Thunderbolt Fantasy

Episode 9

We return to our heroes in their Cages of Moping. The rest of the ex-merry band (minus Lǐn Xuě Yā) are still hanging around to explain how they totally betrayed them, ha ha. Apparently both Shòu Yún Xiāo (Archer) and Shā Wú Shēng (Assassin) knew that this was all a ploy to steal the Heaven's Retribution Sword, while Xíng Hài (Caster) didn't because she never read the letter – she just finds all this funny. Juǎn Cán Yún (Lancer) also didn't know, and now he's confused because he thought they were supposed to be heroes. In response, Shòu Yún Xiāo reveals that he just fakes his reputation, teaming up with the master thief to make money on the side. Honor is a lie, and every admirable person is hiding some dirty secret. Juǎn Cán Yún is crushed. Why do you always have to do this to lance-wielders, Gen Urobuchi?

With a final “goodbye” and “we don't care about you, so have fun being bird food lol,” these jerks head off to see what Lǐn Xuě Yā is up to. This leaves Shāng Bù Huàn (Hero) and a desolate Dān Fěi (priestess) alone to rot in their cages. Dān Fěi sobs, recanting her previous optimism about human nature, while Shāng Bù Huàn uses unexplained magical powers to blow up the cage. He's like “we'll see about that!” before running off to fix this whole situation, starting with the problem of Lǐn Xuě Yā's head still being attached to his body.

Meanwhile, Miè Tiān Hái (villain) and Lǐn Xuě Yā (vape thief) are having a pleasant dinner. Apparently, Lǐn Xuě Yā planted a fake version of the guard on Dān Fěi ages ago, but when it falls into Miè Tiān Hái's hands, he sees through the ruse immediately. So now Lǐn Xuě Yā is holding the real thing hostage in exchange for fat stacks of cash. Miè Tiān Hái goes along with this, since Lǐn Xuě Yā had the foresight to hide the guard, but the scene is tense. At this point, it's still unknown whether Lǐn Xuě Yā actually wants to protect the world, but I'd say that he's definitely after the entire sword. If not, then why conduct business in the enemy's stronghold and try to pass off a forgery? So far, Lǐn Xuě Yā lives up to his reputation as a master of deception, but I'm confident based on the circumstances that he would not be content with gold. My suspicion is that Lǐn Xuě Yā did not expect two of his safeguards – the forgery and (later) Shā Wú Shēng – to be rapidly eliminated by Miè Tiān Hái, who is now proving more threatening than anticipated.

As their conversation goes on, Miè Tiān Hái goes into his reason for collecting swords – they represent power, as well as the thin line between life and death. So it's a fairly normal reason as far as sword collecting goes. (He leaves out that obvious phallic symbol perk, but the subtext is clear.) Lǐn Xuě Yā listens to him drone on for a while before politely nodding and changing the subject. As a thief, Lǐn Xuě Yā explains that he's after the “ethos of a champion” rather than any one material possession. I'm sure that this vague concept will be expanded on later, but for now, I'm guessing that he's after something like the experiences that can only be had in the pursuit of greatness. In other words, I suspect that he goes after important stuff just because it leads to adventure. At that moment, Shā Wú Shēng barges in, cutting off Lǐn Xuě Yā's exposition. Lǐn Xuě Yā declares that since he didn't technically take the labyrinth to get here, the deal is off, but Shā Wú Shēng doesn't even care any more. Lǐn Xuě Yā is trapped here, so Shā Wú Shēng plans to fight Miè Tiān Hái first, because good god that guy looks awesome and Shā Wú Shēng wants a piece of him. Acknowledging his fellow Fashionista Sword Man, Miè Tiān Hái pulls out his special flying sword (which is apparently not cheating).

In hindsight, the confrontation between these two was inevitable. They're both the same fundamental idea as a character - a nigh-omnipotent blade master who embodies both the unpredictability and inevitability of death. The difference between them is that, while Shā Wú Shēng makes it known that he will chop anyone who looks at him funny in half, Miè Tiān Hái doesn't want to use his skills as a crutch.

The two characters are also differentiated by more subtle shades of meaning. While Shā Wú Shēng is framed as a bringer of death, Miè Tiān Hái is associated more with the concept of death itself. This is also reflected in their names. Shā Wú Shēng means Eradicator of Life – in other words, he's the one who transports others to the state of death. Meanwhile, Miè Tiān Hái's nickname, Bones of Creation, places him directly within the domain of lifelessness. It's kind of like the difference between Charon, the underworld's ferryman, and Hades, the lord of the underworld himself. So, when these two ultimate swordsmen fight, Miè Tiān Hái must triumph. Semiotically, Shā Wú Shēng is merely associated with the concept of death, while Miè Tiān Hái is its epitome.

So Assassin gets impaled by a flying sword and spurts a geyser of blood out of his gaping chest hole. Lǐn Xuě Yā watches on, probably having a great time. With his final breath, Shā Wú Shēng warns the thief lord that death is inescapable, even for him, so he'll be waiting for him at the gates of the underworld. So Lǐn Xuě Yā is like that's rad as hell bro, as Shā Wú Shēng dies in his arms. Then Miè Tiān Hái gives him an honorable funeral, since even the Bones of Creation can't help but respect the guy's commitment to spreading his gospel. The world became a little safer today, but also a lot less fabulous. RIP sexiest sword man.

Afterwards, Lǐn Xuě Yā is taken to his chamber. It's a little hard to tell what emotion we're supposed to read from him throughout all this. The puppets' faces don't move, so characters' feelings are conveyed through their gestures, the voice acting, and the direction. Usually, that's enough to make things clear, but I feel that a little something was left ambiguous throughout this scene. That's also probably intentional – Lǐn Xuě Yā's supposed to be a master at hiding his emotions, and it'd be strange if he betrayed his usual bemused stoicism throughout this entire exchange. But the question remains - does Lǐn Xuě Yā feel anything at Shā Wú Shēng's death? Is it apprehension? Sadness? Or fear, now that he's seen Miè Tiān Hái's true capabilities? Could he have made a mistake in trying to scam him? And can the team's remaining swordsman, Shāng Bù Huàn, take on someone of that caliber?

When Lǐn Xuě Yā gets to his room, he notices that there's a hunk of wood in Shāng Bù Huàn's sheath instead of the sword. That's because Shāng Bù Huàn is standing behind him, sword bared, ready to up and murder him. Uh oh. Looks like Shā Wú Shēng may not have all that long to wait in the afterlife.

Whew, that was a lot of plot. Thunderbolt Fantasy is getting into the thick of it as the narrative reaches its climax. Shāng Bù Huàn's role in this whole thing is still a mystery, but it's near certain that he's Lǐn Xuě Yā's trump card against Miè Tiān Hái, whose apparent power level has just increased dramatically. The situation looks dire, but I trust an Urobuchi schemer to wriggle his way into a clever conclusion – or at least an entertaining one. Like Lǐn Xuě Yā, the exciting thing about Thunderbolt Fantasy is that it still has a few narrative traps left to spring. I can't wait to get caught.

Grade: A

Thunderbolt Fantasy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.