Note: This is part of my growing number of posts of works and adaptations of works by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Because of the release of the novels Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and Heaven Official’s Blessing, all reviews related to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu can be found under the author’s tag. Madou Soshi is the Japanese title, and this is about the Japanese audio drama with Japanese names.
SPOILER WARNING! If you have yet to read Mo Dao Zu Shi (novel or manhua), watch the animated adaptation or read my previous posts, this post may contain spoilers of past episodes. I suggest checking out the Madou Soshi tag for summaries of past episodes.
To think you wouldn’t tell me about such a good place to heal the wounds. Geez! AH! So cold!
I came here to cultivate, not to heal my—. Don’t play in the water!
But it’s cold! Brrrr! Way too cold!
Don’t swim!
I just want to get to where you are; it seems warmer over there.
Ran Gishin (CV: Toshiyuki Morikawa) brought Gi Musen (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki) and Kou Chou (CV: Hikaru Midorikawa) with them to exterminate water ghouls, though Ran Bouki (CV: Satoshi Hino) questions it. Are these people really capable of handling such a dangerous task?
Short: Founder (2 minutes 36 seconds)
Ran Keijin tells young Ran Zan about the founder of the Ran clan and what they stand for. He also tells him not to follow in the footsteps of the one leader who created a deadly technique.
Season 1, Episode 6 (39 minutes 29 seconds)
Gishin tells his brother that Musen and Chou are the disciple and son of sect leader Kou, the clan leader of the Kou clan. They would have got experience living where they do, and if Bouki thinks pranksters are all they are, he’s very wrong. Besides, in truth, Bouki wanted Musen to come along, or at least that was how Gishin thought it looked like, so he allowed it.
Once in the town plagued by the ghosts, Musen apologises for what he did the day before. However, he makes a point of telling Bouki that he really came to help out with the extermination. However, it’s odd for a town like Caiyi to have a water ghoul problem. People rarely drown and there had been no ships sinking before the water ghouls appeared, and water ghouls rarely leave the place they died. Musen asks what they’ll do if they won’t find the ghouls, and Bouki replies they’ll look until they find them. He asks for a few more details and Gishin has to ask if Renkau has a different way of catching with them. Musen explains that they could lure them with a bait, but Chou tells him to stop talking nonsense.
This is when Musen notices there’s something off with Bouki’s boat and tells him: “Ran Zan! Look at me!” splashing water at him. Annoyed, Bouki dodges, and quickly Musen flips the boat over, exposing ghouls who had attached themselves to the bottom of it. Gishin asked how Musen knew they were there, and he explains that the waterline was off; when Bouki’s boat should have been lighter, it sunk deeper than a boat with two people. Bouki’s still unhappy, and Musen explains he couldn’t alarm the ghouls by saying it out loud, since they’re clever.
They fight some ghouls and during a short break, Bouki asks Musen what his sword’s name is. Musen replies, but Bouki thinks he’s being rude to the spirit of the sword because the name means “whatever”. Musen explains that when he was asked what to name the sword, he couldn’t choose a name and said “whatever!” in hope of the sect leader naming the sword for him. Instead, the name ended up what it was. Now Musen thinks it’s a pretty good name, because it messes with people like Bouki.
They fight some more and there’s a weird shadow in the water. They try to catch it, but it’s not going too well until Bouki catches… clothing. Musen bursts out laughing, saying it’s the first time he’s seen someone got the clothing off a water ghoul he hunted. However, the clothing was all there was. That’s when Bouki realises they have to get out of there.
Swiftly, everyone jumps onto their swords to fly away, except for a disciple who lost his sword during the hunt for the shadow. Musen tries to save him, but his sword isn’t strong enough to handle two people. Grabbed by the collar, he’s pulled up by Bouki. They conclude it’s an aqua demon which was chased to Caiyi, since it’s difficult to deal with them, and now the Ran sect has to handle it instead.
On the way back, Musen flirts with the women, and gets one to say Bouki’s handsome. Bouki, however, isn’t impressed and the free fruit Musen got for Bouki is rejected, so Musen gives it to Chou instead. Gishin asks if he should get Bouki some, but the latter declines.
During the night after the hunt, Musen tries to sneak in with alcohol again, and got caught by Bouki again. Hoping to avoid punishments, he drags Bouki off the wall so they’re both outside of it. He then goes to drink with his friends. Unfortunately, his miscalculation meant he still gets dragged to get the punishment in the morning, and Bouki takes an even heavier punishment than he did. Bouki leaves as if nothing happened, but Musen can’t, being too injured. While Chou is carrying him back, they meet Gishin who tells them it’ll take three to four days to heal, shocking Chou who thought Musen was exaggerating how much pain he was in. However, Gishin lets them in on the secret that the cold spring has healing effects, and it’ll let him heal in a few hours.
He goes to the cold spring, complaining about how Bouki didn’t tell him about it, and then how cold it is. He tries to get warmer, only making Bouki scold him. Musen accepts defeat and tells him he’s never met someone so honest and straight-forward as Bouki. He’d never be able to be like that himself, and he respects Bouki for being the way he is. Musen tries to make friends with him, telling him all the benefits (that don’t seem like benefits to Bouki), but also tells him about Renkau and tells him to come. Bouki declines, and Musen tries to convince him with the pretty girls, but he still declines.
