XXXVII: Part 1
A dark shape is chased through space by three gods (Ra, Rama, Odin). They attack it. It fights back but they strike it down. They seem to have destroyed it but a piece of it survives and makes its way to Earth. It crash lands on Earth in the time of the dinosaurs.
The dark shape is just that, just a shape. Great spikes shoot up from where it landed. It kills and consumes creatures and later people. The emperor of Japan decides that something must be done and leads an army against it. He leaves his tearful, pregnant wife behind.
The army is cut down one by one by the spikes of darkness until no one is left except the emperor who led them there. He reaches the black pool that is found in the center of the spikes. He dips an arrow in a magic elixir. He shoots it high in the sky. It catches fire and lands in the pool. It was hoped that the elixir would destroy the dark force. It does not.
Some of the spikes retreat into the black pool but not for long. A spike larger than all the rest emerges. It seems at first to be just that but then it takes a familiar shape, that of Aku. He thanks the emperor for freeing him and then restrains him. The emperor is forced to watch helplessly as Aku attacks and sets his city on fire.
Thoughts
There isn't much dialogue in this one. I like it that way. It isn't hard to follow what is happening. It is not silent. There are plenty of sound effects and music, just not much in the way of words.
Aku ravages the village despite the attempts of the guards to fight him. The emperor believes that all is lost. A beam of light descends from the sky and alights near the emperor. A mist that repels the spikes of Aku gathers. A giant horse appears from the mist. It frees the samurai and takes him him far away. They climb high mountains and into the clouds.
The horse deposits the samurai at a solitary building high in the sky. He goes inside and meets the Ra, Rama, and Odin. They tell him about Aku and give him a magic sword forged of his own inner strength. It is the only thing that can destroy Aku.
The emperor returns to Earth to fight Aku, who does not take him seriously at first. The fight lasts quite some time. Aku changes shape many times. He multiplies himself hundreds of times. The emperor is victorious in the end. He banishes Aku but the demon vows to return.
The sun rises. The emperor hears a baby crying. He turns and sees that his wife has given birth during the battle.
Thoughts
So good. I love it all but I think the fight scenes are my favorite part. I love how they sometimes slow things down and pan the camera, giving the viewer a chance to take it all in. The ending got me a bit emotional even though I have probably seen this episode a half-dozen times before.
There is a commentary track for this two-part episode on the DVD. Genndy Tartakovsky is joined by two of the artists who worked on the series. They talk mostly about process and decisions they made in the course of creating this award winning story.
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