Dead Mount Death Play

Episode 17

This episode is an odd one. It follows two separate, mostly unrelated plot lines—neither directly involving Polka. The first of these is the introduction of Majiri—and how she is connected with Xiaoyu. It seems that she likes to collect people—to add them to her “family.” If the target of her affection is resistant to the idea, she simply takes something they care about and promises to return it when they agree to her terms. She planned to turn Xiaoyu into a seedbed for Heilei poisons and then come “rescue” him at his lowest point. Unfortunately for her, Rozan stepped in and gave Xiaoyu the help he needed—not to mention the true family he had been longing for.

Yet, while this part of the episode is mainly about fleshing out Xiaoyu's backstory, what's most interesting is how Misaki reacts to it. It's clear from the start that Majiri is the strongest person in the room—to the point that the Fire-Breathing Bug backs off to appease her. Yet, Misaki shows no hesitation in trying to kill Majiri. And then, when things go badly (with Misaki being sliced in half once again) the two begin a lively conversation about Misaki joining Majiri's “family”—their only seeming point of contention is whether the “Agakura” name becomes Misaki's last name or middle name. While both Takumi and Xiaoyu are baffled by this, it's important to note that Misaki has no intention of joining Majiri's “family.”

In general, there are a few things that Misaki cares about. Polka and his allies top this list with Clarrisa likely also having a spot on it. Beyond that, there is only her guilt, the joy of killing, and its surprising new partner, the joy of rescuing. Everything else she does unrelated to these things is simply Misaki trying to keep herself amused. She isn't oblivious to the danger around her or the mood in the room. She simply doesn't care—and so she is just screwing with Majiri for the hell of it. Luckily, this doesn't blow up in Misaki's face as Majiri doesn't seem to notice—that and the fact that Majiri seems to care about her family enough to make sure they don't die on her watch.

The other side of the story continues the big reveal that Iwanome's boss, Chief Superintendent Habaki, is one of the members of the cult. However, that he's been outed has led to the involvement of the Fire-Breathing Bug—who has no issue invading the police department en masse to deal with him. While it's an exciting and chaotic turn of events, the unfortunate thing about this half of the episode is that not much happens. Sure, we get to see how the Fire-Breathing Bug starts his fires (several lasers all aimed at the same point) and learn that the cult has access to magical medicines—but the episode begins and ends with Iwanome, Arase, and Habaki trapped in a room with the Fire-Breathing Bug outside.

The last scene of the episode is simply a major tease of things to come. A magic user from Polka's original world—and potentially the head of the cult—has arrived in Japan and is searching for Polka. However, what this means for our hero and his friends remains a mystery.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Regardless of how the fires are started, I'm interested in learning how the Fire-Breathing Bug hive-mind isn't considered magic.

• The Real Polka was moving around a lot on Polka's shoulder while watching the thunderstorm. Was this supposed to show he was afraid of lightning or that he thought it was cool?

• The Superintendent General seems to know way more than he lets on. However, it doesn't look like he's a cult member at any rate.

• The Phantom Solitaire is just the right kind of chaos to have in a story like this.

Dead Mount Death Play is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.