Anime Reviews

2023 Was a Badass Year for Anime

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Best Anime Moments of 2023

Another year ends, another year of anime on the books. And this year saw some of the best anime in recent years set the Internet on fire. From Isekai’s setting new standards to martial artists fighting actual cavemen, this year had some crazy moments to show for it. Therefore, it only feels right to end the year by recounting some of the best moments.

I’m RJ Writing Ink with D&A Anime Blog, and here are my picks for the best anime moments in 2023. For this list, I’ll limit myself to anime that I’ve either watched or watched enough to get a general understanding of what’s going on. If your anime didn’t make the list, apologies in advance. 

Rudeus and Sylphiette Get Together-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Growing up in Buena village together, Rudeus Greyrat and Sylphiette were inseparable best friends until the day he left to tutor his distant relative. Then the Teleportation Incident destroyed their home, scattered everyone around the world, and set them on different paths in life. Fate (and the handiwork of Princess Ariel) saw the two finally reunite after nearly ten years attending the magic school they always talked about…only for Rudy to not recognize her, and Sylphie too shy to tell him who she was. It took a year and the help of her best friends, but Sylphie finally managed to tell Rudy who she was. One romantic night later, and the two were a firm couple.

There’s something sweet about childhood friends taking that next step to becoming lovers, and these two earned the right to do so. Sylphie trained hard for years to match Rudeus’ level of magical skill, and had to endure the deadly intrigue of the Asura Kingdom’s royal court. Meanwhile, Rudy spent almost three years trying to get home, only for his love, Eris, to seemingly abandon him. Rudy may have flaws, but he didn’t deserve to get traumatized. Seeing Sylphie’s love for him pull him from the depths of despair was immensely satisfying to witness. Even more so when Rudy didn’t hesitate to ask Sylphie to marry him. They’ve earned this chance to be happy!

Akira Realizes He’s Free from Work-Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

For three long, agonizing years, Akira Tendou had been stuck in hell. His dream job wound up being little more than corporate slavery, his boss gaslit him into thinking he was worthless, and the girl he liked was having an affair with the CEO. At the rate things were going, he was on the both to an early grave. Then the zombie apocalypse happened, and Akira suddenly realized something: he never has to go to work again. Cue the absolute euphoria.

All too often, people get stuck working in jobs that they come to hate. But whether it’s because they need the money or they’d feel guilty for leaving or wouldn’t know where else to work, they stay there and let it beat them down until there’s almost nothing left. It gets so bad in Japan that people have chosen suicide rather than endure another day of their horrible jobs. Thus, seeing the look of absolute euphoria on his face as Akira realizes that he’s finally free is catharsis at its finest. It also sets the tone for Zom100 being one long middle finger to corporate culture. 

(Almost) Every Scene with Pickle-Baki Hanma

In a world filled with absolute powerhouses like Yujiro and Baki Hanma, how do you top them? By introducing an actual caveman so tough that he hunted T-Rexes for food. Meet Pickle, the evolutionary-defying caveman from the Jurassic era preserved for 190 million years in ice and salt, only to be revived in the present day. From the second he woke up, Pickle made victims out of everyone he ran into. He tore through the US Army, bent a Siberian Tiger into the letter ‘C’, slew Truck-Kun, and ate the limbs off several of the world’s best martial artists. He even made Yujiro use an actual technique when they had the manliest fist-bump ever.

Pickle is the kind of impossible, indescribable menace that could only come from a series as insane as Baki, and he is amazing. There’s something both amazing and terrifying of seeing this evolutionary impossibility not only exist, but make mince meat of the world’s strongest. The fact that not even Baki, the main character, could beat him, only makes watching Pickle even more amazing. The only scene that isn’t cool to watch is when he violated that news reporter who foolishly got too close to him. Assault is never cool. 

Gojo Unlocks Limitless-Jujutsu Kaisen

Satoru Gojo is many things: a master of rizz, an absolute troll, and Kakashi 2.0. But like many, he didn’t start out like that; he had to work for it. After being stabbed and left for dead by Toji Fushiguro, Gojo survived by unlocking the full extent of his technique, Limitless. When he next confronts Toji, he proceeds to utterly decimate the assassin. It’s not even a fight at this point; just a beatdown.

There’s a reason why everyone considers Gojo to be that guy, and this moment demonstrates what he’s like when he’s off the leash. As cool as it is to see him use the full extent of his powers, though, his behavior here is very, very unsettling. He’s laughing and raving like a lunatic or someone high on drugs, drunk on his own power and not caring at the fact that one of his friends is now dead. By the time he comes down from it, the sobering reality of how worthless having all that power is if he can’t save anyone hits him like a freight train. As cool as this was, it also marked the start of Gojo’s character development that made him become the teacher he is in the present day. 

Miyo Stands up to her Half-Sister and Stepmother-My Happy Marriage

Saying that Miyo Saimori had a horrible family would be like comparing apples to orange. Treated as an unwanted reminder of the arranged marriage he never wanted, her father did nothing to stop her stepmother and half-sister from abusing her and treating like a servant. It wasn’t until she was sent away to marry the enigmatic Mr. Kudou that she finally started got to experience happiness for the first time. In a jealous fit of rage, though, the evil stepmother and sister kidnapped Miyo and proceeded to beat her senselessly until she agreed to renounce her engagement. However, for the first time ever, Miyo stood up for herself. 

Seeing fictional characters like Cinderella and Miyo suffer domestic abuse from their own family is bad enough. The fact that such things happen in real life, though, can be downright heartbreaking. The worst part is that not everyone can escape this ordeal like Cinderella and Miyo did. Thus, getting to see Miyo find the strength in her to stand up to her family is cathartic to watch. What makes it better is knowing that Mr. Kudou stormed their home and let it burn to the ground to get her back. That’s karma at its finest.

Netsuko Walks in the Sun-Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-Swordsmith Village Arc

From the beginning of his journey, Tanjiro’s goals as a Demon Slayer have been simple: turn his sister, Nezuko, back into a human, and defeat the Demon Muzan. The Demon Slayers made a huge step towards the latter goal during the Swordsmith Village Arc. The Demon Slayers managed to slay two of Muzan’s Upper Ranks, but to do so, Nezuko was left standing outside when the sun came up. However, instead of burning into ashes like other Demons, a miracle occurred: Nezuko had become immune to sunlight.

Hands down, this is one of the most heartwarming, tearjerking moments in the entire Demon Slayer series. Tanjiro has fought tooth and nail to ensure that Nezuko can become human again. To see him burst into tears when he thinks the whole reason he became a Demon Slayer go up in smoke, only to find Nezuko’s fine. After all the pain he’s gone through, this little victory of his makes it all worthwhile.

Sukuna’s Rampage-Jujutsu Kaisen

By its nature, Jujutsu Kaisen is a dark series, but that’s balanced out by the lighthearted comedy found in many Shonen manga. The Shibuya Arc, though, had no such protective netting, as everything that could go wrong did. Gojo getting sealed alone was bad enough, but then the Cursed Spirits upped the ante by force-feeding Yuji Itadori ten of Sukuna’s fingers. As a result, Sukuna was unleashed, leveled the Shibuya District, and killed multiple Cursed Spirits and likely hundreds of civilians. And that’s only putting it lightly!

