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Mango Polo
Aug 4, 2007

Serious Frolicking posted:

it is regrettable that shang never really fought anyone particularly impressive, but i guess a bunch of mooks or zombies actually gave him more of a challenge than mr bones would have.

I actually like how it made for a parallel between Shang and Vape. Shang did all the heavy lifting and punching during the journey while Vape smoothly chilled through everything and used sorcerous tricks, but reaching their respective big bad bosses Vape had to break his persona and fight with a sword while Shang breaks all the expectations by wrapping things up with magic like it ain't no big thing.

I think everyone sort of expected Shang to beat the poo poo out of the demon with a big stick and Vape to go pew pew spells!, but they didn't and it worked really well.

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Turin Turambar
Jun 5, 2011



Anime of the year?

That was really good. More people should have watched this.

drilldo squirt
Aug 18, 2006

a beautiful, soft meat sack
Clapping Larry

Kaptain posted:

That was the best kind of anti-climax. The fact that Shang already owns 36 35 of the macguffin explains his disinterest of the show wuxia plot. He's already tired of this poo poo.


It was great, the whole show is great.

Lestaki
Nov 6, 2009
Show was great. I'm sad my boy Juan didn't get to do more but he got the girl which is the best kind of winning I guess.

Kei Gai presumably just leaves after the demon god is banished? It seems too much to ask that she'd die in the explosion when it was summoned.

I was pleased that Enigmatic Gale exploded into genuine frustration after he got screwed out of his 'treasure' by sheer spite. After twelve straight episodes of smug dickery it was fun to see him break character for a moment.

CrashScreen
Nov 11, 2012

This show is easily among one of my favourites at this point. It continued to one-up itself and I loved every moment of it. It was such a blast and I'm super stoked that there's going to be a second season.

Lestaki posted:

I was pleased that Enigmatic Gale exploded into genuine frustration after he got screwed out of his 'treasure' by sheer spite. After twelve straight episodes of smug dickery it was fun to see him break character for a moment.

There were a lot of aspects about him that were great and this was one of them. Shang was still the best though.

Torquemadras
Jun 3, 2013

Well, those were some badass fights. Shang's final move is just ridiculously metal. "I can't kill you, so how about SENDING YOU INTO SPACE"

Still, I'm disappointed. I'm glad there's another season coming, because it's incredibly well-made, the fights are amazing, the main characters are great fun. But how it all resolves is kinda lame...


Demon Lady kinda vanishes from the show. Was she destroyed in the explosion? Is she gonna come back? Kinda unclear. I don't really care for her, but this seems like an odd thing to just... skip.

It's weird how CONVENIENTLY everything ends. Oh, Enigmatic Gale? Turns out to be an ultra-powerful swordsman who could've beaten the villain directly anytime. Demon God is on the loose? Turns out Shang has 36 all-purpose plot resolvers on his person. It feels like a deliberate anti-climax - less of a fun reveal, more like an asspull to make a point. I like what the show seems to say with both of these reveals, but it rings hollow to me when they just erase the conflict from the story.

Also kinda disappointed with Juan and Shrine Girl. They spend the entire show doing okay against mooks, then losing, furthering the villain's plan somehow, then claiming they learned something from it. I expected more closure... Juan defies his sworn brother, his most important act in the story... And that's it, it accomplishes nothing, but I guess he taught Shrine Girl the value of retreating??? And Shrine Girl... uuuuuh... Her arc concluded with her recognizing that she doesn't have to rush into blind revenge... And then everything resolves without her anyway, soooo... Good job being a literal tool to Lin? I also think that, while Impaler is a dick who deserves a dishonorable death, it's lame how Juan isn't in any way involved, or reacts to it. Man.
It's weird. It feels like two characters way in over their heads who get pushed around and ultimately eclipsed by those who matter. Which might be the point, but not a very satisfying one for me... Who knows, maybe their plot isn't finished quite yet. Wouldn't bet on that, though.


In short: super stylish, the two main dudes are incredibly fun and well-written, the plot is a fun and tense affair until it manages to both have a grand spectacle and still fizzle out into irrelevance.
And turns out Shang isn't any reincarnated demon god or whatever, just a badass normal dude with convenient ultra swords at his disposal. Yeah, I like that more than the demon god theory, to be honest.

B+, will definitely watch sequel

Torquemadras fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Oct 1, 2016

Pewdiepie
Oct 31, 2010

Lestaki posted:

Show was great. I'm sad my boy Juan didn't get to do more but he got the girl which is the best kind of winning I guess.

