Thunderbolt Fantasy (2016)

So as a sort-of last hurrah for 2016, I marathoned Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 1, and it was a perfect choice!

Granted, for the first few (fairly graphic-- well, if you can call it that when it's puppets, LOL) minutes I was basically saying to myself "What the heck is this??" (Even after having been somewhat prepared from all the enthusiastic reviews I read about it.) However, by the time the delicously devious (and wonderfully snarky) Guǐ Niǎo and 'voice of reason' Rèn Wú Fēng appear, I definitely became interested... and by episode 2, I was well and truly hooked!

Seriously, it's like the best possible combination of eastern-fantasy tropes (though with a few good twists, of course-- this series is Urobuchi's doing, after all!), the crazy-awesome-OTT-ness of wuxia films, surprisingly excellent special effects, *gorgeous* (...and occasionally spectacularly exploding...) puppets-- which actually work amazingly well as characters, to my genuine (and pleasant!) surprise-- both interesting and hilariously awesome dialogue (due to some self-awareness and general snark, sold even more by great voicework), and absolutely awesome music. Plus, smug little Guǐ Niǎo is just so much fun, and Rèn Wú Fēng is downright fantastic (his continual facepalming in either the foreground or background never gets old, LOL, and he turns out to be just plain awesome in every respect later on as well).

This was easily one of the most genuinely, unabashedly entertaining things I've seen all year, and I can't wait for Season 2!

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