Author: Roderick J "Jay" Friz

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

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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

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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?

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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

The Demon King’s Daughter is too Kind! Is so Wholesome!

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Have you ever looked at something or someone before and thought, “Wow. That has to be the cutest thing in all of existence.” Of course you have. Humans are naturally attracted to anything that we find cute and adorable. I even recently learned about the existence of cute aggression, a phenomenon where something is so cute that we want to pick them up and hug and squish them forever! If there’s something that everyone on the planet could unanimously find cute, I’m betting that world peace would start just so we could all fawn over it. Sadly, such a thing doesn’t exist yet in our world, but I did find a new anime that’s about pretty much that: The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!

The Demon King Ahriman, ruler of all demonkind and enemy to all that is good in the world. For years, his forces have been on a campaign to conquer all and make non-demons bow down to demonkind. There’s just one problem: his infant daughter, Doux, will not act like how most demons do. Whereas other demons care about hurting people and causing misery and strife, even amongst themselves, Doux is the exact opposite. All she cares about is making people happy and bringing smiles and joy to everyone. She’s…too kind.

When I first saw the trailer for this series, I thought that seemed like another silly slice of life series. And to be fair, that is what it is. It makes it no secret that it’s an anime that’s meant to make people feel good. But that’s the thing about it. When they say that Doux is too kind, that’s not hyperbole. And it’s not because her dad spoils her and acts like a doting parent with her. When they say she’s too kind, they mean that she doesn’t have an ounce of evil in her body whatsoever.

Take the first episode, for example. The Demon King’s lieutenant is given the task of training her to be a ruthless demon. The first thing that Doux does is run off to force her to play hide-and-seek. And she does it to the tune of this song that little kids would sing while befriending all the animals she runs across!

And it’s not just animals and demons that she’s nice to, either! It’s everyone and everything. She regularly visits the slaves to play with the kids and give food to everyone. She once helped out an angel for the sake of it. And every time she tries to be scary or mean, it just backfires because she’s just that nice!

And the crazy part? She might actually conquer the world with kindness. In fact, I think that that might actually be her ultimate plan.

The thing that makes this show adorable is that Doux’s kindness is infectious. Whether they’re human, demon, angel, or animals, Doux brings out the best in everyone around her, making them nicer and happier. It gets to the point that her attendant thinks she might destroy the concept of evil altogether by getting everyone to be friends and nice to each other. And you know what? I’m all for it!

It’s no secret that our world can suck. A LOT. Seeing everyone constantly getting mad over things and fighting each other on the news can be enough to make a person give up on the world. But then you remember the characters from tv shows that were just unfailingly kind to everyone, and you think, “these guys? They get it.” They get that being mean to everyone isn’t going to make things any better, and so they choose to be nice. And Doux is so nice and cute that I can’t help but want to be nice just by watching her. And the world needs more kindness in it!

Xylo Had a Fiance? NO, SERIOUSLY, HE DID!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Ani-Sunday, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 7 Review

Even before we learned about the traitors in the human ranks, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Xylo and the Hero Unit would have to face off against their own people. Xylo’s main goal in life is to find those who led to Senerva’s death and get revenge; it’s inevitable. However, I didn’t expect things to happen so quickly, but the fighting at Mureed Fortress has forced everyone’s hands. Now Xylo, Kivia, and the others have to stay away from the front to protect Teoritta. And in doing so, we get to meet more members of the Hero Unit, as we’ll see for our own eyes that Venetim’s story about demons disguised as humans was true.

Also, Xylo had a fiancé?!

Jayce Has RPG Protag Written All over Him

After defeating another Demon Lord at Mureed, Kivia visits Xylo in the hospital and lets him know that he and Teoritta are being benched. Not because they’re doing a bad job, but because they’re doing so well that the Coexisters want Teoritta dead. So to make sure they’re taken care, she’s having them pretend they’re on vacation to draw them out. On the plus side, this gives Xylo and Teoritta a chance to collect themselves, as well as give us a chance to meet another member of the Hero Unit. And he might be my favorite one yet.

