Anime and Video Game Characters: Nanashi Part 2

So I am damn unsatisfied with my earlier Nanashi post, so this time I hope to do a better job. And to do this I asked myself a very crucial question.

Why does Nanashi go back to help Koutaro? In the beginning he didn't even want to help the boy. Hr only agreed to take Koutaro to the temple because Koutaro promised a reward of a gem worth "ten ryo". And at the temple Nanshi finally receives his payment. His duty to Koutaro ended there. So why does he go help Koutaro? It can be argued that nanashi and Koutaro formed a friendship together. in fact, they did. That's the majority of the movie. But doing so forces Nanashi to risk his own life. Would Nanashi die to save a friend? That's a conflict that requires a look at Nanashi's past.

Nanashi lived a good part of his life as a samurai serving a feudal lord. he served the lord blindly and became the best soldier. It is uncertain, but I think that Nanshi became friends with Itadori. At the very least, Itadori admired Nanashi. Nanashi had a future as a samurai. Then everything changed when he was forced to kill two girls. He hesitated because it went against his principles, but he also had his loyalty to his lord to think about. The insults from the older girl finally makes Nanashi act, and he kills the two.

So does Nanashi help Koutaro because they are friends? There is definitely that in the decision, but it is not the main reason. If Itadori was a friend, then Nanashi threw him away. That is the same as if Nanashi left Koutaro to die. Another argument is that Nanshi did it for himself.

While walking away from the temple, Nanashi did not know that Koutaro was in danger. All he heard was the sharp cry of the hawk, the same cry that interrupted his fight with Rarou. And after seeing the wounded soldier, Nanashi jumps into action without knowing what the conflict is. He is fueled by adrenaline, and he's probably not in full control of himself. Yet he sees Koutaro being carried off, and he gives chase. He fails and takes out his anger out on the monk Shouan.

And here is where more interesting stuff is revealed. Nanashi accuses Shouan of betraying Koutaro. And Shouan agrees. But Shouan also defends himself by saying that if he hadn't, he would have been killed. Then Shouan asks Nanashi if he could do it, if he could go against authority and do what's right, even if it means dying. And at that point Nanashi recalls the moment where he killed the two girls. Back then, he could not follow his principles. He was just like Shouan, following the orders from authority. But Nanashi wonders the same question as soon as Shouan asks. Can he do it? Can he do the right thing? He no longer has obligations to an authority figure. Now it's just him and his principles. Would he try to save Koutaro even if it means death? And finally, Nanashi decides to save Koutaro. He calls Shouan lower than a dog for betraying Koutaro and leaves.

Is Nanashi being selfless, or is he trying to prove that he is not the same? He called Shouan lower than a dog, and he probably thought the same of himself back then. Perhaps Nanashi is trying to make sure that he is differentm and saving Koutaro is how he is going to prove to himself that he can stick to his principles. With this argument Nanashi is no longer primarily motivated by friendship but by trying to attain self worth.

And then there is another crucial element to consider: the seal on his sword. Although the truth is never revealed, it can be assumed that Nanashi placed that seal on his sword after the incident. But what does the seal represent? Does it represent his desire not to kill? No. Even without breaking the seal Nanashi kills. This can be seen where Nanashi thrusted his sword (inside the scabbard) against the neck of the Ming soldier. Then what other meaning can be given to the seal? Perhaps it is to remind him of the evil that he did. But wouldn't his life already remind him of that? He is no longer an honorable samurai but a wandering ronin, without a place to belong and without friends. Then maybe it represents his promise never to stray from his principles anymore. It is a possible explanation. Equally important is his breaking the seal. This comes right after Nanashi dreams about his past, and the audience gets to see the dream fully for the first time. Why does Nanashi break the seal? He needed to break the seal so that he could kill the scarred soldier quickly, and that's a practical reason. But perhaps there is also a meaning behind it? Either way, it is a powerful moment in the movie and is the only time where there is a slowdown of time. Maybe Nanashi no longer needs to promise himself to follow his principles. He is already doing so by saving Koutaro.

So there is support for Nanashi risking his life to save Koutaro. Nanashi formed a friendship with the boy and wants to save him. Nanashi uses it as a final test to see if he can truly live up to his principles. I think that it is a mix of both arguments. Then it wouldn't hurt to consider one more thing.

Why does Nanashi accept Rarou's duel at the end? He finally achieved his goal, saving Koutaro. So why does he enter one more fight? The reason is not because Rarou would kill him if he refused. Rarou's reason for living is to fight the strongest warriors, and in his eyes Nanashi is one of them. He wouldn't end his dream right there. No, Nanashi is free to walk away. But he decides to fight Rarou. And when Rarou offers to take away Nanashi's pain, Nanashi refuses and replies, "Pain let's me know that I'm still alive" Maybe what Nanashi means is that there is no person that doesn't go through hardships. Everyone goes through painful experiences in their lives. It is up to them to survive and move on. Monk Shouan could not and committed suicide. Nanashi accepted what he did and moved on. As for the fight, maybe Nanashi wants to feel that nostalgia of being a soldier. Maybe he is not so different from Rarou. He also wants  a fight that will leave him satisfied. But this is a questionable idea because when Koutaro asked Nanashi to teach him how to use a sword, Nanashi warned Koutaro about it not being all glory and power. I think that at this point Nanashi no longer has the desire to seek fights. But emotions can change quickly, and maybe just meeting Rarou awakens Nanashi's bloodlust. That bloodlust is definitely there during the battle.

