Have you ever looked at something or someone before and thought, “Wow. That has to be the cutest thing in all of existence.” Of course you have. Humans are naturally attracted to anything that we find cute and adorable. I even recently learned about the existence of cute aggression, a phenomenon where something is so cute that we want to pick them up and hug and squish them forever! If there’s something that everyone on the planet could unanimously find cute, I’m betting that world peace would start just so we could all fawn over it. Sadly, such a thing doesn’t exist yet in our world, but I did find a new anime that’s about pretty much that: The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!
The Demon King Ahriman, ruler of all demonkind and enemy to all that is good in the world. For years, his forces have been on a campaign to conquer all and make non-demons bow down to demonkind. There’s just one problem: his infant daughter, Doux, will not act like how most demons do. Whereas other demons care about hurting people and causing misery and strife, even amongst themselves, Doux is the exact opposite. All she cares about is making people happy and bringing smiles and joy to everyone. She’s…too kind.
When I first saw the trailer for this series, I thought that seemed like another silly slice of life series. And to be fair, that is what it is. It makes it no secret that it’s an anime that’s meant to make people feel good. But that’s the thing about it. When they say that Doux is too kind, that’s not hyperbole. And it’s not because her dad spoils her and acts like a doting parent with her. When they say she’s too kind, they mean that she doesn’t have an ounce of evil in her body whatsoever.
Take the first episode, for example. The Demon King’s lieutenant is given the task of training her to be a ruthless demon. The first thing that Doux does is run off to force her to play hide-and-seek. And she does it to the tune of this song that little kids would sing while befriending all the animals she runs across!
And it’s not just animals and demons that she’s nice to, either! It’s everyone and everything. She regularly visits the slaves to play with the kids and give food to everyone. She once helped out an angel for the sake of it. And every time she tries to be scary or mean, it just backfires because she’s just that nice!
And the crazy part? She might actually conquer the world with kindness. In fact, I think that that might actually be her ultimate plan.
The thing that makes this show adorable is that Doux’s kindness is infectious. Whether they’re human, demon, angel, or animals, Doux brings out the best in everyone around her, making them nicer and happier. It gets to the point that her attendant thinks she might destroy the concept of evil altogether by getting everyone to be friends and nice to each other. And you know what? I’m all for it!
It’s no secret that our world can suck. A LOT. Seeing everyone constantly getting mad over things and fighting each other on the news can be enough to make a person give up on the world. But then you remember the characters from tv shows that were just unfailingly kind to everyone, and you think, “these guys? They get it.” They get that being mean to everyone isn’t going to make things any better, and so they choose to be nice. And Doux is so nice and cute that I can’t help but want to be nice just by watching her. And the world needs more kindness in it!
Even before we learned about the traitors in the human ranks, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Xylo and the Hero Unit would have to face off against their own people. Xylo’s main goal in life is to find those who led to Senerva’s death and get revenge; it’s inevitable. However, I didn’t expect things to happen so quickly, but the fighting at Mureed Fortress has forced everyone’s hands. Now Xylo, Kivia, and the others have to stay away from the front to protect Teoritta. And in doing so, we get to meet more members of the Hero Unit, as we’ll see for our own eyes that Venetim’s story about demons disguised as humans was true.
After defeating another Demon Lord at Mureed, Kivia visits Xylo in the hospital and lets him know that he and Teoritta are being benched. Not because they’re doing a bad job, but because they’re doing so well that the Coexisters want Teoritta dead. So to make sure they’re taken care, she’s having them pretend they’re on vacation to draw them out. On the plus side, this gives Xylo and Teoritta a chance to collect themselves, as well as give us a chance to meet another member of the Hero Unit. And he might be my favorite one yet.
Meet Jayce Partiract, a man who exudes main character energy. His spiky red hair alone makes him look like the protagonist of a JRPG, but then there’s the fact that he’s also a dragon rider. He loves dragons so much that he tried to free all the ones serving the kingdom, which led him to get the hero sentence. And the dragons love him for that, much to the dismay of his personal dragon, Neely. He’s smug, rude, and the first thing he asks of Xylo is to pay up for winning a bet about who could kill the most Demon Lords. If you dyed his hair blonde, he could pass for a Targaryen. But anyone able to befriend a dragon has to be tough, and he does come in handy at a critical moment in the episode.
The biggest surprise, though, has to be the visitor that Xylo gets, this priestly-looking woman named Frenci. She used to be Xylo’s fiance, but due to heroes being banned from marriage, it was canceled! She claims to be working on getting him pardoned, but meeting her is enough to make Teoritta jealous that the source of her headpats could get stolen. That gets superseded, though, by the reveal that Frenci is hunting another Demon Lord called Spriggan, who can disguise themselves as a human. So Venetim was right without even knowing it.
An Imposter Among us
This is a legitimately stressful situation. It’s bad enough the heroes have to look out for enemeis amongst their own, but if the demons can disguise themselves, it can make everyone seem sus. What’s worse, though, is the fact that Teoritta can’t use her powers on the humans she’s supposed to protect. And sure enough, both problems rear their head by the end of the episode.
