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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

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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

Arthur Become a Teacher for a New Friend

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The Beginning After the End Ep 9 Review

When you’re a kid, there are few things as scary as the expectations of your parents. The pressure can make some kids crack from trying to meet it. Other kids choose to rebel against their parents expectations, especially if said parent happens to be of the abusive kind. Fortunately, Mr. And Mrs. Helstea are not bad parents. Unfortunately, as Arthur Leywin sees for himself, just because they’re good parents doesn’t mean they don’t saddle their daughter, Lilia, with the stress of expectations.

It’s time for the King to have an intervention.

Poor Lilia’s Insecurities

The episode starts off with Arthur in the middle of an intense training session as he’s trying to master Sylvia’s powers. However, using what is essentially “Za Warudo” is not something that a kid can fully master, much to his frustration. His concerns, though, take a backseat as his family (and Mrs. Helstea and Lilia) take him out to get a makeover. The entire experience serves as a means for Arthur to bond with his family while also revealing just how valuable the beast core Sylvia gave him really is. If people knew he had the beast core of a dragon…let’s just say that he would be the most wanted person alive.

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Besides the trip serving as a way to introduce Arthur to the value of what he has gotten, it also serves as a means for him to get to learn Lilia better. And thanks to his past-life xp, he’s able to realize just how much pressure the girl has put upon herself. Her parents, being good parents, want the best for her and hope that she does great things in life. And attending the Xyrus Academy could be the key to doing that. Unfortunately, there’s a mathematical formula at work that is not helping things:

Lilia’s insecurity over not having a mana core+envy at Arthur already having one+parental expectations and unintentional pressures+chance they could pay her way into enrollment=DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Wait…why does Lilia sound a lot like Norn Greyrat?

I Got Norn Flashbacks

When it comes to this episode, the anime changes several things from the story in the webcomic to focus more on the plight of Lilia. Whether intentional or not, this makes what Lilia is going through feel similar to the issues that Norn Greyrat from Mushoku Tensei would undergo. Both are unintentionally overshadowed by someone better than them; both don’t like having to meet others’ expectations or what they think are other’s expectations. And both initially have negative feelings towards the main protagonist. Lilia is just more subdued about it.

Arthur, having grown to understand people better, realizes how bad things could get if they aren’t resolved now. So, he does something about them. It’s just that it is…morally questionable.

This is Not what happened in the Comic

In a major departure from the webcomic, Arthur has Lilia pretend to run away to stay with the Elves like he did, even having a note written. He only did this so that Lilia could see how much her parents cared about her, and to his credit, it does help them work things out. However, it’s still a little messed up to emotionally manipulate people like that.

In any event, Arthur says that he’s going to help Lilia gain her mana core, and he follows through on it. Using the same methods he perfected as a baby, he’s able to teach Lilia (and Ellie) how to start assembling their cores…and it works. It will take a few years, but Lilia will eventually be able to use Magic!

This was a really sweet episode of TBATE, as it shows just how far Arthur has come since being reborn. He’s better able to understand other people and relate to them, and thanks to that, he’s got a loving home, family, and now another friend in the form of Lilia. There’s just one problem: when Tessia finds out, things could get…ugly. But that’s not for a few years!

I Give “The King Teaches” a 3.5/5

Arthur Has a Baby Sister, and She’s So Cute!

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The Beginning After the End Ep 8 Review

At long last, Arthur Leywin is home! It took him three years and more solo traveling than most eight-year-olds, but it was worth it to get back to his family. And more importantly, he finally gets to meet the sibling that he almost died trying to protect. The only question is, what will Arthur do now?

That, and just how cute can his baby sister possibly get?

Family Reunion

Thanks to that post-credits scene at the end of the last episode, the anime jumps the gun on Arthur’s reunion with his family. It doesn’t change much, but it does take away some of the inherent heartwarming nature that such a reunion entails. That, and it spoils the fact that Arthur now has a little sister.

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Meet Eleanor Leywin, Arthur’s baby sister of about three or four years old. And like most kids at that age, she’s adorable and impressionable, innocently repeating curse words her dad uses without understanding why they’re bad for someone her age. Once her parents explain that Arthur is the big brother she never met, though, Ellie quickly warms up to Arthur, as well as Sylvie. Who, if she sees Arthur as her papa, makes Eleanor her aunt.

Arthur tells his family everything that happened to him while he was away…to an extent. He lies about meeting Sylvia out of respect for her desire to tell as few people as possible. Given how someone was out to kill Sylvia, the fewer people who know for now, the better. That, and it’s doubtful most adults would believe that Arthur was saved by a talking dragon.

