The first scene of Sins of Kujo Episode 9 shows Koyama being arrested for fraud. Yakuza members can’t stay in hotels, but Koyama had booked a room under his name and let Kyogoku stay there. Arashiyama tries to get him to confess by bringing up Tonohata and Manami, even though there isn’t enough evidence against him. However, the plan backfires when Koyama admits that Manami was both his girlfriend and a prostitute and then insults Arashiyama’s parenting and Manami’s character.
The insults keep coming during Kujo’s visit with Koyama, pushing Kujo to the brink. He tells Koyama to stop, and then he isolates himself, feeling emotionally drained. Karasuma makes coffee with a cup that Kujo’s mother gave him in an effort to cheer him up. When Rino calls Kujo, the mood gets a little better. Karasuma suggests that Kujo’s ex may have saved his number so Rino could reach him.
At the same time, Arashiyama meets Miho and tells her how bad he feels as a father. She talks about her memories of Manami, which show how alike father and daughter are. Arashiyama thinks a lot about the meeting. Later, while shopping, he sees a father taking care of his child and remembers how he failed with Manami, which makes him break down emotionally.
At the same time, rookie Fukami learns new things from Tonohata, like sensory memories that make him think he was tortured in a garage. Arashiyama puts the clues together and thinks the same thing.
Later, Miho goes back to Arashiyama with food she made herself because she admires how dedicated he is to Manami. But the emotional moment falls apart when Arashiyama gets a new case involving a dating scam, and it turns out that Miho is the one who is suspected. He doesn’t think twice about arresting her, saying that he enforces the law no matter how he feels.
Kujo meets Mibu, and things get tense when Arashiyama confronts them about Tonohata. Kujo defends his position by saying that the law should be the same for everyone, even criminals. But Arashiyama disagrees with this idea and suggests that Kujo would act differently if his daughter were involved.
Karasuma goes to see his mother, who is finally going outside again. She makes omurice, a dish that reminds her of her husband’s death and the bad press he got after it. Karasuma comforts her and says that he wants to carry on his father’s work of helping others. Before she leaves, she insists on seeing Kujo because she thinks he is having a bad effect on her son.
Kujo gives Karasuma back his pen at the office and agrees to meet his mother. Even though there is tension, Karasuma suggests that they pick which cases to take, but Kujo says he won’t do that because he won’t treat clients differently. But Kyogoku comes back with a new request that puts his position to the test. Boss Fushimi, the gang’s real leader, wants to meet Kujo in person.
Right after that, Kujo takes on another case involving a Fushimi-gumi member who was caught stealing. Karasuma finally snaps and warns Kujo to stop making decisions that make him angry before it’s too late. He is afraid that the criminals Kujo protects will turn on him in the end.
In the meantime, the criminal subplot gets worse as Inukai teams up with Sugawara and reveals plans to get revenge on Mibu, including a plan to steal 300 million and kill him.
The episode ends on a tense note when Karasuma tells Kujo that they won’t be able to work together anymore if he doesn’t set limits.
Review of the Episode
Episode 9 doesn’t seem to flow well, especially since it’s the second-to-last episode of the season. The story doesn’t build up to a high-stakes climax; instead, it slows down and goes back to Kujo’s idea of equality under the law over and over again. This principle is important to his character, but it has already been established earlier in the season, so it doesn’t need to be repeated at this point.
People also think that Kujo’s hinted “hidden motive” for defending criminals isn’t being used enough. What first seemed like a deeper or darker secret is now more of a simple ideological stance: he believes that everyone should have the same legal representation, no matter what. It stays true to the theme, but it doesn’t have the same narrative impact that a penultimate episode usually does.
In general, Episode 9 is more about moral reflection than building tension, but this means that it loses the tension that is usually there before a finale.