Meet Jayce Partiract, a man who exudes main character energy. His spiky red hair alone makes him look like the protagonist of a JRPG, but then there’s the fact that he’s also a dragon rider. He loves dragons so much that he tried to free all the ones serving the kingdom, which led him to get the hero sentence. And the dragons love him for that, much to the dismay of his personal dragon, Neely. He’s smug, rude, and the first thing he asks of Xylo is to pay up for winning a bet about who could kill the most Demon Lords. If you dyed his hair blonde, he could pass for a Targaryen. But anyone able to befriend a dragon has to be tough, and he does come in handy at a critical moment in the episode.

The biggest surprise, though, has to be the visitor that Xylo gets, this priestly-looking woman named Frenci. She used to be Xylo’s fiance, but due to heroes being banned from marriage, it was canceled! She claims to be working on getting him pardoned, but meeting her is enough to make Teoritta jealous that the source of her headpats could get stolen. That gets superseded, though, by the reveal that Frenci is hunting another Demon Lord called Spriggan, who can disguise themselves as a human. So Venetim was right without even knowing it.

An Imposter Among us

This is a legitimately stressful situation. It’s bad enough the heroes have to look out for enemeis amongst their own, but if the demons can disguise themselves, it can make everyone seem sus. What’s worse, though, is the fact that Teoritta can’t use her powers on the humans she’s supposed to protect. And sure enough, both problems rear their head by the end of the episode.

Xylo and Kivia’s plan to draw the heretics out works as they, Teoritta, and Tsav are attacked in the market. To be fair, though, they were pretty sloppy in their methods, and they saw them coming easily. Once they drew them into an alleyway, though, they find themselves outnumbered by more heretics, including two assassins, Shiji Bau and Boojum. Jayce saves the day with Neely burning the rabble, but Shiji escapes. What’s more concerning, though, is Boojum? He took the flames head-on, and he didn’t flinch. And Teoritta notes how he felt different from the rest of the assassins.

It’s safe to say that Xylo found the Demon Lord Spriggan. But how are we going to deal with him? Questions for later. I’m still stuck on the fact that Xylo has a fiance!!!

I Give “Sentence: Feigned Day Off at Port City Ioff” a 4/5

Dang Collaborators Betraying Humanity!

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

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 6 Review

So, it should be apparent by now that there are elements amongst humanity that are actively sabotaging its efforts. From Xylo getting set up for the death of his previous goddess to Venetim being right about that story of the Demon Blight infiltrating human society, there is something sinister going on. I had hoped that this was just some idiots using the threat to pull some Game of Thrones bs, but it turns out it’s worse than that. There are traitors that are openly aiding the demons, and they want Xylo dead.

Traitors among us

The defense of Mureed Fortress was going so well. The hero unit had a good plan and they were pulling it off. But then out of nowhere, a group of humans showed up and ruined everything. Now the demons are threatening to overrun the fort and its defenders are scrambling to regroup. And the worst part? Teoritta can’t do a thing about them. She’s supposed to help humanity, not kill them!

Like I said in my review of the last episode, these guys are scumbags. They weren’t transformed against their will and forced to help the demons. Of their own free will, they are betraying their own species in a war for survival. And as we learn at the end of the episode, they are part of this faction of people who want humans to coexist with demons. And by coexistence, we mean let the demons take over and enslave every human being.

Some people would call them collaborators with the most insulting connotations possible. I call them something simpler: complete a-holes. I’m all for coexistence between species, but when one of them is an existential threat to the other, there can’t be any peace. And I know they probably think they’re saving lives by letting the demons win, but they’re not. I don’t even think that the Demon Blight will listen to reason or negotiate. Humanity either fights or it dies!

https://twitter.com/OtakuSpirited/status/2022055813477806176?s=20

Well, it’s a good thing that karma exists. Because when these coexisters try to break through the underground defenses, they all get slaughtered by Tatsuya. That man absolutely destroyed them all. It was like a mook horror show, but given that they’re betraying humanity, they kind of have it coming.  

When all else fails…

The bad news from all this is that the original plan of baiting the demon lord in is no longer viable. So Xylo and Teoritta have to take the fight to the enemy. And the pair comes dangerously close to being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers before they even have a chance to engage. If it wasn’t for the reinforcements Venetim called for, and Dotta being chased by angry mercenaries for stealing their money, they would be dead. And they still come dangerously close to dying because, as with all the other demon lords, Iblis is a Dark Souls boss.

