Guin Saga

After watching Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou No Sho, it then dawned to me there was an anime about a main character who has a head of a beast, more accurately the head of a leopard. So this prompted me to check out an old fantasy adventure, Guin Saga. Before reading the synopsis, I had this conspiracy theory thinking this might be some sort of back ancestral story of a character in that Japanese fighting game, Tekken. I know it’s impossible to think that Mexican pro wrestling King who wears a jaguar mask had anything to do with this. But you’ll never know… Okay, it isn’t. Never was. Instead it made me wonder if Tekken took some inspiration from here when designing King…

Episode 1
The Mongauls invade and attack the kingdom of Parros. Twins, Rinda Arudia Jeina and Remus Al Jeinus Aldoros run for it. To their dismay, their parents got slain to let them escape. They are supposed to be teleported to their aunt at Argos but the coordinates were off. They end up in some forest and the Mongauls are fast to try and track them down. Because Remus is being a complaining wuss, the Mongauls catch up and caught him. The struggle with Rinda and the commotion wakes up a sleeping leopard guy. Who dares disturb his sleep?! He beats the crap out of the soldiers. Woah! Hitting them into the ground like a whack-a-mole! His punches are so strong that they fly away! Once there are no more soldiers to vent his frustration, he starts writhing in pain. Remus wants to get out but Rinda needs to do something to help their saviour. She touches him and finds his body temperature high. After letting him drink some water, he feels better. They ask about him. He is Guin. He thinks. From Aurra. He thinks. Heck, he doesn’t remember anything or why he is here. He doesn’t even know why he is wearing this leopard mask or just fought the Mongauls. Whenever Rinda mentions Guin’s name, she feels something flowing through her. Remus discloses they are considered the Twin Pearls of Parros. Rinda is a prophet and is destined to be a sorcerer while Remus would be the ruler. Suddenly they are attached by ghouls who possessed the bodies of the dead Mongaul soldiers. Guin tries to fend them off but they keep regenerating. He tells the kids to keep the fire lighted but it soon rains. They finally escape by diving into the river. They manage to swim out alive to a better place. Guin’s goal is to find out about himself.

Episode 2
Now they are confronted with the Mongaul soldiers. They believe they are the Parros’ twins and will bring them to see their master at Stafolos. Guin wants to deal with them but Rinda doesn’t think he can handle such a big group and wants them to release Guin who has nothing to do with this. Guin sees some coin vision that messes with his mind. He agrees to be captured as long as they treat the kids properly. Along the way, Rinda tells Guin about Gohra, one of the 3 powerful realms of the Middle Kingdom. They always envy the rich and advanced Parros so they sent one of their allies, the Mongauls to invade Parros. Parros being accustomed to peace wasn’t even prepared by the ambush. Outside the castle, Rinda sees visions of noxious gas and refuses to go in but eventually they were made to go see Vanon the Black Count. He wants to know about Parros’ secret, especially how the twins ended up in a faraway forest in a day when it supposed to take 10 days. Rinda is willing to die than live a humiliating life so Vanon projects some scary magic only to be diffused by Guin’s roar. Vanon wants to see what power Guin has and throws him into the arena to fight a grey ape bare handed. Guin is able to stand his ground until Vanon ‘cheats’ by distracting him. The monkey fights back and strangles him. Even so, Guin is able to break free and continue fighting. But he is still at a disadvantage. One of the guards, Orro who sympathizes with Guin throws him his sword. Guin uses it to kill the ape. Normally Orro would have been put to death or thrown into a death match with Guin but Vanon has a better idea. Guin’s next opponent would be a mercenary in prison and on death row who insulted Vanon. He is the Crimson Mercenary, Istovan Spellsword of Valachia.

Episode 3
Because Vanon suddenly doesn’t feel good and leaves, the match is postponed tomorrow. They are imprisoned but Rinda is taken to a different cell in which she befriends this Monchichi girl, Suni of the Sem race. Istovan is imprisoned in the next block next to Guin and Remus. A loose block allows him to talk to them and demand their blanket so he can make a rope for himself and escape. Guin asks if he knows what Aurra is. Istovan believes it sounds like a name of a woman. The alarm is sounded. Looks like the Sem race is ambushing the place. After Istovan escapes on his own, Orro comes to free Guin and returns his sword. He believes leopard guy can’t die in this place. As Orro is going to lead them to Rinda’s cell, he is struck by some liquid by a stealth assassin. Guin fights and defeats him. In Orro’s last breath, he laments he was on his last lap of service and would have returned to his home, Torus. If Guin ever goes there, he can seek help from his father who is a great man. Guin calls Orro a brave warrior. Rinda learns that the attacking Sems are not here to rescue her. They are from a different tribe. The Raku and Karoi tribe are enemies. They are here to exact revenge for their captured comrades. Rinda and Suni are brought before Vanon who wants to feast on their blood. He doesn’t care if this place falls apart since he considers his own existence a curse and will disgrace the gods of this kingdom. Guin arrives in time to deduce Vanon’s true form. He is a ghost and feeds on blood on others to prolong his life. Guin easily defeats him by lighting his sword with fire and throwing at him. Do ghosts get burnt and explode?! With the tower on fire, there is no way to escape but to jump down. Hey, they might not survive but it’s better than staying here and getting burnt for sure. Everyone holds on to Guin as he dives down deep into the abyss. See, there’s a river to cushion that long drop.

Episode 4
Istovan helps pick them up from the river. He assures them he is on their side because the Mongauls are also after him. The plan now is to find some rafts from the castle and ride down Kes River. It is dangerous as it contains monsters and serves as the border between the human and demon realm, Nospherus. After that they will book a passage on a trans-sea merchant ship. Riding down the river, Guin is able to fend off the monsters trying to take a bite out of their raft. I wonder if the oar is made out of something very stronger because it can’t break no matter how much Guin uses it as a weapon. Rinda learns Istovan is looking for the Princess of Light as from the legends. He thinks Rinda is it but what will he do once he finds her? It is believed she will bring him fortunes. Lady Amnelis, the representative of Archduke Vlad enters the castle of Count Rickard. She tells him she saw a strange party floating down a raft on Kes River. She has sent her men to meet them. Since riding the river at night will be dangerous, they need to camp on land. But here are the Mongaul soldiers greeting them. Of course they won’t stop so the soldiers start shooting. Bad timing or not, the monsters attack. Guin tries to fend them off but ultimately their raft breaks. Luckily they manage to get on shore but on the side of Nospherus. Amnelis is furious of her men’s failure. She will personally take charge of a new troop to head there and chase them down. She is not afraid of Nospherus. Explaining the recent attack on Parros was her father’s sole decision to prevent some kingdoms forming allies to attack Mongaul, that is why Nospherus is needed as their defence. Istovan is thinking of change in plans. Their raft is destroyed and they can’t walk through Nospherus without supplies. Guin translates Suni’s words that she intends to bring them to her Raku village as thanks for saving her life. Then they can show them anywhere they want to go. Rinda suddenly receives vision that something will happen to Istovan. Something about some lion star or something. Can she not speak in riddles?

