Thunderbolt Fantasy

[Shadow Skill]

I can't seem to find any info on this from anime sites. Maybe due to it being marionettes and not really anime. I think it could be sort of anime with the special effects.

I just saw the first episode. I actually enjoyed it.

Anyone else see this and think it could be good or better than good?

[Buffalobiian]

http://i.imgur.com/5s497TF.jpg

Official Title: Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀[とうりけんゆうき] (Touri-ken Yuuki)

Tags: action, fantasy, martial arts

Original Plan: Urobuchi Gen

Character Design:
-Chuuou Higashiguchi
-Mimori Shinobu
-Nishii
-Nitroplus

Music: Sawano Hiroyuki


In an Eastern-styled fantasy setting, a brother and sister team of sacred guardians is beset by the Xuan Gui Zong, minions of Miè Tian Hai, who seeks the Tian Xing Jiàn sword that they possess. Hai's appearance leads to the defeat of the brother, but his sister, Dan Fei, jumps off a cliff to temporary safety. Later, a wandering swordsman comes across a ruined temple, where a statue of Buddha is protected by an umbrella against the rain. When he takes the umbrella for himself, a man resting under a tree nearby informs him that he must be compassionate to the next traveler he meets as a trade-off for taking the umbrella. That next traveler is Dan Fei, still being pursued by the Xuan Gui Zong minions. Both his promise and the enemy's sorcery leaves the wanderer unable to avoid getting involved. Thunderbolt Fantasy is an original production made with puppetry and stop-motion animation.

Resources: AniDB (https://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=11917), ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=18560), Official (http://www.thunderboltfantasy.com/), Wiki (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_Fantasy_%E6%9D%B1%E9%9B%A2%E5%8A%8D%E9 %81%8A%E7%B4%80)


--------------------

So it seems that Urobutcher went to Taiwan, saw this this longrunning puppet TV show (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pili_(TV_series)) that actually uses high production values, and went ahead with a collaboration project.

I watched this by accident and it's great.

Ancient Oriental Martial Arts Fantasy -check
Japanese VA -check
Urobutcher for the story -check (The first half of his series' are usually great. 2nd half can be lackluster)
Sawano Hiroyuki for music -check

Yeah, I'm in. The "animation" is very smooth.

What's crap is that HorribleSubs is using what appears to be romanising Chinese names, which makes no sense when the voices are using Japanese names.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Had no idea what I was getting into - ended up being very impressed overall.

The dolls look pretty good. The effects are pretty cool.

The story so far seems pretty standard wuxia template, but maybe it'll get interesting.

[Shadow Skill]

Thanks Buff!

It is very impressive for a puppet show.

[Buffalobiian]

Thanks Buff!

No problem.

Apparently the stop motion part in the AniDB description is false. The behind the scenes segment here suggests that it's all in motion as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiPnhBhR6C4

[shinta|hikari]

How is it possible that a puppet show has better fight scenes and music than Berserk? WTF Japan? Well, at least Berserk had slightly better facial expressions...

That said, I don't like everything else. I'm not a fan of Wuxia, where girls are few and just damsels in distress, villains actually do the villainous laugh in 2016, people all sound like damn philosophers, and chi powers make no logical sense whatsoever. The emotionless faces really bother me too.

Add to that a dumb as bricks protagonist, and I'm doubtful I could watch this to the end.

[Buffalobiian]

That said, I don't like everything else. I'm not a fan of Wuxia, where girls are few and just damsels in distress

That's what made Legend of Condor Heroes so good. Huang Rong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Rong)makes a joke out of everybody and anybody.


chi powers make no logical sense whatsoever.

Find legendary scroll (or appeal to an eccentric hermit who learned one)
Master sacred chi technique
????????
Profit.

[David75]

Ditched after 2 minutes.
Not my thing.
For reasons, shinta wrote it better.

[Shadow Skill]

I get that the story and character traits are not for everyone. Plus I think the marionettes have more to do some people not watching. I am just in amazement of this whole new take on the puppet genre.

