Night Wizard #04 — The Other Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

October 24th, 2007

I seem to remember the Kaguya myth being somewhat different from this.

Impressions:

Unfortunately, this show is starting to wear thin on me. I’m not sure how many times I can take Elis getting into danger and then Hiiragi falling from the sky to save her. He keeps one-shotting every single villain too, so there’s not even any sense of drama to it. Mystery Moon-Boy might be interesting if he does turn out to be opposing Team Anzelot, though he mostly seems to have it out for Hiiragi instead of actually being evil. The demon rabbit things were rather creepy, but they just took the place of the skeletons or other tiny little grunts that needed to be effortlessly chopped up by the big man with a sword. It’s a shame too. I really like a lot of the characters, but 4 episodes in and we’re still seeing the same thing over and over and over again. Maybe have Hiiragi ride an elevator up next episode instead of descending from on high. Although I’m sure I’d have a snide remark ready for that anyway.

We get a reminder of the legend of Princess Kaguya, who left the Earth to go to the moon centuries ago before the OP kicks in.

Team Good Guy is with Anzelot, who is gushing over the milk tea. Elis asks about the next gem being on the moon. Anzelot confirms Elis’ suspicions and whips out a recording box of a moon landing. The astronauts found something horrifying and amazing on the moon. It was some kind of devil that attacked the men. The last thing the man says is “rabbit” before screaming and the static taking over. Anzelot wishes them luck.

Away from the castle, a rocket is being prepared for departure to the moon. All the kiddos are pretty amazed by Anzelot’s pull and technology. They strap in and Anzelot watches them blast off into deep(er) space.

Once they break free from the atmosphere, the non-Akari girls rush over to look at the Earth. Renji just leans back and relaxes, until Kureha floats over his schoolbag to him for him to study. Akari is already studying and even Elis pulls out her books to study as well.

While Elis is studying, Akari helps her. Hiiragi is already finished studying and tells Kureha he’ll be fine for the test and immediately falls asleep. Kureha pouts a little bit, so Elis says that she’s like a sister to Hiiragi, but she says that they really are just childhood friends. Elis asks about how long they’ve been fighting together, and Kureha shifts and tells her that even though Hiiragi is a bit of an idiot, he’s reliable and always saves her.

She blushes when she realizes what she said and waves off the suspicions of romance. Kureha then attacks Hiiragi to wake up up while Elis thinks how nice it must be to have a friend like that.

The rocket continues on its way as Bell watches it. She doesn’t really care though, as ‘someone’ is already there and waiting for them.

Kureha razzes Hiiragi a bit since he’s stressing over the test. He looks up and sees rabbit ears outside of the window of the space ship. As he stares at it, a rabbit pops up. All the girls look over and see it as well. Elis thinks that it’s really cute, and Kureha accedes that point… but wonders what it’s doing in space.

It brings up it wooden pounder and taps on the window. They think it’s cute for a moment, but then the pounding becomes harder and it starts to shatter the window. Akari announces that they’re surrounded and every window has a rabbit in it. They’ve completely covered the rocket and are slamming into it. Akari summons her Gunner’s Broom and announces that she’ll take care of it. Before Hiiragi can stop her, she fires, destroying the rocket and sending the rabbits and all of them flying.

A woman strokes one of the rabbits as she watches the rocket crash.

Anzelot’s troops report that there has been a massive explosion and they’ve lost all communication with the kiddos.

On the surface of the moon, Elis wakes up, protected by her Wizard. She wonders how she’s alive, and remembers that she’s protected by her powers. She calls out the names of the others, but there’s no response. Suddenly, she senses a gem and her eye begins to glow.

Elsewhere, Hiiragi is checking some kind of PDA. There’s no sign of Emulator activity, but he knows to stay on guard.

Elis wanders towards the gem while a man watches her from a ridge. One of the rabbits appears in her path. It convulses and then a plant-like thing erupts from its head. Many more of the demon rabbits rush towards Elis and she runs away in fear. They give chase, but she blocks them with her Wizard. Unfortunately, she comes to a cliff and is blocked. The rabbits attack en-mass, but are blasted away by a huge beam.

Elis looks up to see a man standing some distance away. He raises his head and runes flash in front of his face. A magical symbol appears under the remaining  rabbits, stunning them. He leaps in, picks up Elis and jumps across the chasm and away. Elis’ hate falls off as they land. He puts her down and wonders aloud what Hiiragi Renji is doing abandoning such a weak person.

Elis gets pissed off and chews him out, saying that they’d never abandon such a precious friend. He apologizes, puts her hat back on her head and says that he’s sure her friends didn’t mean anything bad by leaving her alone.

He turns to leave. Elis is about to stop him, but has another one of her little seizures. She watches him walk away. Akari rides up to her on her Broom, apologizing for being late. When Elis looks back to the guy, he’s gone.

