Anime Update-o! Devilman Crybaby (Episode 5)

Silene, Silene, Silene…Beautiful Silene.

silenced

 

 

This episode focused on two branching stories:

Miko (the vengeful Miki) and Mayuta have embraced the demon within them and are thus excelling at track. Miko is now suddenly the fastest, and can’t wait to cram that down Miki’s throat. Mayuta tries to snitch out his old buddies in a public store, only for Miki to come to the rescue and diffuse the entire situation. With Miko in the store, I can’t quite imagine that leaving her with any positive thoughts Miki, who seems to simply be living her life in a positive way.

Quickly, however, the story shifts to our main one – Akira trudging through what Americans would call “the red light district” in full on demon lust. With saliva dripping down his face, the animators made a good call in whiting out his eyes – otherwise it may have translated like your typical anime with a horny high schooler. But Akira’s lust is clearly forced upon him by supernatural forces, and its no wonder whenever Silene is waiting for her “Amon” amid the shopping selection.

 

She just wants a hug, Amon. That, and rough, rough sex.

 

Silene as a character seemed pretty typical. Pretty girl, but wait there’s more, she’s powerful. Her insatiable desire (Akira goes as far as believing it as demonic love)  for Amon is what sets her apart, and ultimately becomes her end. The entire scene had my eyes fixed, as what starts as a sex scene turns into a raging battle as Silene attempts to draw Amon out from Akira – to turn the tides within his body and allow Amon to become the frontal host.

I loved the scene in almost total darkness, where Devilman would defend himself from something hurled from the abyss and attempt to swing it right back. And of course, our hero gets into a situation where lethal looking attacks hit him time after time – until ultimately Silene sends a severed/detached talon at the back of Devilman whilst demanding Amon reveal himself and make love to her. For her, it was one way or no way. And as Devilman would have it, it would be “no way” as he literally fucks her to near death across the sky. (Reading this, I can’t quite believe I love the show as much as I do, but I do, I really do.)

 

 

Who would have thought this creature would have such a touching story?

 

The fusion of Silene and Kaim was epic. The episode really hammered in its theme of love, as Kaim sacrificed himself so that Silene could fuse her motionless body to his in hopes of defeating Devilman. And that’s all Silene wants at this point, to save Amon from his entrapment by Akira by destroying them both – and she very nearly succeeds as the horn plunges through Devilman and leaves him limp. Luckily, in true deux ex fashion (but beautiful deux ex fashion it is), Silene dies before she can follow up. It’s another beautiful point that Silene died believing she had succeeded, as Ryo brings up how satisfied and confident she looks.

For Devilman, reverted back to Akira, this was love. I believe Akira is basing this on his own situation with his parents, as he was constantly chasing and shouting their name in order to catch up with them. Silene was in a similar situation, though the one she chased and yearned for was Amon.

I loved this episode and the representations of love within it. It comes in so many variations and ideologies, it’s moldable to almost any situation. Just in this episode we are shown glimpses of love desired by Silene, Akira, Miki, and Kaim; and Devilman Crybaby was able to do the emotion justice in the same episode it had a demon get pumped across the night sky. *Slow clap*

But I really enjoyed this episode of Devilman Crybaby, and will never get tired of hearing “I….am….DEVILMAN!” As usual, Devilman continues its trend of having just the right amount of plot with a slew of sex and violence; and I can’t wait to dive in for more.

 

Thanks for readin’! Let me know what you thought of the episode, I’m definitely interested.

 

 

Anime Update-o! Devilman Crybaby (Episode 4)

Fresh past the three episode rule, Devilman Crybaby continues being relentlessly unprepared to disappoint. That’s a fancy way of saying that this anime is kicking some serious ass in the “it’s got my attention” department!

This episode was an immediate continuation of the last, with Ryo and Akira head-to-bleeding-head as they argue over the fate of a naked and unconscious Miki. While on the subject, I feel like Devilman Crybaby handles nakedness a little better than most shows – it doesn’t feel awkward or unnecessary. But then again, maybe that’s because they spent the first three episodes jamming the human anatomy down my throat. Erm…

Anyway, of course Akira was bound to have his human emotions and thus it was typical to see him attempting to save Miki from Ryo. However, Ryo’s laser-like focus to both the mission and Akira is admirable – he is willing (not that it’s much skin off his back) to eliminate anyone and everyone that threatens the defense of humanity they are trying to accomplish. And that means the protection of Akira’s identity as the Devilman.

So much for that though, right? I loved the ghoulish expression on his dad’s face before he began his massacre aboard the bus – the repetitive screaming of “Darling” as his mom tries to come to terms with what she’s seeing. The icing on the cake was the demon at the end. At first, the faces upon its body that screamed for salvation seemed like a solid way to fuck anyone up – but when its seen that Akira’s mom is still able to speak with him and guide him toward the right decision, I knew the demon’s tactic would be futile. And beyond that, the demon was utter trash when compared to the powers of Amon.