I for one hope the episodes keep getting more exciting.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 02

-----------------------












There's no mistaking it. With that level of prediction, he could only conceal a Geass under that eyepatch.

Other than that, it's clear this is a casual watch. Don't take it seriously. Laugh at the Wuxia antics and enjoy the action.

[Shadow Skill]

I'm really enjoying this show. The action scenes are pretty good for puppets IMO. The dialogue is pretty good to me. The names sounds Japanese to me but the subs are showing Chinese. I don't get this from HS.

I just read they want to do a Manga off this show now. In a few years an Anime will probably follow. This puppet show is popular in Japan after 2 episodes? I can't see them doing that if it didn't have viewers.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 03

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I'll put 1000 bucks on our white haired friend being said wandering wizard. He's going out of his way to not expose himself however, if he's recruiting other people to break his own traps.

[shinta|hikari]

The MC's tsundere act is getting old.

[Shadow Skill]

This episode seemed really fast for me. I blinked and it was over. Am I enjoying it this much? Lol

Ya I was wondering that too if the white haired guy is the Wizard. I dunno, for a Tsundere she can kick ass with her sword skills. :)

[MasterOfMoogles]

Hopefully that was the extent of the exposition dump we'll get.
Pretty decent episode regardless.
I do not expect their little raiding quest to go as planned, though.

[Shadow Skill]

What happened to all that cool special effects and awesome fight scenes? Seems like every show, anime included seems to want to drag story lines out.... which makes it fucking boring. :/

[shinta|hikari]

It's a standard in Wuxia and even LNs, unfortunately. You get super interesting first parts to grab readers, then you get repetition to milk those hooked udders, I mean, readers.

[Shadow Skill]

It's a standard in Wuxia and even LNs, unfortunately. You get super interesting first parts to grab readers, then you get repetition to milk those hooked udders, I mean, readers.

I was expecting some awesome fights. :/

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 06

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Demon girl is pretty cute. This was even before she started showing leg. (here I thought this show would never do fanservice).

[shinta|hikari]

Fanservice? Wtf? You trolled me so bad with that comment.

[Shadow Skill]

I will say this. Episode 6 is was better than 5. Then at the climax it was "Next week on Thunderbolt Fantasy!"

I'm so involved with this show and addicted to it and yet it pisses me right off. :/

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 12

---------------












These episodes have been good. The twists work well, and Qi master is actually a (typical) boss-as-hell hero quality (esp in wuxia settings). This is actually the first show I watch on my Saturday anime runs.

My only wish is that we get to see Evil Boss vs Protagonist instead of Gale vs Evil and our Protag overpowering the demon through Qi.

edit: actually, calling it now. Protag is going to overpower Demon with the holy sword and be the one who finally drives the demon back into the realm. Spear fellow looks up to him as his new older brother. Dan Fei, now relinquished of her job as a guardian is free to travel and learn the world. It'll probably be with Spear fellow since he's so in love with her. That also lets Protagonist go on to be this lone, powerful wanderer.

Enigmatic Gale might conclude with something like "perhaps something I can't steal does exist in this world after all."

[shinta|hikari]

He better be super boss after all this build up.

[Shadow Skill]

Episode 12 is the best episode thus far. I hope they keep building on this momentum. The way I understand Wuxia from you guys is they go to this point, then stop and go back to drama building. :/

[Buffalobiian]

He better be super boss after all this build up.

He's ability is legendary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugu_Qiubai#Tomb_of_Swords). By the end they must explain why he's here. It could be a bit more interesting than "I wondered what was on the other side of those mountains."

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 13

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And explain they did.

There are some inconsistencies here:

-If Edgeless Blade's goal was to collect blades and destroy them, he shouldn't be as disinterested as he was initially about helping Shrine Girl. That's right up his alley.

-He gave a preach about how swords can be used to protect/harm depending on the user, when the demon was asking what he could do without a sword. The fact remained that he needed one. He addressed this when he mentioned "replacements", but the prior preach was rather off-topic.

