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Who’s this Person Calling themselves the Sun God?

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

One Piece Ep 1158 Review

When you look at Monkey D. Luffy, you probably think that he’s the last person you’d think of when describing a god. That only made the big reveal during the climax of the Wano Country Arc, that his Devil Fruit was, in fact, the embodiment of a Sun God called Nika, all the more insane! And when Vegapunk dropped even more lore about how the last person with Luffy’s Devil Fruit, Joy Boy, was the first pirate, I started calling Luffy the second coming of Pirate Jesus. I have no regrets about that whatsoever, as despite everything, Luffy does have messianic qualities. More importantly, though, the Sun God and Warrior of Liberation is someone very important to the culture of Elbaph. Which only made it even more confusing for me when we learned the land Luffy was stuck in was ruled by someone called the Sun God.

Yeah, this whole place was pretty much fake, and we knew it.

Gulliver’s Travels Much?

After coming to in this Blocky, LEGO-like Kingdom, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji need to find a way out while avoiding the giant animals. As they’re doing so, they’re met by a man who’s dressed like a biker, but using a grasshopper like a Harley.

I’ve seen a lot of strange things in One Piece, but will Oda ever cease to amaze me?

At any rate, the fact that the man is the same size as them confirms that its inhabitants are normal humans. What’s more, the stranger claims that this whole place is ruled over by the “Sun God,” and that the animals are his divine servants. Which only makes it even funny to know that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji already killed and ate one of them (a rabbit)! It gets even funnier, though, when the local points them in one direction, says it’s guarded by vicious warriors, and that no one has come back alive. The look on Luffy’s face is all his crew needs to know what he’s going to do. Sure enough, the idiot runs towards the danger.

Admitedly, this whole thing is as dragged out as the last episode, but the beauty about One Piece is that its characters make it entertaining to watch. I sometimes go back and rewatch clips of filler episodes just so I can see the silly antics the characters get up to, and it’s almost always worth it! Plus, Luffy’s recklessness does lead them to discover the truth about the Block Kingdom. The whole thing is actually a massive diorama inside of an equally massive room that’s filled with homemade costumes, clothes, and…hold up? Is that Chopper chained up?!?

Who’s the Dummy Who Tried to Nab the Straw Hats?

So, if it isn’t obvious by now, Luffy and the others were somehow abducted by a Giant and trapped inside this giant diorama made out of LEGOs. On the one hand, I have to respect their captor for the amount of dedication they put into their fake world, what with the detailed buildings, handmade clothing, and wildlife they added. Plus, if a Giant did this, then that can only mean one thing: they’ve somehow already made it to Elbaph! On the other hand, though, they have been holding people captive so they can roleplay as a god and made the mistake of trying to take Luffy captive. So, what happens next is all their fault.

One of the great things about One Piece in recent years is that it’s animation has continually grown and improved for the better, with everything become way cooler to look at. This especially extends to the combat sequences, such as when the Straw Hats start fighting more of the animals trying to keep them captive. But we all know how that song and dance goes.

Unfortunately, it also ends with them setting the room on fire, which ends up attracting the attention of their captor. And like the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, they are pissed by the humans who have wrecked their stuff. The episode itself ends with the Straw Hats having to hightail back through the diorama to the window on the other side so they can escape, but the Giant is in hot pursuit, rambling about how great this chaos is to their world. I don’t know; it’s weird!

It might be because I watched the first three episodes back-to-back-to-back, but it was hard to notice the pacing problems at times. I’m just enjoying the ride, and hopefully, everyone else will. Plus, the OP and ED are pretty fun this season. Manga readers are going to recognize a lot from the OP! Hopefully, though, by the time the next episode ends, the Straw Hats will be out of the diorama and onto Elbaph proper. Anime-only people have waited too long as it is to see the place, and it is everything we could hope!

I Give “A Quest in the Land of Mystery! The Secret of the Sun God” a 3.5/5

I’m Calling Nami the Weather Queen after This

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

One Piece Ep 1159 Review

Well, it looks like my prediction was spot-on! This is the last episode that we will be spending in this little mini-arc that was the Block Kingdom! On the last piece of One Piece, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper managed to confront the “Sun God” who created the LEGO set they woke up in and thoroughly enrage them. Now, they’re on the run from an angry Giant who wants to keep them captive forever for his own amusement. But, as I felt when I was reading the manga, this guy must not be very smart if they think they can hold Monkey D. Luffy!

RUN AWAY FROM THE GIANT!

The vast majority of this episode can be summed as resembling the climax to the classic fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. Well, the parts where the main character is being chased by the Giant, at least. The only thing the Straw Hats stole was the blueprints to the Block Kingdom, and given how they woke up unwilling captives and want to escape, they’re justified. Using the giant cat that Luffy is forcing to obey them, they’re making a dash for the other side of the Block Kingdom. Which, in case it wasn’t obvious, is actually an old cell designed to hold Giants prisoner. Which, given how Luffy is stronger than most Giants by this point, is really not a problem.

I know people are still going to have some problems with the pacing of the episodes, but the anime makes up for the extended scenes with the high quality of its animation. The series has come a long way from the simpler look it had in 1999, with its look evolving to better suit the evolution of the craft. That means that it feels a lot closer to what Oda draws in the manga as he’s grown more and more confident over the years, much to fans’ enjoyment. And, if I’m being honest, I like seeing the Straw Hats continuously outsmart their captor as they try to catch them.