And maybe Nanshi is willing to accept his death. He followed through with his principles, and now he has no more goals in life. "But Nanashi also fights back against Rarou and desperately dodges," is a possible counter. But I did not say he wants to die. What person wants to die willingly and does nothing to prevent it? No, Nanashi wants to fight Rarou, and if it is time for his death, then he will accept it. Of course, the ending doesn't help because it's unclear if Nanashi survives.

But I think the strongest motive for rescuing Koutaro is friendship followed by self worth. Why friendship? Nanashi empathizes with Koutaro. After Nanashi bathes at the hot spring, the black hair dye comes off ,and he reveals that he is a foreigner. He dyes his hair so that other people won't see him as different. And afterward at the bandit camp, Koutarou reveals that he had no one to depend on. His mother died, and his father disappeared. Monk Shouan took him in, but his only friend has been pretty much only Tobimaru. Hearing Koutaro's past may have reminded Nanashi of his own. I am guessing that Nanashi too felt alone because he was different and was only used by the feudal lord as a tool. And this perhaps cements the friendship between the two.

But enough with this. I am still confused about Nanashi's character. Perhaps there is someone who can help me understand him better. I did not expect this much complexity in an anime character. Especially in a character from a movie.

Baccano! Review

What a rush! It's an endless party of the most bizarre characters and the most out of control plot presented in an outrageous style. Baccano! has many many characters (an uncountable number), yet they all become unique enough to know their names! And the plot, damn! so convoluted in the manner it is presented, yet it all makes perfect sense! And-

Alright, a time out is needed. My style of reviewing is not gonna work here, so I have to review this series step by step. Baccano! is an amazing series. The characters are all amazing. Each one will surprise you with their personal qualities. And there are so many of them. But by the time you finish, you will know the names of each of the characters. Oh, heck, I'll just list a few of those characters. First off is the thieving duo Isaac and Miria. They are as wild as the show gets, and they are the most charismatic of people. They are able to make friends with literally anyone, and that comes in handy when stealing stuff. Then there is Ladd Russo, the most outrageous, emotionally unstable person in the whole show. He goes from happy to killer mode in seconds, and he loves to talk and kill. He's the most happy when he's killing, and he likes killing people that feel like they can't be killed. And then there's more. See how out of control it is already? I'll move on.

The plot jumps from place to place. It is not presented chronologically. Therefore, expect to be damn confused in the beginning. The first episode makes you think "WTF is going on here?" and by the end, you'll be thinking "Ah, that is how everything fits together," The major time periods are somewhere in the early 1700's, and the Roaring 20's transitioning into the Great Depression. Yes, this anime takes place in America, not Japan or any made up place. And what is even more amazing is that the mafia plays a huge role in the anime, much like they did in real life. And moving on.

The music fits the series so well. This is because a whole bunch of jazz music is played (sorry if I'm wrong. Music isn't my strong point). And it sets up a perfect mood. In fact, it's as if (when that one great song plays) people treat all that criminal action like it's just fun and games. And that mirrors how people during the Roaring 20's felt.

And putting everything together, Baccano! becomes one of the most amazing anime that I have ever watched. It has that rush that Death Note gives off, but the way the story is presented surpasses even the rush that Death Note brings. It's like Death Note is second in command when Baccano! is around. The characters are great, the story is amazing, the way the story is told is genius, and the music is fitting. What else can I say?

Rating: 10/10

Kar: Island of FluffyBunnyPwn

In his tiny vessel Kar examined what seemed like the empty air. He was miles away from the closest island, and the water in front was surging wildly. Kar let his craft move forward....and felt the ship move sharply to the left a long distance before return back to the path. Using his command of the wind, Kar turned his ship back again. As the ship approached the area again, Kar spoke the word commonly used to ward off curses.



From the emptiness suddenly there was a great land. It easily eclipsed any of the nearby islands, and Kar anchored on the west shore. There were houses, and none of the residents were surprised at seeing Kar. They only pointed toward the center of the island where Kar's destination lied.

A little boy handed Kar a bag before dashing off. Kar looked and saw the grain of the island. Kar thanked the boy who was no longer there and ate, for he was hungry from hunting so long. Yes, he had hunted and found what he sought: The Island of FluffyBunnyPwn.

For ten years he had searched for the mythical land. As a child he had heard stories about the heroes who came from the island. They were the best of all heroes. After becoming a mage, Kar sought out more stories about the island from all regions. From various storytellers he learned of many adventurers who tried to find the island but always failed. For hundreds of years none had been able to find the island. While at the palace of the Prince of Rewald, Kar had discovered The Book of Tyn, the adventurer who thought he had a clue as to where the island was. After reading the parts he wanted, Kar went to the great city of Albaha and traded that book for unlimited access to the Mage Guild's library. From there Kar heard of the many sailors who had tried to sail between Gordon and Bleu, but always the powerful currents took them away. And among the bandits of Aman, Kar learned from the sailors about the region and became convinced that a powerful magic concealed the island. And Kar was right, for a powerful illusion had been placed to protect the island.

Kar journeyed nearer towards the center and found one of the temples. According to the legends and stories, the Island of FluffyBunnyPwn had been created by the god FluffyBunnyPwn. It began as an empty island. Gradually people settled the island and paid their respect to the god. Then more gods arrived at the island. It was said that the second god liked to take the form of a hawk and was thus called Soaringhawk. Immediately afterward another god arrived. This one took the form of a dragon and the people called him domodragon. How they pronounced the lowercase d none remember. The three gos fought amongst themselves for supremacy, for it is the belief of the people that make the gods strong. Though FluffyBunnyPwn had been the first, soon the other two gods had their own following. After countless conflicts an acceptable peace was agreed upon, though a strong rivalry remained. Thanks to the calm, other minor gods tried to populate the island.