-As Evil Protagonist showed, you can destroy these swords to remove them from the world. The only actual reason to keep them around is to use them (either for collecting more swords, or to destroy demons with).

I'm all up for a sequel, but I'm rather hoping that it'd feature a new cast with the current ones cameo-ing as legendary figures. Kind of like what Return of Condor Heroes was to Legend of Condor Heroes. The current cast has been developed already as far as characters and swordplay goes. There's nothing new to see (besides the other 35 swords).

[Shadow Skill]

A season 2 has already been greenlit according to anime news network. :)

[shinta|hikari]

-If Edgeless Blade's goal was to collect blades and destroy them, he shouldn't be as disinterested as he was initially about helping Shrine Girl. That's right up his alley.

That was his previous goal. His current goal is just to stay away from those who want those swords. And if the sword wasn't whole anyway, why would he seek it?



-As Evil Protagonist showed, you can destroy these swords to remove them from the world. The only actual reason to keep them around is to use them (either for collecting more swords, or to destroy demons with).

That was for that specific sword. What makes you think the 30 something imba swords he possesses can be broken so easily? There is no proof of that.

Fun stuff. Can't wait for a sequel.

[neflight86]

Agreed about the sequel. Very enjoyable and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

[Buffalobiian]

Shang has an interest in collecting the swords so that they don't cause chaos in the world. He only stopped collecting because he completed the set of 36 in Xiyou. He came over to ?Donglei because he wanted to run, but there's no reason to believe his desire to end conflicts by gathering swords (when there are swords to gather) should end.

It's true that since the sword wasn't complete, it was not threatening a release of a demon. It is, however, still causing shit in the world. The Evil MC talked to demons in the other world and found out that only one never made it back. That's fair enough to say that this was the only case of a demon remaining in the human realm. All of the other swords' troubles were over human-only conflicts. If that was enough of a reason for Shang to collect swords, this current one - complete or not, should have held his interest as well. It was causing human conflict after all.


What makes you think the 30 something imba swords he possesses can be broken so easily? There is no proof of that.


In martial arts worlds, I think it's more reasonable to think that swords can be broken. They blow up mountains and rivers with chi. If they were forged, you can expect them to melt. Even Enigmatic Gale said "don't channel so much force in case you break your precious sword". This was despite the assumption that the broken sword was the most powerful of the lot.

Also, no one had any doubt that the sword could be broken. Evil guy set his mind to it right away. Enigmatic Gale freaked out right away. The rest of the cast didn't even try denying the possibility of such a powerful item breaking. The first response was "You (Enigmatic Gale) fucked up didn't you?"

[shinta|hikari]

That was for that specific sword, as I said. The rest are unknowns. Sure, other facts suggest that they could be broken, but that can't be proven with the information given.

As for collecting swords, people's goals can change. Maybe he got sick of collecting them because they brought him enough trouble to drive him to the other side of, wait... China? Aren't they like fighting demons and saving the world here? Am I missing something? China isn't the world IIRC.

[Buffalobiian]

I know you said that specific sword. There will never be real evidence that the rest of the swords can't be broken unless we see them try, or they tell us it failed.

What the facts suggest isn't just that they could be broken, but that everyone readily accepts it without doubt. That means it shouldn't be difficult.

It's an unknown, yes. But the story introduced the idea of breaking swords itself, yet never addressed why Shang never broke them himself if he's so desperate. It's a loose end, and frankly I see it as a story inconsistency (and necessity, since Shang breaking is swords mean he would not have needed to come here) more than anything else.

I don't quite get your last paragraph about China.

[shinta|hikari]

Is their world set in China? Because they talk about world ending stuff, but the MC just crossed a mountain to get to where..?

[Buffalobiian]

It's not specifically called China, but it's an oriental country. Both East and West used to be the same country until the War of Fading Dusk 200 years ago, when demons invaded. During that time a giant mountain range formed which divided the two countries. It's also full of dangers (demons?) and is barren. No one had crossed it for 200 years.