This Guy Technically Works for Luffy

Speaking of which, it’s already obvious that the one holding them isn’t a God, but I don’t think any of us were expecting him to be who he turns out to be. The Giant that built this fake world is named Road, a member of the New Giant Warrior Pirates led by Hajrudin. Introduced back in Dressrosa as mercenaries working for Buggy, they were one of the groups that chose to pledge their loyalty to Luffy and form the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. That means that Road is technically supposed to be one of Luffy’s allies, but he can’t stand the idea of Giants working for a tiny human. So when one of his pet crows found the Sunny and half the Straw Hats fast asleep on it out at sea, he got the bright idea of putting them in his Block Kingdom so he wouldn’t have to work under them. And, for extra renegade points, he stripped them of their clothes so he could put new ones on them, including Nami.

It’s been months since these events took place in the manga, and my thoughts on this whole reveal haven’t changed: this guy’s an idiot. I can forgive him for ignorantly thinking that he could hold someone like Luffy because he hasn’t seen how strong he is like his crewmates have, but he really didn’t think this through. If the other Giant Pirates found out that he was holding Luffy captive, then they would punish him for it! And while I respect him for the LEGO model he built and the hand-made outfits, he’s still giving our fellow nerds a bad name. The part where he pauses mid-chase to gush about how this unscripted conflict in his world is so awesome comes off as creepy coming from him.

So, he must be punished. And it’s fitting that it’s Nami who’s the one who pays him back.

One of Nami’s Best Moments Yet!

The way that Nami has Zeus grow to the size of a storm and then has him hit Road with a lightning strike was already amazing. But that smug, s*it-eating smirk on Nami’s face as she claimed it was “divine retribution” was hilarious! That might not have been divine retribution, but that was a case of karma at work!

So, much to no one’s surprise save for that of Road, the Straw Hats manage to escape from the Block Kingdom. And I am happy to say that next week, we are going to head straight into the good stuff: Elbaph. The actual Elbaph is about to appear, and it is going to be amazing, you guys!! You are going to love it!

I Give “Destroy the Miniature Garden – Escape Block Kingdom!” a 4.5/5

Nami’s Misadventures in LEGOland!

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

One Piece Ep 1157 Review

If youโ€™re a fan of the One Piece anime, then youโ€™ve probably heard people complain about one thing: the pacing. It is notoriously slow when it comes to adapting the story of the manga, which is a consequence of it starting in an age when anime filler was necessary to keep something from overtaking its source material. Thatโ€™s why one of the biggest selling points of the new seasonal format has been the expectations of improved pacing. Less filler, more of the actual story, as some fans had hoped. However, it feels as though those hopes were dashed with the showโ€™s second episode since its return, as Toei is still relying on the same tricks as before: padding the episodes out and making parts of the story longer than necessary.

LEGO’S?!?

On the last piece of One Piece, the Giant and Straw Hat pirates were all celebrating their escape from Egghead Island with a party. The next thing we know, Nami is waking up someplace made out of LEGO in an outfit she doesnโ€™t remember putting on. And trust me, manga readers were just as confused about this as the people watching the anime probably were. Things only managed to get even stranger when the episode starts off with some people in the vicinity are talking about some kind of trouble with one of the local deities. What should catch everyoneโ€™s attention, though, is the name they give to the giant tree in this blocky kingdom: Yddragsil. Thatโ€™s the name of the cosmically-sized tree from Norse mythology that connects the worlds together.

One thing that Oda seems to like doing, and is very skilled, is foreshadowing well ahead of time. If the name of someone or someplace weโ€™ve never heard of before gets mentioned, that means that its going to be important at some point in the future. And as manga readers were quick to figure out, Nami had somehow woken up someplace thatโ€™s tied to Elbaph, if not Elbaph itself. The clothes and name of the tree were a dead giveaway, but what I really like is how the whole place is built out of LEGOs. LEGOโ€™s from Denmark, AKA the region of the world where Vikings came from; it makes sense.

What didnโ€™t make sense, though, was how massive the animals were. No sooner had Nami woken up than she was being attacked by bees twice her size! Iโ€™m able to tolerate bees, but stinging insects are enough to make me run for the hills! Thankfully, she and Zeus are able to roast them, no problem. But then theyโ€™re attacked by a giant hedgehog!

This is where I noticed how those complaints about the pacing began to resurface on social media. In the manga, Nami getting chased by that hedgehog takes up half a page, at best. The anime translates that into a full minute of her running around this blocky castle before she runs into Usopp and saves him from a giant cat. And from there the entire episode more or less revolves around them trying to get away until the Monster Trio of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji save their bacon.

The Animation is Still Good

Say what you want about the whole thing, but at least the animation is still amazing. Iโ€™m little surprised at the fact that theyโ€™re choosing to make an eye catch just for this blocky kingdom. It feels unnecessary considering how theyโ€™re likely not to be in it for that long!

So like Nami and Usopp, the Monster Trio has no idea where they are or how they got there. But they donโ€™t really care. If someone was dumb enough to put them in this place, then whatever happens next is on them. Besides, Luffy and Usopp are too excited about Elbaph to be worried.

I know that this first half of the season is only about 12-13 episodes, so you might be worried about this taking up too much time. But donโ€™t worry, you guys. By my estimations, the group will be out of this Block Kingdom inโ€ฆtwo episodes.

I Give “Nami in a Fix! An Adventure in Block Kingdom” a 3/5

El-balph! El-baph! LAND OF THE GIANTS!