Everything about this moment is the pinnacle of what Shonen anime aspires to be. Seeing what Sukuna can do when left free for an extended period of time was flat-out terrifying. From killing Jogo to battling Fushiguro’s most powerful Shikigami, everything about this is flat-out awesome. Well, for the viewers. For . 

Shanks Scares Greenbull out of Wano Country-One Piece

Kaido and Big Mom had been defeated and Wano Country was finally free, but there was one last battle to fight. With the two Emperor’s out of the way, Navy Admiral Greenbull tried to march right into Wano to kill Luffy, only to be met by Momonosuke, the Red Scabbards, and Yamato. While they put up a good fight, Greenbull looked ready to overwhelm them…until Shanks pulled up from afar.

Shanks is one of the most popular characters in One Piece for a reason, often acting as an avatar for series mangaka Eichiro Oda himself. And when Shanks gets and tells someone to back off, it’s best for them to listen. Shanks only had to unleash a fraction of his Haki to paralyze Greenbull without ever leaving his ship. Another burst of Haki was enough to make him turn tail and leave Wano Country altogether. 

The cool thing about this, though? He didn’t necessarily have to do that. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Jinbei were already observing the battle from the capital. They could’ve intervened if things got out of hand, and likely would’ve beaten Greenbull. Shanks did it to remind everyone how badass he is!

The Entire Finale-Attack on Titan: the Final Chapter

This finale deserved to be a feature-length movie released in theaters. Wrapping up the Attack on Titan anime with a bang, this two-part finale saw Eren Yeager unleash the Rumbling onto the world in order to wipe out all of humanity beyond his home island of Paradis. His former friends in the Scouts and the remaining Warriors of Marley are forced to abandon their past grudges to save the world while there’s still a world left to save. What ensues is an absolute desperate fight for survival that pushes everyone involved to their absolute limits.

Everything about these two specials qualifies as a best moment for 2023. The animation reaches new levels of quality, the music is on point, the action is breathtaking, and everything is just perfect. In addition, the anime improves on the ending to provide better context. It’s as close to perfect as one can expect.

Luffy Goes Gear Fifth for the First Time-One Piece

This was the moment that One Piece fans had been waiting the entire series for, and they didn’t even know it. As the Wano Country Arc reached its climax, Luffy was once again bested by the monstrous pirate Kaido, seemingly for good. Just when it looks like all hope for victory seems lost, Luffy’s body begins to stir as the sound of drums begins to pierce the heavens, heralding the awakening of his Devil Fruit and unlocking of Gear Fifth.

There are almost no words to describe how unbelievably epic this moment was for fans. The intimidating yet whimsical sound of the drums. The way it’s juxtaposed against Luffy’s unheard-of transformation. An elephant the size of an island proclaiming the second coming of Joyboy in Luffy. Luffy’s grin at the end indicates that he’s about to kick some serious ass. This moment needs to be studied as an example of building up hype. And given how the following episodes see Luffy turn into SHONEN POPEYE, it’s hands-down the best anime moment of 2023. No ifs, ands, or buts!

So Many Waifu’s to Choose From!

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RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Best Waifu’s of 2023

The year 2023 is over, and that means it’s time for us to reflect on everything that’s happened. For anime fans, that also means it’s time to look back the anime we’ve watched, and just as important, which girls and boys we consider to be the best. This year saw tons of amazing waifus; so much so that before the year was out, we had to name them all. I’m RJ Writing Ink for D&A Anime Blog, and in no particular order, here are my top picks for best girls of 2023. 

For this list, we won’t just be including girls from shows that premiered in 2023. We will also be including girls who gained prominence on returning shows in 2023. Also, it goes without saying, but no loli’s.

Tomo Aizawa-Tomo-Chan is a Girl!

Ask her best friend, Jun, and he’ll say that Tomo Aizawa is the best friend a guy could have. One problem, though: Tomo wants to be more than just friends with Jun, and he’s clueless about this. Thus, Tomo has to find ways of getting him to stop seeing her as just one of the guys and seeing her as a girl. 

If tomboy supremacy is a thing, then Tomo Aizawa embodies it. Confident (mostly), friendly, and unwilling to take anyone’s nonsense, Tomo is every tomboy lover’s dream personified, with even girls being known to fall for her. The main issue that she has is that her tomboy ways have left her deeply insecure about her feminine side and make her think she needs to change that about herself to get Jun to like her. The anime focuses on her trying to do so, only to realize that she never had to do so. Jun already loves her the way she is, and so do plenty of fans.

Of which I am one.

Sylphiette-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Introduced as the first friend that Rudeus Greyrat ever made in his second life, Sylphiette has been in love with him since day one. That only made it harder for her when he went away to earn money for them to attend magic school, only for the Teleportation Incident to separate them even further. When they finally reunited at that same magic school, Sylphie despaired when Rudy didn’t recognize her. Once she gathered her courage to reveal her true identity, though, she learned that not only had he never forgotten her, but returned her feelings. 

Can we appreciate how much of an angel Sylphiette really is? Despite knowing of Rudeus character flaws (of which there are many), she always saw the best in him even when he didn’t. More importantly, when she learned about the psychological trauma he endured from his first love abruptly leaving him, Sylphie’s first response was understanding and compassion. Her love for Rudeus saved him in one of the lowest points in his life. No wonder why he immediately asked her to marry him. 

Miyo Saimori-My Happy Marriage

Miyo Saimori did not have a happy life. Unwanted by her birth father and treated like a servant by her stepmother and half-sister, Miyo spent her whole life thinking she was worthless. All of that changed, though, when she was engaged to the cold but handsome soldier Kiyoka Kudou. Despite his reputation of scaring off his prospective brides, she soon learns that he’s not the cruel man people make him out to be. And with his support, she begins to come out of her shell and finally learn to stand up for herself.

Miyo Saimori is like the Japanese version of Cinderella, if what Cinderella went through gave her low self-esteem. Spending her whole life being seen as useless by her own family, Miyo starts out the series with little hope for a better life. However, once she gets her fiancé to warm up to her, and gains the supportive environment she never had, she grows out of her timid nature. While she’s still a bit of a wallflower, she shows everyone that she has an unspoken will to her that makes her far stronger than she seems. 

Shizuka Mikazuki and Beatrix Amerhauser-Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Since these two are from the same anime, I OK combined their entry into one. 

First running into Akira while he was looking to get beer, Shizuka had a demeanor so cold, she could’ve been an ice queen. While this was partially due to her logical nature, a large part of her cold demeanor stems from her control freak father dictating everything about her life. As she comes to spend more time with Akira, though, she starts to lighten up and learn never to let others tell her how to live her life. 

In contrast, Beatrix Amerhauser is very much an extrovert. A young German woman with a lifelong passion for Japan, she came to the country right as the zombie apocalypse started. However, not even zombies would stop her from seeing the country she dreamed about for years, becoming the fourth to join Akira’s growing travel party.