Xylo and Kivia’s plan to draw the heretics out works as they, Teoritta, and Tsav are attacked in the market. To be fair, though, they were pretty sloppy in their methods, and they saw them coming easily. Once they drew them into an alleyway, though, they find themselves outnumbered by more heretics, including two assassins, Shiji Bau and Boojum. Jayce saves the day with Neely burning the rabble, but Shiji escapes. What’s more concerning, though, is Boojum? He took the flames head-on, and he didn’t flinch. And Teoritta notes how he felt different from the rest of the assassins.
It’s safe to say that Xylo found the Demon Lord Spriggan. But how are we going to deal with him? Questions for later. I’m still stuck on the fact that Xylo has a fiance!!!
I Give “Sentence: Feigned Day Off at Port City Ioff” a 4/5
So, it should be apparent by now that there are elements amongst humanity that are actively sabotaging its efforts. From Xylo getting set up for the death of his previous goddess to Venetim being right about that story of the Demon Blight infiltrating human society, there is something sinister going on. I had hoped that this was just some idiots using the threat to pull some Game of Thrones bs, but it turns out it’s worse than that. There are traitors that are openly aiding the demons, and they want Xylo dead.
The defense of Mureed Fortress was going so well. The hero unit had a good plan and they were pulling it off. But then out of nowhere, a group of humans showed up and ruined everything. Now the demons are threatening to overrun the fort and its defenders are scrambling to regroup. And the worst part? Teoritta can’t do a thing about them. She’s supposed to help humanity, not kill them!
Like I said in my review of the last episode, these guys are scumbags. They weren’t transformed against their will and forced to help the demons. Of their own free will, they are betraying their own species in a war for survival. And as we learn at the end of the episode, they are part of this faction of people who want humans to coexist with demons. And by coexistence, we mean let the demons take over and enslave every human being.
Some people would call them collaborators with the most insulting connotations possible. I call them something simpler: complete a-holes. I’m all for coexistence between species, but when one of them is an existential threat to the other, there can’t be any peace. And I know they probably think they’re saving lives by letting the demons win, but they’re not. I don’t even think that the Demon Blight will listen to reason or negotiate. Humanity either fights or it dies!
Well, it’s a good thing that karma exists. Because when these coexisters try to break through the underground defenses, they all get slaughtered by Tatsuya. That man absolutely destroyed them all. It was like a mook horror show, but given that they’re betraying humanity, they kind of have it coming.
When all else fails…
The bad news from all this is that the original plan of baiting the demon lord in is no longer viable. So Xylo and Teoritta have to take the fight to the enemy. And the pair comes dangerously close to being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers before they even have a chance to engage. If it wasn’t for the reinforcements Venetim called for, and Dotta being chased by angry mercenaries for stealing their money, they would be dead. And they still come dangerously close to dying because, as with all the other demon lords, Iblis is a Dark Souls boss.
No, really. You know those boss fights from games like Dark Souls where you think you beat them only for them to come back with a second form and extra health bar? That’s this fight. And once again, Teoritta refuses to listen to Xylo when he tells her to run.
It’s rather obvious at this point, but Teoritta is the one who spells it out for us: Xylo doesn’t hate goddesses. He hates himself. Even if it was someone else who put him in the position, he hates himself for having to kill his previous goddess. He hates that he had to lead his men to die. And he hates having to put Teoritta in danger for his sake. But, if he’s going to have to keep doing it, then he’s willing to do it with Teoritta. And then we get this.
bro…i cant get over how fucking amazing the soundtrack is in this anime, it elevates every scene to a new level of peak
So, the fight ends with none of the heroes dying once again. But Xylo now has a target on his back. And if these coexisters are as embedded in their kingdom as I think they are, then we are in for a lot of headaches. But at least Teoritta got her headpats.
Teoritta finally received her headpats from Xylo, oh that's father and daughter 😭pic.twitter.com/w2MMmu8X0d
Thermopolaye. The Alamo. The Siege of Bastogne. There are a lot of battles in history where a smaller force is forced to hold off an enemy that is vastly superior in numbers. And unfortunately for Xylo and his hero unit, their next suicide mission has them doing just that: holding the vital Mureed fortress against a horde of faerie demons so they can kill their leader. They’re being left to die to lure the Demon Lord in and kill it using a plan that, in all likelihood, won’t even work. Xylo isn’t having any of it, though, but as it turns out, the Demon Blight might not be the greatest enemy they have to face. Mankind might have traitors in their midst…
The episode opens up with our formal introduction to another member of the hero unit we first saw at the end of the last episode, Tsav. By now, we should have accepted that the hero unit is filled with a bunch of misfits and oddballs, but Tsav is out there, even by their standards. He’s got a very cheery demeanor to him, but he’s also a deadly sniper and assassin that was raised by a cult of deadly assassins. Think the Brotherhood from Assassin’s Creed, but without the moral code. And as we saw at the end of the last episode, sometimes he’ll decide who he will and won’t kill on a whim. This guy is doing it all for the love of the game!
