[DreamSword]

Episode 10: The Monster from the West

Why did Kenji travel to Akebono City anyway?

While that question isn't explicitly answered in this episode, it does give us some backstory on him and lend itself to a pretty solid theory.

It's actually pretty neat, the way this episode explains a detail that we often overlook in Toku: Why does the hero know how to fight the way they do? In the case of Kenji, he actually is a trained swordsman.

Infact, his style was made specifically to slay demons, leading me to think he was sent to Akebono as a part of his training. There's also the introduction of Umi, who is Kenji's' (arranged) fiance, and by extension the establishment of Rin having a crush on Kenji. It's not ideal, but I'm fine with it.

No new toy this week either. Heck, not even a new finisher. But the monster this time around is pretty fun. Not just one flying shrimp, but an entire legion of them that fly to the tune of Flight of the Valkyries. There was also some serious effort in modifying set pieces to look like the monsters had taken big ol' bites out of them, which I appreciated it.

Overall, this was a fun episode that was only highlighted by touches like the surprisingly solid musical score and the citizens of Akebono willing to help Kenji out. Yet another episode that highlights many of the show's' strengths.