Most admirable trucking onLander wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:00 pm Finished up Baki: Son of Ogre. Thought it ended pretty strong, but having pushed forward into Baki-dou, I'm not sure what to make of it.
Spoiler
Strongest Father-Son Quarrel settled, some good (if late-running) bonding moments, and both still around for more action. Good stuff, if not what was expected.
That's how I felt at the time, but now I'm beginning to think it was a missed opportunity to go out with a bang.
Thus far, the series has mostly existed on the right side of grounded - some crazy shit happens in fights, but the majority of it can be taken as figurative abstraction over fighting spirit rather than literal oh shit he can project a magic hologram.
Pickle was the first sign of stepping wholly over that line, given that unfreezing a living cretaceous man in perfect form is edging into science fantasy, but bringing Miyamoto Musashi back from the dead by way of a top-secret above-the-law under-the-ground cloning facility wilfully leaps into the realm of ridiculous.
Sure, it's fun to see the man striding around modern-day japan cutting bitches in half, but it feels like we've gone way off the martial arts manga range; Baki hasn't been the main character in a good while, the real-world US politics infection has worsened, and ultimate badass Yuujiro is still walking around being ultimate... But for what? To support a digression? Where's the payoff, the passing of the torch and genesis of a younger, kinder ogre who more resembles his grandfather?
I dunno man, feels like the series has given up and started coasting. Art and presentation is still good, but the destination is no longer known
Definite fatigue issues in the newer arcs, with the loss of that priceless Rambo JR vs Oyaj-Ou conceit. Almost like Twin Peaks unwisely solving its murder mystery, removing an evergreen source of intrigue... them golden geese, man. Golden axe magnets, more like. 3;
Musashi arc spoilers, start to finish
The whopping, paradigm-mongling suspension of disbelief accepted, I enjoyed Musashi's character a lot. A Sengoku-bred killing machine on par with Yuujiro's most brutal NAMsploits, balanced by a genteel formality and an endearing wonder at his surroundings. He dissed Orochi, then apologised for being such a dick, before beating his ass - class act. 
Even his encounters with SWAT, while murderous, are marked by a certain restraint I enjoy in my uber-badman shonen nemeses. That holler of "The battle is decided!" was perhaps the series' most giddily macho yet. Hurt their pride more than their necks. 
But beyond the man himself, I'm perplexed as to what Itagaki was driving at with this flight of outright fantasy, if anything at all. Was it to give his cast a sobering glimpse of what their professed "ready to die" actually means? If so, I applaud; but none of them seem to take the arc's signal fatality as anything but a grave affront - which makes them look uncharacteristically bitchy.
And Retsu was one of my most beloved characters, actually for similar reasons to Musashi, now I think about it - an iron-hard badman from a wicked martial tradition, yet with a classy sense of restraint; never given to base cruelty, let alone the monstrous predations of a Yuujiro, or even the brattier excesses of Baki. But he all but Shanghai'd (haw!) Musashi into cutting him down. (of all the cast, Retsu's reaction is the one I don't have any issue with - the poor bastard died dreaming of his comeback, as he would've)
Even his encounters with SWAT, while murderous, are marked by a certain restraint I enjoy in my uber-badman shonen nemeses. That holler of "The battle is decided!" was perhaps the series' most giddily macho yet. Hurt their pride more than their necks. But beyond the man himself, I'm perplexed as to what Itagaki was driving at with this flight of outright fantasy, if anything at all. Was it to give his cast a sobering glimpse of what their professed "ready to die" actually means? If so, I applaud; but none of them seem to take the arc's signal fatality as anything but a grave affront - which makes them look uncharacteristically bitchy.
And Retsu was one of my most beloved characters, actually for similar reasons to Musashi, now I think about it - an iron-hard badman from a wicked martial tradition, yet with a classy sense of restraint; never given to base cruelty, let alone the monstrous predations of a Yuujiro, or even the brattier excesses of Baki. But he all but Shanghai'd (haw!) Musashi into cutting him down. (of all the cast, Retsu's reaction is the one I don't have any issue with - the poor bastard died dreaming of his comeback, as he would've)
I binged the Raitai tournament's anime, mostly out of obligation to see if Baki could beat Yanagi's disgraceful HIV SlapLander wrote: ↑Mon Oct 09, 2023 1:17 am Been devouring Grappler Baki on BIL's recommendation; up to the third series, Son of Ogre, and having a grand time with it.
Though I thought the Great Prison Battle saga was a tad weak, eh pibe? The fleshing-out (har har) of Biscuit's muscular backstory was solid, but it seemed a bit clown shoes shock value between the hot potato political framing, and bipolar Bunk Pals in Death Penalty Prison vibe.Mind games, Junior, mind games
I only have passing knowledge of Ali, but all of his scenes were really enjoyable alternate reality character writing
I feel like there was some unspoken subtext with Jr. getting his shit absolutely destroyed by the returning cast of mastersnever stated directly, but their ruthless hazing seemed to go further than simple response to challenge; no doubt looking after their boy Baki.
Some great moments, but on the whole felt like it was trying to relive the glory days of World's Most Dangerous Serial Killers, similar to Great Chinese Challenge's callback to Maximum Tournament, but falling a bit short.
Some alright fanservicey novelty in Baki and his old man teaming up, and Retsu got lots of screentime, always a plus in my book - and Yuujiro himself remained talismanic. A nemesis as compelling in soliloquy as smackdown. But in hindsight, not a patch on the lunatic total war of its preceding arc, and most definitely no match for the A1 competitive fighting shonen of SAIDAI TONAMENTO.I had to tap out on the Black Pentagon followup... it was alright enough, but the sense of wheel-spinning got to me. This was actually where I decided to read the manga from page 1, having long since known the basic outline from myriad AMVs and mid-00s clips - and god damn, I suspect I might've tapped on Raitai too, if I'd known exactly what I was missing.
GRAPPLER BATEMAN or OEDIPUS OU (｀w´メ)
I like the Baki mangas, as a general rule - but after the punishingly twisted boyhood arc, the combat shonen inferno (feat NAM) of Saidai, and a bracing interval of utter mad gorefest in MOST DANGEROUS, it's very much a case of Baki vs Yuujiro feat. Everything Else.
I get the feeling from Itagaki's comments that he's just having fun riding out his 35yr legacy at this point. A mostly likeable grab bag.
I've been curious about the Garou Den manga he apparently contributed to (can't recall if it was art, script, or both) - might be an antidote to the later Baki books' excesses? Apologies if it's the exact opposite, hard to tell with this guy.
pace, each authentically catastrophic exchange agonisingly contemplated from "Sup pussy duel at Old Saw Mill 4pm or ur gay lmao" notification to 
Recommended ONCE AGEEN