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

One Piece Ep 1156 Review

Sorry Iโ€™m late, everyone, but Iโ€™m ready to get this voyage underway! I wouldnโ€™t miss One Piece for all the money in the world!

I know that the founders of this blog arenโ€™t the biggest of fans of One Piece, but as their primary writer, Iโ€™m an absolutely massive fan. Iโ€™ve talked about it a lot on D&A Anime Blog. Iโ€™ve gushed about the live-action series and other big pieces of news about the franchise. And on my personal blog, Iโ€™ve been reviewing each chapter of the manga since partway through the Wano Country Arc! But with the anime having gone seasonal, I decided that now was the best time for me to try my hand at reviewing the anime. This will be the first time Iโ€™ve reviewed an anime of something whose manga Iโ€™m concurrently covering, but itโ€™s going to be worth it. Whether youโ€™re a long-time fan of the series or a newcomer, you might have picked a great time to come aboard, because we are about to arrive at a location so awesome, so amazing, so mind-bendingly cool, that nothing short of finding the One Piece itself can compare! The story that Oda has wanted to tell since he was a little kid is here. The story of ELBAPH!!

Full disclosure: if youโ€™re a newcomer, there are going to be a lot things thrown at you that I donโ€™t have time to explain. In that case, either go read the manga or go find one of the many, many people on YouTube who can recap and explain the series. Otherwise, Iโ€™ll just assume youโ€™re caught up so I can enjoy myself!

After a brief flashback to the end of the Little Garden Arc where Luffy and Usopp resolve to one day visit Elbaph, the episode returns us to the present day. The Straw Hats, Giant Warrior Pirates, Lillith, Bonney and Kuma have just escaped from Egghead Island and are on their way to Elbaph, so theyโ€™re celebrating by partying. Itโ€™s pretty much a law that the Straw Hats end an arc with a party. What I wasnโ€™t expecting, though, and soemthing that was totally original to the anime was getting to hear Brook play โ€œNew World.โ€ There are a lot of good songs in One Piece, but New World has to be one of my favorites. Upbeat, exciting, and optimistic, it encapsulates the positive messages that the series sends us. That, and itโ€™s a pretty good bop.

The Barto Club Screws Up

The episode then cuts away to another series tradition that accompanies the start of a new arc: checking up on events around the world. Oda is great when it comes to world-building, and moments where he takes the focus away from the main characters remind us of that by showing that the world doesnโ€™t revolve entirely around what they do. In this case, it picks up with one of Luffyโ€™s allies/biggest fans, the Barto Club, and one of his greatest enemies, the Blackbeard Pirates.

So, after they parted ways with Luffy, Bartolomeo and his crew went to a particular island to sell some Straw Hat pirate merch. However, they chose to go to an island under Shanksโ€™ protection, and they refused to buy anything. In response, Barto torched their flag, leading to Shanks to give them a butt-whooping. And then he decided to test/troll them by ordering Barto to make Luffy drink poison or else their lives were forfeit. And you can guess where this is going.

Anyone who has been with One Piece long enough knew that Shanks was just messing with Barto. He just wanted to make sure that Luffyโ€™s followers werenโ€™t some fair-weather friends, and Barto passed the vibe check. But Yassop still destroyed their ship. They had a reputation to keep up.

Iโ€™m sure theyโ€™ll be fine!

Blackbeard is Nearing his Endgame

Meanwhile, back on Pirate Island, Blackbeard isnโ€™t happy that the Marines managed to raid the place and rescue Koby while he was gone. However, his crew points out that heโ€™s now in an arguably better position. Not only do they have Luffy’s grandpa and hero of the Marines, Garp, prisoner, but they also raided Big Momโ€™s territory and abducted Pudding. And with Caribou newly arrived and ready to spill everything he knows about the locations of two of the three Ancient Weapons, things are about to get a lot worse.

I think I mentioned it on my blog when reviewing the chapter, but Iโ€™m going to say it here: Blackbeard is being set up as the final enemy that Luffy must face to become King of the Pirates. Once he knows where and who the Ancient Weapons are, heโ€™s going to try to seize them. That means that nations with people that the Straw Hats call friends will be in harmโ€™s way. Add in the fact that Teach now has Luffyโ€™s grandpa and Sanjiโ€™s ex-fiancรฉ prisoner, as well as what he did to Ace, the Straw Hats have all the motivation they need to go to war with the Blackbeard Pirates. Unfortunately, this will mark the last point for a while where the anime doesnโ€™t focus on anything outside of their next destination (not counting flashbacks.)

Speaking of which, where are the Straw Hats?

Where did half the Straw Hats Go?

When I read the chapters where the Giants woke up to find half the Straw Hat Pirates and their ship missing, I was as confused as everyone else. How the heck did they get separated from everyone else? Then it got even weirder when Nami woke up in a place that looked suspiciously like it was made out of LEGOโ€ฆand wearing an entirely different outfit. None of us knew if she was tripping from the alcohol, or if this was a detour from Elbaph. If it had been the latter, though, I think the fans wouldโ€™ve lost it! And then we had to wait an entire week (or two) to find out what was happening. Thankfully, the anime will be sticking to a weekly release schedule, so anime only people donโ€™t have to worry about that!

This was a good start to the return of One Piece, if you ask me. I have been reading the manga for years, and I can say that you guys are in for something very special. Welcome to the Elbaph arc, everyone! Hope you enjoy the trip!

