Peculiarities is the fourth episode of the first season of the Netflix adult animated action Blue Eye Samurai.
Synopsis[]
Akemi embarks on a new career and Mizu searches for a way to reach Fowler, bringing them both to Madame Kaji's rather unusual establishment.
Plot[]
In this episode, Mizu and Ringo arrive in a large harbor-town (stopping briefly to give alms to flute-playing monks) in time to witness a duel to the death between two samurai. Mizu recognizes the technique of the victor, the "Painter's Signature", and compliments his mastery of it. She does not notice Akemi among the crowd, who begins to follow them. As evening falls, she dismisses Ringo's suggestion that they find an inn, seeking a brothel instead; she deliberately picks the seediest one in town, run by an oiran named Madame Kaji. Mizu requests to see her rather than making an appointment with one of the prostitutes, deciding to wait when told Kaji is booked. She pays for boarding, then tells Ringo he may go amuse himself, though he insists on staying with her. Noticing the samurai who won the duel earlier, role-playing with a 'motherly' prostitute, Mizu rebuffs the other women's attempts to catch her interest, until Madame Kaji finally approaches her after several hours.
Kaji rebuffs Mizu's suggestion that her brothel caters to 'peculiarities' and merely allow men to make fools of themselves, pointing out that all desires, especially those rarely displayed, are human, and that denying it is denying their nature. Mizu scorns the idea of sex as an 'art' (admittedly, having very limited experience with it herself) but Kaji provides Mizu access to peepholes in each of the occupied rooms to prove her point, noting that indulging in desire can bring other benefits besides sexual satisfaction. Mizu claims "Desire is beyond the need of my purpose" but is caught off-guard by Kaji's response: "If you are only a sword, are you even a man, or a mere demon?" Witnessing several sexual/physical exchanges between clients and both male and female prostitutes, Mizu has a brief flash of her last tussle with Taigen.
Drawing Mizu into an empty room, Kaji suggests she reveal her desire in writing if she cannot say it; Mizu writes Abijah Fowler's name, saying that Kaji's 'peculiar' teahouse was the most likely one to service Fowler, given that his 'loathsome' tastes in entertainment requires a 'specialist'. She deduces from Kaji's expression that Kaji has been to Tanabe island and seen Fowler in person, and demands to know the castle's entry points. Kaji quickly recognizes that Mizu means to kill Fowler and says she will not aide the killing of an important client (despite finding Fowler despicable herself), dismissing Mizu's assertion that he 'deserves to die': "If you killed every man I've seen who couldn't come 'til someone bled, you'd wear your blade to a stump." However, before she can leave, Mizu mentions her encounter with Heiji Shindo; guessing that his similarly repulsive tastes might have caused him to abuse either Kaji's girls or Kaji herself at Tanabe, she reveals that she took off his right arm. Providing a quick demonstration of her skill with a blade, she offers her services with a sword in exchange for information against Fowler and Shindo, reasoning that Kaji may have enemies she would prefer dead.
Kaji leads Mizu into the streets, pointing out a gambling house run by a ruthless yakuza, Boss Hamata, who is the informal town overlord. Six months before, Hamata had taken a deaf-and-mute girl, Kinuyo, whom Kaji had taken in as her foster daughter and protected. Mizu assumes Kaji wishes her to kill Hamata to set Kinuyo free, but Kaji clarifies that "under the law, revenge is a luxury reserved for men" and that as a woman, she has to be more practical about what she wants. She startles Mizu by telling her she wants Kinuyo killed, rather than Hamata, and that it must look like an accident; even if Hamata were killed, his 'Thousand-Claw army' would recognize Kaji's involvement and kill her, Kinuyo and everyone else in her care. Mizu swears to carry out the assassination, promising to be 'like smoke', in exchange for Kaji's way into the fortress. She and Kaji then return to the brothel, where Kaji gives her a quiet room to wait until nightfall. She instructs Mizu to make the hand signs for "I love you" to Kinuyo before killing her, saying she will recognize it as a message from Kaji to give her peace.
