Holy crap, what a plot twist! Compared to the light-hearted episodes of the last two weeks, this episode was really dark. It didn’t just reveal Lunatic’s background, it also put a completely new spin to this series.
There have been plenty of hints so far that the city of Sternbild is corrupt and closely linked to Ouroboros, but there is one thing that always stood solid as the epitome of goodness: Mr. Legend. That’s exactly what he was though: a legend. His history was written so that he really stands out as a heroic figure, completely masking his flaws. It’s also not like he turned out to be some sort of Ouroboros Mastermind, and during his glory days he probably did some amazing things. He was the one who popularized the hero business after all, and inspired countless of people. Sure he was probably influenced by corporate strategies, but even then he himself had a huge influence there.
And then his powers declined, he started drinking and beat his own wife and son so badly that his son (aka Lunatic) ended up killing him.
What’s more: this episode also rocked because of the huge contrast between Kotetsu and Barnaby. I mean, they already were opposites and all, but right now, Barnaby is going though his glory days, while Kotetsu is about to leave them with the loss of his powers. Tiger in a way is very similar to Mr. Legend, his great example, so I’m really not sure what the creators have in store for him. Like I said before, it would really be interesting if he really were to lose his powers. At this point there have been no hints whatsoever to power upgrades, so it would be a bit of a shame if something like that ended up solving his problems.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
“he started drinking and beat his own mother”, I believe you mean wife 🙂
Ack. Yes, I meant that. Fixed now. ^^;
I loved that detail about Kotetsu vs Legend. That at this point Kotetsu’s about to enter the same decline Legend experienced and you can tell he’ll take the high road. That being said you can’t help feel the excitement for how he’ll accomplish that and wonder how he’ll remain true to his principles while the clock’s ticking on the only calling he’s ever known.
The fact that Lunatic is Legend’s son and Kotetsu is Legend’s idol introduces a very compelling dynamic. The dynamic being the difference between the ideal memory of a hero (Tiger’s) and the sobering truth (Lunatic’s) and how history so often conflicts between those two elements when it comes to those we idolize.
I liked Tiger and Bunny but this episode shot the series up a notch in potential.
This episode really reminded me of epi 10 of Madoka Magica where one character’s depressing past is revealed. This is really changed much of the story itself. But I think the next episode will less darker once we get to know Kotetsu’s wife.
I’m not very fond of this twist because it makes the show darker than I would’ve preferred it to be… :/ Ah well. It was very well-done.
I guess this episode makes up for the Barnbey eye horrors of last week… maybe.
I am also very Suspicious about the caretaker guys role in the death of Barnabys Parents, the story Barnaby told about how he took care of Barnaby becuase he worked with Barnabys parents really rose a red flag in my mind…and in the flashbacks, that guy really looked like much more of a Villain type than in previous episodes.
Yes, this was a great episode. The dramatic irony was especially satisfying. I couldn’t help but laugh at Legend Beer.
my main reaction to the reveiled truth of this ep was: NO WAY OoO
Each ep gets better and better
@kyubey- lol!
@CarbuncleMJE- agree. Its just waaaaay too suspicious with the timing that Maverick drops Barnaby off just a few minutes before his parents are killed… on christmas… its like… he waited to see barnaby go in the house then did the break in/shooting himself. I mean he could easily be conceiling the oroboros seal on his hand… they have pretty good makeup as seen on Yuri and the burn scar on his face (dunno why but im actually surprised his power was able to burn him)why not, he earned barnaby’s trust, clearly he wanted something out of it… unless hes the kinda guy who doesn’t want to get his hands dirty… plus he thinks so highly of maverick, that would be the last person his distorted memories would place in the shadows form
next ep… its probably gonna be that tear jerker the people at sunrise keep hinting at… well one of them anyway
I was waiting for an episode like this (though the revelations still caught me off guard, which I am perfectly fine with)! Though Tiger and Bunny started off lighthearted and silly, there was always the undertone that things could go very serious. I mean, corporations and commercialization are always things that lend themselves to corruption and skeletons in the closet. And that’s exactly what happened.
Personally, I think one of the highlights of this series is how realistically and maturely they handle the whole “Game show/Reality TV show about Superheroes” concept and really incorporate that aspect into the overall plot and play with it in every way (from the funny to the horribly tragic). I mean, what happened to Mr. Legend is so similar to so many other entertainers and stars who eventually reached (and then went over) their prime. It’s similar in a way to Elvis and the like.
Also, the symbolism and imagery in this episode was great (the way the juxtaposed Kotetsu’s trip to the dumpster with Barnaby’s victory and Lunatic’s attack on screen). Add to the fact that Kotetsu’s reaction to his situation (and the way both Yuri and his mother have handled the situation they had been placed in) are all so true to how people handle these types of situations in real life.
And, despite all of this, there were still small hints of humor here or there that didn’t feel forced either (as well as some nice fan service for both males and females-that shower scene was beautiful!). So, it was all around a really tight, well done, and shocking episode. Definitely one of, if not the best, episode of Tiger and Bunny thus far.
I’m really glad that they decided to go the route of Kotetsu losing his powers (rather than gaining another one or his powers evolving) and next weeks episode is already setting up to be another tearjerker, though one I am highly looking forward to. I’m excited to see where this series is going to go, and god, Maverick’s creeper vibes shot off through the roof in this episode! D:
Now I’m off to watch it again! XD
Damn it. I shouldn’t have checked Psgels blog before watching this episode. Against my will I accidently managed to read the first sentence before I could stop myself. So I knew there was going to be a plot twist and guessed it within the first minute.
DAMNNIT! Still, very good episode.
