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Omission 2- Shuri & Sarasa's Kanto Adventure -A small spoiler warning concerning episode 12 just to be safe: it would be best if you have watched that episode first.
(spoiler space)
The anime de-rails from the manga while Shuri and Sarasa are on route to Kanto. In the anime, they were mistaken as slaves, apprehended by Asagi on the ship, and immediately taken to a coliseum with 4 swords in the center. But in the manga, they actually arrived safely in Kanto and traveled about for a day before being caught. During that time, they had some funny moments together, and Shuri almost revealed his identity to Sarasa! This partiuclar scene is right after Shuri and Sarasa see Asagi apprehend a slave on the ship. Sarasa mentions how pretty Asagi looks, and of course Shuri is not pleased ^_^. I believe this is the first time Shuri makes his trademark diamond-shape mouth. 
The next two panels are when Shuri and Sarasa finally arrive at Kanto. They get off at the port of Ise, which is on the south-western border of Kanto. To get to the capital of Seiran, they have to travel by horse. At the start of the journey, Sarasa actually asks Shuri why he's traveling to Kanto, and of course he lies. But then, she's keeping secrets from him too, so it's fair. 
On their first night at Kanto, Shuri and Sarasa have to camp out in the wilderness. And Shuri wonders about looking for a hot spring in the area. This reminds Sarasa about the last time they were at a hot spring and the brand on Shuri's back, so she actually asks him about it. Shuri hestiates for a bit before answering: "I'm..." But alas, he was cut short by some noises in the bushes. Turns out those noises in the bushes were of a family committing suicide. Death is better than what the Blue King has in store for them. Talk about a mood killer. Sarasa is horrified by what she sees and Shuri comforts her. Meanwhile, Asagi and his guards bump into S & S. Soon Shuri and Asagi are fighting. And Sarasa is amazed by how well Shuri fights. Perhaps she thinks he's a wuss because of the way he dress? 
During the fight, Shuri's brand is exposed, and Asagi mistakes them as slaves. So instead of fighting, he merely subdues them by spraying sleeping powder in the air. Before passing out, Shuri tells them that Sarasa is not a slave, but to no avail, and they soon find themselves behind bars. Once captured, instead of being taken directly to a coliseum to meet the Blue King (which is what happened in the anime), Shuri and Sarasa are forced to participate in a manhunting race for the Blue King's entertainment. This race lasted quite a few pages in the manga. 
This race is kinda silly. Along the way, Sarasa gets to play a bit of damsel in distress while Shuri's there to save her. At one point, Shuri jumps into alligator-infested water and saves Sarasa. Sarasa gets quite angry afterwards for his reckless behavior. And this leads to a nice moment between them. When Sarasa tells Shuri that he shouldn't disregard his life like that, he tells her not to worry because he's not going to die so easily. Obviously, Shuri is referring to his prophecised fate. 
Just when things are going so well, Shuri's stubbly hair has to get in the way. Oh well, he looks cute when he's embarrassed. Another interesting thing about this race is that Shuri is mistaken as a slave the whole time, so he's discriminated by many of the other racers. He eventually devises a hot air balloon and tries to ditch the other racers and escape with Sarasa, but she won't leave the others behind. 
In the end, Sarasa, Shuri, and 2 other guys eventually finish the race, and stumble upon the 4 swords. That's where the anime picks up. To summarize, all of these adventures in Kanto are not exactly important to the overall plot, but they do give our couple some quiet time together. All those times they've met before were simply too brief and fleeting for any actual understanding to develop. But this journey gave them a lot of time alone, so they got to see new shades to each other's personality. NOTE: The Basara manga is not available in English. What you see above are excerpts of fan scanslations done by Manga Project.
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