Review: Rooster Fighter “The Motley Flock Scatters”
Overview
The trio have a falling out and go their separate ways, while a typhoon ominously approaches.
Our Take
The episode follows our stoic protagonist, Keiji, a wandering rooster with a scarred past and a voice that sounds like gravel and justice (brought to life with pitch-perfect grit by Patrick Seitz in the English dub).
The “Motley Flock” in the title refers to the ragtag group Keiji begins to attract, including the tiny, wide-eyed chick Piyoko and the sophisticated, grappling-hook-wielding hen Elizabeth. The chemistry between these three—or rather, Keiji’s refusal to acknowledge he even has teammates—drives the episode’s comedic heart. While the world sees a normal rooster clucking at a grocery store, we are treated to Keiji’s internal monologue: a hard-boiled noir narrative about a man with nothing left to lose but his dignity and his feed.
A number of things are done different in this week’s episode than prior weeks. For starters the group splits up with Keiji going one way and both Liz and Piyoko going another way, but both put into equally somber adventures that help show a different side to the series than we’ve seen before. Produced by Sanzigen, the animation is a surprisingly successful blend of 2D and 3D, Rooster Fighter uses CG to lean into the “imaginitively grotesque” designs of the Kijyu but in this week’s case contrasts that with an almost Eeyore take on what’s supposed to be a vicious demon race. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Piyoko battle the demon speeds of Mother Nature whilst helping a small family nearly getting wiped out in the process.
The ending sets up more of a part 2 conclusion for next week so I’m excited to see where this one continues to go, does the demon stay cool? Does the group reunite? What of Piyoko’s burgeoning powers? A lot to unpack here in the coming weeks.
