ren and Ryo with serious faces looking and Dou Niu and the episode ends.
What can we expect to see in the next episode?
In my opinion we will see Ryo and Ren trying to run away from Dou Niu, i think something will happen to Joy and Wong, and Joy will be kidnapped just like in the game. Ryo will probably encounter with Master Baihu and a fight will happen, some people say that maybe Master Baihu is Joy's father, it is an interesting theory, Master Baihu is still a mysterious character, maybe we will get more revelations about Baihu in this episode, i hope so.
Maybe we will see more scenes with Lan Di and more scenes with Yuanda Zhu, after that i think we will see the rooftop part but maybe will have some differences from the game. Some people say that Ryo will fight with Lan Di first, then Lan Di will ask Dou Niu to finish Ryo, and after that Ryo will remember Xiuying's words and defeat Dou Niu, i think is possible that this will happen.
I think we will probably see Ryo encountering Lan Di in this episode but i'm not sure exactly what will happen, a fight will happen or we will see Lan Di just in the helicopter like in the game? i don't know but it will be interesting to see a fight against Lan Di, Ryo will probably lose in a fast way but it will be interesting to see this different version.
In what part the episode will end? i'm not sure, i really donvt know how will be the pacing of this episode, i think it will be a fast pace but it is really difficult this time to tell where exactly it will end. It could end with Ryo encountering Lan Di, it could end with Ryo defeating Dou Niu and seeing Lan Di getting away, and it could even end with Ryo arriving in Guilin and meeting Shenhua, a lot of possibilities about the ending of this episode in my opinion.
The Guilin part is not confirmed in the anime so it will be really interesting to see where this episode will end, i hope the episode end with Ryo arriving in Guilin, seeing her trying to save the deer and then meeting Ryo, this way the final episode of the season can be dedicated for Gulin, this way the season can end in the cave part just like in the game.
In the first scene of the first episode we saw the cave scene, so if we see the cave scene in the final episode this will come full circle, it makes sense and i will like if this happen, but like i said last week, If the season ends in Kowloon or with Ryo arriving in Guilin it will not be a problem for me as well.
So many questions about these 2 episodes... i'm really looking forward for the next episode, and you? how do you think the next episode will end? how do you think the season will end? share in the comments below.
What NPCs do you want to see in the next episode?
I want to see Master Baihu, Joy, Wong, Ren, Xiuying, Dou Niu, Yuan, Niao Sun, Ziming, Lan Di, Shenhua, Yuanda Zhu and many other characters, and you? what NPCs you want to see in the next episode? share with us in the comments below.
Final Thoughts
Beautiful episode. Was nice to see Xiuying fighting Dou Niu and Yuanda Zhu trying to defend himself, One of the things i love in this episode is that this episode is by far the episode that the anime team expanded 3 characters the most. The characters are Joy, Ren and Wong, loved that.
With this episode we see more about Joy's story, the woman really is Joy's mother, Joy's mother getting assassinated because her father was in the Chinese syndicate. We see that Joy care about Ryo and what is happening but she is afraid because of what happened to her in the past. we even see Joy visiting her mother's grave. This things about Joy don't have in the game, it is a beautiful addition to the story.
With this episode we can really see that meeting Ryo made an impact in Ren's life somehow, deep down now he cares about Ryo, and Ren is even questioning what to do, the scene that Ren is talking with Joy made it this clear to me, i love the scene with Joy talking to Ren, one of my favorite scenes of the episode, later in the episode we see that Ren decided to be with Ryo again.
Another nice detail in this episode about Ren is that Ren said again "Junnen hayai da yo" one of the phrases that Akira Yuki say when he wins a fight in Virtua Fighter, Ren say this phrase in the games as well? i don't remember right now but this is a beautiful detail.
In my opinion in Shenmue IV or Shenmue V we will really see Ren admitting that he view Ryo as a friend, and i have a feeling Ren will die maybe saving Ryo and this will have a big impact in Ryo and in the story, i feel that this is the reason Akira say Junnen Hayai da yo in VF, i feel that Akira say this phrase as a way of honoring and remembering his friend, i think that Ren saying Junnen Hayai Da Yo is in The Legend Of Akira scripts/novels.
Akira's headband probably is a part of Ren's bandana and Akira wears for the same reason, i like this theory, to me Ryo is like a younger version of Akira, in my opinion Yu Suzuki changed to Shenmue but the main story of Akira's journey is the same, the journey of how Ryo (Akira) learned all the Bajiquan moves, the journey of how Ryo (Akira) became a powerful martial artist, in my opinion in the end we will probably see Ryo similar to Akira like this.
Wong have more screen time in this episode as well, we see how Wong care about Ryo, Wong really want to help Ryo, for Wong Ryo is like his older brother now, and in this episode we can even see that Wong is not interested in robbing people anymore, it is like Wong now want to be similar to Ryo, character development for Wong in this episode. i love all the new scenes with Wong in the anime, the scenes expanded more the character and i love that. We can see that Ryo made friends in Hong Kong that really care about him, the people he meet, the friends, the things that Ryo learn along the way and much more, it is beautiful to see Ryo's journey
These things about Joy, Ren and Wong don't have in the game and it is a beautiful way to expand the story and the characters. In the games we see the story through the perspective of Ryo, so most of the time in the games we see what Ryo see, i like this style in the games but in the anime we see the story not only through Ryo's perspective but through other characters as well.
We know that Yu Suzuki shared many pages of the story with the anime team, so there is a good chance that these things are from Yu Suzuki's vision about the story, about what Yu-san wrote at that time but for some reason is not in the games. this is one of the beautiful things about the anime to me, to see how the anime is expading the story and the characters.
I love the street fights but it was sad that we didn't saw Chunyan and Rod Stunt in this episode, maybe these characters will appear in the next episode but in a different situation? the anime have many differences in relation to the games so it is not impossible but maybe this will not happen, but i really love the street fights in the anime. Really nice the way the anime team did the street fights in the anime.
It is sad that probably we will never see the catching leaves training in the anime, like i said other time we lose in some areas but we win in other areas like more scenes for Iwao, Yamigishi-san, Joy, Dou Niu, Yuan, Shenhua, Lan Di and many other characters.
At least Xiuying taught the Counter Elbow Assault for Ryo and talked about that Ryo have to clear his mind, this lesson is important so i'm glad that Xiuying taught this in some way for Ryo.
Just 2 more episodes left to end the season.. i will miss this time of Shenmue content every week.
With just 2 more episodes left to end the season i feel that it is possible that the last episode we will end in Guilin in the cave just like in the game, i'm not sure yet, it will depend on what will happen in episode 12, but maybe this episode will end with Ryo arriving in Guilin, i'm not sure, all i know is that i'm looking forward for the next episode.
Next week i will come back with my Analysis of EP 12 Guidepost, thank you all for reading and remember to keep friends... those you love... close to you, bye bye. ~
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