This isn't the only country, as they were talking about how the language is difficult to learn for foreigners.

They might have been mentioning the world ending, particularly the world as humans know it.

[shinta|hikari]

So it's a completely alternate reality. That's good. Because China isn't the center of the world, as much as they'd like us to believe so.

[Shadow Skill]

So it's a completely alternate reality. That's good. Because China isn't the center of the world, as much as they'd like us to believe so.

I think this came from Taiwan did it not? It's the center of Asia almost lol

[shinta|hikari]

Season 2!!!

Episode 1 (http://magnet:?xt=urn:btih:J5VQVSS36OGCIUHJ7WCFRMPDAYSEVW 46&tr=http://nyaa.tracker.wf:7777/announce&tr=udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969/announce&tr=udp://tracker.internetwarriors.net:1337/announce&tr=udp://tracker.leechersparadise.org:6969/announce&tr=udp://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337/announce&tr=udp://open.stealth.si:80/announce&tr=udp://p4p.arenabg.com:1337/announce&tr=udp://mgtracker.org:6969/announce&tr=udp://tracker.tiny-vps.com:6969/announce&tr=udp://peerfect.org:6969/announce&tr=http://share.camoe.cn:8080/announce&tr=http://t.nyaatracker.com:80/announce&tr=https://open.kickasstracker.com:443/announce)

[Shadow Skill]

Slow start.

I think they upped the production value. I don't know if it was just my 144hz monitor but the clarity seemed really crisp and shiny.

[Buffalobiian]

There's Season 2 Episode 01 (magnet:?xt=urn:btih:7d587a491ffe9eaf86ebdce03c811 af64e5bfb10&dn=%5BHorribleSubs%5D%20Thunderbolt%20Fantasy%20S2 %20-%2001%20%5B1080p%5D.mkv&tr=http%3A%2F%2Fnyaa.tracker.wf%3A7777%2Fannounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fopen.stealth.si%3A80%2Fannounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.opentrackr.org%3A1337%2Fann ounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.coppersurfer.tk%3A6969%2Fan nounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.leechers-paradise.org%3A6969%2Fannounce), and there's also the movie (magnet:?xt=urn:btih:48c43130f7f48b579f679cfeba015 b4ff7a6c9e4&dn=%5BHorribleSubs%5D%20Thunderbolt%20Fantasy%20-%20The%20Sword%20of%20Life%20and%20Death%20-%2000%20%5B1080p%5D.mkv&tr=http%3A%2F%2Fnyaa.tracker.wf%3A7777%2Fannounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fopen.stealth.si%3A80%2Fannounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.opentrackr.org%3A1337%2Fann ounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.coppersurfer.tk%3A6969%2Fan nounce&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.leechers-paradise.org%3A6969%2Fannounce), showing backstory of purple-assassin-dude-from-Season-1, as well as bridging S1 to S2.

My biggest bitch (still) is how they confusingly use Chinese names for the characters, which do not match phonetically with their pronounced names at all. It makes it neigh impossible to actually remember any of them. I'll just end up describing them as Red-Guitar-guy and such from now on (even if it's not a guitar).

[shinta|hikari]

Do you want them to use Japanese names instead?

[Buffalobiian]

In short, yes.

The kanji can stay as is, but if the Japanese audio wants to pronounce names in Japanese instead (which I'm fine with), then Horrible Subs should translate that to English such that it reflects the Japanese phonetic pronounciation, not the Chinese one.

For example, if white-hair-thief-guy says "Watashiwa Kichou (鬼鳥)", HorribleSubs should write "I am Kichou", and not "I am Gui Niao (which is the Chinese pronounciation)". Likewise, if this show airs in Taiwan and they audibly anounce themselves as Gui Niao, their subtitles should use that instead of Kichou.

Pronouncing a name in one manner, then writing a phonetically different name in the translation is a sensory clusterfuck.