Both these girls couldn’t be any more different from each other, yet both have aspects that make them great waifus. They’re both considered very pretty by men and are subjects to varying degrees of fanservice, but it’s their personalities that are the big draw. Underneath Shizuka’s cold demeanor lies someone who cares deeply for the people she considers her friends. And seeing Beatrix get excited by her love of Japan is enough to get anyone around her fired up. In other words, they’re both great women and great waifus.

Mitsuri Kanroji-Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Born with an abnormal level of strength, poor Mitsuri managed to scare off any prospective marriage partner. While she did try to hide her strength to attract a husband, she quickly realized how miserable her life would be to live like this. Rather than try and act like what others considered to be “normal,” Mitsuri chose to embrace who she was by becoming a Demon Slayer. Now among the strongest people in Japan, Mitsuri hoped to find a man even tougher than her in the hopes of finally finding love.

Okay, real talk. If Mitsuri turns guys off because of her abnormal hair color or for how strong she is, then the problem isn’t her; it’s all of them. Compassionate, beautiful, and willing to lay down her life for what she thinks is right, Mitsuri Kanroji is everything most guys want in a girlfriend. The fact that she hasn’t found a husband who likes her for her is a travesty. 

Ramona Flowers-Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

She is, quite literally, the girl of Scott Pilgrim’s dreams. Those familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim know the tale of Ramona Flowers. She is a cool skater girl with even cooler hair and has a lot of exes that Scott has to fight to date her in peace. However, all of that goes out the window when Scott disappears in the middle of fighting her first ex. While the others in Scott’s life try to move on with their lives, Ramona takes it upon herself to find out who took him, becoming the main character in this new story.

While the graphic novels and the film adaptation hinted at it, the anime version of Ramona Flowers fully fleshes out her character beyond being a manic pixie dream girl. She’s just as flawed as her prospective boyfriend, Scott, with her actions being just as responsible for how her exes turned out as they are. At the same time, seeing her come to terms with her past mistakes as she tries to find Scott shows how she can change herself for the better. Because of her willingness to make amends for past mistakes while still being an all-around fantastic girl, Ramona deserves a place on this list. 

Every One of Rentaro’s Girlfriends-The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Sorry, but given the premise of this crazy harem anime, it’s impossible to choose one of Rentaro’s growing list of girlfriends as best. So, much like gigachad Rentaro, I’m going with all of them. 

Hakari is sweet and openly affectionate. She may have a bit of a perverted side, but she’s very supportive of her fellow harem members and their happiness.

Karane may be a tsundere, but that personality type is popular with many anime fans. She may have trouble expressing her true feelings, but when push comes to shove, her love for her friends and Rentaro knows no bounds.

Shizuka is adorable-looking and very well-read, but at the same time, very shy. Her shyness was only made worse because everyone, including her mother, saw her as a freak for only using books to communicate with others. Underneath her shyness, though, Shizuka has a lot of courage and is willing to do anything to help her newfound family. 

Nano is an archetypical kuudere, cold and efficient to the point that she could be called a Vulcan. But once Rentaro gets into her heart, she starts to learn how to embrace her emotions more. Plus, she can dress up to look like an actual Prince Charming. That is a rare talent, indeed!

Kusuri might look like a loli, but that’s due to her genius backfiring on her with a semi-permanent drug, leaving her with the body of a child. When she does return to her actual age, though, she’s like a red-headed version of Bulma from Dragon Ball: brains and beauty combined.

As Hakari’s mom, the introduction to Hahari made her appear cold and controlling of her daughter. In truth, though, that was because Hakari’s father died before she was born, leaving Hahari to raise her by herself at age 13 (she had herself artificially inseminated, all right!) After Rentaro proved how genuine his feelings for Hakari were, though, Hahari didn’t just give them her blessing. She wound up becoming his sixth soulmate, much to everyone’s exasperation.

And this is just the first six. Rentaro is going to have 94 more before the story comes to an end.

‘Zom100’ Came Home for the Holidays!

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Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead Eps. 10-12 Review

It’s been three months since the last episode of Zom100 came out, thanks to delays with production from behind the scenes. Many people despaired that one of the year’s best anime would never be finished. However, after three months of hiatus, Akira is back for the holidays! When we last left off, he and his friends had settled in his secluded hometown in the mountains, safe from the zombies. Unfortunately, their oasis was about to become a battlefield thanks to another quartet looking to do whatever they wanted. Unlike Akira, though, this group wants to hurt everyone around them! It’s up to Akira and the others to save his home in this three-part finale!

Getting to Know Everyone in Akira’s Hometown

At this point, Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix have integrated themselves into Akira’s hometown. Akira is helping his parents work in the field. Kencho has taken to trying to cheer up a little girl named Angie, who lost her parents. Beatrix has learned more about how the villagers keep the zombies out. As for Shizuka, she works as the village’s unofficial doctor. As a kid, she always wanted to study medicine and become a doctor, but her dirtbag wouldn’t let her because it wouldn’t be a high-paying job, which doesn’t make sense. After all, being a doctor is one of the best-paying jobs in the world. 

All this downtime allows everyone to relax and bond with the villagers and other refugees. Akira, in particular, tries to devise a way to repay his parents for everything they’ve done for him. As someone lucky enough to still have both his parents, it’s a sentiment I can greatly relate to. Plenty of kids give up so much for the sake of their kids, and not every kid can fully repay or express that gratitude while they still have a chance. It’s a genuinely wholesome moment and one I enjoyed getting to see.

It’s too bad the moment gets ruined by a group that’s the yin to Akira and his friend’s yang, who open the barrier, keeping the zombies out so they can destroy the village.

Higurashi and his Group of Haters 

Meet Kanta Higurashi, a 24-year-old shut-in and the anti-Akira. Like Akira, his life before the zombies was terrible, with no friends, family, or job. This made him bitter at the world and blame everyone else for how his life turned out. Thus, when the apocalypse happened, he decided to indulge in everything he wanted and found others who wanted to do the same thing. In other words, he’s a mirror version of Akira.

Here’s the difference, though. The problems that Akira and his friends had before the zombies came were external, resulting from things that weren’t always in their control (bad job and worse boss, bad Dad, etc.) Higurashi’s group? As the zombies come pouring in and each member of Akira’s group has to fight a member of Higurashi’s group, it becomes clear that most of their gripes are self-inflicted.

  • Kurasugi hated his wife because she always complained about him never being there for her. In reality, though, he failed to put in the effort that came to a successful marriage, expecting his wife to do everything for him and ask for nothing in return. That’s not how marriage works!
  • Atenbou (who tries to French kiss Shizuka) complains he’s had bad luck, but it was due to his lazy and careless nature. I.E., he forgot to put out his cigarette in the restaurant he worked in, which burned down.
  • This woman named Kanbayashi got fired from her job, but it was because she had an overbearing attitude, insisted she was always right, and was generally a Karen.

Thankfully, Akira’s friends all beat each other while shutting down their arguments about why they’re jerks.