Episode 5
Amnelis tries to cross the river but the monsters keep getting in her way. She is soon joined by Lord Marus who have been instructed by Lord Rozan to be her reinforcement. When Guin saves Istovan from a demon, it reminded him of Landock. Though, he doesn’t know what it is. Istovan thinks he might. During his travels as a pirate, he saw a ship with a beautiful lady statue bearing that name. Marus has found the twins’ location but wants to gauge Guin’s strength. So when dawn breaks, he charges in to fight Guin who tells the twins to run. The power fight is evenly matched but soon interrupted when Reagan puts a stop to it. His troops have captured the twins. They are taken back to camp to see Amnelis who questions Guin’s existence. The way Guin answers and mocks her makes her angry though Marus believes it is just a distraction to hide a secret. Amnelis will bring them back to Avalon Keep for further interrogation. Istovan has been following them from the shadows as the trio are made to trek on foot the entire way to the next base. While resting outside, they see the beautiful cluster of stars in the sky. Legend has it that they are Angel’s Hair, wandering souls of the dead. Then there is some polar star that is used to lead voyages called Star of the Gods. Also, the Eye of Jarn, the Star of Dawn, the god of fate who reigns over the land. Istovan unleashes some sand worm to attack the camp while he saves Guin and the twins. Marus realizes it is a distraction to free the prisoners. Astreas offers to chase after them. The twins apologize to Istovan for calling him a traitor prior. Istovan says he is doing this for his own reasons. A prophet once told him he will be a king of kingdom and that the Princess of Light shall bestow him that followed by darkness.

Episode 6
Astreas’ and his red knights quickly caught up. Istovan suggests hiding. Guin somehow knows there is a village of the Raku tribe ahead and to meet there. Guin turns back to fight the red knights. It could have been silly and awesome for one guy to take on all of them but for more realism, I guess that is why Suni returns with her Raku tribe to come help even the odds. Istovan also returns to face Astreas. Istovan lost but with Guin intervening and defeating Astreas, he spares his life but warns not to pursue further in Nospherus. Astreas orders his troops to retreat. Guin and Istovan tail them for a while and they are surprised to see a huge Mongaul reinforcement. 15,000 troops! Is this too much to hunt down the Parros twins? Guin and Istovan reunite with the twins at the village. They are met with Loto, head of the Raku tribe. He welcomes them to the village and thanks them for saving Suni his granddaughter. However Guin wants them to gather all Sem tribes here now. After the Karoi and Tsubai tribes gather, Guin tells of the 15,000 Mongaul troops. He wants them to fight. Some feel they stand no chance and want to flee. But where to? That is why Guin wants them to unite. But even their numbers will be at most 5,000. Can they still win? Yes they can. It’s called a miracle. So leaving it down to luck? Amnelis gather the leaders of the troops to her tent to tell them of their mission. This mission that requires so many troops is because they are going to find this Valley of Death that the Sems call as Gur Nu and erect a keep loyal to Mongaul in it. She has a valid reason for it as she introduces them to Kar Mol, the only sorcerer who has crossed the badlands of Nospherus and returned alive. He has no face! He explains during one of his journeys, he encountered a land with strange gasses. He approached its source and when touched it, the turned into some living dead. Thus Amnelis wants to unravel Gur Nu’s mystery and make it theirs. This will allow them to dominate the world. Marus is sceptical but Amnelis will hear no more of it. He fears and knows men can be easily controlled by outside forces. The Sems give Guin a sword and armour to fight in. Then they all rally before their supreme commander.

Episode 7
The first wave of Sems attack. The Mongauls are ready for them. A WTF moment when Astreas keeps staring and admiring Amnelis’ beauty?! Even she takes notice and tells him to not stand around and do nothing! Soon the Sems retreat. Marus believes it is a surprise attack to lure them to be attacked by the main force. Guin’s next plan is to have Istovan dressed up as a soldier of Mongaul and lie about the numbers of Sems. So when report comes in that a large number of Sems are coming their way, Amnelis orders her troops to stand and fight and assigns her men to all positions to counter the Sems. Another round of fight with Guin now entering the picture. Astreas is so bent on proving himself to Amnelis that he leaves his post to fight Guin. After many repeated calls, Guin just knocks him off his horse with 1 punch! Pathetic! He even tells Astreas he is not strong enough to fight him. Come back in 20 years. After Guin signals the Sems to retreat, he is faced by Marus. He easily steals his weapon after wounding his chest. Then he throws his weapon almost hitting Amnelis and scaring the sh*t out of here. Did she just scream like a little girl in front of her troops? Anger soon takes over as she orders her troops to go after them. Marus tries to reason with her about the odd strategy of the Sems. If they were trying to shake them off, they’re taking too long. If they’re trying to fight them, they’re retreating too early. Amnelis is blinded by rage and brushes him off. When the Mongauls are in the valley, Guin signals to the Sems to release the Ido. Not sure about this liquid monster but it devours and absorbs all those in its path. Lots of Mongaul casualties with Reagan being the top casualty. Even Astreas is crying for him right now?! Shouldn’t they be running? The Mongauls manage to retreat. Amnelis learns more about this Ido creature. The only way to destroy it is via fire. She has her troops gather coals and then warns Astreas if he fails again, she will strip of his captaincy. No rest for the Mongauls as the Sems continue their ambush attack and the Ido is back too. Does Guin has to rub it in by showing his face to Amnelis?

Episode 8
Amnelis changes her strategy from finding Gur Nu to the extermination of Sems. Istovan kills a guard and takes his place. Under the name of El, he goes to talk to Marus that he may know something about Guin. Something about a man named Gandarl challenged a large man wearing a black hood. When refused, the hooded guy whispered something that left Gandarl in fear. The hooded guy then disappeared. Istovan saves Marus from a poison Sem arrow. Marus is impressed and wants him transferred to his platoon. Just as planned… Another reason Marus easily does this is because Istovan resembles closely to his son. When Guin receives a message from Istovan that all preparations are done, he tells the Sems that they need to hold out for 4 days while he is gone. He is going to seek an alliance with the savage giants known as Lagons. Believe in him and wait for his return for he never fails! I wished Rinda would write him where to go and what needs to be avoided instead of just shouting when he is already well on his way. Along the way, Guin could hear a woman’s voice calling him. He then falls asleep and finds himself in a strange world. He wants to use a coin to decide but sees rune letters on it that reads he will become king. As he treks on, a voice tells him 3 women will help guide his path. When he meets them, be himself. Guin thought he sees one of them and when he tries to touch her, he feels excruciating pain. He wakes up with his horse gone but is near the supposed place. He is attacked by a pack of dessert wolves but its leader howls them to retreat. Then he guides Guin to wherever he needs to go. At the salt mountains, Guin finds a strange crystal and keeps it. The wolf then part ways and as Guin continues his journey, he is stopped by a Lagon. Meanwhile Istovan manages to convince Marus to recommend him to be part of Amnelis’ advance troops to fight the Sems. Her army is now prepared for the showdown.

