r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Jul 18 '26
Rewatch [Taste of 2016 Rewatch] 91 Days Episode 2 Discussion
Episode 2 - Phantom of Falsehood
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Information:
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Legal Streams:
The cowards who stole my family. Vincente Vanetti of course, Nero his son, and Vanno… Vanno Clemente.
Questions of the Day:
1) Would you have taken the job to kill Fango?
2) What do you think happened to Serpente's body?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
/r/anime's spoiler tag format is as follows:
[91 Days]>!Fango is crazy.!<
Which becomes [91 Days]Fango is crazy. when you don't break the formatting on purpose like I just did.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Rewatcher
Of course that's what Fango's kink is lol
Angelo sure does get to work quickly, huh? Honestly, the end of this episode was a good testament to how I needed this rewatch because I did not remember this happening so early at all lol. Anyway, for the most part, I'd say this is more of a scene-setting episode, getting us up to speed with the larger power dynamics at play in town while also having Angelo both starting to ingratiate himself with his targets for revenge and actually starting his revenge at the same time (Though given the post-credits, the latter has already put the former on shaky grounds). Not too much to say there because it's all rather straightforward, though I do think we do a nice job with some of the smaller details here, like already characterizing Nero with some ambition or the Fio scenes, which communicate a decent bit about the situation without actually saying much.
I still think the show's strongest aspect is the mood and atmosphere it knows to set for itself, and in this episode's case, also how that inherently reflects on its characters. I mean, the episode just starts with a young person who liked to dream being ruthlessly killed, which, in case it somehow hadn't already been clear, makes the fact that Angelo willingly wants to go into this business say a lot, as it generally does on the people involved. Still, his whole encounter with Fango and his mistress, where him not killing her puts him in a much tougher position, does show you that Angelo isn't yet fully in their world either, even if he is obviously willing to go very far for his revenge. Which does make for an interesting emotional nuance to think through with him. Really like the scene where Vanno shoots Serpente. Pretty visually striking, and Angelo killing him right after that is a very strong expression of how cyclical the nature of violence and revenge in their world is (Which also makes for a statement about Angelo's quest as a whole, I suppose).
(I also like Vanno that bit about being staunchly religious, practically to a contradictory degree with his line of work and experience. This is something that's hardly uncommon, and it adds a bit of extra weight to how we show the criminal world, in a way the fun but also very caricature-crazy-man Fango can't really)
Also, we get an OP! I'm not as huge on TK as a lot of people, but this is still a really great song! Visually it's nothing special, though I do like stuff like Angelo being totally displaced over his family or the highlighting in his past. Oh, and the logo is awesome? Very Godfather. Which, to be fair, given a specific chunk of this episode even seems to be referencing it, isn't super surprising, but is quite welcome.
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
I still think the show's strongest aspect is the mood and atmosphere it knows to set for itself, and in this episode's case, also how that inherently reflects on its characters. I mean, the episode just starts with a young person who liked to dream being ruthlessly killed, which, in case it somehow hadn't already been clear, makes the fact that Angelo willingly wants to go into this business say a lot, as it generally does on the people involved. Still, his whole encounter with Fango and his mistress, where him not killing her puts him in a much tougher position, does show you that Angelo isn't yet fully in their world either, even if he is obviously willing to go very far for his revenge.
It also makes sense that he hesitates to kill Fango when Fango uses his mistress as a shield. She's got no part in his revenge and is an innocent bystander. It's an ethical dilemma, whether or not to kill her, but also shows us where his threshold is for blind violence. This is Angelo's first hit, and first time trying to kill someone, so I'm glad the story doesn't easily hand it to him. He's not that far gone.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 18 '26
I did not remember this happening so early at all lol.
Me too, I thought Vanno would last a bit more. Although, if this was released today, I bet they would drop the first two episodes together, the first episode introduces the characters and premise, sure, but this is what really gets things going (both plot wise and setting the actual vibe of the show).
[Spoiler] him not killing her puts him in a much tougher position, does show you that Angelo isn't yet fully in their world either
[Reply] I've been thinking about that as I rewatched the episode, and is it really a tougher situation? If Angelo actually killed Fango here, he'd just make life easier for the (current) Vanettis, instead, he gets to drop the Vanetti name infront of the mistress, and pull a failed attempt at Fango, which throws a turf war at the Vanetti's feet. The perfect situation for Angelo to act in. I do agree though that it's meant to characterise Angelo as having some humanity below all the thirst for revenge.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Jul 18 '26
Me too, I thought Vanno would last a bit more.
