anime dubbed

Momiji Momi, the The Gr***pling, Joins the Family

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S3 Ep 6 Review

Well, at this point, I can safely say that the third season of 100 Girlfriends is speedrunning the manga. Either that, or the studio decided to rearrange all the stories between meeting new girlfriends so they can actually introduce said new girlfriends. If that’s the case, then I’ll likely do a lightning round of all the stories missed, but I’m not complaining. Especially since this means that we get to meet my second-favorite girlfriend of the season. Why? Because I love massages.

I, Momiji, Have Joined

It all starts when Rentaro is looking into this urban legend at school. Word is that this mystery girl is going around giving massages to female athletes that are so good, their brains short-circuit. Wanting to do something nice for his girlfriends, Rentaro tries tracking her down when he hears a scream! And when he gets to the tennis court…ZING!

Meet girlfriend number fifteen, Momiji Momi, a third year in middle school (she sits right next to Kurumi.) I love Momiji. She is one of my favorites of the girlfriends in the series, easily one of my top five personal faves. And it all has to do with the joke about her: she likes groping. A lot.

https://twitter.com/OtakuSpirited/status/2086475552781648371?s=20

Momiji likes touching anything soft and supple, especially women. So much so that she’s dedicated her life to become the worlds best masseuse to ensure that all women grow to be beautiful and soft. Basically, she’s killing two birds with one stone by turning her perverted need for groping into a career. It’s gotten to the point where she can tell when a person needs muscle relief just by looking at them, which is why she takes an interest in Rentaro. His body has gotten so stiff from running everywhere to find dating spots that she compares it directly to Astro Boy!

All of the girlfriends have their own unique quirks that are meant to be used for comedy, but it’s easier to tell jokes for some more than others. In Momiji’s case, she’s a twist on the classic trope of beautiful women in anime getting groped by others. She can get away with it thanks to her masseuse skills and because she’s a girl, which allows for many instances where she creates physical humor for us. For example, in a future chapter, we see get small and proceed to Lupin dive into Hahari’s chest, pose and everything. And im glad that the anime keeps the spirit of this intact, even if it changes the translation a bit.

Also, i loved the joke of Rentaro intentionally getting his body stiff again by becoming the assistant of Nozawa, the illustrator for the 100 Girlfriends manga. Being a mangaka can be agonizingly stressful, and im glad they kept the thank you to her in the anime. What an epic fourth wall joke!!!

And then we get to the introduction on the rooftop. Or massage appointment.

This. THIS IS PEAK

I did like how Karane’s tsundereness released into ecstasy with acupressure, but I think my favorite reaction was Iku’s. It was like using a phoenix down on a zombie!!

How Momiji Met her First Love (Women’s Bodies)

By the way, the anime doesn’t go into it, but there’s a funny story that explains why Momiji is into groping soft things. She’s always liked them, but when she was a toddler, her mom took her to this bounce house. As she was enjoying herself, she bumped into a toddler Hakari and started smooshing her.

It gets crazier. When Hahari comes to pick up her daughter (she should only be 16, but she looks like an adult), Momiji sees her chest, and can’t resist feeling her. Because…evolution! And…ZING!

That’s right. Momiji’s other soulmate is Hahari’s bosom! She doesn’t remember it, but her hands certainly do! The anime takes the joke a step further with that oppai mousepad. In the manga, it’s explicitly Nami, but the anime switches it to Hahari. Either they couldn’t get the rights to do that (which I doubt because they got Rentaro cosplaying as Luffy), or they thought it was funnier. And it was.

I Give “Momiji-chan’s Squishy Festival” a 4/5

Rimuru must have a Nat 20 on Luck

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 18 Review

I’m just going to come out and say it: I think Rimuru got a nat 20 on luck when he reincarnated. Because there is NO FEASIBLE way that what managed to happen in this episode can be explained otherwise. His new subordinates just managed to stop an international incident without him even realizing it!

Guy would have gotten away with it…

After Diablo’s little dust-up with Rain, he is greet by his old frenemy/rival, Guy Crimson, the first Primordial and first Demon Lord. Now, Guy had no idea that Diablo had incarnated until now (I think), nor did he realize that he’s working for Rimuru. But before Diablo can start praising his lord and savior, Guy gives it to him straight: he’s here to cause trouble for humanity. While the incident in Lubelious is taking place, he has his other subordinate, the Primordial Demon Mizeri, agree to help the Rozzo family in their final f you to those they see as betraying mankind. Sure enough, Guy’s minions are currently attacking the other Western Nations, while Granville’s other flunky and their hired mercenary band, Vert, attempt to slaughter the Council. As it turns out, the goddess the mercenaries worship is Mizeri, who they summon with the goal of wiping out Engrassia.

I can’t go into further details about the why, but Guy has his reasons for doing this. Basically, he needs humans to continue to be afraid of monsters and demons as part of this grand plan he’s got going. And when they begin to grow comfortable like they are now, he reminds them of why they shouldn’t be like that!

…is what he should’ve gotten away with, if weren’t for a certain slime ruin his plans without trying.

