Still riding on the Over Soul nostalgia high from last week? Well, you’re in for a treat because this week...
After defeating Silva, one of the officiants in the Shaman Fight, Yoh and Manta mull over strategies in preparation for the legendary competition as well as the other shamans they will encounter along the way. And soon enough—because this show definitely doesn’t like to waste time—we meet our new rival in Horohoro (voiced by Yuuji Ueda) of the Ainu Tribe.
Call it a battle of icy will and fiery determination: Horohoro, backed by his nature spirit Kororo and a snazzy snowboard, disarms Yoh with his own version of a talk no jutsu. “I have a dream,” he says, taking a page out of Giorno Giovanna’s playbook. And Yoh, who is wearing a snazzy outfit of his own courtesy of Anna, almost falls for it. But eyes ablaze, he wants the Shaman King dream even more.
By now, we probably have grown used to Shaman King’s juvenile humor and its appearance during the most serious of scenes. And this week’s episode takes the cake. This Yoh versus Horohoro battle is the funniest thing ever. Period. Or at least so far for this series. The two shamans’ cheery personalities are on full display here even as they recognize each other as an obstacle towards their respective Shaman King journeys. Compared to Yoh’s rivals that we’ve met so far, Horohoro is also the most likeable and probably the likeliest to form an alliance with. (Sorry, Tao Ren)
But while there’s a lot of good gags to go around the action, too much can be a disadvantage for the series and may rub off viewers the wrong way, especially for those looking to find a good shounen anime this season (tip: Shaman King is good). And there was a lot of good stuff going on in this Yoh/Horohoro duel like the use of Over Soul by both shamans (aka snowboard versus wooden stick). But again, we need more and that means longer sequences and actual focus on the fighting.
So far, there have been many good moments in this show. Last week’s episode is still the best and a great representation of what Shaman King can be if it plays its cards right. As a whole though, it’s a bit inconsistent and lacks that extra oomph to really cement itself as a one-to-watch. This episode officially kickstarts the Shaman Fight arc and let’s hope there is a lot more to look forward to.
Shaman King airs Thursdays at 17:55 JST.
Official Anime Website: shamanking-project.com
Official Anime Twitter: @SHAMANKING_PR
