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「運命の二人」 (Unmei no Futari)
“The Destined Two – Boy Meets Girl”
Boy meets girl. Girl kicks ass. Boy kicks ass. Girl and boy kick ass together.
What Makes This Different
Super powerful high school middle school boy battles supernatural threats. He’s the best there is, and there’s at least one girl so far signaling interest. So what makes this different from the glut of other similar magical-fantasy-action series? I’m glad you asked, and thank you for letting me put words in your mouth like that. Let me tell you!
Notice how I called it a magical-fantasy-action series, rather than my usual appellation of magical-fantasy-action-harem (and possibly ecchi) anime. The chief difference, both from this first episode and from what I understand of the plot, is that there’s no harem here. This is a straight up romance between Enmadou Rokuro (Hanae Natsuki) and Adashino Benio (Han Megumi), and also there’s a bunch of spirit-battling action as well. Which, so far, I really like. Partially that’s because I have a weakness for melee girls, magic that enhances physical abilities, and for couples (or potential couples) who fight alongside each other with sword and fist. But I also love how equal their relationship is so far. There’s no damsel in distress here, unless you want to count the little girl and also her brother. Rokuro and Benio are fighting together, and she’s as much the protagonist as he is.
Bonus: It’s the heroine who’s wielding the sword(s) this time. Huzzah! So that’s another difference.
He Didn’t Save Her. She Saved Him
What I especially liked was that Rokuro didn’t save Benio. Not that the guy saving the girl is necessarily bad, 51% of the population is women, so raw percentages alone would suggest that a quarter of savings would be a guy saving a girl (other options: girl saving girl, girl saving guy, guy saving guy). But we all know that fiction tends to skew that just a wee bit, and besides, it goes to that partners/equality thing I’m liking about their relationship.
Benio doesn’t need to be saved because, at the point that Rokuro steps forward, she could have still run away. She wasn’t going to, because of her vow, but she could have. No, it’s Benio who saved Rokuro, though not in a physical sense. Her espousing the same dream that 12-year-old Rokuro held two years ago, before the Hiinatsuki tragedy, spurred him to action in a way that running away and desperately failing to get a girlfriend never would have. He would have been haunted his whole life, whereas her being there with the goal she has allowed him to face his past, even if for just a minute. The work isn’t done, of course, but Benio unknowingly helped set Rokuro on that path.
Animation, Character Designs, & Other Considerations
My favorite element of this so far is undoubtedly the relationship between Rokuro and Benio. It’s not been without its bumps so far—at first Benio was coming across as rude, though that largely went away after she snacked on that ohagi, which suggested that she’s weird rather than cold—but it’s the bedrock of this show’s appeal. The actual action is neat but not a selling point in and of itself, especially since the animation is decent but not astounding. It cheaps out sometimes, but largely it gets the job done, so it’s not a huge detriment to me, though if I wasn’t enjoying the main duo it might be enough to push this into three-episode rule territory, instead of the “I want to see them get married!” hopeless romantic hype mode I’m currently in. What can I say? I’m a big softie.
Character designs are in a similar territory. They’ve got some personality, but I’m not going to gush about them to a potential viewer. They’re fine, they do the job, they don’t bother me, but not a selling point. No, if you want to know whether you’ll like this, I think that’s all about Rokuro and Benio. I’m a hopeless romantic who loves magical action, so I’m in. How about you?
As we did last season, we won’t be announcing our coverage until 2-3 episodes of most shows have been released. Please comment if you want to see Sousei no Onmyouji receive regular coverage. I’m enjoying it so far, and Wednesday shows are nice, but I’m still thinking on it. Tell me what you think.
tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Boy meets girl. Girl inspires boy. Boy and girl kick ass together. It’s all about that main couple #souseionmyouji 01
Random thoughts:
- Just because this doesn’t seem like a harem doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple romantic options. I don’t know anything about Otomi Mayura (Serizawa Yuu) other than what was seen this episode, but she has Unlucky Childhood Friend (trope!) written all over her. Mark those spoilers, source readers.
