I simply could not pass up the opportunity to place my battery-powered light-up duck atop a battery-powered small car.
Originally posted to social media accounts on July 7th, 2014.
Month: September 2017
-
Tiger on a Tree
It’s not a very imaginative thing to put a duck on, perhaps, but the trees along the newly-created Veterans Drive were freshly planted and young and sparse at the time. One of them provided a perfectly formed and accessible perch, so here we are.
This picture went to social media on June 30th, 2014.
-
3WA 2017 #35: Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
It’s a standard fantasy story setup: Wandering warrior with a complicated past gets stuck in a situation involving the child of royalty, danger appears on all sides, a ragtag misfit team is assembled to protect the child and save the land from a dire fate. When done well this makes for a solid storytelling structure.
But let’s flip two of the usual bits, shall we?
What is it?
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (originally Seirei no Moribito) started life as a fantasy novel, the first in a series. For our purposes, it’s a 26-episode anime production from about a decade ago.
What kind of story is it?
At its core, Moribito is a fantasy adventure story which takes place in a kind of analogue for historical Asia. That’s nothing new, of course, anime loves doing that sort of thing all the time. In this case the setting is used to build a tale of adventure, betrayal, noble sacrifice, and a bit of the fantastical.
Oh, and instead of a knight rescuing a princess, you have Balsa the spear-wielder rescuing Chagum the prince.
Neither of them asked to be stuck in this mess, but that’s the way things go sometimes. Don’t worry, she’s plenty capable.
She was taught by this guy, who can best be described as a stone-cold badass. Why do you like it?
The quality of storytelling is all I need to recommend this to you. Moribito isn’t a wacky comedy, nor is it a grimdark grind. It’s well-structured, full of interesting and compelling characters, and reaches a satisfying conclusion.
Also, there are some ridiculously good fight sequences. What might one not like about it?
It’s not always a fast-paced action series, and while there are some stupendously well-animated fight scenes that’s not really what the story’s about. Set your expectations accordingly. Other than that, there isn’t much to object to here that I can see. Maybe you don’t like the “fantasy” parts of a fantasy adventure? That aspect is kept low-key most of the time, for what it’s worth.
Look, if you can’t get into the “traveling party of adventurers” thing, I can’t help you. Other thoughts about it?
Not really, no. I know this sounds like a cop-out but seriously, this one isn’t that complicated.
Where can I watch it?
Turns out that Hulu is streaming Moribito, as of this writing. It’s also available for purchase on Amazon.