[shinta|hikari]

I totally agree with this.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 02

------------------------------------










It's so entertaining knowing Kichou is going to backstab blue-magistrate right at the climax.
Thankfully that is the case, because otherwise watching MC get framed by Blue Magistrate would be quite unbearable.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 05

--------------------------









1) The whole point of channelling Qi is that you can push the poison out of your body, not just keeping it to your knee...

2) So Red-fellow was asked to use his enchanted voice to sing the dragon to death, but instead got into a guitar solo. That didn't add up.

Detecting lies and nature via breathing was interesting. I like knowing that there's at least one person White fellow can't talk his way through (or at least lie his way through)

edit:

Also, poor dragon. It was minding its own business. It even told them to get the fuck out. Then they chucked a rock on him and cut his horn off. :(

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 06

--------------------













So Monk is reached true enlightenment, but never experienced desires and is just so unempathetic that he can't connect with worldly people at all. That's interesting, though you have to wonder at how such a person had the drive to develop excellent martial arts.

Evil girl is kind of cute.

And realistically (if one could put it that way), MC should be able to channel enough Chi to break any sword that tries to block him, given that he busts through dragon scales all the same.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 07

--------------------------------












And finally the monk will know the reason for his existence - to act as the hard counter to the evil charming sword.

[Buffalobiian]

"Oh no, you've got me. How I'm at your mercy, what will you have me do?"

This guy, playing him till the end xD.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 09

-----------------------------











Nooo! F*** you, Kotomine Kirei Monk!

[Shadow Skill]

Hahaha! The Monk's true purpose is revealed.

Shame she had to die. :(

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 12

-----------------------------------------






Well that was interesting...

.. but some bits don't make all that much sense, as hilarious as it was to watch.



1) Monk following Bitch Sword because he wanted to.

--It's not that pretty a sword, nor great a personality. If he wasn't charmed under sorcery, it makes no sense for someone who's turned down everything else the world has to offer to follow a bitchy, unflattering girl. He's not even actually into swords.

--The charm of the sword was supposed to be its promise of power while wielding it, as well as the euphoric high you get while sucking people's blood. If he's neither charmed by the prospect of power, nor cares about withdrawals from the high, then there's really nothing to like about the sword. Weird.



2) Music dude and his total lack of skills with puppets.

--just either use them to bum-rush the glasses-dude because they're going to die otherwise anyway, or.
--just get them to run the fuck away, while you attack glasses-fellow. It's hard for that guy to use runaway puppets while dodging at the same time.



3) I hope we get the full scope of the MC's backstory sometime. The whole idea behind him adopting an inefficient, chi-channelling-through-blunt-wood sword style was so he wouldn't accidentally kill an enemy (because he's a self-admitted oaf who do that). Someone who isn't confident enough in their brain or motor control shouldn't have the confidence to not get other people killed, nor does it really make sense for them to be a tactician at leading battles. (I understood "leadership skills" to describe the intellectual faculty to lead + the confidence to lead, rather than just charisma).



4) MC picked up the trailing white-hair-fellow while Music guy didn't? Music guy's the dude who is supposed to hear people without seeing them, and be able to detect bad intent from their breathing alone. I'd say white-hair-dude is pretty pissed off and annoyed right now, which would make him a dead giveaway.



5) Back to "I'll prove that I'm the most worthy for you" Monk. The whole point of him committing a lovers' suicide (lol) was because he didn't want anyone else stronger to take her. Sure, it's he originally meant it to mean if he was either sick or old, but that doesn't change the fact that the sword will get passed on to whoever is stronger in a given moment in time. Now he's baited into seeking a possible contender? I don't know how this guy thinks.

[Shadow Skill]

I can't wait for season 3.

I can't believe how hyped I am for a puppet show lol.

[Buffalobiian]

That was pretty fun. They did well to explore the potentials of just two swords for an entire season, especially by turning the "weak" sword into an absolute monster.

