Overview (Spoilers Below): Keeping his promise to a ghost, Polka returns to his family’s mansion with Misaki in tow. Can the necromancer fool the people who know the real Polka best? And can he save them from an unknown threat without arousing their suspicions?
Our Take: The series is going down the Meet-the-Parents route in this week’s episode. However, the characters are not visiting Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner. Instead, they’re seeing the parents of the boy the Corpse God possessed. The previous episode showcased that Polka came from a wealthy family targeted by those wanting their money. We also discovered that he’s an uncle to his niece and nephew, which raised more questions than answers. Here, we see more of this family, with Polka and Misaki heading to Polka’s mansion to convince them that he’s the real Polka. More importantly, he seeks to keep the promise of a ghost surrounding Kazuki and Shizuki to protect his niece and nephew. The episode shows that Polka has more nieces and nephews in the family. One of them includes Takeru Shinoyama, who’s also the president of Shinoyama Security with a dark secret. While convincing the family with his lie, Polka discovers that not everyone is fooled by his trickery. Of course, that someone is Polka’s own father, Rozan Shinoyama, the head of the Shinoyama Clan. Before the confrontation between father and “son” escalates, the mansion is attacked by a new threat with ties to the family. The episode’s second half consists of a thrilling confrontation between Polka and Misaki and the Fire Breathing Bug, a murderous psychopath who can start fires with his electric glove and is a master of disguise. Thankfully, Polka isn’t easily fooled by the guy’s disguise. We also discover that the Fire Breathing Bug was responsible for the nursery fire in episode two and killing Suzuka, the ghost surrounding Kazuki and Shizuki, in a house fire. However, the conclusion showcases that the Fire Breathing Bug is an imposter, with the real one lurking around the city. “The Firestarter” is a slight improvement over the previous episodes. It offers an enticing action sequence involving Misaki that doesn’t have dim lighting like in “The Monster” and provides a tighter balance of action and comedy. More importantly, it concludes a brief arc introduced in last week’s episode involving Kazuki and Shizuki’s guilt over Suzuka’s death. With the perpetrator out of the picture and Polka assuring that her death wasn’t their fault, Kazuki, Shizuki, and Suzuka can now live the rest of their lives in peace. Now if only Polka could achieve that similar goal as well.