Episode 9
Guin wakes up in a dungeon cave. A Lagon girl, Rana feeds him and talks to him. Lagons think he is an evil spirit. Learning that the Lagons are guided by Doudou the hero and Kaa the wiseman, Guin wants to challenge Doudou and claims he is stronger than him. Guin is brought before them as Guin is interrogated about his origins. They believe because he doesn’t have memories of where he comes from, he must be an evil spirit trying to get revenge on them. Guin must be coolly pulling fast ones as he claims he is sent from heaven to guide them. They calls his story BS since they don’t know of the God he speaks. Since they are guided by the God known as Akura, Guin thinks he is sent by him. As Kaa makes him describe what Akura is, his vague answer of he is everywhere but nowhere has them believe he doesn’t know a thing. They now think he is a thief who is out to steal their salt. Guin proves he isn’t because he didn’t resist arrest. Everyone calls for his death when Rana speaks up about his fight with Doudou. She wonders why he wouldn’t fight Guin despite being smaller size. Guin says because he is scared! This angers Doudou as Guin continues the fact he wants him elimination without justification is proof. And so Doudou challenges him. If Doudou wins, Guin will be killed. If by any chance Guin wins, he will be recognized as the messenger of Akura. The fight begins and it looks like Doudou is stronger than him. Guin is about to be crushed when the strange crystal then gives off a bright light. The Lagons recognize it as Akura. So now Guin is like showing off his power with this crystal? Might as well go with the flow. Meanwhile the Mongauls being their fight with the Sems. Istovan tells Marus and his platoon he has found the Sems’ village. When they head there, it is empty. They realize it is a trap when they drop rocks and oil. Marus is mad to learn Istovan is siding with the Sems. He is burnt alive as he curses and condemns Istovan. Too bad Istovan tells him to curse Guin. This was his idea. With Kaa recognizing Guin as Akura, the Lagons will go to wherever he leads them, fight the enemies he fights and befriends the friends he has. Wow. A second ago, they were baying for his blood. Guin tells them to fight for Nospherus and drive out the evil that greedily seeks their land. He thanks Rana for giving him a chance but the problem now is to lead the reinforcements back to Sem in a day.

Episode 10
Amnelis cannot believe Marus is dead. Is this time to cry? A survivor tells that a traitor was among them. Marus left a scar on his ear. Astreas wants to redeem himself and find this guy. Amazingly he finds the Sems’ hideout and reports back. Amnelis will use this chance to eliminate them once and for all. The weirdest thing happened during Amnelis rallying her troops is when a strand of hair floats towards Astreas, he grabs and smells it! WTF???!!! SICK!!! So as they quietly surround the area, good thing Istovan wasn’t asleep as he spots the incoming Mongauls. He then goes to warn Rinda to warn the rest while he goes back to recon. When Astreas realizes the Sems are getting restless and their presence might be discovered (he is being good for something once), he reports back to Amnelis who then orders a full attack. Istovan in reality is running away. He doesn’t want to do this but can’t risk the Mongauls know his face if he is to become the future king. The raging battle carries on. The Sems try to use smokescreen to escape but Astreas cuts them off. Suni tries to save Rinda by attacking Astreas. I know he swung his sword and miss but how the heck did Suni fall into the abyss?! Istovan returns to fight Astreas. At least Istovan has got the brains to wear a mask this time. Though Astreas recognizes him, he does a dirty trick to escape since Istovan outmatches him. The ground rumbles. It is Guin! He is leading the Lagons to battle! They might be few in number but a single punch can send many flying far away!!! The Mongauls want Amnelis to give the retreat order but she is stubborn and wants to remain fighting. Yeah, a few of her close aides got killed. Even Kar Mol. Just push him off the cliff in his carriage and he turns to dust! Finally Astreas orders for the retreat as the Mongauls run away with their tails between their legs. Rinda is glad Guin is back. He explains the Lagos leading him through some shortcut and that’s how they made it back in time. If the Mongauls return to attack, as long as Sems and Lagons join forces, they are no match for them. They want Guin to be their king and he doesn’t dismiss the idea since he likes Nospherus’ dessert.

Episode 11
Amnelis returns to her father. She reports her failure and will resign from her position as well as accept whatever punishment. However he doesn’t mind all that and has something more important. He wants her to try a few dresses as he wants her to prepare getting married. She agrees without hesitation but suggests putting a few commanders in charge for Nospherus and one of them being Astreas. Back in her room, Amnelis is frustrated with everything. Her little brother, Miail is worried she is being married off and blames himself. She tells him not to worry as she is just fed up with things. Especially how Guin told her to wear a dress and slay men in the ballroom! Guin talks to the elders of the Sems and Lagons. He plans to leave this place to find his identity and destiny. At the gates of Crystal, once a city of Parros but now under Mongaul control, a merchant named Runan is seeking approval to get in to open his store. But the guards are suspicious as they are on the lookout for Parros’ prince, Aldo Naris who is still alive and wreak havoc during the Dark Dragon Crusade. The guard inspects his carriage to find beautiful women as his maids. One of them, Regia (Runan’s daughter) decides to flirt with the guard and this allows him to enter through. One of the maids is in fact Naris in disguise. They will not let Regia’s effort go in vain. Doudou challenges Guin to a fight since he won’t let the Lagons follow him wherever he goes. Guin’s strength surpasses him. Guin promises to return and hopes they will wait for him. Naris is seeking refuge in a minister’s house but a traitor has leaked information he is here. He will leave and seek refuge elsewhere but the minister’s daughter, Sara refuses to let him leave. She is willing to sacrifice her captive father and herself. Yeah, it sounds she is like a yandere. So she’s threatening to kill him too? It has got that bad that she even called the Mongauls to surround and capture him! This woman is crazy! No choice, Naris is forced to surrender as the captain of this quad, Karthron greets him.

Episode 12
Karthron tortures Naris in an attempt to make him reveal the secret of using a Parros machine that can send anybody anywhere. Naris keeps his mouth shut while trying to provoke Karthron that he can’t report this to anybody because General Tairan will usurp his credits. Speaking of the demon, here comes Tairan to admonish Karthron. He has his men release Naris and will treat him as Mongaul’s guest of honour. Naris notes their friction and will someday use it to his advantage. Meanwhile Astreas has some serious issues. He is distraught Amnelis is leaving and will belong to another man. Oh, he still keeps her strand of hair in his locket and smells it! SICKO!!! He is going to disobey all orders and save her. We move over to some short romance in the Gul tribe of the prairies, prince Skarl with Li Fa. Seems he is going with Beck to save Naris. Then there is report that the rival Kaulos tribe has joined the Mongaul side. Time for war. Remus is sinking into his lonely loser feeling again when he starts seeing a vision of a strange man. Tairan tells Naris there will be a ball to introduce him to Mongaul’s princess. Naris would like to attend and knows this is Mongaul’s sly ploy to marry him off to Amnelis and control Parros as well as calming the people’s uneasiness. More Astreas drama. He plans to kidnap Amnelis and believes she is in love with him! PUKING!!! Then he meets a wandering minstrel, Marius who seems to have the answer he is looking for regarding the man who will marry Amnelis. He says the most likely is Naris. Astreas gets tricked when Marius knocks him out with some perfume. Marius’ real identity is Aldeen, Naris’ younger brother. Naris attends the ball and reunites with Runan. When Amnelis meets Naris for the first time, she isn’t impressed how girly he looks. But when she looks at his whole face, she didn’t realize he is this beautiful! You mean she is this dumbfounded?! WTF?! Oh, I can see she is in love… More drama for Remus as he dreams more strange visions. A strange tower with lights rising up to the sky and shooting UFOs?! Yeah, they explode. He thinks the vision is trying to tell him that it is something he himself can only do. Because of that, he will be no longer afraid. It’s like he has a sudden change in character like as though he has embraced his dark side and wants to see more of the vision.