I Give “The Long-sought Elbaph! The Big Reunion Banquet” a 3/5

The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King Initial Series Review

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

Hello, everyone! RJ Writing Ink here with another first impression for a new anime Iโ€™m considering watching. So, have you ever heard how Spike Spiegel once said โ€œI love a woman who can kick my ass?โ€ Heโ€™s not wrong; a lot of people like strong women who can stand up for themselves. Well, what if there were an entire culture of warriors whose romantic preference was strong women? Now put that into a medieval fantasy setting, have the female protagonist be a badass knight, and the male be an uber-powerful barbarian warrior in love with her. Then you would have this new anime I just found, The Barbarian’s Bride. The first episode is out, but this one clip of it on Crunchyrollโ€™s YouTube channel was enough to get me interested.

A Lady Knight Meet Cute

Meet Seraphina de Lavillant, a 26-year-old knight from the Illdoren Kingdom and leader of the Eastern Expeditionary Force. For centuries, her kingdom has waged war against the โ€œbarbariansโ€ of the east for all the usual reasons people fight: land, resources, and seeing the easterners as savages. But then the day comes when Sera finds herself in combat against one of the enemyโ€™s leaders, Veor. And despite managing to hold her own against him for a time, eventually her sword breaks during their clash, spelling her ultimate defeat. And while she bought enough time for most of her forces to get away, Sera is taken captive by the Easterners.

The premiere episode opens up right in the middle of Seraโ€™s plight as she finds herself in a cell in the Easterners territory. And she fully expects that they will torture her, sacrifice her, violate her, or some horrible combination of all three. But she decides that she will remain defiant to the end and not give them the satisfaction of begging for mercy. What she wasnโ€™t prepared for was learning the reason why she was brought back. It wasnโ€™t to kill her or violate her dignity like she thought; it was because Veor wanted toโ€ฆmarry her!

As I bluntly commented in the above video, Veorโ€™s entire culture basically simps for badass warrior maidens. They like strong women who can hold their own in a fight, and this makes sense, when you think about it. The land they call home is full of all sorts of dangers, so they need to be strong in order to survive. That holds true in real life, as well. When you live in a tough environment, you have to be either tough or smart in order to survive, and you see those qualities in a partner as a positive trait. So, for centuries, the men of Veorโ€™s people have married the strongest women they can find; it just so happens that they tend to be the ones who were trying to kill them at first. And when Veor clashed with Sera, he basically fell for her then and there. So he followed the traditions of his people.

Theyโ€™ve at least got good taste. And, judging by the thousands of likes my comment got, plenty of people are thinking the same thing. Like Spike Spiegel once said, men like a woman who can kick their asses.

Read the Manga. It’s Actually Nicer than you Think!

Now, as a modern audience, there are undoubtedly people who look at this series and have some serious ethical concerns with it. Taking someone captive to marry them is frowned upon by a lot of people. Not to mention the idea that said captives potentially falling in love with them could be seen as Stockholm Syndrome. Theyโ€™re not wrong; it does raise some eyebrows. I would like to point out three things, though. Firstly, Veorโ€™s culture is wholly different from ours, and itโ€™s technically unfair of us to judge it by our own morals and ethics. Secondly, despite looking like a brute, Veor manages to subvert the stereotypical barbarian warrior. Despite it being well within his power to take her by force, Veor is nothing but a gentleman toward Seraphina. He treats her with the respect he would give a fellow warrior and equal and refuses to do anything without her consent. Which segues into my third and final point: Seraphina is treated better by Veor than she ever was by her own people.

As this first episode reveals to us through flashbacks, Seraphinaโ€™s home of Illdoren is a pretty awful place. Most of the common folk suffer from poverty and famine. We even see a poor man starving on the streets. Meanwhile, the upper crust is living in mansions and gorging themselves on the best food, overly fancy outfits, and caring more about gossip than helping those theyโ€™re supposed to look after. Not to mention how their entire society is incredibly sexist. Female knights are not uncommon, but Sera was still made fun of for something that her people largely see as a manโ€™s role. For instance, there was the time when she became the First Knight and leader of the Eastern Expeditionary Force. She went back to her brother filled with pride at what sheโ€™d done. Instead, he chose to berate her for turning down multiple marriage proposals to keep playing knight, and that she should quit now that sheโ€™s at the top. Completely ignoring her accomplishments!

I understand that thereโ€™s the idea of being loyal to your country even when itโ€™s not loyal to you. However, at some point, you have to question whether or not said country even deserves your loyalty. Now compare that to Veorโ€™s people, who will not look down on her for being a woman and recognize her badassery for what it is: something to respect. I donโ€™t know about you, but if I had to make a choice between a home that doesnโ€™t respect and appreciate me for who I am and a place that does, Iโ€™d choose the place that does.

I know that Barbarianโ€™s Bride is not going to be for everyone, and thatโ€™s understandable. Not everyone is going to be into these kinds of stories. But Iโ€™m the kind of person who likes people from different cultures getting along. Youโ€™d be surprised at how much more in common we all have with each other. So I wound up reading the manga, and found that it doesnโ€™t take long for Seraphina to grow accustomed to this new land. Sheโ€™s happier here than she ever was back home, and the more she gets to know Veor, the more she realizes that the stories she was told about his people were inaccurate. That, and when he ditches the beard, Veor is very much her type, to her initial dismay. For bonus points, Veor is only 18.

Thatโ€™s right, Veor is only 18, can grow an impressive beard, and is making an older woman fall for him. Impressive game!

