Picking up from the insane cliffhanger, we get to the conclusion of Team Bucciarati’s final mission of protecting Trish. It’s also here we get a dramatic ending that, on the one hand, is great and serves a later purpose, but on the other, could have been much different than what we got. At least, in my opinion, it could have been.
There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s get started!
The episode opens on the steps of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the gang waits outside for Bucciarati to return. While everyone else waits, Giorno quietly tracks the boss’s location thanks to the broach he gave Bucciarati. Then strange occurrences seem to happen. A water bottle Giorno was about to give Fugo magically appears in his hand, and he drinks it. Narancia finds a set of chocolates in his mouth after he and Mista fight over them. And Giorno discovers that two cats have walked across his lap without his realization. Worried, he disembarks the boat and heads to the church. Abbacchio follows, reminding him of the boss’s orders, only to suddenly find both feet away from the church’s entrance. We then get a brief recap of Bucciarati being turned into a donut.
But using 「Sticky Fingers」, he escapes near death and tries to land another attack. But using 「King Crimson」, the boss dodges the attack and gravely wounds Bucciarati. With Bucciarati down, the boss proceeds with his goal of killing Trish. However, Giorno’s broach, which was dropped earlier, transforms into a copy of Coco Jumbo and traps the boss. Bucciarati saves Trish and attempts to flee despite his injuries. Even though the boss escapes the trap and reveals he knows Giorno’s plans to kill him and take over Passione, Bucciarati manages to flee to the church above. He’s discovered by Giorno, who heals his wounds but unfortunately succumbs to his injuries. However, Bucciarati was only mostly dead (Princess Bride reference for anyone who caught that) and regains consciousness, ordering Giorno to run. Giorno uses 「Gold Experience」 to warn the others, who aren’t far behind, of their location. During all this, the boss is with feet of attacking Giorno but retreats for the time being when the rest of Team Bucciarati appears.
Once outside, Bucciarati, with Trish in his arms, announces he is betraying the boss and leaving post haste. Confused and concerned, Giorno insists on an explanation. Bucciarati acquiesces and tells the gang the boss’s true intentions of murdering Trish himself to keep his identity a secret. In his act of betrayal, he tells his team they’re welcome to follow him but that they’ll be branded as traitors and must constantly be on the run. Ultimately, everyone except Fugo joins him as a new chapter in the Golden Wind saga continues.
As the episode ends, a man calls a fellow Passione member stationed in Venice to tell him that they’re to kill Bucciarati and his men and that this is a direct order from the boss.
So, unlike what I’ve been doing with most of these daily reviews, starting with the positive aspects of the episode, I’m starting with the negative. Why? Because I have thoughts. The first is why this wasn’t the finale for Part 5.
Take away the dramatic conclusion of the episode where almost everyone agrees to betray the boss, and this and the previous episode make for an epic finale. I feel like this set of episodes had the making for a finale from a writing standpoint. Sure, the actual finale is decent, and you can tell that the mood changes by that point. But there’s something about this episode that honestly could have ended everything right here.
In fact, for the longest time, I considered writing my own Golden Wind fanfiction. And the final confrontation with the boss ends here at San Giorgio Maggiore. Come to think of it, this may come up later on during Jojune.
Now, admittedly, this is a personal gripe. Overall, this episode works very well unless you’re a Fugo fan, which brings up an interesting tidbit of trivia.
For those of you reading this and wondering why Fugo’s departure from the team is random and isn’t an issue with me, there’s an explanation. Believe it or not, it works. Araki was a huge Fugo fan when he wrote Golden Wind, so much so that he couldn’t kill him off as the story initially intended. So, instead, he had him leave the group. This works out later as Fugo returns and redeems himself in the spinoff novel Purple Haze Feedback.
The bottom line is that I had very few issues with this episode. It concludes one of the most dramatic moments in the season, if not the entire series. It gives us a continuation of the story. My only complaint is that it could have ended here, and its continuation is a lazy attempt to continue the story. Still, personal problems aside, this is a great episode.
Though speaking of lazy, we go from one of the best arcs to one of the worst as we get what is the start of one of the most unnecessary arcs in the Part. And it starts on a lazy note.
Say I warned you. I mean, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Or something like that.
Until then, it’s arrivederci for now, so enjoy the rest of your duwang!
-Hanime on Anime
Hanime on Anime 