Author: Roderick J "Jay" Friz

Terenezza Faces her Punishment

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing Ep 12 Review

The time has come, Terenezza. She has been a very naughty girl and committed multiple nefarious acts against the kingdom of Pallistan. Murder, brainwashing, blackmail, acts of terrorism, and orchestrating wars. But worst of all, she managed to piss off Scarlet El Vandimion beyond belief. And one way or another, she’s going to have to accept the consequences of her actions. In this case, the pounding of Scarlet’s fists. But it seems like the bitch has one last card to play.

So, Scarlet, Diana, Dios, Julius, and everyone else of importance flies to where the second gem is located, where the Palmians are holed up, and where Terenezza’s waiting to finish this. The Palmians are dug in like ticks and rigged the place with traps, but…okay, do we really expect any of this to work?

Seriously, at this point, why’d the Palmians even bother with the booby traps. They should know by now that Scarlet can no-sell everything they throw at her. It’s a little more than comedy to see her waste them.

At any rate, it doesn’t take them long to reach the Palmians. They are heavily outnumbered by the cultists, and can only hold them off for so long without Diana’s powers. And to make matters worse, Dios reveals he had to give up his protection from the wind spirit to get the Elves to fall back. They’re basically trying to hold back a flood.

Julius Triggered a Trap Card

Julius gets a chance to shine, at least. He faces off against the Palmian’s Grand Inquisitor, this man who’s so irrelevant that I can’t even remember their name. All that I know is that the fight between these two is surprisingly interesting to watch. We’ve rarely gotten to see Julius have the chance to cut loose, but when he does, we can see why he’s considered the crown prince. He’s close to being Scarlet’s equal in combat as he wipes the floor with the Grand Inquisitor.

It’s too bad that he managed to activate his trap card in the process.

Meanwhile, Scarlet finally manages to reach her goal: Terenezza, the bitch from another world. On the one hand, her stupidity was the reason why she was able to finally break off her leash for good and give Kyle his punishment. On the other hand, though, Terenezza is guilty of all those other things I mentioned, including making her future little sister sad. So, she gets a double dose of punishment.

The fight between the two, if you could even call it that, was pretty much decided before it even started. Whatever Palmia gave Terenezza to work with, Chronoa gave Scarlet double the amount. It doesn’t take her long to get in close and grab her by the hair before retrieving the power she had stolen. Thanks to that, Diana gets her power back in time to save everyone’s hides.

Terenezza is Only Delaying the Inevitable

Unfortunately, this is when Terenezza plays her trap card. When Nanaka was under her thrall, she had him place a spell on Julius to enable her to mind-control him with her charm. It didn’t work, merely weakening the defenses he had as a prince. However, the Grand Inquisitor had used his powers to tear a hole in space connecting her to Julius, allowing her powers to fully take control. In other words, Julius is now fighting for Terenezza. She’s gambling that Julius can kill Scarlet and that Scarlet would be too reluctant to harm Julius to do any real damage.

Once again, this girl is all kinds of stupid. Not only has Scarlet made it clear that she’s willing to beat up even Julius, but she will do it without hesitation. And Julius would want her to do that if it meant snapping out of this brainwashing. If anything, Scarlet’s probably happy at the chance to pay him back for all the times he’s annoyed her.

And this is where we stand going into the finale. A mind-controlled Julius is all that stands between Scarlet and the bitch responsible for all this chaos. And as we have come to expect, nothing will stand between Scarlet and whatever has invoked her wrath. So, this final episode should prove to be very interesting, indeed. Don’t hurt Julius too badly, Scarlet!

I Give “May I Pay Off the Massive Debt My Fists Have Accrued?” a 4/5

So We’re Shipping Scarlet with Julius, Right?

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing Ep 11 Review

No plan survives first contact with the enemy, especially when you’re relying on a group of hot-headed knuckleheads to pull it off. Thanks to the Dragoons of Vankish being hot-headed as they come, it’s up to Scarlet to make sure everything goes according to the plan.

So, Dios and Nanaka’s route to Falconia’s army has been blocked by more monsters that the Dragoons are keeping at bay. They wanted to wait for them to clear a path so they can make it through. However, when Jinn gets grazed by an enemy attack, he took it personally. The next thing they know, its chaos. Thankfully, Scarlet is able to pull up on Alflame and get him to rein his men in. And then she has to bail him out later when he’s about to be overrun by monsters.

