Bungo Stray Dogs – Season 5 Episode 7 Recap & Review

The Game

Episode 7 of Bungo Stray Dogs season 5 titled ‘At The Port in the Sky (Part 3)’ begins with Nikolai gleefully explaining just how heavily fortified Mersault Prison is. From 12-digit passcodes in each level to armed patrol, he says it is impossible to escape. Plus Dazai and Fyodor have 30 minutes before the deadly poison starts acting up.

To give them a fighting chance, Nikolai asks Sigma to bring a tray containing a radio, key card, coin bombs and a satellite phone. They can pick one item each and Fyodor takes the key card. The whole time, Sigma is in half wonder of how to win the game and half panic as he certifies all 3 of them as insane for enjoying it. As for Dazai, he picks Sigma but Fyodor isn’t deterred, in fact smiling manically. 

At the airport, Aya is worried as once the airport is on lockdown, it is impossible to escape. Bram is unable to order his kin unless Fukuchi is wielding the sword. His only solution is to dig a hole and sleep for the next 200 years while waiting for the whole thing to be resolved. As she reprimands him, he suddenly tells her to run as a vampire guard finds them.

After being stuck in a cramped cell for weeks, Dazai is excited as the hallways are huge. He starts dancing with Sigma who asks how they will defeat Fyodor but Dazai isn’t worried. In fact, Fyodor is sitting even though the game began 5 minutes ago. Nikolai says he has another item for him but when Fyodor doesn’t move, the clown guesses that he has a trick up his sleeve.

Aya tries to escape but they are surrounded. Bram tells her to leave him as they are only after him. She remembers her father being harsh on her and calling her a failure. As she thinks hard, Kenji shows up and beats up the guards while revealing that Ranpo sent him.

Dazai continues to dance with Sigma who is super done with him. Dazai keeps playing around as he asks Sigma if he wants a tour of the jail and then heads to the pantry in search of food. Sigma is annoyed and warns Dazai that he will escape on his own if the Detective doesn’t take it seriously.

It cuts to a flashback 5 days ago when Nikolai saved Sigma. He is thankful but not sure how to help expose Fyodor’s ability. Nikolai tempts him by saying it is to his benefit to help as Fyodor will not stop till Sigma is dead. He won’t find a peaceful home unless he kills Fyodor. This triggers something in Sigma as he is the only one who has been born without a home.

And since his creation, he is constantly manipulated by Fyodor, Nikolai and even Dazai. He decides to kill Fyodor and find a home where he will be safe from others. Dazai somehow guesses his line of thought and says he will help him escape alive. He hugs him and as usual, Sigma is frustrated with his antics when they suddenly hear an intruder beating up some Gifted patrol guards.

Nikolai disappears as the guards show up but they are all shot dead while Fyodor says his pawn has finally arrived. Sigma and Dazai reach one of the massacre sights and on the radio, an injured guard transmits on the radios that the intruder is vampire Chuuya. 

While Kenji messes around with the vampire guards, Aya is in awe. He easily defeats them all and reveals that Ranpo had deduced that someone was on the run from Fukuchi and asked Kenji to help. Bram thinks of it as the right time to recruit Kenji to farm his lands who suddenly asks if he ever gets wolves on his farm. A wolf has appeared and Kenji needs to protect them.

It cuts to Tetcho walking up to them menacingly. Aya runs while Bram tells Kenji not to die. Kenji thanks Tetcho for waiting till they left and the Hunting Dog says that he doesn’t care as all he wants is Jono back. Kenji has no clue who that is or what happened but is ready to help. Tetcho is confused and almost agrees before deducing that since Jono is taken by the vampires and Bram is with the Agency, they have Jono.

In Anne’s Chamber, Ranpo tells Atsushi that the first one to get Aya wins and tells him to run. Atsushi spots a young girl but it ends up being Teruko in disguise who attacks him. However, it turns out that he was searching for her. She takes Atsushi’s phone and spots a recorded video of Tachihara.

He tells her that he is probably dead or worse but the Agency is innocent but she thinks the video is fake. In the video, Tachihara then says that he would never risk his life for a mission but maybe it now means that he is finally close to being an exhilarating badass and Teruko gasps. She was the one who had said this same phrase to him back when they were alone in the Sky Casino.

She is ready to help the Agency but on one condition – she wants to meet Ranpo. Atsushi is suspicious as she may just be pretending. But he believes that Ranpo can convince her and goes to a payphone. As he dials, she suddenly gives a menacing smile. Elsewhere, Kenji takes away Tetcho’s sword, evening the playing field. However, since a Hunting Dog has more than one ability, Tetcho uses his strength to beat up Kenji.

The Episode Review

Episode 7 of Bungo Stray Dogs season 5 is like a video game or an immersive episode. Reminiscent of the first few episodes when the anime first dropped season 1, this one makes the viewers participate in all the different levels going on such as Nikolai’s sadist game, Aya and Bram’s escape, Kenji and Tetcho’s fight, and Atsushi’s gamble with Teruko. 

It is also pretty smart of Dazai to rope in Sigma. With his life on the line too, two brains can work on escaping. And about time we saw Chuuya. Wonder how all our favourite characters turned vampires are going to be saved once Fukuchi is defeated. Do they stay as vampires? 

We also see some new and interesting interactions, all hilarious – Bram and Kenji, Kenji and Tetcho, Tetcho being worried for his ‘nemesis’ Jono, Sigma and Dazai. Bram and Aya return as well with the vampire being a whole mood. He is a complete defeatist, uncaring of all the chaos unfolding around him. All he wants to do is sleep and hope the trouble goes away on its own. Quite relatable, no?