日本三國

Amazing scene. Predators often rely on instinctive expectations: prey is supposed to panic, freeze, or run. When something stands its ground without hesitation, it can trigger caution instead. There’s some truth to this in nature. Even large animals like elephants may retreat from humans behaving in unexpectedly fearless ways, not necessarily out of fear, but because unusual behavior can signal unknown risk. Predators and wild animals often avoid fights they can’t confidently win.

The large temple where Ouga speaks to her army is the Daishizan Seidai-ji Temple , which houses the largest indoor seated-Buddha (modeled after the statue in the Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang, China) and the tallest 5-story pagoda in Japan. Despite its appearance, the temple was only erected in the late 1980s by the founder of a taxi company. During the Bubble era, CEOs and corporations across Japan commissioned enormous religious statues and temples to show (off) their gratitude to the Buddha for their success. Maruoka Castle is one of just 12 original castle keeps remaining in Japan today. Most have been destroyed by war, natural disaster or fire at some point. According to legend, during the Sengoku period when it was about to be under attack, a giant serpent appeared and blew a mist which concealed the castle and that's why it is also known as Kasumigajō (“Mist Castle”). In Chinese mythology, the dragon and tiger are two of the four mythical beasts of the East and West, and embody the yin and yang. "Clouds follow the dragon (yang - masculine - movement). Wind follows the tiger (yin - feminine - stillness)." As a guardian of the East and associated with the color blue, the dragon rules the heavens and commands the clouds and rain. (When Ryūmon wins his "battle" against Ouga as he sits on Kuzuryū Bridge above the Nine-Headed Dragon river , it begins to rain.) As a guardian of the West and associated with the color white, the tiger rules the earth, repels evil and directs the wind. (We saw a tiger painting in the previous episode at Kanazawa castle.) It's believed that Mount Longhu or "Dragon Tiger Mountain," is one of the birthplaces of Taoism, but the Dragon-Tiger pair was also a popular subject of scroll paintings brought to Japan by Chan (Zen) monks during the 12th century, which Japanese painters and ukiyo-e artists would later emulate. In Japan, Dragon-Tiger paintings are also known as "Ryūkozu (龍虎図 or 竜虎図)" (ryūko meaning "dragon and tiger") and were particularly admired by the samurai during the Azuchi-Momoyama period and Sengoku periods as dragons and tigers were considered to be the ultimate rivals, and a fight between the two, to be a clash of titans ("ryūko aiutsu" 竜虎相打つ). Dragons are often depicted among swirling clouds or violent waves while tigers sit or stand below pine trees or among bamboo groves, which symbolize strength and longevity. In the OP , we see Ryūmon and Ouga paired against each other with a character yet-to-be-introduced in between. A blue river flows behind Ryūmon while Ouga is on horseback below clouds of green, like pine, with her bow slung back. Ryūmon's background is inspired by Ogata Kōrin's very famous "Red and White Plum Blossoms" (紅白梅図屏風) and he sits opposite the white blossoms, which symbolize elegance, perseverance and hope. However, despite representing the dragon, Ryūmon sits calmly with his teacup while it's Ouga, despite representing the tiger, who is in movement. The Empty Fort Strategy is the 32nd of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The two examples given are Zhuge Liang (Koumei) and Tokugawa Ieyasu. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Koumei only had a small force to defend a city, so he opened the gates, orderd soldiers to sweep the streets dressed as civilians, and sat on a viewing platform while calmly playing the zither (guqin), fooling Sima Yi into believing that an ambush was waiting for him in the city as Zhuge Liang had a reputation for being cautious tactician. In the Battle of Mikatagahara , Ieyasu supposedly had gates left open and drums beaten as his troops retreated to their fortress, causing Baba Nobuharu and Yamagata Masahage to assume it would be dangerous to pursue the troops as some trap may had been set inside. Yayakichi mentions the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Eiji Yoshikawa version) manga adaptation by Mitsuteru Yokoyama #Manga) . This is not the first time that Sangokushi has been referenced. I believe Kaku has also mentioned the manga. During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were rather obsessed with tea and the tea ceremony. To them, tea bowls and tools were symbols of wealth, and the ceremony was a way to legitimize their status and authority. Both were served by Sen no Rikyū , the most famous tea master in world history. From Sen no Rikyū descended three schools of tea ceremony, including the Omotesenke school , which is the style that Ryūmon performs. In the early scene with Kaku and Ryūmon, the bold text (故知兵者、動而不迷、挙而不窮 / 知彼知己 勝乃不殆 知天知地 勝乃可全) and Kaku quotes from the 10th chapter ("Terrain") of The Art of War . Ryūmon replies with a quote attributed to Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius . Ryūmon's "Good fortune lies even in leftover tea" (余り茶に福あり) after Ouga retreats is a Japanese idiom used to encourage people not be greedy or hasty as there can be unexpected value in something leftover or behind by others. Uesugi Kenshin (Ouga's likely inspiration) also had a famous bow that had been passed down through generations of the Uesugi clan: the Bow of Hachiman or Hachiman no Onyumi . ( Hachiman is the god of archery and war.) He would dedicate this bow to the war god Bishamonten during the ceremony he would perform before going into battle. It was said that the leader of the Uesugi clan must always keep the bow near. By the way, until he was adopted by the feudal lord Uesugi Naomasa, Kenshin was actually a member of the Nagao clan and its head for three years from when he was 19. Mūton may be a distant relative though Kenshin never had children. In Japan, a white snake can be auspicious and inauspicious. They are messengers of Benzaiten and can bring good luck if you worship them, but in Akita prefecture (which is part of Seii territory) sighting one can also bring a series of misfortune. ETA: Should be Kuzuryū Bridge instead of Katsuyama Bridge. Not sure why I keep saying Katsuyama.

