Episode Summary
Batuma saves Yulan from capture but is beaten by soldiers. The Japanese identify Anthrax and Plague outbreaks, locking healthy and sick civilians together. Yulan hides in a cemetery while fighting starvation and infection. Kawaguchi is separated from a pregnant Maiko. Arakawa discovers the incinerators and hears the victims referred to as "Maruta." Civilians are stripped and processed at the Middle East Granary.
Spoiler Alert
Man's Inhumanity to Man Episode 5 Recap
Batuma Takes a Stand
Things get ugly fast in this episode. The Japanese soldiers spot blisters on Yulan's arm. They try to drag her away. Tong Changfu's great-grandmother, Batuma, isn't having it. She is perched on a high spot. She fires an arrow and hits a soldier wearing a gas mask. This gives Yulan a split second. She jumps off the truck and vanishes into a dark alley.
The soldiers spot Batuma on the water tower. They start shooting. They drag her down. Guifen begs for mercy. Arakawa Ryohei steps in. He warns the squad that killing another civilian will bring too much heat. The soldier lowers his gun. But Batuma refuses to beg. She curses them in Japanese. She calls them cowards. She spits on them. Oda loses his temper. He jams a gun against her head. A shot rings out.
The Lockdown Begins
Oda doesn't kill Batuma. He pistol-whips her instead. Orders come down from the top. They need ten men at Tianli Village immediately. This distraction lets the Tong family return home. They are safe for now. But guards are posted outside. No one leaves.
Kawaguchi Satoshi arrives at Tianli Village. He finds Maiko tied to a post. He pulls his gun on Ogasawara and the others to back them off. Then the real trouble arrives. Oda shows up with a squad in hazmat suits. They take Kawaguchi and Maiko away.
The Diagnosis is Grim
We get some medical specifics. The outbreak at Pianlianzi is Anthrax. Tianli Village has the Plague. It is much worse than they thought. The Japanese don't have the resources to treat everyone individually. They make a brutal choice. They lock the sick and the healthy together.
Yan Bingrui demands answers. He wants to know where the sick people are going. Kojima Yukio lies to his face. He claims they are receiving treatment. He tells Yan they just need to pass an observation period. It is pure manipulation.
Yulan on the Run
Back in Pianlianzi, the soldiers grab Changgen. He is the fifth victim today. Yulan is in bad shape. She hides inside a black chimney at the Russian cemetery. She is sick, exhausted, and starving. She tries to dig up Zhang Qingfa's old fire pit for food. She remembers his sickness. She is too terrified to eat.
She has some money. She tries to buy a sweet potato. A Japanese soldier recognizes her. She sprints back to the cemetery. A friend helps her dodge the patrol. Yulan knows she is contagious. She tells her friend to get out of the Middle East Granary. The friend refuses to give up and goes to look for a cure.
The Truth About "Maruta"
The soldiers separate the villagers in Tianli Village. Chiyoko finally sees the truth. These men are monsters. She runs to Kojima Yukio. She begs him to save her. Kojima is too deep in the propaganda. He still believes in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. He ignores her pleas. He tells her to just accept her fate.
We learn Maiko is one month pregnant. Kawaguchi hears the news. He breaks down. He tries to rush to her. The guards hold him back.
Arakawa Ryohei stumbles onto a nightmare. He watches men dump bodies into an incinerator. He overhears a conversation. They use the word "Maruta." He wonders what logs have to do with this. Then he looks to his right. He sees the pile of corpses. He sees a mother holding a baby. They are covered in blisters. The horror breaks him. He runs away before anyone sees him.
The Processing Center
Kojima and his group arrive at the Middle East Granary. The soldiers order them to strip naked. They force them into a disinfection pool. Yulan is watching from the shadows. She sees blisters on a man's back. She gasps. The noise almost gives her away.
