Original subtitles

Man, nothing beats Kyoto. Right, Serizawa-sensei?

It's got a feel all of its own.

Osaka's got too much hustle and bustle for my liking.

Welcome home, Serizawa-san.

Where's everybody else?

If you want them, they're...

Reception

We borrowed the Mibu Temple grounds for our big recruitment drive.

So where the hell is everyone?!

I even invited some samurai I'd never met before on the way back from Osaka.

I thought we had earned ourselves a certain degree of fame.

Infamy, more like.

Well, I wasn't expecting much, anyway.

It's still too soon to say.

Some people are happy to join us, like Yamazaki-san.

And he's a weirdo.

Aren't you bothered, Hijikata?

By what?

I thought you'd always been against recruiting more men.

I was surprised you didn't object to this.

I thought the Miburo should become a refuge.

How do you mean?

W-We've got company!

What? For real?

I'd be happy with even just one guy.

A-About that...

What?!

My.

Blue Miburo

P-Please form up!

O-One line, if you don't mind!

What's the matter, Nio-kun?

I'm j-just so moved.

Huh?

I had no idea...

so many people cared about Kyoto as much as we do.

Even you have to know that's not all there is to it.

Fukurokoji Kenran. Guess I'm up first.

We'd like to see your skills, just to be sure.

Stop. That will do.

Now, sign your name over there.

Nothing to it.

Next.

I'll be your opponent!

Test your mettle against me!

You pass.

Gen-san, wasn't he...

a member of the Blood Risshidan?

Yes.

He turned and ran at the Gojo Bridge.

Why don't we keep that to ourselves for now?

Right.

Fukurokoji Kenran Shimada Kai

Hey! Outta our way!

We're the tried and true...

...brawlers of Kochi, Yamato:

the invincible Ozeki brothers!

We're taking over the country,

and we'll start by turning you half-assed ronin into our ultimate fighting force.

Let me go, Soji. I'll handle them.

Get a load of this scrawny guy, bro.

Mind if I take him?

Rough him up, Masa.

I can take both of you at once.

You brainless bumpkin!

Go suckle on your ma's teats back in the sticks!

Want your skull cracked open? Well?

Sorry, sir.

Please forgive us.

Write your names.

Yes, sir. We'll never come back.

Thank you so much.

Huh?

"The ultimate fighting force," you said.

I liked that part, if nothing else.

It was a load of crap, but bluster's better than nothing.

Oh, and let me say one thing before we continue.

Everyone who came here today passes the test.

But if you think you can sponge off us, you're in for a painful lesson.

Remember that.

By a "refuge," you meant for the Risshidan?

The Miburo will give ruffians like them a place to belong. Is that the idea?

There are guys with more strength than they need and nothing to do.

We were the same back in Tama.

True.

We'll shove all of the idiots and scumbags together.

Who knows what'll come of it?

But I'll be damned if I make more people like them.

Remember what Nio said.

We'll forge ahead for our ideal.

That's all there is to it.

True. Well said.

Nagakura-san, we've got trouble!

A fight broke out over there! Please help stop it.

Very well.

I'll see to it!

Over here.

Nagakura-san, I leave the reception in your hands.

Wait, Kondo! I was going to do that!

Don't worry. It's not broken.

Are you a doctor?

Yes. Or at least I was.

Now...

Who am I up against?

Fukurokoji-san, if you please.

A child? Are you a member, too?

Yes. I'm Chirinu Nio.

Your stance isn't half bad.

Thank you very much.

Well, keep at it.

That guy's pretty good.

He said he's assistant instructor of some sword school.

No wonder.

Like I thought, nothing to it.

I'll have no problem living it up with the Miburo.

Wake up! Time for morning training!

Everybody assemble at the Mibu Temple!

It's still dark out.

Start with 100 strikes to the head. Begin!

I'm starving.

Now, breakfast had better be...

It's plain as hell.

Listen up, men! Patrolling the city is an important job.