The OP has now surpassed 3 million views and over 1 million volumes have been sold since the anime started airing (over 1 million had been sold up to March making the total 2+ million). There were questions about the music. The guitar theme during the episode 7 scene with Tonotsugu and Sugō is "Kanazawa Blues" according to Hiromitsu "Jima" Iijima (Series Music Director), who is the producer for the soundtrack. Kevin Penkin (Series Composer) said he used organ, shakuhachi and strings in addition to electric guitar. Yuki Kanesaka provided Music Production Support. I haven't seen anything about the jazz song during Ouga's speech earlier in the season, but I would keep an eye on all three twitter accounts if you have questions about the music. The Aidoru Staa (Idol Star) song was performed by Chego and composed by Beau Damian with lyrics by Hyōri Takahashi and direction by Jima.  Some more character information from the anime's twitter account: Shiryō Nagamine was small and sickly when he was little. He was teased for often composing poetry and the sense of inferiority he felt led him to become a very ambitious person. On his 194th attempt, he finally passed the Tōryūmon. When he isn't working, he wanders the country as a minstrel. (So he wasn't completely acting in Kanazawa?) Mūton Nagao was born into a powerful Seii clan and lived a privileged life. When he was 12, he once drove a bear off by shooting it twice in the eye, but no one believed him. His first love was Ouga Wajima. (Given the current bear situation in Tokyo and Northern Japan, the country could really use Mūton right now.) I think they are holding off on sharing more about Tamaki until after this episode. If they don't share anything by the end of the season, I will add something to a comment in the source corner of Episode 12 when it shouldn't be considered a spoiler. Glossary ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) 【Kanazawa Night Raid】 The night raid orchestrated by Mūton Nagao against Tonotsugu Taira, Gō Sugō and Yamato soldiers staying in the Higashiyama District of Kanazawa in the Spring of the 60th Year of Yamato. He decided to carry out his plan without consulting leadership when Ryūmon Mitsuhide, Yasuaki Kaku and their troops retreated to Fukui.

