Last month on Katanagatari, Shichika and Togame retrieved Zantou Namakura from the tragic villain Ginkaku.  The next sword on the list is Sentou Tsurugi, or the thousand swords.  The weapon has fallen into the hands of Meisai Tsuruga, the matriarch of a shrine and yet another foe with a tragic history.  What are you going to do now Shichika?

Apparently, he's going to get punched in the face.

The episode starts with our heroic duo climbing the thousand steps outside of the shrine.  Shichika ends up carrying Togame up to the top, where Tsuruga greets them.  The two women retire to discuss the terms of their visit.  Tsuruga lays out the challenge: Togame must identify the original Tsurugi, while Shichika must defeat her in combat.  A shrine maiden attempts to kill the strategian, but Tsuruga blocks her and sends all the girls away.  The leader calls Shichika in to tell him about the purpose of the temple.  It serves as a refuge for broken women who have nowhere else to go.  Despite hearing the story, he stays determined to defeat her in combat.  Maniwa Kuizame shows up to claim the sword, but Tsuruga dispatches him with ease.  Togame believes she has found the original Tsurugi, and the battle begins.  Tsuruga lures Shichika into a trap, and then explains her past in detail.  Shichika “escapes,” and the two face off for a final rush between his martial arts and the true Tsurugi.  He emerges triumphant upon slaying her in a single blow.

I'm convinced the Maniwani exist solely for comic relief.

The shrine maidens set the framework for this episode.  Many of the girls suffered severe abuse at the hands of men.  The psychological damage is so extensive that they cower in fear of Shichika, even though he would do them no harm.  They all came to the temple looking for a sanctuary, both for their broken minds and from the crimes they committed.  While their assailants may have raped or abused them, in the eyes of the law, they are guilty of murder.  As a result, they also have to keep their faces covered so no one can recognize them.  Their circumstances force them to live in isolation for the rest of their lives.  Tsuruga puts their welfare ahead of her own life.  Thus, Togame offers aid from the Shogunate to take care of the temple and pardon the women for their crimes.

All he did was pick up a bundle of wood.

Tsuruga is quite an interesting character.  She lost her father to the rebellion.  To gain power and influence, she used the skills he gave her to kill hundreds of people.  Then, she found salvation, but only by treading upon the bodies of her comrades and an innocent priest.  Finally, she has helped all the girls at the shrine to repair their damaged minds, but they will have to pay with their souls.  Everything she set out to do has reached fruition, but she did it by paving the road of her life in blood.  To her, the ends do not justify the means.  At this point, she doesn’t feel she has the power to break the cycle, or no longer thinks she’s fit to try.  Following Shichika out of her trap seems like a tactical blunder, but she herself says she thought she would probably die.  Like Ginkaku before her, Tsuruga ultimately wants death, and she knows that Shichika is fully willing to grant her wish.

If this sounds familiar, it came up last episode as well.

On that note, Tsuruga also mentions a belief in fate several times.  Let’s look at the events in the series through that lens.  When Togame’s father died in the rebellion, it set into motion events that would cause her to resent the empire.  Since Shichika is the only heir to the anti-sword style, fate dictated that the two would meet.  Their search means that so long as they live, they will eventually meet every person who bears one of the twelve swords.  Tsuruga believes fate decided that her multi-sword style would bring her in contact with the Tsurugi that perfectly compliments her.  This means that her path would have to cross Shichika’s at some indeterminate point.  The ensuing battle would finally allow her to feel death’s embrace.  When you look at it in this manner, Tsuruga’s death broke her cycle, but served to prolong Shichika’s.

Finally free...

Finally, we need to look at Shichika’s character development.  You probably have trouble sympathizing with him given the way the writers have constructed his character.  When Tsuruga questions him on why he fights, he states that he does it because Togame wishes it.  It evokes thoughts of a soldier that carries out his duty with no regard for the task’s morality.  That idea is firmly rooted in reality.  Many times, we kill our enemies because they tried to kill us without taking a moment to think about why they tried to kill us.  Even when he’s given the opportunity to learn Tsuruga’s motivations, he ignores it.  This leads Tsuruga to accuse him of ignoring it simply because he doesn’t want to think for himself.  She is absolutely right, and he even admits it.  Think about it.  Tsuruga and Ginkaku are not truly evil characters.  At worst, they are simply misguided.  Their only real crime was standing in the way of Shichika’s, or rather, Togame’s goal.  He never questions if the ends justify the means.  I have to wonder if a real fight for his life would get him to start examining his actions, and it seems that Sabi will put him through hell next month.  I’m looking forward to it.

Hopefully, you'll have to think for yourself sooner rather than later.

Last week on Katanagatari, the show acquainted us with our main characters, Shichika and Togame.  They didn’t have long to talk though, as Koumori from the Maniwa Corps attacked.  Shichika defeated him and retrieved the first sword, Zettou Kanna.  This week, they pursue Zantou Namakuma and the ronin that wields it.

It's good you have a strong grip, Togame.

The episode begins with the couple making landfall in Kyoto.  We already knew Shichika had problems telling people apart, and with so many people around, it’s a bit disorienting for him.  This leads to an “identification exercise” that seems more to bring the two physically close than to serve any real use.  He also questions the necessity of buying new clothes to replace his practical peasant garb.  The two encounter some bandits on the way out-of-town, and the martial artist handily disarms them.  Togame stops him from finishing them.  Unfortunately, it’s rude to kill everyone with a sword that crosses your path, even if they are a nuisance.

Where were you when they tried to KILL you!?

