Protocol: Rain – Season 1 Episode 9 Recap & Review

– Crumbling New Life -Latch Up-

Protocol: Rain Episode 9 begins with Team Fox One securing victories at the tournament and receiving an invitation to the qualifying final round. Mr. Inatsuki offers them envelopes containing bonuses of 300,000 each for their accomplishments. He also extends bonuses to Seshiru and Emiko.

Daneko decides to offer his money to Sun to help with Mio’s treatment payment, and everyone contributes to the cause. That same night, Shun gives a total of 12 million to his mother. Mio becomes enraged upon learning she will be going to rehab and pushes the money off the table, resulting in a slap from her mother for misbehaving.

That same night, Yu receives a call from her agent informing her that she has landed the main lead role. She tries to figure out how to balance it with her tournament schedule. Mutsuki gets a call from his coach regarding sponsors, but he tells them to direct their inquiries to Jonathan. Mutsuki also confirms if Team Fox One is registered for the finals.

The next afternoon, Yu gets recognized in public by fans and is asked for an autograph. She then collects the goods and heads toward Shun’s house, where she also meets Nozomi on the way.

At home, Shun discusses with Mio why she doesn’t want to go to rehab. Mio rejects the idea of ever being able to walk on her own. Just then, Yu and Nozomi arrive to meet Mio, and the four of them enjoy playing games together. Shun goes to make coffee, and Yu and Nozomi help him while Mio watches from a distance.

Later that night, Shun talks to his mother before she leaves for her night shift. Mio expresses that she wouldn’t leave Shun and go to rehab, but Shun claims he will be fine without her. Mio blames him, asserting that he is doing it for himself to rid himself of guilt.

Hurt by her words, he runs out of the house and cycles away. Mio tries to stop him by crawling to the stairs and ends up tumbling down. Shun gets a call from Mutsuki and meets him. Mutsuki offers Shun to join him again, leaving everything behind.

Mutsuki suggests that Mio could be suffering from Psychogenic Paralysis, and by not abandoning her, Shun is inadvertently fueling it. He explains that he never cared for her before the accident, and this subconscious lack of care might have contributed to her condition.

Mutsuki advises Shun to distance himself from his sister, blaming him for being the reason she cannot walk. This infuriates Shun, leading him to punch Mutsuki and run back home. Upon reaching home, he finds Mio fallen at the bottom of the stairs. He picks her up to check if she is alright and takes her for a hot shower at the end of Protocol: Rain Episode 9.

The Episode Review

Protocol: Rain Episode 9 further develops the storyline, showing Team Fox One performing well in tournament matches due to the advice given by Seshiru. As a result, Mr. Inatsuki awards them a total bonus of 12 million yen. All the teammates contribute their earnings to Shun for Mio’s treatment.

Despite all the positive developments, it leads to the thing Mio fears the most, causing significant friction within the family. The anime delves into the depths of their brother-sister dynamic, ultimately revealing a possible psychological condition where Mio subconsciously and unintentionally seeks Shun’s attention by imagining paralysis.

Matsuki uses this revelation in an attempt to persuade Shun to join his team, but the plan backfires, and Shun decides to remain by his family’s side.