Postby Kudo Shinchi » May 20th, 2014, 6:36 pm
So I've had a lot of time to think about 897. It happened so abruptly and transformed the Bourbon arc so rapidly that I needed some time to digest it.
My initial impression was one of disappointment. Aside from the chapter feeling a bit rushed and somewhat anticlimactic, it totally nullified the threat of easily the most dangerous BO member Conan had ever encountered thus far in the manga. Gin may be all so scary, but he never gained the sensitive information that Amuro got his hands on and was never in a position as close to Conan to cause some real harm. Gosho had crafted the perfect set up by having a BO member be in such an incredibly close position to Conan with the latter being unable to do anything about it. Not only that, this BO member was super intelligent and specialized in investigation. He demonstrated considerable loyalty to the Organization. He could have been the catalyst for something huge.
I think that's why, despite the fact that there had been plenty of hints that Amuro was with the police (all the way since Date, before he was even revealed to be Bourbon), that I felt let down by it. Where would the plot go from here? Giving Conan yet another super intelligent and effective ally, when he already has the entire FBI, his parents, Agasa, and Haibara on his side seemed unnecessary. What was the purpose of Bourbon's whole character, if it came to this? (Not the whole Bourbon arc, though, a ton of important stuff has happened that is not affected by Bourbon's true allegiance either way).
Looking at it now, I think there's actually a lot of potential in this new setup. It could lead to interesting things. Bourbon is a formidable enemy to anyone, and unlike Kir he could get a lot more done within the Organization. Without the risk of the plot reaper over his head, he could stay around for a long time. Maybe Vermouth will report what Amuro told her and spark a new conflict. Who knows? Also, Amuro and Akai's rivalry business isn't over yet. As others have mentioned, Amuro's expressions in the latest chapter seem to indicate that hasn't forgiven Akai for whatever happened in the past; he's simply putting it aside for now. We'll probably see it come up again, in a real conclusion.
PhantomWriter brought up great points on how well the Akai/Amuro (I'll stick with that instead of Rei for now) parallel works. There's more to that too. Akai and Amuro are opposites in personality; Akai is calm, quiet, collected, and stoic, while Amuro is far more expressive, passionate, and emotional. Akai's anger manifests itself as a cold rage, while Amuro's more fired up when he's upset. They fit their alcoholic namesakes well; after all, Bourbon is sweeter than Rye. Akai is careful, Amuro is rash. They are both highly intelligent, and are both extremely capable physically. The latest reveal explain why Akai and Amuro were always described as 'rivals'; they were competing for the same goal, taking down the BO. Both have their darker sides, and both seem to be driven by revenge. They're mirror reflections of each other with important differences. Great job, Gosho, Amuro is the perfect foil for Akai.
I also think this makes Amuro's character even more interesting. A lot of people seem to be assuming that since Amuro works for a "good" organization, he himself is now a purely "good" person. But I personally don't see it that way; Amuro is still as gray as he ever was. To backtrack a bit: Amuro was obviously raised in the BO, from the little we've seen of his past. So he's been in the Org his whole life, probably, which possibly means, as others have suggested, that it wasn't that Amuro was sent to infiltrate the BO; it was likely the BOthat sent Amuro to infiltrate the police. Amuro might have been influenced by people like Date and eventually changed his allegiance, continuing to be part of the BO while actively working against it. I find this really interesting because it's really different from Kir's situation. Kir is faking being an Organization member; Amuro is actually one, just not loyal (but he technically is, since he's loyal to get a higher rank to achieve his goal).
So, back to what I said earlier. I don't care if Amuro is PSB, he's still done a lot of questionable things. The whole thing with Banba in his first case, how slow he was to save Conan in Detective's Nocturne, and the whole thing with Sherry. Yes, he obviously intended to take Sherry alive, as opposed to Vermouth and Gin, but the thing is, he never had to report Sherry in the first place. He could have left her alone, and the BO would have never found her. If he reported her so that he could come up with some way to keep her alive, why was he so unfazed by her supposed death? There is nothing to indicate that he suspected it to be false, and aside from an initial shocked reaction, he didn't really seem to care. He went right back to thinking about his search for Akai. So I do doubt that Amuro intended to fake Sherry's death or anything like that. It seems like a lot of work for nothing. Long story short, Amuro isn't a bad person, but he isn't exactly that innocent. His reckless actions as Scar Akai seemed self-centered to a dangerous level.
Next chapter is the end of this particular series. I assume Gosho's going to answer any lingering questions about what went down and where the story will go from here. I highly doubt that nothing special will happen on 900. I suspect a bigger confrontation is incoming, hopefully.
