Sengoku Youko

Episode 6

There are plenty of costs and benefits to a story moving as quickly as this one, and for my money, the biggest drawback so far has been in how little time we've gotten to spend with our main cast outside of battle. There's enough texture to each of them individually to make that work, but if I'm going to bond with and care about these characters, I need to see how they spend their downtime and witness the kind of peaceful days they're so adamant about protecting now that they're an odd little family. So I'm glad that Sengoku Youko decided to slow things down from a dead sprint to a formidable jog this week.

Seriously, for the first time in what feels like forever, we get to see our main quartet just hanging out as they travel. The others tease Shinsuke while he's flying high over getting Zanzou's cool, magic sword. We learn that Jinka can't hold his liquor to save his life, while Kagan can't toss back sake until the heat death of the universe (sidenote: how old are the non-Youko characters supposed to be? I know there weren't exactly drinking age laws in the Sengoku period but it still took me by surprise). We get enough time with both Shaku and Kagan to start discerning the difference in their personalities and appreciate the distinct vocal performances that Tomoyo Kurosawa uses for each of them. None of these are critical moments in terms of their larger story arcs, but they're invaluable in developing a connection with them as individual characters and as a collective.

I also really like Douren. I'm a sucker for shonen antagonists who are personally jovial and friendly, even when they are positioned against our heroes. The dude's big, loud, and more than happy to just drink and chat with his would-be enemies rather than attack them. Their impromptu sake party is a welcome lull from all the action. It's also a welcome chance to humanize our bad guys a bit and offer some more nuance to the kinds of people Jinka and co. are fighting. Jinun works as an intimidating wall of authoritarian violence, but having somebody more easygoing as a contrast among the Dangaisyuu makes them a lot more interesting, collectively. Also, going by the OP I'm pretty sure he can transform into a giant tiger-man, so he's just cool all around. There's a lot of potential for further conflicts with him, but even as just a drinking buddy, he's good company.

The second half of the episode is a bit more uneven but gives us some valuable time with Tama. She's the member we know the least about so far, and getting a peak into her past, as well as further context for her being Jinka's “sister” is a welcome texture. The way it's delivered is a bit odd. Fukou's story is something you could build a whole episode around, with Tama slowly uncovering the mystery of this childlike spirit that cut off a whole village from the rest of the world and revealing the horror of what happened. Instead it's a much more straightforward affair – turning into a tragic little story about the misguided kindness of a katawara and the drastic consequences of humanity's fear of change. Still, I appreciate how it solidifies Tama as wise enough to recognize that change is inevitable, and embracing the positive aspects of change too.

Oh, and while that's happening we also meet the third of the Four Beasts, a guy whose arm is a big bag that makes swords. He punches our heroes with the sword-arm-hand some before they skedaddle. This episode may be relatively slower than the rest, but that doesn't mean it's allowed to waste even a second. Still, it's enough time for us to catch our breath, take a drink of water, and pace ourselves before the story inevitably shifts back into fifth gear.

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Sengoku Youko is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.