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Hirotomo likes to go big or go home!

I saw Overlord yesterday, it was quite good! It was full of solid characterization, expertly maintained high tension, and well utilized tropes. I’d say the one big let down is that there’s actually not enough nazi zombie stuff! And it maybe could’ve worked at being a little more clever with its plot twists, red herrings, and jump scares. Still, despite not much caring for zombies, I’d easily recommend Overlord as an exciting, high energy action horror film.

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  • Little Kingsguard

    Hirtomo has gone from samurai lord to sith lord.

  • Crestlinger

    ‘Strike me down.’ Not ‘Kill me.’ Knock him out with the trick blade Yori!

    First sentence of that could also apply to the anime Overlord. Have a look:
    https://kissanime.ru/Anime/Overlord-Dub

  • Sunwu

    Tadashi: Yori you must kill me and take control of the clan
    Yori: look I don’t want any power I just wanna marry Ina and be happy

    Tadashi: Fine I’ll kill Myself
    ____
    Hirotomo: Yori you must kill me and take control of the clan
    Yori: Son of a…..

  • Scared 192

    that floor is a little frail

    • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

      I’ll be sure not to hire that decorator when I redo my arena.

  • cu

    “But if I strike you down, you shall become more powerful than I could possibly imagine!”

  • Minando

    And here I always wondered why they use walls made of paper in Japan.

    Now I know why: stone doesn’t last long with so many samurai around.

    • Turul

      Yes, as we all know, paper beats stone.

      • Minando

        Or (in this special case) stomping around with swords beats tile.

    • KungFuKlobber

      Well, they could’ve used wood.

      If it hadn’t been for Ken.

    • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

      Paper walls do make sense. Also tatami mats are easy to replace, and can be removed before the arterial blood starts to spray. (This was in a Toshiro Mifune movie so it must be true.)

  • clogboy

    Someone is in a hurry to further the story… and with ‘someone’ I mean Hirotomo 😉

    • clogboy

      OK collected my thoughts.

      Since we have all the info now, none of the plot twists would be a surprise anymore. So jumping straight into the meat of it. BUT it would’ve been nice to see more of a buildup, more character moments and struggle. Though it would’ve been to the discredit of Hirotomo if it turned into a ‘storm the castle’ kind of chapter, especially sinc ehe set this all up because he knew every angle there’s to know (although I’m not sure if he could predict Ina run away, but I guess this long winded trial by combat was his plan B all along).

      However if Yori would’ve died along the way (which is very much possible without the help of Matrix), then what..? Appoint Eji?

      • Turul

        I too felt a bit like the story was being fast-forwarded lately. Maybe it’s a result of cutting some originally planned side plots that were around these parts(?).

        Hey, maybe Hirotomo hired Matrix! That’d explain everything.

        • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

          Well, we are on a one-page-a-week update schedule, so a good amount of plot has to happen on each page or the comic will take literally years to get anywhere. We started it over a decade and a half ago! How crazy is that?

          • Turul

            So now it’s in the age where it listens to traditional Japanese music too loudly all night and whines when it’s told to sweep the sakura petals out of its room? I can see why you’d want it to grow up quickly.

          • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

            Even if it did take (more) years (than it has), I’m with you to the end of the line.

      • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

        He’d probably just give up all for lost and commit seppuku. The clan would likely tear itself apart from within because of the lack of clear succession, and the other warlords would ally themselves to wipe out the weakened Wataro clan in the process.

  • Turul

    Ina’s not following the dresscode.

    Hirotomo is already at home though, he can only go big from here. So I can see why he’s so confident.

  • Astralfury

    Yori deploying plot armor before combat. Safety first, people!

    • clogboy

      Right? Plot armour can only be beaten by ending him rightly, and katanas have no pommel. So he should be safe.

      • Dylan

        LLLLLINDYBEIGE!

  • Kid Chaos

    All right! I wasn’t really expecting Hirotomo to call out Yorikiro like this, but nevermind! This is gonna be good. 😎

    • clogboy

      Pass the popcorn!

  • Tim “Azur3flame” Eldred

    When it comes to crafting an heir, Hirotomo does not mess around. Even if you’re trying to avoid his games, you’re still playing the game as he set it up. It’s like Victor Von Doom, if Doom were a feudal lord. Plans within plans, and he appears to have it all figured out.

    • Athaic

      “if Doom were a feudal lord”

      Sidenote with a side of shameless fan-going:
      Neil Gaiman (of ‘Sandman’, ‘American Gods’, and ‘Good Omens’ fame) made it so in the comics Marvel 1602 (published around 2003).
      Highly recommended.
      Part of the fun in reading is figuring out which usual Marvel hero the protagonists are. Some are obvious (there is this Peter Parquagh boy, he likes spiders), some less so…

      Some sequels have been done; they are not authored by Gaiman and I haven’t been impressed by the one or two pages I read.

