We literally had two TAKOLEGS Servants this year.Originally Posted by Petrikow
We literally had two TAKOLEGS Servants this year.
IIRC Nobbu (Shimazaki, not Oda) mentioned that they were quite open to suggestions from the character designers/illustrators in the last Spotlight Lostbelt, and that they end up shaping servants in more ways than just designing their appearance.
Bakin's a bland SSR Nezha.
Petri was talking about effort and passion, and both TAKOLEGS Servants have over double the average amount of facial expressions. Both Takasugi and Xu Fu's old NPC sprite have 25 faces per version while other NPCs tend to have 7 or 8.
He also said absolute best design, but fair.
I do not see the correlation between Bakin and Nezha design wise
She's boring, and...not generic, but there's nothing unique or distinctive about her design. At all.
I would have expected Takolegs to go harder considering how good Xu Fu and Takasugi are.
Autumn-themed and colored genderbends where the dominant color is boring brown.
That's a weirdly shallow comparison especially with how starkly different their aesthetics are
The real world records do note that he had a tendency towards sudden fits of rage, and while his personally commissioned biography stops a year before Hidesugu's execution (and conveniently covers only his successes- evidently he preferred to censor anything that depicted him in an unflattering light) I would not be surprised to find out that they happened more frequently in his later years. But given that his personal correspondence says next to nothing about his interior life and motivations, the truth may be a mixture of both pragmatism and callousness in equal measure.
Incidentally, the circumstances of Rikyu's death may have been sugarcoated here; while no explanation for why he was compelled to commit seppuku has ever been fully accepted, the most commonly accepted explanation is that he was simply too independent for Hideyoshi to tolerate, compounded further by his advocacy for negotiating with the Hojo.
Any other one you'd consider to be in this tier?
We get a flashback to Komahime's life. She's speaking to her mother, Shakumyōei, who is saddened that she has to send her little girl so far away. She laments that she and her husband weren't able to refuse this offer from Hidetsugu. But Komahime says there's no need to cry. After all, when she's the consort of Hidetsugu, she'll be fortunate without equal in Japan. On top of that, Kyoto is so beautiful she couldn't even sleep last night thinking about it. Her mother still asks her to take care, and Komahime sets out on her journey to meet her would-be husband, bidding farewell to her mother and hometown alike.
Back in the Singularity, Gudao and Nobu have gone to confront Rikyu, seemingly alone. The ancestral beast has climbed out of its dark pit and begun to transform the world into one of darkness. Regardless, you won't know if you can stop it unless you try. Nobu is gonna go all out from the very onset, so you supercharge her with a Command Spell and make sure to protect yourself from her flames. The flames begin to surge. No mystery will be able to withstand the power of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. But Rikyu thinks there's a caveat to that; that the Mysteries Nobu counters are those circulated by people. Nobu's government was one that dispelled old beliefs in the coming of a new age, but that was something man-made. She can't shine a light on a darkness that has always been there. Furthermore, the ancestral beast's body is being fueled by the minute, while Nobu is burning her own body. There's no doubt which will last longer.
But this is just the beginning of the plan. Nobu calls for Iyo, and alongside her, Yamanami (who's changed into his haori now) appears with Okita and Hajime (both also in their haori now). The Shinsengumi try to cut down Rikyu, who avoids it with the power of the black mud. Obviously they seem to just be trying to buy Iyo time. Rikyu says it's pointless, since Iyo is someone who brings ruin to those around her simply by existing, and there's no escaping that, and not even Iyo denies this. However, she thinks back to when she was saved by Himiko, and how she had heard that there's no such thing as a good or bad power, it's all about how you use it. In other words, this is her time to make good use of her power. She enters her other ascension and begins chanting.
Iyo:
The first heaven holds a perpetual night, our ancestors beasts, the stars fall, and the heavens sink...
---Divine Pearl of Dusk-Shadowed Moon!
The ancestral beast moves towards her, and appears to swallow her whole. Rikyu thanks her for sacrificing herself like that, but soon enough, a light is emitted from the beast.
Iyo:
Yeah...I'm the Priestess of Ruin, and the illegitimate child of the Inverted Moon, who harbors the power of everlasting darkness.
This body calls forth a dark light which brings ruin to all, in the radiance of darkness, and not even the beast god is an exception!