Tsav's purpose in Sentenced to Be A Hero is to show us why Heroes are looked down upon in this world but I didn't get that sentiment because the FIRST FOUR episodes are dedicated to letting us know that these heroes are actually opposite from what society is thinking. pic.twitter.com/JOAfEcoW3i
Out of all the members of the hero unit that we’ve seen thus far, Tsav might be one of the ones that actually deserves some kind of harsh punishment. I won’t say that he deserves to be a hero, because no one should suffer a fate like that. Yet he’s also so friendly that it’s hard for me to find him actually bad. Then again, a lot of psychos are capable of making people let their guards down. He is a genuinely good sniper, though, so he’s got that going for him. And the hero unit will need that skill if they dont want to die.
Rather than let themselves as simply bait for the Demon Lord Iblis, Xylo has another plan. While the others are defending the place, he’s going to draw the enemy out and then take them down. And to make sure their plan works, he’s been requesting reinforcements and having Norgalle fortify the place with his seals while also creating a killing field in between. They do get reinforcements in the form of some of Kivia’s knights and the miners that they saved, but it’s still not enough and they know it. It’s clear that the higher-ups dont want to waste the manpower, but not for the reasons that they might think.
Sometimes the worst enemies are the ones that look like you
I’m not sure if it was during this episode or the last one, but one of the characters floated the theory that there were those among humanity that wanted the demons to win. And that they were actively trying to ensure that that happened. Venetm already learned for himself that his story about the Demon Blight infiltrating humanity was true, but in this episode, everyone learns this.
It happens near the end of the episode as the attack begins. At first, the heroes are holding the faeries back without any problems. Suddenly, these cloaked humans riding on horseback appear out of nowhere and launch a volley of fire arrows at their traps and barriers. That gives the demons the opening they need to breach the fortress, and by the end, things are falling apart!
Who are these mysterious people? Is there really a conspiracy trying to sabotage mankind’s survival? Or is this a power ploy by the people who want Teoritta for dissection? They could be doing this to ensure that Xylo won’t be able to stop these people from taking her away. One thing is for certain, though: they are betraying mankind in the middle of a war for their survival. Even if they’ve got a good explanation for this, it doesn’t matter. They’re condemning their own species to extinction. That’s treason, and they will need to be dealt with accordingly.
This story just got so much more interesting: why are humanity helping the enemy? What do they gain from it? Also the brutality and violence in this series is so damn good.
It’s time, everyone. The Culling Game has been underway for a while now, and the longer it goes on, the easier it will be for Kenjaku’s insane plans to be fulfilled. With Yuji and the others having gathered their allies, they’re ready to enter the Game. Which, at this point, I’m basically considering to be the JuJutsu equivalent of Fortnite.
Ironically, Yuji, Gojo, Nobara and Megumi are already in Fortnite.
Hakari Wants in On the Future
So, after getting Hakari and Kirara to calm down and listen to them, the former has the same reaction as the latter when they learn Gojo was sealed. To be fair, though, hearing that their strongest has been sealed would make anyone react like that. But now that Hakari knows that there backs are up against the wall, he’s willing to help them out. But he’s not just doing this out of the goodness of his heart! He wants to make a deal!
The short version: now that the existence of Cursed Spirits is public and the leaders of Jujutsu society are gonna need to be purged, things are going to need to be reformed. And Hakari wants to make sure the new rules will benefit him and his money-making schemes. Megumi agrees to the terms, since he’s the head of the Zenin Clan now. Seeing Hakari start sucking up to Megumi after he hears that was pretty funny. What makes it even funnier, though, is that the next day, Maki wipes out the Zenin Clan, making it a moot point.
Even if Megumi can’t really flex that clan power anymore, though, I think Hakari has the right to be involved in rebuilding Jujutsu society. I didn’t mention it in my review of the last episode, but one reason he got ostracized is that his Cursed Technique is more modern and tech-based. And the jerks in charge are so old-fashioned that they look down on it. But no society can improve if it keeps the same old ways forever, and if its leaders resist that notion, get rid of them. And after what they have done since Shibuya, Jujutsu HQ is going to be burned to the ground once Gojo gets out.
But enough of that: it’s time to enter the Culling Game, especially Yuji.
Let the Culling Game begin!
So, it was previously established that entering one of the colonies of the Culling Game makes someone a player by default. Since the group hadn’t entered yet, they thought they had time to prepare. However, they overlooked one possibility: that Sukuna might have agreed to take part in the Game in the past. Thanks to that, Yuji is already a player and can’t put off entering any longer. Thus, the group heads to the Tokyo Colonies.
