This is why children hate you, grandpa.
Impressions:
I love the attempted framing device of an old man telling some whining kids a heroic story and instead getting this episode. Gather round, children, and listen to the tale of a bland kid going about his business for twenty minutes, then some ruffians appear, get beaten up, start crying, and then he starts crying too. God, yes. Now that’s heroism. That’s what the kids of the Meiji era want to hear. Not sword fights, daring do, swashbuckling or whatever. Dudes crying over their helplessness.
Don’t think the approximately three punches thrown in the ‘fight’ were animated either. Speedlines are all you get here because the budget is as theoretical as the heroism on display. The script ain’t carrying it either. I think my favorite moment/line came during the ‘fight,’ where one of the baddies yelled out that everybody hates this wandering gang of do-gooders. Oh no. We’ve lost the very important kidnapper demographic. What are we going to do. That would’ve been the appropriate response. Instead, it was declaring that they don’t save people from kidnappers for the popularity. Which… uh… I’m sorry, but what? I struggle to even make sense of the sentiment behind either notion. Just bad all around.
Next Episode:
…
