Ikki Tousen Thoughts

[Written in Late 2021]

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==Nov 5th==

Rewatching Ikki Tousen is so interesting because there's so much about this show I just forgot about, and it's fun to rediscover. The last time I watched this I think I marathoned through a big chunk of it at once, so taking my time definitely helps me process it more.
I've always appreciated the series as an early-00's pioneer of the anime boobies hyper battle story structure, but because it was born in that early era it's interesting to see what kind of ideas and themes are emphasized in this context.
Ikki Tousen has so many ideas it can be hard to determine what the actual focus is, but because there's so much going on there's a surprising level of depth to this world. The theme of struggling against a doomed predetermined destiny sets a unique mood over the whole show.
It's just a really interesting work. There's a reason Takao Yoshioka would go on to handle screenwriting for so many battle ecchi works for years after this series. Though I hear later seasons are more highly regarded, I think for its time what this series did was impressive.

==Nov 12th==

I finished my Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny rewatch tonight.
Definitely somewhat of a tonal shift from the first season, but this series does a lot that I appreciate. I can definitely see why this is such a highly regarded season. There was so much about this show I forgot, it felt like watching it for the first time... I'm glad I rewatched it. I definitely feel like I appreciate what's here more than I did before. I particularly love the relationship the Seito High girls have & love the focus they got.
On the Kyoshou side, the struggle that Motoku and Kakoton go through hit me harder this time as well. I really liked the depiction of the impact these inherited warlord spirits have on these guys.
And of course, the Nanyo crew was as fun as they were in the original. 😆
Anyway, next up is Great Guardians, which I have never seen before now. I look forward to it!

==Nov 14th==

I'm 3 eps into Ikki Tousen Great Guardians, and man, I thought the tonal shift between S1 & Dragon Destiny was notable, but this feels really different, lol. I'm not sure if it's because Takao Yoshioka is no longer writing, or if it's just this season's story in general.
Still enjoyable tho.
As a Maken-ki fan though, it's interesting watching these Koichi Ohata seasons & trying to understand just what exactly he tries to portray in Ikki Tousen & how that experience informed the choices made in Maken's 2011 adaptation. These are what he worked on just prior after all.
They're still two different works though, so it's not like I'll read into it too much, lol.
There's no real way to entirely gauge director intention just from the final shows themselves. Would be cool if there were interviews about these things.

==Nov 24th==

Just watched Xtreme Xecutor Ep1. It's off to a pretty good start! It feels more like Ikki Tousen than Great Guardians did, lol. Though just like DD, Hakufu didn't appear in ep 1 (outside of the flashbacks), rip the meme lives on. 😆
As for my thoughts upon completing Great Guardian, I don't really have much to say. Once things ramped up in the later half it got fairly interesting, & I enjoyed it for what it was. But in the end, it really did give off an air of "feels like a filler arc" since it kind of was.
I dunno how XX will compare, but I'm liking it so far! I'm glad that it seems like the Kyoshou characters are gonna be relevant again.

==Dec 6th==

I've finished Ikki Tousen Xtreme Xecutor!
This was a pretty fun & interesting season, and the theming felt closer to the core of Ikki Tousen. Characters from all 3 sides had a role to play too which is great. As the final TV series in the franchise for a decade, it was fun!

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