The whole time, Nanaka is weary of Dios for his previous betrayal, as Scarlet has given him a second chance. However, Dios manages to prove he’s as good as his word. When the Elves led by his uncle come, he’s able to convince him to have Falconia withdraw by making a deal. They didn’t want to fight in the first place; the Beastkins were brainwashed by Terreneza. And while we dont know what this deal was supposed to be, I can imagine that it’s going to cost Dios in the future.

At any rate, the allies have won the day. They managed to take out the majority of the monsters and talked Falconia into standing down. Sadly, Alflame and the Dragoons must return to Vankish. But before they do, Alflame straight up asks Scarlet to come with him so she can be safe if Eldrand attacks. Right in front of Julius, no less.

By now, it’s pretty clear that despite saying otherwise, Julius has romantic feelings for Scarlet. Who wouldn’t, though? Scarlet is just that awesome! So seeing him become possessive of her is rather touching. We even get more hints when they talk later that he’s been in love with Scarlet for years, though it’s disguised, humorously enough, as a love for apple pie. Way to flirt, Julius!

The moment is ruined, though, when Alflame tries to challenge his “love rival” to a duel, and he has to be dragged back home by his men.

Alflame’s men may not always respect him as their leader, but you can tell by looking at them that they do care about him. The fact that they’re able to treat him in such a casual manner despite being royalty is proof of this in my eyes.

Terenezza Must be Punished

With the immediate threats dealt with, all that is left is to deal with the root of the problem: Terenezza. She’s trying to destroy another one of the gems holding the barrier protecting Pallistan together. It will take her a few days to be ready, so if they want to stop her before that happens, they have to do it now. So Scarlet, Dios, Diana, and the others need to track her down and punish her before that happens.

Elsewhere, the bitch in question is having an argument with her puppet master. It would seem that Palmia’s desire to see Pallistan ruined extends to the point that she wanted her puppet to raze every settlement in her path, despite Terenezza wanting to actually rule Pallistan. As if anyone in their right mind would want a shrew like her to be their leader. But now that she knows that the heroes are coming for him, she’s putting her own plan in motion. And our last sight for the episode is of Nanaka standing over a sleeping Julius, doing…something. Something bad, obviously!

We’re in the endgame now, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this ends. In hindsight, though, a lot of this mess could’ve been avoided if Scarlet had known back in the first episode to beat Terenezza to the point where she’d be breathing through a tube for the foreseeable future. It would be wholly justified in this case! Good thing Scarlet can fix that.

I Give “As These Appear Undercooked, May I Turn Them Into Minced Meat?” a 4/5

Scarlet Goes to War…and Ends it!

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing? Ep 10 Review

So, let’s recap: thanks to that absolute shrew, Terrenezza, one of the crystals keeping Pallistan safe has been shattered. There’s an army of bloodthirsty monsters about to invade. And to top it off, two of the kingdom’s neighbors have declared war for the love of the game. In short, everyone looks to be screwed to the point that not even Scarlet can handle this alone. Lucky for her, her not-so-secret admirer from another country has come to help her.

Sweet!

War is Coming

In the time that Scarlet was asleep, the Palmians were busy being a menace to society. They managed to talk two of Pallistan’s neighbors, Falconia and Elrand, into declaring war. Between them and the monster horde, the kingdom is facing a three-way battle on its borders. Even if you’re not a strategist, you should know how less than ideal that is!

The good news, though, is that now that Scarlet is awake, she’s ready to subject everyone deserving of it to punishment. The problem? She can’t be everywhere at once, so that means they have to divide and conquer. Dios will handle the other elves, while Nanaka will handle the Demi-humans. That leaves the Monster hordes to Scarlet…and Aflame.

Yes, Prince Alflame of the Vankish Empire has returned. Instead of backing the Palmians, though, he’s choosing to throw his lot in with Julius. In exchange, they’ll give him support for his bid for the throne. Because in his lands, the firstborn is not a shoo-in for succession. In exchange, he’ll provide himself, and his personal army of a thousand Dragon Knights. It might not seem like much, but then you remember the fact that they’re all riding dragons. Giant, flying, apex predators that can breathe fire. If you’ve ever seen the Game of Thrones franchise, then you know what a handful can do. And they have a thousand of them. Do the math.

So Scarlet takes Rex and goes to the battlefield with Alflame. And as it turns out, she already has quite the reputation amongst his followers.

The Infernal Bride? Sounds so Cool!