I cannot thank you enough for this WEALTH of information. ALL of this is so damn interesting and cool. Thanks for gathering all the tidbits shared on other social media and posting them here for us. That is so interesting about Shiryo. Do you know what language the Buddhist chants were in this episode? They sounded like Sanskrit. I did not know Japanese Buddhists chant in Sanskrit, but correct me if I'm wrong!

Thank you. I’ve been following the source material since it’s serialization and some is what I remember from chapter comments/discussions. A lot is common knowledge, especially the pop culture references, locations and the Japanese historical figures who are really the most famous figures in Japanese history. Other details, especially the Three Kingdoms and other Chinese references, I have to look up as I read as I only remember bits and pieces mainly from the Red Cliff movies and the Sangokushi manga/anime. 😆 A tiny bit of my knowledge is work-related.

I thought it would be OK since my comment didn’t include unadapted content, but it was still reported and removed. I’ll elaborate on the second part of my old comment, but you’ll have to check the source corner for my full answer. Ouga was experiencing flashbacks to the execution of a Seii leader and soldiers during the scene. In Chinese and Japanese mythology, there are white snake dragon gods (Hakuja Ryūjin) and Benzaiten is a goddess of water which is also represented by the dragon. I think in her mind, Ouga was killing Ryūmon for taking her father’s life as the “ryū” in Ryūmon means dragon. But killing a white serpent and spilling its blood over the Buddha does seem disrespectful and inauspicious. The Buddha preaches non-violence and blood is also polluting in Shinto. This Buddha was seated with one raised hand, which symbolizes fearlessness and inner peace. Ouga allowed herself to become fearful of Ryūmon and was unable to kill him on the Kuzuryū Bridge.

I'm a layman but not totally clueless, if I had to guess this episode shows a turning point in her character, after losing her subordinate and present conditions she feels vulnerable and needs to make a decisive gambit (arrow) which also necessitates compromising her benevolent idealism (buddha) like ignoring the rapes - maybe the white snake is fortune and she's pissed about the night raid or she views it as an omen. either way really; arrow pierced serpent buddha palm makes sense to me. *possible her tiger mantra is relevant? wouldn't know

Sorry, your comment has been removed. This belongs in the Source Material Corner at the top of this thread. In discussion threads for currently airing anime, discussions about source material, spin-offs, author comments and unadapted content must be posted there. Any comparison to the source material no matter how minor belongs there. Your comment was NOT removed for spoilers; it was removed for discussion of the source material outside of the Source Material Corner . Questions? Reply to this message, send a modmail , or leave a comment in the meta thread . Don't know the rules? Read them here .

Thank you so much for the insight, it was so entertaining and adds so much depth to the show. I love when creators are sensitive to symbolism and historical allusions. I also wanted to mention something I thought was so cool concerning the kanji for Ryumon and Ouga. Ryumon is, of course, spelled with the kanji for Dragon. Ouga, on the other hand, is spelled with the kanji for cherry blossom and tiger, further adding to the Dragon vs. the Tiger narrative. This show is amazing truly amazing.

Two things I noticed: 1) The imagery of Ouga riding and discussing how her hand is forced after Muton's failed night raid - her pupils have a bright reflection of pink, almost like scattered sakura petals. Thus when combined with her tiger tattoo, bring together the image of her namesake in one frame of her side profile. 2) If this were a shonen battle anime, there would have been a 2-3 minute "Hey kids! Check out this historical factoid and watch the Seii army blunder into a retreat because they don't know their (East Asian) history because they're in a nuclear post-apocalyptic world!" section, but I absolutely adore the fact that the author explicitly made sure that both Ouga and Yayakichi were aware of the Empty Fort Stratagem used by both Zhuge Liang and Ieyasu. The strategem is elevated and built upon it's historical parallels by not showing that it worked because of the strategem itself, but because of the specific execution by Ryumon.

