Review of Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny
It's almost a pity that this is a sequel to Ikkitousen and not a standalone series, because fans of the orginal tend to hate this one and people who may not have liked the original could like this one a lot. A note to people who saw the first series: This series is more plot driven, Sonsaku and the Nanyo gang are not the primary focus, and this series made a lot of changes to bring it more in line with the manga, so many things will seem odd. STORY: The storyline, while not strictly canon with the manga and detached from the original series, is quitegood if one knows about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In Japan, RoTK is like King Arthur is in Western culture; so many subtle nuances would be lost on many viewers. Many events, such a Kakouton's decision regarding Kanu's servitude and Shuuyu's animosity towards Koumei, are clever nods to events in the original story.
One thing people should realize is different right away, is that Ki blasts are normal in the manga and they were readded for this series. So no, they didn't decide to ripoff the DBZ fighting genre.
ART: Nothing blew me away with beauty, but it was solid. The characters didn't always wear the same clothes and the environments changed often.
SOUND: The music for this series was frankly amazing. Few soundtracks I've heard lately have this much energy and quality.
CHARACTER: There was some drift in roles not just between the two series, but also from the manga on the new characters. Ryubi's character was comically homophobic but also had "urges" in that direction in the Manga; in this series she's pretty boring. This series focuses a lot on Kanu and on Kakouton who is a lot more serious in this series compared to the first. His angst at seeing his long time friends die or slowly degenerate into evil is very concerning. His state at the end of the series does not leave a dry eye. Kanu's role is well written and I dare say that she brings dignity to a rare kind of heroine. She in love with Ryubi, but rather than focus on her lesbianism it's more focused on her unquestioning devotion and her attraction is a sidenote that isn't dwelled upon.
ENJOYMENT: This series would have benefitted from a stronger commitment from the studio and more episodes to tell the story. It also could have used more humor and a touch of the old pervert magic that makes the manga and first series much easier on the eyes. However, it's a strong story that ends on a satisfying note.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the series. It's much easier to follow than the first, the intrigues are much deeper, and the characters are deeper. Even Sonsaku develops more character depth in this series. Also Koukin is not a total wuss in this one. Anyhow, this series is worth seeing if you are a fan of either the manga or the 3 kingdoms story. If you are looking for more of what was in the first series, you should probably pass.