Before I start with the recap, I think I should point out that Jyuushin Enbu (Jyuushin Enbu ~ Hero Tales ~) is the latest offering of the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. How silly of me not to realize it sooner since the art style is indeed vaguely reminiscent of FMA. I guess I was too caught up with this show's similarity to another wuxia-based anime, Legend of Condor Hero.But now, on to the recap.
FIRST SCROLL: The Time of Hagun's Roar
A city in flames. A young girl stares in horror at the dead bodies of warriors that litter the streets while a young man runs through the woods towards a burning temple. There he finds his mortally wounded soldier friend, Kaio, who is at death's door.We find out that the young man is Taito and the attacker is a single person. The attacker's target is the "Kenkaranbu" - a legendary sword with symbolic ties to the Emperor of that country. Taito tries to stop him but the intruder is clearly the more superior fighter. In the ensuing fight, the Kenkaranbu falls to the floor and Taito grabs it, intending to use it as a weapon.
The intruder tells him that the Kenkaranbu may only be drawn by its true owner, only to find that the sword has chosen Taito. The intruder quickly realizes that Taito is, in fact, the "Hagun." But Taito has no idea what he's talking about. His only concern is to avenge his friends.The symbol on Taito's right arm glows with a bluish light as he fights. But it turns out that Taito is not the only one who bears a mysterious symbol on his arm: the intruder likewise has a symbol on his left arm. This meeting between two legends creates a chain reaction as other heroes bearing symbols on their arms find their own marks glowing a bluish light.
Back to the fight between Taito and the intruder.... Taito manages to destroy the intruder's weapon and create a cut across his face. But the enemy has dealt far more damage to Taito, and as Taito succumbs to exhaustion and to his numerous injuries, the intruder deals the final blow, throwing him down a cliff.With the Kenkaranbu in hand, the intruder returns to his waiting army who identifies him as "Lord Keiro."
The opening theme is "WINTER LONG" by BEAT CRUSADERS.
Afterwards, we are also treated to the legend of the seven heroes of the Hokushin (the Big Dipper). Out of the seven are two noble spirits -- Hagun and Tonrou -- who should not exist in the same timeline. But for some reason, in this era, Fate has decreed otherwise, and so begins this tale.The next morning, a young man, later identified as Ryuko, finds Taito's body beside the river at the bottom of a cliff. A young girl, the same one who witnesses the plundering and pillaging of the city the night before, searches around for some herbs.
In a quiet part of the city, Ryuko watches over Taito's bandaged form as his shifu (teacher) Sonnei and Souie enter the room. Ryuko explains that it is thanks to his bad sense of direction that he found Taito.The older men start talking about the siege. Apparently, the loss of the Kenkaranbu is a huge threat to the reign of the Emperor, whose claim to the throne is sourced on his ability to draw the sword. The present Emperor, however, is unable to do this. To prevent any unrest, the real Kenkaranbu has been hidden all this time in the temple. But now that the Kenkaranbu has been stolen, the Emperor's hold over the country grows weaker.
The young girl from earlier enters the room and starts inquiring after Taito's condition. After hearing from Ryuko that Taito is going to be fine, she proceeds to head-butt the poor guy, calling him her "Baka-Aniki" (Idiot Brother). In retaliation, Taito chases her all over the temple. Souie explains that the girl is his daughter and Taito's sister, Laila.Outside, Taito and Laila encounter the make-shift grave for the fallen soldiers. Taito recognizes Kaio's sword used as a grave mark and again remembers the fact that he was unable to save the life of his friend or even avenge him.
Laila tries to comfort him but Taito still blames himself for what happened. Laila finally throws at his feet the herbs she gathered earlier and runs away.In another part of the country, Keiro tries to draw the Kenkaranbu but is unable to do so. This leads him to conclude that the Hagun is still alive somehow. He then removes the bandage over his face and reveals a long scar across his left eye. Keiro calls for someone and from the shadows steps out a man called "Shimei." Keiro orders him to take care of matters for him.
Back in the temple, Taito is still brooding over what happened at the seige. To cheer him up, Laila shoves him, nearly making him fall off the cliff again. The two bicker for a while but Laila tells him that she does not want to see him sad. Afterwards, she runs away again, saying that she's glad they aren't blood-related.Unknown to both of them, they are being watched by Shimei and his "eyeball" staff. Shimei doubts if Taito really is the incarnation of the Hagun so he decides to test him by using the power of his staff.
Taito is practicing his martial arts in one part of the temple. It starts to rain and Laila goes outside to bring in the laundry hanging from the clothesline. Shimei chooses this time to let his presence be known.Taito hears Laila's scream and comes running out, only to find her standing alone in the courtyard. She warns him not to come near her but Taito, of course, does not listen so he gets a kick in the face from her. Laila tells him that her body is being controlled. That's when Shimei shows himself.
Taito still has no idea why he's being called "Hagun" but he quickly realizes that Shimei is sent by Keiro, the same guy who attacked the city and stole the Kenkaranbu. Shimei zaps him with his staff and then uses its "mind-control" power to force Laila to choke herself.It takes a while but Taito finally summons his strength and breaks free from Shimei's control. The symbol on his right arm glows again as he places a fist in Shimei's face. But Shimei recovers, even when his head is at an odd angle, ready to fight again.
Lightning and stuff as Taito powers up.
The ending theme is "Kakegae no nai Hito e" by Mai Hoshimura.
COMMENTS:
This is a pretty good first episode. The main characters -- protagonist and antagonist as well as the side characters -- are immediately revealed. That takes care of overdrawn introductions that are the pitfalls of many epic dramas.
Typical shounen characterization. I can foretell that Taito will go through many corny DBZ-esque powering up to defeat many of his powerful enemies.
The character designs are something. Did I mention that I am not particularly fond of the art style of FMA? I liked the Conqueror of Shamballa mainly because I thought the animation was fluid but I never really took to Arakawa's art. Personal prefences, I guess. Anyway, my opinion hasn't changed.
From the animation sequence of the ending clip, it looks like the character pairings are pretty set. That's a relief as I am not very fond of love triangles that too often force a show to go overboard with the drama.
Laila reminds me a bit of the character Makimachi Misao from Rurouni Kenshin, although that's probably only because they're both genki and wear blue outfits.
It still surprises me how similar Taito is to Yang Guo of Legend of Condor Hero. The color scheme of their clothing and even mannerisms (the rubbing of the cheek with the index finger). Here's to hoping I can get past these similarities enough to get me interested to watch the next episode, which, judging from the preview, looks action-packed.
More Info:
More Screencaps from "Juushin Enbu" Episode 01
Watch Trailer @ YouTube
Official Site
Wikipedia Article
Juushin Enbu Hero Tales Manga Vol. 1 @ Yes Asia
Juushin Enbu @ Play-Asia
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