Episode 13
Arriving at the sea town of Ross, to avoid gaining unwanted attraction, Guin and the twins will wait outside while Istovan tries to secure lodging and boat. Guin has been thinking he will only bring unwanted chaos to the twins and wants to part ways. Rinda is against it but when Remus thinks it is for the best, she slaps him?! That’s what he get for speaking his mind? Well, how can he say this to someone who has saved their lives countless times. She doesn’t want Guin to leave their side so he promises to be their knight until he delivers them to Argos. Naris works his charms on Amnelis like calling her the Princess of Light, etc. He intends to show her the Parros’ machine so meet him there tonight alone. Astreas is taken to Marius’ hideout where he is interrogated about the twins’ whereabouts. He doesn’t know but it leads to Marius knowing about Guin. He finds that leopard guy dangerous and needs to save those twins. He sends his messenger to let Naris know. Naris gets that message just before he starts to show Amnelis around. Naris explains the origins of this tower is unknown and great Parros magicians have created a barrier to protect it. That is why Mongauls were unable to find it. Even if they do, they can’t operate it. Well, it is hardly a secret seeing Amnelis now knows about it. Suddenly Naris pushes her into the machine and threatens her to send her to dangerous places. She is actually screaming, crying and begging to be released as he mocks the naïve girl who doesn’t know anything. She even admits she is afraid of him to be released! He warns her never to behave like this again because she killed her heart in the process. He had to resort to this so that she could open her heart? He wants her to submit to his true love despite this being seen as a political marriage. And she threatens to kill all of Parros if he deceives her again? WTF. He shuts her up with a kiss. I guess that seals it. Istovan has gotten a boat but must leave by tonight since he heard Argos has declared war against Mongaul. He also heard about Naris and Amnelis’ marriage. This shocks Rinda since she was supposed to be his fiancée. Remus (with that dark smirk) assures her when he becomes king of Argos, Amnelis will only become a lead successor like Beck. The gang tries to wait for Guin to board the ship. Thankfully he joins them last minute as it departs.

Episode 14
Rinda is not pleased this is a pirate ship. Considering their circumstances, was she expecting some luxury liner? When the captain comes in early to give food and booze, Istovan knows it contains sleeping drugs. He tells the rest to pretend to eat it and then throw it away. That night, the pirates come in to kill them, thinking they are asleep. Guin and Istovan take the captain hostage. The second in command doesn’t mind him getting killed since he will be the next captain. So the pirates attack anyway as Guin and Istovan fight back. The pirates unite upon seeing Guin’s leopard head and believe he is some sort of curse. Guin is willing to get off this ship if the captain can promise the safe delivery of the twins. Suddenly a ship of light swiftly passes by. Guin recognizes the word on it as Landock. When the ship disappears, so does Guin. Meanwhile Astreas is outside the gates. He is so dumb that he thinks he can convince the guards to let him pass without a special note. Even dumber when he reveals his name! The guards now know he is a deserter and is about to attack when a mysterious sorcerer, Varelius hypnotizes them to help Astreas go through. When the storm is over, Istovan finds the ship a mess. Unconscious Rinda is trapped underneath some wood. The odd part is how he needs her to drink water but transfers it via his mouth?! Does he want to kiss her that badly? And miraculously she wakes up! Oh, first thing she says is Guin’s name. Disappointed? Apparently the other pirates are okay too but they let this drama played out before resuming their fight? Istovan does well till Rinda is taken hostage. Although Istovan does a sneaky trick to get her back, the biggest badass is Remus. He pours oil over the pirates and threatens to burn them! OMG! He tells them it is better to cooperate with them than to die and he makes them swear to that! OMG! Is this really him?! Naris is delighted when Regia returns. It seems she has gotten close to Karthron’s right hand man, Dallas and manage to investigate the Mongaul’s movements. It is dangerous but Regia swears her loyalty to him and will do anything to see him become king of Parros. I hope she isn’t another one of those crazy fan girls. Maybe not. Because her wish is for him to be king instead of Naris himself suggesting a kiss. Flirting failed… Amnelis passes by Regia on her way out. Call it a woman’s intuition that she isn’t going to like her. Yeah, Regia has bigger boobs than her. So she is already questioning Naris about this woman. Naris is as smooth as ever using his charming words. I wonder if she came all the way here to kiss him.

Episode 15
It has been 10 days since Guin is missing. Rinda continues to believe in him. When an island is spotted, Istovan tells the twins they need to escape from this ship tonight. They are running out of food and water as the pirates have been eating and drinking since they lost their captain. You can guess where this is heading. On the island, Rinda despite still thinking about Guin, can’t help feel being more attracted to Istovan. As they talk, she starts blaming herself as powerless since she has nothing. Even if they reach Argos, she will still have to rely on their aunt, Queen Ema. Wow. So sad. I wonder if Istovan took advantage of this because he swears to protect her. Oddly, it’s like Rinda suddenly switches alliance! It’s no more Guin! She now wants to be with him! OMG! It just shows she really wants a strong man to lean on. Heck, they even kiss! So is Guin forgotten already? Meanwhile Skarl wants to go save Beck from Kaulos. He sees his brother Stark the king but he is talking to Yarue, a sorcerer who serves Naris. It seems he is here to borrow their army. Skarl is not amused and doesn’t want any part in this dirty tactic. He will not rely on the army but the people of the plains to save Beck. Yeah, they easily defeat the Kaulos army and take over their fort. We move over to more cheesy romance between Naris and Amnelis. Lots of love assuring and kissing. Boy, she sure has changed a lot. Runan wants to know Naris’ true intention but it seems he is in love with Amnelis for real! So if he truly cares for him, tell others to pray for their happiness. Back on the island, not only Istovan and co think there is a monster living in a cave nearby, they have to escape from the pirates who are on their tail. The plan now is to lure them to the monster and steal their ship. Istovan is overwhelmed when he tries to be a hero. Don’t worry. Guin returns! And an awesome one because he jumps down and breaks the boulder in half! We are reminded how strong he is when his punches can send others flying away! The pirates are scared and flee. Rinda is glad to see him. Oh, now she is back to his side? Guin has no memory of how he came here. After that Landock incident, the next thing he knows, he was on this island. All the while, Remus has been checking out the cave and instead of explaining what is inside, it is better they take a look for themselves.

Episode 16
While trekking inside the cave, Guin gives advice to Remus about using his power wisely. They arrive at an abyss with a ball of light deep inside. While the rest can only see it as a ball of light, Rinda sees it as something else. Something alive. It’s like that thing that powers the Parros machine. After she faints, the island starts shaking and they flee to get out. But those idiotic pirates are back. Don’t they ever learn? I guess they won’t because a giant monster kills them all. Rinda prays so they can get off in time. They see the mountain split and the ball of light emerging out from it. Remus recognizes it from his dream while Guin has seen something similar at Nospherus. Meanwhile, Vlad isn’t happy she truly has fallen for Naris. So he orders his men to kill Naris secretly after their wedding. WTF. Then he summons Miail. After Amnelis gets married, he will be sent to Keironia where he will get married to Sylvia, the daughter of Emperor Achireus. Because of that, he can’t stop crying in his room. Man, this kid should have been born a girl since he looks like one. Marius enters a bar. The owner is the father of Orro. Learning how sad he is for losing his son, he sings for him. Passing by is Yunas, Miail’s attendant. He brings Marius to Miail to play and cheer him up. It worked. Guin and co have been drifting for days on the pirate’s ship. Remus talks to Guin about a strange creature living in Nospherus. He plans to learn and control Parros’ tower so he can rule the world. He is telling Guin all this because he views him as the key to these secrets and believes he comes from that world. A military ship is spotted. They are from Agraya and the kingdom should be acting very carefully regarding the war with Mongaul. Istovan goes to signal for rescue.

