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For the Last Time, NAOFUMI DOESN’T WANT A HAREM!

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S4 Ep 2 Review

It’s only been one day since Naofumi and his party arrived in Siltvelt, and he’s already growing sick of the place. His only goal right now is to get to Q’Ten Lo and stop them from coming after him and Raphtalia. However, Siltvelt’s leaders seemed determined to keep him in their country for as long as possible; likely forever! And as the follow-up episode demonstrates, the leaders of Siltvelt will play dirty to make sure that that happens. Fortunately, Naofumi has a zero-tolerance policy for red tape and stalling, and when one of the country’s leaders tries to make a move, he decides to put them all on the OPP’s list unless they give him what he wants.

You got to admire someone who refuses to deal with baloney.

Before we get started, let’s back up to the season premiere. A few days before it premiered, I remembered I had the light novels that this season should be covering on my smartphone. I started reading through them, and thanks to that, I’m better able to notice a few things that the anime has changed or rearranged. More importantly, it made me remember that the story established earlier than the anime that Jaralis was going to be a problem. For example, in the light novel version of his audience with Silvelt’s leaders, Jaralis starts by singing Naofumi’s praisings before twisting his words into saying that they should go out and crush all who oppose them. And then he basically ends the meeting early by having everyone walk out.

Naofumi vs. an Army of Horny Demi-Humans

Unfortunately, this episode, while rearranging the order of certain events, still meets with the same outcome: irritating Naofumi. Firstly, he’s told that his party must stay in a separate bedroom while he sleeps in one meant for royalty. It’s clearly an attempt to separate him from those he trusts. It’s only thanks to his insistence that Raph-Chan stay with him that it falls through.

And it’s a good thing that Raphy (Raph-Chan’s name in the dub). Without her, he might not have made it through what happens next with his chastity intact.

While the light novel doesn’t have the water laced with aphrodisiacs and the women were waiting in advance, everything else is accurate. If Raph-Chan hadn’t been there for backup and to call Raphtalia, Naofumi would’ve had his chastity stolen that night. Not lost, stolen. And considering what Witch did to him messed him up so bad he’s all but sworn a life of celibacy, this experience was one giant trauma button for him. Needless to say, his blow-up at Werner is more than justified.

Atla and Fohl are more important than you realize

Unfortunately for Naofumi, the rest of his experience in Siltvelt isn’t any more productive. He’s forced to attend parties, banquets, and other social gatherings in his honor, all while listening to the elites trying to outdo themselves in their efforts to glaze him. He doesn’t buy it for a second, and the longer they stall, the more Naofumi decides to just figure things out on his own.

Thankfully, this is where Fohl and Atla manage to come in handy.

I’m not sure how much of their story has been revealed thus far in the anime, but Fohl and Atla are not ordinary Demi-Humans. They are part of the Hakuko, AKA the white tigers. Years ago, they had been one of the four most powerful races of Demi-Humans in Siltvelt, and their father had been a prominent leader. However, when Siltvelt lost the war against Melromarc, and they lost their parents, the Hakuko fell from power. And we know how Naofumi found them.

In any case, though, the siblings still have allies in Siltvelt. Through them, Naofumi starts making his own plans to get to Q’ten Lo, since it’s clear the country is useless to him. But then something happens that makes everyone leading the country into an OPP: someone tries to poison Naofumi and his party.

Jaralis did it. We all know he did it!

Well, to be fair, it’s Jaralis who did it. The smug look on his face says it all. However, when Jaralis and Werner continue to be at each other’s throats, Naofumi decides that this farce has gone on long enough. In a rather surprising twist, though, he’s not the one to start blowing off. It’s Atla.

This should be interesting to watch. That girl is Naofumi’s number one stan, so seeing her get mad at the people in charge of Siltvelt should be entertaining. Still, it’s a little frustrating to see multiple scenes from the light novel get removed from the anime. But the plus side is that this makes me look forward to seeing what will happen when Allen Blaster’s fanfic gets to this point!

