Ouroboros Episode 4 - Dead Body In A Box

In this episode our Double Dragons continue their quest to find Sensai's killers (as usual).  We have another serial killer (as usual).  But this time we get to see Tatsuya cosplay a policeman (SQUEEEE) which might make this my favorite moment since the bathhouse scene.  Orguri Shun truly looks good ALWAYS.  The guy can do no wrong.  So let's jump into the mysteries that surround our boys present and past and enjoy all the pretty eye candy while we do it.

Tatsuya and Ikuo take a trip down memory lane to the house the lived in with Sensai.  Now at this point I would just like to point out how absolutely amazing Tatsuya looks in his borrowed policeman finery. Like, really really good.  OK, fangirling under control and back to the story.  Our boys are  investigating the Haijima Cooperation which bought out the land the orphanage had sat on.  Listed as a company that imports health food, our two vigilantes suspect there is more going on than just healthy living.  Using his fake cop's uniform Tatsuya and Ikuo enter the company, saying that they are policemen investigating online threats against the companies president.

Having Ikuo explain the fake threat in detail to the company's president, Tatsuya sneaks into the man's office, looking for clues to support their suspicions. He manages to copy the president's hard drive onto a USB, but gets caught by the secretary on his way out.  But no worries, since Cop Tatsuya simply pushes her against the wall and states "I have been thinking of you since the moment we met.  I want to arrest you" while closing the space between their bodies.  Yup, that would do it.  No thoughts would be left in this ahjumma's head.  Would definitely be worth getting fired for that one single moment.

After they leave we see Haijima's president take out a folder from a locked part of his desk.  In it are pictures of young kids and he takes out a page and stares at it.  Hmmm, I am guessing our heroes disguises were not as good as they had hoped.

It seems that both of our men have been promoted.  Ikuo is bumped to 1st division (where all the good cases are) and Tatsuya is now officially a mafia boss.  Poor Ikuo is a fish out of water as he is dumped into the massive offices of 1st division and told about the task force he will be working on.  It has to do with the, super hush hush, cop murders.  Hahahaha.  Oh Ouroboros, you never disappoint.  Yup, we have yet another serial killer mystery to solve.  And this serial killer is targeting cops.

Hibino is not thrilled to lose her partner and goes straight up the chain of command to her father and complains.  Daddy blows her off and pacifies her with the words that he won't be in division one forever, just for a while (Hmmm not a permanent promotion then).  Hibino walks back into the division 2 office just in time to see Smirky Cop demanding some files.  Eeeeak, is smirky cop still after our sweet Ikuo?  It seems that he is indeed still in hot pursuit of Ikuo and now Tatsuya is also on his radar.  It seems that Smirky Cop has made the connection that an insane amount of Ikuo's busts had something to do with Tatsuya's organization.  Smirky Cop shares his suspicions with Hibino who objects and says there is no way this is true.  But you can see that the seed of suspicion has been firmly planted.

Did anyone else burst out laughing when Ikuo meets his new partner?  Poor boy just can't catch a break.  This time around his partner is a gruff, cranky, loner that punches Ikuo for messing with his stuff.  Cranky Partner might as well been flashing a neon sign over his head reading "does not play well with others".   

What would Ouroboros be without a dead body?  Probably a very boring drama *laugh*.  But no worries, the chances of this drama running out of murders is about as likely as me saying Orguri Shun is unattractive (NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN). This weeks body is uber icky and found chopped up in a box that had been sent to division one's offices. Ikuo hears a phone ringing inside of an innocent looking box. After gaining permission to open it he finds the phone (showing a call from his cranky cop partner) along with the deceased body parts.  And in usual Ikuo fashion, he comments about an unusual smell.... something more than just dead body.  Who knew that all you needed to be a #1 detective was a super sense of smell.

Ikuo finds out that his partner is crankier than usual because the murdered cops are his friends from the police academy.  Cranky Cop shows Ikuo a picture of a large group of men enjoying drinks together and explains how the four of them were very close and all started out together.  Three out of the four of them are now dead, murdered by the cop killer.  The soul survivor is Cranky Cop and he suspects that the killer will be coming for next.  I can understand how that could make one a little sensitive.  Ikuo also understands, but tells his partner that it is stupid to push everyone away and go it alone.

Ikuo and Tatsuya have their usual drinks together (or at least as together as they are able to) and Tatsuya discusses the information he found on the Haijima president's hard drive.  Turns out that all of the directors of this company are retired policeman with connections to the Tokyo office..  Wow, that is pretty damning evidence for our heath company.  I think we can all agree that they are as dirty as a baby's used diaper. 

The next day Ikuo goes to work and finds out that his partner (Cranky Cop) had not shown up.  Concerned, he finds out Cranky Cop's address and stakes it out.  Eventually Ikuo wonders what he is doing and goes to leave.  Only to hear the sound of a motorcycle and yelling down the street. 

