Odd Taxi Episode 9 – Loose Ends

Well, I’m pretty proud of myself; while you’ll be reading this at a later date, as of right now it’s Wednesday, June 2nd and I’m caught up with the series. Not really the biggest of deals in the grand scheme of things, but I think it’s good to celebrate small victories when possible. If that’s the only thing I’ve been able to cross off my to-do list during these couple of days off, well, I can be happy with that.

While I don’t typically participate in online discussions about currently-airing anime (at least in the bigger, more well-known forums), I do occasionally lurk for the purposes of information-gathering. I find Reddit to be fairly good for that sort of thing, because there are quite a few active members there who watch anime for details and clues; I’m more about broader themes and bigger ideas, so I don’t always jot down tiny details in the moment or spend time re-watching a series while it’s airing to pick up on what I’ve missed. If you’ve been enjoying my write ups so far but might be looking for a different perspective, I’d recommend checking out their weekly discussions for more information.

Once again, my previous entries related to Odd Taxi are linked below, so be sure to check them out if you haven’t already!

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8

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I know I’m sad to say it, but this series is heading into its final act (assuming we’re looking at a roughly equal distribution of episodes for each part of the story, but that’s maybe more nitpicky than I’m willing to be at the moment). One issue I tend to have with anime, especially (but not always!) those that are adapted from other material, is that they often seem rushed near the end. I think it can be a thankless job to try to adequately adapt a story into another format, give all the important story elements their due, and to wrap everything up neatly while also keeping fans happy. Anime-original material like this sometimes has an easier time since it isn’t as beholden to expectations and the story can be written to fit a certain episode count, but that definitely isn’t a free pass to success. Odd Taxi seems to be very purposefully planned in its execution so far (including tweeting out story-related material as early as late last year), and that gives me a lot of hope that its eventual resolution will be satisfying.

Case in point, episode 9 has already started to take some of the story’s many loose ends and tie them off, which I think speaks well to the amount of story planning that’s probably gone into constructing the narrative. The two major items addressed in this episode are Kabasawa’s Dobu-hunting quest, and Kakihana’s hairy (no pun intended…?), inadvertent involvement with organized crime. To be honest, it’s starting to look like the majority of this anime’s characters are involved with the Japanese mob in one way or another, but that’s probably a subject for a different post.

Odokawa manages to pull off a rescue mission, the details of which involve Dobu, gunfire and a car chase. While that part is pretty exciting, I think this series’ strengths are in its small moments. As Odokawa and Kakihana drive off, Odokawa prompts a smile from his friend by relaying an old story about a puzzle box Kakihana used to have. I don’t know how much the details of the story really matter; it’s really touching how Odokawa seems to know what to say to his friend in that moment to relieve some of the tension. Even though he might come across as a curmudgeon, I think it’s been clear all along due to various reasons that he really seems to pick up on the essence of the people he spends his time with, and he and Kakihana go way back. I think the only question I have is in regards to Kakihana, and whether he’s really managed to escape from his predicament cleanly. Yano’s still out there somewhere, but his henchmen seem to be in fairly bad shape.

We also reach a resolution in Kabasawa’s story, in the most unexpected way. After he confronts Dobu, and Dobu is shot in the leg by an unidentified person (I can only speculate on who it might be, but I don’t think it’s Tanaka), Dobu manages to get Kabasawa to do a little bit of self-reflection. I have to admit… I honestly thought that Kabasawa was going to end up as dead meat this entire time. There’s the old adage regarding playing with fire and getting burned by it, after all. But cynicism and expression of the most dire consequences doesn’t seem to be the game that this series is playing.

Rather, I think one of the themes that’s been rising to the surface throughout the entire ordeal that is this series deals with the different ways in which the various characters interact with their own reality. Kabasawa’s pursuit of internet fame is shallow and pointless, because it focuses on establishing false relationships with people who only know him as an influencer. His low self-esteem (perceived very astutely by Dobu) prevents him from really knowing and accepting himself, and so he chases after false dreams that only provide temporary comfort. Certainly an indictment of social media.

Speaking of being unwilling to engage with one’s own reality, it appears as though it’s more than just Odokawa’s visual perception of the people around him that’s mis-matched with real life. Goriki learns from Odokawa’s landlord that Odokawa’s parents are dead, not just “missing” as he’s claimed in the presence of others. No one seems to have a handle on the organization that’s supported Odokawa since he was a child, either, and Odokawa seems unwilling to take their money any longer. I’m left pondering what Odokawa’s reasoning might be. Is he delusional, or is he actively avoiding the truth of his situation for his emotional preservation?

I can’t honestly fault a traumatized person for having idiosyncrasies or building a wall around their psyche for the purpose of surviving in the world. Ideally we could all face our traumas head-on and heal from them, but we don’t live in a perfect world where we receive timely mental health treatment for the upsetting things that occur through the course of existing in this world. That said, I don’t know that we know much of Odokawa’s experience through his own words, so I’m hesitant to make too many assumptions about what he might be going through. Just like Fujiko Mine in her eponymous anime series, maybe Odokawa is the way he is just because he is.

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I don’t know that I have much more to add to my analysis this week. I watched this episode a second time with my husband because I wanted him to catch up with it so that we could watch the next episode together, and as I said earlier I feel as though events are beginning to narrow down and hone in on the endpoint of the story (whatever that may be). I think my brain is just settling into the mode where I’d be satisfied with almost any direction the show decided to go; I’m open to the story it’s telling in any manner it wants to tell it.