Ryumon's aura is so great he drove Wajima back by himself. He really embodied a dragon in that moment. I really find Wajima interesting because I do think a part of her is truly good-natured, but she doesn't hesitate to weaponize the same if it means she'll be able to rally Seii's support in her military endeavors. In the beginning of the episode, we saw her shooting down a white snake, a symbol of fortune. It might be a reach, but it's probably a sign for things that will come to her. Especially since her decision this time parallels Tonotsugu's, where they're both in situations where they had to decide to cross a bridge and be baited by the enemies while doing so or not. Picking apart her motivations, it seems like she’s also driven to get revenge for her father. Judging by the way she thinks that Ryumon is the blight that threatens Seii despite Taira being there. To some extent, her psyche is clouded by her anger towards the latter, which isn't going to bode well since she also a rallied an army for it. It's also mentioned twice now how Aoteru's efforts as an Auditor helped the army stock up enough provisions to sustain themselves in this war. Good governance can really take you far but unfortunately, Yamato is in the palm of Taira's hands. So what Kaku said to Aoteru (Lie on firewood and persuade the heavens) really meant that the latter should prostate himself before the Emperor to garner troops in support of Ryumon. And Aoteru did say that if sucking up is what will get him results, then he will do just that. I really hope he persuades the Emperor, who for the first time will be making a decision against Taira's. It looks like even the war is wearing even Kaku down. Him coughing reminded me of that post by one Japanese fan who pointed out that Kaku being purplish (around his face) implies a pulmonary condition (which he probably got from previous wars).

saw her shooting down a white snake, a symbol of fortune. It might be a reach, but it's probably a sign for things that will come to her. I actually thought the white snake symbolized the idea of the dragon that she wanted to be to truly ascend, with her shooting it dead meant she couldn't become IT or didn't really have it deep within her to become one [when push came to shove in the face of a real one (ie Ryumon)] And now that her leadership has come into question, I really doubt there's any good fortune in store for her--as we know fortune favors the bold; in which she failed at. Him coughing reminded me of that post by one Japanese fan who pointed out that Kaku being purplish (around his face) implies a pulmonary condition (which he probably got from previous wars). Ah, the incurable cough of death trope anyone who watches anime a shitton are all too familiar with lmao. It's a shame really, but it is what it is. I bet he knew he was already afflicted by it when he spoke to Aoteru last before setting off. Hope I'm wrong, but I really believe that was Kaku's parting lesson/wisdom (in form of a riddle) because he's likely resigned to the reality of his illness and the unlikeliness of him coming back home alive.

The absolute balls on Ryumon must be freakin massive to stare Wajima down while literally on fire and not even flinch. This is why the man is a Yamato legend. One man on a bridge preparing tea broke the Seii advance and effectively sowed the seeds of doubt within the ranks. Amazing. This might be the beginning of the end for Wajima and her troops. Ryumon’s done as much as he can. Now, it’s up to Misumi and that silver tongue of his.

The absolute balls on this geezer! Camping right at the enemy's front lines armed with nothing but a lamp, mat, and a tea brewing kit. While thousands of armed men were in front of him, Ryuumon calmly brewed tea. How could one man performing a simple, non-combat task exude such an aura? Even Wajima's terrified, despite being aware it could be a bluff. What she failed to realise was that Ryuumon was willing to play sacrificial pawn. While Yamato had indeed lost a great asset in him, what they gained in return was invaluable. Wajima's authority was no longer unshakable. The Dragon had prevailed over the Tiger, and the former ascended to the Heavens in a dignified way. Reckon his tale would be etched in the history books.