Spike Spiegel once said that he loves a woman who can kick his butt. As we already know, Alflame is of the same mindset, because the last time they met, he decided that Scarlet was the one for him. Since then, he’s been going around telling his Redsky Dragoons that she’s his fiancée and that he gave her Rex as a gift. They’ve even taken to calling her the “Infernal Bride.”

Scarlet is not amused. But her retaliation doesn’t freak the Dragoons out. If anything, they’re impressed. And I can understand why.

Their respect only grows when the time comes for the actual fighting. When an Orc Lord takes one of the Dragoons’ own hostage, it tells Scarlet that the first thing the monsters will do is to devour the women and children of her country. Scarlet’s response? To beat it to death with its fists.

This is one of Scarlet’s finest moments of butt-whooping. Not only is the Orc Lord thought, but it has a healing factor allowing it to regenerate from even a decapitation. Her response. Slow down time to deliver hundreds of punches at once! Enough to overload its healing factor and become another feast for Scarlet. The Dragoons are so grateful they start calling her big boss.

Bow to the Queen

So that’s one problem solved. But now there’s another one. Dios and Nanaka’s peace negotiations are not going anywhere due to more monsters being in the way.

Uh-oh. Is Scarlet going to have to get involved to save the day, or can Dios and Nanaka pull this off? It could go either way, honestly!

I Give “May I Cook This Thick Cut of Pork Through With Body Punches?” a 4/5

There’s a Special Place in Hell for Those who Manipulate the Good

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing Ep 9 Review

You know what I hate? Villains blackmailing nice people to do what they want against their will. It breaks my heart to see sweet, pure, and worthwhile people being forced to perform acts of evil against their will. It’s one of the reason why I hate villains who blackmail good people to do their dirty work, and Terenezza definitely qualifies as such a villain. Thanks to her and her b**** goddess, Scarlet’s home is in grave danger. But even worse, though, is the fact that the Palmians forced sweet little Sanya, AKA Saint Diana, into becoming their pawn.

They are all going to be needing some punishment before this is over, and Scarlet will see it done.

Palmia Must be Stopped

So, after the failed ambush of Terenezza last episode, Scarlet fell into a deep slumber. And while she has slept, things have only gone from bad to worse. Terenezza has led the Palmians to destroy one of the crystals creating the barrier protecting Pallistan. With its destruction, the entire kingdom is at risk from invading monsters. Even worse, two neighboring countries declare war and are on the march. This is something that the Palmians have been planning for some time now, and it’s about to come to fruition.

It’s almost impressive just how thorough the Palmian Church’s plans to destroy Pallistan were. They intimidate the Dianists, corrupt the nobles from within, and Terenezza would use her powers to have one of the princes wrapped around her finger. However, knowing all of that only serves to demonstrate just how massive a spanner in the works Scarlet has proven to be. She’s managed to derail almost all their evil plans, and they were only willing to act once she fell asleep. Thankfully, she wakes up from her beauty sleep halfway through the episode, fully committed to punishing the naughty Palmians.

Especially after learning how they manipulated poor Diana.

And the Good Book Said “Thou who Manipulates the Sweet Little Girl Shall Suffer”

For some time now, Julius and Sigurd suspected that there was a spy in the Church of Diana feeding the Palmians information. As it turns out, that mole was none other than Diana herself. They forced her to be their agent with the promise of being able to restore her missing powers as a Saint. Little did she know, it was the Palmians themselves who stole her powers in the first place. And poor little Diana, desperate to prove her continued worth and value as a person, fell for their Faustian bargain hook, line, and sinker. It’s only after seeing what’s happened to Scarlet, the person she cares about the most, that sje decided to put her foot down in front of their agent, Dios. Thankfully, Scarlet manages to de-escalate things with her fists, and while Julius does intend to punish her after all this done, I doubt she’ll get in serious trouble. The Palmians stole her powers and emotionally manipulated her. It would be hard for many people in her shoes not to act like she did. At the very least, Scarlet responds to her actions with empathy and understanding.

Which is not something that could be said regarding her reaction to Dios…at first.

Wasn’t Expecting That

So, Scarlet remembers that when Diana’s life was in danger when her palanquin collapsed, Dios was genuinely worried for her safety. Thus, she knows he’s a true believer of Palmia and a decent person. As it turns out, she’s spot on. Dios doesn’t give two cents about Palmia; he just cares about Diana, his half-sister.

