Month: March 2026

Takaba is Hilarious, and you Can’t Change my Mind!

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

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 10 Review

Okay, guys. I know I said that the last episode of JJK was my second favorite of the entire season. But I’m already calling it: this episode is my third favorite! While Yuji managed to get Higuruma to change the rules to help their plan, Megumi wound up getting jumped by a group of hostile sorcerers. And now, we get to see our sullen sorcerer in action. More importantly, though, we get to see my favorite character in the entire series in action. The god of comedy himself, Takaba!

Megumi is a Stone-Cold MOFO!

When we last saw Megumi Fushiguro, he was in the process of getting jumped by a bunch of Culling Game players, led by this guy named Regie Star whose outfit is the biggest amount of receipts I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure if it’s mentioned here, but he’s one of those reincarnated sorcerers and thinks that Kenjaku has some secret plan to the Culling Game beyond merging with Tengen. So he’s trying to recruit people to help when the time comes. Naturally, Megumi doesn’t care beyond stopping Kenjaku and saving his sister, so he says no. And then we witness Megumi getting jumped by this entire posse.

And this is one of the moments where I think JJK’s power system really has a chance to show off.

I know that a few episodes ago I was complaining how about strange some of the powers in JJK can be, like Kirara’s was. But as long as it looks cool and can kick butt, I’m willing to roll with things. And Megumi’s fight with Regie’s group shows how dangerous sorcerers can be in the modern day. Like this one guy who can turn his body parts into explosives and regenerate them. It’s like a grosser version of what Bakugo from MHA can do! But the scariest threat is Regie himself. By burning those receipts he has, he can summon whatever they were used to buy. Like gasoline, a Vespa, or even an 8-wheeler truck. He can basically summon stuff and throw it at Megumi like weaponized garbage! That may sound dumb, but then you remember what would happen if one of those receipts was for something like an assault rifle.

Thankfully, Megumi is a badass with a bunch of shikigami to back him up. And unlike Yuji, he’s fully willing to kill opponents if that will help his goals, as shown when he actually kills one of Regie’s mooks. He almost gets overwhelmed early into the fight until someone unexpected shows up to interfere: Fumihiko Takaba, my favorite character.

TAKABA IS HILARIOUS AND YOU IMITATE EVERYTHING HE DOES

We already met Takaba before. He was that struggling comedian we saw at the end of a few episodes back, and now he’s participating in the Culling Game. And he’s doing it in a costume straight out of a tokusatsu that’s split right down the middle, leaving half his body exposed. And I do mean exposed. There are a few moments where the anime has to obscure his nether region from hanging out. And keep in mind that he’s a 35-year-old man whose running dressed like this. And if you thought that is cringey, then you hear his jokes! They are so bad that they lead to this hilariously overdrawn awkward beat that goes right into the eyecatcher that marks the halfway point of the episode.

I cannot lie to you guys: I love Takaba. I don’t know if it’s because I like goofy characters who act free and uninhibited. Or if it’s because his jokes are so bad, they’re good. But I just love Takaba so dang much. He was the character I was looking forward to seeing the most this season, and for good reason. After all, he’s one of the strongest characters in the entire series.

Don’t. Underestimate. The Fool

No, I am not joking. He may look like a fool, and he is, but don’t let that deceive you. He’s got one of the most broken, overpowered cursed techniques in the entire series. The kind that could potentially bring down the likes of Gojo! What is it, you may ask? In a nutshell, the jujutsu version of the rule of funny.

Have you ever seen the Looney Tunes or gag manga and anime? In those stories, the characters are able to regularly defy the laws of the universe, allowing to survive things that should kill them. Why? Because of the rule of funny: something is allowed to break the laws of reality if people find it funny. And Takaba’s technique, Comedian, allows him to do anything he wants so long as he thinks it’s funny.

I was not exaggerating when I said that Takaba could go toe-to-toe with Gojo. That man has the cursed energy equivalent of toon force, allowing him to survive fatal injuries and turn the tables on that guy with exploding body parts. And I don’t care if he’s meant to be cringey or not. I find him to be hilarious. Then again, I grew up on a diet of cartoons, so I might be biased. I just hope he appears again soon.

Sadly, our time with Takaba is short, as the main focus is the fight between Megumi and Regie. And Megumi is actually on the backfoot due to being unable to gain an advantage over his opponent due to how unpredictable his powers are. So Megumi has to pull out the big guns: his domain expansion. The bad news is that he hasn’t fully mastered it yet, forcing him to take the fight to an enclosed space where he can actually use it. But the good news? We’re gonna get to see Megumi’s domain expansion.

This was such a fun episode for me. I love characters that can make me laugh, and I want more of Takaba!

I Give “Tokyo Colony No. 1 – Part 4” a 4.5/5

Your Honor, My Client is Built Different!

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Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Ep 9 Review

Your honor, my client is not guilty by virtue of being built different!

So, after Yuji got separated from Megumi, he managed to find the Culling Game player he was looking for, Higuruma the Defense Attorney. Unfortunately, Higuruma was in the middle of a crash out due to years of watching his clients get unfairly sentenced for crimes they didn’t commit, so he wasn’t in the mood to listen. If Yuji wants to make his group’s plan to stop the Game work, he’s going to have to fight this guy! Both in a fight itself, and in one of the most based courts of law that I have ever seen in fiction. Yuji is going on trial!