I give “Official Welcome” a 3.5/5

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle Premieres Sept 2025 in US

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Friday, September 12th, 2025. Anime fans, mark your calendars, clear your schedule that day, and be prepared to head to movie theaters. Demon Slayer is coming back to theaters for its endgame.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been one of the most popular Shonen anime of the last six years, earning critical acclaim and fans around the world. And it’s not hard to see why. Between the characters, music, and god-tier animation, Demon Slayer lives up to the hype. It even managed to have the highest-grossing film in 2020 with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. Five years later, it looks like history is about to repeat itself as the series approaches its climax.

Fans have known for a year now that Demon Slayer would be wrapping up its story on the big screen rather than with a new season. The Final Battle arc, split into the Infinity Castle and Sunrise Countdown, demands no less than that. And Aniplex is splitting everything up into three movies just to make sure they cover all their bases. While the first film should already be out in Japan, Americans will have to wait another two months. And it looks as though it will be released both subbed and dubbed.

Anime has pretty much gone mainstream at this point thanks to the efforts of fans and streaming services, but that doesn’t mean we should be lax when it comes to promoting this film. If we really want to give Demon Slayer the send-off it deserves, then we need to start preparing. Make plans with friends. Coordinate with your local cosplay groups. Make sure that when the time comes, every seat in whatever theater is showing Demon Slayer is filled. Having all three films break box office records in America would be a massive win for us, and I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to see that it happens!

Jiji just Went from Zenitsu to Sung Jin-woo!

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DanDaDan S2 Ep 2 Review

Do you guys remember that one episode of DanDaDan last year about Acrobatic Silky’s backstory? The one that garnered critical acclaim and broke the Internet from its sheer sadness? If you thought that the tragic story of Silky’s life and death was sad, then brace yourselves. It’s gotten a sequel. As Ken, Momo, Turbo Granny, and Jiji are at the mercy of a giant worm, an even bigger threat appears: a yokai with a backstory as sad as Silky’s. Maybe even sadder, because the Yokai in question…was just a little kid.

The Evil Eye is scary…

At the end of the last episode, the group was in a bad spot. They were already being cornered by the Mongolian Death Worm. But then, Okarun starts going ghost and tweaking out and trying to kill himself, with Momo soon following suit! As Turbo Granny explains, the Worm emits psychic waves that compel people to off themselves. It’s the ultimate predatory skill, and for some reason, only Jiji is immune to it. All he can do is run for his life while keeping his friends from killing themselves/realizing that this might be what made his parents try to kill themselves.

Except that it wasn’t just the Worm that was the threat. Believe it or not, it wasn’t the only creature haunting the house. There was another being; one far more terrifying than the Worm. A yokai that makes even the likes of Turbo Granny freak out: the Evil Eye.

…But his backstory is SO SAD!!

The Evil Eye is, quite possibly, one of the most powerful yokai in the entire series and a nightmare to deal with. Like the Worm, the Evil Eye also has the power to make people want to off themselves just by looking at them. The upside that its waves cancel out the Worm’s waves, bringing Momo and Ken back to their senses. The bad news? Now they have to run from both while making their way through the Uzumaki-like labyrinth. And when Jiji looks right into its eyes, he sees its whole backstory, and it is a tragedy.

The short version: the Evil Eye was once one of the sacrifices the Kito family gave to the Worm. They had locked him up underground until he was an emaciated husk before burning him alive. But instead of moving on, he somehow became a cursed spirit. And whenever anyone other than kids saw him, they would be compelled to off themselves! And then the Kito Family just buried the son alive in the house as another sacrifice, leaving him to starve of die of asphyxiation, while the spirit couldn’t do anything to help him. And this just kept repeating victim after victim, until that sweet little spirit finally crashed out and decided to kill all humanity. Everyone would die as penance for the cruelty those people were shown.

I thought that Acrobatic Silky’s backstory was sad, but this? This happened to a little boy. A child! And they were doing this to countless people for years to a monster that didn’t care about them and just ate them the first chance they got. No wonder the Evil Eye crashed out. A lot of people would wind up doing the same thing if it happened to them!