Their plan is simple. To ensure that Megumi’s sister can get out of the Culling Game, they want to find players who already the points needed to add more rules. They figure that if they persuade them, they can add two new rules: one to allow points to transfer between players, and another that lets players tag someone else in to take their place. This way, they can make it through the Game without killing anyone. Yuji and Megumi go into one colony to find a player who has the points, while Hakari and Panda take the other to find Angel, the only one who can unseal Gojo. However, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and this is no exception.
Firstly, the second Yuji and Megumi enter the colony, they find themselves separated. This was a rule that the barriers added so players would spawn in at different points without any control over it. It’s like PUBg or Fortnite in that regard. And unfortunately for Yuji and Megumi, the game already has players pulling off toxic gamer moves, like spawnpoint camping.
As a gamer with years of experience in online multiplayer, it disgusts me to see people using spawnpoint camping to earn points. That being said, I can’t help but find it funny seeing Yuji get jumped by two random newbies and turning the tables on them. They shouldn’t have messed with the main protagonist. And as it so happens, their third member is someone Yuji used to go to school with and knows where to find one of the hundred-point players…or so they say.
Someone is Sus
Meanwhile, Megumi runs into this woman who’s trying way too hard to play up the weak and helpless damsel routine, which sparks plenty of red flags in my head. She also claims to know where this player they’re looking for is, but she gives him a different location. Which means one of them is being lied to, and will thus be getting an ass-whooping later. Sadly, we will have to wait at least two weeks to find out. The anime is going to be on break.
I don’t really care that much that the anime will be on break. Months of One Piece going on break for recap episodes have gotten me used to the idea. Plus, the next episode is going to be absolute fire, I just know it! In the meantime, what I’m more interested in is Hakari’s English voice actor. I assumed that it would go to Chris Sabat, but Yuri Lowenthal was not someone I was expecting! People from my generation are probably already saying how he’s delinquent Sasuke. To be fair, though, Sasuke was a delinquent for half the series.
JJK SEASON 3 ENGLISH DUB‼️ Ok Yuri Lowenthal does NOT sound as bad as some people made him out to be for Hakari. Also love Kirara’s VA fr 😭🤞🏻 pic.twitter.com/AHByb47vW4
The more I watch Sentenced to be a Hero, the more I’m convinced that all of the people who were sentenced to be heroes are innocent of whatever crimes they committed. If Xylo is anything to go by, their only “crime” was somehow angering the people in charge. That theory seems to gain further credence in this episode as the hero unit is sent on their next mission and we learn about why another member, Venetim, got stuck being a hero. Also, watching Teoritta gush over stuff is adorable!
After their successful suicide mission at the mine, Xylo and the Hero unit are sent on their next mission…sort of. They don’t get their actual assignment until the halfway point of the episode, leaving them with some freetime at their new destination: Mureed Fortress. An important fortress town on the way to an important city, it’s also the site of a local festival. That means the heroes have some time to relax before they’re thrown back into certain death!
Given how they’re condemned criminals, you would think the Hero unit wouldn’t be allowed to have fun, but you’d be wrong. They each find ways to enjoy the festival. Dotta goes back to his pilfering ways, Venetim…is probably running some sort of scam, and Xylo? He’s willingly choosing to sit in a cell and read poetry. That last part is the most surprising aspect, in my opinion. Still, when Teoritta finds him and demands that he hang out with her, Xylo is in no position to refuse her. Teoritta’s very pushy like that, and it helps that Kivia insists on accompanying them.
Considering how she’s for all intents and purposes a kid, it’s heartwarming to get to see Teoritta have a chance to act like one rather than as a goddess. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw her getting to enjoy the sights and sweets of the festival, with Xylo and Kivia acting like her babysisters/parental figures. Which, of course, only makes what Kivia has to reveal to Xylo all the more heartbreaking. When the kingdom found Teoritta, the military was planning on experimenting on her in the hopes of creating more goddesses. That would’ve been a death sentence for the girl, but thanks to fate or luck, she found her way into the hands of the Hero unit. And as long as they keep succeeding, the higher-ups can’t take her away.
Why do I feel as though something like that will be a plot point in the future?
In any case, Kivia admits that she misjudged Xylo and the others and is grateful they can watch over Teoritta. And if they can change her mind, then there’s hope for the rest of them yet. That is, unless they die in their next suicide mission: defending Mureed Fortress.
So much for R&R
Another Demon Lord is threatening the fortress, and try as they might, the Holy Knights haven’t been able to kill it. Their desperation has gotten to the point where they plan on using Xylo’s unit as bait to lure the demon in so they kill it for good. The one in charge makes it clear that they’re not expected to survive, either. Even if they can come back to life, though, I doubt that will make dying any less traumatic. Thankfully, Venetim manages to get them some better terms for the mission.
I haven’t really talked about Venetim that much, but that’s because there hasn’t been a chance or reason. Voiced by Jesse James Greel, his role is mostly in logistics and planning rather than fighting. He’s also got quite the silver tongue, as he’s able to weasel his way into the most favorable circumstances possible. Before he became a hero, his biggest scam was trying to sell the royal palace to a nearby circus, and it almost worked. This guy could give some of the biggest con men in our world a run for their money.
