We get a quick flashback of Hakuoro in his Rak Shine days (but still wearing a mask!), and he has just slaughtered some people in a dark room. He then laughs off several stabbings and proceeds to kill all the guards. This is what happens when you watch too much Gundam series before going to bed. Back in the present, Karura pretty much owns everyone, and Touka advises a retreat. Orikakan agrees, and Hakuoro returns to his palace.
Unfortunately, because of the mobility of the Kuccha Keccha cavalry, and the strength of their Evinkuruga ally, it is very difficult to track down the Kuccha Keccha forces. However, Mukuru is able to find the bridge that forms a chokepoint over the ravine dividing the Kuccha Keccha lands. Touka attempts to defend the bridge, but Karura dominates like Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl; not only does Karura destroy the bridge and take no injury, but she even sneaks in a gokigenyou! Back at the palace, Hakuoro angsts some more, and Eruru assures him that she will always stay by his side.
Wow, this was such a fantastic episode that had something for everyone. Eruru has some amazing self-control, and I cannot believe she has not totally jumped the angsty, sweaty, and shirtless Hakuoro yet. Equally shocking was Hakuoro telling Eruru to say his name >__<… Stay strong Eruru, that Herapetta finally shipped yesterday night.
The other great thing about Utawarerumono is how it highlights all the characters strengths and styles. In contrast to Oboro’s rather limited, but flashy moves, Touka had a very efficient and controlled fighting style. However, even Touka couldn’t match up to the sheer tensai power and speed that Karura possesses. I was cheering on the inside when Karura simply bench-pressed Touka and tossed her back on the bridge. Even the neck gear came in handy not once, but twice. Very, very impressive.
By the way, did anyone else notice that in the 10 second encounter at the bridge, Touka kills two soldiers, but a small portion of Hakuoro’s forces eliminates Touka’s entire platoon? So sad!
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About Kabitzin: One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well-choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns. |
22 Comments
Hakuoro’s army, under tutelage of Benaui, is fast becoming the best trained army in the continent. When you fight so many wars in so short period of time and manage to survive, you can’t help becoming good; if you didn’t improve, you probably would be dead.
Well… Touka was kind of distracted by the sheer number of munchkin units on Hakuoro’s side. :P Still fantasising about Touka whipping out a shotgun…
ADD] Does anybody else get this… ‘Renji’ vibe from Oboro? He’s like, the punching bag for every new Hero Character.
“Hey! We got a new Hero Character! How can we show off his/her moves?”
“Get Oboro to attack him/her impulsively.”
“Alright!”
I mean, this is not the first time an opponent deemed Oboro not worth their time to finish off… I found it particularly amusing when one poster mercilessly posted,
“Oboro used his head more in this episode. How do I know this? Because he was banging his head against a pillar.”
Touka should have pulled out the Nietono no Shana.
Karura will counter with Blutsauger
Touka == Karura > Benawi > Kurou > Oboro
Oboro’s the show’s official punching bag.
We need more Touka/Karura fights though.
yeah oboro sucks. . but we finally know who hakuroro is. . .(no not rock shine)
he’s a PROXY I dub him ERO PROXY!
How did Touka survive?
SHE MUST HAVE FLAPPED HER EARS ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM LOLZ
Not only is Oboro a lousy hero unit, he is also rude, argumentative, ill-tempered and a prima donna. At least his blind sister is cute.
Speaking of which, do you think the Spoiled Little Sisters trio ever play blind tag? And is Yuzuha perpetually “it?”
Yuzuha can process incredible bit of informations from her sense of hearing and smell, so if they play blind folded, she probably will be the one at greatest advantage, if she could move fast enough, which would be hard, given her weak constitution.
Oboro does have his benefits. He is the best choice for scout and stealth expeditions as he and his followers have good enough skills but is more expandable compared to others. In fact, Benawi is the one Hakuoro could least afford to lose, even though he is not the best fighter, for he is the one who trains the army and is the prime military advisor.
The idea of the Imouto Club playing Marco Polo is so wrong, and yet strangely amusing. Would Mukuru get to play too?
Although Benawi is not the best fighter, he has a lot of skills in other areas, and overall he is probably one of the most valuable members of Hakuoro’s entourage. Oboro is only decent because he has Dorii and Gura as his personal Dragoons. You know that if Hakuoro had a cap on his party size, Hakuoro would leave Oboro behind and never level him up.
ROFLCOPTER!
I see that the discussion is seriously degenerating (-_-;) …. anyone had the feeling this ep was kinda too short?
(and yeah, I admit the thought of Touka flapping her ears blazed trough my mind also ^^)
They should make an “ad interim” ep with an herapetta party for poor Eruru. And also the tiger grrl should join in. Those lousy harem leaders….
I think Touka should be the Chiyo-chan of Utawarerumono
“How did Touka survive?
SHE MUST HAVE FLAPPED HER EARS ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM LOLZ”
;,; OTL ;,;
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As expected, there has been a furore by the gamers that the anime has deviated too much from the source material. :P
Link to a post that contains a translation of the game’s version of the Touka-Bridge confrontation.
Personally, I like it that the producers chose to present the anime in a more serious tone.
I mean sure, I like comedy as well, but I feel Utawarerumono would not be as well received now if it had followed its’ source material to a fault.
Cheers.
Did any one think the way Hakuoro/Rak Shine killed that last soldier in the beginning was odd? He killed him in a manner similar to the way one tests whether or not a roast is ready to eat. “Stick a sword in him, he’s done.”
He was enjoying the kill.
Found this cute YouTube clip of a fandub of Utawarerumono, in German. The voices are pretty competent, but I question their choice of Eruruu’s FanVoice(FV). It lacked… enthusiasm, as though the FV was being forced to do it.
Hakuoro sounded more playboyish, and Teoru was fun.
Re: Skane
There is no damn furor. Stop exaggerating and spreading lies.
Believe what you will.
That ten second encounter was highly uneven. Hakuoro’s side had like 7 or so hero class units whereas Touka only had herself. Everyone knows that unnamed soldiers are just unharvested exp
Further thoughts on Spoiled Sisters Trio:
Yuzuha will always be “it.”
Aruruu will always be the one who gets tagged.
Kamyu will never get tagged because she can cheat by flying.
I doubt they would allow Mukuru to join due to extremely keen senses, and who would want to get tagged by a tiger the probably weighs several tons?
>>SHE MUST HAVE FLAPPED HER EARS ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM LOLZ
Read this before catching the ep and I thought I heard flapping sounds when Touka went down.. orz
For all would-be Oboros–the Oboro Aptitude Test:
http://sundrygoodness.blogspot.com/2006/07/oboro-aptitude-test.html