Peach Boy Riverside (Episode 9) - Mikoto and Mikoto

When Mikoto was put to sleep by the ogre sleeping outside the city, he dreamt about his life and of his master that came before him. What could have possibly happened to make him so angry?

Peach Boy Riverside (Episode 9) – Mikoto and Mikoto

What happened?

Mikoto is saying goodbye to the old couple that raised him after finding him in a peach, floating down the river. He’s going on a quest to find his true parents and ask them why they abandoned him. Not long into his adventure, he comes across a talking dog and asks him to accompany him on his travels. As the first person to ever talk back to the dog, he agrees.

Soon they find themselves in a village that is being attacked by an ogre. Mikoto wants to run, but he can’t abandon a child that is in harm’s way. He challenges the ogre and easily defeats it. Word of his feat spread far and wide, and soon every village was asking for his help. He killed ogre after ogre and then travelled to their homeland to defeat the ruler.

Having completed this part of his mission, he settled down in the mountains so as to protect others from the wrath of the Kishin who was rumoured to come for him. One night, a man came to his house, however, he was an ogre with a human appearance. He revealed that he had been able to hide in plain sight and had eaten many people, but then he fell in love with a human. They had a child, but his instincts got the better of him and he ate his wife. He asked Mikoto to kill him.

The next day, Mikoto went to the village to check on the son. However, he found them beating the boy who was tied to a tree. Mikoto saved him and took him into his care. Mikoto told the boy, who had a tiny ogre horn, that he killed his father and was prepared for the boy to get his revenge. However, the boy was not strong enough yet.

After years of living together and preparing for the future, everything was cut short when the Kishin came for Mikoto. The boy found Mikoto defeated on the battlefield with his arms and legs torn off. Mikoto apologised to the boy but left him with his sword, his power, and his name. He told him to find people that would like him. However, the boy killed the Kishin and then ripped his horn off, swearing to kill all ogres.

Peach Boy Riverside Episode 9 The original peach boy Mikoto

What did you think?

All right, it was another great episode and one that shed a lot of light on Mikoto and how came to be. The most interesting thing was that he is an ogre. Even if he removed his horn, he is no different to Carrot and Millia. I think this is a fascinating development and something that I would love to see explored further if we’re ever lucky enough to get a second season.

So, I’m not entirely sure if the order should be the last episode. Now, I don’t mean in the same way that the director shuffled everything around for shits and giggles, but in a purely chronological sense, this episode should have happened between 8 and 10. It could have worked had we not had the scene where Mikoto woke up his bed because at the end of this episode we see Millia carrying him to his room while he was sleeping after he tried to attack the ogre. It’s a tough one because I wouldn’t want to break up the flow from episode 8 to 10.

Peach Boy Riverside Episode 9 Young Mikoto killed the Kishin

What have you learnt?

I’m glad we got some more back story for Mikoto and also that it revealed a little more about the legend that this series is based on. I would have liked to see a little more of how the old couple found Mikoto floating in a peach, but I guess I’ll have to settle with what we got. Despite the crazy release schedule which I was able to avoid, I’ve really enjoyed this series and would welcome more. There are lots of unanswered questions. I just hope that the release schedule won’t impact that decision.

The thing that I’m curious about now is whether Sally can use her powers against Mikoto. If he is an ogre, then she should be able to and he won’t be able to do anything to counter it. I feel like he’s actually counting on that scenario. He seems to be so broken that he believes death will be the only way to stop him, especially as he cannot stop himself.

Chronological viewing order – 4, 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 5, 6, 3, 8, 10, 9