Month: February 2025

Gomah Just Got a Major Power-Boost

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dragon Ball Daima Ep 16 Review

Last time on Dragon Ball Daima, the Dragon Team launched a full-scale assault on King Gomah’s stronghold. Their ultimate goal is to get the last of the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls, rescue Dende, and return to their proper ages. However, little do they know that Dr. Arinsu already has the last Dragon Ball and that the foolish Hybis just gave Gomah the ultimate weapon that could let him crush the heroes. Will the motley group of Saiyans, Demons, Namekians, Kai’s, and Humans make it to Gomah in time?

The answer is…no. No, they do not.

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The Gendarmerie Force Just Got Washed

Continuing from the events of the previous episode, Goku and the others continue their push towards King Gomah’s palace. However, they get interrupted by none other than the Gendarmerie Force, AKA the discount Ginyu Force that Gomah has to use as his last line of defense. Given how they felt super confident and bombastic about their chances earlier, one would think that the fight against them would take up most of the episode.

None of them reckoned on the likes of Vegeta, though.

It’s actually funny to see how the GF hyped themselves up so much and how Daima made us think they could be a serious obstacle. What’s even funnier, though, is how Vegeta no-sells all of their attacks. The look on his face says it all. He’s utterly indifferent to their schtick, having had to deal with the Ginyu Force for years. So, he makes them into his latest victims.

To his credit, though, Vegeta doesn’t kill them. Knowing him, he likely doesn’t see them as even worth killing.

Who saw Degesu Going Rogue?

Now, as for the character that gives the episode its name, Degesu shows his true colors. His attempt to flee with Dende as his hostage might seem sudden, but the anime has dropped hints that Degesu wasn’t as loyal to Gomah as the king thought. He’s always had this air of elitism about him due to being a Kai/Glind, even when serving Gomah. Given his attitude, it seems only fitting that it’s Panzy, someone who Degesu helped oppress, bring him down. Granted, she had help from Glorio and Hybis, but she’s the one who initiated it.

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So…why does this not feel like a much bigger deal?

The whole point of Goku and the others going to the Demon Realm was to rescue Dende. Saving him should be this big moment for the series. Something that should have more time and energy given to focus on it. Yet, once again, it feels like Daima is rushing toward the endgame without giving viewers enough time to enjoy it. Especially considering this is the last time we’ll have a story from Toriyama!

Gomah about to get a glow-up

Regardless of how the episode handles Degesu, though, it makes up for it when it comes to Gomah himself. While it would’ve been funny to have had that Demon that took Hybis’ belt (and Evil Eye) to have been Degesu in disguise, you can’t win them all. It’s made up by the fact that when Gomah puts the Eye in his forehead, he gets a massive power boost and becomes super jacked. It’s enough to make that nameless thief run away screaming!

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We have yet to see the full effects of the Evil Eye, but given how the Dragon Team is not at full power, he likely has a massive advantage over them. Worse still, just as the heroes realize the last Dragon Ball is gone, Arinsu shows up with Duu and Kuu in tow. And that doesn’t even get into the fact that Glorio is secretly working for Arinsu and could betray the group.

The bottom line is that the last four episodes will be filled with action and fights. Which is good, because if Daima wants to stick the landing, it needs to make them count!

I Give “Degesu” a 4/5

The maids must be crazy

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 4 Review

Of all the waifu archetypes in anime, one of the oldest and most respected is that of the maid. The cute outfits, the respectful behavior, the willingness to serve their masters loyally. Many a male anime fan has dreamed of having a cute maid as their girlfriend! However, there’s the expectations, and then there’s the reality of what that’s like. And as Rentaro finds out when he starts a relationship with the Hanazono’s maid, Mei Meido, being a perfect maid does not immediately correlate to being a girlfriend.

Also, I would like to amend my review for the season premiere. It turns out that the first half of the episode wasn’t anime-original. It was a chapter that I had forgotten about.

Mei has some serious issues!

