03-21-2016, 10:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-22-2016, 01:09 AM by SamuraiGaiden.)
=Cinematic Minutiae=
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoetgABJkvQ
Order: Cao Cao, Dian Wei, Diao Chan, Guan Yu, Lu Bu, Lu Xun, Taishi Ci, Xiahou Dun, Xu Zhu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang
-Zhao Yun-
Zhao Yun is quietly meditating under a waterfall, but he senses a log coming down the over the waterfall that may have crushed him. He leaps up and grabs his spear, sending an energy wave up the waterfall that splits the log in halves and ascends into the heavens as a blue dragon. The camera then shows him standing there valiantly as the two halves of the log sail down the river away from him.
-Guan Yu-
Guan Yu stands on a precipice overlooking a walled city. After glowing in an aura he transitions to a throne in elaborate garb adorned with yellow curtains, which culturally implies he is the Emperor of China. The cinematic is presumably to reference that in later dynasties he was declared a Chinese God of War. At the end it shows him stroking his beard as a heavenly apparition.
-Zhang Fei-
Zhang Fei is sitting in a room drinking wine from a dish. He runs out of wine and starts looking for vases of wine that aren't empty. He becomes enraged and grabs his weapon, standing up, and twirls it about. He performs a ground-smash technique and destroys all of the ceramics in the room and laughs heartily. This references his heavy drinking in the novel, particularly when he gets drunk as guardian of Xuzhou and loses the city to Lu Bu after punishing his relative in a drunken fit.
-Xiahou Dun-
Xiahou Dun is standing in a desert holding sword at an angle to only see his good eye. There is a flashback to when he was struck in the eye with an arrow and it shows him bloodily pull the eye out before sticking it in his mouth and eating it. He then jams the sword into the ground and walks away. This is a clear reference to the event in the novel where he is shot in the eye with an arrow by Cao Xing, Xiahou Dun then pulled the arrow out of his eye and yelled, "Essence of my father, blood of my mother, I cannot throw this gift away!" and ate the eyeball (he then killed Cao Xing, of course).
-Dian Wei-
Dian Wei's ending has Xiahou Dun ordering rocks be hurled at each of his cohorts. Xu Chu smashes three of them out of the air with his polearm with ease. He then does a double-take when he sees that Dian Wei is easily letting several rocks smash against his forehead and break apart. Every time Dian Wei is hit by one, Xu Chu cringes a bit. At the end Dian Wei taps his head with a stern 'use your head' look.
This feeds into a motif with Xu Chu's ending, because both men acted as Cao Cao's bodyguards at different times and Xu Chu was actually hired by Cao Cao because he managed to fight Dian Wei to a draw in a duel.
-Xu Zhu-
Xu Zhu's ending has him and Dian Wei walking through a forest grove. It follows the same motif as Dian Wei's with them competing to see who is a better fighter. Dian Wei throws a small knife at an apple and knocks it from a tree, after which Xu Zhu strikes the base of the tree with his weapon knocking enough apples lose to literally bury Dian Wei alive in fruit.
-Zhou Yu-
Opens to a crescent moon with a flute playing, then shows several ships sailing through the darkness. Cuts to show Zhou Yu playing the flute interspersed with flags of the Wu nation and a sign of Chibi/Red Wall. He finishes playing the flute and turns around to walk inside on the boat before raising his hand and the night sky become illuminated by fire. The camera turns to show the opposing fleet set ablaze. This is a reference to Zhou Yu arranging the planning and execution of burning Cao Cao's ships at the battle of Chibi. Zhou Yu playing a flute in battle is also a regular motif of KOEI.
-Lu Xun-
Lu Xun is practicing his swordsmanship in a small courtyard when Taishi Ci approaches him and calls out. Lu Xun turns and waves, but is surprised and drops his sword when Taishi Ci throws his heavy metallic rods at him. Lu Xun struggles to hold the heavy weapons but eventually strains to use them vaguely effectively to prove himself. He throws tem up in the air and catches one, when he looks to see where the other one is he gasps. The camera switches to showing Taishi Ci's face close-up as he sweats nervously and his lip quivers, zooming out to show that the other rod is embedded in the wall beside his head.