- About the only thing that both Sousei no Onmyouji and Hundred both did right—which is to say, the only thing Hundred did right—is to not pretend that the main character isn’t special. Ditto with the [main] heroine, though here it’s more explicitly shown.
- Haha, she literally came falling out of the sky and into his life. Mixed feelings about that little gem.
- I guess he didn’t notice the talismans on her leg when she was first drying off. He was probably distracted.
- I like that the battles are in another world, since it means they can get their collateral damage on (and no fridge logic where the hero destroys half the city, ala Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman). Though on the other hand, it lessens the opportunities for drama. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad yet.
- Also on the magic system, I appreciate how talismans are required to cast spells. That opens up the opportunity for tension when those talismans run low (or out), even if the animators aren’t bothering to make the talisman stack reflect actual supply.
- If you’ll excuse me, for once I’m going to bluntly self-promote: If you like a lot of what this series is doing (explosive melee combat, magic that enhances physical attributes, men and women fighting back-to-back, a strong focus on romance), read my book (see below), and also the upcoming sequel. This is the kind of anime that most inspires me to write what I love to write. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a second book to finish editing. Motivation!
My first novel, Wage Slave Rebellion, is available now. (More info—now in paperback!) Sign up for my email list for a FREE sequel novella. Over at stephenwgee.com, the last four posts: Even if you see it coming, it can still work, Batman does not kill. Superman does not kill., Inside Out: What Emotion Drives You?, and Superhot: Storytelling through gameplay.
OP Sequence
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OP: 「Valkyrie -戦乙女-」 (Valkyrie -Ikusa Otome-) by Wagakki Band
Preview
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“She wasnt going to,”
I see a spelling mistake. 🙂
Fixed.
As someon who’s read a bit of the manga I loved this episode and the adaptation so far, hope they keep this up!! And yes I think it’s worth covering on this site. Some cute romance moments, some interesting backstory, but I’ll keep it at that.
She was getting a beating and he saved her. I don’t know what’s the point of trying to deny this.
That’s not how I interpreted it. Other’n that first attack, the big monster didn’t seem to actually attack her, it looked like she was just blazing through her energy trying to crack its defenses and hadn’t managed to do enough damage to take it out. I also don’t think it counts as saving her when she looked like she easily could have gotten away, even if (personality-wise) it doesn’t look like she was going to.
He helped her, certainly, but he didn’t save her. It wasn’t as one-sided as all that.
She didn’t make any considerable damage on the Impurity, while she herself was slowly getting more hurt. Note how much she’s bleeding right before Rokuro intervened. And it’s not like she could run away, because these Impurities can attack the real world and this one was a particularly nasty one. That’s why she’s forced to keep fighting, even though she’s not strong enough to defeat it. On top of that she had run out of talismans.
No matter how you look at it, she was going to die here. Rokuro saved her life.
I obviously don’t know how everything works since I’ve only seen one episode, but I remember her cutting off or shattering at least two arms, and she was pushing the thing around a lot. Yeah, she was certainly paying for all the damage she was doing, but it didn’t look like she was on her last leg yet, though I suppose being out of talismans could mean she was. Either way, agree to disagree, and maybe I’ll realize I was wrong in a few episodes.
The problem with her is that of her power, she is fast with her speed. She is like an agility type character that’s lack in power and endurance, but makes up for it with speed and attack speed. She also more experience than the mc, as she can uses more enchanted gear than him. As you can see in the episode those are both of her legs and arm, her mask, armor and the dual sword, and it’s also a very advance technique. Mc can only use 1 of it and that’s his right arm. The only thing he is better than her is what she lack, endurance and attacking power. That’s why they make a great team and the battle next week will be a sight to see. Finally, the last thing you want to assume about Benio is that is weak and need help. She is one of the most competence female lead I have seen in a long time. They both save each other through out the series and with the latest chapter of the manga, it has shown that she is even crazier than any of the reader can imagine. And to sum it up, Yes Stilts you are not wrong, she can easily out run the monster, but decided not to due to her past. You will see soon enough. This show is insane, just saying :]
The way I see it, Benio’s skill is just a bad match against the big monster with high defense while the MC with the
Boosted Gearpower gauntlet is the weakness.In the end, Benio was saved because she ignited Rokuro’s passion as an onmyouji. Challenging him to pursue his dream again of saving people.