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So, having gotten Hahari’s blessing to date Rentaro, Mei shows up at his house so that they can have their first real date. As said before, many young guys would kill for the chance to date a pretty maid girl like Mei. However, Rentaro soon discovers that Mei…has some issues.

Mei is so devoted to her life as Hahari’s maid that she has no interests outside of serving her mistress. When he asks her what she likes, all she can answer with are himself and lady Hahari. Then she tries to drive to both their residences, despite just leaving his!

It gets worse. While she does endear herself with a pre-made lunch, her maid mentality is so thoroughly ingrained into her that Mei needs someone to give her a command. If she had fallen in love with someone with fewer scruples, she could be asked to do things that some might seem indecent. The anime even lampshades how fortunate it is that Rentaro’s love far outweighs his lust. Its pretty clear, though, that, like many of the other girlfriends, Mei has her own, deep-seated issues. And while the anime tries to make light of it with a joke in the stinger, the accompanying flashback makes it clear that Mei’s problems should be taken seriously.

Spoiler alert: Mei’s deadbeat, debt-ridden parents abandoned her in the cold. If Hahari hadn’t found her in time, she would’ve died. Thankfully, not only did Hahari find her, she even offered to adopt her as her daughter. In other words, her non-existent self-esteem led Mei to become slavishly loyal to Hahari.

CHADtaro powers, ACTIVATE!

This looks like a job for…CHADtaro! In this case, he gives Mei thus command to not be of any use to him whatsoever, only to then point out how thats impossible. Why? Because her very existence is helpful to him!

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The logic and execution behind it seems crazy, but you can understand what Rentaro is going for. He’s trying to build up Mei’s self-esteem by showing her that she doesn’t need to do anything for him to make him happy. Just existing is enough for him because he’s a CHAD among CHADS. It doesn’t fully snap her out of this way of thinking, but none of the other girlfriends have fully gotten rid of their issues. Nor do they need to, because Rentaro accepts them, faults and all.

And with that, girlfriend #8 has been secured. On to the celebration.

Squirt Gun Fight!

It should be a recognizable formula by one: once Rentaro secures a girlfriend, the Rentaro Family will spend half an episode or a whole episode attempting to integrate the newcomer through comedic hijinks. In this case, Hahari has them all dress up as maids and have a water gun shootout. The winner gets a hug and kiss from Butler Rentaro!

The fight itself is funny due to how seriously (or not) the girls take it. The anime really leans into each girlfriends unique quirks to demonstrate how they win or lose. And, since this is a rom-com harem, each girl gets a gratuitous money shot of them soaked in their maid outfits. Unfortunately, Mei’s loyalty to Hahari leads to none of the girls winning…wait, that’s not unfortunate. They all get a kiss from the best boyfriend in harem anime…and a money shot of Butler Rentaro.

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One might think that having the series down to a formula would get boring, but what matters more is the execution. And with how many girlfriends with different personalities will be joining the Family, this isn’t going to get old anytime soon.

Though, admitedly, some of Hahari’s motivations can get grating if they’re not used in moderation. The fact that Hahari saved Mei mainly because she was cute is not something we needed to know!

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By the way, they updated the ED since they don’t need to hide Mei anymore! Secret route UNLOCKED!!!

I Give “Super Soaked Maid Party” a 4/5

Guess Who the next Girlfriend is? The Answer might Surprise you!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll, Dubs & Subs , , , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 3 Review

Maternal. Refined. Poise. All of these adjectives could be used to describe Hahari Hanazono. At least, they were, until she met Rentaro and the floodgates were opened. Now she’s the absolute goofiest member of Rentaro’s growing family, much to Hakari’s dismay. But maybe all Hakari needs to do is walk a mile in her mother’s shoes (with Rentaro) to understand why Hahari’s now acting like she is. All of this, plus the next girlfriend awaits on 100 Girlfriends!

Rugrats was a good cartoon!