“I’m not very fond of this twist because it makes the show darker than I would’ve preferred it to be… :/ Ah well. It was very well-done.”
Making a show darker always has positive results. You make something darker, you make it more complex. Thus more interesting.
YES YES YES!!! It’s finally heading the direction of where I want it to go.
I’m completely betting that Maverick is gonna turn out to be the big bad at this point. The mastermind behind all, getting Barnaby under his wings, trained as a Hero, and public revealing the death of his parents.
Single-handedly creating the most ideal of superheores: public, well-liked, keen on getting points and pretty much like an open-book without any secrets. And the whole Jake affair in the end of last season was clearly the finally programming element needed to make Barnaby such.
That’s how an open-eyed idealist like Sky High secured the king position in the first place, not because he’s particularly powerful, but very simple-minded and easily controlled. Barnaby is better suited being much MUCH more well-integrated under Maverick’s influence.
Legend and Tiger began losing their power, Maverick definitely had something to do with it as well. They are both superheroes with the ideal of saving the people rather than getting points. The power declining successfully broken Legend, his desire to help had been genuine, but it was eventually changed to tremendous pressure where his desire to maintain his status overpowered his actual need to help people. And he resorted to simply maintaining his “legend”.
The same thing is happening to Tiger right now due to his climb in ranks, something that Maverick no longer can ignore. And the power-declining is simply a way to rid of him and any positive residue of Legend’s legacy. We do not need someone who disregard the purpose of heroes, that is, as representative of their sponsorship, to stand at the top. That’s also why Hero TV has constantly portrayed tiger in such negative destructive ways.
Well, pure speculations here. But it would be AWESOME if these were the case.
@AidanAK47:
I don’t believe in “darker and angstier is always better.” Some shows I watch for their complexity, some for their darkness, some for angst, but Tiger&Bunny wasn’t any of these, and I preferred it that way. There are so many dark and angsty anime out there, and so very few that have the quirky, tongue-in-cheek charm of T&B. I would’ve preferred the show to keep that and not go fully the ANGST! DARKNESS! AAANGST! way.
Of course I’m not going to stop watching, and in any case this episode was well-executed, and the show is still very good. It’s just not going in the direction that I would prefer.
@kuromitsu
Who said anything about angst? Just because a show is darker doesn’t mean it’s getting more angst.
At the moment Tiger and bunny doesn’t really have anything that makes it stand out. It’s enjoyable but that’s about it. We already have far too much shounen, we need more Seinen.
T&B would have been fine if it had remained mostly light-hearted with a touch of the ’90s style anti-hero in Lunatic. This more nuanced shift might also work well. The show engineered the audience’s sense of loss with the disillusionment of Mr. Legend and the frustrations of the Team Dad as Kotetsu faces losing his own powers and learning that his hero had turned into a fraud himself. It is interesting, and perhaps unpleasant to see the optimism of the show possibly slip away, but it might also be the point.
If one just wants a darker superhero story they can just read Zetman, which is written by the character designer of T&B. I highly recommend it.
Funny how people think that if a show got darker, it’s angst, even if it IS justifed. Yuri killed his fater, Kotetsu is losing his powers. If those aren’t good enough reasons for angst, I don’t know what is. hell, Kotetsu isn’t EVEN ANGSTING.
Funny how people think if a show got darker it’s automatically better.
This episode handled the issues quite well, but in the hands of lesser directors and scriptwriters, the turn for darker could’ve easily ended up as trite and cliche.
@Ebod: I agree, especially since the issues that appeared in this episode were extremely difficult ones that could have easily have been mishandled and delivered poorly.
Though, I also think that the fandom’s expectation and knowledge that the series was eventually going to take a rather darker turn (and by knowing right off the bat that the series was by Sunrise, and they usually aren’t very kind to their characters) also really helped the transition from lighthearted and funny to dark and edgy.
Add in the fact that the earlier episodes had some dark undertones running through them shows that this was a planned direction from the start and obviously one that had been well planned and thought out.
Great episode. I agree with @YaoiShotaMon and @LilyGinnyBlack that Bunny’s description of Mr. Maverick in the past made me even more suspicious of him.
Never even heard of this show until now and I have to say my interest is piqued by two things: the screenshot above and the comments in this c-section. Keywords like “dark” are crucial for a show to be watched by me because let’s face it: the cutesy stuff sucks.
RapGamer, cutesy stuff can be quite dark as well. XD
“cutesy stuff can be quite dark as well”
I seem to recall a certain magical girl named Madoka. 🙂
I also loved the order in which the episode revealed things! Had me cheering for one or the other as the episode progressed and in the end a bit sorry for Wild Tiger.
I was partially against Madoka’s plot twist. I wanted a fun, exciting mahou shoujo genre that didn’t involve silly things. Adding dark stuffs is okay, but it didn’t turn very action-like as I was hoping.
Since Tiger & Bunny is still about fighting, I’m still happy!
Okay what, seriously. How were people not expecting a turn for the dark? I mean look at the setting of the whole show, hero enterprise? sensationalized superhero media? heroism sold as commodities and used as medium for advertisement?
It’s almost like a dystopia fiction with a consumerist theme. And you think the proper way to do this show is to ignore all that messed up setting and go for a light hero action path that any series without such a setting could? Do you have something against this show? You would want to sacrifice all the potentials in the setting just so that you can have a greater emphasis on the action?
Criminal I say! CRIMINAL!
@LordVernon: That is so, so, true. Never mind the fact that this is done by Sunrise. The moment I heard that I *knew* that a dark and edgy tone would really make itself present sooner or later.
You know what would be another twist if true?
Mr.Legend is an alien that came from a doomed planet and the NEXT born because of his doomed planet’s remain falling on Earth XD