The reference made between Akira’s running and always catching up to his parents played perfectly. I loved the foreshadowing of it in the beginning, and thus appreciated it even more as a young Akira runs as fast as he can toward his parents and catches up – only to have to thrust his fist through his mother’s face and kill them both in order to save them from the clutches of demon possession. Talk about a big ole “damn”. But it sure was a great set of scenes to watch.

Taking a step back, the rapper Mayuta spits a session that had me captivated. This anime has really given me nostalgia for some Samurai Champloo, as I loved seeing subtitled Japanese rap. The words tend to not rhyme much at all but the flow is undeniable, which allows it to sound like poetry without actually sounding like typical singsong hiphop. And Mayuta’s was particularly awesome, as he laid out his nervousness in the only way he could in order to speak with Miko. “Somebody like me so I can like myself more” sent chills running down my spine. I feel like my adoration for Mayuta and Miko will take a sour dive, however, with the sudden appearance of a demon on the dance floor.

 

All in all a sweet episode, as I’ve come to expect from the series. Plenty of action, the emotion and plot were developed thoroughly, and most importantly, we were able to see Akira in full-on Devilman Crybaby mode (tear streams and all) at the expense of his parents’ lives. Oh well, can’t win em’ all.

 

Thanks for readin’!

Anime Update-o! Black Clover (Episodes 12 & 13)

 

I feel you Nash…

 

 

So I haven’t started Black Clovers newest pickup yet, and I’m not afraid to admit it’s a little because I’m scared. Scared because the anime had originally hooked me using the infamous three episode rule, and then plummeted faster than the respective of the presidential office when Trump took over. The last four episodes essentially became two focused on the Wizard King watching Asta, and two episodes focused on Yuno and his first mission as a Knight. The symmetry was not lost upon me, and actually kind of irks me how they thought a balancing between the two’s showing would be more appropriate than just furthering some kind of cohesive plot.

Well, cohesive plot aside from Asta’s unending desire to become Wizard King in opposition to his rival Yuno. I suppose in that sense, the anime’s did not disappoint, as I had a good laugh whenever Yuno felt struck by the fact that Asta was sending more money to the church than he currently was. The action, however, was lackluster in Asta’s final episode. Not much magic, and another showing of a revamped broom/ride. This isn’t Hogwarts, and I’m not looking for quidditch (though an anime about quidditch might be quite rad!)

There was a little saving grace in Yuno’s mission, though the thick mess of boredom it took to get there wasn’t very nice at all. A spiteful noble out for revenge? *Jerry Seinfield voice* “Really?” The only redeeming aspect was the final fight, where we saw interesting uses of magic from Yuno’s company. Plant girl (I’m not going to bother looking up her name, I’m sorry) was cool, and definitely took the cake for coolest set of magic seen thus far. Pure espionage and entrapment, and theme that actually seemed to have had some use (since combat magic seems to be  avoided at all cost, at this point.)

Overall, was just hoping to make a short little quip about my disappointment in the final stretch of Black Clover’s fall season, and hope that new episodes can help restore some of the faith previously lost…But I’m willing to give it another shot, most definitely! Asta!!!!!!

 

 

These two need scenes together. They bring out the best in one another.

 

 

Thanks for readin’! Let me know if you caught those vibes, but don’t spoil 14 and 15 for me! I promise I’ll get them knocked out soon!

Anime Update-o! Devilman Crybaby (Episode 3)

 

If you’re not expecting spoilers, well then…

Demonic references are aplenty and appreciated.

Devilman Crybaby is an anime that refuses to disappoint. Sure, it could dial back on the nudity for the sake of nudity, but then that wouldn’t be addressing the orgy like possession of the world via demonic influence. This episode felt like it had a little bit of everything: the humor between Ryo and Akira, the little bits of slice of life necessary to remind the audience that Akira isn’t just a bloodthirsty murderer, and tits in your face action. (literally, Akira chases and detains a naked, possessed Miki)

One of my favorite aspects of this episodes is that it focused a little more on Ryo’s part of the equation in their partnership.  While it was already assumed, it was a good thought that the enemy touched upon his living situation and nixed complicated discussion by explaining that Akira wouldn’t understand. I can accept that answer! But it was a pleasant change of pace to see the two lounging about in Ryo’s home whilst Ryo handled the operation. He’s the caretaker to the demon Akira, once a soft boy most notable as a crybaby; it’s a sweet relationship that I can totally ship.

 

I enjoyed that we were able to see exactly how down for Akira Ryo really is. His scene with the photographer that got them into the whole mess was golden, as it cemented Ryo in the “heartless operative” we already knew him to be. And yet, there’s a touch of grace behind that huge white coat.

