(Editted on 050531 @ 2AM)

Look at the ratings for Yoshitsune Episode 21 at the right side of my blog!! (You might have to scroll down a little. ^__^ ) Omedetou Yoshitsune-sama!!!!! \^__^/

+ ONE + TWO + THREE + FOUR + FIVE +

Yoshitsune often visits Yoshitaka (the small boy) with his retainers, feeling sympathy for Yoshitaka as he grew up without his father around as well. Awww... you can really see Yoshitsune liking the children quite alot!! This means baby sitting. *lol* In the previous episode, we saw Yoshitsune leaping to catch a butterfly for Yoritomo's daughter and leaping onto tree branches and off rooftops. Today, Benkei shows off his strength to the 2 children. He carried and lifted 2 humongous boulders on each end of a pole with both Saburo and Jiro hanging onto each boulder!!! The camera even zoomed into Benkei's feet and his feet sunk a few cm into the ground!!! Imagine the weight he was carrying!!! O____O"" And Yoshitsune introduced Saburo as "Kani" (aka crab) to the children. *lol* So Saburo pretended to act like a crab in front of the children.

One day, one of Yoritomo’s followers became drunk and suggested that they should kill Yoshitaka. Yoritomo, who took the suggestion as an open insult to his son-in-law, decapitated the follower as a warning for the others. Yoshitsune arrived at the scene too late and only saw the beheadment. X_____X"" Hearing the incident, Yoshitsune feels the difference between Yoritomo’s views and his. Yoshitsune happens to meet Yoritomo and Masako along the hallway and feels compelled to voice his opinions out to Yoritomo. But he could not bring himself to say it and stopped short.

Later at night, while drinking together (with Masako around =____="" That ebil ebil woman!! Stop being nosy and influencing Yoritomo's decisions!!!! *bish*) Yoritomo tells Yoshitsune that his ideals for a “new country” are to rule the followers by reason and power, not by empathy or bonds. Yoshitsune mentions Kiyomori's ideals and finds that Yoritomo’s vision seems to be totally different. Yoshitsune returns home that night pondering, asking himself what a “new country” means to him.

Around that time, Yoshinaka beats the army of the Heike family at Kurikara Pass and moves forward to Kyoto. Hearing Yoshinaka’s advance on the capital town, Masako suggests to Yoritomo to allow Yoshitsune to go lead a battle. Yoritomo finally commands Yoshitsune to head for Kyoto leading the van of the Genji’s army. Yoshitsune is so happy that he is finally able to do something for the Genji clan. All his retainers are so happy upon hearing the news from Yoshitsune that they start cheering!!! (nuts.... they are so happy that they are going to war x____x""") Benkei was so happy that he started crying!!!! =____=" Benkei went to tell his ahem.... girlfriend (*lol*) the news but his girlfriend said that she would wait for his return. Yoshitsune and his retainers go and tell the children that they will be away for some time and bid them farewell. Yoritomo's daughter cries.

Yoshitsune wearing the extremely heavy battle gear ( I think it's 30kg?! O____O") drinks a cup of wine as a ceremonial farewell bid to Yoritomo and the Genji clan and sets off for his first ever battle with all his retainers and the Genji army.