Dios is half-human, half-elf. His mother was an elf, but his father was a human and also Diana’s father. He tracked them down in the hopes of chewing him out over it, but as soon as he saw Diana, his big brother instincts kicked in. And when Diana lost her powers, the Palmians pulled the same con on him that they would then use on Diana herself. However, now that he knows that the Palmians themselves are responsible for stealing Diana’s saintly powers in the first place, he’s done with them. He even offers to give Scarlet info on them…but she refuses. Instead, all she wants is for Dios to prove himself by doing right by his sister by stopping the Palmians.

Thankfully, Scarlet and Julius won’t be alone in this effort. Remember Prince Alflame of the Vankish Empire? It would seem that the Palmians tried to reach out to him to get him to join in on their “crush Pallistan” plan. Instead, he’s going to help the woman he’s madly in love with. So that makes two examples of simping in a single episode.

We are nearing the endgame of this story, and there is still plenty of ground left to cover. However, I’m confident that this show can stick the landing. With luck, Scarlet will be giving us all an early Christmas present of battered and bloody Palmians.

“May I Explain That This is Not Something That Just Anyone Can Do?” A 3.5/5

I Knew Scarlet Was a Saint!

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing Ep 8 Review

There are few things more dangerous and destructive to the well-being of mortals than being caught in a fight between gods. Most of the time, Gods are, by nature, so far above us mortals that if they want to be jerks, we can’t stop them. So when one god decides to mess with another by messing with their favorite mortal, they can get away with it. And the gods that are actually nice usually can’t do anything because conflict is forbidden, so they have to choose a champion on their behalf. Why am I mentioning all this? Because it turns out that this is the exact scenario that Scarlet, Diana, and all of Pallistan are stuck in. All thanks to a yandere goddess.

Scarlet, the Patron Saint of Crash-Outs

The holy pilgrimage of Diana, Scarlet, and their group continues as they travel across Pallistan. It’s more than just a religious ceremony, though. There are four crystals at the cardinal points of the kingdom creating a barrier to keep out monsters. Once a year, the saints of Pallistan are supposed to purify the crystals with their divine blessings. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. However, Diana lost her power a year ago, forcing Scarlet to do all the work.

Yes, you read that right. This episode reveals that there have secretly been two saints in the Kingdom of Pallistan, and Scarlet is the second. Her blessing from the time god Chronoa makes it so, and it’s why she was engaged to Kyle in the first place. Which only makes the former prince even dumber, in hindsight. He actively antagonized someone who was vital to the Kingdom’s security, and gave her more than enough reason to want to turn on them. The fact that she never did means she truly is a saint. A saint who only punishes those deemed needing of said punishment.

At any rate, the Palmians seem to refuse to learn their lesson, as they decide to antagonize Scarlet yet again! When the group makes it to their next stop, the lord in charge starts spouting nonsense about Diana being a fraud and the pilgrimage a means to extort the people. But it soon becomes clear that they’re either stupid or just another puppet, because the Palmians show up again with their Saint: Terenezza.

Her Again?!?!

If you’ll recall, Terenezza hasn’t been seen since she killed the former prime minister. As this episode reveals, this entire time she was serving as Palmia’s agent and Saint and had the ability to charm any man using what can best be described as magical pheromones. That’s how she manipulated Kyle in the first place, only for it backfire when she misread what Scarlet was like. She also seems to have failed to learn her lesson, as she decides to antagonize Scarlet again.

To their credit, the Palmians did learn their lesson from the last few times and brought magic that could nullify Scarlet’s. Unfortunately for them, they failed to consider Scarlet would use prep-time to do the same thing. Thus, Terenezza gets the double dose of punishment that she deserves…

Is what I would like to say. Terenezza reveals her trump card: she’s got Diana’s stolen powers. Then Dios reveals himself as a mole and bargains for Ter’s freedom in exchange for Diana. As a result, Scarlet’s bloodlust goes unsatisfied. And she passes out.

That’s when we get some divine intervention.

Yandere Goddess Must be Punished

A favored tactic of deities when speaking to mortals is for them to appear in their dreams. In this case, as Scarlet sleeps off her exhaustion, she’s visited by the patron god of Pallistan and the one who gave her her blessing, Chronoa, the God of Time. And Chronoa is a very benevolent god, like that one turned you have that’s very understanding and wise. He has given the Saints their powers to protect Pallistan for generations, and he’s proud of how well Scarlet has been using her fists for justice. Unfortunately, his love for Pallistan has made them the target of a yandere goddess.