If it weren’t for that meddling slime

As you recall, Rimuru made Testarossa Tempest’s representative at the Western Council. Which means that she is present when Granville and Vert summon Mizeri for their mass-murder plan. And since Rimuru made it her job to keep the Council safe, she is not going to let Mizeri have her way. After realizing that Testarossa, who is a Primoridal Demon like herself, is not only there, but has fully incarnated, Mizeri takes one look at what’s going on and comes to one conclusion: NOPE.

And so, Testarossa saves the day, while barely lifting a finger. And she and her followers start praising Lord Rimuru for it. They think that he knew that something like this would happen and that he had the foresight to put Testarossa in place to keep it from happening.

RIMURU IS SO LUCKY!

LOL

I was audibly laughing as I watching the Demons praise Rimuru like this. Rimuru may seem like this all-knowing god to his friends and followers, but we know the truth: if he didn’t have Raphael, he wouldn’t be able to pull off half the stuff he does. At this point, I’m pretty sure that he’s the only one who doesn’t know that Diablo and the other Colors are Primordial Demons. Even Guy freaks out when he realizes that Rimuru now has four Primordials working for him and doesn’t know it. He’s going to have to have a talk with him later!

Back in Lubelious, Rimuru and Hinata are still fighting against Granville. And since he stacked the deck against them, he’s lasting a lot longer than he would otherwise. Say what you want about the former hero, but he knows what he’s doing. Rimuru has to pull his punches with the Otherworlders (that was a bluff, though.) so he doesn’t kill them, and that distracts him enough to let him focus on Hinata. And that’s before he pulls out his wildcard in the form of Leon Cromwell.

Just keep up the ruse until you can strike, Rimuru and Leon

We already know beforehand that Leon didn’t come to Lubelious to fight. He just wants to see for himself that Rimuru is looking after his beloved sister, Chloe. But then Granville tells Rimuru how he helped Leon summon Otherworlder kids like Shizu, knowing that Rimuru isn’t happy about what Leon put her through, even if it did help her live to adulthood. Basically, Granville is trying to emotionally manipulate Rimuru into fighting Leon and making things worse. Both of them know this, but since they still don’t know what Granville’s game is, they have to play along. Plus, Rimuru did genuinely want to punch Leon for Shizu’s sake.

Little do they know, but Yuuki has already got what they wanted: Chronoa the Hero. And when she wakes up, things are going to get crazy.

The episode ends with Granville’s plans already starting to come undone without him realizing it, but at the same time, he and Yuuki are about to get what they want. And if the title of the next episode is any indication, then things are about to get pretty heavy. That Nat 20 luck that I think Rimuru has is going to be needed! As for this episode, though, I liked it by sole virtue of it making me laugh at how lucky Rimuru managed to be!

I Give “Turbulence in the West” a 4/5

Did you know that Norn Greyrat has a fan club?

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

Something that the Mushoku Tensei Might End up Skipping

Well, I didn’t want to have to go over this. I really didn’t. But given how Mushoku Tensei is trying to make it to a certain point in the story before the first half of the season ends, I don’t blame the anime for skipping over some things from the light novels. Heck, I already have plans to tell you about a few certain events if the anime decides to either gloss over them or save them for an OVA. But for this event in particular, I’m not going to keep quiet. It’s not that important to the overarching story, but it’s a fun little anecdote to Rudy’s life. I call it “That time Rudy wrangled a fan club for his sister Norn.”

Norn takes so much after her Mom

So, at this point, I’m going to assume that we are all familiar with what Rudy and Norn’s mother, Zenith, was like before she ended up the way she is. She was everything you could want in a mother: naturally nurturing and fiercely protective of her family, as well as headstrong and willing to stand up for herself. I’m pretty sure that smirk Rudeus gets when he’s thinking something dirty is the same look his mom gets when she’s smug about something. Not to mention that she is incredibly beautiful, easily one of the most attractive women in the series.

And whether she has realized it or not, Norn has inherited several of these traits from her mother. Which is how this story begins.

So, it all starts after Rudy comes back with news of Paul’s death. After grieving the loss of her beloved dad, Norn asks Rudy for his sword and for him to train her. Now, he’s not that great as a swordsman, no matter how much Paul wanted him to be, but he decides he should help Norn in their dad’s stead. So the two begin training together, with Rudy teaching her the basics while also trying to get her body strong enough to handle the rigors of sword fighting. And that is when the trouble started.

SIMP ALERT!

It happened when they were out training on the grounds of Ranoa University. Norn had just run off to get changed into her regular clothes when Rudy noticed that they were being watched by a decently-sized group of people. All of them young students at Ranoa University.

Remember what I said about Norn naturally inheriting her mom’s looks? She was still in the cute phase of her life, but she would eventually grow to be just as beautiful as Zenith. Between that, her attempts to do her best, and her tendency to be clumsy and trip over herself, she had managed to win over a lot of the boys at school. And they got it into their heads that Rudy was bullying her, not realizing that she was his little sister or that she had asked for this training. And, at first, Rudy thought that they were just worried for her sake.

