Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「揺れる大地」 (Yureru Daichi)
“Shaking Land”
The most apt way to sum up Tate no Yuusha’s latest affair is arguably a lack of surprise. You thought slicing off big tortoise heads was going to wrap things up that easy? Well, alright maybe, but not in this case. There’s just no fun when the big monster is beaten quickly, especially when the man of the hour has yet to unleash his full potential.
Given how Tate no Yuusha has played out so far in its anime run, some credit has to be given for the visuals we got this time. Sure, they’re nowhere near grade A mouth drool your way to lavish praise, but considering how 3D animation usually plays out, the big beastie here certainly could’ve looked worse. The work at minimum helped reinforce the scale of the threat at hand, showing not only how utterly difficult crushing the Spirit Tortoise is, and also indicating just how far Raphtalia and Filo have come in terms of power and ability, which honestly is pretty damn far. It really isn’t that long since once raccoon was a little fearful of sharp pointy objects and one bird brain ran faster than her thought patterns, but now? They’re a tag team no one wants to get on the wrong side of.
As for Naofumi himself, actions once again speak louder than words. Although Tate no Yuusha retains the general infamy of most to the Shield Hero, it’s quite nice seeing that aspect continue to fade as people are won over through Naofumi’s accomplishments. I’ve always liked this aspect of Tate no Yuusha, as simple stuff like banner waving and showing how many eager recruits the guy is picking up plays out a lot better than infodumps ever could – i.e. show not tell proving its worth yet again. Hell Naofumi himself has even mellowed out a bit as the stakes rise and his own position grows more secure. He might still see himself as the boogieman at times, but compared to what he was before it’s more an act than a true personality. Much like Raphtalia and Filo have come into their own, Naofumi too has found his stride and ensured that what comes next won’t exactly be like what came before.
And as for what comes next? Methinks we won’t have long to find out.
Preview
 |
Looks like someone is competing with Zaiden : )
I was waiting the whole time for the other shoe to fall, with the Turtle revealing another move that totally invalidated their strategy. I didn’t quite get what I expected, since I was sure they wouldn’t be able to decapitate the thing this episode. But of course the arc couldn’t end so soon.
Same here, didn’t think we’d get to this point so quickly, but then again this arc does have a few surprises under its sleeve. Will be curious seeing how quickly those are revealed next.