Record of Ragnarok (Episode 2) - Worthy Opponent

Thor decides to take Lu Bu seriously and unleashes his most powerful attack. Everyone prepares for the next fight, but Lu Bu isn’t done yet. It would appear they have both finally found a worthy opponent!

Record of Ragnarok (Episode 2) – Worthy Opponent

What happened?

Both Lu Bu and Thor were known for killing their opponents with a single strike, however, both were still standing after exchanging blows. Thor was impressed and decided it was time to fully let loose with his powers. He charged up Mjolnir and prepared to attack with a lightning blow. As he prepared, his thoughts returned to a time when Asgaard was attacked by sixty-six frost giants. It appeared that it was the end, but Thor defeated them all without breaking a sweat.

Surprisingly, Lu Bu withstood Thor’s attack and managed to counter, cutting Thor’s chest. Everyone was shocked. This just confirmed Thor’s suspicions. He had finally found an opponent worth fighting. Of course, Lu Bu had a similar tale in that he travelled the world searching for a strong opponent, but no one could stand before him. In the end, he accepted execution because he was so utterly bored. Not any more. Zeus, however, was more concerned with Lu Bu’s weapon and how it was able to withstand a blow from Mjolnir. He looked at Brunhilde across the stadium, realising what she had done.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 2 Lu Bu injures Thor

What did you think?

After two episodes, my fears have been confirmed. We had about five minutes of the actual fight in the first episode and nothing much happened. This episode saw Thor and Lu Bu exchange about four blows. The rest of the time was dedicated to a barely animated sequence in Asgaard and Lu Bu’s boring past. All in, I was pretty disappointed in this episode. I’m here for the fights and it’s clear that is not what they plan on delivering.

So, I have changed my reason to watch and that is the crazy faces that Brunhilde delivers. That smile, when she saw that Zeus had worked out what she did, was excellent. Now, if only they put that much intensity into the fight sequences this would have been a smash hit.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 2 Brunhildes enjoying herself

What have you learnt?

A few years back, I started watching One Piece and made it all the way to the end of the Fish-Man Island arc and thoroughly enjoyed it. At some point, I will get back to that series. There was, however, one repeating issue that I found very frustrating. All the flashbacks occurred at terrible times. A fight would just get going and then it would cut to a flashback, sometimes for several episodes. There’s even one scene in the Enis Lobby arc where they did flashbacks for all the characters and then a flashback of the scene where they had the flashbacks…

Anyhow, you can get away with stuff like that when you’re dealing with such a long series, but Record of Ragnarok is twelve episodes long. We really don’t have time to drag a fight out over several episodes, especially when you’re filling it with inconsequential fluff. Who cares that Thor and Lu Bu were bored and desperately searching for a worthy opponent. Show us that in the fight. Show us the joy on their faces as they exchange blows and attempt to better one another. I was not impressed by the flashbacks!