You’ll Never Guess Who is Sentenced to be a Hero

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

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 12 Review

I normally donโ€™t regret learning about spoilers. When Iโ€™m really into something, I want to learn as much about it as possible, not caring if it ruins the journey. But there are some instances where even I acknowledge that spoiling myself is going to ruin how Iโ€™ll react to it. And in this case, the season finale of Sentenced to be a Hero is making me regret looking up what happens on TV Tropes. Because I was barely able to watch what happened to Kivia.

Also, I just want to say that this was the only episode of the season that failed to be simul-dubbed, and I feel disappointed by that fact. So close!

The Fight is Over…

So, the fight for Ioff has ended, with the Hero Unit once again managing to pull off a successful suicide mission. And while Teoritta is feeling great about herself, that good feeling is soon squashed when she and Xylo come back and run into Iri, AKA Spriggan. Using their human disguise, Spriggan comes dangerously close to killing Teoritta, and while they drive the demon lord off, it leaves the goddess and Xylo shaken. She only made it out because she blocked the attack with a dagger Xylo bought her; dumb luck! And while she immediately goes back to her cheerful self afterwards, I think sheโ€™s just putting on a front. She asks Xylo to train her to fight after this, and I donโ€™t think Xylo will object. He wonโ€™t always be there to protect her, so itโ€™s better that she can handle herself.

The good news is that Spriggan isnโ€™t coming back again. Rhyno makes certain of this by killing them himself. But while doing so, he proceeds to monologue about who he really is: the Demon Lord, Puck Puca. Like Spriggan, heโ€™s possessing Rhynoโ€™s body and is using it hunt his own kind.

Full disclosure: I already knew this. But even if I didnโ€™t, I would say it explains a lot. He acts so unethically because heโ€™s having to learn what ethics are from scratch. And while the idealist in me makes me think that this is proof that the Demon Blight can be good, Iโ€™m not getting my hopes up. Rhyno/Puck all but admit that theyโ€™re killing their own kind for the love of the game. That doesnโ€™t make him a good person, just a psycho whoโ€™s conveniently on the protagonistโ€™s side. In all honesty, I think I would trust Boojum more than Rhyno.

Speaking of Boojum, he turns out to be alive, having swapped himself out for a double. Which means that weโ€™re likely going to see him again in the future.

…But the Victory is Hollow

In the present, though, this victory turns out to be very hollow. As the Hero Unit is resting, Frenci comes to them and drops a bombshell: the capital city of the kingdom has fallen. The attack on Ioff was just a diversion! And this is soul crushing to hear. After spending an entire season watching the protagonists make small, but meaningful, wins, theyโ€™re all undone by this gut punch. Itโ€™s enough to make someone want to give up and throw in the towel, like Kiviaโ€™s uncle.

Like i said at the start, I already knew going into this episode what was about to happen. I made the mistake of reading the files on TV Tropes and regret it. Because it made watching the parts of the episode about Kivia almost unbearable to watch.

Kivia…

Just as Kivia feared, her beloved uncle is a Coexister. He gives this whole spiel about how humanity will lose the war, and how their only way to survive is to become the Demon Blightโ€™s slaves. I have heard all those arguments before in other works, and I didnโ€™t buy them then, and neither does Kivia. So he kills her lieutenant, and then she kills him. And then she gets arrested and accused of being a traitor and everything else that her uncle was doing.

This is the sad part about Kivia, in my opinion: sheโ€™s too nice for her own good. She only told one other person what she knew and then brought them as a witness, which got him killed and deprived her of the evidence she needed to show she was justified. Had she been a bit more savvy, she should have told as many of her men as possible and had them spread the word in case this happened. At least that way she would get the benefit of the doubt. Instead, sheโ€™s hauled off as a traitor and doesnโ€™t even get the chance to defend herself in a trial.

I feel so bad seeing what happens to Kivia, but I also canโ€™t help but note the irony. When we first met her, she automatically assumed the worst about Xylo without giving him the benefit of the doubt . She eventually learned and acknowledged that she was wrong, but she never wrapped her mind about how not everyone on her side was working in the best interests of mankind. That led her to this moment, and now she has a choice to make: deathโ€ฆor death.

Wait…That’s how they Become Heroes?

The final third of this episode is devoted to Kivia being visited by the priest Kafzen in her cell, where sheโ€™s offered a choice: she can be executed as a traitor, orโ€ฆshe can become a Hero. This is where we learn something very disturbing. It turns out that the Heroes are not people sentenced to die and be revived forever. They are people who have already died and then revived by the First Goddess. She then holds onto all of their memories for as long as she can, but whenever they die, she loses some of those memories!

This is honestly messed up, in my opinion. I have seen anime where people can come back from the dead before, but the implication that Xylo and the others may not even remember that theyโ€™re already dead is sickening. Not to mention how it makes Frenciโ€™s efforts to get Xylo a pardon might be pointless. For all we know, removing whatever spell that makes him a Hero could mean heโ€™ll die for good!

If that wasnโ€™t bad enough, we then learn that the First Goddessโ€™ power is finite. She only has room to revive one more person, and thatโ€™s it. Which means that the trump card of humanity is already being strained to the breaking point.

The episode, and the season, end with Kivia making her choice: she will become a Hero and keep fighting. No positive ending for anyone involved. But what an ending!

I must admit, I did start to get a little bored with the show at some point, but I never truly stopped loving it. Itโ€™s just too compelling a story for me to want to quit. And the fact that it was animated by the people who gave us the best parts of Mushoku Tensei was the best part. Iโ€™m glad to know that weโ€™re getting a second season in the future, and if Iโ€™m still here, I look forward to reviewing it.

