Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei
I got "psychic whiplash" as the story jumped between comedy and drama.
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That's my one and only grumble about what was otherwise an intriguing first episode. Perhaps my unfamiliarity with the manga led me to expect a more traditional "serious historical drama", but Sasuke's moments of comedic overacting felt a bit out of place.
But even if I wasn't hooked by the subject matter, I'd easily forgive that for the final scene where Oda asks Sasuke his opinion on the warship. That exchange captured the contradiction of Sasuke's position perfectly - how do you serve a master whom you can't wholeheartedly respect?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
Which of course brings up the question: To what extent were these men genuine aesthetes? I suspect that, in most cases, what these samurai were truly after was the appearance of power, on top of real power.
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Hasn't that been true throughout history? It seems common that once people claw their way to the top through brutality and absence of scruples, they set about clothing themselves in the trappings of culture - for a present-day example, just look at corporate leaders who promote themselves as patrons of the arts.