One day in their usual hangout, Hahari’s back at her childish antics again. This time, she convinced Kusuri to make a drug that would turn everyone into babies, all so she can dress them up in baby clothes and pretend she’s their mommy. However, Hakari finally reaches her breaking point with her mother’s behavior and calls her out on how embarrassing it is as her daughter. Unfortunately, the fallout gets delayed because, thanks to Kusuri’s messing up, everyone but Rentaro and Hakari gets turned into babies. Tiny, adorable babies.

With a minimum of an hour before they can take the reversing drug, Hakari and Rentaro have to take care of the babified girls. It’s like one of those tv episodes where students have to raise an egg or flower sack as a pretend kid, but with actual stakes. It’s cute at first, until Hakari learns something: parenting is hard. The babies crawl everywhere, Karane and Kurumi keep trying to feed off of Hakari, and the only the two can get them to stop is by Rentaro injuring himself.

Despite all this, though, Hahari still consoles her daughter like the mother she is.

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Tell your mom you love them!

The whole experience is an eye-opener for Hakari as to how hard raising kids can be. Hahari had the good fortune of being wealthy enough to be a single mother, but becoming one at age 13 would be stressful for anyone. Herein lies the reason for why Hahari acts so silly: because she neber got to enjoy her teens and grow up quickly, she’s trying to make up for lost time. Thus, surrounded by the Rentaro Family that loves her for all her faults, she lets herself cut loose. It’s not ideal, but Hakari learns to accept that part of her mother…to an extent.

The second half of the episode skips past a chapter focused on Kusuri playing with a toy penguin named after Rentaro, sadly. However, it’s a good segue into the Family’s next misadventure involving Meido.

And Girlfriend #8 is…

Meido, age 19, Hahari’s personal maid who’s always smiling for the sake of her mistress. She’s best described as being like a dog, in that she’s so loyal to Hahari, it unnerves Hahari sometimes. She even says that she will take cyanide if Hahari asked her! Yet, underneath her smile and closed eyelids, Hahari claims she has beautiful eyes. She’s kept her face in professional maid mode for so long, though, she might qualify as blind.

The Rentaro Family resorts to their various antics to try and get Meido to open her eyes, with predictable results. All their various attempts to scare, make her laugh, or startle her end in failure or just more hijinks! The most they manage to do is Nano making Shizuka cry and Kusuri and Kurumi having to comfort Hahari.

Once again, though, it’s Rentaro who manages to come in clutch.

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Now we have a maid girlfriend

THAT’S RIGHT! Meido is girlfriend #8, here to fulfill everyone’s fantasies of dating a cute maid! And, as per the norm by now, she’s got her own issues that she needs to deal with before they can seal the deal. In this case, Meido’s loyalty to Hahari is so great that she refuses to act on her feelings until Hahari orders her to.

This could be Rentaro’s toughest battle yet. How will he get through to the super-loyal Meido? For that matter, why is Meido so loyal to Hahari in the first place? Expect to learn the answers to both in the next episode. However, as far as this episode goes, it was yet another barrel of laughs for this writer. Ever since Hahari came to accept Rentaro and his harem ways, her goofy antics have been the source of a great deal of the series comedy. Considering how she had to suppress her own desires for 16 years for her daughter’s sake, though, it’s understandable. You’d be surprised how many adults wish they could cut loose like Hahari does. Also, seeing the baby versions of the Family get into trouble while the “parents” struggled feels like watching an episode of the classic Rugrats.

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I Give “What Does the Maid See?” a 4/5

They Cut off Part of the Manga for the Eating Contest

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll, Dubs & Subs , , , , , , , , , ,

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 2 Ep 2 Review

Last time on the legend of CHADtaro, our hero managed to secure his seventh girlfriend, Kurumi Haraga, the girl with an appetite to rival that of a Saiyan. But despite choosing to date Rentaro, the little Kirby will not associate with the rest of the Rentaro family. Thus, CHADtaro decided to enter them all into an eating contest to help them bond. Can the Family’s stomachs survive the turmoil to come? Find out now on The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You!

An Eating Contest?

