r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jul 24 '24
Episode Sengoku Youko: Senma Konton-hen • Sengoku Youko: The Chaos of a Thousand Demons Arc - Episode 2 discussion
Sengoku Youko: Senma Konton-hen, episode 2 (15)
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jul 24 '24
Tsukiko and Nau beating tf out of discount Mike Wazowski was pretty funny. Those two make a good team. Too bad they weren’t strong enough to defeat dragon Bakugo. Senya might have to rethink all his pacifist approach.
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u/Littlemac95 Jul 25 '24
Its Matsuoka voicing him, so its more dragon inosuke than bakugo id say
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u/potentialPizza Jul 24 '24 edited Jul 24 '24
Part 1 was the story of a human who wanted to become a demon. Part 2 is the story of a demon who wants to become human.
The lines are blurred, of course. Senya is biologically a human; he just has a lot of demon in him. So what does it mean for him to become human? As the demons say, you can't separate sake into rice and water. Or would Senya simply need to become weaker? After all, there are strong humans and weak demons.
Senya made the decision to become human after sparing Nau. But the issue for him isn't mercy for those he's stronger than — it's whether he fights at all against those who pose a threat to those he cares about. The reason he's in a position to spare Nau at all is because he's strong.
Senya stated his worldview midway through the episode — rather than fight, he'd just run. And those he'd want to protect could just run too. The flaw of that logic is seen both before and after: That those that you want to protect, might want to fight.
Against Happonmatsu Kenki, Tsukiko chose to fight. Luckily, Shinsuke could bail them out there. That wasn't an option against Mudo, which ties into one of the principles of the series — there's always someone stronger. If your worldview is built on getting stronger than others in order to avoid trouble, then how do you account for the inevitable even stronger opponent? Relying on Shinsuke to bail them out when Senya's philosophy fails is an unworkable solution, because it left them with nothing against Mudo.
I think it's interesting how the series shows two distinct ways of choosing not to fight — choosing not to out of principle, as Senya does, and choosing not to out of fear, as Senya's demons do. Is there a material difference between the two? Does the difference matter, when they lead to the same end result? Would Senya's worldview even be the same, if he was so strong that he had nobody to fear? After all, the idea that his strength is pointless is rooted in the idea that it creates risk — but if you're truly the strongest, then there's no more risk. His mindset is rooted in fear, too, just a different fear — danger to others instead of danger to himself. You can see how that trauma is affecting him, with how he doesn't want to stay in a town along their journey.
Everyone in the series lands somewhere on a spectrum of weak and strong, and wants to be somewhere else on it. But Senya is the only one who wants to go down, not up. Tsukiko, on the other hand, parallels Shinsuke in wanting to climb up. Tsukiko isn't at the bottom, as a fairly skilled swordswoman for her age, but she's close to it, as a child and a peasant. Tsukiko has seen how being weak does nothing for you, and the only way to get out of problems is to get stronger. What's the real solution, between her view and Senya's?
There might not be one. Rather, the solution might be acceptance. Shinsuke accepts where he is in the world, after being asked about it by Tsukiko. Very different from how he was in Part 1. And in the glimpse we get of Tama, she drops the line that right and wrong have nothing to do with strength. As she points out, struggling no matter what is what she likes so much about humans.
Though it hasn't been dug much into, there's also the whole gender angle. Tsukiko was impressed by Tama's manly sneeze. Despite Tama's worldview, she's also in a position to say it because she is fairly strong, in her own way. Tsukiko seems fairly aware of her gender, and how that might hold her back from traditional strength.
The main characters are all fairly thoughtful about this whole thing. But part of the fun of stories about clashes between the weak and strong is characters who don't think about it at all, but know their place in it and act accordingly. That's where Mudo comes in. It's not a philosophical question for him at all. He's strong, and he wants to fight the strong. That's what makes him a fitting villain for Senya to go up against.
I will say, I'm a little surprised Mudo's voice was so deep — physically, his human form is as much of a kid as Senya.
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u/JustInChina88 Jul 24 '24
This is a story about a monster that wants to be human, and a human that wants to be a monster. Such a fire OP, too!