But then Norn came back, and the boys couldn’t help but reveal their true colors, complimenting her and saying how cute she was. And Rudy realized what he was dealing with. It was something that he knew all too well from his first life:

Putting the Foot Down

When he heard one of them mentioning how they would buy Norn in a heartbeat if she somehow ended up a slave (no joke), Rudy knew he had to put his foot down.

So, in the interest of protecting his little sister from a potential threat in the future, he organized them all into a group. Thus, the Norn Greyrat Official Fan Club was born, with Rudeus as its leader. All so that people could respectfully admire his sister without causing any trouble.

By the way, when the other members found out that Rudeus was taking baths with his sisters, they kicked him out for breaking the rules.

So that’s basically the story of how Norn got her own fan club at Ranoa U. I doubt it will end up being adapted into the anime, so I thought it would be fun to bring up here. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!

The Pikachu has Returned!

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

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 6 Review

Did you guys know that Mushoku Tensei fans have a nickname for the main girls based on their hair colors? Sylphie is the Bulbasaur for her originally green hair. Roxy is Squirtle, since she’s a blunette and specializes in water magic. And lastly, Eris is Charmander, both because of her red hair and how dangerous she can be when angry. But what about Pikachu? That would be Sara, the one that got away. Now, I’ve made my feelings about Sara pretty clear: I think she was a poor man’s substitute for Eris and a means to show us how badly the latter’s leaving hurt Rudy. I would’ve been fine if we never saw her again, but Rifujin decided to give us some closure with an entire chapter being dedicated to her reunion with Rudy. And that entire chapter just managed to get adapted into an entire episode of the anime.

Sara’s Back! *Gulp*

So the first thing that stuck out for me about this episode was how it managed to cover something that I thought the anime had chosen to skip over: the return of Suzanne, the old leader of Counter Arrow. In the light novels, it’s revealed far earlier that after Counter Arrow had disbanded, Suzanne and Timothy had moved to Sharia, married, and started their own family. And Rudeus hired her to be Lucie’s wet nurse, leading them to reunite. This actually took place much earlier in the novels while what happens in this episode takes place later. That left me genuinely convinced that the anime was going to skip over it, and thus left me pleasantly surprised.

In hindsight, though, it makes sense that the anime moved the order of events, considering how this entire episode is dedicated to Sara.

The main plot of the episode is about Rudy and Roxy helping to escort this Ranoan princess on her coming-of-age pilgrimage to some shrines. Since Ariel wants to build connections, she tags along with Luke and Sylphie, meaning most of the gang is present. But they’re not the only ones guarding the princesses. The Ranoan Princess hired this party of all-female adventurers to escort her. And guess who’s joined them since Counter Arrow split up?

I know we can technically hear what Rudy’s thinking thanks to his internal monologue, but the moment he sees Sara, I can imagine him completely freaking out.

Sylphie, you are a Saint!

So, Rudeus spends a good chunk of the job (when he’s not simping for his wives) doing his absolute best to avoid Sara. And frankly, I don’t think most guys can blame him. He thought he burned all his bridges with Sara, and so wanted to give her the space he thought she’d want. But Sylphie, who knows her husband so well (bless her heart) sees this and realizes “my man can’t keep doing this forever. He’s gotta rip the band-aid off or else someone could end up dead.” So Ariel, being the chess master she is, has Rudy and Sara go look for some fruit as an excuse for them to face each other.

As a quick aside, it’s so great to see how well Ariel knows Sylphie so well. It’s a good she’s her best friend, because I don’t think that the Greyrats could handle being on her bad side!

The next sequence is nothing short of cathartic, as it isn’t Rudy who ends up apologizing first; it’s Sara.

Sara Apologizes First

So, shortly after Sara had angrily slapped Rudy for badmouthing her and thinking he was just looking to get laid, the woman Soldat took him to came and told her everything. So Sara immediately realized that she had made a huge mistake, especially when she found out that Rudeus briefly tried to off himself. Remember that? Rudeus was so overcome by despair that he might have killed himself if Soldat hadn’t been there, and it would have been all her fault (and Eris’)! So she ran all over town trying to find him and apologize, but he was long gone by then.

Now, Rudy was not entirely blameless. He should have at least tried to explain his problems at the time. But given his mental state back then, I don’t think any of us can fault him for not thinking things through. I don’t think that I would have been thinking straight either.

At any rate, Rudy and Sara have their little heart-to-heart and apologize for how things ended. But you know what the most important part of this was? It’s them acknowledging that any romantic relationship between wouldn’t have worked out. I already knew it. I even acknowledged that Sara being too similar to Eris was going to cause problems and just make her Rudy’s rebound girl. That’s not a healthy foundation for romance, and I’m glad that they acknowledge that in-universe. Pikachu was not meant to be.

Friendship!

In the end, the job goes off without incident, and Rudy and Sara part ways, the two mutually deciding to stay in the friend zone. The most important aspect of this, though, was that it helped Rudy figure out for sure what type of woman is his type. Well, he is already married to Sylphie and Roxy, but reuniting with Sara made him realize why he fell for them, despite the Greyrat family being notoriously attracted to well-endowed women. It was because they had both saved him when he was at extremely low points in his life. Roxy helped him overcome his fear of the outside world that had kept him shut inside in his first life, and then helped him when Paul died. Sylphie became his first friend and helped him get his confidence back as a man. So, where does that leave Eris?