As stated above, in order to break the ice between Kurumi and the rest of his girlfriends, Rentaro has them all enter an eating contest, with a special gelato being the grand prize. However, things are easier said than done, as Kurumi rather coldly believes the other girls will only hold her back. To make matters worse, their main competition happens to be a competitive eater…who cheats. They disguise themselves as a giant man to hide the fact that they use a vacuum and food collector to store everything they “eat.” It’s something so ridiculous that even the anime calls itself out on the sheer ridiculousness of it!

Being that this is a food competition, most of the episode’s humor stems from the competitor’s efforts to keep from exploding from eating so much, with each girlfriend going to absurd lengths to win!

Shizuka? She chews boba like she’s a cute little chipmunk?

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Nano forces herself onto a ledge so that the fear will somehow make her able to eat her last piece of food!

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Hakari and Hahari power through the potential weight gain by remembering the fat will go to the places that matter.

Hilariously, Karane and Kusuri’s part gets cut off to save time.

The Rentaro Family wins (duh)

In the end, the final round predictably comes down to Rentaro and Kurumi’s efforts. Unfortunately, not even Kurumi’s stomach can handle all the food she’s eaten, and she begins to give out. At least, until the Rentaro family pulls through. With the help of their collective stamina, they’re able to bring the cheater to his knees! And then Rentaro just comes in and secures the final win using the power of love and whatnot!

And afterwards, Kurumi and Rentaro celebrate by having their first kiss. And with that, girlfriend #7 has been secured for the Rentaro Family.

So, how was this little outing? Hilarious, but that’s the case for almost everything in this wacky harem anime. If anything, it would be more surprising if it wasn’t silly and over-the-top. However, it may be because of the sheer amount of food being consumed, but this episode wasn’t quite as fun as the previous one. Then again, you can’t expect every episode to be a winner.

Unless you’re Rentaro. Then they’re all winners.

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I Give “The Beginning and the End! Food Fight Festival!”

Memmeln is Acting Hecka Sus!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some people think that living for centuries would be awesome. However, what good is getting to live for hundreds, even thousands of years, if everyone you know grows old and dies without you? In fantasy novels, it is the curse of many elves to outlast their fellow mortals, like Memmeln from Zenshu. Even with everything Natsuko knows about the film she’s stuck in, she doesn’t know what drives Memmeln. And that not knowing almost costs them the Nine Soldiers everything in the new episode of Zenshu.

Memmeln is a Void Stan

As Natsuko is working on her drawings, Luke asks a question out of the blue regarding the Void that snuck into the festival last episode. None of them know how that happened in the first place, but Natsuko knows…sort of.

Spoiler alert: Memmeln is part of a group that cast a spell to disguise the Void as the priest. Their plan was to summon the Ultimate Void, but when they do, and Luke killed it, it was revealed to be Memmeln. The problem is that the film never explained why this happened, so Natsuko’s left fumbling for answers, just like Luke.

Which leads to the big “wtf” reveal of the episode: Memmeln is part of a group of elves that are fed up with living. They’ve seen death and destruction too many times over the course of their lives, so they just want the pain to end. In short, they’re trying to create a mass extinction event to embrace death.

Immortality is Overrated…

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While there’s no denying that getting to stave off aging for a century or two would be nice, not everyone thinks of the downsides of such a long life. Live long enough, and everything starts to become a blur. People you know and love die, and you’re left alone. Living that long can be a curse unto itself, something Memmeln is acutely aware of. However, instead of cherishing the time she has all the more, Natsuko points out how self-serving her plans are. And she’s not wrong. It is rather selfish to unilaterally decide to end the world.

So, the big issue is how do Natsuko and Luke convince Memmeln and her group not to go through their plans? Something Natsuko knows well: the immortality of a creator.

Unless you create something really cool!

It can be argued that, besides the existence of the soul, the only true form of immortality is having the world remember your name. And in this regard, great storytellers can wind up being remembered long after they’ve left this world. Homer, Shakespeare, Tolkien, all of them have been dead from anywhere from several decades to thousands of years, but people still remember them. Centuries from now, people might still remember Toriyama, Tezuka, Oda, and the other great mangaka of 20th and 21st centuries. The bottom line is that all these people created characters that, even after they’re dead and gone, are going to be remembered.

