Samurai Deeper Kyo 4 [DVD]

Just when you thought "Samurai Deeper Kyo" was taking a much-needed upturn in quality, the fourth volume takes an artistic nosedive right into the depths of schlock. Once again, it feels like the writers are pulling random snatches of the manga and pasting them together with the alcohol-fueled nightmares of a third-rate fantasy writer who hasn't taken his Ritalin in the last week. In case you guessed, I didn't like it.

Anyway, His Majesty's identity has finally been revealed -- historical punching-boy Nobunaga Oda, who has been resurrected in a temporary body and now wants to conquer the world. Of course, he ends up fighting against Kyo, revealing that he's also immune to Kyo's ultimate sword technique. Meanwhile, Yuya is marched through a field of hallucinogenic flowers (they're fun!) to where Kyo's body is hidden, Okuni's secret identity is revealed, and Yukimura fights against the expert archer Basara while the forest burns.

Oh, and Benitora decides to suicidally take on Nobunaga -- leading to another epic fight between Nobunaga and Kyo, which is unexpectedly interrupted by a character we haven't seen all season. But Akira has also turned against his former allies, and Yuya might end up dead as a result of his weird obsession with Kyo.

I'm starting to think that the people behind "Samurai Deeper Kyo" were just making stuff up at random by this point -- we've got tree monsters, evil porn nurses, dramatic flashbacks that instantly get forgotten, forest fires that start and stop at random, and the most anticlimactic man-versus-monster fight in the history of anime. It feels like the writers were just trying to end the stupid arc as fast as possible.

In fact, the entire first episode is so fractured and hyperactive that it's hard to even figure out what's going on -- and even after that, nothing makes much sense. The fight scenes have gotten kind of ridiculous (one of the Junishinsho just STANDS THERE while Yukimura sprints several yards and stabs him!), random stuff happens all the time (random fireballs from the sky!), and major plot developments get shoved to the side. Okuni turns out to be untrustworthy? Eh, Kyo just sort of ignores that, 'cause she's sorry now.

The most insanely silly scene has to be when poor Yuya gets locked inside a block of ice, and just sits there FROZEN for about half an hour while Sakura natters on for no real reason. Seriously, how about unfreezing the heroine and THEN talking to her, huh?

And all the characters seem to be doing stuff totally at random. Let's see -- Benitora is suddenly going on suicide missions, Yukimura is LETTING himself get shot because suddenly he thinks he's a "bad guy," NOBODY cares about Okuni's treachery, Akira reveals that he has an obsessive gay crush on Kyo (another one?!), and Yuya finally figures out who killed her brother... and promptly stops caring about getting revenge. The only good character development is for Kyoshiro, who finally reveals his true power (and a very muscular chest -- topless assassins rule!).

The one upside: the bloopers are brilliant, especially the ones from the guys playing Nobunaga ("Your manly ways have really swept me off my feet... sure, I'll go to the prom with you") and Benitora ("Lost my... contact lens... life... not... worth... living!").

It seemed to be getting better for awhile, "Samurai Deeper Kyo Volume 4" pretty much crashes and burns like the random fireballs from the sky.