Now this speed is a little more agreeable with me. I love quick pacing, but the sheer amount of complex concepts thrown out in the first episode was seriously hard to keep up with. They slow things down a little in this one, enough for me to follow what was happening, and I think my opinion of the first episode has improved for it. In other words, I’ve got a better idea of just what the hell is going on.
I still have questions, of course. One of them’s about this Hei guy. I should be pretty sure that he’s deadly masked assassin from the opening, right? And that the whole bit about being a mild-mannered apartment tenant was just a cover story, correct? Dare I say, it’s a secret identity to further the comparisons I’ve been drawing to superheroes. And don’t anybody try to tell me that I’m off, here. That climatic, kickass scuffle in the industrial sector was, for all intents and purposes, a throwdown with the Masters of Evil.
Man, and there were some brutal uses of powers in that fight. The elemental/alchemist dude ripping Chiaki’s heart out from afar? Inventive in its ghoulishness…
Poor Ms. Chiaki. Putting her faith and trust into a man because the heat was on after her friend’s death... only to find out that he was actually his killer the whole time? That is some cold and cruel bussiness. I’m still unclear how everybody’s alliances work out, but I’m sure I’ll find out as it goes along. It’s certainly par for the course that any sexual tension between Hei and Chiaki is absent - - even as she’s staying the night over at this place. Not to say I was necessarily looking for it, but it’s certainly fitting a pattern I’ve noticed that TRIGUN and BROTHERHOOD also fit into.
Watch this episode The Fallen Star of a Contract… (Part 2,)” below and decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.
Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE . Order them on Amazon here & here . Follow him on Twitter: @tompinchuk
After watching episode 2 of DtB I keep watching because it seemed like the action would be cool, but I remained confused about the plot.
My gripe with this series lies in that although most things get explained through the course of the series, others were either not expanded on enough or were left seemingly hazy on purpose. Then again, I think this show is more about the journey and growth of some the characters a la Samurai Champloo, then the actual "going ons" so to speak.
There is a second season I have yet to see, so I hope I'll find the answers there when I get time to watch.
This is a good anime if you pay attention to all the details.
The seconds season was asinine though...
This.