English Dub Review: Nippon Sangoku “Toryumon”

Overview:

Prime Video has recently dropped the latest episode of Nippon Sankoku. In this second episode, Aoteru, having lost the life of his life, wants to keep her promise to her to create a world of peace.

Our Take:

Aoteru, having lost what was most important to him, resigns from his position, sells his belongings, and heads up to the capital. While there, he hopes to pass the eponymous “Toryumon” exam.

During his first night in the city, Aoteru is warned to find a hotel for the night. Soon, this leads him to the mysterious Yoshitsune Asama, who also has plans to unify Japan, complete with hordes of slavish devotees. That said, Aoteru still has the words of Sun Tzu to give him inspiration, allowing him to put some fear into his new acquantice.

The next day, both Aoteru and “Mr. Tsune” head into the city to take the exam, which will determine enlistment into the elite Borderland General Corps. Things like education, experience, or even age do not matter. In order to pass, one must bring the leader to his knees.

Of course, only the brutes among the applicants think they can do this by force, but even Aoteru and Mr. Tsune aren’t entirely sure what to do. That is until Mr. Tsune decides to take a page from Alexander the Great and simply sneak up behind the man and cut off his legs. The episode ends there, but it’s a cliffhanger if I ever saw one.

The episode still has a few comedic moments in spite of the dark subject matter, notably Aoteru’s excitement over seeing the architecture of the area. Yoshitsune Asama functions as something of comic relief, but it’s made clear that he is capable of getting deadly when needed.

Last episode covered most of the artwork in white. However, this episode dispenses of all that. The hotel is filled with earth tones, making the area look sketchy. The city where the exam is held is filled with bright blues and subtle greens, suggesting a chance at a future.

Overall, the episode spends a lot of time to develop what’s going on. However, the cliffhanger ending is a sure way to get fans invested in seeing what happens next. In addition, fans probably still want to know just how to solve the exam’s riddle.