Drifters – Act 11: The Adventure of the Pistol Daimyo ~ Bullet Counting Song ~

Previously on Drifters, “Baba Yetu”

The penultimate episode doesn’t disappoint with Black King and the Toyohisa clique making their plays for Orte’s empire. History is made as the war between the two begins, but it’s really about an old theme creeping back on us again:  both sides are essentially the same.

You Say Something?

The idea to takedown Orte isn’t a novel one, they’re the big dogs on the scene and, if toppled, the rest of the land would be a layup, especially with it rotting from the inside already. What truly counts is the path you take to get there. For our Drifters, the plan is to infiltrate from the core using Count Saint Germi’s position and power to be smuggled into a meeting with the heads of Orte. They know he’s a snake, but as long as their relationship is profitable he won’t be a problem. Germi knows all of their histories (thanks to living long after their times) but he begins to understand the genuine article is much different than just fact based accounts. He is taken back when Toyohisa confidently proclaims the fate of his clan despite having been dead generations before. His campaign may have been defeated, but his descendants did indeed topple the government. Later, Nobunaga also takes The Count to school, but we’ll come back to that.

In the meeting, Count Saint Germi thanks the men for their service and dissolves Orte before shading the room with bars. He already had the majority in his palm, making this just a formality until two officials speak in favor of the Black King.

Puppets of a ghostly vision of Rasputin, Black King already had his tentacles into the capital also. Although outranked by Germi, the two have enough power to also smuggle in troops that are swiftly beheaded by Toyohisa before Rasputin can finish gloating. Toyo has no time for formalities, he only follows his own path and does what needs to be done. Case and point, before Rasputin can finish again, Toyohisa stomps the main puppets face until Count Saint Germi calls him off.

There Are No White Hats

Back at the North Wall, Rasputin cuts off communications to uncharacteristically throw a tantrum to Hijikata. Running into his equal in Germi hadn’t shaken him, but the humiliation from Toyo and Nobu has him shook while Hijikata is the cold and calculated voice of reason. Also on the telepathic party line, Black King cuts in with a vote of confidence and a new order, destroy everything. If they can’t take it with one grand gesture then they will annihilate everything between them and victory. A fact that Nobunaga correctly checks Germi on, just with 100% more rape specified. That’s one of the “heroes” guys. It’s a thin line between what motivation makes a person a Drifter or an End, but that is where the differences end (aside from the seeming lack of superpowers) because the path a Drifter  will take to get there can be far worse that the quick end an End might give you. Let’s not forget this is the same guy who burned the elves crops and finished taking everything from them that Orte hadn’t already. Even now, he still intends to let Orte get pounded on some before swooping in positioned as the heroes. Nobunaga would be a villain in almost any other show, but here he made one right decision so he’s a good guy.

Also, we got our first look at their salute which, even though it bolsters my theory, I’m not feeling it.

The Great Equalizer

The numbers are low back at the capital since Count Saint Germi could only smuggle in so many soldiers, and his force, The Sacred Band of Thebes. Like the force it was named for on Earth, it’s a regiment of high trained male couples, arriving  shirtless, holding their lover’s hand.

Regardless of the image, they are exceptional soldiers who are assigned musket duty. For the first time, guns will be used in warfare, ushering in a new era. Only having been trained with sticks, they rightfully fear the strange weapon in their hands, even more so once they fire the first volley. The smoke and explosion scare them almost as much as the goblins, but nothing compares to watching your brothers in arms die in an instant. The second volley, backed with torrential rains of arrows followed by Toyohisa and the dwarf foot soldiers, stop the soldiers in their tracks, only angering the on looking Hijikata more.