What’s Eris up to?

Look, Eris is going to come back into Rudy’s life. I know it; he knows it; even Sylphie knows it, and she’s never even met the redhead! The question isn’t if Eris will come back, but whether Rudy will be willing to let her back into his life. She was indirectly responsible for the ordeal that Rudy and Sara went through, and she has to answer for that.

Speaking of Eris, the end of the episode is dedicated to another part of the Mad Dog’s training arc. She, Nina, and Gino have been training for years now, and the Sword God is ready to elevate one of them to Sword King, the third highest rank a swordsman can have. Eris and Nina duel over it, and, predictably, Eris wins. The irony is that she doesn’t care about ranks like that. Such titles are meaningless when wanting to fight someone like Orsted, but it’s still impressive.

We are nearing the tail-end of Rudeus’ slice of life at Ranoa University, sadly. Which is a shame because I was hoping that the show would focus more on this part of his life. But if the show is trying to get to where I think it is before the first half of the season ends, they can’t afford to wait around. Heck, I’m not even sure they can make it to that point before time runs out! No spoilers, but let’s just say that things are going to get crazy.

I Give “Another Domestic Disaster” a 4.3/5

The God’s Knights are Here and They Suck!

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

One Piece Ep 1172 Review

And so it begins. The chaos that I have spent the past year or so becoming intimately familiar with in the land of Elbaph. I hope that you guys had your fill of the quieter moments of the Elbaph Arc, and yes, I know how that sounds. In the short time since the Straw Hats came to Elbaph, they’ve escaped a giant, traversed the Underworld, reunited with old friends, AND fought a living legend of a pirate. But that was just a warm-up. From here on out, Elbaph is at war, and the God’s Knights are delivering the opening salvoes.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: if the big bad Imu (the monster running the World Government) wanted to conquer Elbaph, why would he only send three people? Shouldn’t he send his strongest fighters to make the giants submit? Plus, there’s no way that the God’s Knights could be so strong as to be able to conquer the strongest country in the world. I think that even I was a little skeptical about the feasibility of this at first. But as Oda soon proved to us, this was wrong. Terrifyingly, nightmarishly wrong. In fact, these three MONSTERS are probably the strongest enemies the Straw Hat pirates have faced to date!

The God’s Knights Strike

The episode opens on a very ominous note at the Walrus School. We see the kids enjoying recess, playing and having fun, doing normal kids’ stuff. It’s what every parent wants to see their kids doing. But the red flags are already there. The shots of Gunko, Qillingham, and Sommers walking towards the school was giving me goosebumps in the worst way possible. In fact, part of me even thought, “Did Toei set this scene up to feel like the prelude to an attack on a school on purpose?“It sounds paranoid, but considering how many schools in America have been victims of violent acts in my lifetime alone, I think the fear is justified.

The first attack comes in the form of a GIANT SERPENT. The students are sent running for their lives as the teachers do what teachers are supposed to do in a crisis: kick ass and protect their students.

It helps that Saul is an ex-Vice Admiral. And the Principal is a retired member of the Giant Pirates. Both of those titles makes them strong by default, and they deal with the serpent. But there’s still the question as to how it showed up. And why it looks like something that was drawn by a kid.

This is Just EVIL!

But that’s not the worst of it. That serpent was just a distraction. While everyone was panicking, the God’s Knights snuck in and put a bunch of kids from Colon’s class to sleep, before leading them away from the school Pied-Piper style. With Gunko’s arrows guiding them, they’re sleepwalking straight for the beach, where they will board a ship to take them to Mariejois as hostages. And when the adults try to stop them, they collapse to the ground in pain from touching something invisible.

Oh, and to matters worse, more monsters show up. And they all look like something a kid would draw because they were, in fact, drawn by kids. It was a class activity where the kids had to draw what they were afraid of the most.

I don’t want to wait for the anime to explain it, so I’m just going to spoil it: this is all the doing of the God’s Knights. Specifically, their Devil Fruits. We already know that Gunko can create things out of arrows, but then we have the other two. Sommers can create vines covered in thorns, while Qillingham, besides turning into a mythical beast called a Kirin, can put people to sleep AND manifest anything from their dreams. The former is ensuring that none of the adults can save the kids, while the latter is using their nightmares to create an army of monsters to rampage across Elbaph.

WHY ARE THEY SO EVIL!?!?

Okay, three things. Firstly, a part of me has to respect the bad guy’s plan for how foolproof they’ve made it. The God’s Knights summoned an army of monsters (who are incredibly well-animated, I might add) to keep all the grown-ups busy. And they made sure that even if the adults try to free the kids, they will get badly hurt in the process. It’s a pretty well-thought-out plan, and I gotta respect that. Secondly, though, it is also pure evil. To this day, Sommers ranks at the top five list of One Piece villains I wanna see get fed their own teeth. Because as you will come to learn, he is a sick, depraved sadist. The man is laughing at the despair he wants to put those parents through like he’s the Joker!

