[Episode 4: Chanced Meeting Between Two Dragons]

[Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10]
[Good: Hakufu and her mom = fun times; Kan-u bathing...]
[Bad: Can't some of these battles be settled with words alone?]

[Thoughts]

Ignoring the impending invasion on Hakufu’s school, this was a pretty fun episode. One thing that made me go “What the hell” in this episode was the censoring of Hakufu’s butt after she got knocked out of the air. In episode preview for this episode it was shown clear as day and I don’t remember anything so super ecchi about the scene that had to be blocked out. Anyways, Hakufu’s mother is one seriously dangerous MILF. She reacts so violently when someone calls her old so that makes me wonder just how old she really is. One of the funniest things about this entire situation involving Kakuka’s death is that it can be partially solved if someone actually took the time calm down and talk. Though I guess with all this power being thrown around in the series no one has the time to think about such things as setups and the like. Well, at least things between Nanyo and Seito don’t seem to be tense if the interactions shown between Hakufu and Kan-u are any indication. At the very least I’d like to see them team up but the chances of that happening aren’t too clear from what has taken place so far, especially when considering what Ryomou did in the previous episode.

Next Episode: #5
> More breasts and panty-shots. :3

[Episode 3: Dripping Blood, Shedding Tears]

[Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10]
[Good: Kan-u pwning awakened Ryuubi.]
[Bad: There was barely any Hakufu until the very end of the episode.]

[Thoughts]

What the hell? Ryuubi can suddenly kick ass now? Well, I guess that’s what happens when you have the spirit of a warrior from the past. Though I’m not too sure about her basically causing her own clothing to disintergrate. Maybe she was hot? Anyways, Ryuubi caused some serious destruction after having just awakened though I’m not sure why. Is she supposed to be violent like that? I’m impressed that Kan-u was even able to subdue her after having gone in such a berserk state. Well, as for the rest of the episode, I found it quite interesting how Kakuka got done in so easily by Bashoku. I don’t know when she poisoned him but it must’ve either those chains or the knife in her shoe. Now as a result of what happened Sousou wants to invade Nanyo, the school where Hakufu resides. I think he’s much too hotheaded for the kind of position he’s in but at least he has power. Speaking of Hakufu, we get to see her at the end of the episode along with her cousin (I could never remember his name). Well, at least starting with the next episode she should be focused on as the main character yet again. Or at least I think so anyways.

Next Episode: #4
> Hakufu-ism!

[Episode 2: Awakening of the Devil King]

[Enjoyment Value: 8.5/10]

A lot of things were shown in this episode. Among them all includes a narration at the beginning that reviews all of the schools and also highlights Hakufu, Ryuubi, and Sousou. We also get a lot more fanservice (semi-topless Kan-u FTW!). Oh and there’s yet more ‘mysterious’ interactions shown between Bunwa and Houkou (read: she rides him). I have to wonder just how they’re going to redo some of these scenes for the DVDs…. Anyway, the series is progressing nicely so far and this episode more or less shows it.

So I hope you’re ready for some blood (that refers to both in the episode and your own), the usual fanservice, and some monks getting owned.

[Summary]

[OP Sequence]

Aside from the narration that introduces us to each of the opposing schools and their three most notable Toushi: Hakufu, Sousou, and Ryuubi, the episode officially opens in a raining area of the city where it seems that Sousou had just participated in a deadly fight and is wounded but has a friend, Kakouton, nearby. A quick flashback is shown before Sousou and Kakouton encounter a young jade-haired girl, Ko Shaji, who tries to kill them. She proceeds to take down Sousou’s buddy with a needle to the eye. Sousou’s dragon then awakens and he defeats her easily and proceeds to smash her head into a nearby wall.

The rest of the episode is pretty much a Kan-u awesome-fest. Already, assassins are being sent to take Ryuubi’s life and they arrive in the form of monks. Of course, Kan-u isn’t about to allow that to happen. She quickly takes out the lackeys (seemingly killed) and then the leader of the group appears and launches a sneak attack that only manages to shred Kan-u’s top off (sadly, her hair covers her nipples >_<). After a few minutes of them fighting Kan-u decides to get serious after the leader monk decides to rush her with a powerful attack. She stops him in his tracks completely, breaking his weapon and reveals some of the true power of her weapon: the legendary Blue Dragon Crescent Blade. Kan-u defeats the monk and she, along with Ryuubi go to meet up with Chouhi who was busy preventing thugs from climbing up to where they were. We’re given a cliffhanger in the form of Ryomou appearing before the girls.

[Thoughts]

The opening theme is really good! As the title of the song suggests, Heart&Soul, it is really upbeat. I felt ready to rush into the episode after hearing it start to play. Like with IORI and the ending theme, I’m not sure if I’ve listened to anything else from Gantou Mai but this song does impress. I’ll probably be grabbing the single as soon as it’s released. The OP was also quite Hakufu-filled as opposed to the ED being Kan-u-centric. Just something that I thought was interesting.

