[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

In fact everything from the sets to suits and effects are super cheap but inspite of this there an earnest feeling coming off it. It reminds of what Tokusatsu is. A very cheap production that still convinces me it happening and inspires my creativity.

Oh, definitely! The low-budget feel really adds to the charm more than anything. I will say, on the other hand, I think the CG on the Hero Pieces is just legitimately good? They're super cartoony and expressive in a way that lends them a ton of believability. There hasn't been a single scene with Guan Yu so far where I felt he wasn't blending into the scene naturally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catwhowalks

Criminally underrated.

I'm quickly coming around to this mindset myself? This show made a really strong initial impression, but I straight up adored episodes 3 and 4. This is a series that's clearly heavily inspired by Rider shows like Ryuki, but it's wearing that on its sleeve, and, crucially, after these episodes, I think it really gets why those shows were so cool, and knows how to replicate it more than just superficially.

All these weirdoes in colorful costumes fighting is a novelty, but it's only when you take advantage of that setup to tell an interesting story that you get something truly worthwhile. You need all these different characters to complement each other, giving them unique personalities and dynamics where exploring the new characters in turn further informs the audience on the established ones, almost like they're acting as... well, mirrors, I guess. Huh.

Anyway, I think they totally nailed that with Mi Zhu and Zhang Fei. Their comic antics in the first part were hilarious for how mundane the things they were having the characters do while transformed were, but the second part ends up doing a great job drawing a contrast between their barely functional relationship and Liu Bei and Guan Yu's mutually supportive camaraderie, demonstrating the value of the latter by showing (and not telling!) how unproductive Mi Zhu's selfish arrogance is.

I think that's my main takeaway from the series overall so far. It's very lighthearted and fun, but every single one of these four episodes also had a surprisingly well-constructed narrative behind it that gives things enough weight to where I can also feel invested in what's happening. It's striking a fantastic balance, and if anyone is just reading through this thread out of curiosity without giving the show itself a chance, I'll say it right now — this is a train worth hopping on.