Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
Episode #2
The Power to Fight
I really love the opening to this episode. It basically recaps the three parties leaving their homeworld but with different music and editing. It's just so effective and gets you into the episode right away. After this the episode title appears and then we continue with the story where it left of, with the gang meeting each other for the first time in front of Yuko (from xxxHolic). It's a very well done scene with Yuko's house looking just like it does in the manga. The voices are perfect also, though I kind of think (and many people will agree) that Yuoko looks a bit... off. Actually it's worth mentioning that all the characters look different in these earlier episodes than they do later on. Especially towards the end of season one where the animation improves greatly. I didn't notice this when I first watched the series, but on repeat viewings after seeing every episode at least once, it becomes very obvious that it took a while for the animators to perfect the Tsubasa style. It's not bad, just different.
Anyway, Yuko quickly reads Sakura and Syaoron's minds and realises what had happened. Interestingly, fans of xxxHolic will know that she knows more than she's letting on. She commands Watanuki (her assistant) to go get something and the converses with the gang as they sort out what each of them wants and what the cost will be for her help. She also explains that if some feathers aren't returned to Sakura soon, she will die! Kurogane wants to return to his world after being forcefully removed from it. Fay wants to stay away from his world and Syaoron wants to find all of Sakura's missing feathers/memories.
Kurogane has to give her his sword, Fay, his magical tatoo and Syaoron has to give Sakura his relationship with Sakura by letting Yuko remove all memories of him from Sakura's mind. Even if they get all her feathers she still won't remember him!
Watanuki returns carrying two Mokona Modoki's. One is black, the other white. Yuko gives the white one to them and keeps the black one "for communication purposes". After some quick goodbyes, the white Mokona Modoki (I'll just call him Mokona from now on) jumps into the air and starts to shine. His red gem glows yellow, and giant wings grow out of his back! Suddenly an emblem appears on the ground (again, similar to the one that appears in Card Captor Sakura when Sakura uses a Clow/Sakura Card) which contains numerous magical symbols. Interesting to note that one of the primary symbols is the same as Fay's tatoo!!! The suprises continue as Mokona sucks them all inside his mouth and then jumps into the rotation symbol on the ground and disapears! Yuko wishes them luck and they're on their way to their first world as a team with Sakura still unconcious.
As everyone is traveling through limbo towards their first world, Syaoron wakes up and sees a bright fireball floating towards him and Sakura.
Cue commercial break with a cool screenshot of Yuko.
When we return, we see the ball of fire transform into a flaming wolf...no, wait... it's Rayearth from the famous CLAMP series, Magic Knight Rayearth! Or at least it's an alternate version of him that promises to serve Syaoran and help him protect Sakura.
Syaoran quickly wakes up and finds himself in a city called Hansin (Note: In the manga, it's called "Hanshin" but while this looks like a completely different word to an English speaker, the Japanese language sees no difference between "s" and "sh" sounds. For example, "seep" and "sheep" sound the same. Kind of like the "r" and "l" thing. Yeah, it's still a typo, but not as big as it would be if this show was in English).
Kurogane, Fay and Mokona are next to him, as is Sakura who is still out of it. They all talk a lot more to properly get to know each other. They're interupted however by a kid called Masayoshi who yells at them to get out of there. A battle is about to start between two rival gangs using speacial powers called "Kudan" which apparently, everyone in Hansin has. They all quickly seak shelter behind a demolished bus.
As they're sitting down, Fay notices something in Syaoron's coat... one of Sakura's feathers! Before they can return it to Sakura however, a random energy blast from someone's Kudan narrowly misses Syaoran but sends the feather flying!
Syaoran runs out into the battle field to get the feather back, despite the obvious danger. He finally catches it, but as he does so a massive fireball is heading straight for him! Luckily, Rayearth materialises and protects him.
Rayearth continues to defend Syaoran by attacking those attacking him. Eventually the fighting stops and one of the gang leaders, Asagi Shougo introduces himself and challenges Syaoran to a fight with his strong Kudan, a high level water one!
My Original Impression
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Wow... just finished watching the second episode (had to tape it as I went out last night) and boy was I suprised! While the first episode was almost a direct copy of the manga to the point that some shots were basically animated stills of the manga, the second episode, while still maintaining the authentic style of the manga source, completely changes several of the major plot points! i.e. the guest cameos of Sorata and Arashi from CLAMP's other work, X1999, and the potrayal of the Kudans!
While Rayearth still cameos as Syaoran's Kudan, he is reduced to a howling dog... completely speachless! Syaoran's rival also has his Kudan in tact but all the supporting characters (the gang members) simply have balls of energy above their fists which act like mystic shotguns.
However the Hanshin Republic arc of the story was crammed into the second half of the episode (the first being a word for word from the manga conversation with Yuko [love her!]) so there will obviously be more time in episode 3 and perhaps 4 for Kudan expansion and the inclusion of missed characters and characterisation.
The music was great this week, and seemed to be more suited to each scene. I especially loved the music for the first minute or so, recapping the transporting of the 4 main characters to Yuko. Speaking of which, it seems that the reasons as to why they were sent/went to Yuko are being saved for later episodes (next episode looks like a Kurogane focused one) to help stretch the story out and form more of an episodic style.
Mokona is great. No disapointment there!
Overall I would give this a 3.5 / 5
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