Jiji Goes from Zenitsu to Sung Jin-woo

And this just tugs at poor Jiji’s heart, and he goes into “righteous Shonen protagonist” mode. He makes it all the way to the spot where E.E.’s body lies and promises to be his friend and play with him as much as he wants. In other words, he’s offering up his body to be used as a vessel for the yokai, like Ken and Aira.

Big. Mistake. It turns Jiji from a goofy Zenitsu…into Yokai Sung Jin-woo. And I’m not just saying that because all three share the same voice actor. I’m saying that because E.E. Jiji is him! In fact, its revealed that Jiji has a ridiculous amount of dormant spiritual power. Combine that with the Evil Eye’s collected malice, and he turns into an apex predator. And he wields that football like it’s a cannonball. If Okarun hadn’t shown up when he did, Jiji would’ve killed Momo and Turbo Granny.

There’s a reason why DanDaDan fans consider this and the proceeding arc to be among the series best thus far, and its for moments such as this. Now, Okarun has to protect Momo and Turbo Granny from Jiji and the Death Worm! This is going to be a tough fight, but one that fans are going to be enjoying to the fullest extent. And I cannot wait!

I Give “Evil Eye” a 4/5

Naofumi Arrives at Shield Hero Stan HQ

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S4 Ep 1

Q’ten Lo just made the biggest mistake it could ever make: it made the Shield Hero mad.

When we last left off with The Rising of the Shield Hero, things got crazy. One minute, Naofumi had Raphtalia cosplaying in a miko outfit because he thought she looked good in it (and she did.) The next minute, his village was attacked by Demi-human ninjas saying that Raphtalia would die for “making her claim to the throne.” It turns out, Raphtalia’s royalty from the isolationist nation of Q’ten Lo! Her parents had left the country to be together, but their countrymen had had assassins keeping watch over them the whole time. In other words, they knew that she had been captured and enslaved and didn’t do a thing about it. Naturally livid, Naofumi and his group have gone to settle things with Q’ten Lo. There’s just one problem: they have to get there via a nation of Shield Hero stans.

Welcome to Siltvelt, Home of the Shield Hero stans!

The new season picks up as Naofumi, Raphtalia, Raph-Chan, Sadeena, Atla, Fohl, and others are headed to Q’ten Lo. With the Phoenix due to revive in a few months, Naofumi can’t afford to worry about fighting another enemy out to get him and Raphtalia. However, since Q’ten Lo is an isolationist country, the only way to get there is to travel by ship from Siltvelt, AKA Shield Hero fan club global HQ.

For those needing a refresher, Siltvelt is a powerful nation comprised of Demi-Humans. Since the Shield Hero is historically known as a protector of Demi-Humans, they exclusively worship the Shield Hero as their god. That makes them the exact opposite of what Melromarc was at the start of the series: an entire nation of Shield Hero stans. Thus, one would think that Siltvelt would be more than happy to assist their god in his time of need.

One would be forgiven for thinking this.

No, Really. They are Shield Hero Stans

Calling Siltvelt a nation of Shield Hero stans isn’t just an exaggeration on our part. The official definition of stanning is being a fan of something to an extreme degree; in other words, potentially more than what should be healthy. Many real-life fandoms have members who engage in behavior that can be considered toxic. One could even argue that being an overzealous fan of something is itself toxic, as it can lead to behaviors like gate-keeping and disparaging people they don’t consider “true fans.” Even worse, though, there are members of fandoms who claim to like something but are just using it for their own benefit or to manipulate the thing they claim to like for their own ends. And as Naofumi quickly discovers, the leadership of Silvelt is filled with those kinds of fans.

After Naofumi and his party arrive in Siltvelt, it’s not long before they’re met by their adoring public. The entire population shows up to greet their hero, and Atla is praising them all for seeing his greatness because she’s Naofumi’s biggest fan. However, it’s when they meet with the leaders of the nation that it becomes clear that things won’t be so easy.

Rough translation: they don’t want him to leave.

Why Must Politicians Be Politicking?

