天下制覇

These fights have rules, you know.

On an unrelated note, the new Komugi series being used as a vehicle to promote an idol group is really, incredibly sad and depressing. How far we've come from a parody series that mocked that kind of crap, now being used to push it.

Impressions:

Yada yada if you need to spend a third of the episode on flashback and exposition, 75% into your 'arc' in order to provide context and properly frame the last boss fight, something has gone horribly wrong. At least this wasn't another school sponsored fight though. Instead, it was in a dojo with really bad lighting. Also, it didn't stop there from being a penut gallery to comment on and explain what we were seeing. Thanks, peanut gallery! But the real accolades go to the lesson Ikki gave in the middle of the fight to explain things, complete with flashbacks to earlier in the fight to explain his points. And later in the fight? More cutaways and flashbacks! Yay! How'd he win this time? Finally decided to whip yet another power out of his ass after 10 minutes and one-shot him. What a stunning surprise and not a formula they've been using since goddamned episode one.

So no, we still haven't overcome the Original Sin of half-assing everything that has plagued this show for just about its entire run. For the introduction bit, fine. We know the stakes are low. But it keeps trying to pretend like it's raised the stakes and stuff's life and death, except not so much that we'd dare not follow the rules, antagonists included, so sit down and behave yourself. We're not going to get so emotionally invested here that we'd transgress so severely. Or constantly cut away and/or stop to explain things, utterly bumblescrewing the pacing of the action scenes. Either quit acting like your little play-fights are the most important thing in their lives ever, or get away from the school sponsored, follow the rules, audience waiting patiently sparring matches. Alternatively, go back to being horrifying with your badly handled romance. At least that's not so painfully repetitive.