Month: January 2026

LET THE CULLING GAME BEGIN!

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

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 3 Review

My fellow Jujutsu sorcerers, Jujutsu Kaisen is back! Well, it’s been back for about a week by the time I’m writing this, but I didn’t write about the first two episodes. There was no need to, since I had already covered them in my review of the compilation movie. But now that they’re out, I’m free to cover everything going forward as we get into the Culling Games. I’m going into this basically blind, but from what I’ve heard, and based on how crazy the new OP is, this is going to be absolute chaos!

What is the Culling Game?

So, where were we when we last left off? Yuji was a fugitive from the corrupt Jujutsu heads alongside his half-human, half-cursed spirit half-brother. Nagoya “Dbag” Zen’in tried to kill Yuji. Yuta showed up like an absolute CHAD and helped Yuji fake his death. And now all the good guys reunite at Tokyo Jujutsu High to meet Tengen, the immortal responsible for the barriers protecting the high schools in Tokyo and Kyoto. This brings us to this episode, which is more or less dedicated to exposition dumping on what the heck is about to happen.

Which is good, because I’ve always had a hard time understanding the power system in JJK, and I’ve had an even harder time trying to understand what the end goal of the antagonist’s is for the Culling Games.

To sum it up as best as I can understand it, it’s like the Infinite Tsukuyomi from Naruto meets Fortnite.

No, really. The ultimate plan of Kenjaku, the sorcerer who has possessed Geto’s corpse, is to force humanity to evolve by giving everyone access to cursed energy. His plan is to have humanity fuse with Tengen, who has evolved to become less a human and more an abstract entity, granting them all curse energy. To do that, he needs a massive amount of cursed energy be unleashed, hence why he’s been working behind the scenes for a thousand years trying to make the Culling Games happen. He made pacts with ancient sorcerers to have them participate in exchange for bringing them back in new bodies, which he did by feeding people cursed objects containing their souls. He also found people with cursed techniques who couldn’t use them and modified their brains so that they could, using the disaster curses and others to accomplish this. And since users of the Six Eyes like Gojo kept foiling him in the past, he made sure to seal Gojo so the technique wouldn’t pass on to someone else. All of this culiminated at Shibuya, where Kenjaku used everything to awaken thousands of sorcerers, both ancient and modern-day, and unleashed countless cursed spirits across Japan.

Da Rules

So, there a boatload of sorcerers who appeared out of nowhere, hordes of cursed spirits that have formed colonies across Japan, and Kenjaku is forcing them all to fight in the Jujutsu equivalent to Fortnite. All so he can merge humanity for the sake of transcending their current limitations. And to make matters worse, joining the Culling Games is non-negotiable for those picked. There are rules that even say so!

  1. Anyone who gets a cursed technique has to join nineteen days after awakening said technique by entering one of the colonies.
  2. Refusal to join will lead to players deaths by removal of cursed technique.
  3. Non-players who enter colonies become players by default.
  4. Points are gained by killing players and non-players
  5. Point values are determined by game master
  6. Players who gain 100 points can ask game master to add a new rule to the game. No takebacks!
  7. The game master must agree to new rule as long as it doesn’t mess with the game.
  8. Players whose scores haven’t changed after 19 days will die.

And to make sure that the game can’t end if he dies, Kenjaku made it so he isn’t the game master. This Shinigami thing called a kogane is!

Credit where credit is due; as someone who enjoys games myself, Kenjaku really thought this out. A pity that he’s doing this for the sake of evil. And with Gojo sealed in the Prison Realm, and the tools needed to free him destroyed or out of energy, there’s no way for him to stop Kenjaku.

Or is there?

One Chance

As fate would have it, one of those reawakened sorcerers, Angel, has a technique that can nullify other cursed techniques. Which means that she’s able to open the back door to the Prison Realm and let Gojo out. So, if they want to stop this madness, then they’re going to have to find Angel. But since this episode already gave us plenty of exposition, the anime decided to cut us some slack and give us this video explaining the good guy’s plans.

Everyone has their marching orders now, and so everyone must get ready to play the deadliest game of their lives.

Now, some people are no doubt asking why Kenjaku decided to make the rules as they are, let alone give players the chance to alter them or provide an out. That seems counterproductive to his evil plans for forced assimilation. The thing is, he probably doesn’t care if he ends up failing. His only goal is to force humanity to evolve, and conflict has always been a surefire way of seeing this happen. Think of how many leaps and bounds in technology have been made thanks to war making them a necessity. Even if he fails and even if the game falls apart, that won’t change the fact that he’s shaken Jujustu society to its core. They have to change now.

