Not for the first time, it strikes me that so damn much happens in this series. We’re not even a quarter of the way through, and many of the main cast have not even bowed (though we are getting about one big dog per week lately). And on reflection this is a recurring theme with Mizukami Satoshi. He gets a tremendous amount of content into a series – plot, philosophical debate, character arcs – without them seeming rushed or too busy. Spirit Circle is perhaps the best example in all manga – not a panel is wasted – but it was true even in the anime-original Planet With. It’s just one of his (many) gifts.
That, in roundabout fashion, brings us to Shinsuke. He’s not even the protagonist or main character – it’s true that Sengoku Youko doesn’t have one, per se, but he’s not even first among equals – but he’s got one big-ass arc. In the light novel age of anime many viewers are conditioned to expect characters to hatch fully formed in the first episode – there’s not much patience for development. But that’s not how Mizukami works, and Shinsuke isn’t as simple as any one element of his character so far revealed. He’s got a lot going on, he changes, and as a human (rather than a katawara or Kami) he has to change in a lot in a relatively short span of years. Never a dull moment.
The elder at the rockman village tells the heroes’ party that Shakugan isn’t dead, but in a very deep sleep – albeit one from which they might theoretically never wake. But that doesn’t do much to brighten Shinsuke’s mood. “Seething” would describe it well, and he’s talking to his demon sword more than ever. And now Arabuki (Koyama Tsuyoshi) is talking back. It’s not made entirely clear how much of this conversation is a direct product off Shinsuke’s subconscious, but it certainly seems real to him. The trio have stopped at a village whose guardian, Kagomori (Matsuda Kenichirou – this series is getting a lot of excellent actors for smaller roles) has told them to stay on the far side of the river because of Shinsuke’s dark spirit energy
Turns out that the villagers are paying for Kagomori’s services – a human sacrifice every four years. They seem to consider this a good bargain (unless you’re the villager being sacrificed) – even Tama calls it a fair deal – but Shinsuke is in no mood to let that lie. He’s so pissed that her illusions don’t even faze him, and he sets off to dispense some vigilante justice whether the villagers want it or not. He calls out Kagomori in the forest outside town, but before he can even engage the katawara Resshin shows up and runs Kagomori through (he’s a very stabby sort of guy to be sure).
Confronted with the object of all his rage, Shakugan’s killer, Shinsuke seems about to draw Arabuki – but he draws his non-magical sword instead. Rage can only get you so far and he’s no match for Resshin, modified human that he is. It seems as if there’s no choice but to turn himself over to Arabuki now – so the inner voice is telling him anyway – but in the end Shinsuke refuses to surrender himself to the blade and clearly catches Resshin off-guard. Cutting off an arm is only a temporary upper hand (pun intended) but a very satisfying uppercut has more staying power. As if that weren’t enough, with his dying breath Kagomori staggers to his feet and puts the Dangaisyuu down for a ten-count.
That’s enough for Yazen, who appears in shikigami form and orders Resshin to stand down and return to base. This is not over, and if that weren’t clear enough the mortal enemies exchange their real names – Shinsuke is Takekichi (a farmer’s name) and Resshin is Barry Zalmoa (perhaps explaining his love of English). In any event the trio can’t stick around – Kagomori is dead and the villagers will blame Shinsuke for it (and indirectly, they’d be right). Tama insists on knowing just what Shinsuke is looking for at this point in their journey – do their paths still overlap, or not? You have to feel for Tama – she has to be the one to keep a clear hear and do all the thinking.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but one thing is clear from Shinsuke’s reaction to all this – for him “strong” and “free” are interchangeable concepts. Strength means freedom, and weakness death – a sort of freedom in itself, but not the freedom that seems to be Shinsuke’s true objective. It’s a simplistic way of looking at the world to be sure, a world that will surely put that view to the test. For the moment, Shinsuke remains with the siblings as they do share an overarching goal – and that goal takes them into the path of two tengu guarding a pass between cliffs. Almost immediately their boss shows up – a pretty horned lady (Takagaki Ayahi) who introduces herself as an ally against the Dangaisyuu and invites them to follow her.
This lady is clearly powerful to have giant tengu at her beck and call, Tama is sure of that. She declares that she’s a Mountain God, and that the dragon man is hot on their tails but that she’ll take them somewhere he can’t reach. Yama no Kami seems untroubled by Jinka’s concern over the safety of her tengu when Jinun arrives, and indeed Jinun doesn’t lay a finger on them when they refuse him passage. However Senya sets his knapsack down and makes short work of the pair of them – it certainly wasn’t anything you could even call a fight. Meanwhile the Goddess and trio (she’s noted that Jinka has “fairy eyes”) settle down for what seems likely to be a very substantive conversation…
Raikou
March 1, 2024 at 10:09 amJinun caught up to them pretty fast. Seems like that lady is the key to make the group could fend off Jinun, or maybe something else.