Shortly afterward, Mizu's meditation is interrupted by Akemi, who offers her hospitality, pretending to be one of Kaji's newest women. Despite Akemi's makeup and acting prowess, Mizu quickly realizes she is familiar and makes the connection when Akemi mentions Kyoto (where the two women briefly encountered each other before). She rebuffs Akemi's flattery toward her unusual eyes and repeated offers of (drugged) sake, claiming she doesn't drink, and only pretends to relent when Akemi, in turn, pretends to drink with her. However, Mizu interrupts herself from actually taking a drink by offhandedly mentions her recent encounter with Taigen, disparaging him as caring more about his severed topknot than his engagement, and claiming she killed him. This provokes Akemi into an attack which Mizu easily intercepts, pinning her down and confirming Akemi's identity and motives. Scornful of Akemi throwing away privileges that most women dream of (in exchange for an arrogant and potentially unfaithful young man), Mizu reveals she didn't actually kill Taigen, then ties Akemi up and leaves Ringo to guard her while she goes to fulfill her mission.
Mizu narrowly manages to infiltrate Hamata's heavily-guarded gambling house, while Kinuyo disrobes and is covered with smoldering moxibustion plasters to treat sores from Hamata's attentions. Narrowly avoiding encounters with Hamata's thugs, Mizu makes her way to the house's rafters; she accidentally disturbs a sparrow nesting there and is forced to kill it to keep her presence hidden, which saddens her slightly. Mizu waits until the doctor leaves (Kinuyo having fallen asleep under the treatment), then enters the room and kills Hamata's bodyguard with Kinuyo's golden hairpin, startling the girl awake. Motioning for her to be silent, Mizu makes the sign Kaji asked her to, but rather than being relieved, Kinuyo shakes her head, looking suspicious and afraid. Worried about the approaching yakuza, Mizu offers her hand, mouthing "I'll protect you." Kinuyo shakes her head again, but on seeing lamplight from a patrolling guard behind the screens, finally takes Mizu's hand. As the patrol passes, Kinuyo exhales and leans into Mizu's shoulder for comfort. Mizu embraces her, moving her hand gently across the back of her head... and then, snaps her neck as quickly and quietly as she can. Although this is clearly intended as a mercy-kill, Mizu is deeply affected by her actions, holding Kinuyo's body for several moments afterwards with a look of sorrow and remorse on her face. She arranges the bodies to make it look like Hamata's bodyguard strangled Kinuyo, and that she stabbed him with her pin in self-defense.
Dejected and distracted, Mizu is noticed by small boy passing by as she moves away from the gambling house at dawn. She tells him to report an accident, then tells Kaji that the deed is done and Kinuyo is at peace; Kaji in turn gives her instructions and a map to the secret entrance to Fowler's castle on Tanabe. Cutting Akemi loose, she tells her to leave, ignoring the Princess' attempts to analyze her.
However they are suddenly interrupted by a scream, which draws them to the front door: the boy had reported Mizu to Hamata, causing him to send his Thousand-Claw Army to Kaji's brothel.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Maya Erskine as Mizu
- Masi Oka as Ringo
- Brenda Song as Akemi
- Darren Barnet as Taigen
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as The Swordmaker
- George Takei as Seki
- Randall Park as Heiji Shindo
- Kenneth Branagh as Abijah Fowler
Guest[]
- Darren Barnet as Running Man
- Eric Bauza as Goro, Stocky Samurai, Kinuyo's Bodyguard
- Sherry Cola as Kuma
- Patrick Gallagher as Daichi, Frantic Man
- Stephanie Hsu as Ise
- Sophie Kim as Kiku
- Clyde Kusatsu as Watari, Boss Hamata
- Amber Noizumi as Rin, Terrified Attendant
- Amy Noizumi as Yuki
- Gedde Watanabe as Nightjar Manager, Running Man, Kenzou
- Ming-Na Wen as Madame Kaji
- Jane Wu as Lovelorn Lady, Haya
Gallery[]