So, Natsuko plays into that with her latest drawing. It’s to remind Memmeln and her choir that, for all the suffering and loss that comes with the fullness of time, there are still beautiful things worth cherishing. Granted, she used a boy band heartthrob from an anime she worked on, but that doesn’t take away any of the poignancy. No matter how much destruction and loss the world is filled with, there’s still beauty to be found!

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Natsuko and Luke’s plan works. They manage to convince Memmeln and her followers to not give up on life when they can still stan anime husbando’s. The bad news is that seeing them go off together briefly gave Unio the impression that Natsuko and Luke were dating. And Luke’s denial at the end only makes him even more suspicious.

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Who thinks Natsuko and Luke are going to date?

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It’s official: Zenshu is shipping Natsuko and Luke, which could be both good and bad. Good, because if it goes through and she gets some character development before waking up back in Japan, Natsuko would have the experience to finish that romance anime she was stuck on. Bad, because it could lead to the story ending far worse if something bad happens. That, and she and Luke would be separated if she went back home. It could go either way.

Clearly, Zenshu is playing the long game and trying to make us invested in how things will turn out, and it could go either way.

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I Give “Eternity” a 3.5/5

Natsuko Just Fixed a Useless Character

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep. 3 Review

Zenshu has now hit its third episode (fourth by the time this is out), and that marks an important milestone. The anime’s reaching the point where viewers will decide whether it’s worth watching or they decide to move onto something else. Thankfully, after a few rough patches, the third episode manages to be its strongest thus far. In addition to further expanding on the world that Natsuko finds herself in by introducing Luke’s designated love interest, the episode hints that what she knows should happen and what will happen might not always add up.

Which is a fancy way of saying that the story might be mixing things up in an attempt to course-correct.

I Respect Natsuko’s Aversions to Fancy Clothes

Thanks to the efforts of Natsuko, two of the tragic events that originally occurred in A Tale of Perishing have been averted. As a result, rather than the joint funeral for Unio and the townsfolk that Natsuko notes would’ve happened, the Last Town’s harvest festival takes place as planned. To her dismay, being the guest of honor also means she has to wear a fancy dress, which she despises, much to Unio’s amusement.

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The harvest festival, as a whole, serves as an excellent means of further developing Natsuko and the Nine Soldiers. Natsuko’s disdain for her fancy dress highlights how she wants to live life on her own terms and doesn’t care what others think. Unio proves to be a casanova wannabe who tries and fails to flirt with multiple women, to Natsuko’s amusement. Memmeln refrains from the town’s religious practices because she’s lived so long, she sees them as a fad. And despite his good looks, Luke is shown to be very shy around large groups of women. Which may explain his earlier sexist remarks towards Natsuko.

This is unfortunate, as this episode marks the introduction of his love interest from the film Destiny Heartwarming (yes, that is her real name.) She’s the sweet, sheltered daughter of the town’s mayor, engaged to a wealthy businessman to be the next of his many wives…and that’s it. As Natsuko notes, she’s only there for her and Luke to fall in love…so that when she shows up at the worst possible time and dies, it will break him even further.

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A USELESS CHARACTER, DESTINY IS (For Now)

There’s a name for characters like this: dead. weight. Natsuko thinks that in her inner monologues, which is likely Zenshu providing commentary on how fans can come to hate certain characters for various reasons. In Natsuko’s case, not only is it because she’s a jinx, but because she’s only marrying that businessman because she thinks it’s the best way to start an orphanage for the town’s children. For someone who values her own freedom like Natsuko, Destiny’s way of thinking offends her to her very core.

