Kekkaishi ep.08

December 5, 2006 | 7 Comments

This is a rather disappointing episode especially in comparison to the previous one. I think one of the reason why Kekkaishi is a stand above other shounen series is because it has some interesting storylines. This time around, however, the story focuses on the usual training mode that most shounen series tend to have. Unfortunately, this kind of episode usually has little to no plot and place its focus mostly on the action. Normally I would not have mind this, especially if the opponent is an interesting one. Unfortunately, Yoshimori's and Tokine's opponent in this episode looks more like a Pokemon reject. As a result, this episode feels pretty similar to levelling up your character in an RPG game: it's boring and takes a long time before the action picks up.

The episode itself begins with Yoshimori practicing his technique by lifting a stone using his Kekkai and then dropping it again and holding it with a small Kekkai so that it doesn't slam the ground. His grandpa is happy to see his effort but decides to fan Yoshimori's competitive nature by telling him that when he was young, he was able to split the rock into two. Being the naive person that he is, Yoshimori immediately believes the old man. He doesn't know that it's actually impossible to do this since there is an iron core inside the rock itself. As a result, he tells his grandpa that he can break the rock in a week and another 2 in a month. Upon hearing this his grandpa simply wishes him luck and tells him to use soundproof Kekkai the next time he practice so he won't disturb the neighbour. Yoshimori complains about this because it requires extra effort on his part but his grandpa thinks Yoshi should be able to handle something like this.

That night, Madarao wakes up and looks unusually happy. He's about to look for Yoshimori when he notices that the dojo's light is still on even though it's late at night. The dog immediately finds Yoshi in the middle of practicing his Kekkai's precision using a piece of paper which has a square drawn on it. Upon seeing the Kekkai that Yoshi has pitched, Madarao realises that not only it is out of alignment with the square, it is also a lot bigger in size. Madarao thinks that if this continues, Yoshimori will never be able to measure up to Tokine. Much to the dog's surprise, Yoshimori tells him that he understands and does not intend on staying as he is now for a long time. Since he doesn't want to regret things again, he will do whatever it takes to become stronger. He tells the dog that he knows Tokine puts a lot of effort in her training and he's simply doesn't know how much training he needs in order to be better than her.

Upon hearing this Madarao scoffs and tells Yoshi that Tokine is different in that she knows her limit. Having said that, Yoshimori doesn't have to worry about limit. That night, when Yoshimori does his patrol, Tokine makes fun of the fact that Yoshimori's face looks sleepy. In retaliation, he tells her that his face always looks like this. Upon hearing this Tokine laughs and tells him that she refuses to lose to someone with that kind of face. In return Yoshi tells her that she will cry when she sees the result of his training. Unfortunately for Yoshi, he runs straight into the back of a car not long after this, taking every credibility that he might have had. Despite this, a few minutes later, Yoshimori is on his way to capture a squirrel-like Ayakashi inside a forest. Unfortunately, this one proves to be harder to catch than other Ayakashi. Because of this, Yoshi decides to erect a Kekkai to block the creature's path.

When the Ayakashi, which is known as Hiwatari, is cornered, it starts turning aggressive. The creature's tails suddenly gathers cold air and eventually form solid ice hales which flies towards Yoshimori. Yoshimori manages to pitch Kekkai in time to block the hales but the creature creates a big ice crystal which manages to destroy Yoshimori's Kekkai like a bullet. The creature then runs away before Yoshimori can undo his own Kekkai. Tokine who notices the traces of ice realises that this Ayakashi can create the substance. Because of this, she thinks it's dangerous for them to continue chasing after it. In order to overcome this problem, she climbs a tree so she can get a better idea of the creature's location. As the creature runs into an open field, Tokine pitch a Kekkai and manages to capture the creature. Not wanting to be outdone, the creature produces the large ice crystal to destroy Tokine's Kekkai before running away from the area again.

Tokine is worried upon seeing this because she was trying to prevent Yoshimori from being taken to a place where he'll be at a disadvantage: the pool. Or precisely, an ice rink since the Ayakashi has used its power to freeze the water inside the pool. Yoshimori has the idea of pitching a Kekkai around the entire pool but Madarao thinks Yoshimori's energy is going to be wiped out if this doesn't work. As a result, Yoshi has no choice but to walk into the ice rink to look for the location of the creature. After several sudden attack from the creatures, Yoshimori realises that this Ayakashi gets angry easily so he thinks he can lure the creature out by making it angry. He then starts using his Kekkai to force the creature to destroy the ice blocks. Tokine who sees this is annoyed that Yoshimori is wasting his power as usual. Having said that she agrees that it's important for them to terminate this Ayakashi as quick as possible.

Once the majority of the ice are destroyed, Yoshimori walks into the ice rink so the Ayakashi will attack him again. True enough, the Ayakashi is angry enough to the point that it now shows itself on top of the ice crystals. Before the creature can attack Yoshimori with the large crystal, Tokine throws a Kunai to injure the Ayakashi. Unfortunately, this also makes it angry at Tokine. It immediately sends a high power ice attack which envelops Tokine's leg, makint it impossible for her to move. Before the creature can send another ice crystal, Yoshimori stands in front of Tokine and pitch triple Kekkai to protect them from the creature. Despite his effort, the crystal proves to strong for Yoshimori. The second time the creature tries to attack, Tokine decides to direct Yoshimori's power so that his Kekkai is elastic and malleable. When the Ayakashi sends another crystal towards them, the Kekkai returns the attack back to the creature.

Once the creature is defeated, Yoshimori insists on taking Tokine back home, piggyback style. As they walk home, Yoshimori realises that prior to this event, he didn't know that a Kekkai could be used in such manner. He's also upset that instead of protecting Tokine, she ends up protecting him again. Unknown to Yoshimori, Tokine is disappointed that her power will never reach the same level as Yoshimori's. Because of this, Tokine decides to come up with different ways of using Kekkai. At the same time, Yoshimori tries to practice his bouncing Kekkai by throwing a large stone into the air. Unfortunately Yoshimori doesn't have the power to stop the rock from falling gracefully. The impact is strong enough to cause everyone in Yoshimori's and Tokine's house to think that there is an Earthquake. Yoshimori's grandpa, on the other hand, knows that Yoshi has messed up his training. Much to his surprise, Yoshimori actually managed to destroy the boulder, revealing the iron core within.

Impression:

Well, that was kind of boring, especially since it comes after episode 7, which has a rather powerful story. To me, this one looks more like a Pokemon catching exercise. I suppose the intention is to show that Yoshimori has a lot of power but can't control it very well. Tokine, on the other hand, doesn't have as much but can come up with different ways to use the Kekkai. This is clearly a major disadvantage for Tokine once Yoshimori master the technique to use his Kekkai differently. The Ayakashi of the week was nothing out of the ordinary either although for a little guy, the creature sure is capable of causing so much destruction. The biggest downer for me is the Yoshimori/Tokine pairing. I can't for the life of me see any chemistry between the two of them. I just think Yoshimori is too childish at this point in time while Tokine comes across like his mother at times. Unfortunately, that's an off-putting combination for me.

© memento 2003