Spoilers for episode six of Get Jiro follow.
Switching gears for an episode of a serialized show is always going to require a lot of trust from the audience, especially after a cliffhanger as big as last week’s. The sixth episode of Get Jiro goes even further, by having the entire thing be in Japanese with English subtitles. “Tokyo Story” is adapted from Get Jiro’s prequel graphic novel Blood and Sushi, and gives us insight into Jiro’s backstory as a yakuza member.
The episode begins in unfamiliar territory, with some beautiful animation of a cyberpunk Japan, before going back into familiar territory with Jiro training to be a sushi chef under an old master. It’s here Jiro learns that the individual ingredients don’t matter as much as what they make as a whole, mirroring something Jiro said in the first episode. Jiro makes sushi rice but is told to do it again. Before he can, however, he receives a call and has to leave.
It’s here we meet Jiro’s brother Ichigo. In contrast to Jiro’s calm, measured demeanor, Ichigo is his exact opposite: ruthless and impulsive, even going so far as to break a bottle over another yakuza’s head because he thought he said Jiro doesn’t respect his brother. Ichigo questions Jiro about his girlfriend, a gaijin (outsider), and asks what other secrets Jiro might have. “Blood can’t lie to blood,” and with Ichigo next in line to run the syndicate, he needs to be able to trust him.
The gang go to a sushi restaurant and head into the kitchen. We don’t see what happens in there, but the horrified patrons get a good idea when severed body parts start following the sushi on the conveyor belt. They leave with Joji, who has been buying fish from North Koreans behind the syndicate’s back instead of from them. It’s here we get a sense that whatever happened to Los Angeles had also spread worldwide. As retaliation, Ichigo cuts out Joji’s tongue to make him learn his lesson. Unfortunately, Ichigo doesn’t care about that. “I brought you here to work on my swing,” he gleefully yells, bashing Joji’s head with a baseball bat. It’s here I’d like to reiterate that while this is far from Adult Swim’s goriest show, something about the violence feels far more visceral than most of their output. It might be that everything is animated in such a realistic, grounded style, and played so straight, that the kills hit significantly harder than normal (and the sound effects don’t help).
Jiro cuts off Joji’s head, much to Ichigo’s anger. Their father also shows up and furiously admonishes Ichigo for killing him, asking how he expects to run the clan without following instructions. When Ichigo says that Jiro did it, he is also admonished, but far more calmly, a subtle hint that the two brothers may not be on as equal standing than originally thought.
Jiro visits his girlfriend Miyako, who is half-Italian, half-Japanese. She’s the chef at an Italian restaurant, but it’s unfortunately a front with Jiro as the only real customer. The two also share an unwillingness to cook for each other until they feel they’re ready: Jiro with his sushi, Miyako with her spaghetti con la bottarga. “That’s why God invented antipasti,” Miyako says, and the two share a meal. Alas, a shot of Jiro’s tattoos after he spends the night with Miyako remind us that this love is likely not meant to be.
Jiro meets with his father, who says that Jiro must choose between being a chef and a yazuka. He can’t be both: war is coming. He also shows Jiro a bunch of photos his men had taken of Miyako, a message that he’ll have to cut off all relationships to keep them safe. Jiro goes to his master and quits, saying that he hasn’t been particularly honest. “I know exactly who you are,” the master responds. He gives Jiro a knife from the Kamakura period, the same knife Jiro went through extreme efforts to get back in the previous episode. “Take it,” the master says, “as a reminder of who you really are.
Back with the yakuza, Ichigo plans to replace Joji’s supply with contaminated fish to save on costs. His father is infuriated, as it is dishonorable. Yakuza decide what’s honorable and what isn’t, Ichigo responds, but is rebuked by his father who, as the oyabun, says he makes that decision. Meanwhile, Jiro breaks up with Miyako, even though she doesn’t care about the risk in the name of love. She had just perfected her spaghetti, too. Turns out it just needed the right combination of both her cultures. Jiro takes one final taste before leaving.
Jiro’s father reveals that he plans to make Jiro, not Ichigo, the oyabun after he steps down. Despite being the older brother, Ichigo is too reckless and violent, and Jiro is the true successor in his father’s eyes. Jiro accepts, with his father planning to talk it over with Ichigo. Unfortunately, Ichigo is outside and heard the entire thing. Angrily confronting his father, he beats him to near-death with a bust. When Jiro comes in, holding his knife, Ichigo accuses him of conspiring to take control of the family. Ichigo then stabs his father with Jiro’s knife and blames it on his brother. “Get Jiro,” he title-drops.
Jiro calls Miyako telling her to get to the airport so they can escape, but upon arriving, she is kidnapped by Ichigo’s men. Jiro chases after her on his motorcycle, with Ichigo firing at him from behind. In the midst of the chase, the van carrying Miyako starts leaking gasoline, which soon catches fire, blowing up the van. A devastated Jiro has no time to grieve before Ichigo starts firing at him again the plane he was planning to get on starts leaving. Jiro jumps in the plane and flies away safely, eventually arriving in Los Angeles. The episode ends with a shot of Jiro in the present day, still in prison.
I’ve got to be honest, it was refreshing to see the show go through the effort of actually having the characters speak Japanese, especially after years of Adult Swim being famous for showing dubbed anime. All the voice actors do a great job as well. While it certainly gave a lot of insight into Jiro’s past, it still leaves room for what he’s ultimately planning. How what is happening in Los Angeles will ultimately tie into Jiro’s retaliation remains to be seen, but I do want to see where this goes. Overall, this was a very good episode.