At the debris of the rocket, Kureha is under attack by the rabbits. One leaps at her, but Hiiragi appears and slices it in half. She tells him to cover her while she grabs something from the rocket. Hiiragi fights them while Kureha finds some kind of broomish thing that flies. She picks up Hiiragi and the two fly off.

Akari and Elis close in on a castle. Elis is sure that this is the right place. They start to walk through it, but the world shakes and the moon turns crimson. Akari knows that this means that the Emulators are nearby. She points her gun to the top of a building where a woman is standing.

She introduces herself Jonah (probably… this is the only time she says her name and proceeds to ramble about Shaimal for the rest of the time), the queen of the moon and a loyal servant of Shaimal. Akari shoots, but she summons a sword with the Gem in the hilt. Using it, she effortlessly blocks Akari’s shot and parries her next one as well. Akari is forced back, letting Jonah leap forward and gut punch Elis. Akari glares at her as she holds up the sword and then a huge barrier in the shape of herself forms. Even Anzelot’s readings manage to pick it up from the massive power it’s releasing.

Hiiragi and Kureha can see it as well as they approach. Akari flies up to join them, reporting that Elis is inside it.

Elis lies unconscious inside the barrier. The unknown guy watches from a distance and wonders how she’ll survive this.

Shaimal has Elis strapped down on an altar and holds the sword above her. Kureha has no idea how to fight such a thing. Akari further backs this up by telling them that it’s using the power of the gem to augment its own. Seeing Elis on the altar, Hiiragi gets ready to charge straight in. He tells them to fire on one spot and then leave it to him.

Jonah raises her sword, rambling on about how great and wonderful of a gift and power it is.

Outside, Akari and Kureha attack the thing’s chest and then Hiiragi slashes the same spot and manages to barely break in before it seals back up. Elis senses him coming, alerting Jonah, who parries the falling Hiiragi and tosses him backwards.

Jonah tells Hiiragi to stay out of her way. The power of a Wizard can’t match up to the blessing of the gem in her sword. The two start fighting. Hiiragi tries to check if Elis is okay, but Jonah tells him that he doesn’t have the luxury to be looking away. Her sword will drink his life for the great Shaimal.

Elis suddenly opens her eyes and says that’s wrong; the gem is her light. Her Wizard forms all around her. She looks over at Jonah, repeating that it’s her light. She shoots her shields at Jonah and manages to disarm her and then absorb the gem, still repeating about it being her light. Jonah can’t believe that this girl would take her power.

Hiiragi powers up his sword and gets ready to attack. Jonah leaps forward with her now gemless sword, but Hiiragi disappears when she swings. He reappears as he cuts her in half. She can’t believe that the power of her sword failed her as she dies. The massive her-shaped barrier disappears.

Elis wakes up in Hiiragi’s arms. She thanks him as the other two girls land. They look at Elis’ bracelet and remark on how she’s becoming even stronger with it, but are interrupted when the nameless kid butts in about how Hiiragi never changes. None of them recognize him at all, though he knows Hiiragi well. Elis runs down to him and thanks him for saving her. He seems a bit taken back, but then smiles and walks away again. Elis asks his name as he goes, and he says that he’s Kirihito. Kureha notes that he’s wearing the same school uniform as them, but even with that, they still have no clue who he is.

Posted in Night Wizard | 7 Comments »

7 Shouts From the Peanut Gallery

  • D says:

    Nice funnel

  • D says:

    And…that is not Kaguya hime, she is 嫦娥(Chang-Er) from Chinese myth…

  • Aroduc says:

    Chang’E and Kaguya are basically the same myth anyway. Beautiful princess drinks elixer of life, ends up exiled on moon. I’d prefer to err on the side of the Japanese myths though neither is particularly close. The ‘myth’ they use is basically “a beautiful princess left Earth to go to the moon, QED.” Hell, that probably fits in with every lunar myth through half the cultures in the world.

  • D says:

    嫦娥(じょうが)1号
    中国初の月周回人工衛星。ライバルは日本の「かぐや」(SELENE)。
    偶然とはいえ第4話の最速放映日と同じ2007/10/24に打ち上げられた。

    from:
    http://www42.atwiki.jp/nightwizard/pages/97.html

    XXXXXD

  • Tensho says:

    Kaguya and Chang Er are so not the same, Aroduc. They are only related by the moon. Chang Er, as legend was told, was married long to a king. Because she told the immortal pill (not elixir) that was given to the king from a goddess and swallow it whole, didn’t know the side effect, her body became lighter and lighter and she flew up to the moon spending eternal solitude there only companied by the jade rabbit.

  • Tensho says:

    sorry for the typing error.

  • melange says:

    Now why does Bell remind me of Remilia and Lion of Patchouli? XD