Higuruma is Such a Badass

If the last episode didn’t make it clear enough already, then this episode cements it: Higuruma is built different. He has only been a Jujutsu Sorcerer for a few weeks with no prior knowledge on cursed energy, Jujutsu sorcery, or anything that has to do with it whatsoever. And he’s already one of the top players in the Culling Game. That means that without anyone to teach him or any directions to guide him, he was able to figure all the mechanics by himself. He was even able to do something that only a handful of sorcerer’s can pull off: a Domain Expansion.

As was the case with the last episode, and most of the episodes of this season, the animation was incredible. It more than made the long wait fans must have had feel worth it to see Higuruma’s Doman, Deadly Sentencing, activate.

As for what Deadly Sentencing does, it puts Yuji on trial. An actual trial!

The rules are simple: Higuruma uses his Shikigami, Judgeman, to accuse his target of a crime. The defendant has one chance to defend himself, while he has to prove that they’re guilty. The defendant can remain silent or lie, but in exchange, Higuruma gets evidence only he gets to know about. And if he wins, Judgeman can penalize the defendant. Which leads to a rather humorous exchange where Yuji is held to task about gambling underage at a pachinko parlor. Which he did do, by the way; he’s guilty. The sentence: confiscation of his cursed energy.

This is followed up by the actual fight between Yuji and Higuruma, which is also spectacular. Higuruma is throwing his massive gavel around like he’s a male Harley Quinn, and Yuji’s running for his life and dodging or tanking hits left and right. And this is where we get to see an outsider’s perspective regarding how Yuji is built different. Most Jujutsu Sorcerer’s are as weak as normal humans without their cursed energy, so they should they be easy prey for Higuruma. Yuji, though, was already built tonka-tough before he became Sukuna’s vessel. It gets to the point where it looks the two of them are locked in a stalemate, with Yuji only breaking the deadlock by demanding a retrial.

And this is where the episode really shines as it shows the true character of both combatants as Yuji is put on trial for the crimes of mass murder in Shibuya. And Yuji? He pleads guilty.

The sentence: death.

Yuji is LEGALLY Innocent, people!

We already know by now that Yuji is still beating himself up over what happened during the Shibuya Incident. It’s likely that he’ll never stop feeling guilty about it. But we, as outside observers, can assert that what happened was not his fault. He was unconcious as he was basically drugged to let Sukuna out, and he proceeded to level the Shibuya district, not Yuji. But Yuji still blames himself and thinks he should be punished for it. And this shakes Higuruma to his core.

That bit about Higuruma learning some piece of evidence about the defendant? In this case, he learned everything about Sukuna: how he shares Yuji’s body, how he took control of him, and then proceeded to kill all those people. And he doesn’t understand why Yuji is willing to plead guilty about it. He knows that it wasn’t his fault, but he’s still willing to accept the blame! And this is enough to finally shake Higuruma out of his crash out, choosing to spare Yuji’s life.

This was an incredibly powerful scene for both characters. Higuruma dedicated his life to defending the innocent even when the whole world believes them to be guilty. Yuji considers himself guilty for something that wasn’t his fault, and he still thinks he should be punished for it. Both have had to kill people, either in self-defense or because they wanted to kill them. And both of them feel great guilt over what has happened. The difference is that, even if the public would want to see Yuji hang, he’s innocent of those crimes.

No, really. Higuruma cites the Japanese laws stating that, because he had no intention of killing anyone or any control over his actions, he cannot be held accountable for them. He was basically drugged without consent, possessed without consent, and not in control of his actions. He’s innocent in the eyes of the law.

One Step Closer

With the fight now over, Higuruma finally acquieses to Yuji’s request and adds the rule to share points between players. Their plan can now go forward. Sadly, Higuruma will not help them. He plans to wait everything out and then turn himself in for murder.

I feel bad for Higuruma. He is a good person at heart, and he was pushed to his limits to the point that he crashed out. But before we cast our stones, we need to ask ourselves this: if we were in his shoes, would we do what he did? You’d be surprised. All we can do it hope he finds peace.

This might be my new favorite episode of the entire series. Second favorite, at least. The next episode, though, is going be even crazier.

I Give “Tokyo Colony No. 1 – Part 3” a 4/5

Rhyno is…So Weird

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Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 10 Review

The Demon Blight is getting more and more dangerous. It was bad enough that Xylo and the others had to keep fighting in suicide missions, but now they have to look over their soldiers to make sure they aren’t stabbed in the back. Even Kivia, who has been an ardent believer in their fight, is starting to see just how corrupt their cause is. And it’s starting to break her. In fact, I think that the events of this episode might end up being what pushes her over the edge and makes her crash out altogether. And it’s also making me regret looking up what happens on TV Tropes.

So, after losing Lideo following his escape from custody, Xylo and Kivia are back to square one. They have no clue who ordered the hit on Teoritta beyond it being a Coexister in the Human Kingdoms. And it’s starting to eat away at the two. Xylo has to keep telling Teoritta why she can’t go anywhere and deal with her being upset. Kivia, though? She is close to losing it. I could tell by her tone of voice and the dark circles under her eyes that the stress of what’s happening is really starting to get to her. Note how she reacted when she heard the name that Lideo gave: it was someone she knew or was aware of, but she’s unable to do anything about it…yet.

At any rate, Xylo and Teoritta are at least able to stick near the temple, where Kivia basks in the adulation of the locals, especially children. It’s nice to see her interact with people who look to be her age. But more importantly, some of the locals even talk positively about Xylo. That’s a good sign. Even if he’s a convicted criminal, his actions are showing people that he’s a hero in the traditional sense. And he gets another chance to prove that: the Demon Blight is back. This time, they’ve taken a tower overlooking most of the harbor, and the Hero Unit has to take it back. Alone. Obviously, Xylo isn’t having that, so he comes up with a strategy to make the Holy Knights intervene: lure the enemy to the ships in the harbor. The nobles and merchants won’t risk letting their livelihoods get smashed to pieces.