Great Exposition

Personally, I liked this episode. It might have to do with growing up watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I enjoy hearing exposition so I can better understand what’s going on. And judging by the comments on that Crunchyroll video, there are plenty who are having a hard time understanding how this whole thing will work. But what I think is my favorite part of this episode has to be the ending as we get our first look at one of those awakened sorcerers. I read about him on TV Tropes, and from the sounds of it (and how he is in the OP), he’s going to be pretty funny. Heaven knows we need that considering what’s about to happen.

I Give “About the Culling Game” a 4/5

So this is Suicide Squad, But Cooler? I Like it!

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

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 2 Review

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a group of convicts be used as cannon fodder by uncaring superiors, I’d have a few extra dollars. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird how I’ve seen it happen multiple times in fiction. That being said, Sentenced to be a Hero is looking to be one of the biggest anime of the season. People are praising it for the story, the animation, and the characters, and it’s not hard to see why. Mother’s Basement included it in his list of heavy hitters for the winter 2026 season; he nicknames it “Gantz of Thrones.” That’s incredibly accurate, in my opinion! The Heroes are people being used as fodder in a war they’re expected to die in, but can be brought back for more, and not all of them are mentally put together. But that won’t stop them from doing their job.

So, despite the premiere ending with Xylo getting arrested and accused of stealing Teoritta, he wakes up in a tent with nothing having happened to him. Which makes sense, considering how he’s already been sentenced to the worst possible punishment as eternal fodder in a war. Credit where it’s due, though: that knight Kivia does apologize for the accusation when they meet up later in the episode. But Xylo couldn’t care less, as he tells her point-blank that she wouldn’t have believed him anyway. He’s right; no one would believe him, so why bother?

What does surprise him, though, is the fact that Teoritta refuses to end their contract, despite knowing what he did…or was forced to do by his circumstances. Some would call her naive, but I see it as her being a good judge of character. Xylo may hide it underneath his bitterness, but he’s a good and decent person. If he wasn’t, then why would he make it his mission in life to find the people responsible for Senerva’s death? He’s such a good person that he’s ready to burn everything to avenge her.

Another Suicide Mission

Speaking of mission, the heroes get their next one: defeating some demons called faeries infesting the mines at a town called Zewan Gan. This is when we are introduced to two more heroes, and, in keeping with what seems to be the theme for them, they’re quite eccentric. There’s his majesty, Norgalle Senridge. He’s an expert in sacred seals and magic, but he’s convinced that he’s the rightful king of their nation and everyone are his subjects. I’d say he’s delusional, but I’ve seen crazier things be true, and he does look out for the others. There’s also his servant, Tatsuya. He’s been a hero for so long, he’s practically feral. It’s tragic for him, but it makes him super vicious in battle.

So, we’ve got a fallen holy knight, a thief, a coward, a delusional magic expert, and someone as feral as Ezekiel from Total Drama. This whole thing is reminding me more and more of Game of Thrones meets that Suicide Squad isekai from a few years ago, but better. Consider me invested in it.

At any rate, their mission is to seal up the mines and make sure the demons don’t get out. That is already a hard job. But to add an extra layer of tragedy, its revealed that the faeries they’re fighting were humans transformed into monsters. The heroes and holy knights are basically having to perform mercy kills. The mission gets complicated, though, when they find a survivor who says there are more deeper in the mines. Kivia has orders to collapse the mines, but Norgalle insists they save ‘his people.’ So what can they do?

You Can’t Ignore Being a Good Person

Xylo shows why he’s a good person once again when he tells Kivia “Screw it. I’ll go save them. If I’m not back in time, feel free to blow the place. Not like you’re going to lose anything valuable.” But as a precaution, he refuses to allow Teoritta to accompany him. Which means if they run into trouble, they’ll be at a disadvantage.

If the extra-long premiere was meant to serve as a first look at this world, then this second episode helps to flesh out the world. And once again, the animation is still gorgeous and I love it. I’m now fully invested into this series and I’m looking forward to watching it over the rest of the season. Next week, we’re likely going to see the heroes race against the clock as we see them try to live up to actual heroes. Bring it on.

I Give “Sentence: Clear the Zewan Gan Tunnels Part 1” a 4/5

Sentenced to Be a Hero Might be Anime of the Year Material!

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

Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep 1 Review

Happy New Year, everyone! And what a good year it is looking to be for the world of anime! We are going to see the return of many popular anime that we here at the D&A Anime Blog are all looking forward to seeing. However, I think that the first big hit of the year is an entirely new show. A show that’s animated by some of the people that made the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation a legend of animation. As a fan of that Isekai series and agreeing that the animation from the first season was near god-tier, that fact alone was enough to get me interested in this. However, now I’m going to want to stay for the story, because Sentenced to be a Hero has the potential to be one of the best anime of the year.

I feel so good about being right.