And the temple Kar saw had a statue of a cat without eyes. The place was empty, and no one had tended the temple for years, for many creatures had made it their own. Kar continued his way and found a village.

"What is the temple with the cat without eyes?" Kar asked.

"That is a minor god. She came after domodragon," the man struggled to make the lowercase d sound. "But she did nothing and found little support. No one knows her name anymore. It has been too long,"

Kar stared at the young man and then smiled. "Do you mind being my guide around the island?"

"Oh no!" the man responded. "There are fearsome creatures around, and if you meet then you'll be in trouble. And some of the others here...aren't so friendly,"

"Is it because of the gods?" Kar guessed.

"Most of the people in this town believe that domodragon is superior. Others think it is FluffyBunnyPwn. And a few think Soaringhawk is worthy to believe in. It's friendly here because we can accept our differences. But...others are less than willing. They would not kill us or else the gods would get angry, but...they would make life miserable,"

"I am a mage. If it's danger you fear, I will ward them off. And if it is payment you want I have my services to give."

"No, no sir. the gods are enough for us. There is no need. i will guide you because I am a kind person,"

"Thank you. Er, your name is Esmond, correct?"

"Yes, sir. I am aware that mages can find the names of strangers easily."

As they walked, Kar asked, "How many gods are on this island?"

"First was FluffyBunnyPwn. He is, I think, the strongest, but my town favors domodragon. And then there is Soaringhawk. He has a few followers here and there, but his support is never concentrated. He is the third most powerful. The blind cat's temple you saw, but the god herself never appears. There was another minor god, I think a turtle. She caused trouble against gods from another place and left as soon as the issue was settled. And the other one...I forget his name, but his shape...that was unforgettable. It was the most grotesque thing I've ever seen. He is gone as well. And right now a mischievous god came along calling himself MonkeyKidd. And another cat god as well. It looks like there's a lot of gods, but the only strong ones are Soaringhawk, domodragon, and FluffyBunnyPwn,"

Kar thought about this and then moved on. "And their temples..."


"In the center the three temples are kept. Even though there are followers of all...temperament there," Esmond  quickly filled the noticeable pause. "Now the grandest of the temples is domodragon's. The others usually call his temple a waste because it is overly magnificent. Soaringhawk's doesn't have much, but it's very practical and it works. And FluffyBunnyPwn's is the largest of them all. And sometimes the gods show themselves to us. Maybe you'll get to see them. Especially domodragon. What an amazing sight he is."

"I've seen dragons before," Kar said.


"Not like domodragon. He puts other dragons to shame. Next to him, they all look like ordinary birdsa nd beasts,"


Snow fell from the sky. Just seconds ago the bright summer sun shone proudly. Now darkness covered the sky. Esmond was thrilled.


"Aha! Snow! What a relief! It's been such a long time since we've had snow. Maybe three years. Come! We must go back. It is impossible to continue."


Kar followed Esmond back to town. The children were outside, filled with joy. And even Kar was happy as well. Once inside Esmond's house, Kar asked a question.

"You live by yourself?"
  
"Of course! I'm not a child anymore. I make my living by mining up near the mountains. Though in this weather work won't be possible." Esmond trailed. "And as for food there's plenty of smoked meat left. I haven't had anything fresh for a while. Oh! And some pickled vegetables. I forgot that Lady Margret brought some for me,"


The day ended, and the snow continued to fall. Kar woke up to find Esmond carving wood. It fit in the palm easily and resembled a bird. Kar thought that it was maybe Soaringhawk.


"You like carving those?" Kar took a a stoll and sat next to Esmond.


"Yes, though it's more of a hobby. Heh, you can probably make what I'm doing just like that, huh? Hours of work eliminated with magic. It must be great,"


"Maybe," Kar was slow to speak. "But there is nothing like the pride of a craftsman who loves his work,"


No one went outside. A great storm had developed. All the joy in seeing the snow was soon gone. Boredom and restlessness set in. Two weeks passed in such weather.


More than once Kar asked the question "Esmond, where are your heroes?"


And more than once Esmond had answered, "Not even heroes can bend nature's will,"


Finally Kar stepped out of the house. "Esmond, I thank you for your hospitality, but I leave to go to the center."


"Sir, you cannot! Not in this weather.Wait until it calms," Esmond pleaded. He had become attached to the foreigner.


"Surely even you know that this is not a natural occurrence. This is a storm made by spells. And the one doing this is powerful. Look! Even the gods are heading towards the center!"


As Kar pointed, four shining dots flashed across the sky. Esmond's eyes barely saw them, but there was no mistaking them for anything else.


"Sir, you say that a powerful mage is doing this. Let the gods handle the situation," Esmond nervously swallowed. "After all, we are nothing compared to them."


"It is no mage but an ancient entity.. One, I think, that might be strong enough to defeat your gods. Do not think that your gods are invincible. They are only as strong as the people that believe in them. And their enemy is one who existed before them. And perhaps it will continue to exist after them. I am only a simple seeker of stories, but I am strong enough as a mage."


"Sir! I wish to go with you, but I fear i am only a burden."