Another peaceful day.

How about you gimme your soup?

Fukurokoji-san!

Today, too? You never give up.

If you please.

I admit defeat.

You're wasting your time.

All right.

I'll take you on today.

Here he comes.

You left yourself wide open.

This guy held back in that exam.

He's tough as hell!

If you please.

Is this place a den of demons, or what?

Next.

Even the kids are tough.

It's burned! You think you're too good to cook?

And even the brats give me crap.

How am I supposed to live it up around here?

You beat me.

Thank you very much.

How does he keep at it?

Hey, what's that paper you've got there?

Oh, this is my current position in the Miburo.

Huh?

The farther you go, the stronger you get.

Kondo-san or Serizawa-san must be at the far edge.

Weak people go over here.

What's the point?

To make myself useful, of course.

I want to make my way to the far side one step and one person at a time.

Oh, if you're free now, would you train with me?

I admit defeat.

Huh?

I thought you were just stupid. I looked down on you because you're a kid.

I figured you had no ambition and had never known the good life.

Maybe that's true.

But I thought I was different.

Thank you. I remember now...

who I used to be.

Running away?

You could've gone farther if you'd taken things seriously.

That's that, Niimi.

Fukurokoji

He's out.

Don't get me wrong!

You haven't seen the last of me!

I'll retrain myself, body and soul, and come back here!

Remember that!

Fukurokoji

Make that a maybe.

Well done. You lasted seven days without deserting.

The Ozeki Brothers

The 46 of you who are left are now official members of the Mibu Roshigumi.

Hayashi Shintaro

Asano Totaro

We'll put you to work alongside us.

Hasumukai Makoto

Nakamura Kingo

Shimada Kai

I'm counting on you all!

Yes, sir!

The fellow with the droopy eyes I had my eye on fled.

Well, don't let it get you down.

Huh?

It moved one spot toward the strong side.

I'm sorry. We're full.

Full?

I see an empty table in the back.

That table's reserved.

Some gentlemen from Choshu always come in at this time.

Choshu? You mean the enemy?

Don't you know we're the Miburo?

Stop.

Excuse us.

We're sorry.

Whoops.

Sorry about that.

You're an awfully odd bunch.

Are you planning to open a playhouse?

Say that again, jackass!

Stop.

Leave it.

You fellows leave off as well.

You don't bother me,

but our younger members have short tempers.

I don't know who you are, but you'd better watch your tongue.

Katsura Kogoro, samurai of Choshu.

Katsura?

The Katsura?

And you are?

Hijikata Toshizo of the Mibu Roshigumi.

Miburo?

So this is them.

I thought Choshu was at war.

What're you doing in Kyoto?

I have no reason to tell you that, and you have no right to know.

Hey!

Hijikata-kun, I'll remember you.

If you'll excuse me. My time is short.

Excuse me.

If you like sweet things, I recommend the Chirinuya.

It's my granny's dango restaurant.

I'll pay it a call sometime.

Oh, Katsura-sama, come in!

Your table is free.

Hello, there. Always appreciated.

And you're always drop-dead gorgeous.

You sure you wanna just let him go?

Ignore him.

Still, it's a good thing you're not Serizawa-san.

He wouldn't have stopped at verbal sparring.

He's not that stupid, and you know it.

So that was the famous Katsura Kogoro.

Nio, what did you make of him?

Let me see... How should I put it?

He's a most refreshing person.

What?! Are you nuts?!

More like "most insulting!"

I see.

Maybe we tend to misjudge people when we're on different sides.

People do seem worse when you know they're your enemies.

That's our Nio-kun.

No, I could be completely off the mark.

He really is different from the rest of us.

Man, Nio-kun. I knew we could always count on you.

He's quick-witted and he sees the big picture.

No, I'm nothing special. Really.

That ought to cut him out for some kind of work. But what?

So those were the Miburo. A boorish bunch.

