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Director: Chris Huang and Jia-Shiang Wang
Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi
Voice Cast: Junichi Suwabe as
Shāng Bù Huàn, Kousuke Toriumi as Lǐn Xuě Yā, Mai Nakahara as Dān Fěi, Tomokazu
Seki as Miè Tiān Hái, Kenichi Suzumura as Juǎn Cán Yún, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Shā
Wú Shēng, Rikiya Koyama as Shòu Yún Xiāo, Sayaka Ohara as Xíng Hài
Viewed in Japanese (and Taiwanese Hokkien and Mandarin) with English
Subtitles
Synopsis: In a world of period fantasy, where the world has been
split by a war between human beings and demons, a vagabond named Shāng Bù Huàn finds
himself dragged into a conflict when Dān Fěi, a female member of an order known
as the Seal Guardians, is the last surviving protector of an ancient sword of
incredible power lusted over by the evil Miè Tiān Hái. With Shāng Bù Huàn forced
to help by a mysterious and possibly untrustworthy trickster called Guǐ Niǎo,
who brings in a demoness and warriors to help, they find themselves on a goal
to go directly to Miè Tiān Hái himself and defeat him rather than let him
acquire both necessary pieces to gain the sword.
Ah, I've delayed this review
enough. I was excited by the idea of Thunderbolt
Fantasy when I heard a series had been commissioned using puppetry. For an
Englishman like myself who at least has seen one scene from Thunderbirds and such works which used marionettes,
this piqued my interest in seeing an older style of entertain be resurrected,
but actually starting the series this idea became even more enticing when I
knew the full context of Thunderbolt
Fantasy. We tend to forget animation includes stop motion and puppetry, and
they deserve to be covered whether a Japanese anime steps into this1.
Thunderbolt Fantasy, when I started
it, is even more intriguing as its a Japanese-Taiwanese co-production based on
Taiwanese glove puppetry. Not only is it a case, as the show proudly shows,
that this craft in the modern day creates some incredible pieces who move and
interact as living characters but is it keeping a tradition alive, one which is
not a Japanese one but a Taiwanese cultural staple being brought to a Japanese
(and Western audience). It also means Thunderbolt
Fantasy wasn't the Japanese action series using puppets as I thought it
would be, but Taiwanese wuxia storytelling told with glove puppets, which is an
entirely different tone and style to deal with, and is certainly unique for a
thirteen episode series to have in terms of standing out from the crowd of
anime productions.
If anything, even if the liberal
use of CGI and magical projectiles over actual combat is annoying, you cannot
argue stylistically Thunderbolt Fantasy
is exceptional. The puppets themselves are incredibly well made creations,
lavish and in spite of their fixed faces very expressionistic. Screenshots will
give you a great idea that; as elaborate hand puppets rather than on strings as
I'd originally presumed them to be without context, they move very fluidly within
how they are used rather than the other traditional, and particularly for this
type of magical fantasy, they are as recognisable and flamboyant as their
various names and alias are in their poetry. In either case, the sense of verisimilitude
is found so you can fully invest in them as characters regardless of what they
actually are. The additional factor is that this is a wuxia story. Not just
martial arts, but wuxia, a very
specific form of storytelling which allows for more elaborate, even exaggerated
events to transpire. Its carte blanche for all the ridiculous fight scenes,
even if I wanted more puppet-on-puppet sword fights rather than them calling
out special moves, but this is bearing in mind this is about style as much as a
descendant and fantastical form of storytelling that can still be appreciated. One
that is melodramatic and where martial artists and sword fighters here can
perform superhuman feats.
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Set in its own fantasy, quasi-Asian world, where a war between humans and demons have left a split in the land, it doesn't completely explain the world but thankfully it never becomes about convoluted world building either. It uses its setting for character, which helps, such as it being enough for vagabond, grizzled member Shāng Bù Huàn and his claim to have passed over demonic wasteland to even lead to the murderous sociopath named the Screaming Phoenix to question and feel wary of the statement. The characters are interesting in themselves especially as Thunderbolt Fantasy gladly undercuts expectations by having flat-out villains being recruited into the party trying to defeat the main villain. If anything it's a motley and amoral group worthy of dramatic weight, the one pure figure in heroine Dān Fěi, a sect member protecting an ancient sword, the moral centre without becoming as wet as a dishcloth. A grumbling, out of place vagabond Shāng Bù Huàn, who actually has the most rewarding character arch when you finally figure out who he is. The utterly distrustful, trickster Guǐ Niǎo, whose place in this story becomes a huge crux of the narrative. One eyed archer Shòu Yún Xiāo and his cocky, headstrong apprentice Juǎn Cán Yún. A literal demoness Xíng Hài, who hates Guǐ Niǎo but still decides to join in when knowledge of the ancient sword in the centre of concern is of interest for her. And plenty of other circumstances, screenwriter Gen Urobuchi playfully undercutting expectations - one of the best [Spoiler alert] involves the serial killer Screaming Phoenix being a figure the heroes are forced to work with, when he kills Guǐ Niǎo's master, the stereotypical old and wise martial artist, easily and refuses to give the magical flute required for their task back. [Spoiler Ends].
This is plenty to work with, even
when the story's a simple one where they have to try to work together, get to
the main villain Miè Tiān Hái's skull lair past three obstacles - a landscape
of undead, a stone golem and a labyrinth of death. Unfortunately screenwriter Urobuchi, one of the few that have
developed named recognition for anime fans, was on an off-day for me with this
series. This review will be controversial, as many liked the series, but Thunderbolt Fantasy suffers from Urobuchi's taste for plot twists in this
particular case undercutting all the ripe, potential adventure and suspense
this initial plot suggested. He likes
plot twists a lot, and when he succeeds, he pens Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) [Reviewed here], which was a
constant gut punch and bleak take on the magical girl trope, but one with
compelling storytelling and an emotional devastation behind every plot point,
making all of them worthy of inclusion. Unfortunately the creative decisions completely
undermine expectations in ways that fail.
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Characters promoted heavily in the opening credits, in fights more elaborate the show, die quickly on both sides and abruptly. Once or twice would be okay, but it happens a lot robbing a lot of great action scenes, strange to say as someone normally interested in drama. Many don't get as much detail of them when that would've helped the dramatic context grow, or are not given enough time to. In terms of the plot, obstacles in the heroes' quest like the rock golem are used in funny ways, others like the aforementioned labyrinth of nightmares are completely brushed aside and not used. The show eventually feels rushed when it gets to the latter half, not feeding off its potential plotting fully, the ending falling onto a generic demon god whose existence becomes an actual punch line. And its clichéd. As much as this is embracing tropes of wuxia, many don't feel like the right ones appropriate for this genre but from Urobuchi himself.
Ultimately, this emphasises that
even though I view animation with such high admiration for the hard work behind
them even over live action productions, there is a difference between being
able to appreciate the good work even over ridiculous content and when a
product becomes so flawed you are distracted from these artistic virtues. Even
when thrown about as they are, the puppets deserve better than what happened.
The same is for the music; I didn't like the opening credit theme by T.M.Revolution, but the score by Hiroyuki Sawanois eclectic and
constantly inspired, deserving more than the clichéd materials here. When Thunderbolt Fantasy comes off as a
predictable action fantasy, it feels like a waste of something even more
significant as these glove puppets are works of art. It feels worst especially
as the storytelling, which is the sole crippling flaw, does detract from the
visuals, which makes it difficult to have pleasure in said aesthetics as well.
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1) One, Star Fleet (aka. X-Bomber) (1980), which is inspired by a Go Nagai manga is a prominent example worthy of being covered.
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