Meet Palmia, the Goddess of Love. Unfortunately for Chronoa, she’s madly in love with him and wants him all for herself. And because she’s a yandere, she decides that the best way to do this is by getting rid of all distractions in his eternal life…by destroying them. So she used her powers to kidnap Terrenezza from Japan and turn her into her agent in the mortal world, since gods can’t fight each other directly. Terrenezza was supposed to cause chaos and bring about Pallistan’s destruction, and she was getting away with it until she angered Scarlet.

So, to recap, we have a yandere goddess who decided to destroy a kingdom of millions for the “crime” of taking the attention of the guy she likes. And she kidnapped someone from Japan and most likely brainwashed them in the process. As Scarlet puts it so eloquently, and as Chronoa agrees, she’s a total b****. While Scarlet may not be able to do anything to Palmia directly , she can ruin her plans. And since Chronoa is a nice god, he gives her the means to steal back Diana’s power and restores her to full strength.

Palmia is going to be regretting her life choices before long, and I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing the results of what happens!

I Give “May I Offer You a Fist in Place of a Handkerchief?” a 4/5

Is Scarlet Going to be a big sister soon?

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

May I ask for One Final Thing? Ep 7 Review

One would think that after all the times she’s managed to beat them up, the Palmians would learn to stop antagonizing Scarlet. Unfortunately, they’re the kind of people whose fanaticism overrides all sense of logic and rational thinking, because they just keep coming. More meat for Scarlet to tenderize! But there’s actually a bigger problem that Scarlet has to deal with. Saint Diana…is in love.

So, with the Palmians having made the poor decision to crash the start of St. Diana’s pilgrimage, Scarlet decides it’s time for some punishment. And to make it even sweeter, she takes their statue of their goddess and starts throwing it at their church like she’s the Beast Titan. They’re completely dumbfounded when they realize what she’s been throwing at them! But despite trying to justify their actions, that doesn’t change the fact that they could’ve killed someone.

According to Leonardo, by the time the guards arrived, the Palmians were going on about a “silver-haired devil” and begging them to be saved from her wrath.

I know that violence should not always be the first option when it comes to solving problems, but I’ve seen enough fiction to know that sometimes, some people need to get pummeled. And it never ceases to be entertaining seeing jerks learn their actions have consequences.

Speaking of consequences, after the Palmians are subdued, Diana almost dies when her float gives away. Thankfully, Scarlet’s brother, Leo, saves her in time. But that leads to an even bigger problem. Something that could become a national crisis:

Diana is head over heels in love with Leonardo.

Diana Has Love Sickness

When Scarlet speaks to Sanya (Diana’s nickname) next, she’s suffering from a severe case of love-sickness. Symptoms include rolling around the bed, making squeeing noises, extreme blushing and crazed laughter and an inability to think about anything besides the one she’s fond of. And this is where we get to see a softer side to Scarlet.

It’s easy to forget, but underneath her love for beating people up, Scarlet is a very kind and compassionate person. Her punch-happy tendencies stem from her strong sense of justice, as she can’t stand seeing anyone be a jerk. More importantly, her confidence and willingness to live life how she wants makes her a good role model for Diana, who she sees as a little sister. And despite how many headaches she gives her brother, she does care about him. So much so that she’s more than happy to help set Diana up with him.

Diana and Leonardo’s date at a traditional street festival is absolutely wholesome. I’ve seen enough anime to know that Japan loves its street festivals, and that they are a great means of encouraging romance by having people open up to each other. In this case, it lets Diana open up and be vulnerable about her insecurities to a supportive face. It’s sweet…but it doesn’t last.

The universe decided to reward Scarlet by giving her her favorite thing: jerks to punch!

Despite how light-hearted this episode is, it makes it a point to end with a reminder that the Palmians are still out there and still a threat. As Julius and Leo suspect, there’s a spy in their ranks feeding the Palmians info, and suspicion is cast on one member of the pilgrimage in particular. In addition, the Palmian Inquisitors are looking for allies abroad, including Prince Alflame. This could be trouble!

I Give “May I Carry Out a Plan That Shows a New Side of You?” a 4/5

Scarlet Turns Her Fists onto a Corrupt, Religious Piggy

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

May I ask for One Final Thing? Ep 6 Review

You know what’s worse than political corruption? Religious corruption. Fiction and the real world are filled with examples of people who use religion to justify being a jerk, and it’s the worst. And if there’s one thing that our saint of fisticuffs, Scarlet, can’t stand, it’s people who abuse their power for evil. With the corrupt nobility in her country out of the way, it’s now time for Scarlet’s next victims: this new religion that’s popped up.