Kei Gai presumably just leaves after the demon god is banished? It seems too much to ask that she'd die in the explosion when it was summoned.

I was pleased that Enigmatic Gale exploded into genuine frustration after he got screwed out of his 'treasure' by sheer spite. After twelve straight episodes of smug dickery it was fun to see him break character for a moment.

I got the impression the demon lady got absorbed into the demon god somehow. I felt like they had the same voice.

Sendo
Jul 26, 2011

Pewdiepie posted:

I got the impression the demon lady got absorbed into the demon god somehow. I felt like they had the same voice.

Definitely got this impression also.

Felt the episode was a huge anti climax in general till the reveal of a second season, now I'm excited for Shang and Vape Wizards future adventures.

Cialis Railman
Apr 20, 2007

Kaptain posted:

That was the best kind of anti-climax. The fact that Shang already owns 36 35 of the macguffin explains his disinterest of the show wuxia plot. He's already tired of this poo poo.

And yes, second season confirmed.
https://twitter.com/TBF_PR/status/781864042734301184

Yeah, Shang's my favorite character for that exact reason, he's just so done with all of this. "Oh, a magic sword that's sealing away a massive god of destruction? That's nice. I've got like thirty-six of those. So y'know, whatever."

I was honestly surprised by how good this show was. I didn't expect much going into it but it became one of my favorite shows of this season.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012

Cialis Railman posted:

Yeah, Shang's my favorite character for that exact reason, he's just so done with all of this. "Oh, a magic sword that's sealing away a massive god of destruction? That's nice. I've got like thirty-six of those. So y'know, whatever."

I was honestly surprised by how good this show was. I didn't expect much going into it but it became one of my favorite shows of this season.

More to the point, he's got thirty-six more powerful ones. It's kind of a shame Mie Ten Hai didn't stick around long enough to see that.

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

This was probably the best possible explanation for Shang. And relatively straightforward, too



It was also pretty great how understated his soliloquy is.

Lily Catts
Oct 17, 2012

Show me the way to you
(Heavy Metal)
That was great! I loved all the twists. It was also nice to hear Seki Tomokazu be angry again after all the villaining he did.

cuntman.net
Mar 1, 2013

The fight between Lin and Bones was great, I love how by the end it was just a fight about who could get under the other person's skin.

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
i think my favorite part is that for all of vapey's schemes, he still lost in the end.

Phobophilia
Apr 26, 2008

by Hand Knit
Lin:

https://twitter.com/dril/status/134787490526658561

Phobophilia
Apr 26, 2008

by Hand Knit
is it possible to self-own so hard that it owns everyone else around you?

mie: yes

Webcormac McCarthy
Nov 26, 2007
What a finale. An amazing end to an amazing show.

Shang's Soliloquy was so hyped-up to disappoint but it was :perfect:

Raenir Salazar
Nov 5, 2010

"According to Wikipedia" there is a black hole that emits zionist hawking radiation where my brain should have been

I really should just shut the fuck up and stop posting forever
College Slice
Wasn't expecting Shang to literally be Archer.

I loved the final fight between Lin and Mie, maybe I'm just overthinking it but I feel like they wrote some of the lines to appeal to Fate fans.

I think Torquemadras has a point that some of the plot threads feel kinda rushed. I think they didn't show us what happened to Lament because the writers maybe want to reserve what happens for the sequel and decide later, and probably ran out of time to better wrap things up.

Like I really do feel like there should be something meaningful about Juan losing an Eye and the fact that as someone mentioned, "Impaler" should work just as well for him and his spearing.

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
that would be true if he was still trying to make a name for himself instead of joining a temple guard family

Raenir Salazar
Nov 5, 2010

"According to Wikipedia" there is a black hole that emits zionist hawking radiation where my brain should have been

I really should just shut the fuck up and stop posting forever
College Slice
Right, it's just a surprise because it seemed so telegraphed to go a certain way, but instead I guess he really did break with his "brother" and became disillusioned with seeking fame.

Potsticker
Jan 14, 2006


I was really disappointed in the ending. And through it I guess, the show in general. Throughout the show the 'villains' were never an actual threat once it came down to sword play, except when they needed to show Screaming Phoenix Killer was a threat (killing Enigmatic Gale's master) and then establishing Bones of Creation as a threat (killing Screaming Phoenix Killer). Some of this dissatisfaction also comes from the fact that there were all these little of teases in amazing puppetry in swordplay, but the best fights ended up being fake or fantasies and then the real ones are super rushed beatdowns where one party's skill overwhelmingly outmatched their opponent.

