Search - Tenjho Tenge - Round Five on DVD

An improvement over round 4

Jason Arenas | San Diego, CA | 03/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The action picks back up in this round but still forcuses on the past with bunchichi and shane. Its a solid pick up if you've already purchased the other 4. Still the the last two rounds, 4 and 5, have not lived up to the action packed first three. I see this as building the plot and character development/info episodes."

THE PAST IS NOT PUT TO REST

Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 03/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The flashback continues as Maya's brother Shin completely loses control of his power of the Dragon Eye and has to be put in line by his best friend Bunshichi in a bloody battle before the family head trying to enslave him to its quest for the ultimate fighting ability. Almost everyone he cares for turns against him when they realize that Shin is not a good person, that in fact he is a murderer and that possibly only Maya can serve as a check to his bloody rages. The last of the three episodes goes back to the present storyline as Maya accepts the punishment of expulsion for going against the Executive Council in the bowling alley incident what seems like 4 volumes ago now. Bob and Souichiro decide to get to the root of the problem and enter fist first into the den of the Council.

I'm probably one of the few people that actually have enjoyed the flashback story arc more than the present story of this anime. It seemed more realistic and really constructed the characters. I would have liked to have seen the background plot brought to a conclusion, instead of leaving it hanging, but I'm sure more will be revealed in future episodes. The plot with Souichiro and Bob is just a tad too wacky for me, what with students walking around with chests exposed and having swordfights in the middle of the hall. The whole series has a problem with over-the-top conflicts such as when Shin is repeatedly stabbing Bunshichi's leg with a katana which would obiviously lead to irreperable damage. It's just a little too much. But I can see how some people would get a lot of entertainment if you're a fan of such things. It's an interesting show but its characters are so grotesquely sketched out in personality that it takes some of the air out of the story.

There are no extras on this dvd and the episode as usual is a very miserly three!"