In any case, Natsuko tells everyone that they have a month before the Void return, so they can take it easy. However, she’s soon proven wrong when a Void comes in disguised as a priest, something that shouldn’t have happened until later in the story. How this is happening is unclear, but it’s possible the story is attempting to right itself after Natsuko’s interference changed events. And with Destiny in danger and Luke drunk in vodka, she has to come up with another deus ex machina.

WRESTLING!!!

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This time, it’s a cat luchador. Which leads to an enjoyable moment where Natsuko provides commentary as her creation delivers a smack down like it’s an actual wrestling match. Say what you want, but someone at MAPPA has a sense of humor.

In the end, another crisis is averted thanks to Natsuko, and in more ways than one. After waking up three days later (which seems to be standard), she finds out her words left a positive impact on Destiny. Not only did she dump business guy and open the orphanage on her own, she decided to follow Natsuko’s example and live life on her terms. And those terms include emulating the cat wrestler, which is hilarious.

Natsuko Hirose. Making bad characters better since 2025.

It was touch and go for a while, but after this episode, Zenshu looks like it can handle itself with the big boys. This is one anime to watch for the winter season of 2025, as there’s no telling how things will turn out. We still don’t know how Natsuko got to this world or why she was brought there, but there are sure to be some theories at work already.

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I Give “Destiny” a 4/5

Toriyama Couldn’t Resist the Sentai, Could He?

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dragon Ball Daima Ep 14 Review

Even if they would be quickly overshadowed in strength by future villains, most Dragon Ball fans remember the Ginyu Force. Their flamboyant personalities, their unique powers, and their love for choreographed posing. The Ginyu Force was Toriyama’s first affectionate parody of the tokusatsu genre and Super Sentai series, AKA the Power Rangers. A tribute to the franchise he’d grown to love from watching alongside his son. Dragon Ball would come to incorporate other sentai parodies like the Great Saiyaman and the Pride Troopers, but the Ginyu Force are the most iconic. Therefore, it’s perhaps fitting that Toriyama’s last gift to Dragon Ball would include yet another sentai parody among the antagonists. And while it’s easy to see that Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Shin, Glorio and the others will mop the floor with this new group, they’ll still be fun to watch.

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The latest tokusatsu team in Dragon Ball

After their detour in the last episode, the hero’s party is back on track for the First Demon World. Unfortunately for them, Gomah already knew they were coming and planned ahead. Not only did he pull back the bulk of his forces to the First Demon World to defend him, he had Degesu shut down Warp-Sama across the entire Demon Realm. Whatever world its inhabitants are in, they’re now trapped there. In addition, he’s mobilized his elite forces, the Gendarmerie Force. AKA, the Demon Realm’s version of the Ginyu Force.

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From the outset, a longtime Dragon Ball fan see Toriyama’s love of tokusatsu and sentai oozing off the Gendarmerie Force. They’re essentially Demon clones of the Ginyu’s, right down to their friendly nature and love for synchronized posing. The only difference between them and the Ginyu’s is that, unlike Frieza, Gomah has zero tolerance for their hammy nature. Given how he already knew how strong Goku was as an adult, and seeing how strong he and his allies are as kids, his intolerance is understandable. He’s taking the threat seriously, but his best soldiers care more about getting chips and giving candy to kids (Kuu and Duu.)

It doesn’t take a genius to know that, while they might put up a good fight, the Gendarmerie Force is going to lose to the combined force of Saiyans, Namekians, Demons, and two super-geniuses. The one upside is that, unlike the Ginyu, the Gendarmerie might stand getting out of this mess alive. That would be a nice change of pace; one last way for Toriyama to show his love of the sentai genre.

This feels like a cop-out

Meanwhile, thanks to being stuck on a planet of giants, it’s only now that the party arrives at Warp-sama. Thus, it’s only now that they learn that Gomah shut Warp-sama down, and with the barriers connecting the Demon Worlds up, they look to be trapped. At least, they do, until Neva reveals he was the one who put the barriers up to protect the Second World from thugs and snooty elites and brings it down.