Oh my god. HOW. HOW DOES IT KEEP GETTING BETTER. 100% of the episode is purely just talking but it got me glued to the screen harder than any flashy show could. Holy fuck. Ryumon genuinely drove back a whole army just with his aura. How does one even achieve this level of goatedness. I thought it would be Aoteru's turn this episode but I guess not? We haven't had an Aoteru-centered episode in a while huh. SURELY it'll be Aoteru's episode next week. Surely... Or maybe the exiled officer will steal the show, lmao. I'm not exactly sure what the snake symbolism in the opening is supposed to be, but because snakes are often seen as vessels of deceit, its saying that her own action(s) will lead to her dismantling the trust of the people (just like how they said people started questioning her). Probably reaching a bit though, and it being white probably also has some deeper symbolism that I'm not aware of. I can't see things going very well for her in the future though. Can't wait for next week!!

From my comment on Anilist: Wajima lost so many points for being a snake in my book. Like she knew her soldiers were r*ping women and girls and she decided not to do anything about it cause "it'll hurt morale"????? Woman, fck you. All you can do is give empty speeches. You're lucky you're pretty and your soldiers are simps cause that's all you got going for you. No wonder you couldn't win the aura battle against Ryumon. Bless that man. Highkey scared me when he started to get burned. I hope those aren't serious. Kaku has beautiful eyes. Like they keep zooming into his eyes and I'm like "screenshot thattttt"! I love love love the artstyle. The way their eartips are flushed pink from the cold is such a great detail. Tsune is my favorite tsundere in recent years. Tsunedere 😆 He keeps freaking out internally with a straight face outside 😆 Adorable. And I love how Aoteru is such a dork but not your stereotypical timid dork. Man knows he's smart and doesn't hesitate to use his authority to get shit done. Wondering how these ranks work though. Does Aoteru outrank Tsune? Or does his corps have more power over the Arms corps? I don't think Tsune would tolerate it if Aoteru didn't have the hierarchical backing to issue that order 😆 Anyways, great episode. Excited for the next one!

I think her eyes throughout the last episodes show fatigue and/or stress and a lack of rest. Beyond the initial attack their plans have not gone as well as they needed them to go. They set out for the attack earlier than initially planned because their trap got countered with the night raid. Then they get a report Ryumon has arrived on the bridge, seemingly by himself, right as they planned to attack, ergo, "they know this attack is coming and this is their response". It being pitch black and them being on foreign ground isn't helping. The area could be surrounded at any point. It doesn't make sense that he'd be that composed in the face of sure death, so it has to be a trap. A chess analogy would be Ryumon being a queen piece and Wajima is the king. If she kills him and triggers the ambush and loses her life (she is literally at the front here on a narrow bridge) then her dream is over and there's nobody to unify them. The situation is far too uncertain.

Yeah no, but the whole time there is a heavy focus given on 'rational thought', rational thought dictates that they shouldn't advance if there is a ambush, Ryumon was perfectly rational, etc. etc. So by extension of that, rational thought would also dictate to kill Ryumon there. The answer most likely is she got overtaken by fear and couldn't think rationally, and personally I'm just kinda meh about that. Always feels somewhat contrived when stories take especially since killing ryumon would've been a no-risk, full-reward play.

Here is my Nippon Sangoku: Episode 8 Recap The highlight of the episode is the implementation of the Empty Fort Stratagem , a classic Three Kingdoms trope that the show handles with a weirdly beautiful absurdity. Ryumon goes to the bridge of the Kuzuryu River completely alone and unarmed to perform a tea ceremony. It’s the ultimate high-stakes bluff—one man calmly whisking hot water in the freezing night while an entire invasion force watches from the treeline. The roast here is practically served with the tea: Wajima’s strategist, Yayakichi, actually uses a "Japanese era manga" called Sangokushi as his primary tactical reference to figure out what’s going on. Wajima eventually cracks under the weight of Ryumon's sheer composure. She convinces herself that his etiquette is "too rational" and that his death would be the "cue" for a massive ambush hidden in the dark. It’s a spectacular bit of psychological bullying; Ryumon buys Yamato time not with soldiers, but by being the most dignified person in the room. The fact that 70,000 elite troops retreated because of a well-executed matcha whisking is the kind of logical leap that only works in this show. As the episode closes, the "True Frog" bet is finally being called. Aoteru is done being a recording officer and is moving his own pieces on the board. He sends Mr. Tsune to Fukui as a lone messenger while he prepares for an audience with the Emperor himself. Seeing Aoteru’s "generic side part" finally enter the lion's den in Osaka signals that the era of the veteran generals might be giving way to the genius of the young man who spent his time "lying on firewood" while the world began to move.

