天下制覇

  

Does it really count if you fight that dirty?

Impressions:

One of the stronger introductory sequences of the season so far, but then it spent the middle eight minutes in a single-minded quest to bore the ever-living hell out of me. It was especially bizarre since it already partially covered some of it in the dumb pre-OP narration sequence. Not in the same amount of exhaustive depth of two people sitting around explaining their backstories, having flashbacks to earlier in the episode, and explaining the myths and legends while all the other prisoners very politely just watch the jailbait happily prance around within arm’s reach, but did we really need that? The entire middle dragged down the start before a sort-of uptick at the end when the quest started for realsies.

It is an action show that has some actual animation and choreography behind it, headed by a free spirit, dirty fighting protagonist who could be fun if he hadn’t spent two thirds of the episode sitting in a cell getting lectured. The direction could stand to be tightened a little bit though. It loves to have the camera spin in circles for reasons I can’t really fathom. I was also hoping for some kind of ingenious escape at the end to really show of his supposed cleverness and ingenuity instead of his conjugal visit showing up in bunny ears, flashing her rack, and magicking the cage open.

If the exposition time is over and the rest is more like what the first six or so minutes promised, it could be a fun fantasy adventure. If the budget’s already run out like the middle of the episode seemed to indicate though…