If Sengoku Youko had to turn out to be a split cour, a summer premiere is at least the best we could have hoped for. And indeed that’s what we’re getting (it’s not confirmed whether the rest of the series’ two cours will be split, though the consensus is they won’t be). Having come of age as a fan in the era when shows like Sengoku Youko were far more common, multi-cour anime was the norm and split cours almost unheard of. So maybe I’m spoiled. The production committee system has taxed studio capacity far more than it ever was in those days, and if this is what it takes for Sengoku to get the adaptation it – and Mizukami Satoshi – deserve, then so be it. If there’s one think Mizukami fans have plenty of practice at, it’s waiting.
Still, that, as Mr. Petty said, is the hardest part. And that’s because as good as this cour was, Sengoku Youko really hasn’t started yet. This was the prologue, now we can begin the real series. But summer will need great anime too, and this will certainly be that. And the topic at hand is the prologue, because it does deserve some praise in its own right. It may be out of alignment with the general anime fan zeitgeist in 2024, but it’s a classic of a type of anime we just don’t see much anymore. And it’s the first time a Mizukami work has ever been properly adapted. That alone ensures that “Yo Naoshi Kyoudai-hen” will always have a special place in my heart.
The finale is something of a melee, as Episode 12 was, but the main focus here is on Yazen’s battle with Jinka. And while no one could argue that Jinka’s eventual fate was anything but mostly self-inflicted, Yazen being as tough as he is was undeniably a big part of the problem. Nine tails beats seven where spiritual power is concerned, and ultimately both these guys are the same thing here – spiritually enhanced humans. But Yazen has Kuzunoha in his corner, and she’s been around a few more corners than her daughter to say the least. One gets the idea that the mother-daughter bond here isn’t exactly close.
Whether Tama likes it or not (not), the aburaage really didn’t fall far from the tree. Each of them loves a human desperate to become more powerful. Tama couches her love in terms of loving the entire human race, but when cornered by Kuzunoha it’s Genzou whose name she drops – the human man who raised her (and Jinka’s father). A katawara raised by a human in love with a human raised by a katawara – it’s a tale as old as time. Tama maintained her love for both races, while Jinka harbored a deep resentment towards humans. As such he always strove to become a katawara, while Tama never longed to become human.
Any way you look at is, Jinka feasting on Taizan’s flesh in order to raise his spiritual power was a very bad idea. In doing so he unleashed something he lacked the power to contain. And wily old Yazen, in goading him on, accelerated its unleashing (but he was really only concerned with making his escape – along with his lover). Sure, Jinka got his two additional tails and (briefly) gained the upper hand against Yazen. But that old bastard knows every trick in the book and a bunch that aren’t, psychological and otherwise. If Shinsuke hadn’t intervened things would have gone worse for Jinka a lot sooner.
This is such a revolting development that even the Mountain Goddess is in no mood to stick around and deal with it. She just wants to get Rinzu out of there before Jinka fully transforms and “strips all life from this land”. And there’s someone else with a vested interest here too – those same hooded figures we saw last week, who intentionally or otherwise threw the Douren fight in Jinka’s favor. Jinka still has those willing to stand by his side even as he descends into madness – Shinsuke and Tama, and Rinzu would have too if not crowed away by Yama no Kami. But when Tama transforms into an enhanced version of her katawara form, it’s clear to her that all she can do is stay by his side. She can’t bring him back.
Sadly, Rinzu – with all the good intentions in the world – deprives her even of that when she uses soul calling to spirit Tama and Shinsuke away from the scene. But not before Tama pledges herself to Jinka eternally, whatever he’s become. She does love him, to be sure (that whole sibling thing never really fooled anybody). But he’s lost to her now, and even to Yama no Kami, whose shikigami at the scene are destroyed and who loses all sight of Jinka. Even a Goddess is in terror of what that is, and indeed only one might someday be strong enough to stop Jinka from bringing death and darkness to the world – one who the Goddess has the power to set free to resume his own journey…
The lessons of this denouement are pretty clear. The pursuit of power for its own sake doesn’t lead to anything remotely good. The game just escalates because there’s always somebody stronger out there – whether you’re just taking baby steps like Shinsuke, or a master of puppets like Yazen. They’ve all paid a price for it, and others will be the ones who have to try and pick up the pieces. But then, no one is perfect – we all make mistakes, often doozies. The real test is whether one is capable of learning and growing from them.
Snowball
April 4, 2024 at 11:09 pmAs tragic as that season finale was, I can’t say I pity Jinka, he reaped what he sowed. Shinsuke has been a surprising MVP throughout the series. I’m really hyped by the promotional material for the next arc, the artwork is gorgeous. Bring on summer!