That’s not why he was sentenced to be a hero, though. It’s because one of the stories he sold to the public ended up being true without even meaning to. He wrote a fake news article saying how the Demon Blight was able to install sleeper agents in society, and somehow, it ended up being true. And that seemed to have ruffled the feathers of the ones in charge.
There’s a conspiracy afoot behind the Hero Unit
Like I said at the start, I’m starting to think that the crimes of the hero unit aren’t all they’re made out to be. While Dotta and Venetim are of questionable moral standing, this is the second time we’ve seen one of the unit get in trouble for something that wasn’t actually their fault. If anything, this stinks of conspiracy and corruption. And I’m willing to bet that the more successful Xylo and the others become, the more dangerous things will get for them on their side. Sometimes, the most dangerous monsters are the ones that look just like us.
The episode ends with a look at another member of the Hero unit, Tsav, and he’s another interesting character. He chopped a man’s hand off for cheating at a game in front of him! It’s pretty obvious that the Hero unit is full of misfits, though, so he doesn’t exactly stand out that much…yet. Here’s hoping we’re proven wrong about that in the next few episodes.
Well, that didn’t take long. Yuji, Megumi, and Panda infiltrated the underground fight club run by their jujutsu senpai’s, Hakari and Kirara, to recruit them for the Culling Games. Unfortunately, they’ve been made! Now, since they’re not going to do this the easy way, they’re gonna have to do this the hard way. Which is fine by me, because it gives us a chance to see how our protagonists measure up against their senpai’s. That, and we got confirmation that Megumi is ripped as they come!
I Don’t Get Kirara’s Power
So, while Yuji was upstairs talking to Hakari, Megumi and Panda were trying to sneak into the fight club in case things went south. Unfortunately, they were spotted by Kirara (who we will use they/them pronouns for). They think the two are working for Jujutsu High’s higher-ups (who are toxic conservatives), so they alert Hakari. That leads into Hakari throwing hands with Yuji as we saw at the end of the last episode, and now things have to be done the hard way.
To Kirara’s credit, Megumi and Panda are from Jujutsu High, but are just choosing not to follow the higher-ups orders. And even when the two tell them that they sought their help because Gojo was sealed, they don’t buy it. If we hadn’t seen it for ourselves, I doubt the viewers would believe it, either! But the only reason that this happens is so that the story can show off what Kirara can do with their cursed techniques. And it’s…pretty complex.
I love the shonen genre; I’ve always loved it. However, one thing that’s always bugged me is how some series have power systems that can be downright confusing to understand. The biggest offender is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, especially in the later parts, but JJK can be just as hard to understand at times. Case in point, I had a hard time wrapping my head around Kirara’s Cursed Technique. The basic idea is that it marks people and items based on the stars in the Southern Cross constellation. You have to approach each mark based on its order in the constellation, I think. And if you don’t approach in the correct order, you get repelled like being Force pushed.
I’m sorry, but that kind of power just doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. It’s too confusing to wrap my head around and I think that saying Kirara could repel things they touch would be simpler. It’s only thanks to the show’s superb animation that I was able to maintain my interest. It doesn’t really matter, though, because Megumi and Panda win and convince Kirara to hear them out.
Hakari, on the other hand…is too fired up to listen as he and Yuji come out of the monitor room in a fist fight.
I Respect Hakari’s Love for Passion
Here’s the thing about Yuji as of this moment: he’s not in the best mental headspace. He was talked into coming back with his friends and half-brother, but what happened in Shibuya is not something he can get over. He already put little value on his own life, but after Sukuna’s rampage and what Mahito did, it’s devolved to the point where he sees himself as a cog in a never-ending war. His only purpose is to kill Cursed Spirits and help his friends, and nothing else. As much as I like seeing people act selflessly, though, there’s a point where it becomes detrimental to one’s well-being. And it’s this way of thinking that gets on Hakari’s nerves the most.
Crazy battle with lower graded People but they make the most of the show! cant wait for more and see what our team of people will do!
Unlike Yuji, who’s entire reason for living is to help others, Hakari embodies the concept of putting one’s own interests above all else. He’s passionate about what he loves, and likes seeing that kind of passion in other people. It sounds selfish and greedy at first glance, but when you think about it, everyone wants something more than anything in life, even if it’s something selfless. He wants to see a world where people are free to do what they love the most, which is why he initially can’t stand seeing Yuji think so little of his own existence. To put it bluntly, it pisses him off.
Ironically, it’s this very mindset of Yuji that gets Hakari to finally hear him out. Yuji Itadori’s so determined to stop the Culling Game that he tanks every one of Hakari’s punches, which just makes him angrier. It gets to the point where Kirara calls out how riled up Yuji’s resolve has gotten him. By his own logic, Yuji has passion.
