Thunderbolt Fantasy

Episode 4

(A quick correction: throughout the previous episode recap, I referred to the character of Xíng Hài as Shā Wú Shēng. To clarify, Xíng Hài is the lady necromancer, while Shā Wú Shēng is this week's purple-haired stabby murder freak. I apologize for the error, and thank you to all the people who corrected me.)

For someone in the business of gathering allies, Lǐn Xuě Yā sure has antagonized half of the world. At least the first person they deal with this episode, necromancer and angry ex-girlfriend Xíng Hài, agrees to set their differences aside when she hears about the crazy man after the super-sword. The next guy they meet, Shā Wú Shēng, isn't as conciliatory. This dude is so angry at Lǐn Xuě Yā that he goes around murdering everyone who might know him in an attempt to draw the guy out. Honestly, it sounds like Lǐn Xuě Yā should've known not to pick a fight with a dude called Roaring Phoenix Killer (be right back, changing my name to that), but what's done is done. As it stands, Mr. Roaring P. Killer wants a piece of Lǐn Xuě Yā, and he's finally found a lead after turning Lián Qí into a fresh corpse. Lián Qí was Lǐn Xuě Yā's former master and the guy with the magical GPS flute. Now that flute is in the possession of his killer, Shā Wú Shēng. Mr. Killer then shacks up at Lǐn Xuě Yā's intended meeting place, using the flute as leverage for his ultimate revenge showdown. This puts the party in a bit of a pickle, since Shā Wú Shēng is really goddamn tough. He wrecks Juǎn Cán Yún (Lancer) in single combat, and almost gets Shòu Yún Xiāo (Archer) killed by his own signature technique. It's uncertain whether they'd be able to take him out as a group, not without one of the necessary party members dying. The crew got lucky with Xíng Hài, but the Roaring Phoenix Killer doesn't look like he'll go down without a fight.

Ha! I knew that Lǐn Xuě Yā and Xíng Hài had a thing going on! And of course it ended badly, since it's impossible to hold a straight conversation without this guy trying to trick you into some heroic destiny. I'll keep calling him Lǐn Xuě Yā because that's what I've been using, but I don't think that his real name has been revealed yet, so keep that in mind whenever they refer to him as Guǐ Niǎo. We haven't gotten that much of Xíng Hài yet, but I'm already a fan by virtue of her character design and personality. Imperious demon necromancer lady, yes please. “Already a fan in spite of the character's limited appearances” might be a good description of the Thunderbolt Fantasy experience as a whole – the show has been so brisk in its character introductions that only a few of them have gotten their standout setpiece moments yet. And if they have, like in Archer's case, I still just want more. I could watch these puppets flounce across my eyeballs forever. Did you see Xíng Hài's entrance with the flowing ribbons approximating her magical powers? Or Shā Wú Shēng's outfit, which somehow has the others beat for both intimidation and flamboyance? This episode was mostly dedicated to establishing him as the scariest guy in the world, so I'm excited to learn what exactly Lǐn Xuě Yā did to him and how on puppet earth they'll get him onto the team. The opening shows him duking it out with Shāng Bù Huàn, so maybe the show will start spilling some deets on our reluctant, mysteriously foreign protagonist.

Four episodes in, and Thunderbolt Fantasy is fully comfortable in its rapid pace. I was surprised to realize that we're still so close to the beginning of the show – all the characters seem so familiar and endearing to me. But we're working with archetypes, and on top of that, Gen Urobuchi has a gift for making a single scene do the work of five compared to many other writers. Much like the show's enigmatic lead wizard, he seems to have an endless array of narrative tricks up its sleeve. I look forward to witnessing his structural gymnastics as much as the next bloody puppet impalement. As both an exquisite artistic endeavor and a rollicking, bombastic action fest, Thunderbolt Fantasy continues to be the most fun time to be had this season.

Grade: A

Thunderbolt Fantasy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.