Kar did not hesitate. "They say a fool in his own house knows more than a sage in another's. Perhaps you can still be my guide. They will be at the center, perhaps at the grandest temple of them all. But I do not know the way there. Lead me there, Esmond."


Where they stepped wind and snow did not dare approach. They went towards the center of the island where the three major temples stood. As Kar predicted, sounds of combat echoed from domodragon's temple.


"Oh they have ruined it! They have ruined the temple!"


"And the followers as well, I think. come, we go inside,"


Inside were the dead bodies of the dozens of followers. And next to them were the corpses of  frost goblins. Farther in, four gods in human form were fighting an eerie creature, one whose flesh was not flesh, yet looked and even felt like real flesh.


 Esmond was spellbound by the sight.


"That is the Void Walker, I think," Kar explained. "it existed before your gods. I think in a different realm, one that is similar to where we dream. And it can move from one world to the other. Look,"


As one of the gods shot a mighty arrow, the Void Walker disappeared and reappeared elsewhere. But Kar's attention was no longer on the creature. Chained against the wall was a god, and next to the god was a human. Kr was sure of it.

A human strong enough to summon a storm for weeks, strong enough to fight evenly with the gods, Kar thought. And the Void Walker does her bidding. What human could do that? Kar thought through all the stories he had read and all the folklore he had heard. This human looked young, but Kar knew it was only an illusion. Who had knowledge of the Second Realm? Other than himself there were very few if anyone else. And to make the Void Walker a slave? Never in all the legends did the Void Walker submit to anyone. Yet now it did her bidding. Who could that human be? The gods called her Gen-Cara, but that was only a fake name, one for the sake of giving a name to something unnamed. But all creatures had a name. It may be lost, but finding it was still possible. Wait! It was a desperate attempt, but it was better than nothing.

From the scattered islands Kar had pieced together a story. A sailor had taken from the Island of FluffyBunnyPwn a beautiful girl. But not just any girl. She knew what no other woman knew: magic. She scared the mages because she was stronger than them. So they hunted her. From island to island the chase moved, and sometimes even inland. Finally they slayed her. Though, Kar thought, storytellers are also some of the biggest liars. That was the most common ending to the story, but that was because the islands with that ending were home to the mages who hunted the girl. They would have done anything to make themselves look good. On other islands the stories said that the girl was sometimes still seen. But Kar was sure that it was the same person. And an isolated story came from a part of Kar's memories and completed the story. On a small island, a man boasted that his ancestors once helped a sea goddess escape mages. She rewarded him by healing his eyes and giving him her name. That was the piece Kar needed.

And with that thought, Kar whispered her name. It was at this moment that one of the gods killed the Void Walker, and the witch flung the chained god to wards the rest. She fled up into the sky not in the form of a winged creature, but as a human.

"This world belongs to us!" one of the gods yelled.

"No...it belongs to them," the recently freed god pointed towards the sky.

Esmond immediately bowed and hoped that Kar would do the same, for the wrath of gods is no laughing matter.

Seeing the gods faces, Kar said," You are gods, but you are not my gods. I do not lower myself to you."

"And we are too tired to smite you,"

"Yes, that and because I saved your lives. You cannot kill her because she will always change forms, and they are all immortal, for they are not the flesh of this world. And one of you knows this, I think. She said that you saw. What did you see?"

The freed god said, "I saw the world before we came. Monsters from another place once lived here. They were strong, as strong as the Void Walker. But then their time was up, and they left. But they are being allowed back. But why now? That I cannot understand,"

"That is easy," Kar answered. "If it was any other time, I wouldn't be in the story. Though I think it is the witch who is speeding their entry into this world,"

"Then we must kill her. And you know the method,"

Kar nodded. "Her name. Bind her with her name, and she is forced to her true form,"

"Then tell us!"

"If I tell you, you will have no reason to keep me alive. No, the name is mine to know. And I know that you have ways of making me talk, but I have ways of dealing with that as well. Do not try me. Now, I think this is the middle of the story, yes?"

Best of Anime Soundtracks: Sword of the Stranger

Really? I didn't do this one yet? Okay, here is the great Sword of the Stranger movie and its amazing soundtrack composed by Naoki Saito. A lot of it is the same tune but...different. Yeah, that's it.

Ihojin no Yaiba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTIwbusbN1g

Aganai no Yuki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQtNwsKNBls

August 1, 2011 Status

How unfortunate. I was hoping that we would be able to fight off the declining number of posts each month, but it appears that our efforts have not done so well in that category. Nevertheless, where would the fun be if there was no challenge? If our goal is to defeat the preceding month's number of posts, then our job has gotten a lot easier, for making 22 posts is a lot easier than making 33, and making 33 is a lot easier than making 71, and so on. This will, of course, be post number one of the month, making the goal one post closer.

Chapter 263

This chapter focuses a lot on the relationship between Sima Yi and Liaoyuan Huo. Right before this, Xiao Meng died, and Sima Yi caused her death by telling Cao Cao about Xiao Meng's assassination plans. Naturally Liaoyuan Huo is angry, and not even his duty to Sima Yi is enough to dissuade his anger. This chapter is probably the starting point of Liaoyuan Huo leaving Sima Yi and following his own path. And at the end, Liaoyuan Huo brings up their shared dream, and this time Sima Yi no longer finds the dream amusing. If it is Sima Yi on the throne, then the Handicapped Warrior coming for his life is Liaoyuan Huo, and it would be a major foreshadowing of what could happen later in the story.