I Give “Sentence: Aid in Evacuation of Ioff Cheg Port 3” a 4.5/5

YUTA OKKOTSU IS THE GOAT

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

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 12 Review

If you werenโ€™t allowed to pick Satoru Gojo, who in Jujutsu Kaisen would you consider the GOAT? I donโ€™t know if itโ€™s possible to settle on a single GOAT, as season three of the show has given us multiple contenders for the title. Maki managed to wipe out her entire clan of frauds. Higuruma was a newbie as a sorcerer but managed to become one of the top players in the Culling Game. Takabaโ€™s rule of funny technique could give even Gojo a hard time! But if you ask me, I think the season finale showed us that the biggest GOAT is Yuta Okkotsu. He not only heads to the colony with four of the heaviest hitters of the Culling Game thus far, he also manages to beat all of them by himself by the time the credits roll!

If youโ€™re an anime fan, then you know that when a series chooses to skip the OP, that means it needs the extra runtime for something big. And Jujutsu Kaisen is no exception, as it starts right where we last left off: with Yuta killing one of the four sorcerers that had the Sendai colony stuck in a stalemate. This wasnโ€™t any sorcerer, either; this was a reincarnated sorcerer who was so powerful that, 2,000 years ago, he managed to conquer all of Japan. And the series still decided that it wasnโ€™t worth showing us how Yuta killed him. And that is only the end of the last episode and the start of this one.

The rest of the episode can best be described as Yuta running a gauntlet of boss fights against the other three bigshots of Sendai Colony: Kurourushi, a cockroach cursed spirit, Uro, an incarnated sorcerer who can manipulate the space of the sky like solid matter, and Ishigori, another incarnation whose pompadour doubles as a cursed energy cannon. Each of them could the subject of a fight that lasts an entire episode, and Yuta fights them all in just one.

If youโ€™ve seen Jujutsu Kaisen 0, you already know this, but even if you havenโ€™t, this episode is meant to confirm what the season premiere implied: Yuta Okkotsu is that guy. Next to Gojo, he is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern-day, and this episode demonstrates it. His reserves of cursed energy are practically off the charts, his innate technique allows him to copy other peopleโ€™s techniques, and if that wasnโ€™t enough, he never has to fight alone. Heโ€™s got Rika, the cursed spirit left behind by his childhood sweetheart of the same name after the events of JJK 0. Add in the fact that heโ€™s distantly related to Gojo himself, is it any wonder why Yuta is the GOAT of Yujiโ€™s generation?

He defeats the cockroach spirit Kurourushi by giving it a mouth-to-mouth Reversed Curse Technique.

He fights Uro, who has it out for him because of something his ancestor did. Then he fights the battle-crazed Ishigori. And then he almost fights the latter two in a three-way domain expansion thatโ€™s only stopped by the return of the cockroach.

And during the entire episode, the anime doesnโ€™t let up on the incredible animation that weโ€™ve come to expect this season. All of it eventually boils down to an epic one-on-one between Yuta and Ishigori, all to the OP of the season, Aizo. When an anime chooses to use its OP or ED in the middle of the episode, you know that things have gotten serious!

https://twitter.com/eagle97jjk/status/2037198355273834776?s=20

In the end, Yuta manages to beat all of them. But since heโ€™s such a nice guy, he doesnโ€™t kill Uro or Ishigori, just taking their points. GOAT status, confirmed.

Sadly, this is where season three of Jujutsu Kaisen comes to an end. Even worse, we likely have to wait a year for the second half of the Culling Game. It feels more than a little cruel to know that we have to wait that long, but maybe thatโ€™s why the anime chose to end things here. They wanted to give us absolute peak before we had to wait. Itโ€™s sad, but we have to give great shows like this time to cook. Plus, this season already managed to leave its mark in pop culture, from the stunning animation to the memes that it inspired. The Game shall continue, but until then, we have other shows to watch!

I Give “Sendai Colony” a 5/5

Great Rimuru has Returned to us!!!

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 1 Review

RIMURU-SAMA, WE MISSED YOU!!! ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ

If you remember all my reviews of Mushoku Tensei, then you remember my concept of the Seven Summits of Isekai. They’re the series that I consider to be the pinnacle of the genre that has become so prevalent over the last decade. And while I still have a soft spot for Shield Hero and Mushoku Tensei, we here at the D&A Anime Blog are huge fans of one isekai above all others: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It’s got an amazing world, great and lovable characters, and Rimuru might be one of the most OP, broken protagonists in all of fiction. So it is with great fanfare that we welcome back Lord Rimuru as we begin the first cours for the monumental fourth season of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime!

It’s been a while since the Great Festival where the nation of Tempest made its grand debut on the world stage. And for Rimuru and his friends and allies, life couldn’t be better! His plans to build a magic-powered train system are progressing nicely. More and more humans are visiting or living in Tempest, making the idea of human- monster coexistence more of a reality. Rimuruโ€™s beloved students are now attending class in Tempest and away from Yuuki, with Hinata serving as a guest teacher. And, as crazy as it sounds, Shion managed to make a tea he can actually drink!

All of it adds up to Rimuru being able to enjoy a happy and fulfilling life. Except for one problem: their new Dungeon isn’t working.

The Tempest Dungeon is Like Dark Souls

Despite all the advertising and work they put into it, too many newbie adventurers keep trying to take on the Dungeon. They’re getting lost, starving, or owned by even the most basic of monsters. At this rate, the Tempest Dungeon will be a financial flop! All of this is leading adventurers to lash out at the citizens of Tempest and say their Dungeon is unfair. Something has to be done, and it’s the kind of thing that a gamer can fix. A gamer like Masayuki.

