Ice Fantasy 幻城 - Episode 40 (Recap)

kakashi: The Ice Tribe gets a new King ... his name is Lord Emo the First! Also, Yuan Ji tells part of his story and it is quite interesting.
SakiVI: Emo the First of His Name can get a half curtsey from me since I'm Team Shi. 
JoAnne: He looks like he's trying to focus his eyes on that little drop down bit from his crown.

Episode 40

Kasuo mopes - but puts his newly gained tremendous powers to very good use: He's cultivating the Six-leaf Ice Crystal to restore the Ice Sheath! (in record time) And talks to Shi's ghost. The only thing he truly wishes for is the power to turn back time - but he doesn't have it. Yet? 
Shi, you frigging idiot. I'll never forgive you for killing yourself like that. 
It's real? Ooooh, wait til Yan Da finds out.
Everybody is in awe of Kasuo's awesome powers - only Granny understands that he is deeply unhappy and wishes they would leave him. Why not make him even unhappier? Perfect. He is crowned Ice King. I'm mostly glad he's back to his old braids. Come on: SMIIIILE!
He's smiling inside because he's totally miserable and that makes him happy. 
Quick, someone make him wear shoes that are too small or itchy underwear or something. Make it a real party for the guy!
All is settled now, and the Scooby Gang (teeheehee) gets ready to go home. Sad goodbyes are said. But Dreamer "has a feeling we will all meet again". You could be right, dude.
It's not like they're the leaders of all their tribes or anything and thus might have to meet for summits or something. 
Can't they just skyphone each other?
Kasuo buries the Deicide deep in the snow at Shi's grave and then cries at the seaside with some alcohol. Granny is always near (stalker Granny), watching him mope (it's also clear she "knows" things (at her age, she should know things)). He says that the king doesn't have a name - he will no longer be called Kasuo by anyone. Don't fear! We will most certainly continue to call you that!
I thought he was Lord Emo the First?
Don't tickle me, Emo.
Out comes Granny! And calls him Kasuo. But that's not the important part. Granny drinks wine with him and watches him cry. 

Cut to Lian Ji in a cave. With beautiful hair, jewelry and gowns. It's where Mr. Black Smoke put her. He's trying to cheer her up, but nope, she'd rather kill herself. Which Mr. Black Smoke does NOT like. She runs out and realizes she is on a particular island and he says: "This is where we once spent the night together". Woot! Sex with smoke?! That sounds difficult. Anyway, that's news to her - she thought it had been Flame.
There's a lot of obsession in this show. Just thinking out loud...
Maybe Mr. Black Smoke possessed Flame that night or something.
He helps her remember. He met her when she had just mastered the skills to turn her tail into legs. He watched her learn how to walk - ten years went by in the blink of an eye. She then started dancing, and we all know what a mermaid's dance does to a man (well, not really, but I am trying to go with it). She objects that she never met a life form while she danced! Well, he was trapped under the lake there for ten some thousand years. It was She Mi of the Ice Tribe who joined forces with the other tribes and banished him by making a wish to the Veiled Lotus. They tore his soul from his body and sealed his realm, the Sacred Snow Mountain. Take note, people, this is important.
Note taken. 
Maybe his body is the flame. Oh wait, was his body in the water and then maybe it's his soul in the mountain? I don't know. This part is not very clear to me. Oh wait, isn't it the Veiled Lotus in the mountain? Ughhhhhhhhh.
He was trapped under the lake, only his eyes remaining. When she turned up, he regained hope. And she made him break through the enchantment shield when she cried on the day she learned she had to marry the Ice King. He exhausted the very last of his soul to take form. The last of what was left of his life form went into a snow fox and left him utterly weak. But hey, he got to cuddle!
Amazing, they even found a half-blind spitz dog to play this role. 
She's so beautiful.
It was the happiest time of his life - until the Fire King turned up. Fox-doggie got jealous!
Still cute, though.
Why does the dog need to be half-blind?
He heard how Lian Ji told Flame she wans't a legitimate Mermaid, which made him furious (twu wuv it was not) - he left in a huff. She was devastated. Doggie risked the last bit of his soul to wield Appearance Replacement and turned into Flame for one night. How many last bits of soul did he have?  That was a bit too much for Yuan Ji though - afterwards, he had to rest for hundreds of years. Oh dear.
Typical guy, rolls right over and goes to sleep.
At this time, everybody knows of Shi's true parentage, including Flame. But if it was just 'appearance' replacement, no matter what she SAW he was still smoke. So where did the sperm come from? He didn't possess Flame; if he had Shi would be Flame's son regardless of who was driving the bus. When the Mermaid Saint returns to her palace, Flame is there, to kidnap the comatose Lan Shang. The Mermaid Saint has no chance against him. He does that to find out where the entrance to the Sacred Snow Mountain is - the land behind the Ocean. But Kasuo comes and saves Lan Shang from being tortured and killed! And makes Flame leave.
He's cute when he's tough.
Kasuo is quite bothered by the encounter though, especially something that Flame said: that Snow City is a mere illusion. One could say all of life is a mere illusion - until one gets pinched. And he feels he's being watched ... by darn it! The Black Smoke. Time for some answers, Daddy! But the old Ice King does not know why Yuan Ji was imprisoned on that island. It has been too long. Yes, we've seen your shitty library, of course you wouldn't have anything useful in there!! But - the old Ice King is actually keeping some part of the truth from Kasuo. Deliberately. Because he is afraid he might leave in search for the truth. It's already too late though. Kasuo wants to go dive into the lake to find out more about the ancient prisoner.
Hmm. Everything is an illusion? Hmm.

Comments 

Answers! We got answers! That's always cause for celebration. Especially since it all makes sense. It's also clear that we're soon going to start the second leg of this journey - Kasuo won't stay in Snow City for long. There is nothing keeping him there. Poor sod.
But why does Flame think he is Shi's father if he wasn't the one with Lianji that fateful cherry-blossoming night?
Oh! EXCELLENT question.
If I remember correctly, this bit is indeed explained later. Muuuuch later. This show is so long