They definitely deserve it.

Stupid Religious Jerks

The Prime Minister and his ilk have been dealt with, but Terenezza has flown the coop. With her still out there, Scarlet and Julius cannot rest easy. But for the moment, they have more immediate concerns. For centuries, a young woman has been born with the power to raise a divine barrier to protect Pallistan from monsters, each given the title of Diana. It’s almost time for her annual pilgrimage, but recently, a new religion worshipping Terenezza’s benefactor, the Goddess Palmia, has sprung up. And they are the worst.

Look in the history books around the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and you’ll find real-world examples of when organized religion was at its most repugnant. Even the Papacy became bloated by fat, corrupt, and self-serving people. The exact same thing is what’s happening with Palmianism in this episode, with its members actively harassing their rivals. When Scarlet and Julius journey to the religious quarter of the capital, they find the Palmianists have built a wall around the place to mark their territory, and even go so far as to bar their entry. I’m pretty sure that defying the royal family like that is considered a serious offense! Thankfully, their wall and their Inquisitors are no match for the likes of Scarlet. Another piggy gets a pounding.

Right after beating down the irksome swine, though, Scarlet is beset by another problem. A newcomer to the Knights serving under Diana named Dios starts hitting on her, and before she can slap him, Julius gets mad. While she doesn’t understand why he’s reacting like this, it should be more and more obvious what this means to the viewers. Julius may not realize it himself, but he is falling for Scarlet. Having seen what she can do, though, I don’t think any of us can blame her. Scarlet is a top-tier waifu thanks to her fists of justice! She even has her own number one fan!

Jad Saxton Does it Again

One would think that someone carrying the title of Saint would be a lady of grace, poise, and dignity. However, the show shuts down that notion when we meet the current Saint Diana, a girl who’s even younger than Scarlet, and acts like it. She and Scarlet have been friends for a long time, and Diana looks up to Scarlet as a surrogate big sister and role model, while also ignoring Julius in the process. It’s humorous to see Julius get put on the backfoot twice in the same episode, but there’s a deeper reason why Diana is so attached to Scarlet. The truth is, she lost her powers recently, and combined with being born in the country and her young age, she’s under a lot of stress. That’s why she sees Scarlet and her willingness to live how she wants as a role model. Anyone who has had to deal with jerks in their lives who deserve a punch would likely feel the same way.

Speaking of jerks, before the episode is over, the Palmians prove to be gluttons for punishment. As the parade that marks the start of the holy pilgrimage begins, they start shooting blanks from their church, threatening to cause a riot. Which means that they’re asking for a double-dose of punishment from Scarlet.

I Give “May I Send This Pig Flying Into the Sky?” a 4/5

After All these Years, One Piece Goes Seasonal

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

One Piece to become a seasonal Anime Starting Spring 2026

This coming January is going to mark the end of an era, not only for One Piece, but for anime as a whole. And I’m not sure how to feel about it.

For almost thirty years, the One Piece anime has been a near constant in the world of anime. Almost every week would see new episodes of the anime air on Fuji TV before eventually making their way online and to the West. That was the norm for a lot of Shonen anime at the time, with its contemporaries like Naruto and Bleach following the same formula. The bad news is that this often meant the anime would have to create filler arcs to make sure it wouldn’t overtake the manga, and most people hate filler. But things have changed since then. Most anime is now released seasonally, a method meant to ensure quality over quantity. One Piece was one of the last holdouts, and even that is about to come to an end!

At the time of this writing, One Piece is airing the climax of the Egghead Island Arc. But over on social media, it was announced that once that is done in January 2026, the anime will be going on another hiatus. And when it returns in April, it will no longer be releasing year-round. From now on, One Piece will be a seasonal anime, releasing episodes in two batches of 13 for a total of 26 per year. In other words, One Piece is finally going seasonal.

End of Longform Anime

This is the end of an era for anime. No longer can fans tune in once every week and expect a new episode of their favorite anime. Now everyone will have to wait until a new season drops. It allows for the people working on the anime to have more time to work on it, ensuring that it’s the highest possible quality. It can potentially mean a less stressful work environment for the people in the industry, because heaven knows they need it. More importantly, though, it means that filler arcs are going to be largely relegated to the history books. Still, having grown up on the weekly anime format, I can’t help but feel sad to see it go. Yet I understand that it’s for the best, as One Piece deserves to be as peak as possible. Especially when you consider what it’s going into once it comes back: the Elbaph Arc.