No, really. You know those boss fights from games like Dark Souls where you think you beat them only for them to come back with a second form and extra health bar? That’s this fight. And once again, Teoritta refuses to listen to Xylo when he tells her to run.

It’s rather obvious at this point, but Teoritta is the one who spells it out for us: Xylo doesn’t hate goddesses. He hates himself. Even if it was someone else who put him in the position, he hates himself for having to kill his previous goddess. He hates that he had to lead his men to die. And he hates having to put Teoritta in danger for his sake. But, if he’s going to have to keep doing it, then he’s willing to do it with Teoritta. And then we get this.

Absolute cinema, people!

So, the fight ends with none of the heroes dying once again. But Xylo now has a target on his back. And if these coexisters are as embedded in their kingdom as I think they are, then we are in for a lot of headaches. But at least Teoritta got her headpats.

I Give “Sentence: Defense Against Corruption at Mureed Fortress 2” a 3.5/5

Are there Really Humans Aiding the Demons?

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

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 5 Review

Thermopolaye. The Alamo. The Siege of Bastogne. There are a lot of battles in history where a smaller force is forced to hold off an enemy that is vastly superior in numbers. And unfortunately for Xylo and his hero unit, their next suicide mission has them doing just that: holding the vital Mureed fortress against a horde of faerie demons so they can kill their leader. They’re being left to die to lure the Demon Lord in and kill it using a plan that, in all likelihood, won’t even work. Xylo isn’t having any of it, though, but as it turns out, the Demon Blight might not be the greatest enemy they have to face. Mankind might have traitors in their midst…

Tsav is…interesting

The episode opens up with our formal introduction to another member of the hero unit we first saw at the end of the last episode, Tsav. By now, we should have accepted that the hero unit is filled with a bunch of misfits and oddballs, but Tsav is out there, even by their standards. He’s got a very cheery demeanor to him, but he’s also a deadly sniper and assassin that was raised by a cult of deadly assassins. Think the Brotherhood from Assassin’s Creed, but without the moral code. And as we saw at the end of the last episode, sometimes he’ll decide who he will and won’t kill on a whim. This guy is doing it all for the love of the game!

Out of all the members of the hero unit that we’ve seen thus far, Tsav might be one of the ones that actually deserves some kind of harsh punishment. I won’t say that he deserves to be a hero, because no one should suffer a fate like that. Yet he’s also so friendly that it’s hard for me to find him actually bad. Then again, a lot of psychos are capable of making people let their guards down. He is a genuinely good sniper, though, so he’s got that going for him. And the hero unit will need that skill if they dont want to die.

Rather than let themselves as simply bait for the Demon Lord Iblis, Xylo has another plan. While the others are defending the place, he’s going to draw the enemy out and then take them down. And to make sure their plan works, he’s been requesting reinforcements and having Norgalle fortify the place with his seals while also creating a killing field in between. They do get reinforcements in the form of some of Kivia’s knights and the miners that they saved, but it’s still not enough and they know it. It’s clear that the higher-ups dont want to waste the manpower, but not for the reasons that they might think.

Sometimes the worst enemies are the ones that look like you

I’m not sure if it was during this episode or the last one, but one of the characters floated the theory that there were those among humanity that wanted the demons to win. And that they were actively trying to ensure that that happened. Venetm already learned for himself that his story about the Demon Blight infiltrating humanity was true, but in this episode, everyone learns this.

It happens near the end of the episode as the attack begins. At first, the heroes are holding the faeries back without any problems. Suddenly, these cloaked humans riding on horseback appear out of nowhere and launch a volley of fire arrows at their traps and barriers. That gives the demons the opening they need to breach the fortress, and by the end, things are falling apart!

Who are these mysterious people? Is there really a conspiracy trying to sabotage mankind’s survival? Or is this a power ploy by the people who want Teoritta for dissection? They could be doing this to ensure that Xylo won’t be able to stop these people from taking her away. One thing is for certain, though: they are betraying mankind in the middle of a war for their survival. Even if they’ve got a good explanation for this, it doesn’t matter. They’re condemning their own species to extinction. That’s treason, and they will need to be dealt with accordingly.

I Give “Sentence: Defense Against Corruption at Mureed Fortress 1” a 4/5

Yuji and Megumi enter the Culling Game!

