[7.4/10] This one is a little rushed, because it’s basically a pilot for a brand new show starring the Bushido Clan. But contrary to “The New Olympians”, I would watch that show. I appreciate how this one makes our new Japanese heroes a reflection of our more familiar ones.
Kai is a strong counterpart to Goliath, the leader of his clan and one who tries to preserve the bond with humans. Taro is part-Xanatos and part Walt Disney, claiming to want to help the Gargoyles while actually wanting to sue them (and put them in a theme park no less). And Yama is a counterpart to Demona, someone with genuine issues with the gargoyles' current way of life, but who makes a deal with the devil and gets burnt in the process.
Despite those similarities, it’s the differences big and small that are most interesting. The simple fact of the Japanese gargoyles facing inward, as a sign of their bond with the humans they live in harmony with, as opposed to the Scottish gargoyles facing outward to see danger, is one of those great little lived in details. It’s the perfect little minor difference that speaks to differing traditions and attitudes. More to the point, the relative peace between humans and gargoyles is striking to Goliath for obvious reasons, despite the bumps in the road here.
I’ll confess that the “I’m going to kidnap you and put you in a theme park” plot from Taro is pretty silly. I’m still not sure how he thought it would work, even under the most draconian circumstances. But it makes for some cool set pieces, so I suppose I can forgive it. More to the point, I like Yamam making a deal with him out of an understandable desire to leave his village and see the world, only to find that the deal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
There’s some orientalism at play in the focus on “bushido” and other certain broad tropes, but it at least seems well-intentioned here, a reflection of Goliath’s own sense of honor and duty. And while Elisa’s ability to help is a little convenient, I do like her and the village elder’s ploy to make the idea of gargoyles seem ridiculous to local news crew so as not to spill the gargoyles’ secret.
On the whole, this is one of the better entries in the Avalon travelogue arc, and I appreciate seeing a group of gargoyles who seem like true equals and similar-but-unique reflections of the clan we know.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-08-08T19:08:17Z
[7.4/10] This one is a little rushed, because it’s basically a pilot for a brand new show starring the Bushido Clan. But contrary to “The New Olympians”, I would watch that show. I appreciate how this one makes our new Japanese heroes a reflection of our more familiar ones.
Kai is a strong counterpart to Goliath, the leader of his clan and one who tries to preserve the bond with humans. Taro is part-Xanatos and part Walt Disney, claiming to want to help the Gargoyles while actually wanting to sue them (and put them in a theme park no less). And Yama is a counterpart to Demona, someone with genuine issues with the gargoyles' current way of life, but who makes a deal with the devil and gets burnt in the process.
Despite those similarities, it’s the differences big and small that are most interesting. The simple fact of the Japanese gargoyles facing inward, as a sign of their bond with the humans they live in harmony with, as opposed to the Scottish gargoyles facing outward to see danger, is one of those great little lived in details. It’s the perfect little minor difference that speaks to differing traditions and attitudes. More to the point, the relative peace between humans and gargoyles is striking to Goliath for obvious reasons, despite the bumps in the road here.
I’ll confess that the “I’m going to kidnap you and put you in a theme park” plot from Taro is pretty silly. I’m still not sure how he thought it would work, even under the most draconian circumstances. But it makes for some cool set pieces, so I suppose I can forgive it. More to the point, I like Yamam making a deal with him out of an understandable desire to leave his village and see the world, only to find that the deal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
There’s some orientalism at play in the focus on “bushido” and other certain broad tropes, but it at least seems well-intentioned here, a reflection of Goliath’s own sense of honor and duty. And while Elisa’s ability to help is a little convenient, I do like her and the village elder’s ploy to make the idea of gargoyles seem ridiculous to local news crew so as not to spill the gargoyles’ secret.
On the whole, this is one of the better entries in the Avalon travelogue arc, and I appreciate seeing a group of gargoyles who seem like true equals and similar-but-unique reflections of the clan we know.