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! 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’!

Anime Update-o! Devilman Crybaby (Episode 2)

Release the demon

 

I was wondering whether or not this would be a story to captivate my attention, mainly because deviant art styles tend to throw me off more than entice me. Fortunately, this anime clicked quickly, and the art style actually only took me a little bit of adjusting to in order to drop my naggy bias. In fact, *le gasp* I actually really dig the art style, and only two episodes in!

But enough about the art, mainly because I don’t have much intellectual capacity to hold much more conversation over it than already done.

If episode one is the appetizer, then episode two would have to be the intoxicating aroma of one of your favorite dinner courses being prepared a room away. It picks up from episode one and is off at respectable speed, mixing enough plot with enough attitude to create happy faces. One of the cooler things I’ve noticed about the show is the variety in the “extras” in the show. Most of the characters seem vastly different, and maybe it’s the art style of the show that leans itself toward making that noticeable. Regardless, I found myself appreciating that aspect of the show as I watched with Kiku last night. The scene with the characters around the dinner table, The Last Supper poised behind them, whilst a demon sat at their table for dinner, was not lost upon me.

Like I said, an overall good episode that’s a tease for what’s further on down the line, as it should be. The pace was nice, not leaving me sitting there bored (they make sure to throw in a twerking ass or a titty shot for good measure) or racing through animations a la Superjail. The perfect cherry on top, the climax of the episode had me hyped: “I am Devilman!” with tears strolling down his face. *swoon*

We tried watching episode three, but Kiku somebody couldn’t stay awake past the midway point. Alas, lookin’ forward!

Thanks for readin’.

Anime Update-o! Black Clover, Episode 11 – What Happened On a Certain Day in the Castle Town

 

Oh the irony.

 

I Spoil zee Stuff

This week’s episode of Black Clover is weak. There’s no nice way to say it, as it takes its time accomplishing very little. In a nutshell, Asta and the gang get a pat on the back for their accomplishments of saving the village – and then we’re moving right along. But by right along I mean that the magic knights are receiving their pay for the month, and now’s a perfect time hit up some slice-of-life shopping scenes. It’s a pity text can’t wield my seething sarcasm as adeptly as I’d prefer, but you hopefully get the idea.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think every anime has room for a little slice of life. It helps with the immersion. But I feel like Black Clover started out on high gear and then threw down an emergency brake, giving me a case of anticipation whiplash for a show that no longer features the two things I signed up for: magic and fighting. Instead, we’re left with the repetition of lame gimmicks (Magna’s obsession with cliché manliness, Noelle’s upturned nose and bottled emotions, incest themed pedophilia) and a stretched out plot.

 

The only tiny bit of character development we see is further emphasis on Noelle’s growing feelings for Asta, something you saw coming if you’ve ever watched any anime before. Which is cool, but again, everything seems to have been hit with a “Slow” spell.

 

 

One of the few positive takeaways from the episode is seeing Vanessa with clothes and sobriety. I didn’t even know she owned clothes, with how persistently she wore nearly nothing around the Black Bulls HQ with her collection of bottles.

 

Gauche is just as creepily obsessed with his sister as ever.

 

Food girl, Charmy, meets expectations – whether that’s good or bad is kind of irrelevant at this point.

And there’s of course the various other little quirky bits of the show’s characters, but nothing that ultimately results in what I wanted to see from Black Clover. The characters are even spewing this “no one knows who it is” nonsense, and then commit to this lackluster day of nothingness. Again, I get that the episode felt needed by the creators for whatever reason and I’m not knocking it, but Black Clover had too quick of a start to have come to a screeching halt so abruptly.

 

And then, as we meet a character from previous episodes within a Black Market that sells magical goods, a lady is mugged and Asta leaps to action. End scene. Are you kidding me? Definitely the most terrible ending of the week for anime, as again, Black Clover attempts to shift gears with little to no warning to its passengers. I’m definitely along for a ride, but I’m reserving judgement for just a little while longer on whether or not it’s an enjoyable one or not. Hopefully next week does this Black Clover fan a little bit better, as I’m disappointed to be a hater this week. But it happens, and I’m looking forward to a turnaround!