As impressive as this feat is, with Piccolo even saying Neva deserved his legendary status, it feels too much like a deus ex machina. The heroes traveling with the one who created the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls is believable, as that has happened in the past. But for that same person to be the one who created the barriers separating the Demon Realm? That’s pushing it, and it feels like Daima only did to save fans time by slogging through an episodes-long fetch quest. Normally, that would be a good thing, but in this case, it might have done more harm than good.

Firstly, consider how much time Daima’s spent in the Second Demon World. Now compare it to the time spent in the Third Demon World. The Second World is nowhere near as well explored as the Third, and that’s a problem. This is the first time outside the games and supplementary material that fans have gotten a look at the Demon Realm. The show should try and build it up as much as possible, not rush through it like this!

Yes, Daima is ending soon

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What makes it worse is the revelation that Daima will be ending in February with twenty episodes. Considering how this series is Toriyama’s final contribution to the world he created, many fans might not be ready to say goodbye so soon. However, it’s out of the fan’s control, with the episode seeing the party of Saiyans, Demons, Namekians, Kai, and human making it to the First Demon World…and losing their plane again.

Gomah’s preparations seem to have borne fruit, as the second the group arrives, they’re immediately beset by the Gendarmerie. The episode ends with them running from the sheer force of numbers, and they’ll likely be in for a tough fight. As exciting as that sounds, though, and as funny as the Gendarmerie Force is, it doesn’t change the fact that this episode feels rushed. That could spell bad news for the ending and, ultimately the legacy, of Daima. As any Game of Thrones fan attests, a good story can be ruined if it doesn’t stick the landing. Seeing Toriyama flex his love for sentai one last time helped, but not much. Unless the last six episodes are really good, Toei made a mistake with the number of episodes it gave Daima, and this proves it.

I Give “Taboo” a 2.5/5

The Giants that Make Great Apes Look Small

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dragon Ball Daima Ep 13 Review

After a week off, Dragon Ball Daima is back for the new year, and it’s gearing up for the latter half of its story. To recap where we left off, Goku and the other just retrieved the second of the Demon World’s Dragon Balls. Simultaneously, Dr. Arinsu got the last one thanks to her new minions, Majin’s Kuu and Duu. As for her boss, Supreme King Gomah, he’s entering full-blown panic mode as Goku and his allies look set to arrive on his doorstep. As he takes drastic measures to stop him, the group runs into its own problems a-la Gulliver’s Travels. Though Attack on Titan might be more appropriate, given how this is an anime.

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Gomah is Getting Desperate

Supreme King Gomah is being backed into a corner, and he knows it. His attempts to try and weaken Goku and his friends and family so they’re not a threat have completely backfired on him. And with his army pulled back to his stronghold in the First Demon World, he faces the very real risk of losing his control over the Demon Realm. Thus, he decides to take drastic measures. He orders Degesu to shut down Warp-sama in a last-ditch attempt to keep Goku out.

We don’t yet know the implications of shutting down the main form of transit between the Demon Realm and the multiverse, but this will likely be a problem for the heroes. Not only does this make getting to Gomah and Dende (their goal) harder, but without Warp-sama, they might not be able to make it home. And since there’s no guarantee Goku’s instant transmission can get them to Dende, they might have to find another way!

Giant. DEMONS.

That problem can wait, though. Continuing their string of bad luck with planes, the group’s plane goes down on a mysterious planet that has Neva shaking in fear once he remembers its name. Enter, Planet Mega, AKA the second most dangerous planet in the Demon Realm due to everything there being so big, including its inhabitants, the Megath. Inhabitants who, even as kids, make a Saiyan’s Great Ape form look puny in comparison. And the adults are big enough to hunt the Krakens that inhabit the seas of the Second Demon World.

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Run. Just Run!

Saying that Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the others are out of their league would be an understatement. A single Megath child manages to pressure them to the point where they can’t win a straight-up fight. Even in their adult forms, it’s likely the Megath would be too much for the Saiyans and Namekian to handle at this point in their lives. As a result, viewers have to watch as the group flees for their lives. And even then, they only manage to get away by the skin of their teeth. Little wonder why Neva said that not even the Supreme Demon King and his army dared to travel to Mega; it’s terrifying!

