In what seems to be its natural cycle of action followed by more plot/dialogue-centric episodes, the ninth instalment of Nabari no Ou eschews much in the way of fighting to focus its attention on a number of disparate plot points. While some of these less action-driven episodes have been a little weak previously, this particular offering was top-notch.From Raimei's search for vengeance against her errant brother (which to be honest was little more than a way to set up the next episode) through to Rokujo finally pouring out his feelings to Thobari while also beginning to suggest that the latter isn't being entire truthful about his knowledge of the Shinrabanshou, this episode feeds us with a number of both important and compelling stories, and that's before we even get on to Yoite's deteriorating condition and the other business of the day. All of these exchanges were delivered in a thoughtfully teasing way, opening our eyes to a little more of the situations at hand without resolving them completely, and indeed even opening up some further questions in some cases.Mix that clever writing with the ever-present excellent visuals, and the continuingly fascinating nature of the link between Nabari and the real world (shown here at the start of the episode, where it appears that using your ninja skills to commit crime in the real world is high treason, even if you're fighting for the 'bad guys'), and you can start to see why I rate Nabari no Ou so highly overall. Sure, it hasn't been the most consistent of series with regard to episode quality, but when it hits the spot it can be riveting even on occasions where it barely raises its sword.
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