 

 

I feel robbed too, lady!

 

 

Thanks for reading, let me know what ya’ think!

 

 

Anime Update-o! Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Episode 11 – To Treat a Man to Beef From His Own Cow

 

 

 

Our battle royale saw all contestants dead, save for one.

 

I spoil stuff

This week’s episode of Juni Taisen was pleasant enough, as the fighting seems to have been wrapped up neatly in a way that most people more or less saw coming. And yet for this anime, that seems okay. When I’d first heard about Juni Taisen, I thought it might be extremely similar to something like the Fate/Stay series. In that assumption I was horrendously wrong. The only comparison that can really be made is that of the tournament style, battle royale competition that takes place. Where they differ is their most important element: fight sequences.

Fate/Stay is more similar to something like Dragon Ball Z when it comes to fighting, with fast but flashy combat and long speeches. Juni Taisen fight sequences, and I remember talking to Kiku about this since the beginning, are much more relatable to flat out murders. There is sometimes a little bit of fighting, but for the most part the anime dealt more in executions. And that’s what made the predictability of the anime okay. High action, minimal plot – sometimes there’s just that craving, y’know?

 

 

Back to the episode at hand: Ox meets a grotesque Rabbit and gets himself pinned as (surprise!) Monkey springs from the chest of Rabbit’s reconstructed Frankencorpse. Rigid characters such as Ox, who have boring but respectable quirks or ideals, get better over time for me. It’s like the more they are thrown into my face, the more I just accept them for their boringness and begin to embrace them as a character – developing a secret bond. So as Ox is on the ground, contemplating suicide so that he won’t become a pawn of Rabbit’s game, I twiddled my thumbs and watched. It was one of those moment’s where I held my breath, just because I was curious as to whether Ox, the genius of slaughter, would poetically be his own end.

 

But the scenes constantly pan around the area. Instead of focusing just on Ox as he inwardly ranted, the attention focused upon the layout of the battlefield. This, and the fact that Rat’s not-deadness still lurked in the back of my mind, kind of played as a giveaway for the ending result of the entire scene. Even before Rat emerged, I had turned to Kiku, “Rat should just come out now and blow them all to shit while they’re together.” And low and behold, out of focus but very much alive, is Rat. And when he revealed Sheep’s bomb, I was fist pumping. I hadn’t remembered Sheep’s bomb he’d been unable to detonate on Tiger, but that’s where Juni Taisen excels. It plays as predictable, but supplies the little details of every situation as the twists of each moment.

 

 

Winner of the Juni Taisen: Rat, killing all

 

And as simple as that, Rat comes out the winner of Juni Taisen. When the character went AWOL for awhile, I knew he’d be one of the last. The sneaky rat, playing the Zodiac Game exactly how he was meant to. Ox’s dying thoughts, where he brings up the story of the Zodiac where the Rat wins the race on the head of the Ox. A sucker for a good tie-in, I particularly liked this reference.

Learning of Rat’s ability, to see and try one hundred different possibilities for every decision he makes, was of course the most epic part of the episode. It explained why he was so tired and hungry all the time, and help explain his moments that would otherwise look like nothing but weakness. I loved the way it transitioned into explaining the ability, using it in hopes of escaping the façade of the Zodiac War, only to find nothing. While some people may find it lacking, I think it worked perfectly as Rat’s ability. It feels like a reference to the rat in the maze, trying possibility after possibility until it can get to the cheese.

