Random Curiosity

OP Sequence

OP: 「synchronicity」 by 牧野由依 (Makino Yui)
Watch the OP! Mirror 1, Mirror 2

Summary:

Having barely escaped the country of Record thanks to Fay’s magic, Syaoran and company arrive in a new world. When Mokona asks, Fay tries to justify his use of magic by saying that it used sound and thus was different from what he used before. Syaoran blames himself for not considering enough of how to get out of the library, and he can’t remember what happened after he got thrown by the library’s watchdog. In any case, the group finds themselves in a damaged building that’s surrounded by more ruins. As they’re walking through the desolate landscape, Syaoran spots a rock that is rounded on top, and the reason for this becomes clear when it starts raining a moment later: the rain burns through things. With such a dangerous thing falling all around them, the group runs for shelter inside the one still-standing building nearby. However, they find that the lobby of this building is littered with corpses. Syaoran goes further inside with Mokona to investigate, and although Mokona can’t detect Sakura’s feather, Mokona does sense a great power underneath them.

Before Syaoran can get any further, he comes under attack by a hail of crossbow bolts. He manages to dodge most of them, but he loses his balance and one of them pierces through his left leg. Above him appears a hooded group of people, and their leader thinks that Syaoran wants to die since he set foot in here. They suspect that Syaoran is a thief and shoot one more bolt to finish him off, but someone throws a rock into the arrow before it hits him. That someone is Kurogane, and he calls for Mokona to give him his sword. The leader of the hooded group, whose name is Kamui, then flies at him and nearly takes off Kurogane’s arm, but Kurogane gets out of the way in time and is able to retaliate. After Kamui kicks Kurogane into some rubble, Kurogane responds by almost slicing through Kamui’s neck and using his Shouryuusen attack. Kamui gets knocked into the ceiling, but he’s unhurt and his eyes suddenly change in shape. He decides to walk away from the fight to go underground, leaving it up to his subordinates to handle Syaoran’s group.

When Kurogane questions what’s underground, one of Kamui’s comrades reveals that there’s water down there. They had thought Syaoran and company was here to take that water, so Fay and Mokona explain that they’re actually from far away. The longhaired guy in the back named Kakyou feels that there’s no need to kill them since Kamui hadn’t, and Kakyou is also the guy who decides to help Syaoran with what medical care they can provide. Syaoran and company are then led further into the building and go upstairs where they are given a room. While Syaoran is getting bandaged up, Kusunagi explains that there’s been acid rain for 15 years now, making all of the surface water unusable. They survived through an underground water vein that wasn’t exposed to the acid because it was under this building - the Tokyo Government Office. Unlike other buildings, the Tokyo Government Office hasn’t crumbled, though there is also another source of water underneath the city’s tower.

Later that night, Fay watches as Syaoran and Sakura sleep and comments on how he hopes that Sakura doesn’t wake up in this world. Kurogane is less concerned about that and questions instead why Fay used magic. He remembers that Fay didn’t use it when their lives were in danger in Koryo Country and how Fay had said that he was running because he was afraid of a certain person catching him. Kurogane claims that Fay being chased by bad guys has nothing to do with him, but he feels that Fay doesn’t want to get close to anyone, yet Fay was worried about Sakura and Syaoran and got himself involved with them by using his magic. Fay finally admits that he doesn’t want anyone to become miserable by getting involved with him. Their conversation gets interrupted by Kusunagi, but Kurogane doesn’t let Fay off the hook so easily and indicates that although Fay’s past has nothing to do with him, he thinks Fay should cut the crap and prepare for the worst. Collapsing against the wall, Fay laughs and quietly says that that is hard for him.

Sakura, who has been asleep since they got here, is meanwhile dreaming of herself underwater and hears someone tell her that she shouldn’t be here. The voice coming from the bright ball behind her urges her to wake up before she’s caught in the dream. The following day, Fay, Mokona, and Syaoran leave Sakura in Kurogane’s care while they go out for a hunt for a giant worm. With the others’ help, Fay fires the crossbow bolt that kills the mutant worm that they plan to eat. However, a second worm unexpectedly appears, and Syaoran springs into action to kill it with his sword before it can hurt anyone. Shortly thereafter, a second group of people arrives on the scene - the people from the Tower. Since the other side still wants their water, Kamui attacks their leader Fuuma, but Fuuma catches Kamui’s arm and wonders if Kamui’s hurt since he’s moving slower than usual. Kamui responds by throwing Fuuma, however Fuuma still manages to land on his feet. They never get to finish their fight because Fuuma then has to leave due to the tower coming under attack.

In discussing with the others about how Fuuma is the only person who’s been able to compete against Kamui, Syaoran and company learn that Kamui had only appeared in the past two years. When the current group had first met him, they thought he was trying to steal water, but they noticed he was in a confused state and looked like a lost child. After seeing the water, he had vowed to protect it. Kakyou had thought that Syaoran and Kamui were similar because they each had something they were after. Back at the Tokyo Government Office, Sakura continues to dream of being underwater and questions why the bright ball she’s talking to is there too. The voice tells her that it’s also sleeping, and it again urges her to wake up. Still unable to do so, Sakura then gets enveloped by the ball. Sitting beside her bed, Kurogane notices her hand move slightly, but he quickly realizes that Sakura is now no longer breathing. It is at this same moment that Mokona senses a feather and tells Syaoran that it’s under the Tokyo Government Office building. Kamui, however, points a crossbow at him because he won’t allow Syaoran to go there. It’s not until Mokona mentions that Syaoran is after Sakura’s precious thing that Kamui stops treating Syaoran like a threat.

In Fei Wong Reed’s world, the other Syaoran suddenly comes to life and breaks out of his prison. He is greeted by Xing Huo who claims that she won’t get in his way and is willing to use her one-time-use ability to send him across dimensions. When he questions why she’s doing this, Xing Huo simply says that the dream has to end. This Syaoran soon reappears in modern day Japan where Yuuko is waiting.

ED Sequence

ED: 「さいごの果実」 (Saigo no Kajitsu) by 坂本真綾 (Sakamoto Maaya)
Watch the ED!: Mirror 1, Mirror 2

I know this is an OVA, so it should be particularly good quality, but I still have to say that this is easily the best single episode of Tsubasa I’ve ever seen. The battle in the beginning between Kamui and Kurogane was just amazing, and everything just looks so much more detailed. They also left in all the blood and violence from the manga, as far as I could tell. That’s not so important now because there wasn’t that much blood to begin with at this point, but it will be by the end of this. In any case, after the work Production I.G has done here, I don’t think I ever want to see Bee Train touch this series again.

Overall, this episode followed the manga fairly closely and covered roughly chapters 107 through 115 of the manga. I was a tiny bit surprised to see them pick up right at the beginning of the Tokyo arc as if the anime original stuff from the second TV series never happened, but in thinking about it, it’s probably better that way. They moved the Fuuma vs. Kamui fight to the point after the worms were killed and changed a few minor things to accommodate this, however that didn’t really impact the story. The part with Syaoran being momentarily possessed by the other Syaoran was also cut, and I suspect that was for time constraint reasons. Again, it’s not a huge deal since the episode was so impressive in general. The only downside for me is that I really want to see the next episode, but the next DVD won’t be out until January 17th, 2008.