Episode 17
Miail is now very close to Marius. However, he is still very sad he has to get married after her sister’s wedding. Marius promises he will always be with him. That night, Marius is visited by Rorca, Naris’ attendant. He brings orders from Naris for Marius to eliminate Miail and Vlad. Marius is against killing a child but is reminded he is still a Mongaul. So as Marius prepares to kill Miail, he thinks of killing himself after that. But when he hears Miail sleep talking, he changes his mind. He can’t do it. Linas talks to Varelius about Remus still being alive. He is being told not to tell other Parros retainers about it. Varelius deduces even if Naris marries Amnelis, Parros’ throne still belongs to Remus. But if Vlad is assassinated, Naris will inherit Mongaul’s throne. And if by then Remus dies… See where this is going? Linas dismisses all that and says their loyalty is to neither rulers but to Parros. However Varelius claims his loyalty is only to Linas since he saved him. Marius tells Rorca there is no need to kill Miail because that kid will listen to what he says. Once he ascends the throne, it will be easy to manipulate him from the shadows. More cheesy romance from Naris and Amnelis. She trusts and loves him so much that she drinks something without question before passing out. Then Naris meets a few shady cloaked guys to put forth their plan. The day of the wedding is here. Astreas is really eager to kill Naris but Varelius tells him not to rush. Because the royal family will be plated in armour for protection, they cannot be assassinated to easily. Hence this sword is laced with poison and he will die with just a scratch on the arm. Amnelis dresses up beautifully. The plaza is filled with people to catch a glimpse of her riding through to the antechamber.

Episode 18
The people of Crystal are protesting loudly as they want to save Naris from this marriage. Naris stands up to address the crowd. He thanks them for loving him and if so, trust him. For everything he does is for the sake of Parros. That changed their mind and now they are praising him as king of Parros. Meanwhile Miail can’t sleep so Marius goes to get his lute. When he returns, he sees Rorca beside Miail. To his dismay, Miail is dead! I can’t believe Marius is so dumb to pick up the knife that killed him. Naturally Yunas walks in and sees this. You think he is going to listen and believe you? Marius uses the knife to kill Yunas in self-defence. Then the guards come in. Oh boy… But some black smoke engulfs him. The wedding is proceeding well and we hear more of Astreas’ cheesy jealousy that Amnelis is all his. All his!!! Varelius signals to Astreas so he stupidly charges and stabs his sword into Naris. Amnelis is horrified. But that dead look on Naris’ face… Looks so fake… That’s because he is still alive and it was just a scratch. Astreas is apprehended and unmasked. Amnelis is shocked to see him and he is still ranting about saving her. I hope he learns this time she isn’t into him because she wants him taken away forever. He is locked up in a prison but a sorceress bails him out. Looks like he is going to get fooled again? Amnelis’ joy is short-lived since Naris is now dead from the poison! There’ll be more tears to flow once she learns Miail is also dead. So sad… And then what’s this?! Naris is still alive?! Apparently this was Linas plan to fake his death. However they were to use some sleeping drug. Naris sensed somebody switched the poison and hence used a body double. Wait a minute. There is somebody else who is as handsome as him?! Yeah, too bad the body double is the one dead. With Mongaul now thinking Naris is dead, he will move on to his next phase of his revenge plan. He is now a ‘ghost’ and can move freely and stealthily in darkness. Sad Amnelis leaves Crystal vowing never to love again. Marius realizes Rorca saved him. He was under orders by Naris to do so and wants him to return to Crystal. However he will not do that and departs on his journey to a faraway land.

Episode 19
At Agraya, the twins see the king. Remus requests to borrow a platoon of his army for their journey to Argos (because 2 mercenaries aren’t enough) as well as their kingdom’s relationship to remain friends. In exchange, the king wants him to marry his eldest daughter, Almina. Remus will only do so when he reclaims the throne of Parros. Meanwhile Karthron rubbishes reports of seeing Naris’ ghost. When he goes home, he is shocked to see this pretty but familiar woman. Oh wait. It’s Naris! He isn’t a ghost. Naris wants him to defect from Mongaul as their fall is imminent. He explains all his men are already preparing and heading to several places to gather the army. Knowing that his relationship with Tairan isn’t good, Naris believes that he will not report this. After all, he is dating Regia and since she is from Parros and serving under Naris, Karthron will be deemed a spy. For now, Karthron need not to anything and when the time comes, he will marry Regia and become hero of Parros. Well, that sounded good enough for him to take the bait. The twins have arrived at Argos. Ema and Stark are glad to see them. Remus wants to get down to business to reclaim Parros. He has them witness make his claim as legitimate king of Parros and until then he will not cut his hair. Just his hair? We haven’t seen in a while the cheesy romance between Istovan and Rinda. After he shows her a beautiful mirage of the city, he then tells her he won’t follow her to Parros. Didn’t he devote his sword to her? He realized his status that prevents him to speak to her intimately. Since when is he concerned about status? She is willing to make him the prince or king once Parros returns to its feet. However it is because Istovan is truly in love with her, he cannot use her power to become king. He must become that by his own power. So wait for him for 3 years and he will come back and take her. He cuts his hair for her as symbol of his pledge. And now for a goodbye kiss. The Agraya army on their way back are being attacked and killed by a group of assassins who are seeking to find Guin.

Episode 20
The council of maritime provinces vote unanimously to send troops to stop the Mongaul advance as they fear they will be targeted. Istovan sees a guy being beaten by soldiers. So after he defeats them, the dying victim learns he is a mercenary and wants him to deliver a letter to Mongaul. In exchange he will be rewarded anything. So he accepted the task just like that? Karthron hears Tairan addressing a few men about the gathering of Parros reinforcements. Karthron realizes what Naris predicated has come true. Their plan is to crush the rebellion before they gather steam. But leaving Crystal would mean leaving the place undermanned. Tairan orders Karthron to go to Yuno for reinforcements. He rejects as he is in charge of ensuring Crystal’s safety. Tairan sends his other men to do the job. They suspect something amiss with Karthron’s behaviour and believe he is trying to betray them. Remus will borrow and lead an army allied to Parros to reclaim Crystal. But once they enter Crystal, Remus wants to be the only one to take it back because he is the king. Because of this, he orders Yarue that he cannot report to Naris anymore for he is just a mere retainer. As Remus talks to Guin, they are being attacked by an assassin. Guin easily cuts him down. They notice his crest that he is from Kitai. They wonder if Mongaul has hired Kitai to hunt them. Stack and Ema see off the twins. Rinda feels sad she just arrived at Argos and will now be returning to Parros. She feels eventually everybody will leave her and will be alone. Istovan reads the letter and realizes this could change the fate of Mongaul or Parros. He thinks if he could use this to become Mongaul’s noble but something feels off. Then he remembers. He did kill Marus, right? He believes he can get a better offer elsewhere. So storms off in the middle of the night on a horse and those soldiers thinking he is a spy of Mongaul are hot on his tail. Heck, they even killed a woman who sheltered him for being a traitor!