Sentenced to be a Hero Inverts the Praise that Comes with the Word

The hero. A four-letter word that has done more to inspire feelings of hope, courage, and inspiration than any other in existence. It’s a concept that appears in every culture that’s ever existed, and one that comes with respect. That is not the case for the premise behind Sentenced to be a Hero, though. Before we even get to see the animation (which is god-tier), we get a text block explaining what a hero is in this story. In this story, being a hero is a punishment for the worst criminals. They are sentenced to fight on the frontlines in the never-ending war against Demons until they drop dead. They’re not even granted the peace of death, as they’re revived and forced to continue fighting, as unending cannon fodder, for eternity.

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a story where someone called a hero is treated terribly by those they’re having to save. It sure as heck isn’t the first time I’ve seen death being irrelevant to a story. And of course, we have video games, where players are expected to die and then have to start back from their last save. For all we know, science and technology could give people alive today the ability to tell death to piss off for as long as we want.

But dying is still dying, and while Goku and the others are able to shrug it off with zero signs of mental trauma, that’s not the case for everyone. It’s still going to hurt, and even someone with the strongest mentality they could possibly have is going to start cracking if they experience that over and over. And as we are introduced to the world of the show and its main cast, Sentenced to be a Hero demonstrates this in all its nightmare-fueled glory.

Xylo Has a Bone to Pick With those in Power

We are introduced to our main character, Xylo, in the middle of a battle against the Demons as one of his fellow Heroes steals something from their “allies.” The other Hero, Dotta, almost bites it and asks to die so he can be revived. However, as Xylo tells him, dying and then having your soul ripped out of the afterlife has consequences. It will erode away a person’s soul, causing them to lose memories of who they were until there’s almost nothing left. He even makes it a point to say that if happens enough times, a Hero will be like a living zombie!

Now, we may never know for certain if there is an afterlife, or if we reincarnate, or cease to exist. But compared to what Xylo is describing, death seems better. Regardless of whatever crimes a person may commit, I don’t think anyone deserves to suffer a fate like that. Whoever came up with that system must be some morally bankrupt sadist!

What makes it even worse, though, is that the crime that Xylo was sentenced to be a hero for wasn’t even his fault. As the end of the episode reveals, he was put in an impossible situation and left to die.

Goddesses are Little Girls.

In the world of the show, there are beings called goddesses, little girls who were created to help humanity fight the Demons by bestowing contracts on their chosen champions. Xylo made a pact with one such goddess after his unit was sent into a battle as cannon fodder with no reinforcements. That goddess used up so much of her power that she hit her breaking point and started to turn into a demon herself, forcing Xylo to put her out of her misery. If that wasn’t traumatizing enough, the country’s leaders placed all the blame on him, saying he acted without orders, that he was never ordered to fight, and that he killed her in cold blood. And they were saying all of this at his trial right to his face.

Basically, take what Naofumi went through and somehow crank that up to eleven. That’s how bad this is. And so, Xylo did what any sane, rational, understandably pissed-off person would do: he vowed revenge. He vowed that he would find the people who set him up and make them wish they had given him the death penalty when they had the chance!

I’ve seen it happen plenty of times in fiction, but it never fails to grind my gears than to see a good person get screwed over by those in power. It takes a rare kind of person to endure that level of getting screwed over to not want to seek revenge, and while I applaud those who can move on, I understand why Xylo acts so bitter throughout this first episode. He’s saving so many lives and looking badass while doing so, but his so-called allies spit on him anyway when they don’t know a thing. Even worse, when he ends up meeting another goddess, Teoritta, his ptsd is triggered. The girl only wants to help him, but he claims he hates goddesses and tries to drive her away. In the end, though, circumstances force the two to work together in order to win, meaning they’re now stuck with each other. And also Dotta, who stole the casket holding Teoritta in the first place.

Remember how Peak Season One of Mushoku Tensei Was? This is it on Steroids

There was a lot to unpack for this first episode, not the least bit because it was an hour long. But beyond the story, which sounds super interesting, the main draw of the episode was the animation. This show is directed by the people who helped to make the first season of Mushoku Tensei one of the most beautiful anime in living memory. From the bread scene to the fight between Dead End and Orsted to Eris fighting those knights in her solo ova, that first season was gorgeous beyond belief. And this episode was pretty much each of those moments extended into an hour.

To start with, there’s the color palette. Most of this episode is set at night, and they reflect this using a lot of dark colors. It’s doubly appropriate considering how this is a dark fantasy series. The animation is smooth as butter, especially during the fighting scenes. As for the fighting scenes, take the best ones from Mushoku Tensei and yourself what made them look so good. Now apply that to every fight in this episode. It’s a visual feast.

I’ve got a number of anime that I want to cover for the Winter 2026 season, and after seeing this episode, I can say that Sentenced to be a Hero is going to be one of them.

I Give “Sentence: Support Retreat From Couveunge Forest” a 5/5