And it is at this point that we are introduced to the last member of Xylo’s unit: their artillery officer, Rhyno.

This Guy is Off, Even by our Standards

Now, everyone in Xylo’s unit is a certified weirdo. Dotta’s a kleptomaniac, Venetim’s a con man, Norgalle may or may not be delusional. Tatsuya is crazy, Tsav is a sociopath, and Jayce…he’s really into dragons. But even amongst all these weirdos, Rhyno stands out in a way that unsettles Teoritta. Unlike everyone else, he volunteered to be a hero. He willingly chose to be subjected to an eternal punishment of death and resurrection. No one does that unless they have some screws loose!

Then there’s also the way he regards other people; or rather, his lack of. He is willing to risk collateral damage if it means getting the job done and wiping the demons out. While war is inevitably going to lead to buildings being destroyed and innocent people hurt, that doesn’t mean that it should be encouraged. All of this rubs everyone else the wrong way, to the point where I think Tsav looks like a saint in comparison. The best thing that he’s got going for him is that he’s good at his job. And he’s also got this cool armor that looks like a magical version of Iron Man meets Japanese mecha.

Why did I spoil Myself?

Regardless, though, Xylo’s plan appears to work. They’re able to tie up the demons, and Venetim was able to think ahead and lock down the sewers. But then things go sideways yet again. The demons start carrying staves and using them on the heroes. Boojum tears through the Holy Knights in the sewers. And worst of all, the final moments of the episode have Kivia reach a major epiphany, and that someone she thought she could trust might be a traitor to humanity. And we only have two episodes left in the season, so there is a lot to go through!

Man, next week is going to be crazy. Really hoping that things don’t end badly for anyone, because I don’t want to wait for a second season that might not come.

I Give “Sentence: Aid in Evacuation of Ioff Cheg Port 1” a 3/5

Now this Was a Cool Fight!

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Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep 9 Review

Well, when diplomacy fails, there’s always good old-fashioned violence to fall back on. Xylo and Kivia’s harebrained plan to get close to Lideo Sodrick, the head of the adventurer guild that put out a hit on Teoritta, has gone up in smoke. Now everyone in the slums is out for them. Though, to be frank, if these adventurers were smart, they would just get out of the pair’s way. They’ve fought Demons that can tear most people limb from limb. This episode is basically the show’s equivalent of watching Batman and his partners delivering a smackdown on a gang of criminals.

It’s kind of fun to watch, though!

So, after their cover gets blown, Lideo decides to run for it alongside his sister, Iri, while his adventurers try to fight Xylo, Kivia, and Frenci. Emphasis on the word “trying,” because like I said, they’re about as big a threat as a group of nameless thugs is to a superhero. And given how Xylo and Kivia have military training, this stuff is nothing to them. But as always, its a visual feast to us! Even more so once Teoritta and the rest of the Hero Unit show up and start mopping the floor with the rest of them. And the demon faerie that manages to appear.

This entire part of the episode reminds me a lot of those scenes where the protagonists all work together to fight off a bunch of low-level kooks, like the Straw Hats in the Fishman Island Arc. It’s really just an excuse to let them show off what they can do, and it’s worth every second of animation. To sweeten the deal, though, is the unexpected banter between Kivia and Frenci. Xylo has plenty of reason to worry about the two being at each other’s throats, but what’s even scarier, though, is how well they get along. Mostly because they diss him for his perceived flaws.

I would say that Frenci is no good for Xylo, but keep in mind, she’s willing to call him her fiance despite his Hero status. She does care about him.

At any rate, Lideo’s plan to escape was already doomed to failure. Xylo thought ahead and had Dotta lie in wait to capture him in case he made a break for it. What’s more concerning is the fact that Boojum brought a faerie, Shiji, and one other adventurer show up to tie up loose ends. Which, any savvy viewer should know, means to make sure loose lips don’t sink the ship.

It gets worse. Lideo manages to escape, but not before Xylo and Kivia manage to get some useful information out of him: the name of the person who ordered the hit on Teoritta, Mahaeyzel Zelkoff. That name shocks Kivia, as she seems to know who that is. That will have to wait until the next episode, though. What’s an even bigger shock is the reveal at the end of the episode.

I have to admit, I was impressed by how the story pulled the wool over my eyes. They really had me thinking that Boojum was Spriggan, but it was Iri all along. That’s a good red herring there! And between that and Kivia’s reaction to the name Lideo dropped, it’s safe to say that things are about to get a lot harder. I’m looking forward to it!

I Give “Sentence: Underground Investigation in District of Sodrick 2″ a 3.5/5

Rooster Fighter is the New One Punch Man

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Rooster Fighter Ep 1

Remember how big One Punch Man was when it first came out, only for it to fall off after that first season? Well, when it was in vogue, it was a pretty good parody of shonen heroes and superheroes in general. It’s what TV Tropes refers to as a cliche storm: a story where the authors take tropes and ideas common in other stories like it and use them for the love of the game. It can a story feel like an affectionate parody of whatever genre it’s part of, in the hopes of making people who are into these stories laugh. And Toonami just released this year’s version of One Punch Man, but with the main character being an animal. A rooster, to be precise. And it so ridiculous, that it works. Welcome to Rooster Fighter, everyone!