-Taishi Ci-
Taishi Ci is facing a rock and the camera shows several shots of him breathing heavily, clutching his weapon, and concentrating before lifting his weapons overhead and breaking the rock apart with them. This is likely a reference to when his master, Sun Quan, cleaved a rock in half with his sword on the novel.
-Diao Chan-
Diao Chan's ending references her seduction of Lu Bu and includes him fantasizing about her while she dances for him and ends with her giggling after he has a cartoonish reaction.
-Zhuge Liang-
The camera shows a lit candle and then shows Zhuge Liang praying upon an altar before showing stone statues of Lu Bu and Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang inhales sharply and lightning strikes both of the statues, destroying them. The camera cuts back to Zhuge Liang as he places his fan in front of his face to hide his smug smile.
-Cao Cao-
Cao Cao's ending has an assassin (that looks a bit like Lu Xun in a different costume) pretending to present a gift of tribute. The assassin bypasses Dian Wei and Xu Chu and dodges an attack by Xiahou Dun, but Cao Cao easily cuts him out of the air with his sword. Dian Wei and Xu Chu appear awed by Cao Cao's finesse.
-Lu Bu-
Lu Bu's ending cinematic occurs on his stage, the Hulao Gate, he is surrounded by Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Fei. The entire video is a reference to his famous duel against the Three Brothers (with Zhao Yun taking the place of Liu Bei in the cinematic), except that Lu Bu wins the duel and knocks out or kills all three of his opponents. After he performs his winning stance a large banners flies from the gate overhead saying San Goku Mu Sou, which means 'Unbeatable Warrior of the Three Kingdoms', and is the title of the game in the original Japanese release.
*Special Characters Sun Shang Xiang, Toukichi, and Nobunaga do not have story mode ending cinematics.
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoetgABJkvQ
Order: Cao Cao, Dian Wei, Diao Chan, Guan Yu, Lu Bu, Lu Xun, Taishi Ci, Xiahou Dun, Xu Zhu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang
-Zhao Yun-
Zhao Yun is quietly meditating under a waterfall, but he senses a log coming down the over the waterfall that may have crushed him. He leaps up and grabs his spear, sending an energy wave up the waterfall that splits the log in halves and ascends into the heavens as a blue dragon. The camera then shows him standing there valiantly as the two halves of the log sail down the river away from him.
-Guan Yu-
Guan Yu stands on a precipice overlooking a walled city. After glowing in an aura he transitions to a throne in elaborate garb adorned with yellow curtains, which culturally implies he is the Emperor of China. The cinematic is presumably to reference that in later dynasties he was declared a Chinese God of War. At the end it shows him stroking his beard as a heavenly apparition.
-Zhang Fei-
Zhang Fei is sitting in a room drinking wine from a dish. He runs out of wine and starts looking for vases of wine that aren't empty. He becomes enraged and grabs his weapon, standing up, and twirls it about. He performs a ground-smash technique and destroys all of the ceramics in the room and laughs heartily. This references his heavy drinking in the novel, particularly when he gets drunk as guardian of Xuzhou and loses the city to Lu Bu after punishing his relative in a drunken fit.
-Xiahou Dun-
Xiahou Dun is standing in a desert holding sword at an angle to only see his good eye. There is a flashback to when he was struck in the eye with an arrow and it shows him bloodily pull the eye out before sticking it in his mouth and eating it. He then jams the sword into the ground and walks away. This is a clear reference to the event in the novel where he is shot in the eye with an arrow by Cao Xing, Xiahou Dun then pulled the arrow out of his eye and yelled, "Essence of my father, blood of my mother, I cannot throw this gift away!" and ate the eyeball (he then killed Cao Xing, of course).