In other words, it seems that she'll take the beast down with herself. Rikyu moves to stop her, but is interrupted again by the Shinsengumi warriors. Yamanami has now also found even more strength, since Akesato is here to cheer him on. Even so, Rikyu thinks Iyo's suicide attack is pointless, since the pit of everlasting darkness is a bottomless one. Even if Iyo temporarily reduces the godhood of the beast, it'll eventually feed on enough to reconstitute itself. That is to say, Rikyu doesn't even need to beat you, just stall. But Nobu reminds her that this is just the beginning of the plan. With that, you use your second Command Spell, this time on Rengoku Alter.
In the name of the Counter Force, Rengoku will stop Rikyu. Boundless power surges from the Command Spell into the body being controlled by Rengoku, as he activates the Noble Phantasm.
(video mostly for the voice line)
But Rengoku seems to not have hit neither Rikyu nor the ancestral beast, just the walls of the cave. But that was exactly the intention. Nobu says this is it, and suddenly green tea gushes out of the hole made by Rengoku. Mitsunari appears, apologizing for letting Rikyu wait, but he had to prepare this tea ceremony before he could come. And now, she'll get a taste of her own medicine.
There's a flashback to slightly before you confronted Rikyu, discussing the plan. Rikyu's tea has the power to neutralize the black blood of the beast, so all you have to do is fill that black pit with a bunch of tea. Of course, it's the size of a small lake, so there's no way you would be able to do that, but Mitsunari seems to have an idea. He asks Nobu if she remembers Hideyoshi's siege on Takamatsu. Nobunaga remembers that it happened at least, since it was at the same time that she died at Honnoji. But basically, it involved Hideyoshi diverting a river to flood the castle. In other words, you just do that somehow. Rengoku, with the help of a Command Spell, will be able to carve out the path necessary in an instant, so you're just relying on Mitsunari to produce that much tea. But he tells you to trust him, because all the tea distributed in this world was managed by Mitsunari at Rikyu's request. He just has to gather up all the surplus tea here.
Still, Hajime doesn't seem to trust him completely yet, and Mitsunari understands that, but he has also come to a realization that he was so preoccupied with the Toyotomi that he didn't see that his actions led to the downfall of the clan. So, as soon as this is over, he'll accept his punishment. You trust him, and even Chacha, who's barely awake, says that Hideyoshi once said that he had never been betrayed by Mitsunari, not even once. Chacha apologizes for what happened at Sekigahara, but Mitsunari says it's completely his fault for going up against Ieyasu without knowing his own power. He has always regretted not being able to make up for it to Hideyoshi and Hideyori in the afterlife.
Chacha:
My Lord wouldn't care about something like that. After all, he always used to say:
"I'm so very proud of Sakichi, like my very own son"
Chacha's somber words let you know it's fine to trust Mitsunari, and so the only thing left is to figure out Iyo's part of the plan. Cut to the cave (still during the flashback), where Gudao has found Iyo somewhere it seems. She had been thinking (or dreaming?) about Kukochihiko, about how he fought for Kunakoku, about how their kingdom was a poor one that could only sustain itself by robbing those around it. They couldn't feed everyone, but they didn't want to deprive anyone either, so the kingdom fell. But Kuko came back in order to atone for himself, by way of Iyo. She suddenly hears Himiko's voice, saying something about Kukochihiko, and with renewed resolve, Iyo says you need to go and do this.
And so you're back to present time. Iyo is subduing the beast's godhood, and the dark pit is filled with tea. Rikyu can't stand it, and her fury grows larger.
She commands the beast to devour Mitsunari, who's frozen in place, when suddenly, someone saves him. It's Kukochihiko. He, as well as Himiko, have been brought back by Iyo's power. Kuko says he's not doing this to help you guys, especially not Himiko. He was just helping Mitsunari: his friend. Now, with the priestesses of light and ruin, Kuko's sword powers up as man and beast intertwine. Himiko also uses her power to purge darkness, and Iyo hers to covet a darkness where not even time can reach. The three of them together create a powerful light that assails the ancestral beast.
Rikyu is devastated. Her fury and her darkness alike are being washed away. She won't let powerful people like you rob her, a weakling, of this grief and the blackened world. This is your chance to put an end to this, and with your last Command Spell, everyone, Nobu, Rengoku, the Shinsengumi, and Iyo charge forward.
