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By:
Kenji Masaki
Warning: This writeup
contains spoilers, view at your own risk!
Episode 8 - Soil: The Heart of the Demon
Gun
Before I begin with this
episode's review, I would like to bring a few issues to note. Last episode
we met the likes of Ru Rufus, a girl who can transform into a wolf with a
mirror, and the incredible power of Omega, the being that was ripped apart,
its pieces of indescribable strength scattered throughout the Inner World.
We have been following the two children of Joe and Marie Hayakawa, lost
within the Inner world, Lisa Pacifist, who uses the mysterious power of
Genesis and who is searching the Inner World for a purpose unknown to us,
and the strange Kuroki Kaze, the man of the Dark Wind, who's sole purpose is
to destroy the Demon Swordsman and remember what happened that fateful day
when "Everything was lost". We have lost our dear scientist for the moment,
Cid, who is the chief engineer of the rebel movement against the Count,
Comodin, and creator of the Interdimensional Subway. We have met the
antagonist of the Inner World, the Count Akebu, who wishes to put the I nner
World under chaos with his four Gaudium deathlords and the power of the
Unlimited- the ones who have the power to overthrow the Count. With him, the
Demon Swordsman White Cloud. The poison-type immortal, Hungus. The
grass-type flower-loving hug-hugging Helba. The manipulative joker Oscar,
and along with him, his robotic fairy lackey, Crux. We have yet to see,
however, the final and the strongest of the four gaudium deathlords- one who
uses the power of knowledge to decimate all he comes across- even the
powerful White Cloud. Even the man of the Dark Wind.
In this episode, may I
present to you, the most powerful of the Count's court... the DEMON FIST!!!
Leaving the safety of the interdimensional subway once more, Ai, Yu, Lisa,
Chobi, and Ru enter another part of the Inner World where the sands of time
meet in an endless desert. Ru, in hopeless love with the cold-hearted Kaze,
tries to search for him by calling his name, and quickly is silenced by a
giant waterfall of sand. All I have to say about that is thank goodness...
someone in the Inner World listens to me!
Back at the Count's
court, the Count has realized for the hundredth time that the man of the
Dark Wind is still alive. But instead of putting White Cloud on the case
again, a voice from afar speaks that he will indeed take the job. Riding in
a convertible filled with water, with a mouth on his back and an incredible
brain only surpassed by his ego, the fourth Gaudium Deathlord, Demon Fist.
Returning from challenging the sea puzzle, he has analyzed Crux's data from
the previous fights and failures to know Kaze's weak point. Using White
Cloud as his target, he stops the incredible foe before he uses his Mist-
and therefore leaves him defenseless. The Count puts him on the job- but not
before White Cloud gets some payback by destroying Fist's water gun. "The
Gaudium is lively again," Oscar says as the scene fades. "I'm counting on
you, Fist-sama."
Back at the desert, Lisa
notices that the sand isn't sand at all- its the very energy of the Demon
Gun, Soil. And speaking of Demon Guns, Kaze makes his suprise entrance by
falling through the waterfall of sand to land literally at Ru's feet. Kaze,
remembering the last moments with his love Anna, soon finds himself pusing
Ru away as ice crystals are ready to pin her down. Dashing away, he pulls
out his red gun to shoot at the sniper- but this is just the beginning, as
Demon Fist also makes his triumphant entrance onto the battlefield. "You
cannot defeat me with that weak gun," he tells Kaze. "What happened to your
Demon Gun? Where is it?" Kaze quickly pulls out his Demon Gun to make quick
work of the annoying deathlord, but finds that it is harder to keep his gun
under control- because of the immense power of the Soil around him.
Nevertheless, he transforms his gun- which is when Fist strikes with his
special monster, Sand Sword, to steal the Demon Gun away from Kaze and give
it to him. Can you feel the tension?
As Demon Fist prepares to
finish off Kaze by summoning the ultimate creature, Ru asks Ai for a mirror
and Pochepoke fortunately delivers. Turning into the not-quite-scary but
nevertheless very weird werewolf creature, she blasts Fist away while Lisa,
Kaze and the rest escape underneith the land of soil. Finding them gone, he
sends Crux to find them. With the Demon Gun, victory is in Fist's grasp, so
it may seem. But even his data is incomplete- for one thing, he was unable
to predict Ru's attack. Even Kuroki Kaze seems unpredictable at times...
Deep underneith the land
of Soil, Kaze, Lisa, Ru, Ai, Yu, and Chobi seem to have escaped from the
diabolical Fist, taking a short (and I mean VERY short) rest. But the
Gaudium deathlord remains persistent to the last, finding them and making
quick work of Ru, Lisa, and Pochepoke with his watergun. Held to die within
the sands of the Sand Sword, Fist once again claims victory. Ru asks if the
Gaudium is the force driving Omega to find its parts, but finds out that
Fist knows nothing about the resurrection of Omega. Intrigued by Ru, Fist
keeps the knowledge in mind as he attempts to finish off Kaze with his water
gun. "You cannot defeat me with that weak gun," he tells Demon Fist, turning
the tables once again. "What happened to your Demon Gun? Where is it?" As
everyone is finally convinced that Kaze has gone insane, Fist pulls it out
and, using the soil around him, summons the ultimate creature...
"I have chosen the Soil
for the likes of you!
The brilliance of
intelligence... Marvelous Orange!
The endlessness of
curiosity... Maniac Purple!
Finally, the strength of
absolute victory... Ultra-shocking Pink!
This is the perfect
unbeatable combination! Cry to where the Soil leads you, Demon Gun!
Appear, ULTIMATE SUMMONED
CREATURE!!!"
At that moment, Kaze
causes the Demon Gun to backfire, destroying the Sand Sword and blowing away
Fist, leaving in its wake a giant winged creature with a demon cannon for a
nose, strangely familliar to Lisa of the giant Bahamut-like creature that
invaded Tokyo years before on the Day of Succession...
As the smoke clears, Kaze
appears with the Demon Gun once again on his right arm. "The Demon Gun is my
life," he says, "Only I can fire it."
Back at the Court of the
Gaudium, The Count shames the Fist for another miserable failure. But Fist
returns, saying that the purpose of the encounter was not to destroy Kaze,
but to find the critical point of the Demon Gun. Furthermore, he reports, it
seems that Omega has been awakened, and is inside the Dimensional Tunnel.
The Count, realizing the lead that has been given to him, orders every
single Gaudium Deathlord to find the parts of Omega if it's the last thing
they do. He must have it. The Count must have Omega.
... To Be Continued...
Good points: This episode was a very refreshing break from the norm.
Not only did it show some more insight into Omega, it also proved that the
Gaudium isn't as stupid as they look. Well, Demon Fist, anyways. But what is
the Ocean Puzzle? What does Omega have that the Count wants? And will we
ever figure out the connection between Anna and Kaze? Finally, some good
plot developments- let's just hope this continues.
Bad points: The graphics in this one were not as clean and crisp as
in the other ones, possibly because of the not-so-liberal use of CG and the
very liberal use of the color pink. That Fist is really starting to scare
me... first the teal blue cape... then the purple water gun... and now the
pink demon gun... getting the picture? Yeah.
Kenji's Score: 8/10
Next Episode - Oscar: Work That Never Ends
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