    • Warcodered

      For a guy that’s got it all figured he sure missed a lot of things for us to get to this point.

    • purplelibraryguy

      I don’t think Victor Von Doom’s plans would include him dying as the final culmination. Very Japanese, that wrinkle.
      Also, consider: The mid-game of his plans involved sending four of the greatest warriors in the land to kill his only heir. In theory, chances were very high he would end up stuck with a meaningless war, no heir and so a clan which would just fall apart after his death, and his only backup a treacherous general who killed the woman he loved. This is not mastermind-level planning.

  • Hfar

    “Son, whether you like it or not we ARE having an ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny.”

    • Robert Martin

      Yori, look out! It’s Mr. Rogers!

      • Archangel

        That would be Cho, in this case. And he stayed behind, remember.

  • endplanets

    It is time… FOR MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!

    • Kid Chaos

      TEST YOUR MIGHT! 👹

  • Arkone Axon

    Something to note here: Hirotomo is fighting to lose. He WANTS to die. He wants his son to take over. His son is untainted by any treacheries or subterfuges. His son has a good reputation. His son has a woman who loves him. And if his son can kill him… he can be with his wife again. And his loyal friends.

    This is a man who does not want to live any longer, but wants to make certain things don’t fall apart after he’s gone.

    • PSadlon

      Exactly, he needs an heir with the strength to restore the honor he and the clan lost thanks to Nataku’s manipulation.

    • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

      Yes… I suppose… but wouldn’t family therapy be easier?

      • Turul

        But if they’d have to invent it first… might be about equally much work?

    • Archangel

      True, but he can’t just roll over and die. He has to give his son a true fight, or all the folks watching will know Yori was handed the title. That’d undermine his rule from the outset.

    • Warcodered

      Yeah if only he didn’t have drag all those people that have died in the war with him.

      • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

        The dead are probably the last thing on Hirotomo’s mind. He’s a me-only-me kind of guy.

        • Dylan

          “I am feel uncomfortable when we are not about me” – Hirotomo at some point probably

  • Nos Rin aka CTCO

    once again, I did not see this coming.

  • Warcodered

    Couldn’t we just talk out our feelings and come to a peaceful solution.

    Yori shut up take this sword and murder your father like he wants.

    • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

      And this is where I get confused about filial piety.

  • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

    Really really just awful parenting. Really. And I’m sure Ina isn’t enjoying this at all. It’s much worse than that she wore the wrong ensemble. She’s probably wearing brown shoes with all that purple. And who wears purple to a duel? I mean, really Ina; you’re not on the run anymore so it’s time to work seriously on your wardrobe (and wardrobe choices, if I might add).

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Ouch to poor Ina. Although, if we’re being fair, normally she wears bright yellow or pink kimono. Ans also to be fair, she might not have packed a fancy kimono for this unexpected occasion, so it’s possible she’s borrowing from the closet of some Wataro Lord’s wife. That’s my head canon! Which, I guess, makes it legitimate canon.

      • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

        Mmmm, possible. Let’s see what Ina will be wearing from here on out. I’m willing to give her as much obi cord as she needs to not hang herself on the red carpet.

    • purplelibraryguy

      I rise to defend my colour! Purple is a most excellent colour to wear to nearly any occasion. It is perfect for a duel.

      Doesn’t look like you’re in mourning or something, which conveys confidence that your favoured side will win. But it’s a relatively dark colour, so it does give some somberness and dignity–you wouldn’t want to wear yellow or orange or bright green like it’s a summer party or something. It’s a colour associated with power and importance, so good when you’re moving to pick up the political pieces after that key political player dies. And it wouldn’t show blood a whole lot–in theory blood is red which would show on purple, but in practice when it hits fabric it goes dark; oddly, it would probably show more on a bright red than on a purple fabric.

      I’ll admit I would have chosen a slightly deeper, darker purple than what she’s got, but her outfit is just fine. Except perhaps for brown shoes if present and visible.

      • http://www.comicsagonistes.hackenbush.org/ Ginger Mayerson

        Oh, I’ve nothing against purple, I just don’t like that shade on Ina. She’s too young for such a grim color, not even in these grim circumstances. Yes completely about no to brown shoes, and yes to black shoes. When in doubt black shoes except when wearing brown (brown shoes) or red (red shoes). However, I make emergency exception for black shoes in both those cases. I hope Ina’s borrowed clothes options improve, or she gets some charming new clothes with appropriate accessories.

  • machi

    NooOooOoo I’ve caught up. O.O

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      I’m sorry!

      • Jake

        You might have to work faster to out pace us. And for some reason all my comments are flagged as. Spam

  • Debbie Wright

    Worried as I am that the comic may be ending, Hiritomo needs to be put down because he’s basically a rabid animal without the actual rabies. He is a danger to himself and others.

    Also, Yori will probably actually treat his brother as a decent person. You know, give him something to do.

