Forum - View topicHell's Paradise (TV) (w/ index).
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5000 |
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Yeah, that is true, remember that nier anime?
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Edjwald
 Posts: 3510 |
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Akkk! I've been busy and haven't been keeping up lately. I had no idea the show was getting delayed. Thank God we've got Yamada 999 to pick up the slack....
(Ducking and Running) |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 25599 |
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Oh, so we got a wisenheimer in the building...
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Harleyquin
Posts: 3443 |
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#9
Two weeks from the previous episode felt much longer than it should have, but we're back with another episode. Plenty to enjoy and ponder as well. Gabimaru broke one of his master's rules when he went off on his own: never fight an enemy you have no prior knowledge about. He did it previously when they were initially surrounded earlier in the island, but this time he should have heeded the advice as he was clearly outmatched. It shows how much stronger Gabimaru is compared to Tenza and baseline humans, but without a way to nullify the Tensen regeneration he has no way of winning no matter how much damage he dishes out. The action scenes ranged from very solid to quite comical (most notably the part where the pair are throwing high-speed punches at each other, a cheaper animation trick compared to the more elaborate set pieces). Gabimaru DID do enough to force Zhujin to deploy what appears to be the Tensen's ultimate move, the Kishigai form. However, it seems to rapidly age them as a side effect of consuming so much "Tao". Not enough to kill them, so something has to be done as it appears one of Gabimaru's blows DID have a noticeable effect at stunning his opponent. Mei bailing out Gabimaru is a surprise, but not unexpected. Thanks to his compliment two episodes ago about not worrying about appearances, she's definitely in his corner. She is known by name to the Tensen who fought Gabimaru, so there's history between her and the Immortal Seven. She can manifest powers of her own, but probably not to the same extent as the gender-fluid immortals. Houko's revelation about the village and its inhabitants is also a bombshell, but in different ways. Houko is most likely the last of his kind, as all of his kin are now trees who can do nothing but pray to their gods. He too will join them, so his time with Mei is short. He certainly cares for her, or he would not make the effort to journey through the mist with assistance from the remaining three visitors. Gantetsusai did intend to finish off all of his competitors if he met them, so Gabimaru in his current state has no luck meeting up with a hostile competitor. He doesn't even have Sagiri with him, so if Gantetsusai with his one arm is stronger than Tenza he's going to be in trouble because of his current condition. On the other hand, if the other three can meet up with Gantetsusai and Fuchi they can bring the latter up to speed on what's going on and hopefully bring him onside. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3510 |
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Hmmm. I really thought that fire might be the way to go with the tensen thingies. Kind of like Hercules burning the neck stumps of the hydra. But instead, it looks like they've got some kind of weak spot in their midriff. Like a chakra or something? Maybe that's where their bodies refine the fluid...like the liver detoxifies, or the kidneys filtrate, or whatever? Or maybe there's a yuckie little seedling with teeth and eyes hiding in their gut...
I was also surprised to see that both brothers survived the pit that was supposed to process them into immortal juice. I was expecting the black haired one to escape somehow, but I thought the blonde one we last saw with rolled up eyes was dead already. Don't know what to make of the implication that the hermits were originally one soul that split. I'd be more inclined to think it was cool if they each seemed to represent some personality type. Anyhow, still loving the show. |
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minamikaze
Posts: 382 |
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If you look closely, just before it connects with the Tensen's midriff, Gabimaru's foot seems to have somewhat of a golden glow. Which sort of looked like the power that the Tensen and Mei have. After being hit with it, the Tensen said "Your physical capabilities...You probably don't realize it yourself, but you're probably..." Which made me think that perhaps when the ninja village chief was raising Gabimaru, he might have given him a sip of his elixir: the one that had made the chief impossible to kill. That might also explain how Gabimaru seems to recover from near fatal and what should be debilitating injuries and wounds (not to mention blood loss) with just a few hours of rest. Perhaps, the ninja village chief didn't give Gabimaru a full dose of the elixir, so Gabimaru doesn't regenerate instantly, but instead just eventually completely heals after a while. Which made me wonder if he also has that golden glow power, but doesn't know it and he just used it instinctively when he was desperately trying to think of some way to effectively attack the Tensen.
The older brother's eyes actually opened at the end of the last episode once his younger brother freed him from the vines. The one eye of his that actually has a pupil was not rolled up when he opened his eyes. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3510 |
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Good catches. And the theory about Gabimaru sounds fairly plausible considering how the series started. 
