[Anime] Seirei no Moribito - Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

Crap! A late starter to this awesome series!! Despite some very good opinions on this show I had never really bothered to sit down and watch this series properly. It wasn't a few days ago that someone told me that I should definitely check it out, simply because the visuals were breathtaking, the story was intriguing, and the action sequences would simply blow my mind.

Episode 3's battle between Balsa and the four hunters was Wowzers!! Despite the overwhelming odds she kicked ass!!

This I felt!

Spoiler:

......she deliberately takes a hit......



.....so she can do this!!




Man, that had to have hurt.....

Now I got a lot of catching up to do!!






Jam it back in, in the dark.

Can anyone explain what happens in episode 13? Again, an awesome battle and Balsa's skill with the spear is absolutely amazing, however....

Spoiler:

....what was with the end? You see clearly that Balsa slashed that guy's chest in the battle's climax but instead of being dead, he gets up and his clothes aren't even torn. Albeit confused and suffering some sort of amnesia, he seems perfectly fine. Even Balsa thought she had killed him until she was told he wasn't dead. What was that....or is this something that will only be answered later on? It's hard to imagine or guess how this would be possible.....

Episodes 14 and 15 are starting to the shove the story forward again. Looking forward to how it plays out.





How ya doing, buddy?

Just saw episode 17 a short while ago. Looks like another long journey awaits our heroes as they head towards a new destination. The story is moving along and it looks like there will be some revelations coming in the next episode. Tohya proves himself here too, and that guy Zen seems awfully benevolent for some reason....

A question:

Spoiler:

....so the reasons are known and the hunters' mission is to bring back the prince to the court. This I understand, but what I don't understand is why Balsa is still targeted to be killed? They specifically say in episode 16 that they're going to "finish her off". What gives?

Shuga's words to Balsa in this episode seem to contradict this though, saying she will be rewarded for protecting the prince for so long. But the overall feeling I get is that they're going to kill her no matter what. WTF?!

Awesome series!





This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Episode 18 - 20 finally reveals to Chagum his fate. The story is going along smoothly and I'm really looking forward to the coming episodes. The eagerly awaited confrontation between our heroes and the court has finally taken place and though it wasn't what I was expecting, it did turn out well. The parent-child relationship between Balsa and Chagum also develops a bit.

Looks like episode 21 begins a flashback as we finally learn Balsa's past and introduces us to a man we've been longing to hear about since nearly the very beginning: Jiguro.





How ya doing, buddy?

Ooh, so Tanda can kick ass once in a while too!! Nice job of him figuring out....

Spoiler:

....how to be able to fight the lunga, though it looks like he might be left behind due to his injury. I anticipate that Balsa and the 8 warriors are gonna have to move on without him. At least now they have a fighting chance of protecting Chagum.

So what will the future hold for Balsa,Tanda and Chagum? Heh, I wonder what this "dream" of Balsa's is.....?


On a side note, I remember someone posting a link to a translated manga version of this story, but now I can't find it any where. Have any other chapters been released?


Just 2 more episodes to go. Looking forward to the end big fight. Balsa will find a way.





Most amazing jew boots

Methinks....

Spoiler:

....she will save him, and her magic spear (see episode 13) will no doubt be responsible for the miracle!! At least that's what I'm hoping....

Besides, the novels continue her exploits and travels so I'm pretty sure Balsa doesn't die here. As for Chagum, I'm not 100% sure, but I would like him to live.

However, (if he survives) his wanting to stay with Balsa and Tanda may only be a dream. He is the Crown Prince after all. He has to return to the palace no matter what.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Marina

Is it relate to 12 Kingdoms?
I think it share the same art and "Yoko Empire" is the name of the empire that Yoko is the emperess in the end of 12 kingdoms,isn't it?

No, sorry. It's the "Yogo" Empire, and is not related to Juuni Kokki.

As for the just released episode 25:

Spoiler:

Not quite the ending I had expected. Was hoping for a little more pizazz?

So the Lunga have been kept at bay thanks to the combined efforts of Balsa and the 8 warriors. Though cornered at the place of celebration, they managed to hold out til the morning sun reached them. I was kind'a expecting some casualties among the 8 but it seems they're pretty strong too (though Balsa saved a couple from becoming Lunga munchies). Tanda and Torogai suddenly have the answer to removing the egg (how did they come up with that, from Shuuga?!) and a flock of Nahjii suddenly appear. Balsa throws the egg high in the air and one of the birds takes it away. Happy happy.

Except this is the second to last episode. The last episode supposedly sees Chagum return to the Palace as the new Crown Prince. How will the show end? What will become of Balsa and Chagum's relationship now that her obligations have been fulfilled? The next episode is entitled "Departure" and seems to signify that Balsa will leave on a journey (the second novel describes her return to Kanbal to try and clear the names of Jiguro and the 8 warriors sent after him). I except it will be a sad parting for chagum and her.

Hoping episode 26 will be out soon.




FELIPE NO

Well, episode 26 has finally been released.

Sonuvabitch!

Spoiler:

...so despite all that happened, Balsa was still targeted for assasination. Apparently, it was an order by the Emperor, to have Balsa eliminated as soon as everything was sorted out. Can't believe that Shuga was actually gonna carry it out before he was stopped by Mon and Jin.....

Otherwise, it was pretty much what I expected. Chagum returns to the palace and he and Balsa part ways. His return to the cold stark reality of Palace life must have been a small shock even to him, compared to the relative freedom he enjoyed outside. I was a little disappointed that Balsa and the second Empress never got to speak to each other again. At least we had an emotional parting between Chagum and Balsa, we got to see Tohya and Saya again, and (as I suspected) Balsa left on a journey back to Kanbal to put Jiguro to rest.

An awesome show, and a shame it most likely won't be continued into another season. Now that Scholastic have the rights to the novels, I might consider reading them when they are released. I've heard there are a number of differences in some parts, yet much more details regarding the customs and topography found in the story.




What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Sakabadger

(though the aforementioned FUCK YOU I'M A TIGER part was a little worrisome).

LOL! Yeah, that one episode was a bit out-of-place for some reason. Not much was said in explanation of the outcome of the fight, and no further mention was made of the incident later....kinda' wondered if it was necessary at all in regards to the "magic" spear.

Originally Posted by Sakabadger

Anyone else notice that Production IG (Ghost in the Shell, Real Drive, etc) seems to love drawing women with deliciously full lips? Imagine if Balsa and Motoko got together, ohgod.

They do delicious other parts too!! But I'm being crude....

Jam it back in, in the dark.