REVIEW: ‘Tougen Anki’ Episode 9 — “Momotaro Spirit”

Tougen Anki Episode 9, “Momotaro Spirit,” sees the various duels continue as the Oni trapped in the base fight desperately for their lives. Meanwhile, those outside are about to hatch a plan to make their way in to save their comrades before it’s too late, with aid from an unlikely source. 

This episode opens by returning to Shiki (Kazuki Ura, Blue Lock) and Tsubakiri (Daisuke Kishio, Wuthering Waves), as Tsubakiri reveals what is contained within the casket that he has been lugging around. The occupant and the twist they bring to the fight drastically change the situation, as Shiki seems completely outgunned in the battle. 

The situation the protagonist finds himself in is handled well. No easy out is presented, and Tougen Anki Episode 9 does a good job of selling how outclassed the young Oni is. Hopefully, this relative helplessness won’t be betrayed by a miraculous surge of strength. Letting Shiki suffer a brutal defeat and then rescuing him will do far more for his story than a sudden increase in ability, as we saw last episode with Rokuro. 

“Momotaro Spirit” drastically changes the stakes.

While the majority of the conflict in this section of the story is a physical one, by the end of the episode, it is also used to pull back the curtain on an element of Shiki’s past. The moment is unexpected, but deeply cliché. The reveal does little but form Shiki into a very familiar archetype that seems likely to undercut his growth as an Oni. Hopefully, the series will at least find a way to have the revelation creatively impact his character, even as it undermines his external struggles. 

The aforementioned clash has its ups and downs, but Tougen Anki Episode 9‘s trip outside the base to see how Mudano (Hiroshi Kamiya, Mononoke The Movie: Chapter Two) and the others will find a way in is an across-the-board failure. Initially stumped on how to get through the barrier enclosing the base without endangering the tourists at the shrine above, the situation suddenly changes with the arrival of Homare Byobugaura (Manaka Iwami, Oshi No Ko). The uncertain students’ appearance is what ultimately takes the scene off the rails. 

The moment’s biggest failure comes in an obnoxious over-the-top reaction to Homare’s arrival from Juji Yusurube (Natsukie Hanae, NieR Automata ver 1.1a). Upon seeing his classmate, Juji begins ardently pleading with the girl to have sex with him, going so far as to do it right there if she is willing.

The grotesque, eye-rolling bombardment of unwanted attention is made all the more unbearable by the animation’s drive to fill the entire screen with the character’s annoying presence. While inappropriate advances such as this aren’t uncommon in the medium, this one takes everything about the unnecessary element and cranks it up to twelve. 

Tougen Anki Episode 9 follows up on this character failing with a pair of narrative ones as well. The first comes when Mudano hatches a plan to use Homare’s blood titan to drive the tourists out of the shrine above the besieged base so they can act freely without concern for collateral damage. 

This plan requires Mudano and Homare to walk up a nearby mountain to cause an avalanche, thus driving the tourists out. The trip up the mountain, the ensuing debate between Mudano and Homare over whether or not she can use her power, and the time it takes to evacuate the tourists all add up to way more time than the trapped Oni underground should have. Passage of time in fiction can be a nebulous thing when narratively necessary, but this feels like too big an ask of the audience. 

Tougen Anki Episode 9 can’t seem to find the right narrative pace.

Perhaps the most frustrating element of the whole sequence comes in the form of a reveal from Mudano. Once the landslide is triggered, Mudano knocks out Homare to make the blood titan disappear. While craddling the unconscious student in his arms, he explains to no one that the whole reason for their class is to help Oni with problems. That her fears aren’t endangering her presence there, but are the reason for her presence, and that all the students have such struggles they need to overcome. 

While this explanation goes a long way to helping the audience understand the wildly inconsistent goals and attitude towards his charges, Mudano has displayed thus far, this feels like information he should really share with his class. Threatening to expel people if they fail a single test because they are in a supposedly hyper-elite group when they are actually in a class to help them work through past trauma seems irresponsible at best, and objectively cruel at worst. 

Tougen Anki Episode 9 uses the rest of its time visiting the duel between Jin (Koutarou Nishiyama, The Heike Story) and Yomogi (Mariya Ise, Tekken: Bloodline). This fight manages to bring some strong tension as well as deliver some tidbits about Jin’s past.

The pair’s showdown is interrupted first by the arrival of Ikari (Shôgo Sakata, Blue Box) and then by the destruction of the wall, allowing Mudano and his troops to enter the fray. However, Yomogi doesn’t seem intimidated by the shifting odds. This leaves the episode on an intriguing note as to whether or not her confidence is genuine or bravado is left for the next entry to reveal. 

Tougen Anki Episode 9 fails far more than it succeeds. It delivers some solid action and a couple of interesting plot developments, which are largely overshadowed by poorly planned narrative beats and obnoxious personalities. The show isn’t unsalvageable, but it’s in danger of drifting in that direction.

Tougen Anki Episode 9 is streaming now on Netflix. 

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