The timing couldn’t be better. A new rule has been added to the Culling Game by one of the players: players can see the status and location of all other players. This rule was added not by them or any of their allies, but by one of the players who’s already at work. To make it worse, it’s one of the Sorcerers who was brought back by possessing someone else. Their name is Hajime Kashimo, and judging by what he says in his first appearance, he’s a real blood knight. The whole reason he added that rule was so that he could track down and fight Sukuna.
JUJUTSU KAISEN SEASON 3 EP. 6
Finally Kashimo is here ⚡ mf wants to fight Sukuna… well we all know how that went lmao. pic.twitter.com/WkEZog2jwG
The preparation for the Culling Game continues. Maki may not have gotten the cursed tools of the Zenin Clan and lost her sister, but she did wipe them all out. No more of their toxic influence and Game of Thrones scheming. Meanwhile, Yuji and Megumi have to go and convince a senpai on bad terms with the authority figures to help them in the Game. And this guy is a real rebel who believes in following one’s passion to the fullest!
Which is fine by me, as I like people who want to follow their dreams even if they’re crazy. And anyone on bad terms with the leaders of the Jujutsu world gets bonus points in my book. Plus, it helps that their seiyuu is the guy who plays Roronoa Zoro!
Those Old Geezers at JJ HQ are on my Hate List
If it hasn’t been made clear by my reviews of JJK, or some of my other writings, I hate toxic conservatism. By which I mean I hate dogmatic people who insist on maintaining things the way they are, even when changing with the times would benefit them. And the leaders of Jujutsu society that aren’t named Satoru Gojo all qualify as such. Not only did they try to kill Yuji and make it a crime for Gojo to be unsealed, but this episode opens with one of their most heinous crimes: the murder of Principal Yaga.
Yaga was the one who created Panda, the first self-sustaining Cursed Corpse. HQ wanted that secret technique to create their own army of puppets to enforce their rules, but Yaga refused. And he made sure that before he died, he only told his fellow Principal Gakuganji the secret because he saw that knowledge as a curse. And this actually manages to get to the old man! Even more so when Panda comes along only moments after Yaga died and says that he’s not mad at him for following orders.
This entire thing was genuinely heartbreaking for me to watch. This is the equivalent of Pinocchio coming home to find Geppetto dead because some jerk ordered a hit on him. It’s downright tragic to watch, and even Gakuganji is shaken by his fellow educator’s death. When Gojo is unsealed, those higher-ups shouldn’t even bother praying, because they already signed their own death warrants.
I Like Hakari Already
While all of this is happening, Yuji and Megumi are on their own mission: to find and recruit their senpai, Hakari Kinji. He’s a third year at Tokyo Jujutsu High, but he’s been suspended by the higher-ups for being a good-for-nothing, headstrong rebel. As the two first-years see for themselves, that’s not an unwarranted opinion; he’s running a fight club for Sorcerers.
Even before we meet him, it’s clear why the conservatives running Jujutsu society hate Hakari. They’re rigid traditionalists who hate any concept of changing with the times, while Hakari is the new blood chafing under authority and longing to break free. He’s the kind of guy who encourages people to indulge in what they love and find passion in, because without that, what is life even about? Hence, his main reason for clashing with the higher ups is because wants encourage everyone in Japan to follow their passions. And for him, that means wanting to legalize his fight club and gambling in Jujutsu society.
I have to admit, I was pretty sold on Hakari before we even got a chance to meet him. Firstly, it’s because HQ hates him. Secondly, while I dont exactly approve of a fight club, I respect the hustle. Thirdly, he’s voiced by Zoro’s seiyuu, which gives him bonus points for aura. And once Yuji meets him, his aura only manages to get even better.
The entire meeting between Yuji and Hakari has to be one of the best scenes in the entire anime. It’s just one continuous shot with no change in perspective, camera angles, or anything. It’s impressive, crazy, and somehow manages to work. Then again, chaos seems to be what this series is about to run on, so I’m not surprised.
"Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Episode 4"
LMAO 4+ min single-camera-angle shot, only JJK can pull this unusual stuff in every ep. 😭 tho idk if any anime did that already. pic.twitter.com/6vkCtvzI2N
On the last episode of Sentenced to be a Hero, we got to see what Xylo and the hero unit’s missions are like when they’re not basically going AWOL. Xylo, Teoritta, this madman called Tatsuya, and this guy named Norgalle whose convinced he’s a king, all went on a mission to secure a mine. But when they discover demons infesting the place and a group of miners still trapped inside, what does Xylo do? Disobeys orders to rescue them, naturally. Which, to be frank, is a pretty heroic thing to do. And after this episode, I think that Xylo and the others deserve to be called heroes in the traditional sense, especially Norgalle.
Don’t Try to Die Nobly in Battle if you Can Avoid it
So, with the Holy Knights ordered to collapse the mines hanging over their heads, Xylo, Norgalle, and Tatsuya work to rescue the remaining miners. Teoritta is forced to stay behind due to Xylo refusing to unnecessarily put her life at risk. This ends up conflicting with Teoritta’s own willingness to do just that, not caring what happens so long as she does a noble death.