    “Look, we can’t stay stuck in the past, I’m thinking about putting you in charge of dealing with foreign stuff. I mean, you didn’t shoot anyone you weren’t actually trying to hit with that gun thing, maybe try this out?”

    • purplelibraryguy

      It’s definitively true that he is a danger to himself and others. Case in point: He is currently engaged in forcing a situation in which either he himself or his son will die.

    • Jonathan B

      The comic could end here, but it doesn’t HAVE to end with the sorting of Hiritomo. We still don’t know what the half-brother who doesn’t know he’s a half-brother will do with this situation. Eijiro has more than enough potential storylines depending on how he responds.

  • Agent 52

    That’s an interesting sound effect in the first panel

  • Archangel

    As an historian and WW2 reenactor, I can’t help but hate “Overlord” on principle. With the continuing decline of our educational system in America, how many people will be dumb enough to think the silly stuff is what really happened?

    Note that I’m not against silly historical fiction. I adore the ‘Wolfenstein’ franchise, ‘Helsing Ultimate,’ and ‘Iron Sky.’ It’s mostly the title that bugs me, I think.

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      What’s the relevance of the title? Also, I don’t know how many people are going to think the movie is some sort of untold historical tale. It’s shot in a fairly schlocky, horror film sort of way, not exactly striving for realism, or even found footage style.

      • Archangel

        And your question literally has me banging my head on my desk. Not to imply you’re at fault–again, failing educational system.

        Answer: the formal name for the Normandy landings was Operation Overlord.

        Also, never underestimate how stupid people are. I think it’s associating the silliness so closely with a specific event in the real history that bothers me. Or maybe I’m just being a curmudgeonly historian.

        • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

          I don’t think the actual movie brought up its title at all, unless it was during a scene where the dialog was hard to make out. In retrospect it’s a bummer that they didn’t take the opportunity to provide even a small bit of historical education with the film, as it operates entirely on pop culture tropes.

          I thoroughly agree that our education system is broken, underfunded, and filled with inequality.

        • Jonathan B

          You sound like me when it comes to Pocahontas. They could have made the same movie without using Pocahontas and John Smith as the names, but once they did the unending tide of lack of historical accuracy makes me completely unable to enjoy the movie.

          • Archangel

            Word.

  • LazyReader

    “IF you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”
    “Pff, that’s stupid”

  • Ladon

    “You-you knew I would go from a complete idiot who couldn’t even handle having his strike blocked, and couldn’t take anything seriously ever to a noble and capable warrior, capable of matching the most powerful fighters in Japan in the span of a few months?” “Actually, there’s been some subtle continuity soft reboots since this comic started. To me, you’ve always been this competent.” “Man, that is so weird.”

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Canonically, Yori was quite skilled up until he was emotionally broken. When we first meet him in the comic, it’s after he’s resolved to break from Hirotomo’s assassination plot against Masuhiro. So he’s still trying to find his groove again, which is why he’s an incompetent goof. Although, yeah, that might have been some subtle continuity soft rebooting…

      http://nn4b.com/comic/285

      • Ladon

        Thanks for the explanation. I really hope the joking doesn’t come off as a criticism of the work. There’s obviously been a lot of evolution in storytelling over the years, and it’s really clear how much improvement there’s been in every way. I have nothing but respect for people who can stick out a project for so long and learn so much from it. As an amateur storyteller myself, I admire you guys a lot. I feel like I should make that clear.

        • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

          I took it as tongue in cheek! I wasn’t trying to be defensive either, just felt compelled to remind that we addressed his early goofballery canonically, even though you’re 100% correct that it was soft rebooted into place. Heck, he used to be even more wacky before we rewrote most of the early pages when we formatted them for print.

          • Ladon

            I did not take you as being defensive at all. I think I was kind of getting defensive because I was embarrassed that the thing I was teasing about had an in-comic explanation. Flustered-ness aside, I did mean what I said about how impressive an endeavor the comic is but I’m sure you get that all the time.

          • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

            Not so much that we don’t still appreciate hearing it!

  • Jonathan B

    I was actually surprised that Tadashi turned out to be right about Hiritomo’s motives in sending the Demons of Sorrow after Yori. Much as I disapprove of Hiritomo’s actions from a moral standpoint, I also give him a small amount of respect within the context of the kinda warped mindset of the honor system of the time. He’s trying to resolve the situation in a way that will restore his clan’s honor within the context of the ideas of honor at the time. His way of going about things is all wrong, but I can respect his objective while condemning his methods.

  • Frank Royce Harr

    What the #$%^# ! A person should NOT have to kill a parent.

    On the other hand, this is such a good story. I’m sorry I came to it so very late.

    • TekServer

      I don’t know if this will come as any comfort, but you are by no means the last or latest. 😉

      • Frank Royce Harr

        :)

  • IndigoGollum

    Whose idea was it to make the arena floor from thin ceramic tiles?

    • TekServer

      Probably the guy who sold them the tiles. 😁

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