It puts me of two minds on the final showdown between Enigmatic Gale and the Bones of Creation. On one hand, having the trickster character reveal that he was secretly a badass swordsman that outclassed the Bones of Creation in every way was a huge let down. There was no challenge for the 'heroes,' just cardboard dioramas masquerading as threats. On the other hand I enjoyed that the Enigmatic Gale still lost in that he was denied seeing the Bones of Creation break down as he lost everything. The little bit of petulant whining after the fight was over was a good bit of comeuppance for his arrogance.

Shoufukan's part however had a fabulous ending. It was no surprise he was a master swordsman, but him finally being able to wrap everything up in his own way and succeed without any meddling or bologna was really satisfying. Ken and Tanhi I was pretty satisfied with, too. I was even a little shocked at how much skill Tanhi was allowed to show during the fights, even if it was mostly against mooks and the fake fight with Shoufukan.

The puppetry throughout the show was fun and great and I will definitely watch the next season, but I hope there's a little more even matchups in the fights and that the badguys don't get steamrolled again.

Kaptain
Oct 5, 2014

Potsticker posted:

I hope there's a little more even matchups in the fights and that the badguys don't get steamrolled again.
I'm afraid Wuxia is not exactly the best genre for this kind expectation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6rcPYfteTs
Here's a cameo of our two protagonist on the other Pili show. The company are prolific enough to produce two show each week.

Torquemadras
Jun 3, 2013

Potsticker posted:

It puts me of two minds on the final showdown between Enigmatic Gale and the Bones of Creation. On one hand, having the trickster character reveal that he was secretly a badass swordsman that outclassed the Bones of Creation in every way was a huge let down. There was no challenge for the 'heroes,' just cardboard dioramas masquerading as threats. On the other hand I enjoyed that the Enigmatic Gale still lost in that he was denied seeing the Bones of Creation break down as he lost everything. The little bit of petulant whining after the fight was over was a good bit of comeuppance for his arrogance.

Yeah, Lin being one of the most powerful swordsmasters in the world was a major disappointment. I think it actually makes his character worse. Here we have this amazing puppetmaster dude, who plays everyone around him with incredibly brazen gambits, who constantly baffles people with his nonchalance... EXCEPT turns out he was never in any danger, he's just bored. With the preview of the previous episode, I was kinda hoping it'd be a fakeout with illusions or whatnot, and Lin ultimately fights with trickery and words... NOPE swordfight. I expected a much better "theft" from the character.

His freakout afterwards was great, though. I just kinda wish that point was reached through anything but a sword fight.

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
i don't really understand that complaint. vapey lost that fight in every way that mattered to him.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012

Torquemadras posted:

Yeah, Lin being one of the most powerful swordsmasters in the world was a major disappointment. I think it actually makes his character worse. Here we have this amazing puppetmaster dude, who plays everyone around him with incredibly brazen gambits, who constantly baffles people with his nonchalance... EXCEPT turns out he was never in any danger, he's just bored. With the preview of the previous episode, I was kinda hoping it'd be a fakeout with illusions or whatnot, and Lin ultimately fights with trickery and words... NOPE swordfight. I expected a much better "theft" from the character.

His freakout afterwards was great, though. I just kinda wish that point was reached through anything but a sword fight.

I think it helps if you see the show's four Sword Guys as a process, each representing a single step on the path to enlightenment (according to the show's philosophy) and failing in order to reveal the next step. First, we have Sha Wu Sheng, a great swordsman and tackily showy serial killer constantly hungering to demonstrate and improve his incredible skill. He fails, and we get Mie Ten Hai, a quietly ruthless overlord who's so skilled that he's gained the confidence to no longer feel the need to prove himself, but simply kills and collects trophies for pleasure. He fails, and we get Lin Xue Ya, who has developed his swordsmanship to the point where he has exhausted his interest in it, no longer deriving pleasure from killing and instead seeking less monstrously evil pursuits, but still addicted to the pleasure of destroying others. He fails, and we finally get Shang Bu Huan, the most enlightened member of the cast, who has abandoned swords altogether, and makes a specific point of not deriving pleasure from hurting people. His only goal is to help and protect others, causing injury, humiliation, and death only out of necessity.

It kind of reminds me of Meti's Sword Manual from the webcomic Kill Six Billion Demons, where the highest mastery of the art is to ditch it altogether and pick a better lifestyle like being a farmer.