  • Shizuka points out how Atenbou’s lack of care for anyone but himself means his bad luck is self-inflicted. Then, she helped all the elderly people capture him.
  • Kencho outsmarts Kurasagi by diving into a cesspit to hide himself from the zombies. Gross, but effective.
  • Beatrix shuts down the water mill, providing power to the electric fence, trapping everyone, and points out the fact that so many different cultures and ways of thinking in the world mean that no one can be right about everyone. She’s then eaten by zombies instead of crushed by a water wheel.

As for Akira, he outsmarts Higurashi by disguising himself as a zombie to get close enough to pin him. Higurashi (who went to college with Akira and Kencho) then breaks down in tears and complains about how miserable his life has been.

Happiness is Something that Has to be Worked for

As sad as it is to see Higurashi cry about how miserable his life was, like his friends, a lot of his misery was self-inflicted. While his introverted nature did make it hard for him to reach out to anyone, it wasn’t like no one tried to. Akira did offer to befriend him in college, but his fear and loathing at how carefree Akira seemed to be led to him refusing this offer. 

According to T.V. Tropes, Higurashi is a deconstruction of the NEET archetype that’s become popular in many skis. Unlike someone like Rudeus Greyrat, who puts in the effort to be a better person, Higurashi doesn’t. He gave up on the world, so the world gave up on him and led him to what he is today. Unfortunately, Higurashi gets bitten by a zombie amidst his epiphany, denying the chance for a redemption arc. Instead, he sacrifices himself to lure the zombies away.

On to the Next Adventure

In the end, everyone’s able to escape the zombies, seal back in the tunnel, and rebuild the village. And, though I’m not sure if it’s shown onscreen, Atenbou’s the only one still alive and works to help rebuild and make amends. The bigger question, though, is what Akira and the others will do now. 

As it turns out, Akira’s father is suffering from a painful illness. The good news is it’s hemorrhoids, something a doctor can take care of. The bad news is that zombies make that pretty hard. Not wanting to let his Dad die this way, Akira comes up with a new goal: find the cure for the virus.

In almost every zombie story, one of the top priorities for survivors is to find a cure for whatever’s creating the zombies. Barring that, it’s trying to get them under control and rebuild society. Thus, the fact that Akira wants to eventually find some way of ending the zombie apocalypse is kind of expected. Given who he is, though, some people might not believe Akira can be the guy who could save Japan or the world if it’s spread that far. However, I think he might be able to do it.

No, really. Akira might be the guy who saves the world. He’s outgoing and friendly, bringing out the best in others and inspiring them to be better. If he managed to win over Shizuka as he did, then he might be able to get everyone to unite and stop the outbreak.

Thus, Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix all head out on their next adventure: finding a cure for the plague and completing more on their now-shared bucket list. Thus, the first season of Zom100 came to an end. 

A Season Two on the Horizon?

I will be upfront about this: I want to see a second season of Zom100 under better circumstances.

This anime is one of the best out of 2023; there’s no denying that. The problem is that it was plagued by production issues that led to delays and more. As a result, much of the hype around this amazing series started to fizzle out. This is sad; I’ve taken to read the manga, and it’s pretty good. This anime has much more potential, and I hope it continues. Until then, though, I will enjoy what we’ve gotten.

Happy Holidays!

I Give “Hometown of the Dead Pts 1-3” a 4.5/5. Each

Itsuki Gets Curb-Stomped by Rishia

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3, Ep 11 Review

At this point, it should be obvious that the Four Cardinal Heroes are in need of some serious therapy. None of them were mentally ready to handle getting summoned and told that they’re heroes meant to save the world. Now, Motoyasu can only see women as talking pigs except for Filo (who he now stalks like crazy.) Ren went through his bandit phase after losing his party and getting conned by Witch. Naofumi’s the most stable of them thanks to making friends he can trust. But Itsuki might be in the worst state of them all. He’s so in denial over the fact that he’s wrong that he’s letting Witch string him along.

Man, Witch sucks.

Itsuki Has Started to Lose It.

From the start of the episode, it’s clear that Itsuki has started going off the deep end. He’s mentally monologuing about how he’s on the side of justice. He’s telling himself that he’s not inferior to anyone and denying the fact that he’s messed up a lot. Then when he sees that Naofumi’s behind his match with Rishia and that he brought all the Demihuman kids, he accuses him of gathering more slaves and using them for money and profit. Then, he tries to attack Naofumi, putting everyone’s lives in danger in the process!

It becomes apparent to everyone, especially the viewers, that Itsuki is not in the best state of mind. And we get a glimpse into just how deep-rooted these issues he has are. In his world, an alternate Japan where people could have psyhic powers, he wanted to be a hero, but then he found out that he wasn’t as strong as he thought he was. Unlike Deku, though, Itsuki never got the chance to become stronger; he just got bullied and made to think that he was weak. 

Then he got summoned to Melromarc and told by everyone that he was one of the people meant to save their world. He had an entire country brown-nosing him, and that went too much to his head. Because when you’ve spent your entire life being told you’re not special, you’re willing to believe those who sing your praises, no matter their intentions or sincerity. Thus, like the other Heroes, he fell for Witch’s lies hook, line, and sinker.

Thankfully, Rishia is there to give him a reality check.

Rishia is a True Friend

Rishia is probably the only person who genuinely believed in Itsuki from the start. He saved her from imprisonment, so she followed him and admired his sense of justice…until he threw her out. Now that’s started to overcome her own inescurities and become a badass, she’s ready to help Itsuki in this time of need. And help her she does.

The fight between Rishia and Itsuki is less of a fight and more of a one-sided curb-stomping. Despite being in the thrall of the cursed Bow, Rishia still manages to curb-stomp him. To rub further salt in the wound, Rishia also criticizes his views on justice. Itsuki thinks his form of justice is the only form of justice, but that’s untrue. By its nature, Justice is different between person to person, culture to culture. One group’s idea of justice is another’s idea of tyranny. The fact that Itsuki’s refusing to acknowledge this doesn’t make him a hero; just a self-righteous bully. 

It gets to the point where even Itsuki’s Bow gets tired of its wielders nonsense, and gives its power to Rishia to end things. She does, but Itsuki still refuses to listen to reason and runs off to find Witch.

Itsuki is a Broken Shell

What happens next surprises no one but Itsuki. Witch and the rest of his So-called party’s long gone. They spent all that money he won on themselves and left him with a Mountain of debts, utterly breaking him.

It’s not fully explained in the anime, but the light novels reveal that what’s happened to Itsuki is even worse than people thought. Because he used the Cursed Series of his Bow, the Pride Bow, he’s lost his free will. As a result, the sight at the end of Rishia leading Itsuki is because of PTSD. He can no longer do anything without being ordered to do so. It’s that bad.

The only consolation’s here are the fact that Itsuki is with someone who actually cares about his well-being. The Four Heroes are now United under Naofumi. And they now have an army of strong companions to help them. Things seem to be looking up. 

Since there’s only one episode left this season, I’m waiting to see how things go wrong again. 