Gamers Rule

I already enjoy the fact that the world of Slime Tensura has a lot of gaming mechanics, as that serves as the basis for a lot of isekai. However, it made me so happy to see the mild-mannered hero Masayuki come up with the solutions they need. Quick-save points, loot drops from monsters, tutorial lessons and rest stops! It’s everything that goes into making a good video game, and the best games are the ones that show you how to play without holding your hand.

Rimuru and Mjรถllmile take it one step further. They put out ads saying that anyone who makes it halfway through the Dungeon or beats the whole thing will win a hefty cash prize.

Their little advertising campaign works perfectly. More adventurers start pouring into Tempest, eager to get the chance to win money and fame, solving the financial problems of the Dungeon. Though I can’t but feel like they’re overlooking one crucial: what if someone actually does beat the entire Dungeon? Getting past Veldora seems too absurd to consider, but if reading shonen manga has taught me anything, there’s always going to be someone who will wind up doing the impossible. They’re gonna have to eat their words when that happens!

That issue aside, as a gamer, I applaud what they are doing with the Dungeon. As a gamer, I can tell you that having a tutorial and training courses can mean the difference between winning a game or getting owned like a scrub. That, and I like the concept altogether.

Haters Gonna Hate

It’s not all sunshine and flowers, though. Whenever someone is riding high, there’s always a pack of haters ready to take them down. And Rimuru has been dealing with plenty of haters. Falmuth, Clayman, the Seven Luminaries, and now, the Rozzo family. Introduced during the last season, they’re a secret cabal thats trying to dominate the human world from the shadows loek they’re the Templars or Illuminati. And the Jura-Tempest Federation is getting in the way of that, so they’ve been trying to take them down. So far, their plans haven’t worked, but that doesn’t make them any less of a problem. Fortunately, this is Rimuru weโ€™re talking about; heโ€™ll be fine.

This was a good, solid start to the long-awaited fourth season of Slime Tensura. I know not everyone is interested in the more mundane aspects of world-building and just wants to see more fights, but it’s those aspects that make the series so entertaining. A lot of isekai only do the bare bones when it comes to developing their worlds, but Slime Tensura is one of the ones that is a cut above the rest. That, and its sense of humor and fanservice are pretty good!

I give โ€œNew Daysโ€ a 3.5/5

The Mad Dog is Returning to Mushoku Tensei

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

A Look at the New Trailer for Season 3 of Mushoku Tensei

Mushoku Tensei is coming back for its third season this July, and that means weโ€™re getting into one of, if not the most important arcs, in the entire story. No spoilers from me, though! That would ruin the fun! However, our latest look at what comes next has confirmed that we are getting one arc that some people were worried weโ€™d miss. And it has to do with the most divisive and controversial girl in the series: Eris Greyrat.

I could go on another tangent about how Eris messed up big time by sleeping with Rudy and then leaving him to go on her training arc, but I think I made my opinion on the matter clear. She screwed up, and when she reunites with Rudy, she is going to have to spend a long time making amends for breaking his heart and leaving him depressed for three years. Instead, letโ€™s just focus on what this trailer revealed: weโ€™re going to see Erisโ€™ training arc.

In the anime, the last time we actually saw Eris, she and Ghislaine had left to train and get stronger. Eris had realized that she was too dependent on Rudeus for her own good, and that she wanted to be strong enough to protect him like he had been doing the same for her. With that goal in mind, and wanting to beat the snot out of Orsted, the two women head to the best place for a swordsman to train: the Sword Sanctum, home of the Sword God Style of swordsmanship. And, save for that quick cameo at the end of season two, that was the last time we saw Erisโ€ฆin the anime.

What did Eris do on her Training Arc

Since the anime focuses on the story of Rudeus, it never really shows us what has happened to Eris while Rudy has been living his life. In the light novels and manga adaptation, though, readers periodically get glimpses into what Erisโ€™ life of training at the Sword Santcum is like. She even gets a brief spin-off manga chronicling part of her time there and the adventures she went on. As is the case with a lot of Mushoku Tensei, though, there are going to be gaps during which we know nothing about the lives of the characters, but thatโ€™s not a bad thing. And while we donโ€™t know how much of her time at the Sanctum that the anime will cover, the trailer shows that itโ€™s including the most important parts. That includes the people that she meets, several of whom become important or recurring characters in the story from this point forward. In fact, weโ€™ve already seen one of them back in season two.

Remember that time Linia and Pursena holed up in their room during the mating season of the Beast People and made Rudy fight off all their suitors? And then Badigadi showed up looking for a fight with Rudy? Right before Rudy got his first challenge, we saw a young, blue-haired woman looking at him. That same woman appears in this trailer for the Sword Sanctum arc as someone who knows Eris.

This is Nina Farion, another student training at the Sword Sanctum, and she and Eris come to have an interesting history. I canโ€™t spoil too much about what happens, but letโ€™s just say that Eris’s showing up has a major impact on Ninaโ€™s life, for both better and for worse.

While I canโ€™t speak about how the rest of the fandom views Eris, I think a good chunk of us were probably hoping that the anime would cover her time at the Sword Sanctum. Given how she left Rudy to train there, it’s too important part of the story to simply gloss over! As for whether this will be a special episode like what we got for Sylphie or take place over multiple episodes, that is left up in the air. Regardless, Iโ€™m looking forward to seeing this gets adapted by the anime. And Iโ€™m looking forward to the return of Mushoku Tensei.