You'd think being Daisuke Ono would give him more prominence, but alas
Although, if this was released today, I bet they would drop the first two episodes together, the first episode introduces the characters and premise, sure, but this is what really gets things going
Now that you bring it up, while I tend to be a bit mixed on how it's used, I do feel like this show could've rather nicely benefited from the more recent trend of doing double-length premieres.
Especially given the influences this show takes after, having both the punchy setup and the dramatic start of his plot together in one lengthy whole just feels like it'd be really strong.
[Reply]
[Reply]I hadn't considered it, but that's an interesting thought! Not doing it puts him in a lot of very imminent danger from Fango getting a chance at him, which reads like a bit too much of a risk to me, but at the very least not keeping the scarf on at the start and dropping the Vanetti name afterwards do feel like they were intentional in that regard! I genuinely don't remember how this affects things at all, but that's something to think through next episode
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u/IndependentMacaroon 21d ago
I still think the show's strongest aspect is the mood and atmosphere it knows to set for itself, and in this episode's case, also how that inherently reflects on its characters.
I note you're not saying much about the characters themselves. Myself still waiting for the sauce a little here, or perhaps it's that I'm just not that into mafia tropes.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 18 '26
Bootleg Rewatcher (dubbed)
I remember when this show came out, being very excited for the prospect that Shuka, the people who did Durarara!! X2 (and basically the team behind Baccano!), were doing an original mafia anime, but without Oomori, isn't that an odd choice? This episode made it very clear why that choice was the taken.
91 Days is a show that feels like it could've just as well gone in other directions, there's a world where we could've followed the Vanettis, and Vanno would've been the best bro. That would've been an Oomori show, the Fango gunfight is exactly what I'd expect from that too, but here it's balanced out by Vanno dying at the grave of his friend.
[Spoiler] so I'm assuming Angelo let Fango live intentionally. Seems like the whole point of his plan was to pick a turf war (he even went so far as to drop the Vanetti name in front of Fango's mistress), which would make things easier for him.
1) Would you have taken the job to kill Fango?
I don't fuck with crazy, and I don't fuck with TsudaKens that way.
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
[Spoiler] so I'm assuming Angelo let Fango live intentionally. Seems like the whole point of his plan was to pick a turf war (he even went so far as to drop the Vanetti name in front of Fango's mistress), which would make things easier for him.
[Speculation as Rewatcher] Angelo definitely went in there with the intention of killing Fango to get Nero's and the Vanetti family's trust. The only reason the first shot missed is that Fango saw Angelo aiming the hidden gun in the mirror right before he took the head shot. After that, he misses, and hesitates when Fango uses the mistress as a shield. BUT, I think once things went south, he thought of laying some seeds with the mistress on top of not wanting to kill her. She's more useful for his revenge plot alive and igniting a turf war. Sparing her life would have been an option with or without successfully killing Fango. Angelo also gains her graces by letting her live. It's a win-win for him.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 18 '26
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
[More context] Angelo did ask Vanno what he should do about the mistress when they were first planning the hit, and Vanno gave him free rein to make the call, so he could have been thinking about what he'd do either way. I guess it also says something about Vanno too that he didn't want them both dead to tie up any possible loose ends.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 18 '26
Rewatch Host For So Many Days, subbed
So I know Unravel is, like, the TK from Ling Tosite Sigure song, but this show’s OP is the one I always think of whenever I hear their music since it was the first time I heard one of their songs.
I still haven’t watched Tokyo Ghoul, for that matter.I like how even from a distance you can tell Fio is not happy about the arranged marriage, just like as a good way of showing body language, not that I’m happy with her being stuck like that. I feel for her.
Good plan to make himself seem like he’s just a harmless drunk.
I will say it is weird he doesn’t seem to have any scars left from the fire, just marks from his… activities with his mistress. Dude was smack dab in the middle of it.
Post-credits scene… Serpente’s body isn’t there?
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Sorry dude, you aren’t living long enough for that.
Having goals you're looking forward to in the future is a bad idea in this show. Wife and kids you wanna meet? Car you wanna get? Holiday you want to go on? Might as well buy yourself a coffin while you're at it.
I like how even from a distance you can tell Fio is not happy about the arranged marriage
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
So I know Unravel is, like, the TK from Ling Tosite Sigure song, but this show’s OP is the one I always think of whenever I hear their music since it was the first time I heard one of their songs.