As Togame describes the sword’s owner, Uneri Ginkaku, the perspective shifts to his castle.  Shirasagi Maniwa has come to claim the sword, and his peculiar quirk is talking backwards.  You can imagine how difficult this might be to understand.  Fortunately, Ginkaku cuts him down in all of 90 seconds.  Togame continues to narrate the desert condition of the ronin’s domain.  Neither really understands why an accomplished swordsman like himself would be the sole resident in such an arid place.

Ninjas are a nuisance, even in death.

Their conversation turns to the bizarre with Togame lodging complaints about Shichika’s lack of personality and catch phrase.  She isn’t breaking the fourth wall, simply leaning on it quite hard.  Since she’s recording everything that happens on their journey, the discussion is based on the premise of exciting writing.  Of course, the guy really has no interest in all this extraneous stuff, and decides to just accept whatever phrase she spits out next.  You wouldn’t think this country bumpkin would have already mastered believable sarcasm, but there you have it.

...that you believe a single word I just said.

The pair reach the castle and literally trip over the body of Shirasagi.  They decide the event is lucky, because that means the sword is still here and reveals the ronin’s skill level.  In addition, a dead person can’t speak, so Togame won’t have to write dialogue for him.  They explore the castle and find Ginkaku’s room.  The strategian attempts to negotiate, and almost gets herself killed.  Shichika saves her at the last-minute as the two show their respective skills.  Today’s battle will come down to the no-sword style against the quick draw style.  The protagonists make a temporary retreat to strategize.

You might also "chill out," "max," or "relax all cool."

Shichika remarks that his style of attack and that he allowed them to leave means that Ginkaku must stay in the room to reach his optimal skill level.  Despite a rather clever plot to force the swordsman to leave, the pair decide to face him head to head.  Shichika asks that Togame stay behind him this time, so he can protect her.

Personally, I approve of this plan.

On the other side, Ginkaku reminisces about his current lot in life.  He’s thought about abandoning the territory, but could never commit to it.  All that he has left to protect is his castle and the sword by his side, which he resolved to defend until his last breath.

But what happens when there's nothing left..?

I will not spoil the final battle for you.  Suffice to say it has action, insight, and surprisingly, humor.  That’s kind of the series’ defining mark at this time.  The characters talk a lot, but the banter is witty and gives us a good look into the characters and the world around them.  Togame has loud, big ideas, while Shichika prefers a more subdued, practical approach.  Their polar opposite dynamic means that you’ll probably find yourself more interested as the dialogue progresses.  Additionally, the series immediately introduces the concept of the tragic villain.  Ginkaku really isn’t a bad guy, his motivations just ran counter to theirs and weren’t entirely clear.  However, in a way, the pair finally granted his wish by liberating him from his burden, and his brief last words are powerful.  You have to wonder why the antagonists to come made the choices they did to reach this point.  Next month they will target Sentou Tsurugi, and the preview animation promises much more action.  If you haven’t already done so, pick this series up now, I really think it will be one of the best by the end of the year.

And woe to humanity if they should ever succeed...

We’ve almost reached the end of the Winter season launches with the airing of Katanagatari.  However, this is a nonstandard series.  The plan is to be a sweeping epic series that is aired as one 45-minute episode every month for the rest of the year.  I don’t have a lot of time before shipping out for Ohayocon, so let’s jump right into this.

Going out in the middle of a blaze is pretty cool though.

The anime starts on an isolated island where our protagonist Shichika and his sister Nanami live.  They came to this island with their father when the empire banished him.  Shichika has inherited the no sword style, called Kyotouryuu, from his father, who died a year before our story.  Togame, the shogun’s “strategian,” has come to this island to seek out the head of the Kyotouryuu style, which means her aim is to recruit Shichika.

She's fallen for him.

Togame lays out most of the plot for us.  An infamous swordsmith by the name of Shikizaki Kiki made a series of 1000 swords.  Of these, the last 12 are especially dangerous, and have special properties.  The shogun sent ninjas and swordsmen to retrieve the weapons, but to no avail, as once obtained the hires disappeared.  She needs Shichika to aid her in her task, since he’s the only person in the world with the skills necessary who wouldn’t be swayed by love or honor.  She also wants him to love her.

You've got to believe in the heart of the cards... I mean... the power of love!

An assassin, Koumori, interrupts their conversation with a hail of kunai.  Our hero gives chase and the two stop at the beach.  It turns out this guy has the first legendary sword, which he keeps in an… unorthodox place.  The Zettou Kanna’s special ability is its extreme durability, rendering it mostly unbreakable.  After a lot of talking and a small amount of combat, the assassin escapes with Togame.

Dude breaks swords and doesn't afraid of anything.

Koumori takes on Togame’s appearance using his ninja skill, and goes to kill Shichika.  Unfortunately for him, our hero has quick reflexes and immediately lashes out when surprised.  Koumori reveals the strategian’s true intentions to  try to convert the martial artist.  It turns out she’s actually the daughter of the rebel leader, and Shichika’s father killed her father.  However, hearing that she decided to turn to her enemy for help actually moves the young man to commit to aiding her.  He dispatches Koumori, takes the sword, and the two then set off on their quest.

Stop hitting yourself!

This first episode serves as a prologue, and because it must set the stage for the rest of the plot, there is an incredible amount of dialogue.  Shichika lampshades this halfway through when he asks if ALL mainlanders talk this much.  However, the plot is interesting, and hopefully we’ll get more action in later episodes.  Shichika plays the role of the rather quiet, dumb protagonist, while Togame serves as the plot force and comic relief.  Foremost, the art style alone makes this series worth watching in my opinion.  The colors are vibrant and appealing and the art direction is a lot more fluid then what you might be used to.  It reminds me of Kaiba.  I am extremely interested in seeing more, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a month for the next episode.

See you next time, feudal cowboy.