So, in the world of Rooster Fighter, demons exist. The first episode doesn’t fully explain where they come from, but it seems that when people succumb to despair, they can turn into Kaiju-sized demons. Case in point, we see a car dealer turn into a demon who looks like that one teacher from Brain Age or some other Nintendo work. Or this three-headed she-demon ranting about trying to find her boy and trying to eat some random boy it picks up. It’s crazy like that. And what’s even crazier, though, is the fact that the latter is stopped by the arrival of…a rooster. And this is how we are introduced to the titular rooster fighter, Keiji.

Keiji is So Weird

I will be completely blunt and upfront: Keiji is a walking, crowing cliche. He acts and thinks like he’s a wandering warrior, like a grumpy ronin from some old samurai movie. He never stays in one place for long, hates kids, and treats everything, no matter how silly, with the utmost seriousness. And remember: he’s a rooster. A bird that humans either raise for meat and eggs, companionship, and in some cultures, to fight others of their kind for our amusement. And he can take down demons with his talons, crow loud enough to shatter demons, and can somehow fire ki blasts from his beak.

Oh, and our extended flashback shows him first getting down with a random hen for a one-night stand. And it gets better. He’s got a tragic backstory where he had to watch his baby sister get eaten by a white demon. He’s been hunting it ever since like his white whale.  

I love Keiji. He’s a perfect example of the comically serious character, which is helped by the fact that he’s voiced by Patrick Seitz. Many of the characters he voices are known for being incredibly serious and menacing, like DIO and Endeavor. But he’s also good with comedic characters like Franky from One Piece. So this feels like the absolute perfect role for him, and he milks it for all it’s worth.

The Warrior Rooster

The main plot of the episode is an extended flashback as Keiji deals with a group of kids and an old widower as that demon who likes he’s from a Nintendo game attacks. And again, this is where Patrick Seitz’s acting chops work wonders as he constantly acts like this stoic warrior…while also praising the taste of stinkbugs and gawking when a girl tries to feed him fried chicken. The other big draw, though, is the action. I’m not sure if you know this, but modern birds are descended from theropod dinosaurs like the T-Rex and Velociraptor. And it shows, as Keiji is as deadly as a raptor. So cool.

The episode ends with Keiji continuing his wanderings, but not before he learns that his one-night stand has already moved on in the funniest way possible. We do get a post-credit scene, though, where another demon is taken down by a hen who acts a lot like Keiji.

This is going to be a fun show to watch, everyone! I’m glad that Toonami managed to snag the dub for this series, and I can’t wait to see what happens next! It may be the year of the horse, but it’s the spring of the rooster!

I Give “A Rooster Among Cranes” a 4.5/5

SO MUCH PEAK FOR SPRINGTIME

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Everything RJ Writing Ink Wants to watch Spring 2026

Time to put away the snow shovels and cold-weather jackets, people. It’s finally spring. That means going outside to touch grass, watching the flowers and cherry blossoms bloom, and most importantly, enjoying a new season of anime. And there is a lot of anime for us to enjoy this year. From a new season of a few of the Seven Summits of Isekai to the return of some legendary Shonen anime, we have a lot to look forward to over the next few months. I don’t know how much I will actually be able to watch, but here are a few of the ones that I know are on my list. And who knows? I might end up reviewing them for the D&A Anime Blog!

Rooster Fighter, March 15th-

When it comes to fearsome animals, chickens aren’t exactly high on people’s tier lists. But then you remember that they’re related to dinosaurs like the T. rex and that some people pay to watch them fight each other and think, “dang. These birds are tough!” And someone in Japan to take that premise and run with it with a web manga that’s now getting welcomed onto Toonami’s block. Set in a world where demons have appeared in Japan, Rooster Fighter follows Keiji, a rooster who wanders the land like a ronin of old, beating the snot out of demons in search of the one that killed his sister. If it sounds incredibly silly and over-the-top, that’s because it is. But the fact that Keiji acts so serious despite being a rooster somehow makes it both funny and awesome. Plus, he’s dubbed by Patrick Seitz, the voice of Franky, Endeavor, and DIO. The idea of man who voices DIO playing a fighting rooster is too good to pass up!

Speaking of DIO….

Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, March 19th

Let the race begin! After four long years of waiting, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure returns with the long-awaited adaptation of Part Seven, Steel Ball Run. Serving as Hirohiko Araki’s love letter to spaghetti westerns, the premise behind Part Seven is the titular Steel Ball Run, a race that stretches from one end of the United States to the other with a massive cash prize awaiting the winner. Since this is JoJo, though, that means that there’s a bizarre conspiracy at work and supernatural powers at play. Regarded by many as Araki’s magnum opus, Steel Ball Run also has the distinction of being the first part to take place in an entirely new timeline, featuring reimaginations of many characters fans have come to know and love. Jonathan Joestar is now Johnny Joestar, Zeppeli is a mysterious vagabond, and best of all, Dio is now a cocky horse jockey. And that’s just the start, from what I hear! The best part is that it seems Netflix will be releasing new episodes weekly rather than dumping an entire cours at once!

