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Angel Heart – episode 4

December 18, 2005 on 6:12 pm | In Angel Heart | Comments Off on Angel Heart – episode 4

Images to follow if I can get the raws

“A Lost Heart”

Pawns! Mild psychosis! Ryo getting angry! It’s all on in Angel Heart.

The doctor hears Glass Heart arguing with Kaori. Of course, he only hears half of the conversation. Realising that her feelings of wellbeing don’t belong to her, Glass Heart runs out into the world. Li, boss of Zheng Dao Hui comes to Japan. Someone, presumably Glass Heart, shoots Li and Mochiyama, the fellow who Glass Heart beat up on in episode two, spreads the word of the shooting and decides to find Glass Heart through City Hunter.

One has to feel for Glass Heart, because she had found a sense of peace but had no idea why. Someone who literally has no good memories would naturally be quite distressed to suddenly feel a sense of purpose and home. Glass Heart lashes out and apparently decides that something must be done. Nothing was shown to actually confirm that Glass Heart was the one who shot Li, although it is possible: at this point Glass Heart is doing her best to ignore Kaori.

Ryo’s anger and indignation were great, as well. He berates his friends for telling them Kaori is back: “It’s all right for me to wander the streets looking for her without any explainable reason …”. It’s as if he wants everyone but himself to accept that Kaori is dead. The conclusion offers some great work from Kamiya Akira.

The only part of this episode that I found weird is the treatment of Mochiyama as a vague comic foil. He’s the link between the Taiwanese syndicate and Ryo, but he’s an uneasy medium. For the entirely serious syndicate to interact with such an effeminate fellow who is clearly incompetent is just bizarre. It is understandable both that he puts on his show for Ryo and that he’s been set up, but still it doesn’t rub; Umibozu and Ryo are known for hating yakuza.

I fear that Angel Heart is going to suffer Honey & Clover syndrome, with me saying exactly the same thing each episode because they’re all so good for largely the same reasons. It makes for some good watchin’, but, well … okay, no complaints here.