I Give “Justice vs. Justice” a 4/5

Raphtalia Must Be Protected at All Costs!

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 12

Raphtalia is one of the best waifus in the history of the Isekai genre. She’s beautiful, kind, and strong, and she was the big reason that Naofumi never entirely gave into the despair from his early days as the Shield Hero. While Naofumi either ignores or remains oblivious that she’s in love with him (for now), he will still go to war against anyone who would hurt her. That is precisely what happens in the final episode of this season of Shield Hero. When an entire country targets Raphtalia for reasons straight out of Game of Thrones, Naofumi marches to war.

A Ridiculous Misunderstanding

Having spent the entire season tracking down the three Cardinal Heroes and setting them straight, things seem to finally be going right for Naofumi. The Heroes are cooperating, Lulorona Village is flourishing despite some setbacks, and everyone’s getting stronger. Gaelion’s even started teaching Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Sadeena how to use Dragon Veins. Things finally seem to be doing well for the Shield Hero.

Then, due to a ridiculous misunderstanding, the Heroes get caught in another conflict.

It all started when Naofumi asked Erhard to make Raphtalia a Miko Outfit based on the one she wore in Glass’ world. While the anime doesn’t explain why he did this, the Light Novel’s do: because he thought she looked cute. It was for cosplay, plain and simple. However, when Sadeena comes back and sees Raphtalia wearing it, she freaks out and begs her to take it off.

Then, all hell breaks loose as the village comes under attack from demihuman ninjas.

Q’Ten Lo and their Stupidity 

The ninjas prove tough enough to fight on even ground with the Cardinal and Vassal Heroes, cancelling their powers. It takes everyone’s help to take them down, but then they blow themselves up before they can talk. And the whole time, they were going about “Heavenly Emperor” and not letting Raphtalia claim it. Thankfully, no one dies, but one kid’s left in bad shape.

Afterwards, Sadeena took everyone aside and explained everything. To the east of Melromarc is the country of Q’Ten Lo, which is a stand-in for Feudal Japan, complete with an Emperor and isolationist policies. In the past, the royal family went through a whole Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon scenario, fighting and killing to decide the next Heavenly Emperor. By the time the dust settled, only two people were left, and one of them was Raphtalia’s father. He and her Mom didn’t want to get involved in that nonsense, so they bailed and moved to Melromarc before she was born. Sadeena, whose family had guarded the royal family for generations, went with them. In other words, Raphtalia is a Princess, and those assassin’s tried to kill her to prevent her from claiming the throne.

It turns out, the Q’Ten Lo government had had assassin’s watching Raphtalia and her parents all her life, ready to kill her at a moment’s notice. And when they saw her wearing that miko outfit, they misunderstood it for her gunning for the throne and overreacted by picking a fight with her and the Cardinal Heroes. Like idiots. Like a bunch of idiots. 

A Pissed off Naofumi Goes to War

So, let’s look at the evidence:

  1. A bunch of Assassin’s overreacted to Raphtalia’s innocent cosplaying (because Naofumi thought she looked cute.)
  2. They attacked Raphtalia, her village, and the people in it.
  3. They tried to kill three of the Cardinal Heroes, the one’s supposed to save their world from the Waves, which would screw over everyone.
  4. By doing so, they risked an international incident with Melromarc.

The thing that Naofumi cares the most about, though? These people knew about everything that Raphtalia went through. Losing her parents to the Waves. How she and her friends got enslaved with many of them dying. They knew about everything she went through before she met Naofumi and since, and didn’t do a thing to help her. 

Naofumi’s response: he’s going to war. 

While revenge is a part of Naofumi’s decision (and in this case, an understandable response), there’s logic behind it. This country was willing to kill the people meant to save their world for reasons that, in the grand scheme of things, are incredibly petty and stupid. In addition, the Phoenix, the next of the beasts after the Spirit Tortoise, will revive in two months. They can’t afford to be distracted like this. So, Naofumi tells everyone present that they’re headed to Q’ten Lo to put their leaders in their place. However, to get there, they must first travel to the one nation Q’ten Lo interacts with: Siltvelt. AKA, the land that worships the Shield Hero like a God. Thus, the season ends with Naofumi flying ahead on Gaelion to give the others a spot to teleport. 

Things are about to get Game of Thrones in here.

The Next Season Should be Fun

Full disclosure: I’m a fan of stories that have political intrigue in the vein of Game of Thrones. Since the show ended, though, I’ve also come to love these stories for another reason: to laugh at how trivial, petty, and stupid the scheming is.

No, really. After seeing how badly Westeros was ravaged from people fighting over a throne that, in the end, no one claimed, made me realize how pointless the whole thing was. Especially given how the entire thing took place while an army of ice zombies gathered in the far north. Replace the White Walkers with the Waves of Catastrophe and the Phoenix, and the Shield Hero deals with the same thing. They’re ready to destroy the world, and idiots in power are playing politics. And unlike Jon Snow, Naofumi has far less tolerance for their nonsense.

So, whenever the next season comes around, we’ll see Naofumi going to the country that worships him and then overthrowing a country dumb enough to make an enemy out of him. Not a bad way to end the season.

As for the season, it doesn’t quite reach the height of excitement that the first season did. Nor did it have quite as interesting a premise as the second season (even if several factors ruined it). However, this season feels like it was meant to be a breather before a potentially big storm. The storm in question being what will go down in Q’ten Lo.

I’m looking forward to it, regardless. 

Also, I’m with Naofumi on this. Anyone who tries to hurt Raphtalia will suffer. Like these two.

Itsuki Needs to Get Some Sense Knocked Into Him

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 10 Review

Two Cardinal Heroes down, one to go. Naofumi managed to find Ren and Motoyasu and, more or less, got them under control. However, there’s still one Hero unaccounted for: Itsuki, the Bow Hero obsessed with being this symbol of “Hidden Justice.” Or, in other words, he’s a kid who’s trying too hard to be Batman, but he’s coming off as Red Hood or Damian. If Naofumi and the others want to help Itsuki, talking won’t work for him. They’ll have to use force, no matter how much his former companion, Rishia, might not like it.

It’s worth it. He needs to get taken down a peg for his own good.

“Perfect Hidden Justice” Sounds So Cringe

Thanks to the Gaelion debacle, Naofumi sends Filo and Melty out to gain more levels to compensate for the loss. Beyond that, though, life in Naofumi’s village has returned to normal. The peace proves short-lived, though, when S’yne (conveniently away fighting in the arena) returns with surprising news: she’s found Itsuki. 

Ever since the Spirit Tortoise incident, Itsuki has handled things very poorly. Rather than figure out what he did wrong, he decided to double down on his negative traits and step into full-on cringe territory. Now he’s fighting in the arenas as the gladiator “Perfect Hidden Justice,” a name everyone agrees is cringe. Worse, when Rishia tries to talk to him, he slaps her out of the way, much to everyone’s disgust.