Anime and Video Game Characters: Ryu

The Famous Ryu

Sorry, I'm not talking about Street Fighter's Ryu, I'm talking about Breath of Fire 2's Ryu. Yeah, Ryu isn't as buff as the Street Fighter character who goes by the same name, but oh wait, yes he is.

Not the troll in the back, the one with the sword

So no matter how you picture him, the Ryu that I'm talking about is from Breath of Fire 2. Now, each of the Breath of Fire games has two names that are always there: Ryu and Nina. In every single game, the Ryu and Nina are different. In this game, Ryu begins off as a boy living in Gate. He lives with his father and sister, and in the very back of the town, where the mountain is at, there is a dragon guarding a gate. That is Ryu's mother. And when going through the path to that mountain, one of my favorite pieces, Memories, plays.

And at night, a thieving dog-human hybrid Bow comes along and Ryu goes along with him because after sleeping, the whole town has forgotten all memories of Ryu (the reason for this is revealed later in the story). Ryu and Bow find refuge in a cave and meet Barubary, one of the final bosses in the game. They get their butts whooped and the two wake up later in Hometown best friends some years into the future.

And that's the backstory. Ryu is a silent protagonist, so there isn't much he says except yes or no and the occasional nod or shake of the head. At one point Katt likes him, and Nina's feelings for him are ambiguous, but she does say that next to her sister Mina, Ryu is her best friend. And Sten regards meeting Ryu and being friends with him as the event that made himself face his fears. And Bleu is glad that she came out of her sleep to see Ryu because he has made life interesting for her. And if this goes on much longer I'll have to play the game again and get the ending where there is no township because that's where I got this information from.

So yeah, stat-wise, Ryu doesn't have the best magic (belongs to Nina and Bleu), doesn't have the best HP or health (belongs to Rand) or attack (belongs to Sten I think) or speed (definitely belongs to Katt). But his stats are damn good and he has access to the dragon magic....which is pretty amazing except for the fact that it saps all the MP and deals a damage to all the enemies. So it's Awesome but Impractical.

Rating: Best Ryu

Soaringhawk's Song of the Day: What I Wouldn't Do

Well, this is a cover of a song that I do not know, but the song is nice, and the singer's voice is nice and you should at least give it a try.

Anime and Video Game Characters: No Name (Sword of the Stranger)

U Mad?

Aha! I bet you were expecting Nanashi with that title eh? Nope, instead it's another no name person. This guy is my favorite among the Ming warriors (after Rarou of course). His burned face means that he's had a lot of battle experience in the past, so maybe he can be ranked among the best fighters in the movie. Heck, he kills a lot of the Japanese soldiers without much effort (so does everyone else, but gotta give this guy something). And he does it with an entertaining fighting style, combining a double scythe weapon (sorry dunno what it's called) with savage kicks.

No Name runs fearlessly into an army of swordsmen

I mean look at him. He doesn't even flinch at the sight of all these men. Plus he has a cool cape. Everyone knows heroes have cool capes.

Ike is the perfect example.

Who else can do that to their weapons?

And then look at the way he uses his weapon to kill! He shows off and THEN he proceeds to kick ass (literally and figuratively).

See, this guy is not playing around. He'll do whatever it takes to kill his target. And if his target is you....well, just see the next one.

Notice the head in the background?

Yeah that's how friggin battle-hardened this guy is. No Name is one of the best fighters in the movie. He has both power and technique. Enough to break another person's weapon in fact.

So much detail in so small a scene.

Remember when Nanashi and Rarou fought in the last battle? It took them minutes to break their swords. But this guy...within seconds he destroys the mook's sword. And don't say that Nanashi and Rarou had better quality swords. Nanashi's sword was older than hell, and the sword that Rarou had....is....actually I don't know. It would depend on the materials used and the methods.....FORGET IT! This guy can break swords. Simple as that. It was just thanks to the Theme Music Power Up that Nanashi won.

CH 336-340

Yuan Fang....is a FUCKING GENIUS!

Okay, so Yuan Fang has done some incredibly smart things before, but I think this takes the crown. So before this Yuan Fang made Gongzun San commit suicide, defeated Xun Yu, defeated Guo Jia while outnumbered 10 to 1, and so on. Well this time....this needs a new paragraph. And major spoilers so don't read ahead if you don't want to have the scheme ruined.


So the Yuan army and the Cao army are fighting the Battle of Guandu. And Cao Cao is losing big time. Just before this though, Cao Cao interrogated Xu You and found out that all of the Yuan rations was at Gushi. And then the Yuan army attacks the Cao army at different points and pins them all down in their fortifications. And then the two Yuan brothers figure out what Yuan Fang is planning and takes action to take all the credit. They move in for a good location because Cao Cao is being lured out.



And Cao Cao does move out, and he takes command of his special army. So the third youngest brother is waiting at the right location when he hears reports that the first brother is coming to take the spot. The two armies move close, and then a fight breaks out. The third brother is all panicking and stuff and tells someone to get the troops separated. Then the scene cuts to the first brother (Yuan Tan, I just remembered his name) riding over with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. They're all confused and then at this point it's chaos and it's obvious that the Cao army stole the uniforms and made the two Yuan armies confused and fight each other.


Then the Cao army attacks Gushi where Yuan Fang is. The Cao army gets inside easily because they have the uniforms, but they Yuan Fang predicted everything. He has Gushi burned, and the rations were already moved out. The Cao army hopes to get away with the uniform to confuse, but Yuan Fang's army already switched out of their uniforms, and arrows are shot. And one of the target is Cao Cao. But of course, I suspect that Cao Cao is using a decoy or something because he is suppose to win Guandu in canon.


