日本三國

The symbolism behind the cigarette butts littered on the (fore)ground and stomping out the mesely fire that remained lit, in contrast to the darkness inside the castle gates and opening it to the light of a new dawn--gave me the chilliest of goosebumps I usually only get while watching horror movies. This series is so dang good I almost fell for the fake-out when the ED song started to play and the credits started rolling. Thank god there was a post credit scene cause I really believed the episode had run its full 24 minutes when the song ended.

Several landmarks and characters in this episode appear in the OP and there were a number of historical references as well. We finally got to meet Junichi Tamaki, who is matched with Gō Sugō and Tonotsugu against Mūton in the OP, where you also have Aoteru vs Denki, commanders Ryūmon vs Ouga, four-eyed strategists Kaku vs Yayakichi, and generals Yoshinaga Satō vs Aterui. Of course, no one can rival Tsune-chan-*san-san*, so he isn’t paired against anyone, and Fuji the Third doesn't get a rival for the opposite reason. Hina Hiraizumi also makes an appearance after Aterui on horseback in the OP, and she's not even the last character with glasses. Fukui prefecture is known for their dinosaur fossils and world-class dinosaur museum, which is the **"Kuzuryū Castle (Nine-headed Dragon Castle)" in this series. The "castle," which is located in Katsuyama city, is also featured in the OP.** (Yoshinaga and Hina use Fukui dialect, by the way, so we've heard at least four different dialects in this anime so far.) The women at the castle were singing "Taizuru," which is performed at the Katsuyama Sagichō festival every year. Geisha led the accompaniment when they were still around in Katsuyama. Kanazawa is actually famous for its geisha district where geiko are still active today. We first saw Ouga in front of the Kanazawa station gate. The Tedori River bank is the site of The Battle of Tedorigawa between Oda Nobubaga with **Mitsuhide Akechi (Ryūmon's partial inspiration) and** **Uesugi Kenshin (Ouga's likely inspiration).** Tonotsugu stands before the Tedori Bridge in the OP. The regions (Fukui and Ishikawa prefecture) featured in this episode are historically associated with **Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Tsune-chan's Japanese inspiration) and Akechi Mitsuhide (Ryūmon's)**. After defeating the Taira clan, Yoshitsune fled with his warrior-monk retainer Benkei from Kyoto north to Iwate along the Hokuriku road. Before joining Oda Nobunaga, Mitsuhide served under the Asakura clan in Echizen province (Fukui). Ryūmon waits at Komatsu Airport. The airport is near the checkpoint (Ataka-no-seki) that Yoshitsune and Benkei passed, which also became the subjects of Noh plays "Ataka" and "Kanjinchō," which were based on "The Chronicle of Yoshitsune (Gikeiki)." Hakusan or Mount Haku is one of the Three Holy Mountains and like Mount Fuji and Mount Tate, it was worshiped. Located at the base of Mount Haku, Heisenji Hakusan Shrine, which was established in the 8th century and was once one of the largest shrine and temple complexes in the country, appears in both the Chronicle of Yoshitsune and the War Chronicles of the Akechi Clan (about Mitsuhide), as well as in Heike Monogatari as it was the site of the Battle of Kurikara Pass between the **Minamoto clan (Genji) and Taira clan (Heike).** According to legend, in the 9th century, an incarnation of Mount Haku appeared before the monks of Heisenji. When the monks placed a statue of this incarnation on the river as an offering, it was accepted by a nine-headed dragon (Kuzuryū) that carried it downstream and the river became known as the Kuzuryū river, which flows through Katsuyama city. That is likely why the Dinosaur Museum was named Kuzuryū Castle in the series. The Tedori River also flows from Mount Haku.

Holy shit. Holy fuck. What an episode. The Castellan must be a real proficient leader if the garrison is willing to fight 1:35, even if its a guaranteed suicide. I've been itching for a good political/military drama for so long and goddamn this show scratches that itch super well. Animation felt a bit weak this episode (compared to what we've seen anyways) but its by no means bad. Oh man I can't wait for Ryumon to aurafarm at the castle next week. And we still haven't learned what that exiled officer is for... Peak episode as usual.

