Hikari no Ou – Episode 09

Episode Synopsis:

Akira agrees to investigate the Spider Clan in exchange for Obiki sending collection trucks to the outlying villages. A Wind Clan god visits Koushi and seemingly approves of his desire to learn of the old world, but also clearly knows about the plans for the Lightning Cannon, and doesn’t want to let anyone hunt the Flickering Flame.  Obiki’s subordinates finish creating the Lightning Cannon, and perform a series of test shots to verify that the shells will work as expected.  Akira asks Toukou to return to her village on a collection truck, but Toukou asks to stay and support Akira in becoming Lord of the Fire Hunters.

Episode Review:

I don’t understand why anyone is doing anything in this show.

It is episode 9 and we still have no idea what Obiki’s wife’s deal is.

I don’t know if we ever will learn or if she will have any impact on the plot, since we are rapidly running out of time here and there are so many more important things happening, so it seems like her job is just to waste everyone’s time being mean for no reason.

Akira requests that Obiki send collection trucks of his own.  Which is now apparently a thing he has authority to do.  Then the two of them and Roroko discuss the fact that the spider clan’s attack is imminent and they’ll move through the forest and gather allies on the way.

So why would you want to send a truck out, directly into the path of the invading spiders?!

Hibari, the guy in the top image, is one of the gods and just shows up in Koushi’s room to discuss the spider clan invasion.  While there he knowingly brushes his hand over the schematics for the Lightning Cannon.  He’s also previously made it clear he knows that bottled lightning is being buried around the palace.  Furthermore, he’s able to magically stupefy Koushi and leave without being noticed.  So the Lightning Cannon plan is off, right?  Every single stage of the plan has been conclusively exposed by the gods it’s going to be used on, who can effectively show up anywhere and also instantly incapacitate any human.

But no!  They not only push forward with a test firing outside town, they then test fire the real one with a full power shell, in the middle of town in broad daylight!  And Obiki has the impossible gall to suggest that they timed the second test firing with the shift change siren so that no one suspects the noise.

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here!  The whole episode really smacks of wanting all the pieces the story calls for to be in place before the main event (the spider clan attack and Flickering Flame arrival) and they just don’t care if it makes any sense how the pieces get into place. This better be one heck of an amazing climax.

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