And and Wuchao Yuan Shao is miserable but he is happy at the same time. He knows that Yuan Fang had the two brothers killed but he is making Yuan Fang the leader of the Yuan clan this way. Then cut to the two brothers coming into Wuchao with their battered armies and blaming each other for allowing Cao Cao to curbstomp their asses. Yuan Shao is surprise because killing the brothers would have been something that Yuan Fang could have benefited from. Then for some reason the second brother came into Wuchao as well, and then Yuan Shao finally caught onto Yuan Fang's big scheme. Yes, Wuchao is burned as well, with the Yuan Fang army disguised as Cao Cao's soldiers.


So in one move Yuan Fang lures Cao Cao and defeats him, kills the three brothers, and eliminates the head of the Yuan clan. This is quite the scheme, and it is brilliant. Even Yuan Shao is glad that he made his son so competent. At this point, I guess Yuan Fang is the top among the Eight Geniuses.

New Head

Well, I guess it's time for me to say that I am now head of this blog. A long time ago, it used to be a competition between FluffyBunnyPwn, domodragon53, and me for supremacy. But now, those two are gone, and our new recruits are nowhere to be seen. The island of FluffyBunnyPwn officially belongs to me. Although, I would like them to have some posts again because it is a damn hard job. Notice how the number of posts have declined by half every month. And this month is no different. It's the 10th of July and we only have 4 posts (including this one). So I'll jsut leave off with some pictures of emperors/lord looking people to show by how much I won. Yes, it makes me feel like the Conqueror of West Chu (Xiang Yu).

The Last Heroes

My name is Argonaut. I am leader of the 150 heroes. We took a quest to slay the Big Bad Evil Emperor. We went and killed goblins first. They were weak. We leveled up a lot. Then we helped villages. Then for some reason cavalry people came and I died. We won. I don't know why I died.

 After we fought off an army of horsemen, we discovered that our leader, Argonaut, was dead. What sort of Evil Emperor does such a thing? First of all, the big battles are suppose to be fought later. Second of all, who kills off the main character in the first battle? It's suppose to end with the main character killing the last boss or sacrificing himself to save everyone. Now I'm the leader, and my name is Largon. I decided that we needed some training to prepare for any more surprises, so we went to kill more goblins.

So that's when the stupid Evil Emperor decided to send a dragon. Tell me, who sends a dragon to kill us before we're strong? Well, seven of us didn't make it. The first death was special. We sang songs for Argonaut. But after the dragon, we didn't feel like doing that anymore. A dead hero is a dead hero.

Then we tried to buy weapons, but that dragon destroyed 30 towns before we were able to kill it. We were furious. What person would leave people with their starting weapons?So I organized an army to march to the Big Bad Evil Emperor. Those villagers were slow, so we left some behind. Then some fell off at the bridge by accident. When we finally fought, we creamed the monsters and burned down the Evil Emperor's forest. The villagers ran away like the cowards they are. When we tried to get weapons, nobody sold anything, and we couldn't find the secret weapons. And that's when we all got creamed by goblins. It was an unfair last battle. How are we suppose to beat that? We all died, and now evil has taken control of the land. This is like an ending from a bad storyteller who forgot how the story is suppose to end and just inserted random bits to make it flow.

Chapter 285

Yuan Shu delivers his last words here, words that are straightforward and truthful. Is it not true that the warlords are only trying to make themselves look good by using highfalutin words? Is it not true that the people are being led like mindless sheep? This is the reason for Yuan Shu's desire to be Emperor Zhongjia. He truly wants to help the people. He realizes that Imperial Han is an empty name, and that it's time for a new dynasty to appear. Because he is so honest and idealistic, he is given a bad name. What a hypocrisy. The one who is honest is seen as corrupt. The ones who live in lies are seen as righteous. Where is the justice in this?

  

Sima Yi

This guy is a genius. Although he is not one of the Eight Geniuses, he is on par with them. Sima Yi is known for serving Cao Cao and competing against Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but in The Ravages of Time, he is the head of the Sima clan, a wealthy merchant family. He appears before he is suppose to in the novel, and he has at his disposal the Handicapped Warriors, the assassin group that includes Xiao Meng and Liaoyuan Huo (Zhao Yun). And using them as tools, Sima Yi plays a hand in killing Dong Zhuo's head advisor Lu Xun, killing Dong Zhuo, and preventing Cao Cao from taking Xuzhou.

After Cao Cao tears apart the Sima clan, Sima Yi joins Cao Cao. However, it may or may not be from loyalty because Sima Yi accepts the Dark Arts of War. In this case, Sima Yi probably wants to wait for the right moment before killing Cao Cao....much like in real life where he takes over after Wei is established. At this point, instead of competing against Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi cooperates with him to defeat Guo Jia at Xuzhou. In addition to that, Sima Yi causes trouble to the Yuan forces at Guandu by getting Xu You to help Cao Cao. And I haven't even gone into details about how he outsmarts Lu Bu. This guy is a genius.

