A Reason to Act is the 10th episode of the Rurouni Kenshin 2023 anime adaptation.
Synopsis[]
After the attack at the Kamiya Dōjō by the Oniwabanshū, Megumi is staying at the Dōjō. Kanryū forces Megumi to return to his side by threatening the people at the Kamiya Dōjō. But Kenshin and the rest figure it out and go to rescue her from Kanryū's mansion. Are Kenshin and the rest of the team going to be able to rescue Megumi from Kanryū? Who will be the strongest enemies on their way to Megumi?
Summary[]
Yahiko has completely recovered from his illness, and Megumi prepares an ohagi dish to celebrate his recovery. Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko dig in and are ecstatic about the delicious meal. Kaoru asks Megumi if she'll teach her how to prepare ohagi that well, and the latter agrees, saying it is easy. Kaoru says that she'll prepare some next time, but an arriving Sanosuke insults her, saying that he would eat balls of mud rather than anything she prepares. Her dirty past saddens Megumi as a drug producer. Kenshin realizes that Kanryū will continuously pursue her until he gets what he wants. He says that it is better for her to stay in the Dōjō. Kaoru agrees, but Sanosuke is still unwilling to support her because of Yoita's death.
While Megumi is doing some chores alone at the Dōjō, a friendly-looking old man arrives and asks her if she needs anything, but she says no. The man removes his mask and is revealed to be Han'nya in disguise. He grabs Megumi by the mouth, tells her that Kanryū wants to talk to her for a moment, and takes Megumi away, threatening to poison the Dōjō’s water well with mercury if she refuses. Reluctantly Megumi agrees to go with Han'nya. They go to the middle of the woods nearby, where Kanryū was waiting.
Kanryū tells Megumi that he does not want to hurt her but only wants her to join him again. Megumi refuses, saying that she'd rather die than continue producing drugs that kill people. Kanryū says that if she chooses this path, he'll order the Oniwabanshū to burn down the Kamiya Dōjō and everyone in it, which shocks Megumi, who faces no choice but to give in to his demands. Kanryū gives Megumi time to make her final decision, telling her to be aware of any fires that may be coming her way. He then leaves. Aoshi, who has been present all along, asks Kanryū why he doesn't just take Megumi now, and he says that he wants Megumi to join him willingly. The Battōsai has no reason to involve himself.
Megumi begins crying helplessly on the spot, knowing that there is nothing she can do. Later that day, Kaoru finds a letter in the Dōjō, written by Megumi, where she says she will return to Aizu. Kenshin realizes that she has no family left in Aizu, so he, Kaoru, and Yahiko head out to find her.
Megumi arrives at Kanryū’s mansion and asks to talk to him. In his office, Kanryū greets Megumi and asks her to prepare more Spider's Web opium. Instead, she intends to kill him and pulls out a small dagger. However, just as she is about to stab him, her knife vanishes, resulting from Aoshi's last-minute intervention. Kanryū, enraged, hits her continuously and tells her he will torture her into spilling the secrets of the formula of the new opium.
Just outside Kanryū’s mansion, Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko have vowed to rescue her at all costs. The group blast their way through Kanryu's bodyguards pummeling their way through the bodyguards. Kanryū worriedly sees Kenshin's crew advance their way toward the mansion, and he thinks to himself why Himura Battōsai is seeking to help Megumi. Aoshi tells him that Battōsai does not simply act for profit, which Kanryū, a self-absorbed materialist, can never understand.
Kanryū suddenly sees Kenshin's sinister eyes gazing directly upon him, and the latter tells him to give up and release Megumi at once. Kanryū laughs in desperation, telling Kenshin what a skilled warrior is and that he's willing to pay him the salary of 50 bodyguards if he joins the Oniwabanshū as his bodyguard. Kenshin continues demanding that he come down at once, and then Kanryū offers him the salary of a hundred guards, then two hundred, and is turned down each time. Aoshi tells him that the man he faces isn't an adversary that can be bought with any amount of money. Kanryū then tells Aoshi to shut up.
Kanryū agrees to give up Megumi, but asks for one hour so that "preparations" can be made. Kenshin walks away, and Kanryū is relieved, thinking that the former has accepted his offer, leaving him time to torture Megumi into spilling the secrets of the new opium formula. Unfortunately for him, Kenshin simply walked toward a thick stone pillar outside the mansion, which he sliced clean with his sword, before telling Kanryū that he would emancipate Megumi by force. Kanryū's anxiety rises, and Aoshi tells him that his words did nothing but anger his adversary further.
Kanryū demands that Aoshi and the Oniwabanshū defeat the approaching threat, saying that he won't tolerate any failure, like with Beshimi and Hyottoko. Aoshi, deeply insulted, roughly grabs Kanryū, telling him that the Oniwabanshū follow only him and are ready to put their lives on the line for his sake, but have no obligation to follow Kanryū's demands. Kanryū says that he's the one who pays Aoshi large sums and that even Aoshi wouldn't defy his orders, which only angers Aoshi further. Kanryū asks him what he's supposed to do, and Aoshi tells him to stay where he is and count his money, before leaving. Kanryū, unable to do anything after being belittled by Aoshi earlier, now begins revealing his anger at being insulted.
Megumi wakes up in the observatory room, and Aoshi informs her that her friends have come to try and rescue her, but that she should not get her hopes up, since they will not get very far. He tells her that what awaits her isn't liberation, but torture at the hands of Kanryū. Hence, Aoshi gives her the same knife she attempted to attack Kanryū with earlier, saying that she can either end her life right there or be tortured to death by Kanryū, before leaving. Megumi begins looking at the dagger, wondering whether or not she should end it all.
Kenshin and the others walk through the door of Kanryū's mansion, only to be met with Han'nya.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Sagara Sanosuke
- Takani Megumi
- Myōjin Yahiko
- Kamiya Kaoru
- Himura Kenshin
- Han'nya
- Takeda Kanryū
- Shinomori Aoshi
Anime Notes[]
- There is a small difference between the manga and the events in this anime episode:
- The anime begins with a scene where Sanosuke is walking on the street and sees some kids buying candy before arriving to the Kamiya Dōjō. This is not present in the manga.
Trivia[]
- The episode was titled after the original of Act 20.
- In this episode, Megumi prepares Ohagis for breakfast. Ohagis are steamed rice balls coated with red bean, soybean, or sesame flour.
Gallery[]
To be added