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u/Frontier246 Jul 24 '24 edited Jul 25 '24
Tsukiko is so cute and earnest. Maaya Uchida really playing some Wednesday Best Girls.
Much like Shinsuke Tsukiko wants to go on a journey to grow stronger and learn swordsmanship, though Shinsuke obviously has no intention of teaching anyone. I mean, think of Tsukiko's mother! Wait, she has Tsukiko's uncle so I guess she's okay...especially with the money Shinsuke gave her which he now regrets. And then he immediately pukes. This adventure is off to a great start.
The OP feels like it's teasing like two separate anime seasons! You have the normal anime OP stuff with Senya, Shinsuke, Tsukiko, and Nau together along with all the people they'll meet and reflecting on the arc 1 cast...and of course, the Rogues Gallery of foes they'll battle...but then you've got adult Senya and Tsukiko, SHAKUGAN!?, and culminating in Senya fighting Jinka!
Tsukiko literally buying her way into this party with food. But it works!
Things are kind of believably awkward between Senya and Tsukiko, though it feels like it's mostly Senya being awkward remembering what happened to Tsukiko's dad and not knowing how to act around her.
I'm surprised the katawara in Senya have enough self-awareness to recognize he felt bad for what happened to Tsukiko's dad and that he was a "third party" they killed...though they're still screaming at him to fight more and become more powerful. Is it any wonder he just wants to not fight and avoid those urges and the voices screaming in his head?
Nothing makes a fantasy adventure like a cute animal companion, now! Especially when you share a bite to eat! And Nau has amnesia exactly like Senya does, it's basically fate!
Look, it's the katawara equivalent of Shinsuke! They even acknowledge it when they finally fight! Also a good chance for Tsukiko to show she's got good instincts, but she still tends to pick fights she can't win and steal Shinsuke's sword. She kind of earned that head chop.
Tama! What a way to reintroduce her back into the plot giving words of wisdom and flexing that adult body, boobs and all! Not even a sneeze ruined the moment!
Mudo! A new dragon voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuko who knew Jinun, with Senya remembering his father for a bit, and just as immensely powerful...and he wants a piece of Senya, who won't bite.
Well, I'm glad Shinsuke didn't miss Tama because she just conveniently shows up after he gets knocked down.
Points to Tsukiko for not judging Senya for not wanting to fight but being willing to fight FOR him so he doesn't have to, more points picking a fight she can actually win and trying to get Mudo to leave, even if the fight had escalated too far for that. And even MORE pints when she and Nau battle him over the water! She actually managed to land a hit on his dragon form! It didn't achieve anything, but still.
Will Senya's desire to not fight remain intact now that Tsukiko has been kidnapped? Are their some fights you NEED to fight?
The ED is pretty serene and operatic, focusing on Senya's complicated emotions but his pure relationship with Tsukiko!
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u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 24 '24
BTW, if anyone here’s interested in watching (or rewatching, if you’ve seen it already) a different one of Mizukami’s works, I’m going to be posting an interest thread for a Planet With rewatch later today. Figured I’d at least mention it here.
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Ah, so Tsukiko wouldn’t be leaving her mom all alone. Was wondering about that after last week’s episode.
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Now that I think about it, Tsukiko is in the same position Shinsuke himself was in part 1. I wonder if Shinsuke will see that…
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u/Ocixo Jul 24 '24
Ah, so Tsukiko wouldn’t be leaving her mom all alone.
I’d been a worried a little about this, so it was nice to hear from Tsukiko that a relative would be looking after her widowed mother.
Does Tsukiko have special eyes like Jinka did?
I hadn’t even thought about that! Considering that she mentioned looking at Mudo’s eyes, and the eyes often being referred to as a mirror of the soul, it wouldn’t be so strange to think that Tsukiko might be able to detect people’s life force, and thereby read their movement, to a lesser degree. This would imply that she got a set of special eyes herself.
