天下制覇

 

I can’t imagine what that title will do to the ol’ search results.

Impressions:

An excellent episode. I wish every one was like this. Unfortunately, despite the cliffhanger of Yuji summoning the dark forces at the end, the previews for next week were all about a school fair or whatnot. I’ll bitch about that next week though. This episode was 100% nonstop action. It certainly doesn’t threaten to be the most well choreographed or animated around, but there was certainly a lot of it. I’m not really certain what else to add as it went pretty much exactly as I’d have predicted. It certainly doesn’t justify the 4-5 “oh God, our lives are so rough” Shana/Yoshida whine-a-thon, but the last two episodes have most certainly been an excellent step forward.

Shana and Yuji continue to train. Alastor wants him to try focusing his power differently. He’s a little hesitant and can’t really explain the feeling, but Shana is confident that Yuji can do it. He takes a deep breath and focuses.

In the past, Margery creates her barrier and walks in to confront Parking Meter Head. It welcomes her and Marco formally. Marco can’t wait to tear him to bits. They transform into werebear form and prepare to attack.

Yuri watches from a distance. Ulmec wonders if he’s fine with not going there. She may need him to save her. Isn’t that why he became a Flame Haze? To save people?

Back in the present, Margery pours another drink. The punks want to know more of the story. Margery continues.

Parking Meter Head and Margery fight violently, blowing apart the lobbey and heading outdoors. Margery lets loose a huge blast at the guy, but he flies upwards. Margery follows as he continues upwards. Marco and Margery realize that he’s doing something strange and need to be on guard. Margery shoots another mass of energy at him, but he just keeps going upwards, wrapping around the building.

Sydoney is waiting on top and leaps off as Parking Meter Head flies past. He transforms and engages Margery. She dodges his attack and clones herself to overwhelm him.

Yuri continues watching, closer this time, thinking to himself that as a Flame Haze, he needs to intervene. He and Ulmec decide to move closer.

Margery and Marco begin casting a spell. Parking Meter Head and Sydoney realize it could be trouble, so Sydoney transforms himself to a rock-like creature and protects Parking Meter Head. Margery laughs that she’s in control now, but Parking Meter Head, ever the optimist, takes advantage of the break to fully explain his evil plan… blah blah blah… mankind hard at work… industrious… eat it all… etc etc.

Now that his evil plan is explained, Margery gives the usual “oh, is that all?” speech. She and Marco get ready to finish off Sydoney, but there’s a movement behind her and turns just in time to be clawed nearly in half by Sydoney. She reverses her transformation and falls back, covered in blood.

Yuri tries to call out to her through a moth, but Sydoney destroys it. Parking Meter Head comes out from the stone and Margery realizes that she’s in trouble.

Yuri is now right outside the barrier. He needs to save her now. Ulmec and he emit a huge aura. Moths from all over the city fly away from the street light and windows and start to converge on him. Yuri and Ulmec chant and he’s engulfed in a typhoon of energy.

Margery continues to stare down the Denizens, leaking blood all over Marco. Sydoney thanks her for the fun, but it’s over.

He flies forward, but Yuri’s typhoon intercepts him and he’s cut in half and thrown to the ground. Margery takes flight alongside the typhoon. Yuri is inside it. The two confer briefly, then Margery transforms back into the bear and goes back to the fight.

Parking Meter Head climbs upward to get away. Yuri slams him first and tears off an arm. Sydoney’s upper half flies back into the battle. He angrily regernates his lower half and turns to Yuri, but Margery’s blasts distract him.

She declares that she’s still his opponent. The two come together in an attack. She bites him and the two tumble to the ground.

Yuri revels in the power that he has, but is rocked by Parking Meter Head who chases after him, throwing energy blasts. Yuri flies through the city, now on the defensive. He forces PMH down a different street as they fly and then explodes through a building, tearing apart PMH into little mechanical bits. PMH isn’t finished though and clings to Yuri’s tornado.

Yuri increases his speed and PMH falls off and then explodes. Yuri gets ready to head back to Margery.

The story’s just getting good, go the punks… but Margery is downcast.

As Yuri heads back, Margery warns him. Sydoney and Margery face off in the wreckage. Both are panting in the effort. They suddenly sense that Yuri is back.

Sydoney grins, and Margery feels apprehensive. She remembers back to her genesis as a Flame Haze. She’ll never forget the Silver and all she felt.

She angrily screams out her rage… but too late. Sydoney slashes into the unprepared Yuri and then releases a huge blast at him. Margery launches her own and he’s caught between them. He apologizes to her as the blasts hit.

Marco finishes Margery’s story.

Margery walks into East Edge’s bar again. He wordlessly pours her a drink. She puts down Yuri’s melted glasses on the bar and says that she was too late.

The two punks reflect on the story that Margery told them. They’re happy that she opened up to them, though do have more to mull over now.

Yuji is exhausted. He can’t draw on the strength to do it. Shana gives him another pep talk and he concentrates again. He pulls energy to himself and breaks through. He casts his barrier… but it comes up corrupt. Shana and Alastor recognize it as the barrier of a Denizen.