Physically, Benio was saved by Rokuro but Benio also saved him by inspiring him to let go and move on from his dark past. Which is easier said than done per next episode preview.
Welp, so yeah. Benio was definitely saved. We really don’t know what will happen if she also flees. Maybe she as an onmyouji was actually left without a choice but to fight it out until the bitter end.
Though the MC is annoying, at least he have proper personality. Nowadays there’s too much bland MC who seems doesn’t have his own will and only interacting with people in the form of “reacting to other people action’s”, not on the “initiating action” side.
As a person who have been into PTSD phase myself I get it that it looks annoying to other people looking at the MC and for normal people (audience) he is hard to relate with. The saving grace is that he’s only frozen when it’s related to the monster, but he’s rather upbeat and functional in daily life so the tone is rather bright on the SOL parts.
I guess as the story progress he will grown out of his trauma which will make him easier to watch, probably, I haven’t read the source material yet.
@cryarc: I was wondering if I was the only one who found the MC annoying. Guess not. I liked the fact that he helped out the kid being bullied, and his “dark past” give a valid reason for him deciding to give up the exorcism career. The PTSD didn’t bother me given how it was done either (i.e. when forced to fight whatever the monsters are called). So there are “objective” reasons to like the ML, but he still just bugs me. Right or wrong, he comes off as bratty, and I didn’t take that as PTSD related – just his basic personality.
I get your point about bland MLs, but IMO annoying isn’t better. It’s, well, annoying. I can (and have) put up with a bland ML, but if a main character annoys me – especially the central ML and/or FL, then I’m quite likely to drop the show.
Yeah, annoying MC (MC with troublesome personality/non-standard) tends to make the audience steer away from the series, but if it’s implemented in a proper way it can enhance the series instead. Classic example would be Shinji from Eva series, newer example probably the red haired afro MC from Rage of Bahamut.
But it’s true that if it’s used in wrong way it’ll completely ruin the series. It’s risky option, it’s either becomes good or complete trainwreck. That’s probably why a lot of author prefer bland and easy to related MCs which is the safer bet.
For now the MC in this series is still hanging on the safe line for me, sometimes he seems annoying but there’s a lot of room to grow for him.
Favarooooo probably isn’t the best example. Who doesn’t like a dashing, ridiculous rogue who tries to swindle or exploit people? I mean, his targets wouldn’t, obviously, but that’s fun for the audience. Plus I never found his whiny.
@cryarc: Well, it’s one of those depends upon each person issues. I’ve dropped shows/series because I just couldn’t deal with one of the main characters. Annoying for me is just that – annoying, and worse if its a central character because he/she gets more screen time.
I kind of liked the MC from Bahamut (OT, but wow is that word used a lot in titles lately!) so he wasn’t a problem. His friend (who I nicknamed “Elvis” for obvious reasons) was more annoying to me, but not terribly so. Also wasn’t the ML = less screen time. IMO, if you’re going to have an annoying character in your story, then have a reason beyond “at least he/she isn’t bland”.
Good example IMO is Ranta in Grimgar. He’s quite annoying/asshat for most of the first season (by the end he chills out as part of his character development), BUT as I’ve mentioned before his character is there for more than just “not bland” (though there are bland characters in that show – ML included IMO). What Ranta does is two related things. First, he adds some realism because it’s a group of random strangers thrown together. Quite possible in that situation for one person to be hard to get along with, annoying, etc. Second, his personality causes conflict within the group which creates problems for the ML. It adds to the trial for the ML to become a good party leader.
