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R2 DVD Reviews
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Thursday, 10 August 2006 00:00 |
 The Big Fighters Tournament comes to a premature end, giving Battle Vixens' fighters a chance for some much-needed R&R (aka, an excuse for a hotspring episode) and time to reconsider just what they've become involved in. Can a fighter's destiny be thwarted? Will Totaku ever directly face any of his challengers? And will Hakufi ever grow a braincell? These questions, and many more, won't be answered in this volume...
8 - Why! The Betrayal Of Gouei!
The Big Fighters Tournament continues, with Hakufu coming up against her friend Ton-chan in the next round - and on the surface at least, he's not prepared to go easy on her. It doesn't help that her mom's cheering for Ton-chan, either - and it soon turns out that Goei's arranged with Ton-chan for Hakufu to learn a little lesson in failure. Meanwhile, Ryofu is challenged by Kaku to explain why she's been giving refuge to people she's supposed to have executed, which leads her to realise that Totaku needs to dealt with...
9 - Viva Hot Springs!
With Hakufu's involvement in the Big Fighters Tournament over, Goei's arranged a trip to a remote mountain hotspring resort for a little rest & recuperation - although Goei has a few other things to deal with in the area as she looks for a way to help Hakufu avoid her destiny. Hakufu and Koukin aren't the only fighters visiting the hotsprings, either. Back home, Gakushu tries to confront Enjyutsu about his orders to kill Hakufu, but discovers that Enjyustu may not be the man in charge at Nanyo any more...
10 - An Encounter Between the Ruler and the Devil
From the hotspring to the pool, as the summer heat gets the better of Hakufu. She's not the only person to think of that, either, as Totaku makes a rare trip away from his greenhouse to leave a little gift with Hakufu. Meanwhile, Ukitsu arrives back in town with orders from Choko to "awaken the dragon inside" Hakufu - something Goei really doesn't want to happen, as it could mean her daughter's death. Following through on her promise to protect Hakufu, Ryoumou rushes to try and prevent the inevitable battle...
So according to Goei, Hakufu's angry personality which appears whenever she's facing defeat is the power of her fate - which is a flimsy explanation, perhaps, but goes a long way to explaining how much of a role fate plays in Ikkitousen's story. That's where the main thrust of events is going now, too, as Goei looks for a way to prevent Hakufu meeting her destiny, while others look for ways to make sure she fulfils it.
Speaking of cheating fate, Ryofu's also looking for ways to change what should be the inevitable outcome of the story. She's already been showing signs of disillusionment at the whole fighting thing, but it's when her lover Chinkyu ends up on the wrong end of some of Totaku's goons that she finally snaps - and thanks to some additional training out in the mountains, her powers are now at a level that you really don't want to mess with. Add in that she doesn't have long to live anyway, and she really has nothing to lose. I always did like Ryofu, and she's just becoming more and more the star of the show for me as we go on. Nothing to do with her shoujo-ai tendencies, I promise.
The big disappointment, though, is having the big, bad Totaku turn out to be someone who simply won't face anyone directly, for fear of losing his position. His meeting with Hakufu proves he's got the ability (as does being in the top spot in the first place), but having him hover in the background and use his lackeys to do his dirty work is deeply unsatisfying to watch.
Unexpected moment of the disc: seeing Ryoumou vow, for no good reason I could see, to protect Hakufu with her life. Nothing in particular happened to change her mind, and yet there's a complete 180-switch from wanting to kiss her ass to wanting to defend it. Go figure.
I suppose that expecting Ikkitousen's story to make sense or be consistent it a little too much, though - it's been fairly clear all along that this series is about instant gratification, be it from the fighting scenes or those of a more sexual tilt. There's definitely a certain amount of appeal in those aspects of the show, but for me it's not really enough to mask that it's sadly lacking in a number of other areas.
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