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Season 4, Pt. 1-April 2nd

We here at the D&A Anime Blog are massive fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and if you’ve seen the show, it’s not hard to understand why we’re excited for his return. Having solidified his status as a Demon Lord and debuted his country on the world stage, Rimuru and his friends continue their efforts to build a world where humans and monsters can live in harmony. Much like before, though, there are people working in the shadows trying to knock him down, and he will have to show them why that is a terrible idea. It should also be noted that this is just part one of the fourth season, with the entire thing being broken up into a staggering 5 cours’ spanning 50 episodes! That’s either madness or sheer brilliance, but either way, we’re not complaining.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, April 4th-

Fullmetal Alchemist is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime of all time and a must-watch for anime fans. But did you know that we’re about to get an anime adaptation of another one of its creators’ works, Daemons of the Shadow Realm? Set in a world where people can control supernatural creatures called Daemons, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, much like Fullmetal, is a story about two siblings, Yuru and Asa. Separated while young, the two embark on a journey to reunite as they discover that they are meant to control all Daemons in order to save the world. So, pretty standard shonen stuff. But the fact that it was created the woman behind FMA and is getting animated by Studio Bones should be all the reason why fans should check this out.

Dr. Stone-Science Future Part 3-April 2nd

Full disclosure: I actually skipped over watching the second part of Dr. Stone’s fourth season. I know that everything works out in the end, but given how close Senku and the others came to biting it in part two, I didn’t feel like dealing with that kind of stress. However, given how close the series is to the end, and Senku and the Kingdom of Science are to making it to the moon, I think I’m going to hop back on.

Now before we get to the last anime I’m looking forward to seeing, let’s talk about the one that I won’t be watching.

The Beginning After the End, Season 2, April

Last year, one of the founders of D&A Anime Blog had told me about this webcomic that was getting an anime adaptation, and I wound up binge-reading most of it in a few days and loved it. It combined the best aspects of Mushoku Tensei with powers systems and abilities that reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of, if not, my favorite show of all time. Unfortunately, the anime has gone down in infamy as the biggest disappointment of 2025. The animation was complete trash. I knew it, the fans knew it, and I think even the creator of the series himself knew he got screwed over. I stuck with it out of principle, but I’m not going through that again!

One Piece, Elbaph Arc Cours 1-April 5th

I don’t think that everyone was happy when Toei announced they were moving One Piece to a seasonal release schedule, but let’s be honest: it was inevitable. Anime that release every week year-round have been phased out for years, with One Piece being the last big holdout. Having read and covered the manga on my own blog, though (which I welcome you to read), I understand why they’re doing this. Next to the island where the One Piece is located, Elbaph, home of the Giants, was the most anticipated location that fans wanted to see the Straw Hats visit. And Oda has made the decades-long wait worth it, as Elbaph is one of the most fantastic places in the entire series. If you’re not caught up on the manga, then you are going to be in for a wild and crazy ride as the Straw Hats make it to the land they’ve dreamt of for years. In addition to the usual Straw Hat shenanigans, we’re poised to get one of the most important flashbacks in the entire series, while Luffy has his first encounter with one of the two characters I consider to be in the running for the ultimate antagonist of the series. Honestly, Toei needed this extra time to cook!

The Netflix One Piece Series is Bigger and Better in Season 2!

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One Piece Season 2 Review

Everyone, would you do me the honors and come sail with me to the Grand Line in search of the One Piece?

Three years ago, Netflix managed to do what many, myself included, thought impossible: made a live-action version of One Piece that was actually good. For that matter, making a live-action adaptation of an anime that was good, period. How did they do this? To paraphrase Honest Trailers, “by changing absolutely nothing, no matter ridiculous it may seem.” That, and Eichiro Oda made sure the streaming giant didn’t wreck his life’s work. The bottom line is that Netflix’s One Piece was better than anyone thought possible. People who had never gotten into the series got to give it a try, and the people who had stuck with it for years got to fall in love with it all over again. But the thing about the first season is that it was just a warm-up. The second season is when the show would really show whether or not if it could live up to the legendary anime and manga.

After spending the entirety of my weekend binging the series, I can confidently assert that, once again, One Piece knows what it’s doing. Thank you, Eichiro D. (G)oda!

One Piece is Back

The first season of One Piece was an abridged retelling of the first part of the story of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew. How he met and assembled the pirates that initially made up the Straw Hat Pirates, got their first ship, and became the toughest pirates in their native East Blue. After that, it’s off to the Grand Line to find the One Piece…with one last stop.

For reasons I cannot understand, some fans were convinced that Netflix was going to skip the Loguetown Arc, the last portion of the opening saga of the series. I knew that they weren’t going to do that, though! That would bring up too many plot holes in the future! I still found it funny, though, when the show had Nami cheekily say “and you thought we were gonna skip Loguetown.” The writers know the fans so well!

As for the Loguetown Arc itself, it’s only the first episode of the season, so it has to condense a lot of material. That includes adding in a certain character who sees what Luffy does in Loguetown and becomes an important ally much later in the story. That’s the benefit of the Netflix series, though. Having almost three decades of extra lore and knowing who and what will be important means they can add a lot of stuff that Oda didn’t add when writing the story.

Who Cares Who Plays the Characters?

Case in point, we got to see Luffy sing Oda’s original song, Binks Brew, to a giant whale. And we got to see a flashback to Brook, his future crewmember, back when he wasn’t a talking skeleton. For some reason, though, people seemed surprised to have him played by a Black man. Me? I just shrugged my shoulders and didn’t care. The Straw Hats were already supposed to be a multi-national crew, so why does it matter?

Speaking of which, I need to bring up the elephant in the room: Princess Vivi, who joins the cast as one of the main characters this season. Last year, a lot of people were in an uproar about who was cast to play the Princess of Alabasta: Charithra Chandran, a British-Indian actress. Haters thought that it was Netflix trying to enforce diversity onto the show. However, that is not true. Not only did Oda base Alabasta on Middle Eastern and Indian cultures, but he personally chose Charithra to play Vivi. And in that regard, I think Charithra excelled. She starts off as the menacing Miss Wednesday, but once she abandons that, she’s the same kind, compassionate, and caring princess I remember watching in the trenches from the 4Kids days. So all those people owe her an apology.