Episode 21
Even the townspeople are starting to rebel against the Mongauls. Regia rallies the people to fight. With the Mongaul soldiers at Crystal thinning out, this is a great chance to storm the place. The Mongaul soldiers are clearly outnumbered but the people don’t have the skill and weapons. Before the complete slaughter of the Parros people can take place, the Holy Knights of Parros arrive to lend their assistance. The top knights unmask themselves to be Regia and Naris. This boosts the people’s morale. Karthron tries to lead Tairan to escape when he mentions the leader of the rebellion is Naris. But this only makes Tairan suspicious that Naris is Karthron’s backer. Tairan escapes himself so Karthron chases him down. Karthron realizes this is a setup because Tairan’s men corner him. They know he is the traitor and wants him to give up. Dumb guy tries to fight back and obviously gets killed. After Tairan has fled to Yuno, Naris reclaims Crystal. He then has Regia summon a few students whom she brought for the rebellion. Among them is Ran whom Naris hears his thoughts about magic and science and his fascination with Parros’ machine. When Naris informs Regia that Karthron is dead, she cried?! I didn’t believe she loved this guy but it’s true. I guess when you’ve spend some time with somebody, you see the good points to. And I suppose because of Karthron’s betrayal, it allowed the people of Parros to rebel. Just as planned… Remus is frustrated that he is stuck in a skirmish with Kaulos when he should be already taking Crystal. He orders his generals to come up with a better strategy and Rinda to divine a winning date. She tells him to wait before attacking as the tide will turn in their favour soon caused by a messenger from the north. That messenger soon arrives to inform that the maritime provinces have allied and led by Borgo Valen to begin their attack on Mongaul’s base at Ross. Rorca is also here to deliver a message that Naris has taken Crystal. Then he hands him a personal message from Naris. Remus is surprised there is such an option but if he takes it, he will lose his authority as king. He burns the letter and will decide on what to do. Rorca as instructed by Naris is to assist Yarue. Remus believes Naris wants to observe his worth as king. Rinda talks to Guin as she is worried about Remus. A couple of assassins pop up.

Episode 22
OMG! Guin easily kills the assassins! Mongaul should hire better assassins for the job. Meanwhile Amnelis is still mourning over Miail. Vlad has been sick ever since his son’s death. He wants Amnelis to marry and bear a successor. However she will not be a tool anymore. Then news come in that Crystal has fallen and Naris is alive and has setup everything. Imagine the shock. It’s going to be war. Amnelis must be confused. Is she supposed to be happy that he is alive? Maybe she has gone crazy laughing. I guess she is serious now. Because she dons her war armour and cuts her hair. What she hates the most isn’t Naris betraying her but the fact she still loves him despite all that. So wants to lead an army to suppress Parros and kill Naris. Vlad loves the vengeance look in her eyes and approves. Istovan hears Skarl talking to his army that their plan is to subjugate Mongaul’s suppression army. If not, they will strike the heart of Mongaul. Istovan is taken to see Naris. He gives him the letter. It reads the maritime provinces will move to seal Ross but in exchange they are requesting the Mongaul side to kill Borgo Valen. Naris views this a serious matter and chooses to believe Istovan. Thanks to this, Parros will avoid being cut off from behind. Istovan also tells about Skarl. Then he wants Naris to hire him as his sword. At first Naris wanted to put him in the Holy Knights but decides he will remain by his side. Tairan’s squad serves as the vanguard. However his side is losing when a few soldiers defect. It is Varelius and his sorcerers. They surround Tairan and kill him with their magic. Amnelis’ main force comes into Skarl’s side. They are about the fight when reports of Tairan’s death reaches her. Time to retreat. Amnelis is boiling with anger that this might all be part of Naris’ scheme and that he won’t face he hatred head on.

Episode 23
Istovan tells Naris of his destiny to become king. Naris feels they both are the same because they are chasing their own ambitions. Istovan doesn’t mind all the suffering and pain in his quest to become king. Remus seeks Guin’s advice since he is in a dilemma. Naris wrote a letter to him to spread the word of Mongaul’s defeat. This will make Kaulos worry and that’s where they’ll go offer a peace talk in which they will most likely accept. It is a good plan but by doing so, Remus fears he will be Naris’ puppet. Guin advises him on being a great king doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything on his own. In short, let his men do all the achievements while he reap the rewards. An assassin takes Remus hostage. I guess she is so confident of killing Guin that she reveals her employer’s name, Sid. After Guin throws down his sword, another assassin tries to kill him from the back. Suni does something useful for once, shooting poison darts at the assassin and freeing Remus. The other assassin must be such a slow poke that Guin is able to pick up his sword and stab him. Really, low quality assassins! Naris tells Istovan his ambition to become God. What he meant is to know the secrets of the world. For that he need God-like powers. Secondly, he needs a goddess by his side. And the closest to that is Rinda. Istovan is worried as he asks if they love each other. From Naris says, it’s yes. So Istovan starts thinking and doesn’t like one bit of it. While he struggles to become king, she might become Naris’ wife. He decides to screw being a retainer. He is a demon soldier and will carve his own path. He will take Rinda by force. If she has become Naris’ wife, kill him and take her! So much about his loyalty to Naris. Bye. No need to report. Naris even knows he has fled. Guin intends to go to Torus alone. Since assassins are after his life, it will be dangerous to hang around them. Plus, there is a possibility that Sid knows about his identity. Naris and Skarl’s side meet. They discuss their army size as well as the enemy’s. It is decided to face Amnelis head on at Zaim where she is currently camping. But Zaim is close to Khum of Gohra and could be a problem since they are allied to Mongaul. Naris tells to send a messenger to request troops to Parros instead. Amnelis briefs her generals of the next battle. Learning Naris will attack at Zaim, she’ll gladly take him on. But her sorcerer warns her the tide doesn’t favour her and should return to Torus. However she refuses to do so seeing the enemy has come this far. Her decision stands. Guin says goodbye and gives his final advice to the kids. Promise to be back? If Jarn wills it. Yeah, keep praying to Jarn then. Then off he goes galloping on his horse as Rinda tries to chase him. Hey. She in love with him now?

Episode 24
After a war meeting, Vlad coughs violently and dies! WTF?! Guin confronts Sid. The latter claims he knows Guin. He is the reincarnation of Doal, the reincarnation of evil that shall destroy the world. Guin wants to know his sins but he is told to ask his own heart. Who is Sid then? A hero who shall slay the evil. Sid uses his magic to paralyze Guin and then knock him out with a punch. Amnelis is ready for battle when she receives word of her father’s death. She is torn to return to Torus since she really wants to fight Naris. However she believes Naris will bring the fight to Torus and thus she decides to return. As expected, Naris intends to do just that. As Mongaul retreat, they are blocked off by Khum. They might have learnt about Vlad’s death and have defected to Parros. Surrounded, Amnelis orders they will barge through and return to Torus. The odds are against them and the only way is to surrender. Amnelis then sees Naris. Her blood is now boiling. She would have wanted to rush to fight him had not Captain Lentz knock her out. After Mongaul has surrendered, Tarue the prince of Khum seeks an audience with Naris. Guin is captured and held captive by Sid inside Torus. Sid’s plan isn’t just to have Mongaul destroyed but every last man kill each other. Guin thinks his aim is the Parros’ machine. He is about to kill Guin but the siege from Parros and Khum interrupted and ‘freed’ Guin. Rozan who is in charge is firm to defend the place but when he learns Amnelis has been captured by Khum as well as all the other squadrons have surrendered to Parros, Khum and ,the maritime alliance, they are forced to unconditionally surrender. Amnelis wakes up inside a room in Khum. Her personal maid, Flori explains what happened. Amnelis is sad she lost her brother, father and now her country. She tries to search for something to kill herself but Khum has been careful not to leave any sharp things. Flori remains positive that things won’t remain the same. Just like Parros. Amnelis says Parros had Naris. Mongaul had no one. What about her? Flori will always view Amnelis as her light. Amnelis accepts reality. She needs to be stronger for Mongaul and herself.