 

 

 

 

But in Devilman fashion, sweet is left at the door toward the end of the episode, as Devilman’s night of heroics begin. All due to that weasel of a photographer, Miki becomes possessed by another demon that recognizes Akira as Amon; and is thus hunted down and eliminated. The art style of the anime lends itself to fantastic action scenes, even on such basic moments as a pinned and possessed Miki repeatedly slamming her feet into Akira’s stomach.

We’re really granted another look into the power of the demon awoken within Akira as he disposes of the opposing demon, and I absolutely loved it. Burning it alive inside him, forcing a demon to surrender and beg for its release. The icing on the cake being when  Devilman uttered “I won’t be making a deal with any devils” . Woahahahahaha. With absolutely epic punchlines, just the right mix between s-o-l (slice of life, not shit outta luck) and action, and a good push on the plot, this episode definitely smashed the “three episode rule” out of the park, as I’ll definitely be watching more.

 

 

 

I don’t know about Gelmer, but I definitely loved it.

 

 

As always, thanks for readin’! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Anime Catchup-o! Boruto: Naruto Next Generation (Episodes 38-40)

I’ve been a bit slacking on my Boruto reviews, but that hasn’t been for lack of interest in the show. It was the aforementioned burnout that halted my reviews, and I’m not going to stress myself out by committing to going back to each one. So instead, I’m going to create a safety net for myself – introducing the Anime Catchup-o! When I slack (and I’m going to slack ya’ll, let’s face it) I’m just going to compile my slipup into a singular post with no intention of dedicating myself to three posts worth of review. I’m a simple minded, fun loving individual – I’ve accepted that, and I hope you do too. Ephemeral Fixations is coming to life in a way I enjoy, most definitely. So without further adieu, let’s catch up!

oh yeah.
I spoil zee stuff

 

 

“This is my story!” I dig, Boruto-kun, I dig.

 

I’ve watched the last few episodes, including the latest, and have to say that I’m enjoying the pace that the show has been taking. While it seemed very slow at first, it seems understandable when one looks at the fact that Naruto fans have been watching nothing but chaotic war for so many episodes prior. Maybe that’s just me feeling appeased now that Boruto has seem to find its stride in terms of action.

 

 

The new team 7: Mitsuki, Sarada, Boruto

 

Episode 38 focuses on the creation of the three man team that ultimately becomes the reinstated Team 7: Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki. We get slice-of-life bonding episodes, where the characters are shown interacting with one another and basically must have their first moments of true trust as comrades. Sarada comes off to me like a snarky mix of her father and mother, two characters I’ve never had quite the liking for. She’s not entirely without essence, however, hopefully she fills a better role in the team than either of her parents.

 

 

Mitsuki is going to turn out to be quite the character.

 

Episode 39 is all about Mitsuki, which Kiku and I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a treat to verify he was merely an experiment of Orochimaru, albeit one that he seems to love as his own son. We see that Mitsuki is a clone that was slowly developed to possess a certain set of abilities, and that such attempts have failed several times. The older Mitsuki serving as the “enemy” for his younger self was an interesting twist, and I loved the brief conversation between older Mitsuki and Orochimaru spinning the tale of the twist. Old Orochimaru back at it again, who would have thought it? Overall, despite his slight cliché, Mitsuki is an interesting type of character that I think will be a pleasure to watch develop. Especially with his obsession with Boruto and his good character.

 

This week (episode 40! I barely made it until the next episode drops!) wasn’t meant for action, but the anticipation of it is clearly present. It’s time for the team’s first mission! After claiming the title of Team 7 for themselves, it’s only fitting that their mission secretly have some sort of underlying factor that magically upgrades its level a grade or two. Naruto’s first mission went from an escort mission to fighting Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist. And now, similarly, his son’s first mission begins as one meant to stop confrontation between two small villages and becomes a battle amongst shinobi.

There’s plenty of foreshadowing, with the mentions by Sarada/Konohamaru/Naruto alike that Boruto focus his attentions on learning not to be rash and leave the safety of the group. Of course, Boruto is his father’s son and acts upon his instincts at every turn, even if that means placing himself in the midst of a situation most shinobi could rarely find themselves out of.

While we’re currently unaware of the details of the enemy (in true shinobi style), we do learn that they are vicious and indifferent to the word “peace” as an enemy shinobi plunges his blade through the heart of a villager. War is definitely slowly creeping back to the forefront of the shinobi world, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all ties back to the scene we were first introduced to; the one with the enemy facing Boruto claiming “the age of the shinobi is over”.

 

All in all, I’m excited for the next episode that’s only a few hours away! I’ll try to stay more dedicated to weekly reviews, but know that I’ll definitely be keeping up with Boruto’s story!

As always, thanks for readin’!