And three, and I need you to pay attention to this one: the Straw Hats have a no-tolerance policy for child abuse. Hurting kids in their vicinity is basically signing your own death warrant, because they will show you no mercy. And when they find out about what’s going on, they are going to drop everything and fight. But the scary thing is that they may not be able to do much with who they have right now. They need the Monster Trio if they wanna win this, and they’ve got their own problems. Or so they think.

Yeah, I’m Calling Loki’s Bluff on this

So, Loki is free, as you might recall. However, Luffy and Zoro aren’t complete idiots, so they made sure to keep one of the cuffs made out of sea stone (it suppresses Devil Fruit powers) attached to his leg. So he can’t use his powers. But Devil Fruit or not, he’s still terrifying. Even though he’s sporting some serious injuries from Shamrock and Gunko, he’s still aura farming. And then he grabs that GIGANTIC HAMMER he calls Ragnir, and threatens to use it to set fire to the giant tree that makes up Elbaph. He’s willing to burn his own country to the ground to get his point across!

I know that this makes Loki seem like an irrefutable villain, but if you’ve read the manga, trust me, this is nothing. Plus, he’s bluffing. Regardless of how much trouble he’s caused for his country, Loki does care about Elbaph. Plus, he hates the Celestial Dragons more than anything in existence. He’s not going to let them run roughshod over his home.

Well, I hope you guys are happy now. The chaos has begun and it’s not going to stop! WE WILL CRUSH THE KNIGHTS FOR THEIR CRIMES!!

I Give “Monsters Appear in Elbaph – ‘What I Fear Most'” a 4/5

The Rentaro Family Idol Arc!

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

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You S3 Ep 4

Idols are huge in Japan. J-pop may not have the same reach as K-Pop, but it’s got its fair share of fans, especially among us weebs. But it’s also a grueling and unforgiving environment that will set you alive! But as long as you have a good support system, then it can be just fine, as the Rentaro Family finds for themselves!

It all starts with Hahari being inspired by this insurance commercial about how you only live once. So on a whim, she decides to throw a spring festival (it’s forever spring!) Unfortunately, the week before the festival, the idol group she hired gets injured while rehearsing, so she asks the Family to cover. It’s the start of the idol arc!

https://twitter.com/LoKoKaBoosTeR69/status/2081531157850595631?s=20

Idol Life Sucks

First rule about being an idol, though: it sucks. The coach Hahari hired is brutal, pointing out how only half of them (Nano, Mei, Mimimi, Iku, and Karane) are able to perform. Hahari, Hakari, and Meme are weighed down by their boobs (two words: sports bras)! Kurumi keeps getting hungry! Shizuka, Chiyo and Kusuri are just bad at dancing, and that’s not even getting into the singing. So the coach is at the end of her rope, and resorts to the cutthroat nature of the idol industry.

I haven’t watched Oshi No Ko in its entirety, and I have no real interest in doing so. But if some of the things that they show about how cutthroat showbiz is in Japan, then this is the norm. Hell, the coach experienced that herself when she had to leave her friend in the lurch. But this is a romcom, not whatever genre Oshi No Ko is. So when the good half is asked to bail on their friends, they all refuse and tell her to get lost. So, Rentaro becomes their coach because he’s such a CHAD!

And then comes the day of the festival when the family is supposed to perform. They sing and dance their hearts out for their boyfriend, but it turns out that idol coach decided to get even. She brought that injured idol group to the festival to sign autographs just to spite them all, which is a horrible thing to do. Good thing Rentaro and Uncle Hiro came prepared with dummies of themselves. And Rentaro sent out flyers that brought a bunch of supporting characters there to watch.

Full disclosure: I have no idea what separates a good idol performance from a bad one. I don’t really care that much as long as the songs are good. But even so, I’m glad that Rentaro got all those people there to watch them perform. Even the idol coach is moved by how hard they’re trying to perform, and in the end, the performance is a huge success.

So much so that the Rentaro Family is actually scouted by a famous music producer who thinks they’ve got the gift and wants to turn them into an actual idol group. And the anime makes it seem like there’s going to be this big arc ahead of us…but it doesn’t happen.

I Think the ‘No Romance’ Thing is Real

The second rule of being an idol: no romance allowed. And this is actually a real thing. The idol business in Japan and Korea insists on their idols being relationship-free to maintain an image of purity and…oh, who am I kidding. They do it because they know that more people will be fans if they can hold onto the fantasy of dating them.

They don’t even hesitate to walk away, LOL. Besides, a ton of them are probably going to be famous anyway one day.

By the way, it should be noted that the anime has skipped over a bunch of manga chapters about one-off misadventures the Rentaro Family gets up to. So I’d recommend that you go give it a read. Plus, there’s also a spin-off about their actual families.   

I Give “The Rentaro Family Idol Legend” a 5/5. And that’s definitely not because Rentaro is threatening me or anything!

Title-Kun Nailed this Episode Perfectly

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, S4 Ep 16 Review

You know what scares me most about getting older? Well, besides the approach of death and the diminishing of my mental faculties. It’s the cynicism. The idea that I could become one of those bitter old men that the heroes in a shonen manga have to fight, like Danzo, the Five Elders, or the leaders of Jujutsu Society. But cynicism isn’t something that you’re born feeling; it’s caused by something. And in this episode of Slime Tensura, we get to see first-hand what made Granville Rozzo the cold, unfeeling jerk that he is.

