Scary Movie Month 2021: Lunar Legend Tsukihime episode 02: “Black Beast”

So, I realized that I made a mistake on the date of the last review– it’s NOT actually 2022 yet.  It’s still 2021 :O  Was I already looking ahead to next year???

Maybe…?

Erp!  Okay, let’s begin!  You can read my review for episode 1 here.

The second episode begins with the OP, a haunting piece that really gives you a sense of the mood the series is going for. There is some interesting imagery, some potential mysteries and the introduction of the main cast… it does exactly what an introduction is supposed to do. It’s not nearly as dynamic as it could be, as there are some lingering shots on the two leads that could have been put to better use.  “The Sacred Moon” is such a good song.

Episode 2, “Black Beast” continues immediately from the ending of the previous episode. Shiki is confronted by the girl that he killed the previous day. Something that I appreciate so far is that the character reactions seem to be grounded in reality as much as you can in a show about vampires. He stares in horror as the  girl talks to him quite pleasantly about every piece he sliced her into. He makes the reasonably choice and runs away.  I imagine that one would flee if what they thought was a nightmare turned into hellish reality.  He does go to school, so I don’t know if that’s the most realistic outcome 😛

“Beast” does a good job developing the main characters. Shiki acts how I would imagine a normal enough boy would act when faced with these kinds of odds, and we get to see that he is a kind and helpful boy– *whispers* although, he’s a little boring right now. Hopefully as the story goes along, he becomes more than just “good boy,” the character.

The mysterious girl is given some interesting development in the episode. She is serious, but has a decidedly sardonic sense of humor as she cheerfully thanks Shiki for murdering her. But there is something more to her, as the introduction and first episode hinted at. She also has special powers on account of being a vampire.

I mean, how many people would thank you for killing them?

“Beast” presents another of the antagonists of the story, Nero Chaos. He is a formidable threat, able to manifest different animals from his body, being more than a match for both of our protagonists. He can also regenerate from wounds. He also suffers from that pesky big bad arrogance that villains exhibit far too often in stories. It’ll be interesting to see if the villains of the story cross paths and how our duo will be able to deal with the threats of vampires, and whatever Chaos is.

And there’s another angle as well, as Ciel has shown that there is something more to her. What’s her deal? Is she friend? Foe?

Such a great use of color and silhouette.

On technical level, the show maintains the thick, moody atmosphere from the first episode. There is a constant sense of dread lurking around every corner, even during the cheerful school day. Unfortunately, the more normal conversations are filmed kind of flatly. The build up to the initial confrontation is much more dynamic and interesting, but the actual confrontation lacks the kinetic energy that would build any sort of excitement.  The music remains a highlight, as the score enhances the mood immensely. The animation is okay. It’s not bad, just limited. I’m not sure if it’s because of the era it’s from, or an actual technical weakness.

Tsukihime has given the viewer a ton of questions in the first two episodes. I hope that going forward, that the show can begin to peel back the layers of the story while giving Shiki especially a chance to develop his character. It remains a compelling show through the first couple of episodes, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.  The character designs are still bad though.

Is there any way out for them?