The entire theme behind this whole episode seems to be about how we view war and death in battle. Teoritta and Norgalle don’t seem to mind dying so long as they do so helping others live to see another day, which is an admirable mindset. That, and they think going out taking as many enemies as possible is a metal way to die. In contrast, we have Xylo, the weary war veteran who understands that once you’re dead, that’s it. Barring unnatural methods like what the heroes are sentenced to, and unless there’s an afterlife or reincarnation cycle, that’s the end. Even coming back like the heroes takes a toll on them, so death is still something to worry about. And after seeing what he has, Xylo refuses to let anyone die a pointless death.
Which is why, when Teoritta eventually chooses to ignore his orders to stay behind, he’s mad. But I can understand why she did it.
Never Abandon your Comrades
Anime has taught me a lot of things, but one big one is that if you have to choose between following the rules or breaking them to save lives, it’s better to break them. It’s why Xylo and the others went to rescue the miners, and it’s why Teoritta opts to do the same. But while Xylo is the one who agreed to this, it’s actually Norgalle who steps up in this episode.
I don’t know if Norgalle is actually a king or not, but even if he isn’t, he’s got the bearing of one. Whereas other monarchs would insist on staying behind the frontlines and act as if their life is more important, Norgalle is the kind of king who does the opposite. Je spends this entire episode putting the miners’ needs before his own, doing everything in his power to ensure they make it out alive and refusing to see them as expendable. Delusional or not, that kind of selflessness is endearing, and it inspires the miners to help fight back the demons. Which, by the way, were indeed created due to a Demon Lord brainwashing the other miners, much to Norgalle’s fury. His majesty’s best moment, though, comes when he chooses to cut off his own leg so he can stun the Demon long enough for Xylo to kill it. That is the kind of crazy that can get things done!
Thanks to the heroes and Teoritta, all the remaining miners are able to escape and return home to their families. And despite many still viewing them as scum, a small handful of them work up the courage to thank them. Scum or not, they saved people, and that is worthy of respect. Even Kivia stands up for them by saying they did the right thing. I don’t know if this will end up sticking or not, but if Xylo was able to change a small group of people’s minds, then maybe he can do it more and more until everyone sees him as the hero that Teoritta, and by extension, the audience, know he can be.
I Give “Sentence: Spearhead the Recapture of the Zewan Gan Tunnels 2” a 4/5
The Uchiha Clan Massacre, one of the defining moments in the backstory of the Naruto series. In a single night, one lone ninja proceeded to slaughter almost the entirety of his powerful clan, save for himself, the guy who helped him, and his little brother. And he did it all under the orders of a man who had no authority to make him do that. It was a tragedy that could’ve been prevented, and in the long run, it caused more harm than good for everyone involved. Why am I bringing this up now when we’re talking about Jujutsu Kaisen? Because the anime just gave the Uchiha Clan Massacre 2.0. Except this time, it’s entirely justified, the one doing the killing is in the right, and the clan in question deserves everything happening to them. Maki did what she had to do.
F the Zenin Clan
So, after spending the last episode focusing entirely on exposition as Tengen, Yuji, and all their allies prepare to stop Kenjaku’s plans, this one is focused on the actual preparation. Their first order of business is to retrieve all the weapons and gear the Zenin Clan has locked in their storehouses. So Maki heads to their compound with the authority of her cousin Megumi, who is now the clan head, remember, to do just that. The Zenin Clan, though, has no intention of playing ball whatsoever.
Let me remind you what I said in my review for the preview movie: the Zenin Clan sucks. They are one of the three biggest and oldest clans of Jujutsu sorcerers in Japan, and a family of backwards thinking, ultra-conservative, sexist jerks. Not to mention how they’re convinced that they’re in a story like Game of Thrones where it’s all the intrigue and scheming. Because even though they are facing the existential threat Kenjaku is bringing to Japan, all they care about is their own power. They have no intention of letting Megumi be clan head, with their leaders using those dumb orders banning Gojo from being unsealed as an excuse to try and off him. And when Maki comes back, all they do is look down on her for having zero cursed energy and being a woman. Naoya even says she’s worthless now that she’s got all those scars on her. But that’s only the start, as Maki goes to the vault, and all she finds there is her deadbeat dad and her mortally wounded twin sister, Mai. And then her dad almost kills Maki and leaves them both for dead.
Time for a quick tangent, by the way. Gege, you are an absolute master of the art of making characters whose existence people can loathe with their entire being. Naoya was already a arrogant, sexist jerk that deserves a punch to the face. But the girl’s dad? All he does is whine about how he’s not the clan head and blaming it all on his daughters’ existence. He even says that “children shouldn’t hold back their parents,” with a straight face. This is the definition of a deadbeat parent, and while there are a lot of things I hate, there’s nothing worse than a bad parent.
