Thunderbolt Fantasy
So, I found a thing worth mentioning on Crunchyroll last week -- with the off-putting title of "Thunderbolt Fantasy", it turns out to be an adventure tale filmed using traditional Asian puppetry, not animation. With its roots in stage plays, it seems to have a better-than-average script despite standard ingredients, with a swordsman hero much in the mode of Mifune, and a trickster mage figure that I like a lot. (Although, many episodes in, I'm still not sure if I trust him. No, scratch that -- I know I don't, but in a good way.)
There is an OVA-ish continuation ("Thunderbolt Fantasy - The Sword of Life and Death") that is in effect 3 disconnected episodes, the first a backstory prequel reprising a character evidently too-summarily disposed-of in Season 1, though the third part leads directly into Season 2 ("Thunderbolt Fantasy Sword Seekers 2") so should not be skipped.
First season has a preamble episode that I watched after the first episode proper, that shows how the thing was made, a viewing order I might recommend. Fascinating stagecraft. The Great Course that I watched last year on Japan mentioned traditional stage puppetry, but left it aside, which I now think a shame, in order to explain more about Noh and Kabuki. Taiwanese Muppets, who knew?
Anyone else watched this? And is there anything more out there like it, or is it sui generis like Mushi-shi?
Ta, L.
There is an OVA-ish continuation ("Thunderbolt Fantasy - The Sword of Life and Death") that is in effect 3 disconnected episodes, the first a backstory prequel reprising a character evidently too-summarily disposed-of in Season 1, though the third part leads directly into Season 2 ("Thunderbolt Fantasy Sword Seekers 2") so should not be skipped.
First season has a preamble episode that I watched after the first episode proper, that shows how the thing was made, a viewing order I might recommend. Fascinating stagecraft. The Great Course that I watched last year on Japan mentioned traditional stage puppetry, but left it aside, which I now think a shame, in order to explain more about Noh and Kabuki. Taiwanese Muppets, who knew?
Anyone else watched this? And is there anything more out there like it, or is it sui generis like Mushi-shi?
Ta, L.
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Serdar
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Nov 21, 2018 05:23PM
I wrote an encomium to this singular gem some time back: https://www.ganriki.org/article/thund...
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Serdar wrote: "I wrote an encomium to this singular gem some time back: https://www.ganriki.org/article/thund..."Ah, thanks for the link.
I will say this about the raspberry-sauce blood -- it doesn't break the puppetry mode the way a too-realistic element added might. As in, almost any look can be made to work, but not everything can be made to work together.
I was a long-time watcher of stage plays, so it's not just anime-trained viewing protocols I brought to this, which might help.
"Singular", huh? Oh, dear. Well, perhaps it will not remain that way. There does not seem to be an English-subtitled DVD available yet, frustratingly, aside from the streaming on Crunchyroll, tho' streaming does seem to be the wave of the present.
Ta, L.
I guess all 武俠小說 ,especially Louis Cha Jing-yong(金庸)'s novels, are similar to this one.The scenario writer often says he likes Jing-yong's novels.
Hi Lois,Slightly off-topic but in a similar vein, have you read Forthright's Amaranthine Saga? Two books and a collection of short stories out currently, along with an online serial temporarily on hiatus during NaNoWriMo. They are amazing!
1. Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox is the first of seven planned stories in this alternate-Japan-centered universe;
2. Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal is the second;
3. Songs of the Amaranthine is the short-story collection; and
4. Lord Mettlebright's Man takes one of the supporting characters from Tsumiko and expands his story in drabbles (a concept I first learned from your CRYOBURN epilogue).
Posting this in hopes you will enjoy it as well ~ if inappropriate, please feel free to delete.