We see Cranky Cop going head to head with the killer who is riding a motorcycle while holding a machete.  Hmmmm I am not sure if this is the most successful way of killing someone.  It does set us up for a really wonderful action scene where Ikuo jumps and runs on the wall in order to attack the killer before he is able to chop up Cranky Cop.  Have I mentioned yet, how much the action sequences kick booty?  So cool.  Cranky Cop comes out of the murder attempt with a cut on his head (idiot is lucky to not be headless) and is his usual cranky self as he berates Ikuo for showing up and then not following the perp.  Ikuo just tells him he needs to go to the hospital and when CC starts dissing the 2nd division for having crappy cops, Ikuo decks him saying "I warned you not to talk negative about the 2nd division".  Then helps him to the hospital since Ikuo is nice like that.  Haha.

Through the old photograph Ikuo finds out that his 2nd division captain is also from this graduating class.  Ikuo buys his previous boss lunch and questions him about the cops who had died and his new partner.  Captain comments that only he himself, and cranky cop were not promoted, oh, and one other.  He points to a person whose face had been scratched out of the photo.  That cop had been sent to a nowhere job in the country.  Ikuo's boss suggests he looks into this person since it might be connected.

Ikuo and Hibino (who is tagging along) go get the photo fixed at the police labs. While they wait Hibino gives a not so subtle hint that no matter what, if you go against the law, she will punish the perps. Ikuo just gives her his usual blank look and Hibino changes the topic, asking if there were any other clues?  This brings to Ikuo's mind that the perp and the box both smelled of green apples.  A helpful assistant mentions that green apple oil is used to help people who are claustrophobic. This information causes Ikuo to rush out of the room since he suddenly suspects who the killer is.

Ikuo realizes that the killer is actually one of his coworkers and is positive that Cranky Cop is still in danger.  Knowing he is not going to make it in time, he calls up Tatsuya to cover for him.  Which gives Tatsuya another chance to play dress up.  We got a cop and a doctor this episode.  What's next?  A Cowboy?

Tatsuya arrives just in time to see the killer push a cleaning supply cart onto the elevator.  He asks the perp (who also is in disguise) if he is getting on but the killer declines saying someone else will pick up the cart on the first floor (remember he is claustrophobic).  Tatsuya checks the cart and finds Cranky Cop passed out and stuffed inside. He stops on a different floor and shoves CC out of the elevator, then proceeds to go to the bottom floor where the killer is waiting.

Tatsuya fights the killer and herds him towards the back rooms where Ikuo has arrived.  We get another great fight scene in which they disarm and take down the killer.  His mask is removed and sure enough it is Ikuo's coworker who also smells of green apples.  Note: If I ever go on a killing spree, don't wear perfume.

Tatsuya hears someone coming and leaves Ikuo to finish up, disappearing right as Cranky Cop enters the room.  Shocked at the identity of the killer, CC asks "why?"  Turns out that Killer is the son of the policeman in the photo.  Twenty years earlier Cranky Cop and his three friends had used some illegal methods to close a case.  Using the killer's father as a fall guy for the illegal dealings, the father was demoted and sent to the country where he slowly went crazy.  So crazy that he killed his wife and stuffed her corpse into a box.  He then would put his son in a box every day when he went to "work".  Needless to say his son also went crazy and decided to get revenge on those that destroyed his family.

Upon hearing the killers confession and hatred towards the police, Ikuo makes a connection between the man's words and his own anger and vigilante situation and experiences one of his debilitating headaches.  More than likely he and Cranky Cop would be dead if it had not been for backup storming the room.

Hibino had realized what Ikuo was doing and called in the cavalry. As she cuffs the killer, she cuts off his anti police rant -"If they hit you, hit them back?  If these things keep happening then no one will be safe."  It is interesting that she glances at Ikuo when she says this.  It seems that she witnessed Tatsuya leaving the hospital and is starting to give credence to Smirky Cop's theories.

With the truth coming out about the cop killer Ikuo is once again partnerless.  But not for long as he finds out that his new partner is in fact Hibino.  A fact he is obviously thrilled about, at least until she right out asks him what his relationship with Danno Tatsuya is.

 Tatsuya is, at this point, back in their hometown after he was contacted by Haijima's president.  He is too late though, and finds the president's body set up as a suicide, beside a bunch of scattered papers.  In these papers Tatsuya finds a picture of him and Ikuo as boys.  Even more shocking is the photo of their Sensai in a policeman's uniform.  Looks like they will have to look into her background whether they want to or not.

 My Thoughts:
I like that the writers and director continue to give us great action scenes as well as developing the bromance.  I hope that as our anti heroes develop and find out the truth, they do not come to odds.  One of the best things about the show is their relationship and I would hate to see anything (even basic human morals) come between them.
It is interesting that smirky detective is trying to get Hibino in on the witch hunt of Ikuo.  You have to give it to Smirky Cop, he is a very good detective and right on the money when it comes to both Tatsuya and Ikuo.  But that doesn't mean we have to be happy about it.  Will Hibino continue to see everything as white and black or will the reasons behind the boys revenge change her outlook?  I have a feeling that the writers might try to redeem our bad boys.  Personally I am OK living in the fantasy world that allows them to go around doling out justice to the bad guys.  If it is not broke, why try to fix it?

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