Backwater samurai get wrongheaded ideas—

It goes to show you can't trust hearsay.

Something in their eyes set them apart from your common anti-barbarian blowhards.

Speaking of Katsura-dono,

they say he is a great master of the Shinto-Munen School.

He seemed nice and reasonable.

Indeed. No one who has mastered the blade is a bad man.

I hope for a bout with him someday.

Is something the matter, Yamanami-san?

No.

I just wondered what a Choshu big shot was doing here in Kyoto.

I can't shake the feeling the times are about to change, and in no small way.

The times, huh?

That's not our problem. We'll just focus on tending our own rice field.

Toshi, about that...

What happened? Where is everyone?

Allow me to explain.

Niimi-san?

Word is this merchant is funneling his profits to the radicals.

What do we think?

Yes. You there.

Sir! A merchant's duty is to bring wealth to the country.

I think it's beyond the pale for one to support violence.

Right. So what'll you do about it?

Warn him and make him stop.

Too soft!

We'll rob him blind.

"Borrowing" by force?

A force will barge into the shop and take a large sum for his "war chest."

That's Serizawa's usual method.

Hang on, Niimi! Aren't you on Serizawa's side?

Why would you snitch on him? We know you too well to fall for that.

True, I've known Serizawa a long time.

We've been to many places and made much mischief together.

What'd I tell you?

But he loses interest easily.

He can't settle down, and he always starts trouble.

So what? If this a threat, you're wasting your time.

Enough.

So is there more to the story?

Speaking for myself...

I've grown fond of Kyoto. I want to stay with the Miburo a while longer.

So...

So I want to do something about this.

Wh-Why should we believe you?

Sure, he never lets you know what he's thinking,

but he did save me when I was poisoned.

Niimi, I'll trust you.

Looks like you lose, Heisuke.

I understand how you feel.

But what are we going to do?

I suppose we'll need to speak with him.

I'll go.

Then so will I.

Huh?

How come you're standing around here?

I thought you'd robbed a merchant and gone to Shimabara with the "military funds."

But maybe I heard wrong.

Serizawa-san.

Stay back.

One step closer, and I'll cut you down.

I'll thank you not to pick fights without consulting us.

Like I care.

What do you want to do with the Miburo?

What drives you?

My sense of duty.

Duty?

I'll buy a cannon.

We don't need one.

Those things are for fighting wars.

Hijikata.

Kyoto will become a battlefield sooner or later.

The sooner we start gearing up for it, the better.

I don't get you.

You're looking too far ahead.

Aren't we here to stop that from happening?

We'll keep doing little things.

We haven't got time to waste on one sheep who dies to protect 99.

You're wrong.

You ought to know that even that lone sheep has a name.

Remember that story you told me about the tortoise?

Even that tortoise had a name, didn't it?

You grieved when it got trampled and raged against the arbitrary violence.

We Miburo ought to face each and every person the same way.

Who will understand the pain of those people if we don't?

That's not very funny, Serizawa-san.

Oh?

How did you get that wound?

I don't care what any tortoise is called.

Get lost.

Thanks, Soji.

If you hadn't been here, I'd be dead.

Yes.

That guy is a beast.

I'm going with Serizawa-sensei after all.

Taro-kun.

I'm worried, you know. About this and that.

Yeah. I think that's a good idea.

We all live under one roof, anyway.

It won't make much difference.

Right.

See you guys.

You sure you should've just let him go like that?

Yup.

As long as we three are connected,

it'll be fine.

Serizawa-sensei—

Wh-What the...

How'd he get hurt like that?

A Lone Sheep

Next time

It's Saito Hajime.

The Miburo are a mess due to all the new recruits.

The dojo's crowded, and squabbles keep breaking out.

It's a disaster waiting to happen, so we decided to pick a commander, but...

What? A weird samurai popped up in Fushimi?

And you want me to go check it out?

Damn it. Do I have to do everything around here?

Infamy

Next time: "Infamy."