[There's a LOT going on in this fight, just look it up]
Iyo kicks the shit out of the beast, and Nobu tells Rikyu to fall into the pit of darkness alongside it. But before that, Chacha has something she needs to do. Rengoku throws her into the pit of darkness in order for her to get Tsurumatsu out. Mitsunari won't fail them again, so he reaches his hand into the pit, which burns it immensely, but everyone else join in with helping him, and you manage to get Chacha and Tsurumatsu out safely. The mother consoles her child, and Nobu sees to the departure of the ancestral beast; a god whose powers are no longer needed in the world of man.
The fight is over, and Kuko begins to disappear, as it's time for him to return to the light. Iyo thanks him, but wonders how he managed to come back in the first place. He responds by saying that he didn't come back technically, he just borrowed someone else's body and put his head on it after he was pushed into hell. In other words, Serizawa's body. Kuko also apologizes for taking advantage of Mitsunari, who at first wants to retort saying he was the one who took advantage of Kuko, since he's nothing more than a...but he stops himself. In the end, he was nothing more than a friend.
Akesato also begins to disappear (or fade, rather, since she's not a Servant), and before she does, she thanks Yamanami for coming today, just as she did back then. He then realizes that she's the reason he was even summoned here, and she disappears. You need to get out of here soon too, as the place is collapsing (and Nobu really wants something better to drink than tea). Finally, Tsurumatsu is about to disappear. Chacha is sad that he can't go with his mother, but she understands it has to be this way, and Sute assures her that he's strong enough to go on his own. He's her son after all.
But then, something moves.
Sen no Rikyu:
---I won't let that happen!
I won't let you get away!
(The nameplate here changes from 千利休 (Sen no Rikyu) in the first line to 利休 (Rikyu) in the second line, for whatever reason)
spooky
Mitsunari getting his first friend is unbearably adorable. It's nice that Sannan was finally able to get closure and say a proper bye to Akesato.
--- Arrow 1 ---
Rikyu (I should point out the name is back to normal now) is still alive, and she won't let Tsurumatus escape her wrath against Hideyoshi. As the strong devour the world in front of them, the weak cry out in despair.
She takes Tsurumatsu into her own body, taunting you to come get him. Now she has taken him, just as Hideyoshi once took her. You all try to move in on her, but she forces you back with the same magic as before. You wonder how she can still access the black blood powers, until you realize: this is just how she is. How many souls must one person take into their own body in order to accumulate such hatred and vengeful thoughts? Hers is the wrath of all the nameless who left the world, with no one to plead to, and no one to ask for strength. Those who existed only to be trampled.
They ask why Tsurumatsu has to be dragged into this. He didn't have anything like that happen to him, he just died shortly after death. And that's her point. This world is one where we are born without reason, and die without reason, and it is a mistake. Thus, return all to darkness. Peaceful, tranquil darkness. And so, with her own hands, she paints the world black.
Everything is consumed by darkness, and suddenly you find yourself standing in the lifestream from FF7---I mean, in some green, glowing river. Rikyu is there in her first ascension, seemingly back to normal, preparing tea. She says this is Niraikanai, the place whence souls return after death. It is the beginning and the end, where light and darkness come together and unravel. She hands you a cup of tea, and says drinking it will relieve you of your suffering. That of bearing the world on one's shoulder, being forced to keep on going until the very day you fall down and die. A world that allows or necessitates such a being's existence should not be allowed. That's why she wants to relieve you, and in order to prevent this whole thing repeating itself, she wants to turn the world into darkness.
Gudao, as the anime protagonist they are, respond with a simple question: what's fun about a world of darkness? That fun and enjoyment would trump the tranquility she fights for is at first baffling, but she soon snaps out of it. If that's all the reason you stand before her now, then so be it. But her rage will not subside.
Her third ascension, separate this time, appears with the name Komahime, telling Rikyu this has gone on for long enough. But Rikyu can't stand for it. She was born of no crime, and was killed of no crime. An unrequited soul which was trampled on by the wars of man. Someone has to take on the anger of these people who cannot voice it for themselves. And for that reason, Rikyu is prepared to kill gods and Buddha alike in heaven. But Komahime makes it clear she doesn't bear such a grudge. Of course, she holds some resentment, but not all-encompassing. She's sad she had to leave her family, but she adores the scenery she once experienced. She was simply born, and she simply died, but the moments alive in that beautiful world...those were truly enjoyable.