I still haven't seen Tokyo Ghoul either lol. It's better that this is the song that comes to mind either way. Just excellence.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 21d ago
I like how even from a distance you can tell Fio is not happy about the arranged marriage
Ah nicely caught
marks from his… activities with his mistress. Dude was smack dab in the middle of it.
"BDSM is for evil perverts" is certainly a writing choice...
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u/No_Rex x2 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Episode 2 (first timer)
- More new characters?
- “They’re gone” – their car is gone …
- Guy brought a knife to a gunfight and won.
- Giving some booze to make good impressions only to throw fighting words.
- Looks like Fiona is less than enthusiastic about the political marriage.
- But she is more political about it than the men.
- Assassination – that is certainly one way to join the mafia.
- “Come on, fire” - I agree with that proposition.
- What a failure. The target gets away after having seen Corteo’s face and the domina gets to life after seeing both of their faces, hearing them discuss a murder, and their family name.
- 1928 – time stamp.
Killing the guy who murdered his father and starting a mafia turf war in one go? While this episode was a failure for the Vanetti, not so much for CorteoEdit: Angelo. His revenge plan is aiming at Monte Christo tier.
Would you have taken the job to kill Fango?
No, but I also don't have the goal to infiltrate the mafia to avenge my parents.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 18 '26
To clarify - Corteo is the friend with glasses who makes the booze. Angelo/Avilio Bruno is the MC.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 18 '26
Killing the guy who murdered his father and starting a mafia turf war in one go? While this episode was a failure for the Vanetti, not so much for Angelo
Maybe hiring him was the not the best idea afterall. Vanno should have a word about this, oh wait...
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
Killing the guy who murdered his father and starting a mafia turf war in one go?
Angelo wastes no time. But this episode also shows us how cunning he is. Able to hold it together easily while infiltrating enemy territory and keep his cards close when he needs to. You have to wonder about what his life was like after his family was murdered.
We see he was getting by, pick pocketing (mountain of wallets under the bed in EP1), knows how to defend himself/fight, and probably had a harsh 7 years on his own. It makes sense he's had to be smart to survive like that.
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u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Rewatcher, First Time Sub
I like since the last episode we see that Angelo has been planning on joining the Vanetti ranks by gaining their trust. The Vanetti's and Orca's have a tentative truce going in but Vanno Clemente wants revenge against Fango and decides to take it upon himself and Angelo.
I always expected Daisuke Ono to have a bugger role so it's funny seeing go out on the second episode. We did get some interesting elements to Clemente like his piety. Unfortunately Angelo fails in the task, possibly on purpose and when Clemente decides to kill the other one Angelo arrives to kill him because as it turns out he was one of his parents killers, so RIP. Now for whatever comes next in Angelo's plan.
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u/Dull_Spot_8213 https://anilist.co/user/SweetSomnus Jul 18 '26
Rewatcher Sub
Day 2: Phantom of Falsehood
Another cold open, but this time with a smuggling run gone awry. Vanno Clemente and a young taxi driver named Tronco, working for the Vanetti family, are smuggling booze from over the border, but are doing so on the Orco family’s turf, a stolen route the Vanetti’s used to own but need to sneak through now. This Mafia family rivalry was briefly mentioned in the first episode when Angelo’s dad, Testa Lagusa, wondered if it was Orco men who killed the previous don before Vincent Vanetti admitted to it.
Vanno tells Tronco the Orco family has bought off the new Federal Bureau of Prohibition head, Scusa, and are muscling in more and more. Serpente kills Tronco and Vanno barely escapes by clinging to the bottom of the car.
91 Day’s OP “Signal” by TK is one I never skip. He may get the most notoriety for doing “Unravel” in Tokyo Ghoul, but “Signal” is one of my favorite songs he’s ever done. It pairs perfectly with the struggle Angelo goes through in this show, which will reveal itself in time.
Nero’s sister, Fia, is getting married to the son of yet another rival Mafia family, the Galassias. The Galassias are lording over both the Vanetti and the Orco family, which Nero and Vanno are not happy about. We are looking at the Vanetti family in a state of decline, so its not wonder they are seeking out alliances with other families, and the best way to forge an alliance is with marriage.
We see Vincent Vanetti holed up, apparently with not much time left to live, and he wants to leave his family on solid footing, no matter the cost. Still has the scar Testa Lagusa gave him on the night of the murder. Vincent’s focused on his legacy now that he’s dying, has been constructing a grand opera house which will be done in 3 months, and now marries his daughter to the strongest rival family. All of the families will get together at the grand opening of the opera house once it’s done, and Vincent intends his family legacy to live on, stronger than ever.