You can definitely see why Yoshinaga is on Ryuumon's side and not Taira's, he's another badass old man. I like how his men were all willing to follow him, even if it is a sure loss. They're going out with a bang with all that music playing, and it was amusing how Yoshinaga won Kura over.  Poor Sugou's hands are tied, figuratively and physically, I hope we'll see Tonotsugu realizing he was wrong but I doubt we'll get much acknowledgement from him.  Tamaki is suited for being a messenger in terms of how loud his voice is, but he's way too gullible lol.

When you let dipshits with political clout lead military operations instead of people with military knowledge and experience, you have the beginning of what we’re witnessing. That useless snot nosed brat arresting Sugoh only helps Seii. I hope he eats shit next week. You can tell Sato is one hell of a leader if the entire garrison at Kuzuryu Castle were basically ready to die for him. It was a suicide charge but they went out like real heroes o7. Ryumon and Aoteru might be the only real hope the country has. They’re outmanned and outmaneuvered right now. It’s gonna take some real brains to unfuck this mess that dipshit Taira dragged them into.

ABSOLUTE CINEMA ✋11/10🤚(while making my best Sugoh deadpan impersonation) From Sugoh to Sato--one badass to another--the old guards have shown that they are not to be underestimated nor trifled with. Gotta love the camaraderie and unity of the Castle brigade. Brings literal tears to my eyes with how beautifully moving that scene was. Follow it up with the spicy foreplay between the two opposing commanders--simply EPEAK!

What's scarier than a brat? A brat with unchecked power. The Tairas have really done it and spread thin the army they grew for the past three years due to their hubris. And it's even more annoying that whatever the result of the war is, there's a huge chance that the elder Taira would come out on top. The fact that the corps not only fear the outside threat coming from Seii but also the ones inside due to the Tairas lurking around shows how fractured the state of affairs truly is. I do wonder what role Aoteru and Asama would play in the upcoming episode/s based on what they set up with Kaku in the previous ep. But with the former figuring it out, they're probably on the move already. That idol scene though. No matter how dystopian Japan gets, idol culture would never die😂. It's even funnier when they call them geishas too.

It’s really frustrating to see such an obvious trap pay off, especially when it only does so because the younger Taira is too stupid to understand it, and the older Taira is willing to sacrifice 30,000+ men and his own son to gain even more political power. The Tairas need to be deposed and dealt with, and after that, Ryumon, Aoteru, Asama and Kaku need to wipe the floor with Seii. (I’m not saying it’s frustrating from a writing perspective. It’s frustrating in a way that highlights how awful the Tairas’ decisions are, which justifies all feelings of hatred toward them)

Ryuumon's one hell of a commander – pretty much most of his corps had undying loyalty to him. Sato's facing a near certain defeat, but he'd rather die fighting rather than surrender or rely on Taira's reinforcements. Serving under Taira's not much better than under Seii. For what it's worth, Sato himself had inspired similar loyalty in his men. Hiraizumi refused his orders when it involved surrendering his head to save the rest of the troop's. Have to respect Nagao for the lengths he had went through in the deception. Enduring such level of pain just to sell a story. Pretty amusing that his main motivation's to get praised by his crush – man acted just like a lovestruck teen.

- Um… - Welp. - Yes, because you’re an annoying brat. - The shade, heh. - Ugh, and Sugoh’s going to be right about why they *should* hold off to survey some more right? - Oh I’m sure it is. - Huh, idols still exist here. - Ah, good point… - The same place Ryumon and Kaku decided to head towards? - The way Ohga’s face appeared in the darkness was spooky as hell. - Mm… - Oh, what does she have in mind? - Ahh this show is so good! I don’t want to wait a week for the next episode.

The big problem about stories that mix modern with 'classic' war methods is the ridiculous actions like using guns and bayonets against bow and arrows in a melee battle. The Seii troops don't even have explosives to blow up a tunnel, yet you're telling me no one on the Yamato side is smart enough to say, let's just hold the fort *inside* the fort? This episode's final scene just looks extremely stupid against all the strategic ones before it.