Still, if Ranta stayed with his asshat personality, even though arguably realistic, I think it would detract from viewing enjoyment. Like I said, annoying is annoying. I imagine handling annoying characters well is quite a challenge for authors… if they dare to try. As you say, it’s a risky option.
That’s why I’m putting him on the example of properly done “annoying” MC, at first he looks like an asshole, and he really is an asshole to his adversaries with his underhanded tricks/strategies, but later we found out that he is actually a better part from a world filled with unreasonable assholes. I’m glad I’m pulling trough that one, I was so close to dropping that series lol.
People with uptight moral probably will find Favaro annoying, Stilts.
Oh yeah how can I forgot about Ranta, you’re right. And that reminds me my annoyance shifted to “Elvis” as the story progress in Bahamut, I found Favaro more likeable in the middle of the series, though by the end of the story both Elvis and Favaro becomes a lot better.
not gonna lie, all this seems pretty derivative so far and kinda bland. The duo dont have that instant “wow i cant wait to see them team up some more” factor for me. I cant see the appeal between the two. I did however like the fact that benio kicks ass convincingly and even when she was being overwhelmed by the monster, she was putting in so much work, actually going toe to toe with it rather than outright losing. That’s how you properly stage a situation where a character is being defeated: make them look competent even if their enemy is getting the upper hand. It made it feel that benio would have eventually beaten the monster at the cost of some serious injuries if rokuro hadnt stepped in rather than her losing outright and needing to be saved
interestingly, some of best action-harem shows lately seem to follow “strongly decided main heroine” (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, Asterisk) with rest of the female cast reduced to fansevice to hungry audience…
Turns out, readers like strong, developed, interesting characters more than fanservice objects. It might not seem like that sometimes, but it’s true. It’s also much harder to make those kinds of characters, hence why some creators will always go for brainless fanservice as an easy way to make a quick buck/career.
in best cases even the secondary charactes get past “single trait silhouette”…
For example the imouto from Rakudai has left me quite impressed with both her reasons for devotion to the MC, and realistic pain of being rejected, yet accpeting it so he can pursue the one he really loves…
If what you are referring to as weak sideline female character as Otomi Mayura, I’m not trying to spoiler here, but she is kinda awesome “recently” 😉
A solidly executed first episode for this adaptation. I’m looking forward to watching more and seeing how it compares to the manga. The only issue I have thus far is the background music. So far its been bland and felt particularly off during the action scenes. I’m hoping it gets better, but so far I’m wishing I could just replace it with the Blue Exorcist soundtrack.
Sousei’s mangaka, Yoshiaki Sukeno, also created the very hilarious Binbougami-ga!/Good Luck Girl. I’m only peeved Binbougami ga Darkness never got made!!
Wonder when they’ll introduce the fox mascot – manga readers are saying it’s an unnecessary addition.
Loved Binbougami Ga. Shame we never got another season, the rest of the manga would’ve made for some great stuff to animate.
Overall I thought this was a pretty good/above average opening episode. Agree with some, but not all of what Stilts said. Visually I thought this looked good for one thing (didn’t notice any meh/average animation, but maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention). My impression was some money was spent here. So the action/battles were fairly good IMO. Like Stilts, I thought Benio running out of talismans was a nice, realistic touch. I also liked how Benio has talismans which throw her and the… monsters (forget what they are called) into some different dimension. It totally fits with her being a consumate professional type. Why risk casualties if you don’t have to? Also agree with Stilts that if you’re going to have a powerful character, then best to be upfront about it. Benio’s strong, but doesn’t seem to be as strong as Rokuro. Still, close enough for pairing balance. She can handle her own most, if not all, of the time. Then again, Rokuro’s probably screwed if he doesn’t have his talisman (is that thing reusable?).
I disagree with Stilts regarding who saved who. Right before Rokuro steps in, Benio’s mask is shattered, she’s on one knee gasping for breath, injured/bleeding, her charms have worn off, and she’s out of talismans. IMO it’s pretty clear he saved her and it’s setup on purpose that way – standard trope (guy saves girl, girl sees guy much more favorably, romance ensues).