Even in the face of Armageddon, there are going to be people who only care about being on top. In this case, Siltvelt is doing the same thing that Melromarc did to the other Cardinal heroes: glazing them to get their support while planning on using them as pawns. Thankfully, Naofumi has learned not to let this happen to him, and will be quick to put people in their place. However, that still makes it an issue. Especially since the final moments of the episode involve the introduction of a certain someone, a lion Demi-Human called Jaralis.

It’s been a while since I’ve read Allen Blaster’s fanfic, but I remember Jaralis all too well. That man is a problem, and he will need to be dealt with.

All of that can wait, though. For now, I’m just looking forward to seeing more of Naofumi. After the spring disaster that was TBATE, I need an Isekai palate cleanser.

I Give “Siltvelt” a 4/5

DanDaDan, Check out This Giant Worm!

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

Dandadan S2 Ep 1 Review

When the world needed them most, DanDaDan returned!

Welcome back, everyone, to an all-new season of the megahit Shonen anime, DanDaDan. When it came out in the Fall of 2024, this anime set the entire world on fire. The animation was god-tier, the characters were hilarious, and the OP was so good, it wound up trending on YouTube. Not to mention how the episode “To a Kinder World” went down as one of the best moments in anime history. Needless to say, people have been eagerly awaiting its return, and are grateful we did not have to wait long. Especially since the first season ended on a big cliffhanger. Okarun and Jiji found a creepy room in Jiji’s house, and Momo was under attack from a gang of perverts. Anime-only fans wanted to know what happened next, and now is the time!

But first, let’s discuss the new OP, “On The Way” by AiNA THE END. As with the previous OP, fans are treated to a visual spectacle as they see Okarun, Momo, and their growing list of allies face the forces against them. It’s got the same high-tier animation as before, if not better. At the same time, though, I feel like the song itself is a little softer. It’s not as great a beat as that of “OTONOKE”, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Now, Where Were We?

The episode opens up right where we left off in December: Momo being attacked by perverts. Guys peeping on girls is not out of the ordinary in anime, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing. Thankfully, the hot spring was falling apart, so Momo was able to escape unharmed. In addition, it’s revealed that Turbo Granny smuggled herself along for the ride because she wanted to enjoy the hot springs, and her cat body might have helped. It’s good that she’s not alone, but it’s unsettling to hear her say that the entire house is bad news. And she is absolutely right.

The short version: the locals have a legend about the nearby volcano being home to a dragon that will destroy the village unless it receives a sacrifice. And guess who the dragon’s priests are?

Meet the Kito family, aka Jiji’s landlords and the perverts who tried to molest Momo. They’ve been luring victims in for two hundred years and sacrificing them to the dragon to keep the volcano dormant and the hot springs running. It’s like the sacrifice from The Wicker Man, but with a dragon. And Jiji, Okarun, and Momo are their victims this time. Naturally, none of them are keen on this happening, and they refuse to go down without a fight. However, once they arrive in the lair of the Tsuchinoko (the dragon), it’s revealed that it’s not a dragon. It’s a cryptid called a Mongolian Death Worm.

As soon as we learned the “dragon” was a Death Worm, I knew that things weren’t going to turn out how the Kito Family expected. That didn’t dampen the black comedy, though, when the beast chose to eat the Kito Family first. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the quartet is now facing a giant worm cryptid, and Okarun and Momo start tweaking out!

Man, what a good episode! DanDaDan is back and it is looking to be one of the best anime of the year for a second year in a row! Definitely looking forward to spending my summer watching this!

I Give “Like, This is the Legend of the Giant Snake” a 4/5

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 First Look!

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Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Coming in 2026

Well, it would seem that my predictions for the next season of Mushoku Tensei were right on the money. Season three of one of the OG members of the Seven Summits will be coming in 2026, and we have the trailer to prove it, compliments of Anime Expo.

Full disclosure: I was on vacation as Anime Expo was taking place, so keeping up with it wasn’t a high priority. However, even I paid attention when I saw the trailer for Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’s third season came out. And this season could be what ultimately makes or break the anime, as its entering one of the most important phases of the story. And thats not just because of the return of a certain red-head.