Nicc
March 2, 2024 at 7:46 amShinsuke is mad as hell and he’s not going to take this anymore… Yep, he’s definitely changed. The dark circles under his eyes shows that he hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep either and that probably contributes to his current attitude. There is some good news and bad news regarding the current state of Shakugan according to the elder. The good news is that they aren’t dead and is in some kind of comatose state. The bad news is that they may never get out of it or that Shinsuke will be long dead when they do wake up (Between 100 and 1,000 years is a large ballpark). He’s also talking more to Arabuki too, though you’re right about how much of it is just a projection of his thoughts.
They head on over the next village and meet its guardian, a katawara named Kagomori. They are allowed to enter the village, but to stay on the other side of the river because of the bad energy that’s coming from Shinsuke. From there they overhear a conversation about somebody who’s about to be sacrificed. Kagamori is protecting the village at a cost; a sacrifice every four years. Kagamori seems to at least be doing as promised unlike Guragura from earlier on. Tama remarks that it’s a fair deal, and it is probably is considering the era. That could be why Tama didn’t show the same gusto about dealing with Kagamori, but then again both her and Jinka were subdued throughout the episode. However, Shinsuke isn’t having any of it as a sacrifice is still a sacrifice and he heads out on his own to do something about it. They’re giving him space, but I’m pretty sure that they were watching from a distance.
He calls out Kagamori while in the forest and, yep, Resshin shows up and kills it first. It’s another stab through the back, which seems to be his preferred move. It seems that he shook off Douren and so he can now get as stabby as he likes. Right, Shinsuke draws his normal sword first, but that doesn’t work. Arabuki now seems eager to take control of Shinsuke, but he’s in no mood to take sh*t from anybody, not even from a demonic sword. He’s able to draw out the sword successfully for the first time and gets a piece of Resshin. His swordplay with Arabuki is still insufficient and so he lets his fists do the talking and is more successful that way. Also, Kagamori isn’t out of the fight yet and puts one final blow on Resshin with its dying breath. Just when it looks like Shinsuke is about to finish off the prone Resshin, the memories of Shakugan hold him back. That’s when Yazen shows up again and orders Resshin to stand down and head back to base. He’s not happy about it and there’s going to be at least a Round 2 sometime in the future. That’s also when they exchange their real names. Shinsuke is actually Takekichi and Resshin is actually Barry Zalmoa (Along with Barry Zito and Barry Zuckerkorn, we’ve got ourselves a Barry Z. trio). Kagamori didn’t die by his hands and Resshin is still around and so it’s no surprise that Shinsuke is still frustrated as he leaves the village. That Jinka and Tama were waiting at the entrance shows that they knew what was going on and it’s time to go before the villagers turn on them. However, there are at least two people who are thankful.
Right, he even says to himself that he doesn’t know what he wants after that entire encounter, which includes that last rant against the villager just before the group leaves. Tama wants to know what Shinsuke is going to do next and he insists on still tagging along. I don’t think that Jinka and Shinsuke really were going to throw down, but perhaps Jinka is a little impressed that Shinsuke has got some brass now. The group moves on their next destination which takes them towards the mountains where they are greeted by a pair of tengu and then somebody who introduces herself as the Mountain Goddess. We got 2 pairs of real names already, but we’re not getting a 3rd one in this episode. Indeed, she tells them Jinun is hot on their trail. It makes sense to send in the ace now that 3 of the Four Beast Generals have failed in their objective. Still, she says that she’s going to take them to where Jinun can’t find them. If all of those crystal structures in the cave were arranged differently, it could have resembled the Fortress of Solitude. It’s just in time too as Jinun and Senya have already made it to the entrance to where the tengu are. Jinun sits this one out as the lad defeats the tengu almost instantly. I’m guessing that we’ll be getting a lore-heavy episode next week.
Abs
March 2, 2024 at 6:04 pmWow I would never have thought to check out this show if you weren’t blogging it! Thanks Enzo!
Guardian Enzo
March 2, 2024 at 6:36 pmI does what I does.
Lurk-chan
March 7, 2024 at 12:14 pmLoving it.
Shinsuke has easily become my favorite character so far ( besides Shaku ;_; ), and I am excited to see where his path will take him. I am also glad he finally manages to stand up to Jinka (who is acting a bit too edgy for my tastes lol).
Great series!