Jin Kusuhara..Ironi of fate; Princes of snow and blood episode 10 impression

We were getting closer to the ultimate episode of Joran and I did expect things going to escalate so quickly from now on. Yet, the episode started with flashback instead and it didn't continue like what we expected from the last episode ending. The episode began with the flashback from the time just after Tsuki was killed by the unknown changeling. As Jin got the notes from the person who inspected Tsuki remains,  he read the notes. The next time we knew, Jin was giving some money to the boy who acted as the regular book seller who like to visit Sawa's bookstore. Jin told the boy to give the money for his mother and he should forget everything he saw and leave the place immediately (meanwhile Jin was burning the remain of the notes). The person who saw Jin let the boy left told him that he should have killed the boy so there were no witnesses. However, in an instant Jin killed the person with a knife and told him that he knew too much and must be assassinated. Back to the present, Jin was waiting for someone while mumbling that in the end people will betray you either if it was a friend or a foe...Then someone opened the door; then the scene closed with Sawa Karasumori glaring with a hateful expression

He was not really a bad person actually. fate just like to play with him

Once again, we were going back to the past. A scene started inside a laboratory where Iori (Jin real name) was locked inside a cage and he was treated as a test subject. He was talking with the person who got locked above his cage about whether they should try to run away. The person who got imprisoned above him gave up his life and commit a suicide using a sharp piece of glass and Iori could see blood just pouring from the cage above; making him very frightened with the view. However, Iori had a strong will of survive; so after taking the glass of shard, he waited for any persons who take care of the lab object and killed them all using that glass. He ran away until he got cornered by the laboratory men until a man dressed in old monk attire complete with a straw hat (which made his face remain hidden) descended and show the guard a symbol in his hand. After he showed them the Nue's symbol, the guards left them alone. Immediately, Iori stole that mysterious man's sword and tried to attack him only for the man to retaliate and disarmed him. 

You can only choose one path serve to you 

Iori was taken to the Shogun's mansion and in there, he first met with Yoshinobu Tokugawa. Kotodama introduced him to the shogun and he also explained that Iori had strong resistance against poison along with his strong will to survive and peak condition.  The shogun poured a whiskey down to the floor and Iori got a test to prove his loyalty by licking the wine till it was clean. After Iori finished licking the wine, he was given a new name; Jin Kusuhara. The new name representing the Shogun hope for the new member of the Nue to eradicate the shogun enemy. Jin asked about the man name yet he said that he had no name. Still, the mysterious man introduced himself as Kotodama and he told Iori that he was chosen by the Shogun to serve the Tokugawa. After that Kotodama trained Jin privately and shaped him into a sadistic executioner who worked in shadow to annihilate the Shogun enemy

Well Jin Kusuhara had similar fate to that of Leon Magnus 

At one moment, Janome betrayed the government and became a fugitive after burning the laboratory. As he would be a constant threat in the future, Yoshinobu gave him a secret mission to protect the Karasumori clan. So, Jin worked in the shadow to make sure that the clan could live in their secret village while dispatching many assailants. At one point, when he was trying to defend himself against a wolf attack, a lady came and use the same Karasumori technique that similar to Sawa and transformed herself. She told Jin to stay calm and not hurting the wolf because the animal only trying to protect its baby wolves. Jin sheathed his katana back and right after, the lady tend to his injury. She introduced herself as Towa Karasumori and she befriended Jin (although their relationship was more like a hidden one). During the time, Jin would continue protecting the village while at times he also gave some presents such as flower or pinwheel to Towa.

Is this the girl that he mentioned before..did she look like someone

While looking at the villagers, Kotodama appeared behind Jin and told him about a new message from the shogun. The leader wanted Jin to eliminate the villagers because they were consent with peaceful life and they would not helping the government despite of having special power. He also added that Janome already started to make his move and he got closer to the village; so the best option (according to Yoshinobu) was to raze the village to the ground and kill all of the inhabitant. Kotodama also added that any defiance will be punished with dead so like it or not, Jin had no other choice but to comply. While preparing for his next move, Towa came and bring him some foods. She also thanked him for always protecting them as well as mentioning that she would love to have another son (referring to Jin). After Towa leaved, Jin ate the rice-ball as tears start flowing down to his cheek.

The episode answered the Karasumori clan's murderer..Janome have nothing to do with it (not that he was a saint either)

During the night, Jin started his move by first poisoning the nearby birds so that they would not alert the clans. Then, he started killing the older villagers one by one. In Towa house, Towa heard the sound of the white crow as if it wanted to tell her something. Towa was curious but before she could check her daughter asked her about the onigiri that she prepared. She told her daughter that it was the dinner for the guardian spirit of the village (Jin). Someone knocked the house and Towa opened the door only to be shocked that it was Jin who knocked the house. Towa saw the crying man and thought that he was just sad so she tried to comfort him by hugging. Suddenly, Jin stabbed her and he continued to start killing the family members one by one including the husband and Towa elder son. Just as he was about to kill the daughter, he remembered Towa's word that every parents just wanted his/her offspring to be safe and he stopped. The little girl was scared but she could not identify her family murderer at that time because he was wearing a mask that covering his mouth. he took the girl away and he told Kotodama that he wanted to train her as Nue executioner. Kotodama said that was not necessary and he planned to kill her at that moment only for Jin to slash him from the back and killed him instead. Later on, the little girl buried all of the villagers and Jin came closer to the girl telling her that he would help her achieving her revenge. That little girl was Sawa Karasumori.

Jin decided to screw fate an be a chaotic anti hero instead

Episode review

This episode was more or less Jin's complete character story arc. It was a good one and for once I feel sad for the character. He was more or less felt attraction to the villagers and to Sawa's mother to be exact. Out of sudden he was tasked to kill all of them while knowing that they were peace loving.This episode was great as I am now sympathized with Jin despite all of his cruelty. He was never given any chance since the moment he was captured and when he finally found the place where he was truly loved, he was immediately had to burn it to the ground. The time when he crying while eating the rice ball was heart wrenching because for once he had to kill the very person that he loved and treated him as a human. It's so ironic and sad. I felt  how conflicted it was in Jin position. Meanwhile Sawa was hot on killing him without knowing that Jin really wanted her to be alive. While he was a true killer of Sawa's family, he was merely a pawn for a more sinister being. The moment when he finally decided to kill Kotodama, was the very moment when he wanted to take the matter on his own hand and screwing destiny. After seeing this episode, I really can't hate the man and only felt bitter on what going happen to him in the near future. It was a great episode nonetheless.