Sengoku Youko Episode 2 Discussion

Shinsuke is pretty annoying, always angry and loud. I hope he get stronger soon, he's only watching from the side line.

Still waiting for the emotional investment to kick in. I want to like this.

That swordsman is just such a bad character at the moment, I hope he improves at some point, or this anime might become unwatchable purely because of him.

Decent episode with some cool action scenes. However, since I don’t know much about the power system, it’s difficult to get invested in any of the fights. They look pretty, I don’t feel any tension in the battles yet. The ending was a cliffhanger, but I don’t really feel worried for Jinka’s safety, because he’s probably got a power I don’t know about to deal with that last attack. This is a very early judgment as we are only 2 episodes in, but I really hope we get more of a deep dive into the power system and character motivations in general. (6/10)

@HotRodster Stop underrating the show just because you don't get everything in the first 2 episodes. Let stories take their time so you don't get the generic isekais with overpowered MCs cookie cutters. Half of the comments complaining don't even address the series itself.

@HotRodster Stop underrating the show just because you don't get everything in the first 2 episodes. Let stories take their time so you don't get the generic isekais with overpowered MCs cookie cutters. Half of the comments complaining don't even address the series itself.

@Shiraori247 Aren't you doing the same...but in the opposite way? Overrating a series based on two episodes.

I don't want everything answered in the beginning, but at least give me some interesting set-ups or hints for future developments. Show me that there is more going on than what meets the eye.

@utopica I'm not doing the same thing because I didn't rate the series at all. You're simply hating for the sake of hating if you're underrating a series without actually discussing tangible elements within the plot. Using generic descriptions like "at least give me something" does not add anything to the experience of someone who's trying to find out if a show is good or not.

There are plenty of worldbuilding and character development displayed within the episode as seen in the more rational comments above. Shinsuke fights against oppression as seen in his backstory and despite being a coward, could stand up to stronger opponents if the cause is right. Jinka hates humans despite being one. Tama loves humans despite being a supernatural fox. There are plenty of literary devices used already and you fail to discuss any of these. That's why I'm calling you guys out for being shallow.

Interesting revelations this episode including experimentation and modified humans. While the first episode introduced to the premise of the story, this one captures the tone and story elements better.

It's kinda crazy how much shit Senya has to deal with. Lot of action and I'm impressed by the chereography. Also, after listening to the ED song again, it turns out to be much more emotional than I had anticipated.

i will say, as a big fan of the manga, anime viewers are missing out on some amazing action artwork and expressive poses and, uh, expressions that show up throughout mizukami's work. anime doesn't compare in that aspect, though of course seeing it in motion and voice acting is going to be a big benefit for some. the story only improves from here (iirc i remember really liking it starting volume 3-4, which'll be in a few episodes) but its a shame white fox isn't perfectly suited to mizukami's somewhat offbeat art style. but hey, better than the lucifer adaptation, that's for sure.

a couple comparisons below:


the above is treated way more seriously in today's episode. it's an honest response from the character and there's emotional weight to it, but mizukami's expressions lend it a bit of levity, especially with jinka's little response panel.


here basically 90% of this is removed. i'll admit it's just mizukami putting his own fetish in the manga, as many authors do, but its funny to see it left to just a "blush" in the anime when it's a bit more.. explicit in the manga.




and here's a couple of action moments from this episode which i don't think look as impressive in the anime. in the first, you get a really thunderous "bang" of the punch landing that's not really replicated by the slow build-up tracking shot of the fist in the anime. in the second, you get to see a bit more of the destruction of the surrounding area-in the anime, his fist curves the other way instead so that it can punch down and avoid having to show all that debris.

not trying to hate though-it's cool seeing everything in motion, and there are plenty of moments where the animators have added gags or dialogue which make up for or replace the style they're not able to replicate. for instance, tama interrupting shinsuke with a punch while they're talking to the monks or her standing on his head while they're making plans to invade their castle are anime-original.

excited to see where this goes! seems like we'll finish volume 1 next episode. as i said, this show only gets better as it goes on-i wasn't that into it for its first few chapters. to those worrying about characters not developing or not being interesting yet, don't worry, that's not far off! just a slow start is all.

@nyahgust so in your opinion, should i read the manga first or wait till i watch finish the anime then read the manga?