I’m split on the two leads. Benio I liked. She’s a bit too much “all business”, but I’m sure that part will soften up. Other than that, kind of of your cool, quiet, competent type which works for me. Frankly, Rokuro’s kind of annoying to me. He’s a good guy at heart (thwarts bullies) and has a sympathetic past (bit tropish, but whatever), but guy just rubs me the wrong way. Don’t hate him, just kind of annoying. Also his shark teeth bug me. Why does he have those? O.o The other characters were ok – struck me as very shounen types (especially the old ones).
In fact, this show/series strikes me as “pure shounen”. Nothing wrong with that and certainly very popular, but not into that as much as I once was. I’m also not the “hopeless romatic”/OTP (one true paring) type. Sometimes I like that, especially if done well, but not a huge draw either. So while I have an overall positive impression and can see why some may like the show/series, I suspect Sousei no Onmyouji ultimately ends up filed under “not my cup of tea”. 3 Episode rule in effect.
Perhaps it’s that I don’t feel like someone who fights that well is someone who gets saved, they just get helped. That’d be getting into semantics, though. Mostly I just think it felt like she still had options (though maybe the talismans being out really is a oh-she’s-totally-screwed moment), so it doesn’t feel like the damsel being saved.
But if you insist, consider it both of ’em saving each other, in different ways. That works for me too.
I thought that she doesn’t look like daimsel in the distress since she doesn’t pleading for any help, it’s just “Shit I screwed up, gotta think something to get out of this predicament.” and then somebody just butted in helping her. Honestly my first impression is that it looks like a kill steal instead lol.
@Stilts: I think this may be an “agree to disagree” situation because for me it doesn’t matter if she (or he – gender irrelevant) is strong. It’s situational, and as I noted, I think its not only clear, but designed to be that he saves her. As you well know, it’s a tried and true trope. However, it didn’t bother me (again, not a gender thing – could be reversed or a guy saves a guy or girl saves girl). IMO it doesn’t detract from Benio. As we both note, clearly she’s a strong, competent exorcist in her own right.
As for “her saving him”, I think you have a point though in that case I think “helped” is the appropriate word. First, it was completely unintentional. Result is still the same, but to some degree I think that counts. She had no clue about his background whatsoever let alone no way she set up that situation on purpose. Second, who’s to say he doesn’t get over his PTSD eventually (therapy even), and go on to lead a normal, but happy life as a non-exorcist. Granted it was his childhood dream, but not everyone realizes theirs. Yet, they still go on to live happy lives. I’m NOT suggesting that Rokuro didn’t benefit from what happened. I’m sure he did – also something I think is clearly planned out, but for those reasons I think “saved” is too strong.
Minor point/question: Wondering if you (or anyone else) thought it was kind of convenient for Rukuro to have his talisman on him given that the show expressly pointed out he was “retired” and wanted nothing to do with being an exorcist? Again, minor point, but something that crossed my mind. The rationale I came up with is that he carries it for emergency situations. Any thoughts?
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@cryarc: She couldn’t defeat the thing when she was powered up and uninjured. No way it’s a “stolen kill” when she’s lost her magic enhancements, is out of talismans, and is injured.
Yeah she may not be able to defeat the enemy but she doesn’t express any need to be helped, she choose to stay even though she know that she probably can’t win and she seems prepared to die trying. Instead of a daimsell she’s looks like more of a warrior.
@daikama
I assume he carried it just in case. For emergencies, yeah, but at least partially because he couldn’t completely give up on his old dream.
This talisman actually should be explain during the fight scene, but probably due to time constraint, they may add it later on. Not really important since we will get confirmation anyway, just some small flashbacks, that’s all
@Stilts: That’s a good point. He might have carried it for both reasons, including not fully giving up on his dreams (even if perhaps subconsciously). Didn’t consider that.
