Oda Nobuna no Yabou 08-09

 Probably her first and last “not-a-date” with Saru.

Since I neglected to do an episode review of Oda Nobuna no Yabou 08 and 09 in the past two weeks, I’ve decided to combine both in a double episodic post. I can feel the end of this anime nearing, so let’s get to the post. I am wondering though, just how many episodes are left in Oda Nobuna no Yabou?

Episode 08: Golden Free City, Sakai

A nice place to live in, assuming you don’t mind eating takoyaki for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Food Fight! Ready, Go!

Okay, that was one of the more fun-filled episodes I’ve watched these days. The cooking duel between Saru and Mitsuhide, even though it was rigged to ultimately favor the bad guys, immediately reminded me of Chuuka Ichiban/Cooking Master Boy, where something as mundane as cooking duels escalated to a point where they decided history. I don’t think I remember a cooking duel in any recent anime where the hot-bloodedness of the contestants was such that mundane cooking was made awesome – and their hot bloodedness produced a pillar of light on par with the afterglow of Servant Saber’s Excalibur. Hey, if Saber was there she’d probably consume every piece of takoyaki in the vicinity.

Eku-Su-CALIBAAA!!! No, just your regular beam of light from a cooking contest. Seems legit.

Aketchi “Juubei” Mitsuhide – a Yandere just waiting to happen

Mitsuhide: This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!

However, I do found myself raising my eyebrows in anticipation after Mitsuhide “won” the takoyaki contest. With the other Oda clan retainers (even Saru, the nicest one out of them) avoiding her, and the feeling of isolation that goes with it, will this make her choose the path that her real-life counterpart took, or will an even worse fate await our cute-faced, big-forehead girl?

Final Thoughts

A sophisticated snack item sent back in time to change the future, for one lucky lady?

There are a lot of things that in the Sengoku period I would call “out-of-place”. First, we have the takoyaki. It was only in 1935 that said dish was invented, and therefore it should not exist in this era. What’s it doing in Sengoku-period Sakai?

Second, optical devices such as the sniper scope on Sugitani Zenjubo’s rifle (as quickly seen in the next episode preview) shouldn’t exist yet. The first experiments with scopes being mounted on rifles only go back to the 17^th century. Could the existence of these things before their time mean that Saru might not be the only person from the future pulled into the past? Or will I just chalk it up to “the episode’s plot demands (insert item here), so here it is”-logic?

His disguise was made possible, WITH THE HELP OF KYOJI!

Katsuie might be the physically mightiest (and bustiest) Oda clan retainer, but her failure to recognize the man in the red mask as Yoshitatsu, makes me weep. Did all her grey matter get focused on her halberd-ing skills? Fighting in close combat means you’ll be able to see the face and hear the voice of the one you’re fighting, even if the opponent in question is wearing a mask.

Episode 09: The Battle at Kiyomizu Temple

I absolutely love that relaxed, yet sexy pose of hers. I’m sure the men behind her love it as well.

Rule 13 of Warfare: “Uproar East, Attack West”

Sniping while in a prone position? I sniped a master while on a moving boat! Top that, Sugitani!

The opponents actually made use of this rule twice. With the rumor that the Takeda and Uesugi clans have set aside their differences and are planning to march against Nobuna’s home territories, her opponents managed to draw away the bulk of her armies in Kyoto (Uproar East) and send in Danjo’s numerically superior force unopposed inside Kyoto (Attack West).

The second time might not be too obvious, but Saru’s kidnapping and the assassin was also an application of this rule. By kidnapping the one person Nobuna has romantic feelings for (Uproar East); the sniper almost had Nobuna where he wanted her to be for him to put a bullet in her head (Attack West). Wow, maybe the Oda clan’s enemies are actually learning this time!

The smart phone that changed history – twice. It only has enough charge when it’s needed.

If I were the writer, instead of Saru’s Smartphone miraculously gaining a small amount of charge for its soundtrack to play on loudspeaker, I would have had Saru throw the phone at the sniper’s head, disrupting his aim and maybe inflicting a small amount of damage. The anime solution had me thinking “Deus ex Machina” the whole time. Perhaps the phone will play another role in the next episode, eh?

Oppai Danjo Style!

Breast Groping: used to keep the audience’s attention and cement her identity as a depraved combat sadomasochist 

When Matsunaga “Danjo” Hisahide referred to her skin as the reason why she wanted Japan to burn in chaos, I thought she might be referring to the color of her skin. Perhaps she’s of mixed blood, with her mother being from West or South Asia and her father, Japanese.

If we take the xenophobia of Japanese, as exemplified by the conspirator monk, during that time, she would’ve probably been bullied as a child, not unlike Yuuya Bridges from Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. That would explain her motivations, as well as her rather unorthodox use of war elephants and eastern-looking troops.

I found her surrender to be a little bit forced, though. She had the number of troops necessary to buy her time to escape via her magic butterflies, but instead she dropped to her knees and surrendered then and there. Okay, Nobuna has this talent to make opponents just give up with the awesome power of her dream to unite Japan, but Danjo-chan’s introduction and subsequent actions marked her as the sort of villain who’ll be opposing the protagonists until the bitter end. Now that she’s surrendered, will Saru add her to his harem? Looks like Nobuna will face some stiff competition in the love department if that happens.

Final Thoughts

This might still happen, depending on how Saru continues to make his plans on the go.

This episode confirmed my suspicions that Mitsuhide might have strong feelings for Nobuna. It was a good thing she didn’t join the enemy conspiracy when things were going downhill for her. However, with Saru saving Mitsuhide, I could see those feelings being directed at Saru instead. Will Mitsuhide go “doki-doki-rabu-rabu” for Saru and decide that Nobuna has to be eliminated from the love triangle? Only time will tell if Saru actually guaranteed the one disastrous event he was trying to avert.

The Oda clan has two ninjas in its service. Instead of getting all sentimental and ordering a withdrawal of forces to defend her home provinces, Nobuna could have ordered them to do some intelligence gathering, which could have saved all of us (and them) from the drama this episode. Remember, both ninjas can use the teleport-jutsu.

If Himiko could sense the hearts of people when she touches them, why does she keep that treacherous adviser around? Surely, she must have had at least minimal skin contact with him, since he’s the Imperial Regent, unless there’s a “no-touching-Himiko-sama” rule going on in the court.

Preview:

To Hanbei-chan’s fans: you know you’re looking forward to this. =)

Next time on Oda Nobuna no Yabou, it looks dark times aren’t over for our heroes yet. Is Azai Nagamasa really a girl, or just a shy guy in the bathroom? Will Matsunaga “Danjo” Hisahide betray the Oda clan? Will that assassin try to snipe Nobuna again? Why did Saru see Hanbei-chan “almost” naked? Find out in Episode 10: Nobuna in Grave Danger.