I’m Reviewing the new Season of One Piece, and you Can’t stop Me!

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

Primer for One Piece Elbaph Arc

After all these years, weโ€™re finally here. The One Piece anime has officially made it to Elbaph.

A few months ago, Toei Animation shocked the world of anime with some unbelievable news. After almost three decades of near-continuous running, the One Piece anime would no longer be an all-year-round show. Starting from the end of the Egghead Island Arc, the anime would switch to the same seasonal format that has come to define the industry in recent years. While some got upset about this, others understood the need for the switch. The anime was catching up to the manga, and with Eichiro Oda prioritizing his well-being in recent years, that meant fewer chapters were out. Between that and the higher quality of animation the series has gotten in recent years, releasing a new episode every week isnโ€™t sustainable for anyone. Plus, no one wants to see more filler episodes and we hate those recap specials that keep popping up! Hence the need to move to a seasonal release schedule. But trust me, it will be worth it, because if you only watched the anime, you have no idea how crazy the Elbaph Arc is going to get. But I do.

Over the past several years, I have been covering the One Piece manga on my personal blog, recapping and reviewing each chapter from the end of Act One of the Wano Country Arc onwards. And Iโ€™ve been reading the manga for about fourteen years, with it currently in the middle of the Elbaph Arc right now. Which is Iโ€™m going to do something that I havenโ€™t thought of doing before: Iโ€™m going to review the One Piece anime.

In the past, Iโ€™ve never considered reviewing the One Piece anime because I never felt it necessary. I already knew what was going to happen, so I didnโ€™t think that I could properly review it. But then it occurred to me that I review plenty of shows that I already know the outcomes to, both on here and on my personal blog. With that not being an excuse, and the shift to a seasonal format becoming more appealing, why shouldnโ€™t I review the anime? If anything, the fact that Iโ€™ve been covering the manga should help me review everything better!

Plus, when I say that the Elbaph Arc is going to be crazy, I mean that itโ€™s going to be crazy. The first look that just dropped on YouTube is just the beginning.

Why this is So Hype!

I donโ€™t know how many people who read this blog like One Piece or have been a long-term fan of it, but indulge me as I explain why this arc is so hyped up. Next to the island where the One Piece is said to be located, Elbaph has been the most anticipated location in the entire series. Ever since it was first mentioned in an arc twenty-seven years ago, Elbaph has been one near the top fo the places that Luffy has wanted to visit. Itโ€™s the homeland of most of the Giants, who, as we have seen throughout the series, are some of the strongest warriors in the world. More importantly, itโ€™s a land thatโ€™s heavily influenced by Norse culture, AKA the Vikings. Next to the real-life golden age of piracy, the Vikings are who most people think of when they think of pirates. But they’re more than just pirates; they were explorers, traders, nation-builders, and had a culture that has had influenced the world long after the actual civilization faded away. Case in point, we have what Marvel and God of War have done with Norse mythology. Culturally, theyโ€™re a pretty big deal! And Eichiro Oda has spent the majority of the manga feeding us tiny hints of what this fantastical land is like, longer than he has for any other location.

There is a reason for why Oda has devoted so much attention to Elbaph. When he was a kid, he grew up watching Vicky the Viking, a German-Japanese show about a smart but timid boy who used his brains to help out his village. That show is what made him want to become a mangaka, and eventually led him to create One Piece. Part of what makes the series so great is that Oda draws influence from real-world cultures for almost every location the Straw Hat Pirates visit, and in the case of Elbaph, itโ€™s the Vikings. To put it simply, Odaโ€™s spent most of his life wanting to tell a story like that of Elbaph, and so far, he hasnโ€™t held anything back.

You are Not Ready for Loki

If youโ€™ve read the manga already, then you already know just how crazy the Elbaph Arc gets, but this quick teaser is more of the โ€œshow-but-donโ€™t-tellโ€ variety. Thatโ€™s understandable, given how itโ€™s only 30 seconds long, but it makes the best of it to hype us up for what weโ€™re about to see. Granted, by the time this goes out, the first episode will already be released, but thatโ€™s besides the point. The main focus of the trailer, though, is the introduction of a new character that plays a major role in the arc. A character, as of where the manga is right now, is considered a prime candidate to join the Straw Hat Pirates: Loki, the accursed Prince of Elbaph.

If you know anything about Norse mythology, then you know Oda wasnโ€™t playing around naming this behemoth of a Giant Loki. The fact that the first time we see him, he is blindfolded and chained to a tree should be enough to tell you that this guy is dangerous. If that doesnโ€™t convince you, the fact that he tells Luffy that heโ€™s the Sun God who will destroy the world should tell you how dangerous he is. The fact that heโ€™s claiming to be the Sun God, a title that we thought Luffy unknowingly has thanks to his Devil Fruit, only cements this.

I wonโ€™t spoil anything, but for a good part of the arc, Oda does a good job of leaving readers unsure of what to think about Loki. I still remember how people were debating about whether Loki is as bad as his countrymen say he is, or if heโ€™s misunderstood. Oda keeps us guessing for a while, and it was interesting to listen to the debates about it amongst the fans. But Iโ€™m getting ahead of myself.

The Elbaph Arc will begin on April 5th, 2026, and with our release schedule for new posts, itโ€™s likely that has already passed. Hopefully, I will have already reviewed the first episode by the time youโ€™re reading this and it will be scheduled for publishing. If so, I hope you enjoy it!