The next day classes begin again, and of course Musen still messes around. While talking with Chou, Bouki is glaring at them. Chou says it’s because he hates his guts now, yet Musen wants to go talk to him. This confuses Chou: why does he keep approaching Bouki, when he finds the guy boring? Musen says he didn’t think he’d be this boring, and that’s amusing. (???) Chou wonders what Musen’s up to now.
Musen goes to bother Bouki at the library and tells him to push him out of the window if he doesn’t want him to be there. Bouki is about to do that when Musen says he came to apologise (this is, what, the fourth or fifth time by now?) and Bouki tells him he doesn’t need his apology. (I mean, who does at this point?)
Musen gives him a couple of rabbits as a gift, but when Bouki doesn’t want them, Musen says he’ll give them to someone who’ll cook them well. After some back and forth, Bouki changes his mind and takes them. The two rabbits jump out of Musen’s grasp and one starts humping the other. Musen hints at something, but Bouki’s quick to say they’re both male. Musen says it doesn’t matter; he didn’t finish what he was saying, but Bouki raised his voice so maybe he thought something? He also points out it’s pretty well-done to notice both of them were male at a glance.
Bouki can’t hold it anymore and pushes Musen out of the window, with Musen laughing outside.
Later, the class is talking about the Lan clan and the past of the establisher of the Lan sect. This leads to them talking about what girls they like, and eventually they ask Kin Shiken (CV: Hiroki Takahashi). Someone points out it’s pointless to ask Shiken, because he’s already engaged. He’s asked about her, and he replies with “It doesn’t matter.” This angers Musen, because this fiancée that “doesn’t matter” is none other than Chou’s older sister, Kou Enri. Shiken says that she’s not good enough for him, and if Musen likes her so much, he can just ask her father if he can marry her, since Musen’s treated better than the actual son. This angers Chou, but before he has time to do anything, Musen fights with Shiken.
The sect leaders of the Kin and Kou sects come to Unshin no Fuchisho as a result of this. After a discussion, they decide to cancel the engagement between Shiken and Enri. Musen alone also has to leave in advance and the life with Bouki comes to an end.
Short: Ant (2 minutes 43 seconds)
Because Musen hit Shiken, he got punished. One student sees his shoulders shake and wonders if he’s crying, but the other dismisses the idea. The first one isn’t so sure though, after all, it’s pretty embarrassing. That’s when Bouki passes them and approaches Musen. The two students assume Bouki’s going to iyagaseru Musen, since he’s always giving him the cold shoulder. Regardless of what is truly the case, the students flees the scene.
Bouki asks if Musen is fine, and immediately goes on to say that thought receiving this punishment is embarrassing, it was something he caused himself. Musen can barely keep from laughing, which alarms Bouki who says there’s no reason to cry. Bouki says he’ll go speak with his uncle about letting him off, but before he leaves, Musen bursts out laughing.
Musen is like “Sure. You said you’d help me yourself.” Feeling that his concern has been made fun of, Bouki gets angry. Musen teases him by asking if he thought the former was crying, and then says there’s no way he’d do that. He just found a nest of ants and was poking at it. Bouki then leaves in a fit of anger.
THOUGHTS
First! Happy New Year! Another too long year of the pandemic has ended. I had a terrible year, as mentioned in my Annyversary post a few days ago. If you haven’t read it, please do! I have some announcements in there. But I’m (probably) back! I’m not going to say anything unlucky, so that’s all I can say after fracturing my rib after getting sick.
AAAAAND! This was the last episode of the first half of season 1! I took forever to finish this. I clearly planned to finished this before the second half of season 1 came out, but then I ended up letting the first half of season 2 run, even! And now the first volumes of all three of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s titles have been published in English even!
I decided to let this be my first review of the year in celebration of this! The next one will be Scum-Villain’s Self-Saving System and then Dan Fitzgerald’s The Living Waters. Then it’ll be right back to MXTX. Just a heads up.
This might my favourite episode in the first half of season one. It brings so much laughter, and as someone who’s not only read Mo Dao Zu Shi, but also listened to all episodes of season 1 at least once, and the first half more than thrice, I know what’s about to happen and it makes me laugh even more.
I also think this is a good place to end the first half, because there’s a clear end of a period in their lives with Wei Wuxian/Musen having to leave. But I’ll admit that no matter if I read it or listen to it, I always forget why we get this flashback and where it is. Needless to say, we’ll be back to “Mo-gongzi”/”Baku-koushi” and Wei Wuxian honestly just clowning himself. The preview (pre-… hearing?) involves Wei Wuxian crying for help though, so I know what’s coming up, at least.
The first short is pretty cute, while the last one of the part has a lot going on in comparison. I felt I needed to share it in more detail because it’s also a rather interesting bit that’s directly related to what happens at the end of the main episode, but it’s so out of order when the main episode’s like “and Musen had to leave”, and then we’re dragged right back into what happened before that.
Overall, I like the first part of the season, and definitely got my money’s worth. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the second half, but first volumes 1 of the English publications!
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