All in all a decent episode for a decent series. With one more to go, it’ll be interesting to see how the last episode attempts to make up for a plot that was lacking an entire season. Though I’m not complaining, it was like watching an action movie with great special effects – the plot can be sacrificed as long as you know that going in. But now, with the fighting (murdering) finished, I kind of expect some answers. Hopefully we get some of those next week, instead of some kind of lead-in to the next war. I’d really like to know about the War I’m watching before heading into another season of it.

 

As always, thank you for reading. Let me know what ya’ think about the anime!

Anime Update-o! Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Episode 37 – A Shinobi’s Resolve

 

Amazing artwork by ferstra on deviantart

 

This week’s episode of Boruto was basic, but in a very good way. It was basic in the sense that there was little wasted dialogue and no filler scenes. Couple that with a dash of action and what I refer to as “feelgood”, and the chances of entertainment success increase astronomically.

Starting where last week ended, Boruto is pinned by Kakashi undergoing his harsh lecture on what it truly takes to be a shinobi – resolve. (Side note: Anyone else feel like a lot of animes really hammered on that theme last week? Resolve, that is.) Kakashi questions Boruto’s lack of awareness for what his future is, questioning whether or not the entire class will have the resolve to be ninja when all they really do is follow Boruto. Then, in true Jigsaw a la Saw manner, Kakashi tells Boruto the only way he’ll be able to get out of the hold he’s wrapped within will be to break his own arm. Does Boruto have that kind of  backbone? Does he have the ability to acknowledge a situation and act on it, despite the consequences that may be reaped if they’re for the good of the village?

There’s not long to dwell before he’s saved from his situation by Mitsuki and Iwabe. Despite knowing that Kakashi could obliterate these children in the blink of an eye, it’s always fun to see shinobi teamwork tactics in action.

 

The little group huddle preplan scene was cute, and interesting to see how different Boruto’s childhood is than Naruto’s. Already his class is so bonded, when it took Naruto hardship after hardship to develop connections with his fellow genin. Actual battles, in some cases. I suppose it can be attributed to the times in which they live in, but it’ll be interesting to see if the bond is as genuine (or inspires the same feel of genuine connection in the audience). Regardless, as the students rally around Boruto in order to pep him up after his defeat, it brought little goosebumps to my arms. Naruto’s uncanny ability to befriend everyone can be seen within Boruto throughout the episodes, and it’s nice to see the culmination of that.

When it comes to the action of the episode, it was hype this week! The group split into two and each focused upon one opponent – Konohamaru and Anko, respectively. The nostalgia of Naruto originals amped the intensity of the battles up, as I’m a sucker for old school vs new school showdowns of any variety.

 

The Anko fight was a good chance to showcase some of the ninja that haven’t been properly introduced, at least in the combat sense. Wasabi probably gained the most appreciation from me this episode, as she was described as an underappreciated medical ninja with speed comparable to Metal Lee. This speed seems a result of her cat-like abilities, with tail and ears to match. Not to say that the others weren’t awesome in their own right, though I probably could do without Namida, who screams her way to victory. I’ll probably have to bite my tongue later when she becomes a sound wielding badass, but for now, I’ll hold firm.

 

 

The fight with Konohamaru was cool because we got to see some exemplary teamwork for future teammates Sarada and Boruto. With others involved for sealing jutsu purposes, Boruto and Sarada essentially fool Konohamaru into believing that they are one another. This is so that Konohamaru let’s his guard down as Boruto (actually Sarada) gets in close and can use the sharingan to use genjutsu (illusionary techniques) on him. As this succeeds, Konohamaru is blind to the kunai that is sent toward the target on his chest and is thus “slain”. It was an simple but sweet strategy that worked to perfection.