What’s to Come in 2026

As was the case with every Turning Point, Rudeus’ life has been drastically altered in a short amount of time. On the one hand, his quest to save his mother ended with his losing an arm, his father Paul, and his mother Zenith’s stuck in a catatonic state. On the other hand, he reunited with Roxy, she joined the Greyrat family as his second wife, and now he’s a father himself. And he intends to keep living his second life to the fullest.

The majority of the trailer is meant to show off the various things that will end up taking place in Rudy’s life going forward. There’s a mixture of faces and locations both familiar and new that come and go throughout the trailer. Besides them, though, the things that fans really need to focus on are the book that we see Rudeus writing in, as well as the images that fly on the screen about fifty-nine seconds in. They only appear for a second, but if you slow down and take a look at them, you’ll notice how dark they seem to be as a group. And you would be right. I can’t say anything about what they’re about, but they’re connected to the book that Rudy’s writing in, and…lets just say that many people are going to end up crying when the anime gets to them. In fact, the anime may dedicate an entire episode to these moments just to show how bad things could get for Rudy.

One of two things that I can discuss at length, though, is the return of Rudeus’ ex, Eris Greyrat. AKA the heartbreaker.

Eris is Gonna Have to do a Lot to Make Up for What She Did

Outside of a quick shot of her in the montage for the end of season two, we haven’t seen Eris Greyrat since she ran out on Rudy. Even if you haven’t read the light novels, though, we all knew she was going to come back. Her going on her anime-training arc to get stronger to protect Rudy was the whole point of why she left. However, if you’ve read my reviews, then you’ll know that I have issues with how she went about things. As bad as Rudy can be sometimes, he didn’t deserve to be emotionally manipulated, stricken with ED, and then left in a state of depression for three years. Needless to say, when Eris does come back, she’s going to have A LOT to answer for, and have to do A LOT to make up for what she did.

The second thing we can discuss, though, is how this season will mark the return of the series equivalent of Sephiroth, Orsted. The trailer has images of him engaged in battle, most likely against Rudy or someone else. Given how their last encounter ended with him barely getting a scratch and Rudy and Eris with PTSD, his return is a big deal.

The bottom line is that when I say that this next season of Mushoku Tensei will be covering the most important arc in the series, I mean it. Novel readers have waited for this for years, and its going to change a lot of what we think we know about the series. And you can bet I’m going to be covering it!

Well, that Was Lazarus, People!

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Lazarus Ep 13 Review

Ladies, gentlemen, and that technicolor rainbow in between, we got him. Just as the doomsday clock was about to hit midnight, Lazarus pulled off their mission. They found Dr. Skinner in time. Yet, I can’t help but find a number of things concerning about the ending to Lazarus the series. Chief among them, the series finale was full of too many contrivances to let me take it seriously.

Schneider’s Stupidity

The series has made it no secret that the reason Dr. Skinner made Hapna a deadly trap is because he lost faith in mankind. The real question, though, is what finally made him crash out. As this and the previous few episodes confirmed, it was because of Schneider. He wanted to turn Hapna into a bioweapon against Skinner’s wishes. And when Skinner tried to blow the whistle, Schneider tried to take the prototype by force, leading to it being unleashed at that airport and killing dozens of people. And when the government tried to cover it up, he had enough. So he forged Hapna into a knife aimed at humanity’s throat, all in an effort to ensure that someone would try to find him. And by doing so, they would learn why he did all this by exposing Schneider’s crimes.

And yes, bioweapons are illegal under international law. Its one of the few things the majority of the world seems to agree on. Yet Schneider tries to justify things to Abel by saying that if the US government didn’t make them, someone else would and use it on them. In reality, the only people who would think of using a weapon capable of destroying the world has to be insane or driven to that point. Schneider’s arguments fall on deaf ears, and he gets hauled off to jail to either rot forever or get the death penalty.