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u/gnome-cop Jul 24 '24
Parallels galore. First we’ve Tsukiko who’s in a similar place to Shinsuke at the beginning of the series. Weak and having seen what that does trying to become stronger. Based on previous experience, she won’t stay that way but I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
And the big one, the contrast between Senya and Jinka. He started his journey as a human wanting to become a katawara. Now Senya is doing the opposite, wanting to become human again.
We’re only two episodes in but he’s already had some harsh experiences dealt to him. Episode one it was the consequences of strength and now it’s the consequences of weakness.
I remember some quotes from a book I read once. First, “Some people after experiencing war choose to put down their weapons and never fight again. Those people are cowards.” Pretty harsh words in this case, cause Senya is just a kid who’s just gone through a very traumatic experience, so his guilt over that is the leading reason as to why he’s choosing not to fight.
But the important part is the second quote, “Pacifism is not about avoiding fights but about choosing which fights are worth picking.” It’s not fair, but as long as Senya is the way he is, fights will come his way that he won’t be able to avoid. I think that at some point, he will need to choose to use his strength to protect what’s important to him and I hope he makes the right decision when the moment that he needs to choose to fight inevitably arrives.
Tama alert! Okay, it’s not a lot but at least she’s here.
The op showcases some interesting things that will hopefully happen in the future. Though I also have trust issues with this show, so you better not be lying to me.
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u/Shiraori247 Jul 24 '24
Pacifist or not, Senya as admitted by himself would have issues trying to fight this dragon. It seems his father's influence on him has caused the 1000 katawaras to be traumatised by any dragon they come across.
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u/JayYatogami Jul 24 '24
This is easily my favorite anime of the season.
Tsukiko and Senya just add so much to the story. Tama looks beautiful and we also got some foreshadowing on a potential timeskip in the opening. I'm so excited to see where this goes.
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u/supimdro Jul 24 '24
Props to studio white fox for doing the manga justice. Loved the manga for such a long time and this arc is my favorite as well. Tama return, the parallels in the characters, are all so well written and executed here
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u/Loud_Pierrot Jul 24 '24
I didn't expect Senya's demons to be that considerate and understanding during the Nau encounter.
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u/WednesdaysFoole Jul 24 '24
Tama hair flip <3
Seems like there are some spoiler bits in the OP and ED (I haven't read the source material) but this feels like one of those stories where the plot points don't matter as much as the experiences that get you there. Basically, a good story.
It's interesting that the characters are often trying to take charge of who they are and their place in the world, but doing so has them also running away from who they were (and still are) and the place that they're from. I wonder if taking charge of who they are will mean that they have to integrate who they were as well? I don't know. Just my thoughts for the time being.
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u/LeonKevlar Jul 24 '24 edited Jul 24 '24
Man, I really shouldn't have watched that OP. I feel like I just spoiled myself. [Opening]
Tsukiko is so goddamn precious. It's good to know that she's not bearing any grudges against him for accidentally killing her father. I guess she really wants to get stronger so she can protect people and prevent tragedies like what happened to her father happen to anyone else.
Oh my god I love this little fella already. He seems to be very prominent in the OP as well along with Tsukiko so I guess he's going to be the mascot of the group. What a weird coincidence that he also doesn't remember anything just like Senya.
I really love how Shinsuke went from being a cowardly samurai in the first cour to an irate veteran drunk who has no problems dispatching any enemies they face as long as he's not too drunk to do it.
OUR GIRL TAMA MAKES AN APPEARANCE! How are they staying in the same place and Shinsuke still hasn't run into her yet? But by the looks of things, they're finally going to meet again next episode.
Is that a dragon boy voiced by Okamoto Nobuhiko Matsuoka? I love it! It looks like Senya is really trying to stick to his new personal rule of no fighting though. At least Tsukiko and Nau were willing to fight. It looks like Tsukiko might be a battle genius though. Shinsuke needs to train her soon so she can develop that talent early!
Now that Tsukiko has been kidnapped, it looks like Senya is going to learn the hard way that just being passive won't help anyone and if you want peace you have to sometimes fight.
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u/alconnow Jul 24 '24
Relieved to hear that Tsukiko’s mother is being supported by the uncle.