[Buffalobiian]

[HorribleSubs] Thunderbolt Fantasy - Bewitching Melody of the West - 00 [1080p].mkv

---------------------------------------------------------------------




If you're watching this then you need no introduction to Thunderbolt Fantasy. This movie is the backstory for our Red Head musician.

Now, but far the biggest issue I have with this movie is that the songs don't fit their era at all. This wasn't a huge issue in the previous series' because singing wasn't exactly a huge part of it. But now that it is, you wonder why people sing in English, and a scale that isn't Pentatonic (classical chinese music was composed on a pentatonic scale).

Another strange thing is that this movie is arguably the bloodiest of them all. More grunts died here than the other two series put together I reckon, and it's all the more gruesome since they're living imperial guards and not hooded cultists or skeletons. Sho was also rather violent here. He's supposed to be using blunt instruments with Chi channelling in order to not accidentally kill people (because he's just that good with a sword). That bit of backstory is not evident here at all where he's outright dishing out lethal attacks. It's visually cool all the same, but sad when you realise that it screws up his existing character. Either give him a real sword (because he's still out for killing these days), or have him show some more concern for his victims. His first kill in the movie was a stealth neck break.

AoE spamming is OP as well. Good on them for having a girl that isn't a damsel in distress this time round.

Other than that, more of the same Thunderbolt Fantasy.

[neflight86]

Season 3 ep 1 is out

Same old Thunderbolt. I like that recurring characters and direct continuations of the previous season's stories make this seem very well thought out. The dialogue is still good and characters/puppets still 'emote' with that same theatricality that puts a smile on my face. Looks like we might be getting more adversaries from our hero's side of the demon divide this season.

As an aside, the company also released an April fool's crossover mini-episode with Saber from Fate making a guest appearance. Look it up.

[neflight86]

2

I can trust the butcher to make sure that explaining in detail how these mirror leaves work will actually pan out in a meaningful way down the road.

We're finally setting foot on the other side! Exciting!

[Buffalobiian]

The mirrors thing seems like a fun move. I'm sure the mirrors would ultimately be used to beat a demon lord or something.

---------------------








Episode 03

That was a dope cliffhanger.

Enigmatic Gale's glee was palpable when he learned of a new big baddie that he could toy with.

[neflight86]

3

Too bad the mad scientist got abandoned as soon as he finished repairing/upgrading the monk. I would have liked to see if anyone else knew/knew of him.

Harmless princess was crazier than I thought in a 'misery' kind of way. Stephen King would be proud.

This fight can't possibley go to completion, or the main antagonist this season will already be dispatched. What's the catch?

[Buffalobiian]

Main antagonist? I'd have thought it'd be some Demon, since they introduced trans-realm mirrors. There's a naked girl in the OP that looks like she'd be a dormant demon king etc.

This current General dude sounds redeemable. I wouldn't be surprised if he changed sides later. Mantis and his boss sound way more suss.

[neflight86]

I thought the locust dude was the leader of that tribunal of headstones(?) from the end of the first season- as in he's the big bad and they are in his lair.

Maybe he isn't, and just another member of this order of people that main dude was on the run from, like the girl from last season who resisted the slave sword (and got killed). The naming style in the show, and how they read different from the subtitles' English phonetics doesn't make keeping characters straight any easier.

I forgot there is plenty of room for sides to change. He offered to take the sword without violence, after all.

[Buffalobiian]

Locust is high rank, but he's not in the fight right now. He's still Zooming in via the headstone.

[neflight86]

4

Funny that the Enigmatic Gale's new friends are fully convinced that he cares at all about the safety of the world when he's just been in it for the memes since season 1, episode 1. It makes sense, as most people would care about the index and the worthiness of its owner. But not him. Even MC said that he probably stayed behind to stir up trouble. A clever misdirection and means to naturally give some more exposition from the other side.

Blind musician waifu? More, please.

[neflight86]

5

I'd like to make special mention as to how versatile the series' main theme song is. It is tweaked and can be used for both 'soft' sentimental scenes, all the way to blood boiling puppet battles, and a few bits in between- just noticed that this episode.