Episode 25
Skarl talks to Admiral Cameron of one of the maritime provinces. He is going to Nospherus as he saw from Vlad’s room a book that states there is a weapon that could destroy the world. After Skarl leaves, Naris knows where Skarl is doing. He observed him shut himself in Vlad’s room yesterday and upon inspection, the log describing Amnelis’ exploits in Nospherus is missing. He wants to know Skarl’s intention for he doesn’t make enemies of him. Amnelis is brought before the king of Khum, Taryou. He tells her that she will be put on trial. However it will be a waste for her to be executed. He offers Khum to help in rebuilding Mongaul but all their power will be handed over to Khum. Amnelis knows they will become a mere puppet and will be disposed once their purpose is served. She would rather go on trial and die as apology to the people of Parros. Taryou is impressed so he promises he won’t kill her as long as Khum retains authority over Mongaul. Amnelis also knows Taryou has 3 unwed sons. Taryou will discuss this when Tarue returns from Torus. Remus’ guards capture Sid as a suspicious person. He digress and explains he was attacked by bandits and a man with a leopard face saved him. He is now injured in the cave. Remus and Rinda of course would like to go see him but soon realize it is a trap by Sid as he hypnotizes them. He is interested in the royals who can only activate Parros’ machine. Sid tries to enter Rinda’s heart. She cries for Guin’s help. Oh, here he is! Sid explains this is the ruins of an old kingdom, Kanan. One day it was destroyed by a meteorite that was brought forth by Guin. The twins refuse to believe that but Sid points out that danger has only befallen them ever since Guin joined them. Guin counters that by saying all he knows he is the root of evil. That is all. Guin might not know his past but he knows he has been walking the path he believes in. Sid and Guin clash. Guin’s Akura power gives him some reprieve. Sid then turns into his true monster form. He looks more evil than the evil he proclaims Guin to be. Sid might be stronger but soon Guin is able to turn the tables. Guin hears a voice he heard from Nospherus to head north. The place collapses killing Sid. A ball of light like the one they saw from the island emerges and disappear. Naris notes Rinda, Remus and Amnelis has ventured into Nospherus and now Skarl. One day he too must go there. Istovan sees Guin and co emerging unscathed from the ruins. He notes he has finally found Guin. Why left in the first place, duh?

Episode 26
Remus finally returns to Crystal as Naris and his team greet him. But Remus is ‘jealous’ that the crowd chants for Naris more than him. Even more so when they see the beautiful Rinda, they call her name. None for you, ex-cry-baby boy. Rinda immediately runs to hug Naris. She wants to introduce him to Guin who had guided them through but he is already gone. Meanwhile Amnelis has come to terms and accepts reality. She blames herself for the fall of Mongaul. Even though she was following her father’s orders, this is the reason why she failed. She will now use this time to find what she has left and feels she can do anything. Honestly, she is still in love with Naris. Remus sits by his dead parents’ portrait ‘complaining’ how nobody called his name because of his previous wuss reputation. It’s been a while we’ve seen him going back to emo. So yeah, he is somewhat lost without guidance. Guin stumbles into Istovan. The latter begs for his help as he needs his powers in order to realize his dream. However Guin cannot help him even if he wants to. He is heading north and promises once he finds his identity, he will come to help him. Will it be too late then? So the only way for Istovan left is to fight him? Guin warns him of his dangerous way he is living to achieve his ambition and to only face him when he is stronger. Since Istovan doesn’t consider him his friend anymore, I guess it’s time to throw punches. It’s no surprise Istovan gets pummelled and flew far away! Bye. See you next time. Meanwhile Remus attends his coronation and trial to be king of Parros. Everything looks fine until horrified Rinda sees a dark figure possessing Remus. She tells Naris that Remus is wearing the blood stained cloak of Kar Mol. Of course he cannot see what is happening and doesn’t know who that is. Remus is back to his dark side with that evil grin. Remus is now officially king of Parros. Guin continues his lonely journey north. Skarl and his Gul men attempt to cross over to Nospherus but the Sems and Lagons are waiting. Astreas is seen bumming out in a cell. Marius wonders if Guin is the light or darkness.

Come All Without, Come All Within, You’ll Not See Nothing Like The Mighty Guin
I guess the ‘ending’ is pretty okay. If it sounds like a pretty old cliché because it ends where their next chapter of adventure will begin, well, it can’t be helped since the original author passed away the same year the anime was produced. I wonder if they decided to animate the story after her passing in 2009. But they did dedicate it to her at the end of the series. After all, I believe this story holds the Guinness world record of the longest ever story written by a single person. The story started way back since 1979. Yeah, that is one really long time. It is sad that it was never finished. At least by its original author. The works did get a continuation a few years after the author’s death by a different author but it wouldn’t be the same ever again as what the original would have envisioned. We can only speculate but the true ending will never be known. So could One Piece please finish its story before the inevitable happens!

I am going to limit myself in commenting just the anime since I didn’t read the original works. Even if this anime is almost a decade ago and the story written from even longer than that, from today’s perspectives, it feels campy and cheesy. Because it feels like the story is all over the place. It’s like there are things going on everywhere with more and more elements and plots being added as the series progresses. I am sure that everything has its purpose and will converge somewhere in the middle or end and all will be tied up in the end. But as far as this anime is concerned, the 26 episodes feel like it couldn’t do justice to it all. Had it run up to 50 episodes, I’m sure I would have that dilemma of prolonging this problem. Because more plots, more confusion. So by the time this anime ends, all the earlier plots and whatever mysteries, I have already long forgotten. And new ones emerged… Who the f*ck is Yondaruzoku, Sid???!!! That name of your big boss you scream before you die?!

I have to admit that the earlier episodes when Guin led Nospherus to battle against Amnelis’ Mongaul army had by far been the most interesting of the stories. Because after that, it turned into some cheesy romance-cum-betrayal and that is where I felt the plot started to meander and go all over the place. It became a bit boring as we see some underhanded power play between king wannabes and when Mongaul fell, it didn’t felt that exciting. I guess this is why it wasn’t as exciting because Guin as the main star of this series didn’t really have a direct hand in bringing down Mongaul. Instead it was that pretty boy Naris whom I suppose some would love to hate because of his seemingly sneaky ways to bring Parros back for the Parros’ people. Sighs, why does it seem so interesting when everything is ending? Perhaps everyone has a new direction now and this gives off a fresh but sad feel. I mean, the Parros twins have returned with Remus becoming king, Amnelis is now a prisoner in a foreign land while Guin who has been accompanying the twins from the start has gone solo. Interesting but sadly that is where the anime ends.

Another thing that made this series a double edge sword is the characters. Too many of them! Major and minor ones. Like I have said before, each will have their role to play and will converge somewhere (assuming they haven’t been killed off) but for this anime, there are too many to remember. I can’t even remember them if they appeared before or not and the minor ones I have problems remembering their name. Some feel like just playing a very small part like Marius who appeared just so he could be set up to kill Miail. Then he is gone forever. I know they want to link him on later since he is related to Naris but some unnamed assassin could have just taken Miail’s life. Need someone to get close to that lonely boy? You think Mongaul’s security is that good?

I suppose when you are going to have a long epic story, you need many characters. Even towards the end of the anime they are introducing ‘new characters’. At this point I was like, thank goodness it is going to end so I don’t care anymore. Some introduced but then forgotten like that student Ran who led the rebellion against Mongaul. Some characters get killed off as part of the story. They aren’t important characters, not that I can see their bearings in this anime but at least the characters aren’t dying Game of Thrones style. Hence, there are so many names and places and terms that when I try to re-read my blog for some older references, I had already forgotten about it and dared ask myself if that was what I wrote before. Damn, I’m not cut out to remember so many things.

