Act 11 Voodoo Child 19

We begin with Maria healing herself using magic. Akabane asks if she’s all right. She replies that it is but it’s a bit late for her being healed to do any good, then comments that the opponents really are a group of people born of “法術” (can’t get this into English, but it means something like a way of doing things). Ginji asks what that is (luckily for us) to which Maria replies that those monsters which have no soul have the “logic” to match their power to that of a soul so that they can exist in “that world” (I presume she’s referring to Mugenjou here). “To command that “logic” is 法術.” Those monsters are born from that logic. She explains that Ban and Akabane surpassed that “logic” and so were able to win and that you must use this method to gain victory. Maria then apologies to Ginji because of her both she and Ban are out of the game. Ginji says that it’s all right because they will surely win anyway for the reason that he promised Ban he would. The commentator then gives us a round up of the results so far; one win and two losses to the GetBackers team. One more loss and the GetBackers team cannot continue to the final. So onto the third round. “The game of destiny is now beginning!” he cries melodramatically. And then Ginji is wondering what he should do, whether he or Himiko should fight first and who (he wonders about the “reindeer” of the other team who he supposes is the “boss” but he also thinks that with the Beltline you never know). He is concerned about how Himiko is “changing” in order to get victory. In any case, the non-reindeer fighter comes forward and is announced by the commentator as “Nothingness”. Other than that, the commentator tells us, he doesn’t know anything about the contestant. “And from the GetBackers team?” Himiko steps forward. She tells Ginji she will go next because she wants to see blood and cannot wait any longer (oh dear). Ginji is a bit worried but Akabane is most pleased.
The commentator announces that “the witch who commands 7 poison perfumes, who has the same face as the Queen will be fighting next. Whether the GetBackers team will be knocked out is to be decided by the 16 year old young girl, so it will surely be a sever battle! Well now the third fight begins! What drama will there be?!!” We see Ban, imprisoned, watching all this on a screen in his cell. Back to the fight. The opponent tells the girl to change places with the “blond haired person”. Himiko asks what for, and he tells her that female opponents are “lacking”. He tells her that it would be painful for her to lose and she would hurt because that “loser” will be executed. Now here’s where I realise I misunderstood something from the last chapter. It seems that only if the team loses will Ban be executed. I assume this means if they win he will be allowed back into the game but it doesn’t actually say that, so who knows. Back to the fight. Himiko tells her opponent she is really looking forward to the fight. “Finally I will be able to see…why. What the reason was for my birth,” she says. “The reason for being born?” asks the opponent. Himiko then goes off on an extremely long tirade about wanting to know the reason she exists. The opponent says she’s weird. She says he has a reason for existing too. Then she goes on about how Yamato was fearless (in the face of his fate) and she needs to know why she should go on like that. She wants to know what she is. Ginji and Fuuga look at her weirdly. She goes on. She has thought of suicide but then she thought that each person was given a life for a reason so she was no longer tempted. The opponent (and I am in agreement with him here) tells her to shut up. “I’m not listening to what you’re saying!! If there is a reason for existence I don’t know the meaning of it!!” Then he attacks her. Himiko appears to easily avoid the attack. And she goes on. There is no meaning just as there is meaning, like there is good and there is bad. It’s a never-ending circle, cause and effect without end. Her opponent again tells her to shut up. Ginji cries out to Himiko and Maria thinks it is beginning. Himiko draws a phial out and tells the Beltline fighter, “I will give you a reason to exist.” There is a huge explosion, which everyone is amazed at. Ban is none too pleased. The smoke clears and we see Himiko grinning, her opponent on the ground. The announcer is shocked and asks what has happened, what has awakened? Was the assassin’s defeat his reason to defeat, and such an easy defeat! Himiko draws up the phial again. “This small bottle without a name…when my brother died this poison perfume was in his pocket. What effect this poison perfume has on a living being. Why Yamato had it. I want to finally know the reason,” she says. The Beltline assassin cries for someone to help him and Ginji yells at Himiko, but she releases some of the perfume making her opponent scream. “You will tell me the meaning of this perfume,” she says, “That is your reason for existing. Now go away. Your part is already over.” But Ginji intervenes, throwing some lightening in front of Himiko to stop her killing the opponent. He tells Himiko not to do that, that the Himiko he knows would not do such a thing. Ban, in his cell, is perhaps relieved. The commentator wonders what’s going on with the GetBackers team and why Himiko’s teammate would stop her attack. “That’s unity…!?” Himiko says to Ginji, “Don’t disturb me, Raitei.” Ginji replies, “Raitei…is it? That’s not right, Himiko-chan. You’ve always called me Amano Ginji!” “I said don’t disturb me,” Himiko says looking a bit peeved. Ginji wonders what is driving Himiko to act like this. Then she says, “If you disturb me, I’ll kill you.” Ginji’s not taking that though and tells her no matter what she says or what she is like he will disturb her. But the reindeer guy intervenes, and crushed his defeated teammate underfoot (who whimpers, “der Henker” before dying). “That is our defeat,” says der Henker, “Let us begin the next (fight).” And Ginji is very annoyed now. “Why did you do that…why did you kill your team mate…HE WAS YOUR TEAM MATE!!” he cries and then goes all Raitei. Everyone is, yet again, surprised. Though Akabane is having the time of his life. “This is an ideal development, isn’t it,” he says. Maria wonders what the ultimate plan of the Queen’s Cup is. Ban, still in his cell, wonders why Ginji is changing into Raitei so deep underground. Then he realises something. “The German of Der Henker…A team from the Beltline using the fake power of 法術…And then Ginji changing to Raitei…Could it be…” Ban thinks (I HATE it when they leave it hanging on “まさか…” Grr). Anyway, we then see Kagami and he’s talking to Ban’s dad again who we now see more of. He’s got Ban’s hair (in flat mode) and he’s wearing a nice suit. He actually looks pretty normal. Kagami asks him what is the plan in awakening Raitei. Der Kaiser then asks Kagami if the “Archives” do not tell him the reason why. He says they have no relationship, as he is a resident from “Above”. (This is all a way of saying, “what you mean you have your almighty power and you still don’t know. I’m not telling you because I don’t like your kind”.) Anyway, things get VERY interesting now. Der Kaiser is thinking, “So it begins, Paul. The third GetBackers have finished off the Beltline group. It is too bad that your wish will not be carried out. From when you gave the name to the first GetBackers your wish was to put an end to it here…” Back at the Honkey Tonk we see Paul reading his paper as usual, the girls are squealing, “Master! Master! More lightening is striking Mugenjou!” And we see Mugenjou shrouded in lightening. Paul says it is not that place the lightening is striking. Things get confusing here and I can’t get this wrong so I will tell you what I think this says. It is, as I read it, der Kaiser thinking, “Are you really serious… Did you seriously allow the last vestiges of us two to be inherited by my own son…”

I had serious problems dealing with the translation there so if I have the meaning screwed I apologise in advance, seeing as this is such an important thing. But der Kaiser seems to be telling us that there were 2 GetBackers prior to the current pair. And he seems to be saying that it was Paul who gave this name to Ban and Ginji. Though I should think they don’t know that. But we always knew that the GetBackers was a name given to them rather than a name they gave themselves. In any case, what is says suggests that der Kaiser and Paul were once the GetBackers. Talk about revelatory! Hope you all enjoyed that! I know I was weeing myself as I read the last two pages.