The Final Battle

Meanwhile, we have the final fight between Axel and Souryu. While the fight itself is entertaining enough, it gets undermined by the fact that the show didn’t give us enough time to really get to know Souryu. It does explain how he was part of Project Hundun, this Chinese program to turn kids into emotionless assassins, which is horrifying on a number of levels. However, in the context of the story its being told, Souryu is less important than the actual mission to find Skinner. While we can sympathize with him on some level, he’s ultimately little more than an obstacle standing between Lazarus and Skinner.

Way too Much of a Coincidence

The contrivances dont stop there, though. The finale reveals that, somehow, every member of Lazarus was at that fateful attack. And somehow, they all came back from death thanks to their bodies developing an immunity to Hapna. Its why Axel survived the prototype and why Eleina survived the fever that should’ve killed her.

In hindsight, the show had already hinted that there was a reason why Chris survived the attack, along with Axel’s own immunity. And as improbable as it sounds, it is possible that all the members of Lazarus could have been at that incident at the exact same time. Fate can work in crazy ways, after all. What the show fails to do, though, is come up with a convincing way to make us believe that this was possible. As a result, it seems less like an act of fate and more of an ass-pull by the show writers.

In the end, though, it doesn’t matter. Lazarus makes it to Skinner…and just in the nick of time.

The show doesn’t make it clear how long it takes to mass-produce the cure for Hapna. However, even by the most conservative estimates, hundreds of thousands to even millions of people still end up dying. It doesn’t matter if the show tries to paint this all as a happy ending for the team and the people they’ve met. A lot of people still died! But while Skinner might have made the weapon, Schneider is ultimately the one who is at fault for everything. And sadly, with extinction no longer an imminent threat, world leaders go back to business as usual. It seems like people didn’t learn anything. So what was the point?

Well, that Was Lazarus

Lazarus is meant to be a good look at humanity, warts and all. Its meant to show us that, for all our faults, there can be good in humans. Sadly, it would seem that the ending to Lazarus is hampered by how rushed the overall story was. Thirteen episodes wasn’t enough time to fully tell the story that we wanted to see, and it shows. Even worse, the ending of the series states that the team will continue to work together, going on even more adventures we’ll never get to see. Its frustrating to think about how we could’ve gotten more time to spend with Lazarus, but never did. This might be another Adult Swim original that many people won’t remember by the time the new year rolls around, and that is sad, considering this was made by Shinichiro Watanabe. But it was still fun in the end. Thanks for the memories, Lazarus!

I Give “The World is Yours” a 3/5

TBATE Ends Disappointing First Season

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The Beginning After the End Ep 12 Review

Many kids dream of living a life of adventure, but since few ever do, they turn to fiction. In Arthur’s case, though, he’s actually getting to live the dream. At the tender age of nine (but the mental of forty-three), Arthur has left home (again) to become an adventurer! Unfortunately, like many things in The Beginning After the End anime, events are…lackluster.

You Call That a Fight?

Firstly, I should apologize about the preview for this episode included at the end of the review for the last one. That scene doesn’t happen until the end of this episode, so it might have spoiled some things. Most of this episode is really focused on the process of Arthur becoming an adventurer. That means that he needs to take a test in the form of a duel. And, unfortunately, that also means that the anime lets everyone down once again.

Even with the low bar that Studio A-Cat has set in terms of animation, the fight between Arthur and Kaspian, the Guildmaster who decided to administer the test himself, is bad. Firstly, the show fools people into thinking the fight would be glossed over, only for it to be told in flashback a few minutes later. The fight itself is not that impressive to look at, the characters movements are stiff, and when Arthur is parrying blows, you can see that they’re reusing the same animation to save money. Plenty of animated series reuse animation to save money, especially in fight scenes, but the best ones do a better job of hiding it!

Narratively speaking, though, the fight is supposed to serve as yet another wake-up call for Arthur. He’s gotten so used to being strong that he’s become complacent. That’s the opposite of what he promised he would be when he was reborn. With this and his fight with the headmistress of Xyrus serving as wake-up calls, Arthur decides to rededicate himself to continual growth.

