Forum - View topicBasilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls (TV)
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Harleyquin
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#14
Even an adult Hachirou can't defeat Joujin in a one-on-one duel. For a monk, he's ludicrously good at fighting. Then again anyone who's is or used to be part of Tenkai's entourage would be a genius at something or another. It's clear Joujin wants the power of the paradox for himself so he needs both of them alive. He's even sure about how much control they can acquire over its destructive power to afford them time to stay free for the time being. The question is why bother with the cannon castle and Nobunaga as well when all he wants is the power of the bloodline? It's a small victory, but the protagonists have finally found a weakness in one of Joujin's underlings (specifically Suzaku). If it comes down to actually killing him it's probably not something they can exploit especially if Suzaku is working together with one of his colleagues, but it's a start since none of the Five have shown themselves to be anything other than invincible to date. Next arc starts next episode, so time to see what Joujin will do now that his plan has hit a little setback. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#15
Considering what powers the Joujin five have, it's not surprising Gorone was wary about the castle not being burnt to the ground. Most likely the time-stop tower ability stopped the castle from burning and then transported it to the timeless dimension. Although the protagonists earned a small victory for themselves last week, losing Shichigen to the control of the Five is a blow. His ability is lethal against the Iga ladies while his insect swarm at full pelt can stop the remaining men. If Hibiki's ability is enhanced, it appears it saps the fighting spirits AND consciousness of those who are entranced by it. It won't get an instant kill like Hachirou's ability but it's more than enough to allow an escape. The glass find was a bonus, but just scarring Tsuibamu with the Sakura branch feels like a bit of a lost opportunity. It's quite a stylish way to counter what has been an invincible ability when activated, but it's not always possible and none of the protagonists have a ready-made counter against the skill. Smashing the hourglass is probably the safest way, but even Tsuibamu doesn't know what happens when all the sand in his hourglass is unleashed. Next week the remaining members go after the Five in their stronghold for keeps. It looks like the mirror is the next obstacle to overcome. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#16
The castle has changed its design since it last appeared. I suppose with the infinite amount of time available inside the time-warp provided by the tower ability the Five would have plenty of it to renovate as they saw fit. Land mines and mortars won't stop it now that there aren't vulnerable cannon ports to aim at. The first encounter between Gorone and Namenba lacks context, only that the former has been tasked to work with the latter for years and accepted it. Self-deprecating as Gorone is, it's unclear what the pair of them think of each other aside from mutual respect of each other's abilities. Another method of sealing someone with deadly sight abilities is to rob him of the ability to use it on others. Unless there's someway of breaking the mirror or bypassing the hypnotic ability of the mirror user Yasha Itaru can't be beaten. She's actually one of the weaker members provided there's more than one person around capable of averting the gaze away from the mirror itself. If Rui's background is revealed next week, it leaves Saizou, Hachisu and Gorone as the remaining members with no background exposition. Hibiki is probably being shown yet another illusion via Neichirou's summoning ability, but it's possible both of the siblings' backgrounds after their mysterious birth might be shown. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#17
Somewhat surprisingly, Rui isn't a native Iga and was picked up by Namenba on her travels after the Osaka siege. Although they've known each other for a long time, the fact that the former isn't a native Iga might explain why she's not as fixated on the ninja traditions as the other two are, what with the idea in earlier episodes of living the quiet life running the roadside tea house. On the other hand, if she really took on Shichigen in a no-holds-barred duel using both of their powers, she'd win because of her orientation. I think I know what Gorone is doing and where he got his inspiration from. What's commendable is his ability to fool everyone about his indolent nature when he's spent years working on his invention in complete secrecy. There are a few events running simultaneously at present, but I'm expecting most of them to converge over the next few weeks. Unfortunately a big climatic clash between the two factions is a little way off since the actors still have to assemble on stage. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#19