Elbaph is Worth the Wait

For those who don’t know, the Elbaph Arc is the ongoing arc in the manga, and next to Wano Country and Luffy finding the One Piece, it is the most hyped up thing in the history of the franchise. First mentioned back in 1999, Elbaph is the homeland of most of the Giants, the strongest warriors in the world. It’s a place that Luffy has been dying to visit for years, and fans have waited decades for the moment Oda would introduce it to us outside of flashbacks. Once he did in 2024, he did not disappoint, with it being everything we imagined, and then some. I’m currently covering it on my own blog, and I can promise you that the hiatus will be more than worth the wait, with some of the biggest battles and most insane lore drops that we will ever see. I might even end up reviewing the episodes here if that’s possible!

The One Piece Netflix Series is Returning.

The good news is that we won’t be entirely bereft of One Piece until April. The Netflix series is finally returning.

Two years ago, Netflix and Eichiro Oda worked together to give us a live-action adaptation of One Piece. And it didn’t stink! While it had to do away with the more cartoonish aspects, it still managed to capture the heart and soul of the series. The Japanese dub even got the series’s seiyu to reprise their roles! Since then, fans have been waiting for the second season to come out, and it looks like we don’t have to wait much longer. The second season will drop on Netflix on March 10th, 2026, and it looks to be bigger and better than the first. With the story taking us into the Grand Line, longtime fans know that this is when One Piece starts to pick up as the Straw Hats come into conflict with the evil Baroque Works. More importantly, though, we get our first appearance of fan favorites like Robin and Chopper. If I had to guess, I’d say that the season will cover the Loguetown arc to the end of Drum Island, with the next season bringing us to Alabasta. And there will be a third season; Netflix has confirmed it.

Bottom line: now is a great time to be a fan of One Piece. And if you’re not, then you’re welcome to come aboard. Even if you don’t have the patience to watch the entire anime, there are plenty of people on YouTube that cover the series and the important parts.

All Hail the Queen of Crashouts, Scarlet!

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

May I ask for One Final Thing Ep 4 Review

Welcome back to another episode in the life of the Queen of crashouts, Scarlet El Vandimmion! In the last episode, Scarlet and Julius put their plans to shut down the slave trafficking ring run by Minister Godwin into action. But the plan gets complicated when Godwin tries to flee with his ally, Prince Alflame of the Vankish Empire. In a surprising turn of events, Scarlet saves Godwin from Alflame while also rejecting the Prince’s marriage proposal. But the biggest surprise is that Terenezza, the girl who seduced Scarlet’s horrible fiance, is from another world. So, what’s next? Find out!

ZA WARUDO!!!

So, the slave ring has been wiped out by Scarlet and the CIO, with all its members being arrested. However, not before Scarlet decides to repay Godwin for being the man pulling Kyle’s strings and inflicting years of pain and suffering on her and the kingdom. She uses her time magic to a “Za Warudo” and proceeds to give the corrupt ministry that would make DIO or the Joestar family proud. And she finishes it by dropping the line “thank you for the feast,” like a badass.

As the others come to the now-exhausted Scarlet’s side, though, Godwin pulls out the gun Terenezza gave him and makes one last attempt to kill her. But then Julius jumps in and takes the shot for her! Out of pure rage, Scarlet finds enough energy to move again and beats him down even more. Thankfully, Julius survived and his wound is healed. Hopefully, the story wont have the foresight to make things worse by having the bullet remain lodged in his body. That could cause infections down the line.

At any rate, everyone is fine, Scarlet is now a hero, and she gained a pet in the form of Alflame’s former dragon mount, Rex, much to Nanaka’s dismay. Not even a dragon is willing to go up against the likes of Scarlet! All is right with the world!

Except for one small problem: Terenezza is still out there.

Terenezza Could Be a Problem

I already mentioned it in my review of the last episode, but ‘May I Ask for One Final Thing’ is, in fact, a role-reversal isekai. Instead of being the typical isekai heroine, our otherworlder Terenezza is firmly the villain serving her master, the Goddess Palmia. Whether it’s due to her own desires or Palmia is manipulating her, though, Terenezza still sees herself as the hero. Yet her actions contradict this as she sneaks into where Godwin is being held and uses hypnosis to make him commit suicide.