The Conference is Here

So, the moment that  Luminous has been waiting for is almost upon her: the musical conference brought to her by Rimuru and the citizens of Tempest. Rimuru, his students, Shion, and the musicians arrive in Lubelious a few days ahead of time to enjoy themselves before the conference. They’re all treated to this amazing feast, stuff themselves with food, and then it’s off to bed for the kids. The adults need to have a chat.

So, it goes without saying, but  Luminous decides to say it anyway: she knows Granville and Yuuki are working together. She knows that they’re going to try and crash the conference, but she doesn’t know what their ultimate goal is. What she does know, though, is that Granville is not someone that Rimuru should take lightly; she’s known him for a very, very long time.

A Hero’s fall to Darkness

Hundreds of years ago, Granville was basically the protagonist of his own fantasy story. He was a young, idealistic, and powerful Hero who wanted to protect mankind from the threat of the Demon Lords, with his wife Maria, and this…person called Razul by his side. To that end, they fought Luminous for a while, but then Luminous told them “chill guys! I ain’t interested in killing humans! We can sustain ourselves on just a small amount of blood!” So Granville decided to work for her and help get the West under control. It was going fine, too…until they were betrayed. This one human got bribed by a demon to let them into a wedding they were attending, and during the fighting, Maria was killed.

Maria’s death was Granville’s cynicism catalyst. He had wanted nothing more than for humanity to be safe from beings that could destroy them, only for a human to kill his wife. He saw the best in humanity, but never considered that we can be just as evil as any monster or demon. So that twisted his goal from protecting humanity to “controlling it from the shadows and terminating any threats with prejudice.” Threats like Rimuru.

Honestly, though, the reason why Granville is so against Rimuru isn’t because his granddaughter is dead. It’s because Rimuru’s way of doing things is proof that his way isn’t working. Even worse, it proves that his way of thinking is obsolete. So, rather than bow out, Granville is determined to bring as many down with him, even if he knows he’ll likely lose.

And his plan is nothing if not audacious.

He’s Gonna do What?

So, we already know that Yuuki and Granville plan to do something during the conference so they can steal Luminous’ most prized possession. Besides having Yuuki and the Harlequin’s fight alongside Granville against Luminious and Rimuru, they’ve lured in another party: Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. He’s still looking for Chloe, and he’s starting to piece together that she’s with Rimuru. And one of Yuuki’s agents just told him that Rimuru is planning to sell off the Otherworlder kids to Luminious.

You can see where this is going. They plan on using Leon to help distract Rimuru and Luminous so they can get away with their heist. It’s a crazy plan, and not in the “crazy brilliant” way, but the “crazy stupid” way. Stupid because all Rimuru has to do is speak to Leon with his Nat 20 speech check and explain everything. And stupid because if Leon hurts an ounce of Rimuru’s slimy self, Chloe will hate him for it. And I’m guessing that he’s the kind of big brother who will die from shock if his little sister hates him.

I know that Granville hasn’t had the easiest life, and you can understand why he would turn into such a cynical jerk. But being cynical and not having faith in others is how the world gets worse, not better. And we have enough of that in our world as it is, so I would rather not see it in fiction. Do what you have to do, Rimuru!

I Give “Granville, the Hero of Dawn” a 4/5

Loki is Out! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES?

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

One Piece Episode 1171 Review

So, we all knew that Loki was going to be let out eventually, right? Even if Luffy would’ve chosen not to do it, the story demanded that this would happen. What with the arrival of the God’s Knights on Elbaph with their evil plan to conquer it? The Straw Hats are gonna need that kind of firepower on their side! And I’m pretty sure that when this all went down in the manga, I was thinking that, despite what his name is, I think his hate-on for the World Government is genuine. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First Luffy and Zoro have to decide whether or not to trust Loki.

Full disclosure: they don’t, so they’re smart about this.

Nothing to see here!

So, while Luffy and Zoro head back down to the Underworld, Nami has Road take her and the injured guards back to the party. The plan is to make sure that no one gets too suspicous and doesn’t try and stop whatever the pair are going to do…I think. Honestly, I don’t think Nami cares that much. She’s upset that she couldn’t get any loot in the castle. Plus, she knows Luffy and Zoro are big boys who can clean up their own messes.

She does manage to come back in time to see Usopp completely wasted, and it’s pretty funny. He has the right to get wasted, though. Seeing Elbaph has been his dream for years now!

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Sadly, while Nami can keep a secret, her newfound servant is a complete and utter pushover.

DANG IT, ROAD!

Road takes the Castle Guards to Gerd, since she’s a medic and can treat their injuries. But she is smart enough to know that what happened to them is sus as they come. Road tries to lie to her about what’s going on because he doesn’t want that kind of heat on him…but it doesn’t work. His poker face is terrible and Gerd isn’t stupid! He caves super quick.

