Musashi: The most famous duel in Japanese history...
So, you just recreated and televised the most famous duel in Japanese history...what will you do for the next 11 episodes?
Apparently, focus on the politics of the time while Musashi tries and fails to live in peace away from all that...which he's actually been trying to do for a while now. Can't you politicians just leave the man alone for a while? Ok, no, because then the show would be over...
Actually, I'm not quite sure WHY it's not over now...the Musashi/Kojiro duel is basically the climax of the series...not matter how good it is, the rest of the series will be downhill...heck, they were advertising the duel as THE event of the series, pretty much, in the "next episode" previews fore about 5 eps before it. About the only other thing of near equal import is the "does Musashi get to stay with Otsu?" question, which really only needed about 1 more minute to answer...
This isn't to say that I'm not looking forward to the rest...the bulk of the last ten episodes(aside from the death of Yagyu Sekisushai...*sniffle*) has been divided between maneuvering and building towards the duel, and the politics. The parts with the politics are more than enough to keep me watching(I've tried, but it seems I'm literally incapable of breaking from this show before it's finished at this point...there are worse fates)
One interesting thing to note is that, while in the movies and book the series is based on, Kojiro falling for Otsu was one of the reasons for the duel. Here, however, the only role Otsu plays is as an incentive for Musashi to survive...she and Kojiro have only met once(well, technically twice, but it was encountering each other briefly while going to the same place, so I count it as once) and he certainly wasn't in love with her. At best, he vaguely recalls a pretty girl travelling with her brother whom he met on the way to Edo. Instead, the main reason for the duel(aside from the whole "we'd be great friends, but we have to try to kill each other or we'll go nuts wondering which of us is better" mindset so popular with samurai) is politics, which I understand is in closer keeping with history(I think the show went about half and half in the book-history department)
I think I prefer it that way, as it wouldn't have suited Kojiro as portrayed here at all. He never hesitates to defend a woman, but he'd never try to stand between a woman and the man she loved, unless she was unhappy because of him(then the other man would die, but Kojiro wouldn't bother with an official duel...waste of time, that.) There was a brief point around eps 15-23(forget exactly where) where they seemed to be indicating similarities between Koto and Otsu in preparation of that, but it was brief. Instead, I like how they played it with Otsu waiting for Musashi in Mimasaka and Oshino waiting for Kojiro in Himasaka(I think I got that wrong...) Poor Oshino...her men keep dying on her...I imagine there will be suicide on that end before long...but then, I'm half surprised she's still alive.
The fight itself, of course, was excellent, and worth the wait and buildup. I'm not sure I'd say it's better than the fight with Shishido Baiken...I'm partial to that one, if only for the extreme dichotomy in fighting styles.
I tried finding pictures of the duel, but no go(though the production pictures I posted last night were for the scenes...) I'd recommend anyone interested in the samurai genre download and watch ep 38, just for the duel.
Now to see if they can keep up steam for 11 episodes...
Random thought...for me, this is only a couple more days, but if I lived in Japan in '03, it would have been "Hey! we just showed you the climax of the series, the biggest event of the whole thing...the reason half of you are watching...go ahead and stick around another three months, ok?"
Apparently, focus on the politics of the time while Musashi tries and fails to live in peace away from all that...which he's actually been trying to do for a while now. Can't you politicians just leave the man alone for a while? Ok, no, because then the show would be over...
Actually, I'm not quite sure WHY it's not over now...the Musashi/Kojiro duel is basically the climax of the series...not matter how good it is, the rest of the series will be downhill...heck, they were advertising the duel as THE event of the series, pretty much, in the "next episode" previews fore about 5 eps before it. About the only other thing of near equal import is the "does Musashi get to stay with Otsu?" question, which really only needed about 1 more minute to answer...
This isn't to say that I'm not looking forward to the rest...the bulk of the last ten episodes(aside from the death of Yagyu Sekisushai...*sniffle*) has been divided between maneuvering and building towards the duel, and the politics. The parts with the politics are more than enough to keep me watching(I've tried, but it seems I'm literally incapable of breaking from this show before it's finished at this point...there are worse fates)
One interesting thing to note is that, while in the movies and book the series is based on, Kojiro falling for Otsu was one of the reasons for the duel. Here, however, the only role Otsu plays is as an incentive for Musashi to survive...she and Kojiro have only met once(well, technically twice, but it was encountering each other briefly while going to the same place, so I count it as once) and he certainly wasn't in love with her. At best, he vaguely recalls a pretty girl travelling with her brother whom he met on the way to Edo. Instead, the main reason for the duel(aside from the whole "we'd be great friends, but we have to try to kill each other or we'll go nuts wondering which of us is better" mindset so popular with samurai) is politics, which I understand is in closer keeping with history(I think the show went about half and half in the book-history department)
I think I prefer it that way, as it wouldn't have suited Kojiro as portrayed here at all. He never hesitates to defend a woman, but he'd never try to stand between a woman and the man she loved, unless she was unhappy because of him(then the other man would die, but Kojiro wouldn't bother with an official duel...waste of time, that.) There was a brief point around eps 15-23(forget exactly where) where they seemed to be indicating similarities between Koto and Otsu in preparation of that, but it was brief. Instead, I like how they played it with Otsu waiting for Musashi in Mimasaka and Oshino waiting for Kojiro in Himasaka(I think I got that wrong...) Poor Oshino...her men keep dying on her...I imagine there will be suicide on that end before long...but then, I'm half surprised she's still alive.
The fight itself, of course, was excellent, and worth the wait and buildup. I'm not sure I'd say it's better than the fight with Shishido Baiken...I'm partial to that one, if only for the extreme dichotomy in fighting styles.
I tried finding pictures of the duel, but no go(though the production pictures I posted last night were for the scenes...) I'd recommend anyone interested in the samurai genre download and watch ep 38, just for the duel.
Now to see if they can keep up steam for 11 episodes...
Random thought...for me, this is only a couple more days, but if I lived in Japan in '03, it would have been "Hey! we just showed you the climax of the series, the biggest event of the whole thing...the reason half of you are watching...go ahead and stick around another three months, ok?"