English Dub Review: Hinomaru Sumo “Demon and Moon”

The clash of the National Treasures.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Hinomaru is set to fight Sada next, the most powerful member of his team, and someone who’s been wanting to fight Hinomaru since he first started sumo. The fight begins and Hinomaru immediately charges in with a series of thrusts and palm strikes. Sada is able to use his arm holds to counter, but Hinomaru just comes back harder and faster to knock Sada off his game.

Their fight continues, and Sada finds himself smiling at the joy of this long-awaited fight. That smile is knocked off his face, however, when Hinomaru’s killing intent makes it clear that this isn’t a game for him. Hinomaru gets in close and grabs Sada’s belt, which is presumably the first time Sada’s gotten his belt grabbed in a tournament. Hinomaru presses his advantage and tries to use his 100 demon takedown to finish the fight. Sada isn’t having it, though. He uses his moon stance to get Hinomaru with a throat hold.

The two are at a stalemate, but Sada starts to take control of the fight, pushing Hinomaru to his limit. Sada grabs Hinomaru and uses a shoulder throw to try and bring him to the ground. Hinomaru nearly loses his will to fight thinking about how much the odds are stacked against him, but his brush with despair pushes him to greater heights and he breaks the hold.

Hinomaru uses his new technique, the 100,000 demon drop to push through Sada’s defense and put him to the ground. Panting in fatigue, Hinomaru is declared the victor. The team is proud of their star player, but Kirihito is concerned about Hinomaru’s damaged arm. Nonetheless, the victory belongs to our heroes, who celebrate their win and reflect on how far they’ve come. Of course, there’s no time for rest; there is only more training, and Kunisaki, who wishes to fight Hinomaru head on.

Our Take:

This episode marks the end of Hinomaru Sumo’s first tournament arc, and boy is it a doozy. There’s been some real ups and downs to this tournament so far, with some episodes feeling too thin to hold up, while others have generated enough empathy for the cast that I’ve been glued to my screen watching them. Yet, despite all that, its good to see Hinomaru Sumo finish with its best foot forward. This episode delivers on an intense bout of fighting while incorporating the major themes that have given it its distinct brand of shounen sumo flavor.

Hinomaru is the star of the show this time around, the headline act to the tournament which, till now, has been supported by the opening performances of the accessory cast. As expected, this makes Hinomaru’s about the most intense to watch. The fight is powerful, gripping and comes to a good finish, but suffers from the general sameness that a lot of these fights have. No two good fights should look the same, but because of the nature of sumo wrestling and Hinomaru Sumo’s realistic approach, this fight seems very similar to the others we’ve seen, with its good and its bad. It’s interesting to see the play-counterplay that Hinomaru and Sada get into with their different sumo attacks, but the bout ends basically the same way as the others do. The fight just ends with a slam to the ground, and it seems the only criteria for that to occur is when the script wants it to. It doesn’t feel unearned, but the victory just isn’t what I want it to be. Other sports anime have been able to get me to my feet with their creative storytelling and unique energy, but Hinomaru Sumo just isn’t at that level. The problem here is time; I’ve seen good fights for five episodes or longer, and while that’s harder to pull off in terms of pacing when done right it ferments the fight like a fine wine and smashes your expectations with its finish.

Hinomaru Sumo this week is by no means bad. It’s certainly a good watch, but I’m left wanting for more. I want the show to be like its characters and take the initiative, pushing itself to do something I haven’t seen. The characters are solid, the passion is there, but this show has yet to achieve mastery over itself.

Score
7/10