Wolverine – 09

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

As Logan and Yukio start up Hell Road, Koh and his troops, including Min, make their way through underground tunnels.  Koh is informed that Yukio is with Logan and after a pause, says sacrifices must be made to purge the island.  Meanwhile, Logan and Yukio have an uneventful first leg of their journey were Yukio explains why different criminal factions placed traps on Hell Road to protect themselves but when Hideki’s father took over, he used the trap system to his advantage rather than try to overcome it.  A spear stops them and they see the skeletons of people slain ahead.  Racing forward on the motorcycle, the rain of spears becomes too much and the bike is destroyed. They next fall into a pitfall trap but manage to get out where they now have to battle lots of locals as they race forward.

Meanwhile, Hideki is not pleased with Vadhaka’s failure though A.I.M. plans to upgrade the guardian. He then learns that Logan has progressed further than expected up Hell Road. Hideki tells them to get the wedding on as he sees the smoke from the walled road as does Mariko from her room well above. As Logan and Yukio overcome trap after trap, Koh’s forces begin wondering if Logan will make it. They make to to the spot where they can enter Hell Road from below, just before the traps start. They see the destruction Logan and Yukio have caused in addition to the faction wars that have now broken out. Koh orders his army forward and they arrive just in time to see Logan and Yukio escape a rather troublesome trap. Koh’s forces engage the trap runners while Yukio and Logan race to the Dragon Palace, only to be met by Kikyo.

Thoughts/Review: 

Well, its actually starting to feel like a bit of progress is being made in the plot even though things have become rather cliched there.  The old, “marry to woman to the villain quickly before the hero can get here so that his failure is complete” is at play.  Granted, it was always hanging overhead, but Hideki’s “gotta get married NOW” puts it into sharp focus.  As such, I couldn’t help but recall the various movies I’ve watched over the years with this plot device, including some good ones like The Princess Bride, Space Balls, Big Trouble in Little China, and on the anime front, Castle of Cagliostro springs to the front.  Now we can add Wolverine to that list.  Since killing the villain solves any tricky marriage issues, the appeal is the old, “I’ve married her/had her and now you’re just getting sloppy seconds.”  (Pardon the vulgar phraseology there.)

The whole “traps on Hell Road” doesn’t impress me.  This “road” has these Asian gates so why not have closed gates.  Thus, no one is traveling up Hell Road.  Further, the whole notion that just because factions control certain parts of the road means nothing. OK, so their traps are down.  Its not like a faction couldn’t be attacked from other places.  The “road” only leads to the top of the hill and Dragon Palace so what do the factions care?  Its just a big, big stretch, much as Logan simply swiping arm’s length with extended claws protects them from a rain of spears.  Or better still, have the rain of spears stop JUST as soon as their motorcycle is destroyed so they have to face different traps on foot.

So, Logan gets to face Kikyo and then has to fight Vadhaka while Koh’s army battles their way up and Yukio does whatever she does.  Since the next episode is entitled “Shigen,” I guess it is time for Papa to enter the fray as well.  More action ahead!