Both, actually. It is equally satisfying to see the hero carving through hordes of people and then gets confronted with a duel against a rival titan. It’s like there’s a sense of scale. The hero is able to defeat so many people of average skill, thus cementing their status as badass, and then they fight someone who doesn’t go down easily. The ante gets upped as you know you’re in for an epic struggle.
I say this for all martial arts films. This should illustrate my point better than my ramblings:
My DVD came through the mail last… uh… a couple days ago, mmkay? I’m not good with time, or words, or maths…
Gosh, I haven’t bought anime in ages, but the final sword fight was quite realistic (despite the fact that Chinese sword style vs Japanese style is kinda confusing to watch) and epic with the meeting-their-match shiz, and yeah… I have to admit to agree with you, Scarlet.
It’s awesome to see a badass beating guys up, not effortlessly but still, pretty quickly, we’re all human. But when they meet their match, ohohoho, I hope it’s epic and… yeah, everything you said.
Nice fight, btw!
I get your point but what does a guy getting beat up while thinking about elephants have to do with that? I think Ruroni Kenshin would be a good example.
EDIT: Never mind. >°^°<
EDIT#2: Thats a lot of bone breaking. O•O
EDIT#3: Fatality!!!
EDIT#4: He threw an elephant!!! !_?
WOW
Chinese vs Japanese martial arts is not confusing for me. It happens quite frequently in Hong Kong ones, which are what I grew up with.
@SengokuKronos I haven’t seen Runori Kenshin for a loooonnngggg time. And well, I don’t think that was a real elephant. That clip cut out certain crucial moments but suffice to say, it’s meant to establish the wrestlers as being like elephants. Elephants are kind of important in the film.
Ultimately, all martial arts film boil down to a final battle between the hero and the big bad. One way of doing it is to build up the deadliness of the big bad by giving them a few skirmishes before their fated showdown.I wish I could show you all clips from Raging Phoenix but… Let’s just say that the moments leading up to that final battle makes it all the more glorious to watch. Hmm… I can compile something from the same badass though… Give me a while.
Yeah, the first two minutes or so are basically just the guy getting the crap kicked out of him while he thinks about elephants. If you get past that though he starts killing a bunch of people. Apparently it’s because they killed his elephant.
You know I’m pretty sure that first gigantic guy is the same actor who plays main character of this movie I saw once about an Australian guy who goes on vacation and then discovers that he gains superpowers by eating some spicy green papaya or something. I wasn’t really watching it myself.
@ScarletGeisha If you’re replying to me, it’s sword fighting, not martial arts (unless you’re using martial arts in the sense of involving weapons).
Heh, and Sword of the Stranger’s kinda close to RuroKen. I think that’s the reason I like it, actually… hmm…
I read RuroKen, the whole series, in three consecutive sick days I had 'bout 2-3 years ago. It’s what got me interested in manga, anime, and Japanese history and culture. I owe a lot to it that way.
@vampierkid222@SengokuKronos I used to watch a lot of anime/read a lot of manga but now all I really watch/read are FMA, Baccano!, and I finished Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan some months ago, but my memory sucks on all three.
But guys: curry, anime, elephants? Aren’t we gettin’ off topic?