The scariest part, though? This is only the second most dangerous place in the Demon Realm. According to Neva, the most dangerous place, Planet Giga, has beings even bigger than the Megath!

This unexpected excursion conjures mixed feelings within me. On the one hand, I can’t help but be curious as to how strong the Megath and Gigath are compared to an adult Goku and Vegeta. On the other hand, I think that they might be too much for even a Saiyan to handle. Still, if this counts as a filler episode, I’m not going to complain. This was a fun, yet terrifying, experience.

I Give “Surprise” a 4/5

Detective Maomao is Back on the Job!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , ,

The Apothecary Diaries S2 Premiere Review

In late 2023, a new mystery drama anime took the anime world by storm, The Apothecary Diaries. Set in a fictional country based on medieval China, the anime is about Maomao, a young apothecary who unwillingly becomes a servant in the palace of the Emperor. After she solves a mystery surrounding the Emperor’s infant children growing sick, though, she becomes an unofficial detective as she starts solving more and more mysteries. That, and she finds herself as the center of attention for the mysterious Eunuch, who gets on her nerves. The anime is pretty good with a solid story and some very creative mysteries, so it’s garnered a large following since its debut. And now, more than a year since the end of the first season, it’s finally returned. So what new and interesting mysteries await Maomao in the season premiere?

Besides increasing the literacy rate among the Palace’s occupants, she helps the residents get a pet.

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Maomao is an Entrepreneur

As Jinshi’s visiting the Jade pavilion one day, he manages to catch Maomao in the middle of pulling off her latest side hustle. To help pay off the money she owes to the woman running the brothel she worked at, Maomao’s started selling manuals meant to teach women the…art of making partners very, very happy.

If you’ve seen the anime, then you know that this isn’t the first time Maomao has provided material meant to spice things up between couples. In the first season, she became an informal teacher in those things. And, since many people have resorted to finding secondary means of earning money in the modern day, I think most of us can respect Maomao’s hustle.

That little sale of adult manuals actuall segues into Maomao taking on yet another informal role in the Jade Pavilion by teaching the other servants how to read. It may not seem like much now, but in the Middle Ages, being able to read and write was the equivalent of having a PhD. Her one friend, in particular, is smart for wanting to learn how to read and write before she leaves the palace for good. More importantly, this marks the latest example of Maomao inadvertently increasing her importance in the Imperial court.

Enough about that, though. It’s time to talk about how the new royal pet!

Maomao and Maomao

While Maomao is looking after her lady’s daughter, Princess Lingli, the two of them discover a stray kitten that somehow wandered into the palace. After capturing it, the Emperor (being a good father) lets his daughter adopt it as a pet/serve as pest control for the clinic. The remainder of the episode sees Maomao and the others watching over the kitten. Rather, Maomao watches over it. The boys fawn over it and it’s natural cuteness, leading to the best moment in the entire episode.

Thanks to its numerous visual gags, the anime has made it no secret that it thinks Maomao has a lot of catlike qualities. However, seeing Maomao explaining how cats can charm humans to Jinshi, juxtaposed by images of their past interactions, is comedic gold. Maomao managed to perfectly describe her and Jinshi’s relationship without even realizing it. But the real icing on the cake is the fact that the staff decided to name the kitten Maomao. It’s a two-pronged jab at the catlike apothecary, as her very name comes from the Chinese word for “Cat.” That’s a clever pun.

The Apothecary Diaries may lack the action of some other big hits, but what it lacks there, it makes up for in other areas. I wound up binging most of the first season over the last year or so, and while I normally wouldn’t find a series like this interesting, there’s something about The Apothecary Diaries that pulls me in. I may not plan on reviewing it every week for The D&A Anime blog, but I do plan on adding it to my weekly schedule for watching anime. It’s definitely going to be one of the big anime people will be watching in the Winter 2025 season, if not the whole year.

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Verdict: Imma Watch it