Holy crap, Kan-u completely stole the show in this episode! This girl can fight and it scares me to think of what she can do if the dragon possessed her instead of someone like Ryuubi. I don’t dislike Ryuubi but she just isn’t doing anything for me at the moment but figure that her dragon will awaken sooner rather than later (actually in the next episode lol). Chouhi was pretty good in this episode as well though she did get a bit beaten up. I still can’t recover from Kan-u’s performance though. I admit the monks were quite lame and didn’t have a chance against her to begin so I can’t wait for Kan-u to battle with someone worthy enough for her to use her true power.

Next Episode: #3
> Ryuubi awakens!

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Ecchi, Martial Arts, School, Super Power
OP: [Heart & Soul] by Mai Gankou
ED: [Garasu no Hana] by IORI
一騎当千 Dragon Destiny

[Episode 1: Movements of a New Dragon's Spirit]

[Enjoyment Value: 8/10]

Oh my dear lord, I think I’m in heaven. Breasts, nipples, legs, thighs, panties, cleavage, crotch-shots, firm boobs (didn’t I say that already?), butt-shots, and disintegrating clothing. What more can you ask for? Well, for me my biggest reason for anticipating Dragon Destiny was almost solely because of Kan-u (the lovely angel who has the most screenshot coverage in this entry) and to a lesser extent, Kakouen and Ryomou. I’m sure a lot of people were anticipating this series a few months back and now that it’s here I do have to wonder how many people will drop it after they get tired of the blatant fanservice. I’m not likely to be one of those persons, solely because of Kan-u and the awesome fighting scenes. Oh, it goes without saying that this series isn’t for kids and has a lot of NSFW screenshots. Also, starting with this entry I’m adopting a new blogging approach that includes three parts and also will be changing ‘verdict’ to ‘enjoyment value’ since that seems more accurate in measuring how much I like an episode.

So get out your tissues and a bucket. Ready? Then let’s go!

[Condensed Summary]

The episode opens with Ryomou entering a shrine in search of an object described in ancient texts. While trying to obtain it, she encounters possessed statues that attack her and meets another Toushi, Kakouen, who desires the same object as she does. The two girls fight it out as the shrine is set aflame and the scene shifts. After having obtained the object and after a brief shower scene, Ryomou is attacked again by Kakouen but manages to escape. We’re then introduced to Kan-u, Ryuubi, and Chouhi. A bit of information is also revealed about the Ryuubi possessing the spirit of an ancient hero and rival schools.

We’re introduced to a few more characters, most importantly Sousou, who is an overlord along with Ryuubi and the series main character, Hakufu. The final scenes of the episode show Sousou apparently killing some fighters and experiencing a flashback where he killed more people. We’re then shown scenes of him unleashing his power in a wild rage as he screams atop of the roof of his school.

[Thoughts]

I really like this show. No, not solely for the most obvious reasons (fanservice) but for the amazing fighting scenes and the amount of diverse characters. Certainly, this series is definitely owned by the girls and as such I feel that the guys are pretty much fodder material. Well, except for Sousou since that guy is really a demon walking among humans and packs some wicked amount of power.

The opening scenes were very well executed. Specifically the scenes after Kakouen attacks Ryomou after showering. This is an area where I feel that other anime of this type of genre, especially the Tenjo Tenge anime, failed at delivering and gave us battles that were almost completely static. That said, the directing of the fights were just amazing. Having both girls soaring through the air with a night sky and neon lights painting the background as well as interacting with background objects had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I won’t deny that my eyes were also following their thighs but that’s to be expected of me really.

The most impressive characters shown thus far, aside from Ryomou and Kakouen at the beginning, were Kan-u and Sousou. I don’t really think much of Ryuubi or Chouhi at the moment mainly because Kan-u is more interesting. Her character knowingly denies certain feelings such as worry and consequentially ends up expressing such feelings almost immediately after. I liked how it was sort of subtly shown through her practicing in the forest at the beginning of the episode and when she slapped Ryuubi’s book out of her hand. Despite that aspect of her, Kan-u is still a powerful woman but it’s too bad that she wasn’t allowed to show off her abilities as yet (but we are shown previews of sorts in the ending sequence).

The animation, while nothing spectacular, is attractive and colorful. This is a must since this series has so many beautiful women which different body types and styles of fighting. The character designs are also a lot better than in the original series but that’s to be expected since it has been almost four years since then. Music-wise, the background music I heard during the episode was very good and varied from upbeat, to soothing, seductive, and chilling. The ending theme was interesting but I think I’ll have to listen to it a few more times for it to sink through. I haven’t heard much from IORI (I think) but she does a good job setting up the mood for the ending theme. Oh, and character designs in the ED are even more ecchi and detailed than what was shown in the episode. Going so far as to showing all the girls with their nipples poking out through their clothes (read: erect).

All in all, I wasn’t disappointed with the episode as a whole except that it could’ve contained a few more fighting scenes. The next episode will probably address that issue since it seems that Sousou is going to go berserk and awaken.

[ED Sequence] < Watch the ED! >

Next Episode: #2
Sousou Awakens!

Like it’s predecessor, Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny is already pulling out all the stops to tease it’s fans but this time with nudity to be shown in the series. Can it get any better? Well, I’m certain this show will be rated R-15 most of the time considering it’s content. Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny airs February 15th on AT-X. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Also, here’s a little treat.