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 09: Gods and People
Summary: Pending Comments: Pending Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 3443 |
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#10
After last week, this is one of the quieter episodes with more conceptual elaboration. This episode also confirms that those familiar with the Chinese mainland's concept of Daoism and immortality will find a lot of this familiar ground being reinterpreted for a Japanese audience. The whole episode focuses on Tao (道), the circulation of Yin and Yang to generate the energy that forms all living things. Mei can manifest these powers, but a side effect of her utilisation appears to be ageing, which grants her the ability of basic speech. She's the worst teacher of those explaining the concept, but what's fun about this episode is the different approaches taken to explaining what is probably the most fundamental concept in this franchise. Mei is trying to explain it in a way a child would who doesn't fully understand what the concept is but knows how to work it, Houko explains it in a way adults can understand, but not necessarily wield it. Shion actually uses the Tao to see despite his blindness, because the Doushi (道士) serving the Tensen sense their surroundings in the exact same way. He could probably teach everyone best, provided he can meet up with Sagiri and the others as Yuzuriha would hope for. Gabimaru actually choosing diplomacy instead of conflict is another sign he's changing for the better. He actually repeated what Sagiri told him way back in episode three, and this course of action (although the most logical given his physical state) is not something he would have done if this happened right after the groups initial landing on the island. Now we know how Sagiri was able to parry Rokurouta's attacks. The 中道 she pursues and her state of mind threading the needle between emotion and logic is exactly what is required to generate Tao. Although it was only temporary, if she can somehow recreate that physical and mental state she'll be capable of much more if she can sustain it. Aza Choubei is an absolute monster. Not only is he physically strong and durable, his ability to adapt better than anyone else amongst the cast actually gives him the instinctual insight into the weakness of the Tensen. 丹田 is indeed just below the navel, and many Chinese martial arts principles expound on generating energy from it. As far as this franchise is concerned, Gabimaru's critical hit on Zhujin coincidentally hit that very spot just before Zhujin transformed. If the Gabimaru trio can meet up with the others and pool their knowledge, they will have the groundwork required to formulate a plan to finally destroy the immortals for good. Although mostly expository, there's some action towards the end and Senta's comedy segment as he shows off his intelligence and how much it makes up for his utter lack of action sequences to date. After last week, just what the animators needed to have a breather and tune the audience in on what's in store. I'm looking forward to the episode when Shion, Gabimaru and Sagiri teams finally reassemble and share their knowledge. I reckon Shion will make the best teacher for what the main cast needs to know, while the Aza brothers will mostly make their own way as the older brother is a fiend and his younger sibling will chop up mundane enemies standing in their way. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5000 |
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In a way it makes sense, instead of finding the enemies' weakpoint they power themselves up in the same way. Whether that will be easy is a another matter entirely though.
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minamikaze
Posts: 382 |
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That the Gabimaru hit that point accidentally makes sense. I was thrown off by the fact that at the moment of impact his foot had the golden glow that seemed to be associated with the use of Tao by Mei and the Tensen (Ju Jin). I guess that could have been just to show that spot was the source of the Tensen's power, but I still think that perhaps his foot glowed because Gabimaru might have used Tao unconsciously in that kick. I guess we'll find out, since I'm sure he is going to have to master the use of Tao at some point.
In the previous episode, Ju Fa seemed to say that Ju Jin's severely advanced aging was due to overusing Tao as well. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3510 |
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It does sound like Gabimaru, the blind swordsman, and the elder Aza brother all use Tao/Chi/Qi/ in different ways, toward different ends. Maybe sword moustache does too for that matter. I kind of like the way that guy's developing by the way. A martial arts version of a muscle head, but he's got his own bottom lines worked out . As far as the midriff/weak point goes, it does sound like the show's leaning toward some chakra influences. That's where the navel and the root chakras are, and they're both pretty key in most Eastern systems as I understand it. By the way, I'm typing this while holding a mountain pose. (Okay, more of a half fetal, couch pilot pose...) |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 3443 |
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This statement brings up two questions with regards to Mei: 1. The punch she threw at Sagiri which Gabimaru parried used Tao, but she didn't age. Defensive globes apparently use much more than simple punches. 2. Unlike Zhujin, she can't drink what the Seven do to regain her youth. I've not seen her change genders either, so if she keeps up her expenditure that's going to accelerate her ageing. Can it be reversed like the others? Gantetsusai's aim is what we here would consider immortality: making a name for oneself in history to such an extent that the memory endures for however long the story remains to be passed down to future generations. Alexander the Great died young, but we still know about him today worldwide because of his achievements. If he does succeed in killing the Seven (obviously with help from the others), he'll have an achievement but not necessarily the fame as the authorities back home won't be too keen on seeing such a tale propagate. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 10: Yin and Yang
Summary: Pending Comments: Pending Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5000 |
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Ya know, being able to learn a new power in a speedy fashion is great and all, but maybe you should not think that you can take on the final boss just like that. That said, the insect bros were taken out, so no more butterflies and centipides I guess. As for the other teams, that one brother is surely to turn into something nasty sooner or later and flower head showing up probably means more death.
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