天下制覇

The $$60,000,000,000 Jerk.

Impressions:

Oh, Luke. You and your silly fear of killing people. We’re still sticking close to the game… almost annoyingly close, given how much of a cutscene nightmare the Tartarus is. I’m not actually certain whether or not Tear getting herself slashed because Luke is a pussy was changed much or not because in the US version, there’s magically no blood, and Tear just sort of sails through the air. They also censored Jade stabbing Largo in the US release too. Or not, thanks Sterling. I guess that scene really was just horribly done in the game. And if you’re curious, yes I’m playing through the game again and trying to stay about a week ahead of the anime. I could upload the entire play videos if people want, but I can’t imagine watching me wander around dungeons/the world map aimlessly (I have no sense of direction whatsoever) or watching the unvoiced skits is that entertaining.

I was happy that they made the start of the Jade vs Largo scene a little less silly. In the game, Luke pins himself against a wall to avoid Jade’s magic with the most ridiculous look on his face instead of just getting slammed there by Largo. We also got to see Anise get thrown out of the Tartarus while trying to help Ion instead of just hearing about it later, as well as seeing Ion open the first Sephiroth. I did like the game’s version of the ambush on Legretta (and yes, I’m going to call her Legretta because Regret is a horrible name, even if it is a pseudonym) a lot more, if for no other reason than Luke uses Mieu as a blunt object. Jade throws his spear and forces her to dodge before resummoning it at her throat. Here, he just sort of jumps over her while she stands there looking confused. On the other hand, Guy’s entrance was a lot more silly in the game, with him knocking down Legretta and then zipping away at lightspeed with Ion.

So still a very faithful adaptation and once Luke gets over his fear of killing people in the first minute of the next episode, we can get to the real silliness of Tales of the Abyss. At least the preview for the next episode seems to indicate that they’re skipping the completely useless (and doomed!) St Binah and going right on to the short and silly river dungeon and Choral Castle with the first of many showdowns with the God-Generals. The important thing is that we’re finally getting back to the action after a pair of episodes all about Luke being a spoiled jerk.

Bleh, screw it… maybe I’ll update the caps to ones that don’t suck once I can track down a decent raw. I want to get this posted before my guests for the evening arrive.

Jade reveals that he knows they’re from Kimlasca and demands Luke’s name. Upon hearing that he’s the son of the House of Fabre, he tells them their mission, to escort Ion on a peace keeping mission and asks for Luke to act as a social escort through ‘enemy’ territory. Ion’s mission is being done outside of the Church because the Grand Maestro Mohs (Tear’s boss) is opposed to Ion’s mission. Tear objects to them maligning her boss, but who cares what she thinks. Anise also starts fawning over Luke for being rich.

Luke, jerk that he is, demands Jade humbly ask for his help, which Jade gets down on one knee and calls Luke -sama… and then again once Luke whines that it irritates him.

Afterwards, Luke starts arguing with Tear and Mieu again before Anise glomps him and then Jade shows up for some dry wit and we get the big reveal that… *drumroll* Mieu is male.

They’re interrupted by an alarm and GRIFFON-LIGER CAVALRY attack. They quickly swarm the ship. Luke panics and tries to run outside, but a giant man with a scythe blocks his path and throws Luke down. Jade tries to fight, but the big guy reflects the Thuder Blade and then pins Luke to the wall, telling Jade to knock it off.

He calls Jade the Necromancer, and Jade responds in kind, saying that he’s Black Lion Largo. Largo seals Jade’s magic and then goes to finish him off, but Jade manages to summon his spear and forces Largo back. The opening lets Anise run off to find Ion and let’s Tear paralyze Largo so that Jade can stab him. Luke starts going catatonic with the bloodshed.

Anise manages to catch up with Ion, but they’re quickly surrounded. He passes on a scroll to her and tells her to keep it safe. She throws herself at one of the soldier’s heads but he just pulls her off and tosses her out a nearby window. She falls to the ground below, swearing at him all the way down.

Luke, Tear and Jade make their way to the bridge, and leave Luke to stand guard. A soldier rushes him, and in a panic, Luke stabs and kills him.

While he’s still flippig out, Jade and Tear return, but are ambushed from above. Luke and Tear are knocked out, and Jade surrenders. The man orders them all killed, but a woman (Legretta) reminds him of his place and they’re instead carted off to be locked up.

Luke wakes up later with Tear looking over him and immediately starts flipping out about having killed someone again.

Elsewhere, Legretta forces Ion to open a strange looking door.

Tear and Jade try to talk him down, saying that many more people will die if they don’t go out and stop this, but Luke’s on his high horse and there’s no bringing him down. He says he’ll fight, but he doesn’t want to kill. That resolved, Jade drops the energy bars keeping them in and orders an emergency shutdown of the Tartarus. The entire ship immediately goes dead.

They see Legretta escorting Ion back to the ship and lie in wait for her. When the emergency hatch opens, Luke jumps out and flames the area with Mieu.

Jade leaps over him and attacks Legretta, managing to hold her at spear point before she can react. Jade orders Tear to start singing, but she hesitates upon seeing Legretta. Just then, a giant liger explodes through the door behind Tear and knocks her down the stairs. Legretta attacks Jade in the opening and gets her pistols back. Luke and Tear are surrounded. Legretta thanks Arietta for her timely assistance, but a figure leaps from the trees above and forces Legretta back. She takes a couple shots at Guy, but he blocks them with his sword and then cuts down the soldiers guarding Ion.

Jade uses the opening to take Arietta hostage and forces all of the Oracle knights back into the ship. Arietta tries to say something to Ion, but he tells her to do what Jade said. The party runs away, but doesn’t get far before Ion collapses and they need to take a rest. Guy uses the opportunity to introduce himself to the others, but when Tear goes to shake his hand, he runs away in fear. Luke explains that Guy sort of hates women.

Some Oracle knight grunts catch up to them. The party fights back, but Luke hesitates and one of them charges him. Tear tackles him, taking the slash on her arm, and Guy cuts down the soldier. Tear collapses, calling Luke a moron as he just lies there completely shell shocked.

Preview:

Choral Castle and boss fight with Gloomietta!