It Gets Crazier from Here

Now, the real test of this season was how accurately it could capture the story going forward, as the first season was just a warm-up. Once the story moves from the East Blue to the Grand Line, realism starts to take a backseat as Oda started to incorporate the more fantastical elements to the world he created. Whales big enough to swallow ships; islands that need special compasses to navigate to them; every location varying in climate, culture, and wildlife. The halfway point of the season alone takes us to an island populated by dinosaurs! And that’s not even getting into all the new powers!

In the first season, the only two characters who had the powers of a Devil Fruit were Luffy and Buggy. That changes in the Grand Line, as almost every location the Straw Hats visit and many of the foes they face have Devil Fruit powers. From a guy turning his boogers into explosives to a creep who can create candle wax, the powers are only going to get crazier from here on out. And some of the ancillary characters that survive in the manga bite it here.

I’m not kidding. If you thought Mihawk killing Don Krieg was surprising, wait until you see how many of the bad guys end up dying once their roles are fulfilled. At least they go out in style, though.

Which brings me to another great aspect of the show: the combat.

Remember how Zoro cut down 100 Bounty Hunters?

Given how fantastical One Piece is, the fights tend to be absolutely insane. So adapting them for live action was always going to be a big concern. The first season showed that it could do it, but like everything else, season two is where the series really has to step up. To make a long story short, it does, and while I could give plenty of examples, my favorite has to be Zoro’s legendary 1v100 bar brawl. They could’ve skimped on it, but Netflix didn’t. Mackenyu gave us twelve minutes of Zoro annihilating everyone in his path, and it is glorious. I have no idea how long it took to film all that, but considering how he did his own stunts, that must have been a crazy workout! Respect to him and the rest of the cast for all that they did.

Speaking of the cast, though, we need to talk about my favorite part of the season: Drum Island.

Drum Island Still Made me Cry

I started my One Piece journey right around the tail-end of the Drum Island arc that introduced us to the series mascot, the ever-adorable, floofy Chopper. I spent the better part of my time watching reruns on Cartoon Network to get caught up. And when I got to the Drum Island Arc…man, it stuck with me.

If you know One Piece, then you know that a lot of the characters have very, very sad backstories. But for ten-year-old me, Chopper’s backstory had to be the saddest. Ostracized by his fellow reindeer, considered a monster by humans (why, though? He’s so cute!) And losing his father figure, Hiruluk? Even with all the censoring that 4Kids did for the dub they never wanted, I knew that Hiruluk blew himself up! That was hard to watch as a kid, and the Netflix series managed to make it every bit as heart-breaking to watch as an adult. In other words, I LOVED IT! And I loved Chopper.

Don’t get me wrong: at times Chopper’s CGI model could be cringe to look at, especially his human-bruiser form. And I do wish that they had just gotten Brina Palencia to voice him like she does in the dub, as it took me a while to get used to his voice actor. I’m not even sure if I really got used to him by the time the season ended! But I knew going in that the show was going to be fighting an uphill bringing Chopper into live-action. All things considered, I think that they did a decent job. It could’ve been far, far worse than what we got. Plus, the climax of the entire season was absolutely incredible. Something that we didn’t get to see in the anime, and still managed to be awesome.

I Give Netflix’s One Piece another 3 Seasons, tops

So, did One Piece manage to hit the mark once again? Yes. Is it a perfect adaptation? No, but is anything really perfect in this world? Are some of the changes for the better? I can’t be the one to decide that. Am I going to watch it again in Japanese? ABSOLUTELY. But where do we go from here?

Well, the next season is going to cover the arc where I actually stepped into the world of One Piece, the Alabasta Arc. And given how big that arc was, and how it marked the start of several major formulas for the series going forward, I think it’s safe to say that it will be the sole focus of the entire season. Which is fine by me, because I’m well aware that there’s no way Netflix can adapt the entire anime into live-action. At some point it will take too long, cost too much money, the actors will get too old to reasonably play the roles, and frankly, I don’t think the technology exists to capture the franchise in its latter stages. My guess is that it will run to the end of the Water Seven Saga, if we’re lucky! But regardless of how long it lasts, I intend to enjoy it all. My only wish is that the third season will switch to a weekly release date. This way we can fully enjoy everything as it comes out. Please, Netflix? Give this to us!

Verdict: WATCH IT!!

Oda Just Set off a Real Life Hunt for the One Piece

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Uncategorized , , , , ,

Oda, you absolute mad lad! You just created a real-life treasure hunt!

At this point, One Piece is more than just an anime and manga series; it’s one of the most popular stories in recorded history. With hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, a long-running anime and film series, and a live-action Netflix series airing its second season, One Piece is more popular than ever. It’s gotten to the point where people are waving the jolly roger of its main protagonists, the Straw Hat Pirates, at protests around the world. And all of this has made Eichiro Oda, the creator, one of the most beloved authors in the world. And Oda just did something crazy to celebrate the manga selling 600 million copies. Something that is making his fans go absolutely crazy: he wrote down what the One Piece is and hid it.

Let me explain: The One Piece is the namesake of the entire series. It’s a legendary treasure hidden for centuries at the end of the world that was found by Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. He told everyone about its existence right as he was being executed, bringing about the Great Age of Pirates. Finding it is the ultimate goal of most pirates in the series, especially for Monkey D. Luffy.