There is also the matter of Terre’s master, Palmia. She’s the goddess of love in Scarlet’s world and has been the focal point of a growing religion in Pallistan that many of the corrupt nobles have been gathering around. Despite being called the goddess of love, though, the general impression is that Palmia is an unpleasant entity. And fewer things are more annoying than that of an unpleasant god.

More Shipping Fuel

Despite the danger that they may be facing in the near future, for now, Scarlet and Julius have the chance to rest and recuperate from the raid. While Julius quickly recovers, Scarlet spends the latter half of the episode taking it easy. By overusing her blessing, she’s caused her hair to partially turn black, something that does go away before the episode ends. It does, however, give us another opportunity to see the pair have another moment of “flirting.” By which I mean Julius teases Scarlet to get her riled up, which will no doubt earn him a beating. He probably thinks that it’s worth it, though.

And with that, we have another episode in the books. And if the manga is anything to go by, things are only going to get more interesting from here on out.

I Give “May I Clobber this Asshole Prince?” a 4/5

Scarlet Finally Finds her Punching Bag

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

May I Ask for One Final Thing? Ep 4 Review

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that Scarlet and the agents of the CIO (Julius’ task force) are ready to infiltrate the slave auctions and shut them down. The bad news is that an outside power is meddling in things, as Godwin has called in aid from the kingdom’s rival nation to help him take Scarlet out. But it’s already too late to back out on things, and Scarlet’s fists will not be denied their punching bag.

This is gonna be good!

Don’t Get Between Scarlet and Her Punching Bag

So, the operation goes off almost without a hitch. As expected, countless nobles are there and flaunting their presence, ignorant of the fact that their good fortune is about to sour. Before that happens, though, Scarlet finds herself accompanied by none other than Julius himself. He was supposed to be coordinating everything, but he wanted front-row seats to what comes next, so he went AWOL. Which leads to the two continuing their cat-and-mouse game of not-flirting. Julius may claim to not be attracted to Scarlet romantically, but the anime makes it clear that there is some chemistry going on. Which only grows when Scarlet, in order to get the chance to beat up Godwin, she makes a promise to serve him loyally from here on out. Granted, that will also mean serving the kingdom, but Julius can’t wait that long.

So, anyone whose shipping these two might have hope yet. Unfortunately, her brother, Leonardo learns of this, and it can easily be misinterpreted as a marriage proposal. Poor Leonardo. He loves his sister dearly, but the stress of dealing with her antics will bring him to an early grave. Considering how he had her repress her nature for years instead of finding a healthier way to channel it, though, I would say he partially brought brought this on himself.

But not as much as Prime Minister Godwin brought Scarlet’s fists upon herself.

I Can’t Even!!!

So, it’s revealed that Godwin has secretly been backed by the Pallistan Kingdom’s rival, the Vankish Empire, in the hopes he could destabilize the country. Now that he’s been outed, though, the man whose supposed to be his backup, Crown Prince Alflame, decides they dont need someone like him anymore and tries to kill him. But Scarlet isn’t having of it, and she hits him so hard he winds up flying into a wall. And instead of getting angry, Alflame is enamored by this, and asks her to marry him on the spot!

I can’t even with this episode, everyone. First we got to see Scarlet pummel Godwin’s entourage while dancing around to classical music and throwing them around like ragdolls. That alone was hilarious. But this? This almost had me in mental stitches from laughter. Though in Alflame’s defense, I can understand the appeal. As Spike Spiegel once put it, “I love a woman who can kick my ass.” Some people find a strong person naturally attractive, and there is no denying that Scarlet is awesome. But it takes a special kind of person to win the heart of someone like Scarlet, and Alflame isn’t it. All he gets for his troubles is being blasted off like Team Rocket.

Having disposed of the distractions, Godwin starts pleading for mercy, and manages to reveal something interesting about Terenezza: she wasn’t born in their world, but in Japan. She died there, and some goddess reincarnated her into this world of magic and swords. In other words, this was an isekai in disguise!

This is honestly an intriguing premise for the show. In most isekai’s, the person who winds up in a new world is the protagonist, while someone like Scarlet would be an antagonist. However, the story reverses the roles, making Terenezza the bad guy and Scarlet the one everyone roots for and wishes they could date. Color me impressed! I guess I made the right choice choosing to watch this instead of Let’s Play. I’m going to keep reviewing it for as long as this show runs, because the Queen of Crashouts is only getting started.

I Give “May I Go To See My Fists’ Beloved One (Punching Bag)?” a 4.5/5