And that leads to Hajrudin panicking and bringing his crew to the Underworld to keep Luffy from…well, being Luffy. But they stupidly forgot their ships don’t work without clouds, so they almost fall to their deaths. If Luffy hadn’t been there to save them, then everyone except for Gerd would’ve died. Why Gerd? Because Sanji came along and he probably would’ve done something.

THANK YOU, ZORO!

By this point in time, Luffy and Zoro had already made it back to Loki, and they were appalled to see what had happened while they were away. Zoro’s horrible bedside manners confirm that he’s still breathing, but when Luffy goes to use the key, he almost passes out. That’s what happens when he touches sea prism stone, though. As for Zoro, he’s more skeptical and doesn’t want to free the Giant since he knows what would happen if he went on a rampage.

Zoro may not be that smart, and he’s got a horrible sense of direction, but at least he’s got a good sense for things like this. So they compromise by keeping the leg cuffs on so he can’t use his Devil Fruit powers. And that’s when Harjudin and the others show up and almost die.

And then, Loki gets up. And holy cow, was it amazing, you guys! The animation was top-notch for this one moment as we get to see just how big Loki really is. He’s massive. Like the size of the Colossal Titan! That’s terrifying!

Good thing that he can’t do much now, can he?

Loki is Bluffing!

Look, guys. Loki just got his butt kicked by Shamrock and Gunko. He’s in a lot of pain and losing a lot of blood. There’s no way that he can fight at his full power right now. Plus, he’s got bigger fish to fry. The God’s Knights are here.

I don’t remember if the scene of them approaching the Walrus School was in the manga or not, but…I was scared. I was scared because I knew what was about to happen to those kids, and how the adults were not going to be able to stop it. That’s got to be terrifying if you’re a parent!

So, it’s about to begin.

I Give “The Heinous Sinner – Loki of the Underworld Freed?!” a 3/5

Money, Piranha Plants, and New Spells

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

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 4 Review

Welcome back to a day in the life of the Greyrat family, and that is where we will be staying for a good while. I know that some people are going to be eager to see the story move forward some more, but part of Mushoku Tensei’s charm is that it doesn’t limit itself to the big moments. It focuses on the little ones in Rudeus’ life in equal value, something that we should already be used to. And I for one am enjoying getting to see these smaller moments in his life as he continues to better himself. And in this episode, he makes his next big leap forward as a mage. Also, the family gets a new pet.

Is Rudy Loaded?

It’s been a few months now since Rudy made it back from Begarit, and all the members of the Black Wolf Fangs (minus Ghislaine) gather at Paul’s grave to bid farewell. Geese and Talhand are headed off on their own with their share of the loot they got, but not before leaving Rudy his and his dad’s cut. And it’s a lot of money, I should note. Enough to last his family for a good, long while.

Come to think of it, I don’t think that Rudy has ever really had to worry about money that much in his second life. He was pretty well-off thanks to his days in Dead End on his globe-trotting odyssey, and even if he wasn’t, he could make do using his magic. Remember those figurines he likes making? If he made that a full-time job, he would be rich in no time! But I digress. Life is going well for Rudy. His mom is more active, even if she still isn’t acting like how she used to, and it was funny to see him try to make his daughter laugh. He looks just like his dad when he was doing that to Norn and Aisha.

Speaking of which, the Light Novels go a little further into it, as Rudeus has this internal monologue about how he sees the ideal dad. And despite all of his faults, Paul is the person he sees as an example. And, if Paul were alive, he would be just as doting towards his granddaughter.

Oh, and that’s not even getting into the surprise that Rudeus discovers for himself in the first half of the episode: Aisha got a new pet.

Piranha Plant

So, you might have noticed that the Greyrat family brought a pet with them back from the Begarit Continent; that giant armadillo? Well, it turns out that Aisha has also gotten herself a pet that she’s been keeping a secret from her brother. Or rather, she had planned to tell him about it, but he found it before she could. It’s not a cat, dog, or any other animal that you would expect a little girl to bring home, either. It’s a…Piranha Plant.

Okay, the actual name of it is a Treant, a type of plant monster that’s this world’s equivalent to slimes. But it more or less looks like a cross between a Piranha Plant and Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. And Rudeus must be familiar with one of the two, because his first instinct is to want to burn it! But Aisha begs him not to, saying that it’s her pet that came out of this seed around the time Rudy got back from Begarit. And she’s doing a good job of training it to not hurt anyone. But when that doesn’t work, she plays dirty and resorts to blackmail.

I have to admit: I did laugh when Aisha threatened to tell Roxy and Sylphie about Rudeus’ secret shrine to them, complete with Roxy’s “holy relic.” That girl is going to be a menace when she’s all grown up! Thankfully, Roxy shows up and tells Rudy that the Treant is safe. Her people even use them to ward off pests from their farms. So, the plant monster stays. And Aisha has named it Byt. I would’ve name it Seymour or Audrey III.

But then something even funnier happens. Well, it’s funny in hindsight.