Vance
April 5, 2024 at 8:28 amGuardian Enzo, do you know whether Douren died? I liked his character, but I fear he died when Jinka nuked the area after Soul Calling was used on Tama.
Guardian Enzo
April 5, 2024 at 9:29 amWell, of course I can’t comment on events that will happen later. If you aren’t keen to wait for the anime (which it looks like will run two straight cours starting in July) there’s always reading the manga.
Raikou
April 5, 2024 at 10:48 amThat was a strong ending to the first arc. So…Senya’s the new protagonist? Interesting.
Hoping Shinsuke would be more relevant later.
I thought someone’s gonna die on this episode.
Those hooded figures…I suspect they’re some kind of higher beings.
I can’t wait for July.
Nicc
April 6, 2024 at 7:48 amWell, this finale certainly gave us a lot to chew on until it returns in July. It’s a pretty long wait, it should be worth it. The last series that I can remember which was split like this was “Ushio to Tora”. The 1st season had two consecutive cours and the final season with one. It sounds like this one could be split like that, but in reverse. If that is the case, maybe it works better for the narrative flow to be split that way.
In the meantime, this episode was packed and set up a lot of things for the sequel. Escaping proves to be difficult for Yazen and Kuzunoha as the Mountain Goddess isn’t about to let them get away. She has an attack which uses trees like missiles. But, as you said, Yazen is quite resilient himself. He may not like getting his hands dirty, but still proves to be adept at fighting. It’s not a touching family reunion for Kuzunoha and Tama, who doesn’t even address her as “mom”. Indeed, they’re both in love with a human man, though doing so differently. Kuzunoha wants to become human while Tama does not.
Then, there’s Jinka and Yazen. Yazen has nine tails, which gives him the advantage over Jinka with just seven. Jinka kept on talking about how he’s willing to go beyond his limits, which soon becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Right, what eventually happens to him is mostly self-inflicted. What’s a good way to get a power up? Well, how about taking a few bites out of a god (Taizan has had a bad day too. He got beaten up by the Mountain Goddess, some katawara took a few bites out of him and then no doubt some of its power got absorbed when Jinka transformed and powered up)? And, just like that, he’s got nine tails and is now on the same level as Yazen, at least in terms of spirit energy. But maybe he should have picked his brain again because as he gains more power, he’s losing more up there. Yazen’s intention is still to escape and creating an illusion to look like Jinka killed Tama seems to do the trick. The real Jinka is buried inside himself as a monstrous self takes over.
Shinsuke decides to step in as Rinzu tries to find where Tama went off too. Yazen’s plan to get Jinka to head towards the Mountain Goddess seems to be working and that’s when Shinsuke manages to land a a blow on Yazen. Shinsuke himself takes a hit too and falls towards the ground. Tragically, it still doesn’t help Jinka as he loses whatever shreds of sanity he has left and goes through a transformation. He gained too much power too quickly and lost control of it.
Forget about the nine tails, he seems to have sprouted at least several dozen new ones. The Mountain Goddess isn’t going to stick around to watch the destructive transformation and decides to retreat. Yep, the hooded figures show up again and it looks like the reveal on who they are is going to be saved for the next cour. Tama gets a portion of that powerup from Jinka and it’s enough to instantly age her up to her adult form. It seems that whatever Jinka has become (Or will become), he’s no longer human. It may not have been the best time for a love confession, but she lets the Jinka that it still inside that she’ll always be there. The others are pulled away from what will become ground zero.
He lets out a huge explosion of energy and that got me wondering if Kuzunoha, Yazen and Douren got caught up on that blast. It would be a shame if Douren went out like this, though. Yazen is a slippery fellow and I can see managing to escape. But, I wonder if there’s really anywhere on the planet where he could run or hide. I’m thinking that a part of Jinka still seeks to hunt him down and Yazen is in no way able to deal with what Jinka has become. Speaking of that, the Mountain Goddess believes that he will become a blight upon the world. So, she’s going to fight fire with fire. If you are dealing with someone with a thousand tails, then how about countering it with somebody with a thousand katawara souls in their body?
The promo images for the next season features Senya and so it looks like he’ll take the mantle of the protagonist in the next cour. In the meantime, the group has been shattered. Jinka could be anywhere and even the eyes of a goddess can’t find him. Tama goes on alone to find him and to bring him back. I wonder what’s going to happen with Shinsuke now because he’s going to find that Jink and Tama are now gone when he wakes up. I can’t really picture a team up with Rinzu and I have to wonder if Shinsuke may become part of the Mountain Goddess’ plans on how to stop Jinka. Well, we’ll just have to wait for a few months to find that out and more. Thanks for your coverage for this first cour and I know that I have at least one show penciled in for the Summer 2024 season.