Which only makes what happens next all the more satisifying.
All my Homies Hate the Zenin Clan
There’s a reason why Maki has no cursed energy whatsoever. The rules of Jujutsu treat twins as the same person. So when twins are born, they get restricted. In the girl’s case, Mai got all the cursed energy, while Maki should have gotten a superhuman body like Toji did to compensate. So long as one lives, the other can’t reach their full potential. Which is why Mai, who never wanted to be a sorcerer, chooses to let herself die so that her sister can unlock her full potential.
This is an absolute tragedy, and even though I wish that the anime could’ve spent an entire episode on just this, I think it manages to hammer that aspect home. All Maki wanted was to change the Zenin Clan so that it could accept her and Mai and give them the home they wanted. But the Zenin Clan was so rigid in their beliefs that they refused to let that happen, even when it would’ve benefitted them in the long run. Thanks to everyone’s stubbornness, Mai has died, and Maki has lost everything.
But thanks to their arrogance, the Zenin Clan didn’t kill the twins when they had the chance. Because now, it’s time for their own Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Toji Could’ve gone Full Kratos on the Zenin Clan if he Wanted
Fans of JJK know who Toji Fushiguro is. Born to the Zenin Clan with no cursed energy, he bailed on them and discarded his last name due to them treating him like dirt. They shouldn’t have, because the universe chose to compensate him for his lack of cursed energy by giving him a body as strong as steel, with superhuman senses and strength to go with it. That meant that he could kill Jujutsu sorcerers with hardly a scratch, and made him their absolute worst nightmare. He could’ve killed his entire clan for treating him like garbage, but chose to take the high road on it.
Maki, on the other hand? Let’s review everything all the crimes the Zenin Clan has committed against her:
A lifetime of emotional and physical abuse
Disobeying a direct order from the head of their clan
Murder of her sister
Multiple accounts of attempted murder
The verdict is guilty, the sentence is death, and the executioner is Maki, courtesy of the sword Mai made her before she died.
The Massacre Straight out of Kill Bill
What happens next isn’t just the Uchiha Clan Massacre for a new generation. It’s the Uchiha Clan Massacre fused with Kratos’ rampage against the Olympian Gods. And it is as close to perfect as possible…at least if you’re from the West.
It’s common to find anime fans from the West disagreeing with their Japanese counterparts, but there’s something special about how our reactions to this episode of JJK. Everyone I’ve seen stateside has been calling the best episode of the series. They’re looking at the scene of Maki wasting those mooks and are saying how it’s just like the Bride killing the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill. I looked up a clip of the scene on YouTube, and everyone’s commenting just that!
And the part where Maki tanks the hits from the Hei unit! That one guy dies thinking that he helped kill Maki, but she just walks away with the head of another Hei member and throws it into a pond!
And that fight with Naoya! Even if he gave us one of the first memes of the year, everyone agrees Naoya deserves to get his face caved in! And the anime didn’t disappoint as Maki absolutely embarrasses him! They repeated the clip of her breaking his skull four times, and it’s still satisfying! And her carnage didn’t stop at the compound! She hunted down any Zen’in clan members who weren’t there and killed them all! Is it any wonder why those with Maki stock are taking a victory lap?
So why are the Japanese hating on this? From what I’ve heard, cultural differences.
Japan Didn’t See this the Way Americans Did
According to what I’ve heard, a big issue they have with the episode is how it portrays the massacre. They don’t like the upbeat and energetic music and pacing. To them, this event is supposed to be a somber tragedy because of what happens to Maki and Mai. And I do agree with them on that part. What happened to Maki and Mai is indeed a tragedy brought about by Maki and her clan’s mutual stubbornness. Had Maki not tried to spite the family that didn’t deserve her and just walked away with her sister, Mai wouldn’t have had to die. And I do think that the anime could’ve made this entire thing more menacing to respect Mai. Remember, despite thinking it had to be done, Itachi hated himself for having to kill his clan and wanted to face justice for it, even if others might not see it that way. But while what happens is a tragedy, Westerners don’t see it like that.
We often consider getting revenge to be a costly, self-destructive act. At the same time, though, if we find the ones who are the targets of said revenge to be utterly reprehensible, we’re willing to justify it. And, admittedly, there’s something satisfying on a primal level in seeing the hero beat the snot out of a villain who greatly wronged them. Ergo, while we may mourn Mai’s death, I couldn’t help but smirk as I saw Maki bury the backwards, sexist, backstabbing Zen’in clan six feet under. Even more satisfying is seeing Naoya go out like a chump at the hands of Maki’s dying mother.
So, despite what the Japanese have to say about it, and despite me wanting an entire episode dedicated to Maki’s killing spree, I still loved this. I have been wanting to see this animated for a while now, and while it wasn’t quite what I expected, it’s already one of my favorite anime moments of the year. Maki, you have effectively solidified your place as THAT girl! All hail the Queen of Jujutsu Kaisen, Maki!!
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