Guin as the main character is interesting as well as intriguing. His mysterious past and an amnesiac character are what makes him fascinating. Although bits and pieces are revealed over time, you wonder if they are red herring or they are for real. Is he really some evil reincarnation? Somehow it doesn’t make you feel impatient to want to know more about him. Maybe because he is such a cool and calm guy that we accept him for whoever he is now and whatever new information comes to light, we’ll learn it by then? Despite the title being named after him, I feel Guin has been particularly side-lined during Naris-Amnelis romance arc. He is mainly travelling in the background bringing the royal twins to Argos. Maybe that is why the series started to lose its excitement since he makes lesser appearances. Even towards the end when Mongaul fell and Guin is back, it just doesn’t feel exciting anymore.

For many of the other main characters, they have their ups and downs. Let me start off with the Parros twins. For Remus, he was particularly annoying because of his negativity. It doesn’t help he sounds more like a whiny pessimistic coward than anything. He is practically useless. It’s like they realized we can’t have such a loser for the rest of the episodes and suddenly Remus is transformed into some dark character! OMG. I know this makes his character totally different from what we first knew him as, but I believe I like this Remus better even if he is on the verge of walking into the dark side. At least this dark Remus is more useful and is fitting to be king even if he is seemingly being manipulated by an evil force.

Then there is Rinda whom I can say is a very dependent woman. Dependent on a guy. You see her pandering to Guin at first. Not surprising. He is strong and reliable and always saves the day. She staves off Istovan’s advances at first but soon finds herself falling for him. It made me go what the f*ck happened because suddenly she is all over him? I remember she wouldn’t want to marry this jerk but then makes a total u-turn later on. Proof that consistent bugging can make one change her mind. And when Istovan is gone, she’s gone back to Guin. Oh my. What a fickle woman. And now Guin is gone, she is in Naris’ arms. See the pattern here? I believe Suni is supposed to be the mascot character for furry cuteness because she does mainly nothing but follow them. Because why the hell does she need to leave her tribe once Nospherus has been saved to follow them? Gratitude is one thing but following them to wherever they go for how long it may take? I guess it is better to take one monkey than to take a whole bunch of them plus a few giants. After all, she lacks any proper dialogue besides saying her own name for all of the episodes. Except the final episode in which somehow in this ‘plot twist’, she stopped being a retard and sputtered a few words, stringing a few sentences. I can’t say she has learnt to speak the language because we should have seen her trying to communicate in that instead of her retarding way.

Istovan. This guy is also a bit fickle in his quest to become king. I noticed he has this tendency to quote different types of gods in his sayings. I don’t think he is the kind who prays but really. Istovan is also as clueless as Guin on his quest. Based on some vague prophecy to become king, we see him trying all sorts to make that come true. Well, won’t know if you don’t try. So from hanging out with Rinda long enough to seduce her to promise her to be her sword and then breaking that oath to part with her (because a man is worthier when he comes back a winner from a grand adventure) and then his short-lived pact with Naris, man, this guy can’t stay still. Maybe he feels suffocated and always a second fiddle as long Guin is around. And then he goes on a short journey before he realizes he needs Guin. I thought he said he would take and snatch whatever he wants if he is to be king? I guess he couldn’t even snatch Guin, not so much as to even scratch him. So is he going to make an enemy out of Guin now just because he is mad he didn’t get what he wanted? Yeah, like his prostrating was such a big deal. Big mistake. If you can’t be friends with leopard head, don’t make him your enemy. I don’t know, that final fight between ‘friends’ feels like a parting gift to them and to us.

One of the weirdest is Amnelis. Weird I say because she was such a tomboy and a ruthless Mongaul general. Till that crazy little thing called love started to mess with her head. It was quite fun to see her being ‘bullied’ and finally succumbed to Naris’ charms because who wouldn’t love to see a b*tch like her submit to someone who is much greater than her. It is also one of the cheesiest moments in the series. With all the events that transpired to her, it’s like the gods are playing around with her and slapping her in the face multiple times. They took away her family and country and now she only has a little dignity left. Vengeance is not hers to take yet. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and wiser.

But nobody can surpass Astreas as the cheesiest and cringest character of them all. This guy is so full of himself thinking Amnelis loves him and you can see him to the most sickest of all sickest things from smelling her hair and putting on that orgasmic face while fantasizing about his delusions. This guy can actually make your hair stand on ends! This guy is a real lucky loser. He lost so many times and yet he is still around. I don’t know what happened to him after he killed the fake Naris but it is a good thing we never hear from him again in this anime. He should have been killed off during that failed assassination so I fear more cringe will befall on us in the future. At least we didn’t see him for the rest of anime. It would have been f*cking annoying just to see this guy keep screaming Amnelis name. Honestly, this guy should have been killed in place of Marus. I think he is the only dead character that I would want back as he is mature and wise but unfortunately on the wrong side of the fight.

As for Naris, he might look like the beautiful good guy who could do no wrong. However I can’t shake this feeling in my gut that he might have some sort of ulterior motive seeing he knows all. Or at least almost everything. He always thinks many steps ahead and no matter how you plan it, he is always better than you. And he does it all calmly behind his beautiful smile. That’s how Amnelis got wrecked. That’s how Mongaul fell. I suspect with Naris and Remus aiming to be king of Parros, they’ll be on collision course and their allies would be forced to choose a side then. Let us not forget Amnelis seeking revenge (haven’t you heard how hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?), the other Gohra kingdom and possibly other smaller kingdoms who might be plotting something of their own in the future.

The action and fight sequences are just okay. With the exception of Guin and Nospherus taking on the invading Mongauls, they one on one fights aren’t lengthy but I figure that battles are necessary as part and parcel for such stories. But the most disappointing ones are those Kitai assassins. I thought they would put up a fight but they go down so fast! It was truly a let-down. I think they are hired by Sid who didn’t even bat an eyelid when they were all so easily defeated. I guess that is what you get when you hire cheap assassins. You don’t expect much. Not even more if you are dealing with a leopard head guy. Oddly, it feels fun to see Guin punch and kick his way because they do pack some power. It looks unrealistic but Guin himself isn’t normal. Yeah, I prefer watching this guy using his limbs instead of his sword.

Art and animation also feel okay. Some of the characters look similar to each other that I couldn’t tell them apart. Thankfully they are minor characters and nothing important. Some group of people have this one kind look like for example the sorcerers all have this sneaky look on their face like as though as though they are playing double agents and have ulterior motives. Animated by Satelight who did AKB0048, Log Horizon and the Senki Zesshou Symphogear series.

The opening theme is Guin No Theme by Nobuo Uematsu. It is an instrumental piece and it befits the epic saga being told because the song itself is epic. Whereas the ending theme is Saga ~This Is My Road~ by Kanon. It feels like a church hymn and prayer, singing and praising your glorious god. Not bad with some Latin words in it and considerably epic in its own right.

Overall, this series as a fantasy genre is still a worthy watch despite some cheesy moments and characters as well as the story shifting its focus away from Guin’s side halfway reducing its overall epic. But not by a great margin. It’s a story of everyone trying to fulfil their destiny that fate has thrown upon them but alas it is a long journey. It might not be anywhere near the end yet but at least it is closer than where it first started. And when that adventure ends, a new one begins. Either you let Jarn lead you or you carve out your own destiny. But was it fate that this story was never meant to be originally finished in the first place? Maybe because everyone will have different opinions on how it ends for Guin and the other characters. That multiple conclusion is perhaps their fate? Everything and anything can exist together at the same time! By the cursed breath of Yondaruzoku, I swear…