Forum - View topicKing's Raid: Successors of the Will (TV) (w/ index).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Sorry for not keeping this more up-to-date on a weekly basis. I've got backlogs of live-action movies and shows I've also been trying to watch or catch up on (a lot of them coinciding with holiday seasons, like Halloween and Christmas).
On another note, this thread seems to be getting a lot of views. I made it around the same time as Hypnosis Mic. But after a little over a month, the former is barely under 300, and this one is at 1900. Maybe somebody linked this thread on a blog, another forum, or something else? At any rate, I'm flattered, thankful, and happy for the support. ---------- Episode 08: Memories in the Eyes Summary: Kasel and gang continue their journey to meet the orcs. On their way, Frey spots a girl named Elise, who is part of a refugee group displaced from their village after a Demon attack. ---------------------------------- Comments: Based on the preview in the last episode, I thought this would have a little bit of Frey flashback, but it didn't, or at least directly. I think it advanced her character a bit, though in a more roundabout way than they did with Cleo. The first time Frey sees Elise, I got the feeling Frey saw a little of her young self, and therefore, decided to help Eilse. It could also be that they're saving a full-on Frey flashback ep. for later, since she and Kasel went to the same orphanage and grew up with each other, so maybe it'll be a double backstory ep. Essentially, I feel the episode was trying to highlight what Roi alluded to in the possible complications that arise from being a good Samaritan. Sure, they helped people in need, but then Elise developed such an affection for Frey, she tried to lock her up and keep her from leaving, which obviously would've screwed up this whole save-the-world-from-evil plan. Also, I keep having this feeling that the show can take a dark turn at any moment. So when those Demon worms started attacking, my fear for Elise getting off'd was pretty high. It seems I get that feeling of impending doom almost every episode, and yet, nothing keeps happening, but all it takes is that one tragic turn, then poof, the whole thing is dark, again. This one is actually kind of a two-parter, so if you're reading this and have access, watch #09 in conjunction as soon as possible. ---------------------------------- Caps:          
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Alright, Christmas season is over, so no more speed-watching oodles of Christmas themed movies, specials, and shows. Back to anime episode reviews!
Episode 09: Scars of the Dead Summary: Kasel and co. make their way further and meet Elise's (the young girl from the previous episode) father, Johann. But Johann has a dark secret in his basement. ---------------------------------- Comments: So this episode introduced a big, and possibly game-changing element: the undead. Here, I figured Malduk was a necromancer and just summoning or conjuring Demons with energy from a dark dimension or something. I thought they were mindless spirits and/or minions that just killed any living thing. But now we have actual animated corpses! I'm hesitant to use the word "zombies," as I don't quite feel these undead are the typical, slow-moving, flesh-eating entities we're most used to seeing as labeled "undead." Maybe they didn't wanna' get too graphic. Then again, Johann was presumably the only living person left in that area, so who knows? Maybe all the number fleshy living things were already dwindled down. At any rate, on top of introducing the new story element, I feel it also tried to illustrate a common theme seen in most undead/zombie stories: the difficulty of letting go. Johann lost his wife, and thought he lost is daughter. And with just his wife's animated corpse as the only thing to keep him going, he was still attached to the remnant of what, presumably, was the last thing he loved in life. When the screen faded out as he put the knife to her neck and transitioned to him approaching Elise in the post-credits, I almost thought he was stupid enough to get bit and turn into an undead, himself. Thankfully that wasn't the case. But this whole undead thing can open a whole can of worms, now. What if somebody from King Kyle's time is still around as an undead? And what if they're not the lowly mindless kind of undead, but like a sentient and intelligent kind? What if Kasel's mom or someone else's loved one is still around with the possibility of reversing the process as a kind of bargaining chip? The possibilities are endless! ---------------------------------- Caps:          
Last edited by Tony K. on Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 10: Individual Motives