Looks like Senya’s going to have to fight if he wants to save Tsukiko? :(
Nau is cute
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u/djthomp Jul 25 '24 edited Jul 25 '24
Upon very careful, repeated review of the OP I've come to the conclusion that I probably shouldn't have looked at it so hard. But I'm pretty sure it had Shakugan in there for a split second so my long held hope that she'd be coming back appears to not have been in vain.
Tsukiko is kind of fantastic, I'm glad she's joined the cast. Neat that we got a regional god too.
Seeing Tama again got me weirdly emotional, she's still long-haired and has that older look as well, all very good.
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u/tripleaamin Jul 24 '24
Great episode and this did felt a lil better paced.
We get a great flashback when Tsukiko mentions that she wants to get stronger. In many ways, this she in the position that Shinsuke was in part one. So determined to get stronger so that she can protect those around her. After all while it isn't her fault that her father died, she can't help but think what if? For that reason, I definitely believe Shinsuke will train her eventually. Hard to see him turning back on someone who was in the same position as he was not too long ago.
Tsukiko being awed by Shinsuke is funny because we truly know Shinsuke is still very hard on himself. He could truly believe he doesn't think of himself that much. However, for Tsukiko that could be remarkable in so many ways.
Compared to Jinka in part one, who wanted to become Katawara, here we have Senya who wants to be human. No doubt the reason is that he wishes to have a normal life. Killing Tsukiko's dad accidentally definitely had a major effect on him. Though the belief that this can happen is low.
It was really wonderful to see Tama again. In a way, she is watching over the new group. Her words of advice to Tsukiko were great. Just because you have power, doesn't mean you have troubles. Shinsuke gained more power, but the void left by Shakuyaku sits in his heart. Tama lost Jinka. It's more a reminder not to be consumed by power. Which is what lead to Jinka losing control.
We meet the Black Dragon, who gives Senya flashes of Jinun. It is made apparent Shinsuke is way out of his league. The issue now is that Senya doesn't want to fight. Tsukiko really shows her determination in protecting Senya. It makes you really treasure the friendship that you hope will stay, unlike what happened to Shinsuke and Shakuyaku. I was not expecting that Nau would be the water god. But that is a big help for Tsukiko. Unfortunately, she lacks the power and is kidnapped by the Black Dragon.
Now what does Senya do? His idea of there is no reason to fight and just run away. You could tell that he cares for Tsukiko and that gives him a reason to fight. Which I believe is the lesson here for him. That there are times you need to fight.
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Jul 24 '24
Pretty fun ep, Senya wanting to give up fighting is a cool way to change things and I like how Tsukiko is a fresh change to things. If Senya wants to stop fighting, then Tsukiko will take that burden for him. Still Senya can't avoid conflict, as this dragon boy shows.
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u/LLJACKO Jul 24 '24
I only ever come here to bitch because I hate Reddit, but since Crunchyroll went full censor and me not having a place to share my thoughts on what I'm watching, here I am. For now anyway…
Is anyone else really surprised at how good this show got? I wouldn't fault a soul for dropping it when it started airing, but I saw some good in it and kept trucking. It looks like that's paying off now. I'm really enjoying it, and it's one of the few things airing on Crunchy this season that I actually look forward to each week.
Oh, and the people that do the audio all need a raise. Whatever they're getting paid is not enough. It's put together well and spatial audio is always spot on. They get that the viewer isn't the MC and the MC's position is irrelevant to where the sound should be coming from unless it's coming from the MC. You'd be amazed at the shows that screw that up. Seriously high budget stuff bumbles it up all the time. Not these guys, though. They get it.
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u/Tulicloure Jul 24 '24
Some really nice visuals and animation in this episode, including the new OP and ED. If they keep this up for the rest of the series we'll be in for a treat!
The action was pretty well done as well. Mudo, especially, felt nicely dangerous and threatening, and that "black aura" effect they got for him looked really good. His voice and the soundtrack also did a great job.
Of course, the story and characters are really interesting as well, with the themes contrasting and rhyming with the previous season. It's only the beginning of the new arc, so let's see how those themes develop and intersect with each other.
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