Here’s the crazy part, though: we have no idea what the One Piece is.

The series has been ongoing since 1997, and in all that time, fans still have no clue what the One Piece even is. The story’s given us hints about it. We know that it’s centuries old, was hidden away from those who seek to destroy it, and that whatever it is could potentially turn the world upside down. In other words, it’s something that those in charge want to make sure is never found. But we still don’t know what it is, and we likely won’t until the day Luffy and the Straw Hats make it to the final island, Laugh Tale.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to go. But Oda might have shot himself in the foot on that.

In a special video celebrating the manga selling 600 million copies, Oda did something he’s never done before: he wrote down what the One Piece is, something he’s kept to himself for almost thirty years, onto a slip of paper. He then locked it into a chest that was then sealed inside a pressure-resistant glass sphere. That chest was then taken out to sea and dropped into the ocean, coming to rest at a depth of 651 meters. The video proclaims that it will rest there until the day the series comes to an end, safe from the rest of the world.

That…might no longer be an option, though.

A big thing about One Piece fans is that when they want to know something, they will pull out all the stops. The series has a very healthy community of scanlators and leakers constantly posting the latest chapters online before they’re officially released. Now it’s claimed that Oda wrote the answer to one of the greatest secrets in the history of literature and left it someplace impossible to find? Most people would leave it at that. For the most die-hard One Piece fans, though, they’ve taken it as a challenge to a real-life treasure hunt. And they’ve managed to make major headway. In less than two days, people online have managed to narrow down the location of the chest using clues from the video.

The only real issue would be the location itself. 651 meters is about 2,000 feet. Only submersibles and the most advanced diving suits can survive that far down, and they cost millions to use. But Oda might have underestimated his fan’s determination. For example, IShowSpeed, an extremely popular streamer and huge One Piece fan, announced he wants to do a live-stream hunting for the chest. And with his influence and resources, he might be able to pull it off. Fans will no doubt attempt to crowdfund their own attempts to find the chest, and barring the Japanese authorities getting involved, I think they’re likely to find it. But what should they do with it if they do?

My suggestion: leave it there or destroy it. Whatever we do, don’t open the box and look at the paper.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to know what the One Piece is just like everyone else does. And I normally don’t mind spoilers. But when it comes to the ending of One Piece, I will absolutely refuse to hear a word. Why? Well, Luffy can say it better.

This scene encapsulates how I hope the vast majority of One Piece should feel about the chance to learn the truth prematurely. It would be awesome for the brief second that we learn it, but then, we would realize that there would be no point in continuing to read this incredible story. No point in getting to enjoy further adventures with Luffy and the Straw Hats. No point to the entire story! And I don’t think that I could live in a world where the ending to one of the greatest stories of all time is spoiled to me! If a fan does find it, they should destroy it without looking at it. That’s what Luffy would do.

Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion that Oda didn’t write the ending on that paper. I think he knows his fans well enough to to know we would try to find it, so he might have thought ahead and wrote a fake message on it. Or maybe he really did write the secret on there, and is trusting the fans to not spoil it. Either way, it’s up to us to decide what to do with this. We have the chance to learn the answer to one of the biggest questions in literary history before its time. Do we really want that, though?

Also, it should be noted that if someone decides to open it and spoil the ending for all of us, they will become a global pariah.

The Legal Crash Out: Hiromi Higuruma

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

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Ep 8 Review

Crash outs. Moments where people hit their rage-breaking point and proceed to commit acts that can be considered violent, reckless, or stupid. Jujutsu Kaisen has already given us a prime example of how dangerous a crash-out can be thanks to Maki’s purging of the Zenin Clan. Though in that case, it was justified by the fact that they were already planning to kill her on top of the years of abuse. However, Yuji and Megumi’s efforts to stop the Culling Game have led them to look for someone else who not only crashed out, but is in the middle of it: Hiromi Higuruma. And we get to see firsthand what happens when a good person hits their breaking point and proceeds to crash out.

No Bullying EVER!

Now, Yuji and Megumi have gotten separated after entering Tokyo Colony No. 1, but their ultimate goal remains the same: finding a Culling Game player with the points to add rules that will allow them to play without killing anyone or giving unwilling players the chance to tap out. Their first target is a guy named Higuruma, and while both find someone who claims to know where he is, Megumi is being led into a trap. That girl he met is bringing him back to this player whose powers I think have to do with receipts. Am I worried? No; it’s Megumi. He’s got his shikigami! It will work out!

Yuji, on the other hand, is being told the truth. The guy whose leading him is someone who knew him before he became a sorcerer. He was this guy who hung with bullies and did what they said because it was easier than making himself a target. One day, though, Yuji showed up and beat the bullies up, and this guy realized he had been a coward and decided to clean up his act.

This is why I love shonen protagonists so much. Whether it’s Goku, Luffy, Naruto, or Yuji, they have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to people abusing their power for evil. It doesn’t matter if they’re stronger than them, or higher in status, or even if they’re a god. If they catch you doing wrong, they’re gonna throw hands. And more often than not, they bring them to justice in one form or another.

What Happens when a Good Man Crashes Out

Justice, by the way, is something that needs to be mentioned. Because justice, or the lack of it, is what defines the man whom Yuji came to find: Hiromi Higuruma. And it’s why this man chose to crash out.