Summary: Black Edge makes their return to Orvelia after successfully repelling a Demon attack. Tamm is elated at the praise they receive, but the rest of the Dark Elves remain focused on their mission to eventually take over the city. Tamm is also slowly becoming smitten with Sheila, the girl who help him earlier, and is starting to doubt the plan Riheet has set for them. ---------------------------------- Comments: Aside from Tamm, the rest of Black Edge seem pretty hellbent on taking Orvelia by force, at some point. While episode 07 hinted at the racism from some of the noble side of Orvelia, this episode shows the retaliatory tensions from the Dark Elf side. Riheet and Ripine, in particular, seem to be the angriest, and probably set the whole thing up to begin with (with Riheet leading, and Ripine just being the strong right hand). And out of the two groups of Dark Elves we know anything about (Riheet and Ripine, then Tamm), both of their families were killed by humans. We still don't know quite enough details of what happened to Illya after she was persecuted and the eventual blackballing of Dark Elves, in general, but I'm guessing it was mostly a cover-up by greedy/corrupt humans to take land or some other typical power play feudal lords like to do in these kinds of settings. Although he's young, and possibly a little naive, I'm interested to see if they develop Tamm a little more. Big brooding coup groups like this tend to have interesting results when dissenters start to appear. But again, I need more details about why the Dark Elves were so mistreated to see if they're retaliation is justified. Given the more magical and fantastical elements of the story, so far, I'm guessing the human attacks on the Dark Elves is something a little more than just political. And also, Kassel and co. finally make it to the Red Valley to meet the Orcs! ---------------------------------- Caps:          
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4158 |
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Episode 15
... I've been trying to sort through my feeling of this episode as well as the entire series now and ... is the closest I've come to a conclusion. I ended episode 14 with "Did they just do that?" to find out "Yes, they did and they weren't done" in the following episode. This one ended on a similar "Did they just... to that one" only to watch the new end credits say, pretty much, "Yeah...". My own feelings aside, the way I'd describe the condition of the overall story is by saying the plot just crapped its pants. I think, I think?, the writers were going for Game of Thrones "Red Wedding" but ended up at the Show Original "Night King Anticlimactic Climactic battle." Still, that answers one of my questions I had about the Dark Elves; "I can see why they fit in but not how..." spoiler[Now, it may be possible that Ripine isn't dead, just merely missing and she ends up with Kesel's group which is what I thought would happen all along. Still doesn't explain/excuse the rest of the Dark Elves from not running away from Malduk after he killed Tamm, brought him back to life as a zombie and then killed Azul. WTF.] |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 11: Orcish Pride
Summary: Kasel and co. finally reach the Red Valley to meet the Orcs. Upon arriving, they save an Orc shaman by the name of Kaulah and his apprentice, Dale, from some undead Orcs. Kaulah takes Kasel to meet the Orc chieftain, and then a challenge is issued. ---------------------------------- Comments: The episode actually starts with a little bit of backstory on Malduk and how he was exiled from his position as sorcerer. He essentially practiced forbidden magic, developed a god complex, got kicked out for it, and started planning a giant revenge plot. He also seemed to have a thing for the princess of that time, so I think it's a mixture of cockblocked jealousy and ego on top of the complex, which is a bad recipe for pettiness. And as mentioned in my review for Episode 09, this whole undead element has a lot of potential. I'm pretty sure the animated corpses are just angry mindless shells, but if Malduk can actually control them, too, that's a whole other can of worms. Demons as soldiers, undead figureheads, and then what the heck can Angmund even do? He's the freakin' Demon Lord! Will Malduk even cooperate with him by that point, or go rogue for his own goals? The guy seems pretty off his rocker and hellbent on exacting his self-delusional retribution on everybody, so at least his motivation and convictions seem clear-cut. I like how even Maria thinks he's crazy in how she said she would help him revive Angmund, and that's it. I'm still curious on her backstory, but she doesn't seem to have any affiliation with Malduk, other than the common goal of bringing Angmund back. That thing she mentioned back in Episode 05 about false gods and such still has me wondering what the whole story behind that will be. As for the Orcs, I like what I saw, so far. Not surprisingly, they also hate humans. But at this point, it seems to be mostly because Malduk came by and killed some of them, then re-animated their corpses. Although, when Kasel is seen by the crowd, they don't seem to like humans in general, anyway, so we'll just assume there's past tensions and a large amount of mistrust between them, as well. What I really like about the Orcs, though, is the depiction of their culture. They're pretty much your typical warrior race, like most other Orc representations, only way more spiritual and akin to the feel of Native American tribes, samurai clans, or even Klingons. I've always found those kinds of cultures to be cool and fascinating, so I'm excited to see how they'll be utilized. Heh, in a way, I guess it's ironic that they remind me of samurai and Klingons, as the latter have codes of honor in their culture similar to bushido, and these Orcs are technically speaking Japanese, and even look a little like oni. ---------------------------------- Caps:          
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 12: The Time for Trial