Torquemadras
Jun 3, 2013

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

i don't really understand that complaint. vapey lost that fight in every way that mattered to him.

I'm not complaining about the outcome, that was perfectly fine and a sweet character moment for both Lin and Mie Ten Hai (even though I'm a little sad Shrine Girl didn't have anything to do with him in the end). It's good Lin lost once he resorts to swordfighting. However, I think the fact that he's secretly an ultra swordsman is significantly lamer than what he was built up to be. Shang is a great character who gets better with every reveal - Lin's last reveal actually makes him less awesome, if you ask me. Which might very well be the point of it all, I guess?

It's strange how a literally sky-rending sword battle is less badass than what I expected him to do. But, eh, opinion and all.

Darth Walrus posted:

I think it helps if you see the show's four Sword Guys as a process, each representing a single step on the path to enlightenment (according to the show's philosophy) and failing in order to reveal the next step. First, we have Sha Wu Sheng, a great swordsman and tackily showy serial killer constantly hungering to demonstrate and improve his incredible skill. He fails, and we get Mie Ten Hai, a quietly ruthless overlord who's so skilled that he's gained the confidence to no longer feel the need to prove himself, but simply kills and collects trophies for pleasure. He fails, and we get Lin Xue Ya, who has developed his swordsmanship to the point where he has exhausted his interest in it, no longer deriving pleasure from killing and instead seeking less monstrously evil pursuits, but still addicted to the pleasure of destroying others. He fails, and we finally get Shang Bu Huan, the most enlightened member of the cast, who has abandoned swords altogether, and makes a specific point of not deriving pleasure from hurting people. His only goal is to help and protect others, causing injury, humiliation, and death only out of necessity.

That's a nice way of seeing it.

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

The only thing I dislike about thudfan is the opening theme

Potsticker
Jan 14, 2006


Darth Walrus posted:

I think it helps if you see the show's four Sword Guys as a process, each representing a single step on the path to enlightenment (according to the show's philosophy) and failing in order to reveal the next step. First, we have Sha Wu Sheng, a great swordsman and tackily showy serial killer constantly hungering to demonstrate and improve his incredible skill. He fails, and we get Mie Ten Hai, a quietly ruthless overlord who's so skilled that he's gained the confidence to no longer feel the need to prove himself, but simply kills and collects trophies for pleasure. He fails, and we get Lin Xue Ya, who has developed his swordsmanship to the point where he has exhausted his interest in it, no longer deriving pleasure from killing and instead seeking less monstrously evil pursuits, but still addicted to the pleasure of destroying others. He fails, and we finally get Shang Bu Huan, the most enlightened member of the cast, who has abandoned swords altogether, and makes a specific point of not deriving pleasure from hurting people. His only goal is to help and protect others, causing injury, humiliation, and death only out of necessity.

It kind of reminds me of Meti's Sword Manual from the webcomic Kill Six Billion Demons, where the highest mastery of the art is to ditch it altogether and pick a better lifestyle like being a farmer.

This is a good read on the characters and really cool.


Xarbala posted:

The only thing I dislike about thudfan is the opening theme

I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy it because the opening theme got me so hype every time.

Ccs
Feb 25, 2011


This season was weird. My favorite manga got adapted in an anime again after years, and it sucked. But a puppet show came out of nowhere to become the most enjoyable show of the season.

I was waiting to see when the part of the best song would play when the chorus starts. They delayed it a lot and then used it perfectly as both characters unleashed their ultimate moves.

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
This was the standout show of the season for me. I loved every minute of it, and I can't wait for the sequel now!

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

I genuinely cannot think of any other place to post this

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5382076/

Brutal Garcon
Nov 2, 2014



Xarbala posted:

I genuinely cannot think of any other place to post this

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5382076/

I'm glad.

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


I really liked the ending, and its resolution for everyone, although I didn't notice when or why the Enigmatic Gale got over his disappointment.

Xarbala posted:

I genuinely cannot think of any other place to post this

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5382076/

Woah, good, yes.

Torquemadras
Jun 3, 2013

Xarbala posted:

I genuinely cannot think of any other place to post this

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5382076/

There's a version of that one with the opening theme of Attack on Titan. It's rad.

Indian dance videos work with everything

Space Flower
Sep 10, 2014

by Games Forum
https://twitter.com/bkub_comic/status/785424945392209920

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
That's some great official art right there.

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gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
pop team epic is a revelation

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