Remember these People

It should also be noted that this sequence serves as an introduction to two people who will come to play important roles in Arthur’s life: Lucas Sykes and Elijah Knight. The former is a human-elf hybrid fathered out of wedlock with an elf slave by a rich noble, so he’s got an inferiority complex and massive ego. The latter is a human raised by dwarves. If you decide to sit through the second season, remember these two. They will be important!

Sadly, the only other important thing in this episode is learning Jasmine’s backstory. She was born into a family of fire mages who thought their element was the best, and they disowned her when she proved talented in wind magic. It’s a very in-your-face nod to the original Avatar: The Last Airbender and how the majority of the Fire Nation convinced themselves they were better than everyone else. But as Arthur points out, that’s a matter of preference and no one element is superior, just like how no way of life is superior.

Also, Tessia has been spying on her future man, and she’s not happy with him being around another woman.

What a Waste

With that, season one (or first cours) of The Beginning After the End. And despite TurtleMe trying to put a positive spin on things, it’s obvious that TBATE is one of the biggest misfires of 2025. TurtleMe got screwed over by Studio A-Cat, who did a poor job of bringing his story to life. The fans got screwed over because its unlikely the show will make it to a third season. And worst of all, TBATE itself got screwed over. It could’ve been the next big isekai, but it got wrecked. However, that shouldn’t discourage people from reading the web novel and web comic. Both are better than what the anime gave us, and TurtleMe deserves the support. For those who stuck around until then, you deserve a trophy.

I Give “The King’s Departure” a 2.5/5

Arthur Just Passed His Entrance Exams

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The Beginning After the End Ep 11 Review

There comes a time in every child’s life when they must leave the nest. Granted, Arthur has technically already done that, but involuntarily doing it doesn’t really count. This time, though, Arthur has every intention of spreading his wings as he prepares himself for his future time in academia. But before he does that, he wants to get a few more miles on his soul by going out and seeing the world. All he has to do is convince his parents to let him do so.

…this is going to be hard.

Early Enrollment Exams 1

Due to the anime moving various events from the webcomic around, what we see happen at the end of the last episode and the start of this one takes place far later than in the source material. Perhaps A-Cat Studio did it because they thought it would make more sense, but all it does is annoy long-time fans who want a faithful adaptation of TBATE. Given how it doesn’t really affect the overall plot of the story, though, I think the anime can be forgiven.

At any rate, the woman that Arthur meets is Cynthia, founder and headmaster of Xyrus Academy. AKA this world’s equivalent of Hogwarts or Ranoa University. It’s not explained well here, but Vincent Helstea put in a good word with her and she’s testing him to see if he’s good enough to enroll.

As per usual, the fight is nowhere near as impressive as it should be. However, if you’re still watching TBATE at this point, you might as well abandon all hope of good fight scenes. What matters is that while he loses, Cynthia knows he’s got great potential and passes him. Despite offering to let him enroll in the Academy then and there, though, Arthur turns her down. He wants to wait until he’s the same age as the other students before he enrolls, meaning he’s got until he turns twelve; three years from now.

Although, Arthur has no intention of spending those three years being idle.

Arthur the Adventurer!

Despite being younger than Rudeus was when he got flung to the other side of the world, Arthur is set on becoming an adventurer. He wants to keep getting stronger so that he won’t lose anyone in his family. And while his parents know he’s more capable than people twice his (biological) age, they’re rightfully reluctant to let him become an adventurer. It’s only when he promises to visit every few months and he gets a ring and scroll that will let her know if he’s in trouble that Alice relents. It also helps that Jasmine agrees to go with him.

With that out of the way, now comes the most important part: choosing his weapon. And the one he ends up choosing with Sylvie’s help is pretty cool.

Cool Sword, Arthur!

Dawn’s Ballad W.K IV. is a unique weapon, to be certain. It looks unassuming on the outside, but the fact that it can absorb Arthur’s magic and adjust itself to his size says it all. That blade is special; the chosen weapon of an RPG protagonist special. And he manages to get it for free by tricking Vincent Helstea. Not the most moral of decisions, but even so, it’s a good find.