-Dian Wei-
Dian Wei's ending has Xiahou Dun ordering rocks be hurled at each of his cohorts. Xu Chu smashes three of them out of the air with his polearm with ease. He then does a double-take when he sees that Dian Wei is easily letting several rocks smash against his forehead and break apart. Every time Dian Wei is hit by one, Xu Chu cringes a bit. At the end Dian Wei taps his head with a stern 'use your head' look.
This feeds into a motif with Xu Chu's ending, because both men acted as Cao Cao's bodyguards at different times and Xu Chu was actually hired by Cao Cao because he managed to fight Dian Wei to a draw in a duel.
-Xu Zhu-
Xu Zhu's ending has him and Dian Wei walking through a forest grove. It follows the same motif as Dian Wei's with them competing to see who is a better fighter. Dian Wei throws a small knife at an apple and knocks it from a tree, after which Xu Zhu strikes the base of the tree with his weapon knocking enough apples lose to literally bury Dian Wei alive in fruit.
-Zhou Yu-
Opens to a crescent moon with a flute playing, then shows several ships sailing through the darkness. Cuts to show Zhou Yu playing the flute interspersed with flags of the Wu nation and a sign of Chibi/Red Wall. He finishes playing the flute and turns around to walk inside on the boat before raising his hand and the night sky become illuminated by fire. The camera turns to show the opposing fleet set ablaze. This is a reference to Zhou Yu arranging the planning and execution of burning Cao Cao's ships at the battle of Chibi. Zhou Yu playing a flute in battle is also a regular motif of KOEI.
-Lu Xun-
Lu Xun is practicing his swordsmanship in a small courtyard when Taishi Ci approaches him and calls out. Lu Xun turns and waves, but is surprised and drops his sword when Taishi Ci throws his heavy metallic rods at him. Lu Xun struggles to hold the heavy weapons but eventually strains to use them vaguely effectively to prove himself. He throws tem up in the air and catches one, when he looks to see where the other one is he gasps. The camera switches to showing Taishi Ci's face close-up as he sweats nervously and his lip quivers, zooming out to show that the other rod is embedded in the wall beside his head.
-Taishi Ci-
Taishi Ci is facing a rock and the camera shows several shots of him breathing heavily, clutching his weapon, and concentrating before lifting his weapons overhead and breaking the rock apart with them. This is likely a reference to when his master, Sun Quan, cleaved a rock in half with his sword on the novel.
-Diao Chan-
Diao Chan's ending references her seduction of Lu Bu and includes him fantasizing about her while she dances for him and ends with her giggling after he has a cartoonish reaction.
-Zhuge Liang-
The camera shows a lit candle and then shows Zhuge Liang praying upon an altar before showing stone statues of Lu Bu and Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang inhales sharply and lightning strikes both of the statues, destroying them. The camera cuts back to Zhuge Liang as he places his fan in front of his face to hide his smug smile.
-Cao Cao-
Cao Cao's ending has an assassin (that looks a bit like Lu Xun in a different costume) pretending to present a gift of tribute. The assassin bypasses Dian Wei and Xu Chu and dodges an attack by Xiahou Dun, but Cao Cao easily cuts him out of the air with his sword. Dian Wei and Xu Chu appear awed by Cao Cao's finesse.
-Lu Bu-
Lu Bu's ending cinematic occurs on his stage, the Hulao Gate, he is surrounded by Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Fei. The entire video is a reference to his famous duel against the Three Brothers (with Zhao Yun taking the place of Liu Bei in the cinematic), except that Lu Bu wins the duel and knocks out or kills all three of his opponents. After he performs his winning stance a large banners flies from the gate overhead saying San Goku Mu Sou, which means 'Unbeatable Warrior of the Three Kingdoms', and is the title of the game in the original Japanese release.
*Special Characters Sun Shang Xiang, Toukichi, and Nobunaga do not have story mode ending cinematics.