Itsuki’s Paradoxical Hero Complex

This is something other than what gets touched upon in the anime, but web and light novels gave us greater insight into the character of the Three Cardinal Heroes. In Itsuki’s case, he’s a contradiction. On the one hand, he wants to be like Batman or Spider-Man and deliver justice from the shadows. On the other hand, he also wants people to sing his praises and to look cool while saving the day. This contradiction makes him very ineffective as a hero; he has a bunch of insecurities, and unlike Naofumi, he’s not with people with his best interests at heart. At least not anymore. Now, he’s working with the personification of the corrupt elite, Witch. She and the rest of his party have him fight in the arena to get money to save slave children. However, no, but Itsuki buys that. Witch is using the cash for herself.

What’s incredibly frustrating about this is that Itsuki should have no excuse to listen to Witch. He knows that she framed Naofumi; the slave crest the Queen put on her made it clear she’s a liar. Yet she continues to get away with this well past the point where she can. Either she’s got a silver tongue on the level of Starscream, or the Heroes mental states are so fragile since the Spirit Tortoise that they’ll listen to anyone who says anything nice to them. 

It also doesn’t help that Itsuki’s unlocked his cursed series for his bow.

Rishia Steps Up to Knock Some Sense into Itsuki

So, to recap, Itsuki’s unlocked his cursed bow and is being strung along by the Witch. He’s entirely given in to his delusions of being a Batman, but he’s coming off as a Damian or Red Hood. And he’s using an alias that sounds like an edge-lord would come up with. As Atla points out, there’s only one way to make Itsuki see reason: they have to beat him up. 

There are better solutions than this, but it’s their best. When people can’t see eye-to-eye or reason in real life and fiction, settling things with fists and weapons might be the only option left. It’s like when Naruto had to defeat Sasuke at the end of Naruto to get him to see reason. Except in this case, Rishia is Naruto, and Itsuki is Sasuke. 

The decision to have Rishia fight Itsuki is important on several levels. Rishia has always struggled with self-esteem, which Itsuki and his party made worse. She’s grown more substantial and more confident since Naofumi’s group took her in, but beating Itsuki will prove to herself how strong she’s gotten. Additionally, losing to the person he thought was weak might be the reality check Itsuki needs. 

Gearing Up For the Season Finale

This episode was a pause for what was to come. Itsuki is the last of the three heroes Naofumi needs to help see sense, thus the toughest. Motoyasu buckled after Witch, and the other girls turned their backs on him. Ren went through that bandit phase, but Eclair beat him and Wyndia helped him start to come to terms with his past mistakes. However, Itsuki pushed away the one person who could help him, Rishia. Now, Rishia needs to beat him to bring him to his senses. It happens a lot in anime, but the emotional weight of a friend fighting another friend to save them from themselves works. 

There are only two episodes left in the season, and I’m hoping that the next episode gives us a good showing. It’s time for Itsuki to get help, whether he wants it or not. That, and his alias is super-cringe.

I Give “Perfect Hidden Justice” a 4/5

Dragon Emperor Dungeon Boss Fight

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 9 Review

Last week, things weren’t looking good for Naofumi and his allies. Their baby dragon, Gaelion, got possessed by the spirits of two angry adults. Filo’s being used as an unwilling battery as they drain her levels like a parasite. The whole group’s barely hanging on against this pseudo-dungeon boss. And like the boss to any dungeon in an MMORPG, everyone has to work together to slay the dragon.

This might be among the best fights of the entire season.

First Step to Beating the Boss: Find the Weakspot

With the Dragon Emperor bearing down on them with its flames, Naofumi’s barely able to keep everyone alive. It’s only thanks to a well-placed attack by Atla that they managed to escape with their lives. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that by the next day, the dragon will have drained all of Filo’s XP. To make matters worse, Atla, the only one who can hurt it, can’t do so without risking her own life. As everyone regroups and re-strategizes, though, we get a better look at her past through flashbacks.

Gaelion Was a Great Dad

As Wyndia explained, Gaelion is her adoptive father; her biological father died from injuries while (likely) fleeing slavers or persecution. He only lived long enough to tell Gaelion her name.

What follows is one of the most genuinely heartwarming moments of the season. There are a plethora of examples of real-life babies raised by animals, and while Gaelion’s considered sentient, he still counts. Seeing him try in vain to soothe a crying baby Wyndia with raw fish (and treasure) is something plenty of dad’s can relate to. And seeing Wyndia imitate Gaelion’s roar tugs at the heartstrings. It goes a long way to show how important they were to each other, and only makes what happened all the more tragic.

There is a point to this flashback, though. Wyndia remembers that she accidentally discovered her Dad’s weak-spot: an upside-down scale on his chest.

So now, they have to hit that.

Might Not be an MMORPG, But It can Still Play Like One

Shield Hero has made no attempts to hide its MMORPG influences from day one; that’s a known fact. At the same time, it’s also made it clear that, while some aspects of it function like an MMORPG, real life is still real life, as the heroes have all had to learn. In the case of fights like the one against the reborn Dragon Emperor, though, the show knows how to play its roots to its advantage.

Anyone who’s played MMO’s like World of Warcraft, Star Wars: the Old Republic, and more know what the final boss of a dungeon’s like. It’s a fight that tests them to their limits and requires perfect teamwork and not pulling a Leeroy Jenkins. Thankfully, not only did Naofumi’s group come to play, but so did the animation.

The fight that follows, while not quite as tense as the previous episode, makes up for things with letting everyone get at least one good hit in. However, despite everything, it’s not until Atla and Fohl show up that the tide truly turns. It shows that the studio put much of its budget into Atla’s final attack, because it is breathtaking to watch.

In the end, Naofumi and others manage to free Gaelion jr. and Filo from the Dragon Emperor, and Sadeena rips its core out. Boss fight won!

They’ve Got a Dragon Now!

So, despite having to say goodbye to her father for a second time, Wyndia manages to make peace with what happened, and starts to forgive Ren. The show makes it no secret that had Ren known the truth, he wouldn’t have fought Gaelion. Thus, it’s satisfying when afterwards, Naofumi tells the villagers, “you all duped Ren into killing that dragon for its treasure and steal his daughter. You brought this on yourself and got what you deserved.” Knowing what he can do to people who make him mad, they got off easy. It’s also satisfying to see Wyndia take the first steps to healing by thanking Ren for saving her.

Except the OG Gaelion isn’t gone for good. Part of his soul’s now rooming in Gaelion Jr.’s body, which he asks Naofumi to keep quiet about. Sadly for Filo, Jr isn’t giving the XP back, and who can blame him? He can turn into a dragon big enough for the heroes to ride!

Thus, the Sword Hero manages to make amends for one of his biggest mistakes, but the season’s not done yet. Itsuki’s still MIA, and the title for next week’s episode makes it clear the search for him’s about to start. 

This could be the hardest attempt yet.

I Give “Emperor Dragon” a 4.5/5

Wyndia and the Dragon. Her Story Revealed!

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 8

One minute, Naofumi and his party are cooing over their baby dragon, Gaelion. The next, it’s eaten the fused core of the dragons that Ren and Kizuna each killed. The latter is still mad at Ren and is ready to kill everyone. It seems their only hope lies in the dog girl, Wyndia, and her surprising connection to one of the dragons. 