Interesting fact about the Japanese criminal justice system: it has a successful conviction rate of 99%. That’s not because it’s just that good, but because it only pursues cases that it already thinks will end in a guilty verdict. That might sound efficient, but there’s a flaw to this line of thinking: what if the defendant is innocent? Then the prosecution will look stupid and ruin their careers. Even worse, though, is being the defense attorney. How are you supposed to do your job when everyone else thinks it’s a waste of time since they already decided the person is guilty? That is not good for one’s mental health, and nowhere is this better shown than with Higuruma, Defense Attorney.

Higuruma is a man with an incredibly strong sense of justice. If he thinks that a client is innocent, then he will raise hell to prove it. He genuinely wants justice to be enacted, no matter what society thinks. But a society that’s already decided the defendant’s guilty will use everything it has to make sure it wins. And then when his clients are still found guilty, they blame him for giving them false hope. He knows that they’re only doing this because of how desperate they are, but it still hurts!

Case in point, there was latest client accused of murder. He didn’t do it, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite the mountain of evidence proving his innocence, the justice system wouldn’t take the L. So they appealed the verdict, and despite not finding any new evidence, they still convicted the man. And that was enough to make him finally crash out and awaken as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

This has to be one of the coldest moments in the entire series, and for good reason. There are people online saying that Gege Akutami consulted with actual defense attorneys to make Higuruma as authentic as possible. If that is true, then he managed to write an absolutely scathing critique of his country’s justice system, because Higuruma is a man who has reached his limit with the law. And when the law fails a good person too many times, they may crash out and take matters into their own hands. In Higuruma’s case, he manifests a Shikigami and forces a retrial…but not for the defendant.

Spoiler alert: he ended up killing the judge and prosecutor. And by the time Yuji meets up with him, he’s still in the middle of a crash out, as he doesn’t care about helping Yuji. And when Yuji presses the issue, he hits back. Hard.

This is gonna be one Epic Fight!

This is one of the best moments of the entire season for me. Not only is the animation as smooth as butter, but it also shows just how powerful Higuruma is. He’s only been a Jujutsu Sorcerer for two weeks, and he’s already got a Domain Expansion. Do you know how insane that is? It’s so impressive, it’s actually scary! And now Yuji has to fight this guy in a courtroom-style fight. The next episode cannot get here soon enough, you guys!

If what I have seen with all the gifs and memes about Higuruma online are any indication, this is going to be a fan favorite episode. Higuruma is in the running for the crash out hall of fame, and I can’t wait to see his technique at work!

I Give “Tokyo Colony No. 1 – Part 2” a 4.5/5

So, How was this Plan going to Work?

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

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 8 Review

So, there’s no beating around the bush: there are humans trying to kill Teoritta. And considering how she’s both an adorable little sister to Xylo and the others and one of mankind’s best hopes against the demon blight, that’s bad. Someone powerful wanted to off her, but the hero unit has no idea who it was. But they at least have an idea about the middleman who hired the mercenaries to kill her. Which means it’s time for Xylo and Kivia to launch a sting operation.

Oh, and Dotta’s there, too.

Who is the Traitor?

So, after getting sold out by someone in their own ranks and losing a lot of Holy Knights, Kivia and Xylo aren’t ready to trust anyone who isn’t part of their group. As far as they’re concerned, everyone else is sus. And curiously enough, this high-ranking priest, who also happens to be Kivia’s uncle, agrees. Thus, it’s up to the hero unit to figure out who hired the adventurers to kill Teoritta.

The good news is that they already got a lead. Lideo Sodrick, the head of the local adventurer’s guild. He’s the one who hired the would-be assassins. Ergo, their best bet to learn the truth is to bring him in for…questioning. The bad news is that they can’t get anywhere near the place without attracting attention. The only way they can get close is by going incognito, pretending to want to hire someone to do something shady.

And that’s where we get the crazy plan for this episode. Kivia is going to pretend to be a noblewoman looking to off her husband, while Xylo is her secret lover…what?

I understand that the series is hinting at the two having chemistry, but this felt forced. And I mean really forced. The best romances in fiction are the ones that seem to come the most naturally, and given how the two started off, it’s hard to see this working. Plus, there’s also the fact that Kivia’s disguise feels like a shout-out to that fancy dress Eris Greyrat wore when she and Rudy went out for a day in Roa as kids. And I think Eris pulled it off better.

You hear that, Eris? You managed to pull off the lady look better!

All joking aside, I think this shipping aspect of the series is my least favorite part. Normally, I love this sort of thing, but I’m too busy watching the epic animation to care. The only good thing of note is the fact that it gives Kivia a chance to open up about why she became a Holy Knight. The short version is that her parents were priests, and she hated that kind of influence. So she’s got good instincts.

Dotta Got it Rough

The other good thing of note, though, is that this episode is Dotta’s turn to get his backstory revealed. He’s always been a thief, but one with standards. And when the Crown Prince of the kingdom begged him to help him escape…something, he got caught. And then the church sentenced him for it. At this point, it should come as no surprise that the church is full of it, and that it needs purging, but that will have to wait.

It should also come as no surprise that the plan to infiltrate the guild goes sideways fast. They’re quickly outed, and things get even crazier when Xylo’s ex-fiance, Frenci, was also at the guild for similar reasons. It’s pretty telling that Crunchyroll named the clip for this “His fiance meets his girlfriend.” Title-Kun is pushing an agenda!

At any rate, the whole thing devolves into chaos, which leads to the only surefire way to get some answers: violence. We’re about to get a good-old fashioned brawl, everyone!!!

I Give “Sentence: Underground Investigation in District of Sodrick 1” a 3/5