I'd never really felt the need to comment on anything after watching any anime episode. Until now. I NEED TO COMMENT AFTER WATCHING THIS. I'm so fired up, and I'm so happy other people were bowled over. Like, so goated, it's damn incredible. I didn't even breathe as Ryumon started to burn up. Then the abrupt turnaround. It just tells us that you never know until the VERY last minute. Fate fortunes the brave. Especially one who has already decided that death isn't the thing to be feared about. You conquer that, you conquer everything.

This should be good. Man, Ohga has her men completely wound around her finger. Damn , she’s stuck in a hard place though. Oh…? Excited to see what plan this is. Aw, is Ryumon planning to die to buy them time? Shimmering sky though! Oh, that’s what he meant by getting his kimono and tea set prepared. Hah, funny that they reference that directly in here. Damn , Ryumon. We get to see what Aoteru’s planning next week, then?

And therein lies the irony of being well-versed in military stratagem. If Wajima had been just a meathead with no knowledge of the Empty Fort Stratagem, she'd have rushed that old bastard drinking tea in the middle of a bridge. Ryumon was blessed by the heavens when that rain started. It's the kind of condition that no one wants to fight in even in our modern times. Also, this is what I was expecting from the castellan two episodes ago. If you have a castle to hole up in, you're supposed to use it to stall the enemy as long as possible. If they had done so earlier, Ryumon et al would have enough time to at least control this bridge instead of needing to use a last ditch effort like in this episode.

The castle situation is a bit different this time. I went into a tiny more detail in previous discussions, but the “Fukui Reiho Castle” is actually the Fukui Prefectural Government Office built on top of the ruins of Fukui Castle ruins. So it has a moat, even some of the original castle walls and was likely built with safety and protection in mind. The Kuzuryū Castle also isn’t an actual castle, but the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum with a wall. It has some forests, but is otherwise quite open and the buildings (you can see some of them in the OP) aren’t ideal for protection. We also don’t know how many went outside to fight and how many barricaded within the “castle.” Both Ouga and Yayakichi acknowledged the group did quite a lot of damage to Aterui’s troops, so they weren’t completely ineffective. Ouga’s troops arrived three hours after they were defeated and Katsuyama Castle and Ono Castle were also under attack. Ryūmon’s officers didn’t arrive in Okuetsu (that whole area) until an hour after. We know from this episode that they would have lost if spread thin, which is why Ryūmon has everyone gathered into Fukui Reiho Castle this episode while the Okuetsu groups didn’t have the luxury of time to do the same. Seii had more than double Ryūmon‘s troops, so in a way, the Kuzuryū group may have saved Ryūmon’s army.

In the end Wajima was too smart for her own good, and Ryumon bet on that fact with his tea ceremony gambit. She imagined all the ways he could use the darkness to destroy her and her forces when she was advanced so far forward to kill him, and so she fled. She knew him well enough to know he might have some bullshit up his sleeve, and he understood her well enough to realize that she might think that way. Risky bet, beautifully played out and portrayed. Exceptional animation (minus some of the fire bits that I think were 3d, those looked weird...) and one of my favorite moments of the show so far.

Ryuumon really takes the cake for biggest badass in this series, the fact that he stayed firm after being shot by an arrow and engulfed in flames really represents the resolve he had with this bluff.  I'm surprised by how that encounter went, I expected words to be exchanged, but Ryuumon's silence was a lot more powerful because Wajima had nothing to go off but her own imagination. It looks like her authority has now been jeopardized, I wonder what Yayakichi has in mind.  I am not happy about Kaku's coughing, there were already death flags for him, but it looks like he'll be dying sooner than later.

