Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On - Season 1, Part 4: Black and White

  

Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On is a 2016 Japanese animated television series based on the spin-off game of the same name in the the Monster Hunter video game franchise. The first season contains an astounding 48 episodes, so I will be covering them in four parts; one for each twelve episode DVD release.

This is part 4 of a four part series. Reading Part 1 first is advised. 

Opening Song: Panorama (by Kanjani)
Credits Song: N/A

Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.


Episode 37: Trouble Returns to Hakum

Lute, Navirou, and Lilia return to Hakum village so Lilia can inform Chief Omna about Dr. Manelger and her belief that Cheval is working with him. During their conversation, Dr. Manelger sneaks into Hakum village to steal their kinship stone, but accidentally taints it. Manelger then flees the area with a small piece of the ore, leaving his blighted armored tigrex behind for Lute to deal with.

Episode 38: The Little Bouquet

Cheval arrives in Hakum village to battle blighted monsters, only to discover Lute has purified the area. Small children try to give Cheval a bouquet of flowers from his mother's garden, but he throws them away. Cheval then confronts Lute, telling him in no uncertain terms that he blames him for the nargacuga and death of his mother, and demands a battle. When Lute refuses Cheval assaults him for his "selfishness", but even Rathi refuses to fight. When Cheval tries to slay Rathi for her disobedience, Chief Omna reminds him that his mother died protecting Rathi. Cheval chooses to abandon Rathi instead.

Episode 39: Tested at the Tower of Illusion

Chief Omna sends Lute into the Tower of Illusion, where he experiences the night of the nargacuga attack over and over again. Only by teaming up with Cheval, Mille, and Hyoro to push the nargacuga off a cliff do they protect village.

Episode 40: Brachydios the Destroyer

Reverto tracks a tempered (extra-strong) brachydios (blue theropod), one he has tried and failed to hunt in the past. Reverto admits to feeling challenged by the monster, like they're pushing each other to improve, but upon seeing the monster now consumed by the blight, Reverto swears it is begging for death. Lute suggests that Reverto has a kinship with the brachydios and they defeat it together.

"You were my finest friend; two sides of the same coin." -Reverto

Episode 41: The Nargacuga Returns

Cheval hatches a nargacuga and takes it into battle against a blighted diablos (black variant). After defeating the blighted black diablos, Cheval becomes convinced that a regular, non-blighted diablos is also infected. When Mille and Hyoro grow increasingly unhappy with Cheval's unreasonable demands he forces them to leave. Cheval pushes his nargacuga to exhaustion and discards it when the diablos gets away.

"Get up you lazy beast! You haven't done enough to be tired!" -Cheval

Episode 42: Numbers, Assemble!

Dr. Manelger appears before Lute and the Numbers to reveal Cheval tried and failed to hatch the white dragon egg. To assist Cheval, Manelger is working on a device to force the egg to hatch. The Numbers try unsuccessfully to steal the white dragon egg, and Manelger gets away again.

Episode 43: Forest of Confusion

Mille and Hyoro meet up with Lute to apologize for their actions, then set out with Lilia and Debli to investigate a tainted kinship stone in the forest.

Episode 44: A Mystical Meeting with Kirin

Lost in the forest, the group is led to the kinship stone by a kirin (horse) and then safely out of the woods.

Episode 45: The Deviljho of Mt. Celion

The group travels with Fahail and Reverto along a re-discovered path in the mountains only to be confronted by a deviljho (green theropod) and blighted zinogre (stygian variant). Cheval then arrives and hatches the white dragon egg - Versa Pietru.

Episode 46: The Legendary White Dragon Is Born!

Cheval proclaims himself to be the "chosen one"; the new Redan, and battles Lute. However, the device given to Cheval by Manelger inflicts Versa Pietru with the blight, turning it into Makili Pietru - the black dragon. Makili Pietru rampages, endangering everyone. Cheval is almost slain but saved at the last minute by Rathi.

Episode 47: This is it: The Black Dread

Ratha becomes a full-blighted monster but is cured by the "power of friendship". Meanwhile, Cheval keeps Makili Pietru distracted.

Episode 48: A Miracle in White

Lute and Ratha take on Makili Pietru and start to glow during the fight, giving them the appearance of a white dragon in the sky. Makili Pietru is defeated, everyone returns home, and Lute and Cheval move in together.

Final Thoughts

The show is a better retelling of the video game's story, which wasn't very good to start with. The episodes are basically a collection of random things that have no bearing on the next, and because the show doesn't require its audience to think, older viewers will get bored after the first episode. It's mindless, overly dragged out, but wholesome and suitable for its young target demographic. The large number of episodes mean there is a good chance parents won't have to suffer through the same handful of episodes for the millionth time if their kid happens to take a liking to it. 

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