ONIHEI ‒ Episode 6 Review l ANN
The loveable thief is one of my favorite literary figures, and unsurprisingly, Onihei gives us a worthy member of that troupe in Zenpachi, a grizzled geezer Heizo meets on the road. He's a combination of your fun great-uncle who figures he's old enough that rules no longer apply and a cunning trickster, and when he sees Heizo being taken to task for rescuing a couple from what he assumes to be bandits (but who turn out to be accused thieves themselves), he decides to cultivate his acquaintance with an eye to passing on his skills. The fact that this episode takes place on the road rather than in Edo itself explains why he doesn't recognize the man known as Onihei, but he has certainly heard of him – later he tells Heizo that he's stayed out of Edo since “Onihei” came to power.