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

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 7 Review

It’s time, everyone. The Culling Game has been underway for a while now, and the longer it goes on, the easier it will be for Kenjaku’s insane plans to be fulfilled. With Yuji and the others having gathered their allies, they’re ready to enter the Game. Which, at this point, I’m basically considering to be the JuJutsu equivalent of Fortnite.

Ironically, Yuji, Gojo, Nobara and Megumi are already in Fortnite.

Hakari Wants in On the Future

So, after getting Hakari and Kirara to calm down and listen to them, the former has the same reaction as the latter when they learn Gojo was sealed. To be fair, though, hearing that their strongest has been sealed would make anyone react like that. But now that Hakari knows that there backs are up against the wall, he’s willing to help them out. But he’s not just doing this out of the goodness of his heart! He wants to make a deal!

The short version: now that the existence of Cursed Spirits is public and the leaders of Jujutsu society are gonna need to be purged, things are going to need to be reformed. And Hakari wants to make sure the new rules will benefit him and his money-making schemes. Megumi agrees to the terms, since he’s the head of the Zenin Clan now. Seeing Hakari start sucking up to Megumi after he hears that was pretty funny. What makes it even funnier, though, is that the next day, Maki wipes out the Zenin Clan, making it a moot point.

Even if Megumi can’t really flex that clan power anymore, though, I think Hakari has the right to be involved in rebuilding Jujutsu society. I didn’t mention it in my review of the last episode, but one reason he got ostracized is that his Cursed Technique is more modern and tech-based. And the jerks in charge are so old-fashioned that they look down on it. But no society can improve if it keeps the same old ways forever, and if its leaders resist that notion, get rid of them. And after what they have done since Shibuya, Jujutsu HQ is going to be burned to the ground once Gojo gets out.

But enough of that: it’s time to enter the Culling Game, especially Yuji.

Let the Culling Game begin!

So, it was previously established that entering one of the colonies of the Culling Game makes someone a player by default. Since the group hadn’t entered yet, they thought they had time to prepare. However, they overlooked one possibility: that Sukuna might have agreed to take part in the Game in the past. Thanks to that, Yuji is already a player and can’t put off entering any longer. Thus, the group heads to the Tokyo Colonies.

Their plan is simple. To ensure that Megumi’s sister can get out of the Culling Game, they want to find players who already the points needed to add more rules. They figure that if they persuade them, they can add two new rules: one to allow points to transfer between players, and another that lets players tag someone else in to take their place. This way, they can make it through the Game without killing anyone. Yuji and Megumi go into one colony to find a player who has the points, while Hakari and Panda take the other to find Angel, the only one who can unseal Gojo. However, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and this is no exception.

Firstly, the second Yuji and Megumi enter the colony, they find themselves separated. This was a rule that the barriers added so players would spawn in at different points without any control over it. It’s like PUBg or Fortnite in that regard. And unfortunately for Yuji and Megumi, the game already has players pulling off toxic gamer moves, like spawnpoint camping.

As a gamer with years of experience in online multiplayer, it disgusts me to see people using spawnpoint camping to earn points. That being said, I can’t help but find it funny seeing Yuji get jumped by two random newbies and turning the tables on them. They shouldn’t have messed with the main protagonist. And as it so happens, their third member is someone Yuji used to go to school with and knows where to find one of the hundred-point players…or so they say.

Someone is Sus

Meanwhile, Megumi runs into this woman who’s trying way too hard to play up the weak and helpless damsel routine, which sparks plenty of red flags in my head. She also claims to know where this player they’re looking for is, but she gives him a different location. Which means one of them is being lied to, and will thus be getting an ass-whooping later. Sadly, we will have to wait at least two weeks to find out. The anime is going to be on break.

I don’t really care that much that the anime will be on break. Months of One Piece going on break for recap episodes have gotten me used to the idea. Plus, the next episode is going to be absolute fire, I just know it! In the meantime, what I’m more interested in is Hakari’s English voice actor. I assumed that it would go to Chris Sabat, but Yuri Lowenthal was not someone I was expecting! People from my generation are probably already saying how he’s delinquent Sasuke. To be fair, though, Sasuke was a delinquent for half the series.

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