 

Of all the fights, I’d have to say that the Kakashi fight was probably the biggest disappointment. It wasn’t necessarily a bad fight, but the fact that they re-use the same jutsu to snare Kakashi kind of dulled the value. And although it was a cool nod to his father, who used mass amounts of shadow clones due to his massive amount of chakra, it was kind of boring to see everyone jumping at Kakashi seemingly blindly (transformed into Boruto). The sweetest moment in the fight was definitely whenever Kakashi used “Purple Lightning” and attempted to blow back everyone around him. The dust took a moment to settle as I shook my head, admiring their attempt. And then the clouds clear and the students are still holding Kakashi firmly in place. Chills raced up my spine (and again as I thought about it while writing) at their determination, and I could hear the “Hoo! Ha!” music from Naruto playing in my head.

 

They just miss the bell before the 24-hour limit expires, although Kakashi assures them that getting the bell was absolutely out of their reach the entire time. Instead it was, of course, testing their resolve.

 

Overall it was a good episode this week, with a lot of good new content. I look forward to the adventures of her new genin whenever they finally get within their three man squads and take on missions. It will be most interesting to see what kinds of missions there will be in a world filled with peace, although I imagine a lot of filler-like content. We’ll have to see though, as for now I’ll let myself marinate in content with this week’s episode of Boruto: Naruto’s Next Generation!

Anime Update-o! Boruto: The Next Generation, Episode 36 – The Graduation Exam Begins!

I spoil stuff.

 

 

I love how Kakashi’s old training lessons, the bells, now serve as tasks for an entire group of academy students striving to become genin of the Hidden Leaf.

 

This week’s episode of Boruto is the build-up I’ve been waiting for since the end of the Mist Village field trip. The graduation exams are finally about to begin! In the original Naruto, graduating from the academy was a simple as accomplishing a transformation jutsu. In Boruto, the graduation exam seems similar to the chuunin exams held in the Naruto series. The way that Boruto, as a series, plays off of its past is always interesting.

 

For instance, the comparison on the graduation exam to the chuunin exam. In a time where war is in the past, their graduation exams are even harder. With white headbands representing their lives, the students must get past Anko, Shino, and Konohamaru and still the bells from Lord Sixth, Kakashi. While this doesn’t make much sense to me, Kakashi explains that it is because the need for shinobi is low and that they can “afford to fail every student here”. Not to get too political or economical here, but if the need for shinobi is low, shouldn’t there be a little less focus on training a room full of children how to be one? And maybe that’s the point, as the very first episode of Boruto had the flash forward showing the villain stating that it was the end of the shinobi.

 

Then there’s the fun stuff like, like seeing nods to Ino/Shika/Cho in their respective children. It was fun seeing them at the beginning of their teamwork stages, nostalgia kicking in as I remember the cool moments shared by the trio’s parents. Seeing them fight Anko, an old instructor who’s put on a little bit of weight, is icing on the cake. There’s another brief moment when Sarada, Mitsuki and Boruto are traversing the treetops together – a nod to the next rung in a generational ladder of teams representing the 3 legendary sannin. These moments have me excited for what is in store for the series.

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I wish that the Mitsuki / Shino fight would have been sequenced. I can appreciate them wanting to keep Mitsuki, ‘child’ of Orochimaru, wrapped in mystery. However, it would be nice to see a little more than basic wind and lightning attacks from the ninja who is very clearly much more than he appears. As the scene shifts back and we see Mitsuki standing over a panting, defeated Shino, I found myself that much more curious about the strange ninja. Being in relation to Orochimaru, the writer’s of course play into the fact and attempt to make him look evil any opportunity that they can. I think Mitsuk will ultimately end up breaking the chain of being the snake of the group (pun intended), however.

One other obvious comparison the shows will continue to make, both implicitly and explicitly, are those between Naruto and Boruto. The fact that Boruto excels at school, even being able to pass the test he should have to cheat on, got a smile out of me. The whole series, Boruto has made a point about wanting to be better than his old man – schooling being something he’s clearly already surpassed him in. Whereas Naruto struggled with work in the academy and had a hard time making friends, Boruto excels at academy work and has a problem thinking about his life without his friends. Entirely opposite upbringings in an entirely new era of ninja.