How Did This Happen, Anyway?

The episode first establishes that the souls of two dead dragons possess Gaelion. As Rat explains, dragons in Shield Hero have an organ called a core that houses their memories. Since Gaelion is still young, the other two dragons overwrite his mind and body. In other words, he’s possessed and ready to kill anyone who comes near him. 

To make matters worse, Gaelion’s possession is taking its toll on Filo, who ate part of the core before. Now, Gaelion’s cursed Filo and started sapping her levels. The threat of the angry dragon and to Filo’s life is more than enough to prompt everyone to go after Gaelion. Thus, the group winds up traveling to the den of the dragon that Ren first killed.

Wyndia and Her Dragon Dad

While Ren’s slaying of the dragon and his careless decision to leave the body behind without burying it was already framed in a bad light, it’s only in this episode that the true extent of his mistake is laid bare thanks to Wyndia. As she reveals late in the episode, the dragon Ren killed and Naofumi fought as a zombie was her adoptive father, Gaelion. Worse, it’s revealed that after Ren killed her father, the villagers captured and sold her into slavery. They used his naivete for selfish purposes, leading to Wyndia’s distrust of Ren. 

The anime’s already well-established how the other three Cardinal Heroes have largely failed to live up to the mantle thrust upon them. They refused to work together, their pride kept them from listening to Naofumi, and they lost their parties and all trust. However, to know that Ren got tricked into making Wyndia an orphan and slave? That’s easily one of their biggest screw-ups. It also makes the sight of Naofumi’s group fighting the possessed Gaelion heartbreaking.

Return of the Dragon Emperor

Things only get worse as the party fights against the now massive dragon Gaelion’s become. Not only is it sapping Filo of her power, but it leads to her going berserk and running right toward the dragon. The group can only watch in horror as Gaelion swallows her whole to absorb her power. It’s like Cell from the Dragon Ball franchise! Worse still, even though Wyndia gets through to her father, the dragon emperor that Kizuna slew becomes dominant, ready to conquer anew.

The upside (for the fans): the fight between the reborn dragon emperor and the combined hero party is the best fight of the season yet. Naofumi, Rapthalia, Ren, and everyone else pull out all the stops to fight against the monster. It’s visually stunning in a way that the series hasn’t been since the first season. You can tell that the studio wanted this fight to live up to the fan’s expectations. Unfortunately, it’s also a fight that needs to be resolved by the end of the episode.

Yes, the episode ends midway through the fight. With most of the group on the ropes and Naofumi barely hanging on, it’s an ideal cliffhanger. Waiting a whole week to find out what happens next will be torture!

I Give “Dragon’s Den” a 4.5/5

‘Scott Pilgrim’ Anime isn’t An Adaptation; It’s a Canon AU

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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Spoiler Review

Have you ever seen the plot of JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film? Thanks to the power of time travel, Abrams could alter the circumstances around the day James T. Kirk was born and create a separate, alternate timeline from the established canon. The result was similar to what the Star Trek fans had known for forty years, but the dynamics between many characters changed, as did their paths in life. That’s what the new hit anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off amounts to. Instead of being the adaptation of the popular graphic novel or the 2010 based on it, it does the same thing that Abrams did with Star Trek. While some fans might be mad we don’t get the adaptation of the graphic novels or films they wanted, I don’t care. This is like a licensed AU Fanfiction, and I freaking love it!

This is my spoiler review of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. If you haven’t watched the show (or don’t care), do so and return. Or read my spoiler-free review.

Pulling the Wool over Everyone’s Eyes

The anime starts following the graphic novels and film. Scott’s a slacker who plays in his band Sex Bob-omb and dates a high schooler. He meets Ramona Flowers, the girl from his dreams, and asks her for a date. Then he learns that she has seven “evil” exes that he has to fight so he can date her. Everything is going the way fans expect it to go. 

Until it doesn’t. As Scott starts fighting the first evil exes, Matthew Pattel, he seemingly dies, exploding into coins like Matthew should’ve. And everyone, in-universe and out, is going, “What the heck just happened?!?” 

WHAT A TWIST!!

This is the moment where Scott Pilgrim Takes Off reveals its ultimate surprise. Going in, everyone thought that this was an adaptation of the film or graphic novels. Instead, a sequel a la Alternate Universe, and despite being the titular character, Scott Pilgrim’s barely in it

I loved this twist when I first saw it. I never read the novels and couldn’t get into the movie, but I knew the general synopsis of what would happen. To see everything go off the rails into AU territory before the first episode was done made me want to jump up from the couch and yell “holy snap, this is going to be good!” And while some people might not like this twist and how it changes things, I liked it—especially considering what happens next and who the series follows.

What the Cast Does Without the “Main Character.”

At first glance, it looks like Scott Pilgrim is dead, and the story’s plot is now lost. However, while the original canon is now impossible to follow, the show opens up to new possibilities as the cast grapples with Scott’s apparent passing and what this means for their lives. 

Starting in episode two, everyone that knew Scott personally attends his funeral and takes the time to grieve for him (or not.) As is the case in real life, though, they eventually have to move on with their lives in some way, shape, or form. And while most of the cast handles this event in their ways, Knives gets the best change from the original story.

In the original story, Knives Chau was the high-schooler the adult Scott was dating, to everyone’s dismay. She got a little too obsessed with Scott for her good, and what happens with Ramona leads to a lot of drama. Initially, that part remains unchanged, with Knives blaming Ramona for getting Scott killed. However, once she takes the time to process everything, she realizes that her relationship with Scott won’t work out. In addition, she also joins Sex Bob-omb and proves to be an amazing musician, helping her move on with her life. This is one welcome change to the original story. People frowned upon an adult dating a minor when the story first came out, even more so today.

A Pointless League of Evil Exes=Character Development

The people in Scott’s circle of friends aren’t the only ones affected by the loss of Scott, either. After his surprise win, Matthew Pattel calls the League of Evil Exes and gets them all to realize something important: they have no reason to exist. More importantly, they realize that they’d never win Ramona back even if they won. Their leader, Gideon Graves, was using them to get her back for himself. As a result, the League falls apart with everyone their separate ways, with varying levels of importance in the series. The most important, though, are Matthew Pattel and Gideon, the former of which challenges the latter to a fight for his business empire and wins. Suddenly, the starter villain ends up being the top dog!

As interesting as this is, though, the fate of the League serves as a deconstruction of how silly their whole concept was. They were only united by their pain of getting dumped by Ramona. Most of them weren’t even evil. The second ex, Lucas Lee, even says they called themselves that for branding purposes. Furthermore, they all move on with their lives without the need to fight for Ramona (since she wouldn’t take them back anyway). Several of them go so far as to join the circle of Scott’s friends, proving that most weren’t evil. They were just upset over how bad things ended with Ramona.

Except for Gideon. He decides to keep being evil, not to get Ramona back but because he enjoys it. That, and his new girlfriend, Scott’s frenemy Julie Powers, thinks his evil is hot, which I find hilarious.

