Monthly Archive for October, 2005

Koshiro is still a very formidable opponent even with his blindness, and it’s amazing to watch him fight Hyouma. I particularly found it interesting when Hyouma tries to use his Doujutsu on Koshiro, but soon discovers that it’s useless on him since he’s blind as well. Instead, he has to cover from Koshiro’s deadly decapitating wind and ends up with a bloody ear (I’ve had nasty ear infections before, so that particular scene makes me cringe). Clearly, neither of them are held back by what others may consider a weakness, and it does make the fight quite a bit more challenging since they’re both relying heavily on their other senses. Hyouma makes the mistake of underestimating Koshiro and dies while standing from Koshiro’s deadly wind…

We find out in a flashback that Hyouma is Gennosuke’s uncle surprisingly, and is instructed by Danjou-sama to teach him his Doujutsu. He trains the young and impatient Gennosuke to rely on his five senses with a blindfold in case his eyes one day become incapacitated, but Gennosuke is not happy about this seemingly pointless exercise and wants to learn the Doujutsu NOW. He ends up tripping over rocks, running into fallen trees, and almost completely falls off the edge of a steep cliff before he finally learns the value of the exercise. Hyouma tells him that the secret to his art is the law of all living things, but Gennosuke still doesn’t quite understand. However, he proves his potential to become strong when he is confronted by an angry beast and uses Doujutsu for the first time to scare it away. This prompts his newfound willingness to learn and takes the initiative to continue building his five senses until he no longer has the necessity to rely on his eyesight.

Back in the present, Gennosuke senses Hyouma’s unfortunate death. It’s always sad to see a likeable character dying in this show, but not the least bit surprising. I have to admit, though, that I’m glad that Koshiro is still alive, although I’m not too sure how happy he’ll be in the long run. Surviving with a broken heart is not what I consider living. Looking forward to the next episode.

After a temporary hiatus from writing, I’m ready to continue with my blog entries again, thanks to the support from all of you, my fellow anime bloggers. You’re all so amazing.

Tenzen finally kicks the bucket in this episode thanks to Hyouma’s wicked Doujutsu, but it’s hard to believe that he’s really dead since he’s been able to escape death at least twice now. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him alive and kicking within the next few episodes, but I’m afraid that he’ll end up destroying his own clan due to his stubbornness and selfishness if he is. Oboro’s already feeling horrible as it is for what he’s done to her, and she doesn’t need his perverted and evil intentions to complicate her life even more. As for Gennosuke, he’s finally accepting the fact that Oboro is his enemy and surprises both Kagerou and Saemon by ordering them to kill her the next time they see her. Unlike Oboro who refuses to kill her beloved Gennosuke under any circumstances, he’s more willing to accept the inevitable and knows what he has to do to save his own clan from extinction. Poor Koshiro is left to walk aimlessly by himself like a blind man (literally) now that Tenzen’s dead, and it’s impossible not to feel bad for him. He’s risking his life to protect the love of his life and to be by Oboro’s side forever, but unfortunately he knows that his desire to be with her will never come true as long as Gennosuke Kouga is alive. I would really like to see them together for his sake, but I know that that will never happen in this series. From the looks of it, Basilisk will end tragically (as with Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion), but perhaps that is what will make this series memorable.