Month: July 2026

Wanna see a Giant Kid pick a fight

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

One Piece Episode 1165 Review

Okay, so by now, I think it’s pretty clear that this first part of the new season of One Piece is not going to be heavy on the action. Honestly, I should have warned anime-only watchers about this beforehand. However, I can assure you that when the anime comes back later this year, it’s going to get crazy. Besides, once the chaos starts, you are going to miss the calmer moments. Well, a given level of calm, since we’re talking about the Straw Hat Pirates. Plus, it’s time for the party that we’ve promised for the last few episodes, so there’s that!

These Kids are So lame!

After the happy reunion with Saul, Robin took Chopper, Lillith, and Bonney (the smart ones, basically) to see the Owl Library, where the Giants keep all the books from Elbaph. And as someone who spent most of his childhood reading a a crazy amount of books (I had to entertain myself at school), that place gets me. It’s filled with so much ancient knowledge and wisdom! And even if I can’t understand any of it, I know that it would be like a dream for the lore-obsessed portion of the fandom. I love it!

Luffy, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly endear himself to the kids at the Walrus School. Then again, I doubt most people would appreciate him turning a swingset into one of those pendulum rides you see at amusement parks!

Yeah, he deserves that scolding from Nami.

The truth is that Luffy and Usopp can’t hide their disappointment over how wimpy the Giant kids are. It dampens their image of Elbaph! Now, I don’t see anything wrong with being raised to be nice, but there are going to be times when you meet jerks that won’t listen to reason or talk no jutsu. The only response left is the fist. Still, at least there’s one kid left who has the spirit of a warrior!

I respect Collun

Everyone, meet Collun. Well, we met him already. He was at a bar that Shanks was visiting, begging him to take him out to sea to be a pirate and listening to stories about Luffy. And unlike the rest of his peers, he’s a fighter. The first thing he does when he sees Luffy is try to jump him with his training sword! But we know how it was going to end.

It can suck being considered the class delinquent and outcast who doesn’t get along with others, can’t it? But Collun is the kind of kid who will live how he wants, no matter what others think. More importantly, though, his willingness to pick a fight with Luffy earns him the respect of the rubber wonder, so I consider that way better! I also respect that! Plus, he’s not a bad kid. After all, he listens to his mom, Ripley, one of the teachers at the school. Plus, his behavior makes sense when you consider how his dad is a former pirate. And also a human. Collun is a half-giant.

Now, remember the golden rule of Oda’s writings: if a new character gets mentioned ahead of time, they’re going to be important. Though, I was more distracted trying to figure out how a human man can have a kid with a Giant woman. I mean, how dhow does that even work? I’m not sure it sure I wantt any rate, though, it’s time for the welcome banquet. And the rest of the Straw Hats get some new threads for the occasion! You can tell that cosplayers are going to love it.

Party Time!

The banquet itself is also pretty fun to watch. Especially when Chief Jarul, the oldest Giant in the world, shows up. And yes, I think plenty of us manga readers had the same reaction to the sword sticking out of his head! I would question how that is even possible, but at this point, I’d be wasting my time!

Not everything is good, though. Remember that threat I was telling you about at the castle? They’re here, they’re looking for Loki, and they are dangerous. More dangerous than you can imagine.

Oh no, not the God’s Knights!

Meet the Gods Knights, the elite guard of the Celestial Dragons. They serve directly under Imu themselves as enforcers of their will, and might be some of the strongest fighters in the series to date. One of them was able to take down a Giant without moving a muscle!!! And their arrival on Elbaph is going to start a storm that will threaten to destroy everything.

By now, it’s obvious that we have to wait for the second half of the season to come out later this year to see more action. But trust me when I say that things are starting to heat up. In fact, if I remember correctly, we are due to get one of the most important pieces of lore in the entire series. So, I can’t wait to see that.

I give “A Welcome With Friends’ Cups and Intruders Seeking Loki” a 3/5

THIS was Maribel’s Master Plan? Are you Serious!

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

That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 9 Review

It’s storytime with Mr. Jay, no relation to the Joker. Once upon a time, there was a very happy girl with pink hair and godlike power. She spent her days playing with her adorable and easily marketable-as-a-plushie pet dragon. But then this Elven king wanted the girl’s power for himself, so he tried to assert his control by using magic to kill the dragon. But instead, the girl crashed out, became one of the first Demon Lords, killed the King, and leveled his kingdom. The survivors would build a new city that eventually became the ruins that Rimuru and the others are about to explore. Unfortunately for everyone, Maribel has gotten so desperate that she’s willing to do something just as stupid as the stupid king.

Let’s get one thing straight about this episode: it is just the setup to the climax of this first part of Slime Tensura’s fourth season. As such, anyone who came into this expecting some epic, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Uncharted adventure is going to be sorely disappointed. In all honesty, though, those kinds of stories paint a pretty unrealistic picture of archaeology. There are moments when people make epic discoveries and fantastic treasures, but most of the time, archaeology is pretty uneventful. I should know; I took a class on archaeology 101 in college!

What I’m trying to say is that there is not a lot of action for most of this episode. Mostly, it involves exposition about how this city became the way it is as Kagali guides Rimuru’s group and the other explorers through the ruins. Though ruins would be a stretch, as the Dark Elves still live in the topmost sections. The rest is sealed behind magic barriers that only Clayman had been able to unlock. The plan was for the explorers they brought along to unlock it, but Rimuru does it in two seconds. Because of course he does. He’s lucky that those archaeologists are humble enough not to be offended by him making their jobs so easy.

The coolest part about this episode, though, is the mural that the group finds depicting the story I mentioned above. More importantly, though, is seeing how Millim reacts to it. It’s ancient history to everyone else, but to her, it’s looking back on a part of her life that she may not want to remember that well. And unfortunately for her, history is about to repeat itself thanks to Maribel, who’s so desperate to get rid of Rimuru that she’s willing to do something incredibly stupid. Something that not even Luffy would do!

Going back to the story about how Millim became a Demon Lord, much like how Rimuru used his evolution to revive Shion and the other citizens Falmuth killed, Millim used it to revive her pet dragon. The problem was that it was so hate-filled by its death that it went on its own rampage. Millim had no choice but to seal it away in a pocket dimension for all eternity. But now, Maribel has set it free to lure Millim away from Rimuru so she can control or kill him.

There are so many flaws to this plan that I dont even know where to start. Firstly, Maribel unleashed an angry dragon capable of leveling the world, endangering the lives of billions. Secondly, when Millim finds out who did this, she’s not going to be happy and want to know who did it. Lastly, does she really think that just luring Millim away will be enough to make Rimuru vulnerable? He’s still got Gobta and Shion.

To her credit, Maribel did think ahead by using the ruins for her trap. The security’s activation is enough to be a hassle for the group. But, again, this is Rimuru. So Maribel has no choice but to reveal herself.

I know I’ve heard speeches about how no one is created equal before, and they do have a point. There are always going to be people that are just better at some things than others and thus see the world differently. Though when the Founding Fathers of America wrote that, they meant that everyone has the same rights regardless of background. If everyone was truly the same and equal, the world would be pretty boring. That’s what Maribel doesn’t get, and that’s why she and Rimuru were always going to be at odds.

Next episode, the fight between Rimuru and Maribel finally begins! But let’s be real: we know Rimuru is gonna win. We just want to see how he wins.

I give “Investigating the Ruins” a 3/5