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@cryarc: Well, maybe she could have escaped. Again, she’s in bad shape and no longer magically powered up (i.e. super speed), etc. I agree that clearly Benio’s not the typical damsel in distress (i.e. does nothing but shout “save me”) and definitely a warrior, but even if she decided upon a “warrior’s death”/die trying, he still saves her life – right? JMO. Clearly people have differing views on the matter.
Meh: Reply fail -> Supposed to be under above post.
Not a bad start, at least from my perspective as a manga reader. It’ll be interesting to see what Pierrot does here, considering they haven’t done all that much battle shonen since Bleach ended.
Man, it was a blast to see Benio thoroughly casting various types of spells and runes – the body enhancement one in particular (those motifs that appear all over her body, holy crap!) looked very badass – all while maneuvering over those pesky monsters. Not to mention her agility and general versatility. Her background is also interesting, she gives an air of sheltered princess with elite upbringing. Too bad that she got beat by a dude who’s only got an enlarged arm and forced dark past.
Benio is best girl. Btw, the dark past thingy makes sense, at least for me anyway. If you haven’t read the manga, don’t make assumption that it is forced.
I found this show to be pretty fun as well, to be honest. I like its two leads, the monsters and the world they inhabit were actually somewhat intimidating (rather than cartoony, which is what a lot of these shows suffer from) and the action was pretty cool. It reminds me more of ye olde shows like Shakugan no Shana over the generic action-fantasy stuff nowadays as well, which is a good thing in my book.
I doubt it’ll be a top-tier show (stuff like Hero Academia outranks it this season), but it doesn’t have to do much to keep me watching either. Just some good popcorn entertainment to watch every week, I can get on board with that.
As for coverage, I’d say it’s too early to tell in general. No show this season has completely blown me out of the water yet, so the 3-episode rule applies to quite a lot of them (far more than usual, really).
You and I are clearly kindred spirits.
It would be cool to see this covered, but according to reddit it’s set for 4 cours and won’t have enough source material to fill them (Pierrot original content…yay…), so be careful what you sign up for.
Hopeless romantic buddies! *jumping high-five!*
Oh gods really? 4-cour without enough source? Ugh. I’m already slightly worried about the anime original character that was yapping during this episode, but ugh. Just ugh. Throttling back the hype precipitously…
We still not sure if the voice during the train is actually original character as it can be the old lady at the beginning and there are many opportunities for original contents imo. Long adaptation is the only way to properly adapt this, the first episode doesn’t even finish the first chapter. The chapter is also lengthy with nearly 50 pages each, and progression is relatively quick. Therefore, I’m not too worry.
They will be together, don’t worry. No one ever gets a chance to get between them, not even Mayura :] Benio is best girl, she stands no chance
There’s enough for the first double-cour at least, since this was just one chapter and all chapters are about this long, so they’ll probably just opt for a long break between 24 and 25. Not too worried yet.
Isn’t it a bit early for any studio to announce that? They have no way of knowing how well the BD/DVDs will sell. I think you’d probably want a more conclusive source for that reason alone..
Not necessarily, though it is unusual in the modern anime era. It used to be far more common, and this studio in particular seems to love long-running shounen.
I read some of the manga, and I liked the faithful adaptation. And it is as Stilts said. The main selling point is Rokuro, Benio and their relationship. I loved that the events were centered around the 2 of them, helping them develop further. IMO Rokuro didn’t strike me as annoying. More like desperate to escape from his past. And so, because he was most likely a brat since the beginning, brattiness is the only way he knows for his rush to assimilate into normal society, albeit with utter failure (it’s only been 2 years since the Hiinatsuki tragedy, and he’s only 14 years old). But even though his bratty quirkiness is an opportunity for some comedy, it isn’t the meat of what makes me like him.
Other than that, the animation could use some improvement IMO.
I’ll watch this though too see how it tells their story. It feel it’s gonna be really cool. It would be cool to see this covered.
P.S.: With the way Pierrot recreated Magano in anime form, I couldn’t help but to be reminded a lot of Limbo from DmC: Devil may cry. Same color palette and similar twisted monstrosities. In this world, you could go all out.