Saizou is unlucky that his real eye got caught in the spell of the mirror. He picked up the hint from Neirichiou about not letting an illusion influence the mind, but getting his own eye caught in the mirror proves to be decisive. It's not a bad way to show off his background though. His trick isn't a ninja one at all, but one from a bloodline of gamblers. I can see why he's fond of games requiring planning, since he's been trained to do something along the same lines since he could recognise numbers. If that's his final gesture, it's nice of him to try and give Utsutsu something nice to dream about rather than the hell she's had to relive over and over again. Speaking of the mirror, it looks like Yasha Itaru alone is enough to finish off the remaining party members. Kouga Hachirou would not have walked into the castle without telling his compatriots what to do and they'd certainly have remembered Hataebou's lecture on what the Five are capable of. By the looks of it, Hibiki's been brainwashed by a combination of Neirichiou and Yasha Itaru's abilities. Considering how different this is from what their mother was like, most likely it's what the Five are projecting onto Hibiki in order to get what Joujin has been aiming for. Ironic how the original plan of the two clans to get the two siblings to couple with each other is being used again by Joujin, albeit for a very different purpose. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#21
I've always wondered why it's almost always Namenba who narrates the trailer for the next week's episode and with this episode I think I've found an answer which I hope to see proven or disproven before the series ends. When Hachirou asked his companions to die for him, they certainly didn't hesitate to give them up in exchange for taking out the Five before they departed the scene. Neichirou's secret technique makes him almost immortal, but Rui, Utsutsu and Shichigen effectively did enough to remove what was probably the biggest obstacle remaining since the remaining three have been caught by surprise. Neichirou pays the price for misreading Shichigen, but only three members of the new Ten remain and the numerical advantage they possess isn't really enough to take on the remaining opposition on its own. I wonder what role Oda is going to play in this denouement. Without a vessel he's not really worth much, but the next title probably indicates enough blood was shed to fulfil Joujin's desires. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#22
I certainly didn't see that coming. Just as I'm expecting Joujin to take on the two siblings in combat, he gets backstabbed by a most unlikely source. There was only the one clue about who Kujaku Tsuibamu really was but it's been used to its fullest effect. Ironically despite his inability to best Joujin in combat and techniques, Hachirou is indirectly responsible for killing Joujin and Kujaku Tsuibamu thanks to his duel with the branches in the ruins. Hibiki returning to her senses certainly helps considering she got a serious upgrade thanks to Joujin's manipulation. I wonder if that's going to be enough against the two remaining adversaries. Down to 3 vs 2 but the trailer gives a heavy hint that Kujaku isn't finished with his techniques yet. Two more episodes to go and I'm looking forward to see how this ends. The poem which starts each episode of this adaptation might well turn out to be the fate for all of the ninjas in this series at the rate things are going. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#23
The animators did throw the hint out at the end of last week's episode, but it certainly took a turn for the surreal. Hibiki dropped her only weapon when she regained her senses so outside of her eyes she has no combat ability against armed foes. Not much backstory to Rinne Magoroku, but his ability combined with the halberd has lead to an interesting scenario that wasn't possible by the end of the series as it stood. So all of them fall like the flowers the poem evokes. The only question left is what kind of end the pair will see since those who work in the shadows get no credit from those in the light when the job is done. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2843 |
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#24
Only explanation I can think of for the way the ending panned out was to give a conclusion to a what-if scenario where the two protagonists could take on the Five with the element of surprise. Unsurprisingly once the tables are turned in terms of information, it is still Joujin who proves the final obstacle. He holds a surprising secret as well, but this could only have been the case if a what-if from the preceding work had come to pass. Joujin's final cameo is a bit of a cop-out as well since he should have been finished in Edo. No matter, at least in this work it isn't quite the mass slaughter its predecessor and inspiration ended up. Although the work is written by a different author from the one who originally did Kouga Ninpouchou back in the 1960s, he certainly read all of the other works by the same author and came up with his own homage whilst putting his own spin on historical events like Tokugawa Tadanaga's suicide after his rampage at the holy shrine. I've enjoyed seeing this through despite initial reservations when the work was first announced. |
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