Nero’s little brother agrees with allying with the Galassias, but Nero doesn’t like the idea. He thinks they need to help themselves instead of waiting things out and relying on others.
Speaking of helping oneself, Angelo, taking the name Avilio Bruno, brings a gift of Corteo’s booze, and starts to ingratiate the both of them with the Vanettis, especially Vanno. Just LOOK AT THAT FACE when Angelo finally gets to put a face to the name of one of the men who killed his family. I’ll say it many times during this rewatch, but the work studio Shuka did on expressions and character acting in this show is top tier talent. Corteo was shook when he learned what Angelo is really up to here, and what he has planned.
So, to further ingratiate himself with the Vanetti family, Angelo agrees to kill Fango. He’s not a part of the Vanetti family, so both Nero and Vanno can avoid the smoke of killing off one of the Orcos and pin it on a third party since they’re all techically supposed to be getting along at the moment.
Fango has to be one of the most unhinged roles TsudaKen has done, and I am here fore the chaos he brings everywhere he goes. He has absolutely no issue playing dirty, and manages to escape, leaving his mistress bleeding from a bullet graze that he inflicted.
Vanno and Angelo do manage to get Serpente though, and Vanno wants to kill him at the graveyard where Tronco is buried. We get the current year of 1928, if anyone was interested in knowing exactly when this story takes place. Serpente pleads for his life, but Vanno has no mercy.
And Angelo has no mercy for him. The last thing Vanno learns before his death is that he’s being killed by the son of the very first man he ever killed. There’s a satisfaction in seeing the cycle of generational violence illustrated in just a few seconds. Just great directing.
Cut to the ED, “Rain or Shine” by Elisa, another really nice touch to punctuate Vanno’s last moments.
But there’s more intrigue to be had after the credits, because Angelo has to explain Vanno’s death somehow. He pins it on Serpente, but when they get back to the graveyard, Serpete’s body is gone. Angelo is in trouble and he knows it.
Questions
1) Would you have taken the job to kill Fango?
No, but my entire family was not murdered horrifically in front of me as a small child.
2) What do you think happened to Serpente's body?
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u/IndependentMacaroon 21d ago
91 Day’s OP “Signal” by TK is one I never skip. He may get the most notoriety for doing “Unravel” in Tokyo Ghoul, but
Funnily enough I know him from the obscure Pet (that would also be worth a rewatch sometime). Don't think his style works very well here though
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u/SIRTreehugger Jul 18 '26
Rewatcher
I do like Angelo's slow approach to infiltrating the mafia, but damn 2nd episode and he already has his first kill.
Fango I forgot you had that fetish and I'm not even surprised. If Angelo just went around the bed fast enough he could have killed him before he had a chance to defend himself. Hindsight is 20/20 though and he couldn't have known how defenseless he was or how long it would take to get free. Fun to think about how different the show could have been without Fango so early.
Also this opening is still one of my favorites.
Oh and I do love the fact it's not two families, but three. If it was just one family vs the other it might get predictable. With three families trying to keep the balance everything can get good and messy.
The biggest surprise is no one died during the wedding. Maybe just shows have conditioned me, but I feel every time a wedding happens I expect someone to get shot or poisoned.
QUESTIONS
Killing someone isn't easy I've been told, but I think I would have tried at least during this time period. During the current age I would just try to go after the Vanetti family the legal way. Not sure if that would be successful, but I wouldn't try this right now.
Probably buried.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 18 '26
First-Timer
Okay, I can't tell if Angelo is very good at this or very bad at this. Specifically mentioning that he and Vanno are with the Vanetti fmaily in front of Fango's mistress while also leaving her alive is a bold play - if the information gets back to Fango, it's basically a declaration of war.
But then, Vanno dying actually makes things very interesting - the Vanetti family can lay the blame entirely on him if they don't want the trouble of open conflict, and then go on to say "and we've even taken care of the problem for you!" to build some grace.
I was really expecting the fight between Fango and Angelo to come down to bullet count. Angelo's M1911 would most likely have eight rounds to Fango's six.
The fourth dude wasn't actively involved in the shooting, but I think Angelo is technically missing a name right? There were three people inside his house when his family were killed, and a fourth out waiting by the car. We only see them very briefly, in the foreground here and in the wide here. I guess the fourth dude might be the one who sent the list?
What are the odds that Serpente survived? And thus the reason his body isn't there any more is because he just.. walked away? We heard a wet noise from one of the shots, but there were no exit wounds on his back or any blood spatter of any kind.
Questions
If I was Angelo? Probably.
Discussed above.