Really like the show but cant get over this plothole. You get so close and then back out?? can't send a scout or smtg to decide? Literally guns exists here why would you not shoot from a distance back off when you can finish off one of the most terrifying enemy generals. Would be one thing if it was a small army of 80 or so.. This was not aura this was stupid writing. When liang used it he had a fort and the army of 2000 to convince the enemy of the ambush, here it was the literal middle of the bridge one shot and run off, how hard can it be. feel free to correct me if i am wrong

She did point out that a possible signal for Yamato troops to start their ambush could be Ryumon’s death. So her choice in her head was kill him and prepare to deal with an ambush or just retreat. Her strategist also pointed out that if anyone was gonna kill him it had to be her, so if there was an ambush somewhere it all would’ve been because she let an arrow fly. I think it really showed a lot of great character moments, Ryumon was pretty cool but it also showed Ohga might be in way over her head. I can’t lie though, I was pretty disappointed she fell for it. She was right there!

Though, to be fair, If Ryumon's death was the signal to an ambush, Wajima would be the first to go after him. Wajima is far more valuable than Ryumon at this point since she's the only thing holding up Seii as her strategist pointed out, compared to Yamato, where it still has the Emperor and Lord Taira despite their reputations. So that might have also played a factor tbh. It's like trading a rook for a king if it was not a bluff.

From the previous episodes, you can see that it’s the Yamato army that was using firearms, not Seii. Ouga’s actions aren’t meant to be seen as completely rational. Ryūmon basically killed her father, she’s still very traumatized and was having flashbacks at the beginning of the episode. They also weren’t supposed to meet in this way. That’s why her army is now questioning her judgement like you as the narration shared at the end of the episode and we saw that look of disappointment and concern on Yayakichi’s face.

LETS GOOOOOO RYUUMON SURVIVED!!! Kinda bs but I guess this is another failure of Wajima and doubt in her leadership has begun to sprout. Ryuumon really is built different. He's just sitting there menacingly. By simply his fucking aura basically while making tea he stopped an entire army. It really was the will of the heavens that he survived that. That shot of him with the arrow in his shoulder + the flames went hard. Wajima couldn't send the dragon to heaven. Tiger Vs Dragon for now the Dragon survives. I really hope he doesn't die. Now, how will Aoteru Misumi persuade the heavens? will the emperor help him or? will it be that fatso that comes with a large army and then everything falls apart? Man the next ep can't come soon enough I wished it was here already.

So, a big battle is coming. I mean they're on the defensive, Seii needs a 3 to 1 advantage in numbers to win. So she moved to cut off the troops in the north? Yep. And now they have to make a bridge crossing under fire and cut off from supplies. This will be bloody. Barricading? So, what's the plan? Ensnare? Buy time? Yeah no he's important he can't just throw that away like that. Yeah it's a no-brainer to immediately try and take him out. Why in the world would they be advancing... They're outnumbered and on the defensive. Advancing in that situation will just cost valuable lives and materiel that would be better used in fortifying the Festung and daring the enemy to bash their heads against it. Just charge in and take him out, even if he's got troops behind him taking him out would cripple their defence. Devastating losses? You've got like a dozen guys here in an army of tens of thousands, losing them would barely affect the balance of power, but just the chance to take him out would make it worth it. Yep. Also I wouldn't advance the entire army down the bridge right now, just run some cav over to take him out while he's here. So, all that and she didn't even take him out. He's sending him off as a dispatch rider? An audience with the emperor?