It will be interesting to see where Boruto goes from here, as his problems center around his lack of ambition (a problem his father never struggled with). Naruto had a constant goal that drove him, and Boruto hasn’t found that yet, but it will be exciting to see what it is. Boruto’s way of the ninja!

Overall it was a decent episode that really gets most of its points for nostalgia’s sake, but that’s okay! The real episode will be next week, as Kakashi teaches Boruto about the resolve of the shinobi!

 

 

 

Anime Update-o! Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Episode 10 – A Tiger May Die, But It Leaves Its Skin

 

I spoil stuff.

Last week ended leaving us “guessing” over the fate of Rabbit as Tiger and Ox dismember his limbs. I mean, nobody thought the bunny was going out like that, did they? Granted, this anime has been masterful at introducing you to characters and building a little bit of attachment or sense of invulnerability and then ripping that away in moments by giving the character and short, simple death. In fact, when telling Kiku to catch up on the anime, I told her that they were less fight scenes and much more appropriately described as murder scenes.

But that’s been an aspect of the show that I’ve actually enjoyed. However, as mentioned, I just didn’t see it happening with Rabbit. As a necromancer, I was already assuming he’d be the hardest to kill. Couple that with the fact that he’s been masterfully cunning up until the moment he decided to dash headfirst at the rumored #1 of the entire competition (Ox) and company (Tiger). Someone who had taken out Monkey so effectively by placing Snake’s head in a tree as his own lookout had no reason to make such a reckless play, even if his tag is “killing psychotically”. And so when his arms flew through the air in attempt to skewer Ox, I wasn’t all that surprised. I was, however, surprised whenever Tiger jumped in the way of the blade.

Tiger’s entire situation seemed a bit perplexing to me. In the previous episodes, it is discovered that she couldn’t handle the horror of the battlefield and war situations and so she mentally and emotionally broke, turning to alcohol. It was also known that she held a grudge against Ox, seemingly wanting to kill him the moment she laid eyes on him. Well, this episode finally connects the two, and it was a bit of a disappointment. I like Ox’s response on how he always does the right thing, telling Tiger “First, you must decide what the right thing is. Two, you do it.” It comes down to simple resolve, and I love that Ox had the opportunity to make his character a little cooler.

However, it definitely made Tiger a worse character for it. Instead of being a badass, drunken master like I’d hoped, the alcohol really is nothing but an escape. Not only that, but her reason for hunting down Ox turns out it is because she spent the majority of her recovery aspiring to be as he is (match his resole); only for him to not remember and thus not acknowledge her when they arrive at the Juni Taisen. The logic seemed ludicrous and flawed, even though I guess I can kind of see where Tiger might be coming from. However, as a warrior within the Juni Taisen, it seems a little incredulous that her focus is on recognition from another competitor she is destined to war against.

That being said, I did like that Tiger explained that she took the blade simply because she decided to do it. So she did it. Even though I didn’t like her back story, I am still a sucker for anime moments where a character shows development, and this was no different. When Ox asks about her grudge, I couldn’t help but laugh at how stupid it was going to sound if she really said what the issue was. But then she says “This is our first time meeting. I just don’t like serious brooding types like you.” 

Maybe we should have just kept it at that. Overall a fun episode to watch, despite my disappointment in Tiger’s story. I’m interested to see where the next episode goes and how Rabbit will ultimately be handled, if at all. There are many factors to consider. Where is Rat? Where is Monkey? With those two having a recent past, I can see them in an episode together again, this time as enemies. What are Rabbit’s limbs up to? 

 

I think Ox is near the end of his days. Based on the history of the series, each time a character has begun to have their story revealed or start to look like a character even relatively in the spotlight, they’ve been eliminated. I liked Ox’s development this episode, but it will definitely be interesting to see if he’s the next character targeted in this slaughterfest of an anime series. Personally, I’m thinking Rat may live up to his phrase. Guess we will have to see! 

As always, thanks for reading!