Rikyu still seems to have a hard time grasping this, and Komahime says it's been fun being with Rikyu in this place too, and she's grateful that Rikyu would go so far for the sake of others. Rikyu feels it's a bad look that an old person like her is being told off by a kid, so she sips her tea, and remarks on its poor taste. How did she never notice the tea she brewed was so bad? But Gudao points out that the tea they first got here was delicious. Rikyu talks about how tea is something to be shared and enjoyed, and somewhere down the line she took the wrong path. She will return this body to Komahime, and as for Tsurumatsu, she brings him out safely. Now, she'll go with Komahime into the light of Niraikanai once and for all. She asks you to apologize to Mitsunari and Chacha for her, and as she disappears, you tell her that next time you'll serve her tea. And so, her grand tea ceremony concludes. At least she had some fun.
With the disappearance of Rikyu (but not Komahime, since she got her body back), Nobunaga, Okita, and the rest appear beside you. It seems that they had been stuck somewhere else, "drowning" in the black tea. Mitsunari recognizes that this is now the actual Komahime, and he apologizes for what he did in life. He should have had the courage to stop Hideyoshi's orders. But Chacha says it's her fault Hideyoshi even got to that point, and that all of the Toyotomi's sins are on her. However, Komahime simply ask that they both stop and apologize to themselves. More importantly, Tsurumatsu is up again.
(I should point out during this whole scene, Chacha's nametag is changed to "Yodo-dono") He says he finally made it to where he needed to go, and when Chacha asks why he had to come here, he simply says: "Because my brother is waiting for me." He says Hideyori has been waiting for him this whole time, saying that if they didn't go ahead, their mom and dad wouldn't be able to rest peacefully. Tsurumatsu had to go on ahead, or his brother would be stuck crying here for a long time. So he'll do this because he loves his family, and he's a big boy now, so he won't cry. Chacha asks to hold him one last time, and she embraces his tiny little body, praising him for doing such a good job. She's so proud of him. In return, he thanks her for never forgetting him. In the distance, someone else calls out to him:
Hideyori is beckoning his brother. He tells his mother than neither of the two hold any grudges towards their mother, as she was a kind mother who went against the rules of the time for the sake of her children. They were happy to have been born to the parents they had, and now they'll leave them finally.
Toyotomi Tsurumatsu:
Farewell mother, and take care!
The children disappear, and even Nobu praises them. With this settled, Mitsunari can finally feel at ease, and so he begins to disappear. He promises to inform Hideyoshi of his boys' end. But Chacha makes a slight correction. It's not "them" and "him" with those boys and Mitsunari, because to Hideyoshi, Mitsunari was just as precious deep in his heart. And so, accepting that Hideyoshi will be proud of him too, Mitsunari disappears, and Chacha is so very proud of all her boys, even him.
Everything starts to crumble, and you finally let Iyo and Himiko take you home.
--- Arrow 2 ---
Back in Chaldea, some of the other Sevants laugh at how weird it is to beat the enemy with tea, while Yamanami talks it out with Hijikata, and Mori checks on Chacha's wound from earlier. Rengoku says Majin is still not back entirely, but it probably won't take long. Iyo is asking Himiko what some machine does, and she explains you press the button and tea pours out, and Iyo just keeps asking about every other thing.
Iyo has been talking non-stop since she got here, probably since she was stuck in nowhere for such a long time all on her own. Suddenly, she asks Himiko how "far she got" with Gudao, since apparently Himiko had told her that she's going to Chaldea to "go on a date with her Master". Himiko is all flustered and denies it, so Iyo says in that case, she's free to make a move, and she formally introduces herself to you.
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Not gonna lie, I actually teared up a little at this scene with Chacha. PLEASE give her the Maou treatment already!
Wonder why Yamanami was in the subtitle of the event, he barely mattered.
All three parts of the title needed to match the three playable Servants.
I'm actually surprised that this event didn't have a Chacha alt considering how important she is the overall conflict
Rikyu got talk no jutsu'd there at the end.
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I suppose the next stuff is going to be the obligatory "wait, we're actually a comedy story" epilogue right?
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