In all honesty, the simple reason is because this show is heavily inspired by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and this specific scenario is basically an adaptation of Zhuge Liang successfully using the empty fort strategy. The story goes that Zhuge Liang was tasked with defending a city against an overwhelming force of 100,000+ soldiers. Realizing that he was hopelessly outnumbered, he opened the gates and had his soldiers pretend to be civilians sweeping the streets while he calmly sat on the battlements and played his guiqin. Fearing an ambush, the opposing general hastily retreated (without even sending scouts ahead to check). All that is to say, you're completely right that there are at least a dozen things that Waijima and the Seii army could have done, such as sending scouts or just shooting Ryumon from a distance. However, like with Zhuge Liang playing his guiqin on the battlements, the story of Ryumon "defeating" a vastly superior Seii force at the Kuzuryu River bridge by holding a tea ceremony is a fun "lesson" in deception in war, the creation of a living legend, and an opportunity to let Ryumon aura farm harder than ever before.

This story is nice and all, but the people that were comparing it to Orb in episode 1 oversold it, and as thus they low key ruined the experience for me, because this doesn't even reaches he ankles of what Orb had achieved by this point Hype is a powerful tool and you guys need to be more responsible with how you manage it Anyway with expectations adjusted, that was a very nice Ryumon set on fire 3D model they used, it also feels quite niche to make a whole 3D model of Ryumon sitting with a kimono on fire, which makes me wonder if they will use it again as a set piece for merch rather than for future episodes Very convenient that Ryumon only counted on his bluff working or dying, and on Wajima not having any plan besides addressing the immediate distraction, back in the day of older Warhammer40k editions Distraction Carnifexes were a popular strategy to use, you send out a relatively valuable unit to bait your enemy into deploying their forces against it while you take their other objectives, ambush them from behind, or set them up for a pincer attack But nowadays that strategy is no longer that valuable, not only because Carnifexes aren't all that good anymore, but also because your opponent can plan ahead and look forward to connect a move after willingly taking the bait, so yes you go an attack the distraction Carnifexes, but after mobilizing your troops all the way there, you use that momentum to just keep going and advances towards the next objective, so even if there are troops popping behind you, or waiting ahead, you are prepared to keep moving forward Which means that what would have become an ambush becomes a chase in your favor, and what would have become a pincer attack becomes a blitz in your favor Wajima however was only concerned with dealing with Ryumon in what wasn't even a duel, and didn't had any considerations for what to do after Ryumon was dealt with, which to me is quite strange how unprepared she and her sub commander were, specially because killing Ryumon is an strategic victory in itself, far from an empty fort, that's one of the main commanders of Yamato right there, all it takes is firing more arrows and then retreat if a fear of an attack from behind was her main worry, in which case she should have left some look outs and some guards protecting their main fort rather than deploying her whole army into the bridge So while this is a failure on Wajima's part putting all the blame on her looks quite unfair to me, specially when her own general was the one that sold and fueled the idea of the empty fort, despite there being already quite a big gain in there even if they get ambushed they would have gotten Ryumon's head

I'd appreciate it, if you guys can tell me what makes this anime so good(looking at MAL score). The art style is unique and I'm starting to warm up with it. But that's basically it in my eyes. There is so much you can and should do like focus on character development/telling us more about their personality. For now there isn't much, no real depth for any character and especially not on Misumi, he only feels like a background character right now. He's smart and wants revenge, but you can't leave it like that after 3 eps, nothing happened with him afterwards and that is meant literally, since the screentime focus is on Ryuumon and Seii and while much is shown there isn't much told. As well there is such a lack of action. It's described as a warfare/military/politic anime with nations and war, but whenever there is the chance for some big combat we only get told there were any and/or shown the aftermath. Especially the way the story gets told, it feels so unconnected and distant. Maybe I got the wrong expectations with ep1, but when it comes to story, character/character dynamics, worldbuilding and action everything feels shallow so far.

I think other people will explain better why the anime is great, but it reminds me of Game of Thrones in the sense that we don't simply follow the protagonist, but a huge cast of characters including the enemies which give us a clear vision of what's happening. Also the story doesn't slow down, they don't bother giving every character a backstory until we get to what the show is really about, we're almost at war and we get to understand the characters as we see them go through the journey, it truly feels like an anime for an older audience.