Rudy Wants to Level Up

So, the student council got reports that someone was harassing a student at school, so Luke and Sylphie went to see what the problem was. Except when they get there, it’s just Rudy bothering Roxy. Apparently, not everyone is aware yet that Roxy’s a teacher now, much to her dismay. And to Sylphie’s chagrin, the lack of context makes it sound like Rudy is trying to ask Roxy for something dirty, and he thought he was being his usual pervy self. In truth, though, he was just begging Roxy to teach him how to be come a King-Class Water Mage like her, and she didn’t want to. One of the few things that she can say she tops her husband in is her rank as a mage. But she eventually backs down.

Frankly, I don’t blame Sylphie for thinking Rudy was up to something pervy. Most of the people in their world are pretty horny, if you ask me!

That Was Awesome

So, we then get to see this awesome moment where Roxy teaches Rudy and Sylphie this King-Class water spell, and it’s basically like calling down lightning from on high onto a target. And, like most of the anime, it’s superbly animated. Absolutely breathtaking to look at! And Roxy manages to pull it off rather well.

But then Rudy tries it, and…well, it’s basically like him dropping a tactical nuke. I swear, that guy could end up destroying an entire city if he’s not careful!

Well, with that done, Rudy is now a King-Class Water Mage, and he and his wives head home to continue their lives. But, honestly, I think that Rudy could take it even further. If he applied himself as much as Eris is in her training, he could become the strongest mage in the world in a few years. Maybe he’ll need to do that, depending on the motivation he has. Questions for later, though.

By the way, it’s not mentioned in the anime, but in the light novels, we start to get these little anecdotes about legends of Ranoa University revolving around Rudy. Well, it’s basically stuff that Linia and Pursena spread about their “Boss.” Like, how he has trained monsters at his house, how he can summon lightning from his fingertips, or (this is my favorite) can fire his arm like a rocket. It’s funny.

I Give “A King-Class Water Mage” a 3/5

Rudeus Has Got the Good Life

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

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S3 Ep 3 Review

Rudeus has been through so much in his relatively short life second life. He got teleported halfway across the world, spent close to three years trying to get home on a journey worthy of Odysseus, lost his v-card and self-esteem as a man, got it back, married his childhood sweetheart, rescued his mom, lost his dad (and hand), married his former teacher, and became a father. He’s only sixteen (technically fifty), and he’s already done more than most people do in their lifetimes. But after all the twists and turns, he’s finally ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy some slice-of-life. And I’m okay with that! Though I might have a bias since I started reading the light novels around when Rudy started school.

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Welcome Back, Rudeus

With this episode marking our reunion with Rudeus, it’s pretty much focused on showing what his life is like now that he’s achieved a relatively normal environment. After all, it’s only been a few months since he got back from Begaritt, but for the viewers, it’s been 2 years. We need to catch up on what’s going on with our resident former deadbeat. And I know I’ve said it before, but part of the beauty of Mushoku Tensei is how it doesn’t skirt over the quieter moments of life.

So, now that Rudy has officially married Roxy, she and Sylphie have taken to swapping sharing a bed with him every other night. The logic being that this way, he can care for them like a good husband should. That, and so Sylphie can look after Lucy, who remains as adorable as ever. And we know that Rudy is gonna be one of those doting fathers!

Speaking of parents, Zenith remains as quiet as she was after waking up from crystal.  She’ll respond to her kids, but otherwise, there’s no sign she’ll ever recover. It’s sad, but also realistic, because this sort of thing happens to people IRL. At least she has her family and best friend in the form of Lilia to care for her. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get that.

Speaking of family, Norn’s visiting home more often to see her mom, and she’s getting popular at school. Though with Paul gone, that means Rudy has taken it upon himself to be the ‘overprotective dad who won’t let anyone have his daughter.’ I consider it a sneak preview of what it will be like when Lucy starts dating, LOL.

As for Roxy, Rudy made sure to introduce her to his social circle, albeit as his master as opposed to his wife. She also got a teaching job at Ranoa University, as Rudy’s homeroom teacher no less. And Cliff wasn’t exactly happy to hear that Rudy had gotten another wife. Thank heavens that he’s open-minded enough to understand he can’t judge Rudy by his own beliefs when he doesn’t follow them. You would think this would cause more problems for him, but it doesn’t.

The real highlight of the episode, though, is the new toy that Rudy gets.

Rocket Punch

So, when Rudy impulsively used his own hand to kill that Hydra, he ended up losing it in the process. It doesn’t handicap him, but it’s still a pain. Thankfully, while he was gone, Zanoba and Cliff made something that, quite frankly, surpasses modern-day technology: a fully-functioning prosthetic hand.

The Hand of Zaliff, as Rudy dubs it, is, frankly, amazing. All he has to do is where the glove, channel his mana into it, and it form an artificial hand out of earth. He can fully use his magic with it, and he can even feel when he touches something. To the best of my knowledge, that’s something that we have yet to do with artificial limbs in the real world, which makes it awesome. Plus, the one-glove look is kinda badass.

So, we’re back with Mushoku Tensei and more slice of life. But don’t worry, folks. We’re going to get more excitement before the first part of the season ends. For now, let’s just enjoy the quiet. That, and the fact that Rudy now looks taller than his wives, and the ED focused on Eris.

I Give “Life Back at Home” a 4/5