I'd never expect to get a full backstory for an evil sword, much less one so succinct and entertaining that also cleverly folded in a history/worldbuilding exposition. I was expecting more conflict at the medicine shop, but how it unfolded was a welcome subversion in its own right.

The Enegmatic Funko Pop was pretty cute.

[Buffalobiian]

5

The Enegmatic Funko Pop was pretty cute.

Can be bought here:
https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10416134

I didn't like the telephone idea though. Bionic arms and teleporting mirrors are okay, but telephones... no.

[neflight86]

6

Its so Gen Uro for the only one to know the Enigmatic Gale's true character also happens to be a Demon who's allies wont believe her warnings...

Gotta love an uneasy alliance. The monk is becoming more sensible since being separated from the seven blasphemous deaths; maybe its grip weakens in absence?

[Buffalobiian]

I think he's less fussed about feeding her blood etc and more keen about trying to get her back. He was always relatively intelligent so being crafty seems about right. He was just an empty monk who thought he loved a sword and went to commit suicide with it.

What has me interested now is that they've introduced a character that the MC can't beat.

[neflight86]

7,8

I like that the theme/fight song lightly resonating through the noble demon's house as the crew battled outside was enough to rouse his curiosity and get him hyped enough to contribute; I know where you're coming from, my guy... That track is pure, uncut, Columbian hype.

I forgot that the monk was smothering the Seven Blasphemous Deaths last season, and it was off-putting even to her.

[Buffalobiian]

From memory the guy formed a suicide pact with her then jumped off a cliff right? That was pretty funny cuz the sword can't do shit except charm him some more.

[neflight86]

9

It hurts to see the gale become the Enigmatic simp, but that feels like comeuppance for all of his treachery... unless this is also some sort of trick, but that would feel cheap. If the demon ever regains her form, will her charms persist?

Funny enough, with all of the happenings, this entire season feels more like a transitional period than an full fledged arc. Its almost over and I keep expecting more setup when it should really be wrapping up the confrontations already on the plate.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm expecting a trick. I'm just that biased into thinking that Enigmatic Gale comes out on top all the time.

[neflight86]

Come to think of it, that girl from the second season was able to break free from the charm herself, so it is canonically possible...

[Buffalobiian]

Ep 11

---------------

Okay, looks like Enigmatic Gale is under her control after all.

[neflight86]

Or maybe he's acting until they are alone? If not, he really killed the useless guy from season one and this just got 50 shades darker in a single episode, combined with the demon's flashback with guitar guy.

Things are looking more dire than ever. What's the catch?

Locust man really trusts his turncoat.

[Buffalobiian]

12.

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Haha, Enigmatic Gale played them all. I thought Mantis dude was acting suspiciously like Gale last episode since he took the transponder device from the General to communicate with SEELE 01, but when he cowered during their discussion I thought "nah, that's just old Mantis being Mantis".

Damn this turned out sweetly. I couldn't bear to see Priestess cry. (Interesting that they made a point about seeing the puppet swallow)

[neflight86]

Had me going, too. Surprised snake dude bit it like a chump while disguised like a chump, but this was good, clever, and tidy. No complaints.

Also, looks like the only cure to being entranced by a wicked demon lady is to be disciplined by your own ball and chain... A tongue in cheek commentary on marriage and faithfulness, perhaps? Cute scene.

[Buffalobiian]

Final ep of S3.

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Pretty kickass finanale for now. Some of those twists were unexpected (dude being father of Demon, Grand Emperor being the big bad boss in the real world), and leave plenty of room for continuation.

I didn't expect to see any more surprises from Edgeless Blade, but they upped his "high chi burst" trick with "more than just a sword carrier" ability - though that probably just steps from his solid chi stock as as well. "Sword that can't be parried" basically makes him One Punch Man.

For both S1 and S3, banashing people into space does make sense, but I will hope that the next bad boss gets a slightly different treatment since we've used this twice now.