Big Bad Evil Emperor

He was the Big Bad Evil Emperor. He had his own castle and a dungeon filled with many monsters. Yes, there were some 150 heroes coming to kill him. No, he didn't have any damsel in distress. The last time he tried to abduct one, his whole army got annihilated. No, he had never harmed a single village at all. No he had no wealth to give. No, no one would get any fame for killing him, arguably the weakest Evil Emperor  in history. So why would 150 heroes randomly decide to kill him? Because heroes are stuck-up, insensitive individuals who care nothing for the different lifestyles and cultures of the many unique creatures on the diverse land presented to and equally obtainable by any number of racially different beings. The point is that heroes don't care much about anyone except themselves, as you will see.



Yep, I'm the Big Bad Evil Emperor. Whoever invented that title should be killed because my real name is Rock. I know, who names their kid after a pebble on the ground? Well, for some reason, I was granted the title by an old man randomly strolling through the park. Actually, I'll bet that he was aligned with those heroes. I'll bet that they ran out of Evil Emperors to fight and had to invent a new bad guy. Well, that's how I got my job as the Evil Emperor. For some years now, they've let me live peacefully. They sent a messenger and told me to build up an evil army for when they were ready to fight. So that's what I did. I built an evil army. And then just last week, a messenger told me that they'll come attack me now. Yeah, pretty random huh?

So I've been waiting for a while now. It's been three months since they started their quest to kill me. I'd be very angry if they made me do all this for nothing. But my good friend here, Iv is his name, told me that heroes have to train on a whole bunch of weak monsters to get stronger and get new items before fighting me. So what was the point of making my army is they were just gonna go fight something else? It doesn't make any sense at all. And then Iv told me that heroes like to do a lot of side quests and prolong the main quest as long as possible to create suspense. That made me mad. Why would they announce that they were gonna fight me if they weren't even ready? It made me want to send everything to kill them, but Iv told me that I couldn't do that because I'm the final boss. Well, being the final boss is the ultimate suck job, I can tell you that. I'll bet that all the news reporters are following the heroes very closely. And how much coverage do I get? None. Actually, I think I was given a couple seconds of screentime, but it was just a sketch of my face. The sketch was actually very good. I should hire the artist for some work around the castle.

So then I hired my own information boy. I paid him a good amount just for giving me what everyone else got: news. The boy didn't want to learn my name. I didn't want to learn his. All I wanted was the news. So when I got my first report, I was pretty mad. They claimed that I destroyed 3 towns and stole all the valuables from a local temple (don't ask me who the they are. I don't know which noun they refers to). I can tell you with the strongest word for certainty that I didn't do it. How could I when I have been stuck in my castle for all this time? So I hired another boy. This one didn't want to learn my name. I didn't want to learn his either. The kid got me the real news, the stuff he saw with his own eyes. I found out that it was those same damn heroes who caused the destruction. And they had the nerves to pin the blame on me! What self-righteous hero does a thing like that? Well Iv told me that since I wasn't doing any of the killing and destroying, the heroes needed to do some for me. Iv said there needed to be some conflict. Well, I said, "That's bullshit." (don't ask me what that refers to either)

I was really angry, you know. If I wanted to be blamed for something, I would have done it myself. So I sent my cavalry to attack those heroes. My news boy told me that the heroes won pretty easily. That was a huge surprise to me. I had 500 horsemen in that group. How the heck do 150 heroes do that? And then I learned that one of the heroes died from the battle. For 15 days everyone sand songs about the dead guy's bravery. That's craziness. It was just one guy. Did anyone cry over the 500 lost horsemen or sang songs about their obedience? Nope, it was all about that one guy. (don't ask me what it refers to)

Then I found out that I wasn't suppose to kill anyone yet because it was too early. Well, at that point I threw out all the rules in the Guide to Being an Evil Overlord. All they did was give advantages to those heroes. I sent my pet dragon to decimate 30 towns before those heroes decided to show up. They didn't even bother to show up on time! Were they expecting me to wait for them or something? Apparently yes. Iv told me that traditionally I'm suppose to pause a moment even though I can kill everything.

Yeah they defeated my dragon. But not before 7 of them died. And those 30 towns? Yeah they won't be selling upgraded weapons and armor there anymore. Now isn't that more fair?

It was pretty obvious that they were annoyed.Who wants to play with someone that doesn't play with the rules? So they gathered an army of 100,000 people. 100,000 people! Can you believe that? I'm pretty sure I saw some kids in there (not me personally, my news boy, but it sounds better if I just say me)! And they marched nonstop to my castle. They never slowed down, and they never ate. It's not surprising then, that half of them left and deserted before even reaching the bridge that connected my land to theirs. And then another half fell off the bridge. Unbelievable! What person would drive people like cattle and force them to die young? The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to kill them. The heroes, I mean. Not the people.

My spellcasters frightened all the villagers away, but they were killed by the heroes. The spellcasters are the ones that died, not the villagers. Actually either way works. Then my 30 chimeras fought against the heroes, killing a good 20 of them before dieing themselves. And at night, I sent my rogues to steal all their potions. Of course, they could always use their mages to heal, but that's why I sent the chimeras. All their mages were dead. At this point things got ugly. They burned down all of my forest and killed the critters living there. I sent ogres and golems and all my strongest creatures to stop them and protect the innocent, but the heroes couldn't be taken down. Those guys had a nasty temper (the ogres had nasty tempers too but I'm talking about the heroes here). So when they went back to buy weapons and potions, they were out of luck. Apparently they didn't know that when you recruited all the people of the land, there is no one left to make any goods. So they tried to search for the Infinity Plus One Sword and the rest of the legendary weapons that could one hit anything. No luck. I took those things a long time ago when I was bored. So the remaining 100 stormed my place. I met them outside, of course. No one wants murderers inside their home. Yeah, a few of them died, but so did all my monsters that I spent years raising. Those heroes were dead tired, but they wouldn't give up. I didn't have any monsters left.