And so, this chapter of Arthur’s life comes to an end as he sets off on his journey as an adventurer with Jasmine. A journey that, sadly, we do not see, not even in the webcomic, as this moment marks the finale to its second “season.” AKA when a major timeskip occurs in Arthur’s life. The next season will subsequently cover the tail end of Arthur’s time as an adventurer before he starts school. That will end up being largely covered by what will be the second season of the show…sort of.

They already made the next batch of episodes

In a recent post, Crunchyroll announced that episode twelve will be the season finale for The Beginning After the End, with the second season releasing sometime in 2026. With the amount of backlash the anime has gotten from fans, it seems crazy that the show would get a second season. While they’re calling it a second season, though, it’s not; it’s more like a second cour, or episode block.

According to Anime News Network, TBATE was originally planned to have twenty-four episodes that would comprise its first season. Instead, they decided to split it up into two cours’ and release the second half in the following year. It’s actually common in longer anime. It doesn’t mean that the series is getting renewed for a new season. If it is, then hopefully, it will be made by a studio that knows how to animate properly!

I Give “The King’s Decision” a 3/5

Arthur Teaches Arrogant Mage his Place

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

The Beginning After the End Ep 10 Review

So far, The Beginning After the End has changed up several things from the original webcomic. It’s moved things around, added new context to Arthur’s past life, and altered certain moments in the story. However, this episode marks the biggest departure from the source canon to date. And it all has to do with Arthur putting an arrogant little nobody in his place.

The Auction House Changed a Bit

For those who don’t remember, the reason the Helstea family is so rich is because they run the Helstea Auction House. Every year, they host a massive auction where adventurers, nobles, and even royals show up to bid for rare artifacts, weapons, and even monsters. And since they let them stay in exchange for Reynolds heading security, the Leywins get an invitation to the auction…with the other people.

Even before the episode starts, the anime is already making some changes to events, and not always for the better. In the webcomic, Arthur approaches Mr. Helstea beforehand and asks him to try and get him some gear he wants. In addition, the Leywins get to stay in a private box with the Helsteas, which will eventually lead to them meeting the Sapin Royal Family. Not only does the conversation not take place here, but for some reason, the anime sees fit to have the Leywins sit below, with everyone else. It might be so that what happens next makes more sense, but it’s going to aggravate plenty of fans.

What happens next, though, is the biggest change from the webcomic, and it revolves around poor little Sylvie.

Arthur Almost Crashes Out

So, as the Leywins are busy watching the auction, Sylvie gets bored like most little kids would, and wanders off. Arthur goes to look for her, because he’s a good dad, and that’s when he finds her being bothered by this shady-looking man in a robe who works for the Royal Family. This mage takes one look at Sylvie and decides “I want her,” and starts running his mouth, demanding Arthur give her to him. Arthur’s response: “Not for sale!” And then the man has the audacity to say “Kid, I work for the royal family! I could you and your entire family out on the streets if I say the word to the king!”

Arthur’s response? Unleashes the Conqueror’s Haki.

While similar events did happen in the webcomic, they took place in the private box. And Arthur got a lucky break by passing the blame off on some random intruder. In the anime, though, he gets no such luck, and his Dad gets in trouble for it! It’s not a major story change and doesn’t do much in the grand scheme of things, but longtime fans are gonna be frustrated with it. The comments on YouTube seem to say so.

Arthur Unleashes Za Warudo

At any rate, the King’s attempts to get Sylvie from Arthur are largely the same here, and Arthur’s retort of “how much would you ask for your kids” is still cool. He rightfully sees Sylvie as his adoptive daughter, and like any good parent, he ain’t giving up his kid.

And when the dumb court mage escalates by trying to kill him, Arthur pulls off the “Za Warudo” technique and lays down the law.

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The aura of Sylvia being added was a nice touch.

In any event, the mage gets fired from his job, and the King covers everything up and bribes Arthur to keep quiet, just as what happens in the webcomic. However, the ending to the episode differs thanks to certain parts of the story being moved around. It may not make sense right now, but hopefully, the next episode will clear some things up.

I Give “The King’s Defiance” a 3/5