Then again, I’m perfectly fine whether it gets covered or not. I wouldn’t want you to overwork yourselves.
This episode reminds me so much of that one episode in Gundam Wing, where I would say the exact same situation happened! The similarities are striking!
It’s a do or die situation, a group of guerillas are being attacked by the strong enemy and they’re getting wiped out.
Wufei was angsting about how he couldn’t save someone (many someones) in the past because he was a chicken, not strong enough, feeling down about himself due to tragic past. He refused to help the guerillas.
Then a brave woman, Sally comes and she steps forward, even though she’s weaker but very brave. She takes an anti-air missile and goes to fight the machine mobile suit. Even though she knows she’s not strong enough, she’s gonna die, but she says “Right now it’s more important to heal Wufei’s heart” than for her and her group to die.
So then, something snaps inside Wufei and he gets that kick that makes him jump up and actually save everyone. Because of course, he had a strong Gundam that could fight off the enemy mobile suit and save them from dying. It was just the PTSD and trauma from the past that stopped him from fighting. He felt he wasn’t worthy or strong enough to save anyone.
I see the same thing happening here in this episode. Girl goes to fight big monster, but she’s down to her last. Her armor has fallen off, she’s bleeding and hurt, and doesn’t have enough strength to survive another hit. But she’s ready to go anyway, because it’s more important to be true to herself and protect the others. So then the boy who refused to use his onmyouji powers because of a past trauma where everyone died, sees her bravery and finally gets the kick to get up, and take back his courage and face his fears and defeat the enemy.
You why you said you’re getting rid of all kegare, and you let this happen?
Don’t talk big if you can’t back it up!
Benio becomes a damsel in distress, who requires a charming prince (Rokuro) to achieve her rescue.
Benio makes for a failure of a heroine. Benio escaped from the Magano with his life because Rokuro is there to save their ass and also children, otherwise both Benio as children they would have been killed for fault of Benio’s stupidity and imprudence. And in the end she went so far as a pathetic heroine with his generic fake heroic discourse, thinking that everything was under his control from start to finish and she ended like a retard candidate that do not fulfil their promises. Benio messed up with almost everything she’s done during the episode how (like take advantage of Rakuro’s kindness, spending all the money from his allowance on buying ohagis. and how a thankless and rude person, Benio doesn’t offers a ohagi to Rakuro and when Rokuro asked for a ohagi for Benio she denies him), and to me it’s been more of the same ever since.
To me, the best quote of the episode:
Don’t talk big if you can’t back it up!
Good heroines learn to wipe their own ass. Benio who’s needed help in getting his ass wiped every step of the way thus far makes for a poor heroine.
Ah… the curse of the childhood friend continues in this series.
I’m not too certain about this, as they removed a lot of comedic elements from the story. While not entirely necessary, it helped give a really good first impression on the humor. Some of the jokes removed were:
– His family commenting on how he gave up, or isn’t good on any other profession and that he should just be an exorcist
– Him running away, only for his family to tell him to buy some soy sauce, which he oddly does
– Him jumping into the river, only to realize that he can’t swim, forcing Benehime to rescue him instead.
– Bene giving mean looks at him for being lost
Again, these aren’t major points, but they do add plenty of humor and in my opinion, help add characterization.
https://randomc.net/image/Sousei%20no%20Onmyouji/Sousei%20no%20Onmyouji%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2038.jpg
Another “I want to be hokage” moment…
I think my expectations were a bit high, I mean, I thought something a bit more darker, serious or intelliget, but this is a bit too ordinary. The art is nice, animation too, the OST is just average for not saying generic. The Story sounds a bit interesting, but from what I saw, is poorly developed, I mean, the enemies weren’t even something scary or complicated, they are just there, yup, that, nothing else.
Characters, hmmm, what I can say, the MC seems to have some serious problems, but doesn’t want to face them, by the other hand, the girl, I don’t know is just kind of a generic character in a generic plot.
I really hope to see something better in the next episode, I am a bit disappointed with this episode so I’m giving It a 2/5 for the poor development and script.