I admit, I was scared. What the heck could I do? That's when I remembered that I had my goblins left. I admit, they are weak. One on one, even I can win. But I had 100 goblin farms producing hundreds every hour. So my one million goblins took them on. They died really fast in the beginning, but the heroes were tired. Then my goblins gave the most amazing whoopass in the history of the hero and evil emperor game. At this point, Iv told me that this wasn't how the final battle was suppose to go. I was suppose to make them fight the strongest monster in my possession. That's when I told Iv that they did that a long time ago when I tried to protect the forest. That and goblins make much better end bosses.

New Change

As of right now, there is now a count of how many posts each of us writers have done. It's on the right side where the tags are. Fluffybunnypwn's count will be listed as Z: Fluffybunnypwn (insert current number) and if you click, you will see all the posts Fluffybunnypwn has done. The same goes for domodragon53. Z:domodragon53 (insert current number). And same goes for me Z: Soaringhawk (insert the highest number). Bakaneko and MonkeyKidd will have to get at least 15 posts each before I add their names to the new category.

Zhang Fei

My favorite of the Peach Brothers, Zhang Fei knows what needs to be done to make Liu Bei a successful sovereign. While Liu Bei would be content to live as a sandal maker, Zhang Fei uses tricks and cunning ideas to elevate Liu Bei's status. So not only his he one of the strongest warriors, he is also meticulous and thinks far ahead (not like Dynasty Warriors where he is portrayed as a brute). Zhang Fei fights Lu Bu equally in many encounters (not really, he gets whooped once and has Guan Yu to help in another).

In addition to this, Zhang Fei is a great artist (apparently this is a skill that not many know), and he happens to be able to copy handwriting. So all he has to do is copy the lord of Xuzhou's handwriting (he does) and he writes a will making Liu Bei the governor of the place. Afterward Zhang Fei loses the place on purpose to Lu Bu to get Liu Bei to realize that being blindly loyal will harm the people. As Zhang Fei says: There is a method to my madness.

Liu Bei

This is the man of benevolence, the man who's reputation is greater than any other. This is Liu Bei, the man who always gets his ass kicked and always rises back up to power. He is one third of the Peach Brothers, the most loyal of loyal individuals. And.....he is an excellent judge of character. No seriously, that doesn't sound like such a good ability, but it's damn useful. If a lord has a lot of people on his side, it's damn useful to know who is a traitor and who is not. Or else the lord will end up like Niu Fu (of course, Niu Fu willingly sacrificed himself to destroy Lu Bu).

But anyways, Liu Bei's most trustworthy officers are Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and they have to work hard to make sure that Liu Bei isn't cheated of anything. Liu Bei is sort of has a mood swing whenever he has an epiphany, and then he becomes a scary individual. As a character, I like him way better than Guan Yu but less than Zhang Fei. Heck, I think the only reason I don't like the Peach Brothers is because of Guan Yu. Liu Bei will end up with Shu at the end, but as of right now, he is in hiding with Yuan Shao.

Anime and Video Game Characters: Guin

This time, Guin of Guin Saga is the anime character that I will be discussing. When the story begins, Guin is lying in the Rood Wood, the most evil of forests revealed in the Guin Saga world. Guin has a built body (one that would make Hercules envious) and a leopard head as well. And with that body comes tremendous strength, more strength than any human can hope to obtain. And yet, Guin does not fall for the trap that Hercules did and was begotten strong but stupid. Instead, Guin is the voice of reason, the voice of strength. He is the master of strategies and the strongest defender of justice. This guy has it all, for he has little flaws. And at the very end of the show, Guin and Ishtovan (another great guy, possibly rogue/bandit/thief/resourceful man) have a duel. And Ishtovan says "I never noticed this before but you are the most annoying person ever". The rationale for this is that Guin is the strongest in power. He is the smartest in strategies. He is calm and almost never gets provoked by insults. His reasoning is sound, and that makes him annoying to those that are his enemies.

Crowning Moment of Awesomeness: The first episode has Guin single-handedly destroy a Mongaul Black Knight squadron all by himeself. With bare hands. In underwear. In fact, Guin punches a guy so hard, he gets sunk into the ground 5 feet (probably accurate guess) and sends another guy sliding against a tree, starting a forest fire because the helmet slid against the tree so hard sparks flew out. That is some major ass-kicking right there.

Rating: Badass Half human

Farewell?

Three idiots stumbled into our domain. One by one they decided to try their luck at this game. One by one they imprinted their names (except 4DKitty, she never did anything). The Omegalisk looking dude made Perfect Dark. Oh how joyous we were, for the potential of a new competitor was on everyone's mind (not really, we woulda ate him like a fly). The Turtle who eats made a sensation with her K-music. Everyone saw a great future full of challenges from Anonymous Jay-walker. However, the Turtle disappeared from the face of the place.

Little did they affect the island of FluffyBunnyPwn, little were they noticed by anyone. Had they united together they might have overtaken the island. Now they will disappear into obscurity. They are Nikanoru (Breath of Fire 2 anyone?). Nikoranu, the dead ones. They were never alive, never here for life. No fame, no glory; only silence can be given to Nikoranu. They wanted to have a taste of fame and power. Now that they had their chance, they are gone.