Previously on Hakkenden: Shino and Sousuke were supposed to look for some colored balls, but the show completely forgot about that in favor episodic storylines. It was all very pretty, though.   I never quite figured out what the first half of Hakkenden was trying to accomplish, so I apologize if the above paragraph sounds a bit snarky. That's not my intent. However, I did go into this episode hoping that Hakkenden would break away from the episodic character introduction plotlines it seems so fond of in favor of focusing on some of the bigger questions that it brought up towards the end of the last season about the characters, their pasts, and where they're headed. Instead, the first episode of the second cour was an episodic introduction episode about a dollmaker and yet another sacred beast house head with a talking spirit creature in tow. I want to believe, but my faith is waning...   That said, a big revelation about Shino's past that hasn't been mentioned before turned up in this episode, and if it connects to the mythology of the series in the way that the opening scene implies it will, then we've got an interesting situation on our hands, not to mention the still unresolved evil twin thing. That is, if Hakkenden actually does anything with those elements instead of having the main character fall into supernatural situations wherever they go, regardless of the errand or the connection to the plot.   But I've ranted enough about Hakkenden's aimlessness. Content aside, this episode doesn't miss a beat from where the previous one from earlier this year left off, not even bothering with a recap. That may just be a product of the split cour, but it definitely prevents anyone from jumping in halfway, since the show already assumes that you know these characters and their relationships to each other. If you're interested in Hakkenden, you'll have to start at the beginning, with the previous season. The art style has remained consistent, with no huge drops in quality from what I noticed. Some of the background shots are absolutely gorgeous, making it a shame that Deen can't seem to consistently keep up that level of beauty across it's other shows. The soundtrack is recycled from last time while the new OP and ED seem like a good fit. Basically, if you enjoyed the first half of Hakkenden and/or are like me and wonder if it'll ever pull its plot together, this is a show to keep an eye on. Hopefully after this first arc is resolved, it'll be done with introducing characters for a while. Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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