Summary: Kasel is presented with a spirit trial to deem his worthiness for the seal to the Holy Sword, Aea. After successfully passing the trial, Malduk appears. ---------------------------------- Comments: Kasel was presented with these visions of looped happiness that tried to corrupt his resolve. And he conquered them easily, since I think it's safe to assume he's pretty determined to see this whole thing through. The vision trial thing had some neat Dutch camera angles, and I'm glad it didn't spend too long trying to create or draw the illusion out too long. Malduk's appearance seemed a bit sudden, as I thought he was just planting seeds of fear as he went along and that, eventually, Kasel and co. would run into him a few episodes, later. Suffice it to say, Malduk appears to be a formidable sorcerer that's not just all necromancy tricks. This guy has a huge ego and quick temper, though, like a total opposite of Dominix. And then he was getting a little worried when Kasel actually put up a fight before disappearing. I'm also wondering what that glowing attack was that Kasel almost hit him with. Maybe something from the Seals of Aea that only work on super magical enemies like Malduk? I'm guessing this will lead to another semi-spirit journey or something that also reveals a bit of info about the powers Kasel has gained from the seals. Always up for more backstory details! ---------------------------------- Caps:          
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Episode 13: To My Dear Friend...
Summary: Frey writes a letter to Clause, recollecting her adventures with Kasel, since they left Orvelia. ---------------------------------- Comments: This is actually a re-cap that covers all the episodes not involving Dark Elves. There's a little bit of new footage that involves Frey talking to Cleo around the middle of the episode, but it's nothing terribly important. ---------------------------------- Caps:: Not gonna' bother, since it's a re-cap episode. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4158 |
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Episode 20
"So that's the story of Kesel's mother.... she was guarded until the point she wasn't anymore, which is convenient once we learn exactly how the "Demon Lord" gets resurrected. Are we finally clear that Dominix is evil yet?" Episode 21: "So that's the story of Illya's sword." No, wait, this is a bit complicated than the show is letting on. There is no magic sword. Illya instead created a device that should turn any normal sword into a magic sword and Ripine would have caught on to that if she wasn't the twin that died. Riheet obviously has as much knowledge as all those blank pages in Illya's journal. Dominix: "There is no magic sword." Riheet: "There is no magic sword." What he doesn't say is "But there is this crest which gets diagrammed later in the book that I have on me as my Proper Birthright. But it's probably nothing." The correct response would be "Then what about this diagram of this crest later in the book?" without divulging you have it on you.... just to see what his response would be. Illya must be regretting having decedents at this point. I first thought she was going to hid it under some glued paged at the end of the book... and the show also did?.... but instead she just stuck it in after a few blank pages just in case her family loses the genetic lottery in terms of "intelligence". Are we finally clear that Dominix is evil yet? |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3671 |
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Episode LAST:
Well, I can't say I was surprised by, well, anything in this show, but classic stories are classic for a reason. It was perfectly functional fun. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11601 |
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So I finally finished this. Can't believe they did a recap episode with only 2 more to go. Was it just me, or the player lagging or was the animation in the climactic fight scene total ass? It felt like key frames were missing or something and I couldn't tell what was going on half the time.
Could someone explain (remind) to me how Kasel was born? I forgot how his mother died - did she get thawed and die having baby Kasel or something? All I vaguely recall is everyone flipping out when Dominatrix told them he was 100-years-dead Kyle's son. Anyway, it was ok. I liked Reheat (really, he's the only reason I even started watching this) and the ex-princess adventurer best. |
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Yttrbio
Posts: 3671 |
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Oh, it's epic quest continuity 101. Just follow the manual:
1. Freeze pregnant woman 2. Thaw pregnant woman 100 years later 3. Baby! 4. Get her murdered by demons in front of the soon-to-be hero so he has motivation |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11601 |
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Ok, cool. That was like 6 months ago, right? I can barely remember the first episodes at all. Did we see him see her get killed or were we just told about it?
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Yttrbio
Posts: 3671 |
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I definitely don't remember. In more recent episodes he would talk about how she was killed by demons, so that's the only connective tissue I've got to it.
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