Ramona is the Real Main Character of the Series

With Scott seemingly gone, someone else has to take up the main character role. And that person winds up being Ramona Flowers. After dealing with the loss of Scott, Ramona discovers that he might be alive and that one of her exes might have kidnapped him. As a result, she makes it her mission to figure out who did it and get Scott back. 

While some might wonder why Ramona would go so far for a guy she went on a single date with (including Scott’s friends), I don’t see it as too much of a stretch. I see it as her feeling guilty for what happened to him. Plus, there were sparks between them by her admission, so she thinks he might be worth it.

Ramona Was no Saint With Her Exes

Besides the added benefit of allowing Ramona to meet with and befriend Scott’s friends on her terms, the show also serves another, interesting premise. The source material only sometimes understood why she dumped her exes beyond the bare minimum of details. In contrast, though, the anime not only gives fans greater detail about what happened, but demonstrates how Ramona isn’t entirely innocent of what happened. As the show reveals, rather than handling rough patches with her partners when they came around, Ramona tended to break things off and bail. For whatever faults they had, her exes have every right to feel bitter at Ramona. 

Ironically, this makes her a lot like Scott regarding their relationships. Scott had a problem with actually ending them, and Ramona has a problem with ending them too brutally. The anime allows her to find closure with most of her exes, helping everyone move on and become semi-better people. Even Gideon, the only evil ex, finds some closure with Ramona.

Scott Pilgrim’s Worst Enemy is Himself

Now, for the big twist at the end of the series with Scott’s inevitable return. As it turns out, he was pulled into the future by himself. Or rather, a version of himself from a timeline where things proceeded as they did in the original canon. Despite winning against the Exes and marrying Ramona, Old Scott got into a fight with Ramona after several years, and becomes convinced she dumped him. She didn’t; she just wanted space, and he overreacted by trying to change his past and stop himself from dating Ramona in the first place. All this created an alternate reality, like in the 2009 Star Trek film.

https://twitter.com/SladeTroy19111/status/1725482723866034586

Despite Old Scott’s best efforts, he fails to convince Show Scott to stay away from Ramona. Telling Show Scott what would’ve happened helps Old Scott accelerate his character development. Thanks to Future Ramona’s help, by the time he gets back, he realizes that dating Knives was a bad idea- drama averted.

Old Scott Pilgrim ultimately proves to be the final villain of the series, as his inability to fix his problems leads to him, ironically, becoming another evil ex. Some might call it corny, but I like the idea of an alternate version of oneself being evil. It’s a look into what we’d be like if we decided to be the worst versions of ourselves. 

I Would Watch a Season Two

Ultimately, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off doesn’t just adapt the movie or graphic novels but improves on them while becoming its own thing. The fans loved it, and I think it’s one of the best anime to come out in 2023. Considering the anime we’ve gotten this year, that’s saying something. 

Will they make a second season of the anime? After all, the show has already broken free of the original canon and could keep going. I would want to watch it!

I Give “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” a 5/5

‘Scott Pilgrim Takes off’ is a Hilarious Return to the World of Scott Pilgrim

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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off  Spoiler-Free Review

I will be upfront: I was never into Scott Pilgrim when it came out. I have never read graphic novels, and I have never watched movies (until now). My only frame of reference was a parody done by that MAD cartoon on Cartoon Network from ten years ago. However, after I saw the trailer for the anime series coming out on Netflix, I found myself interested. I tried to watch the movie to prepare myself for the anime, but it wasn’t as interesting as I thought. However, that did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for the anime, and after one binge session, I had only one thing to ask myself:

Why did I sleep on this for all these years?

Full disclosure: this is one of two reviews for the series. The other one will dive into full-on spoiler territory. 

Scott Pilgrim Breaks Canon

After a banger opening set to the song “Bloom” by Japanese band Necry Talkie, the anime starts much like how things go in the film and graphic novels. Scott’s still a slacker dating a high-schooler who then meets Ramona Flowers, the girl whose literally from his dreams, and is instantly smitten. However, he also learns that if he wants to date Ramona, he has to fight her seven evil exes. For the first episode or so, the story follows the source material to a tee…and then goes completely off the rails.

In what has to be one of the biggest anime twists of the year, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off isn’t a straight adaptation of the movie or the graphic novels. The best comparison I can make is that it follows in the vein of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek film from 2009. It changes one canon event in an unexpected way that makes the story as we knew it impossible to tell. From there, things go in a direction so unexpected that some might call it high-quality fanfiction. The basic premise is still there, and the characters retain their major personalities, but now they get to interact in new and unexpected ways.

As someone who’s come to appreciate the creativity of fanfiction, this premise rules. 

The Cast of the Movie Makes a Seamless Return

A major part of the appeal of the anime is that most of the film’s cast returned to reprise their roles. And with the extra thirteen years of acting experience to work with, they seem to be better than ever at their roles.

While several of the stars of the Scott Pilgrim film had already found success in showbusiness before the film, it wasn’t until after it came out that many of them became household names. Michael Cera has continued to find success on-camera and in the booth, getting roles in films like The LEGO Batman Movie, Sausage Party, and the recent Barbie film. Mae Whitman, who played Roxie Richter, has continued to find success as a voice actor with roles like Amity Blight from The Owl House (Which I’m a huge fan of!) And Chris Evans and Brie Larson’s careers have blown up thanks to their roles as Captain America and Captain Marvel in the MCU franchise. Jason Schwartzman helped do the impossible and make The Spot scary in the new Spider-Verse movie! In other words, most of the cast has blown up in the last thirteen years.

The extra decade seems to have upped everyone’s game, as they’re better than ever at their roles in Scott Pilgrim. The bottom line is that they’re good!

Like the Graphic Novels Came to Life

I’ve never seen or read the graphic novels beyond some images that I’ve seen online, but the anime adapts the art style almost seamlessly. As zany and whacky as the live-action film was, there’s only so much live-action can do with the source material. Animation, on the other hand, has no such restraints, and can go all-out and tell the story that wasn’t possible before.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an anime, plain and simple. It was produced by a Japanese animation studio, Science Saru. It includes many of the exaggerated facial expressions that anime are known for. A Japanese metal band sings the opening! Even though it’s based on a piece of Western media, it’s an anime and one of the best-looking ones of 2023. 

Scott Pilgrim is a Must-Watch for 2023

As I said before, I never got into Scott Pilgrim when the novels or film came out. Having seen what the anime is like, though, I now understand why so many people love it the way they do. It is amazing! The cast is in top form, the animation is flawless, and the surprising direction that the anime takes is mind-blowing. It’s like a high-quality fanfiction that was lucky enough to be canonized. 

If you have a Netflix account, then I cannot stress this enough. Stop what you’re doing, and take the time over the holidays to sit down and watch this show. It’s short at only eight episodes, but the ending will leave you wanting way more. I don’t know if we’ll get a second season, but if we do, I’ll be there to watch it.

Now go read my spoiler-review so I can gush more about the series without fear.