What Will Arthur Do Now?

At any rate, the main points of focus for the episode beyond the Leywin family reunion are Arthur’s growth and what his future will be like. Through exposition, the anime reveals the different stages behind the Mana Core that serves as the heart of the use of magic in TBATE. And thanks to his training arc, Arthur is already close to being on his Dad’s level. Since Reynolds is a more restrained version of Paul Greyrat, Arthur finds himself immediately dragged into a sparring session with his old man out back. And, while the special effects for the magic remain subpar, the fighting animation continues to show improvements.

No, really. Arthur and Reynolds’ friendly bout is not that badly animated. No use of still images to convey the illusion of combat; just actual combat. And, again, while the way the anime chooses to animate magical aura’s is still an eyesore, it makes up for it by confirming what last episode should’ve had us suspecting: Arthur can potentially learn how to use all four basic elements. He’s basically like the Avatar!

All of this is also witnessed by the wealthy Helstea family, old friends of the Leywin’s who allowed them to move in with them in exchange for Reynolds helping guard the auction house they own. And as soon as Mr. Vincent Helstea sees what Arthur can do, he gets the idea of enrolling him in Xyrus Academy. AKA TBATE’s version of Ranoa University or Hogwarts.

Which brings us to the second main focus of the episode: Arthur’s future. He’s only eight years old, but even ignoring his past life, he’s already got more life experience than other kids his age. Whatever he wants to do, he’ll excel at it. However, enrolling in a school like that will mean that he can’t spend as much time with his family, and he just reunited with them. Considering how Arthur devoted his first life to his rise to being a king, it’s likely that he won’t want to let his time with his family go to waste. However, there might be another option that he’s considering. And, as fate would have it, it seemingly gets introduced at the end of the episode.

Did the Anime Skip Stuff Again?

It should be noted that Arthur does eventually reunite with the Twin Horns Party in the webcomic like he does in the anime. However, that reunion doesn’t take place until after Arthur has already settled back in with his family, and after several other events already take place. The fact that the anime moved this up means they’ve either rearranged the order of some events, or they’re skipping over some. If it’s the latter, then that bodes ill for the story, as some of those events are important plotwise. Given how I’ve stuck with TBATE thus far, though, I’m willing to continue giving it the benefit of the doubt. With the show starting to show some promise, it would be a shame if it were to fail now.

This was a nice episode, overall. Getting to see Arthur reunite with his family and meet his baby sister was a very sweet moment. Getting to see Sylvie and Eleanor bond, though, was downright adorable to look at!

I Give “Reunited With the King” a 3.5/5

Arthur…Becomes a Daddy?!?

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The Beginning After the End Ep 7 Review

Three years have passed since Arthur Leywin got separated from his parents and wound up in the Kingdom of Elves. Three years since he was taken in by the former King of the Elves, Virion, as his student. And three years since he started training his Mana Core and trying to master the Beast Will that Sylvia left him. As much as Arthur wanted to see his mom and dad again, those three years were worth it, as he’s gotten stronger in that time! All that strength, though, isn’t going to matter much if he can’t handle his toughest challenge yet: trying to get Tessia to let him leave.

That, and he now has a kid.

Arthur is Pretty Much a Jinchuuriki Now

Thanks to the kindness of former King Virion, Arthur was able to live in the safety of the Elves of Elenoir. He’s still only eight years old in his current life, but thanks to his training, he’s stronger than any eight-year-old would normally be. Just as important, though, is the fact that Tessia’s been able to train alongside Arthur, allowing the two’s friendship to continue to remain strong. To his dismay, though, Arthur has gotten to the point in his life where she’s showing her haughty side more often. I.E. she’s constantly waking him up in the morning and making him food, all while saying he should be grateful a beautiful girl is doing these things for him. Yet, as the anime notes, her ego isn’t unjustified, as she’s proven to be as much of a prodigy with magic as Arthur, gaining her own mana core at age nine.

This episode primarily serves as the stage upon which the story can provide more details about how magic works in the world of TBATE, and it’s here where the anime starts to show off more of what helped to inspire the world it exists in. Virion’s explanation of how magic is broken into four basic elements takes a page from Avatar: the Last Airbender. That series is set in a world where certain people can bend the four classical elements, and while it’s possible for anyone in TBATE to use all four, it’s so rare it might as well be unique. In addition, the explanation about what a Beast Will draws a lot from Naruto. Like Naruto, TBATE includes people who can gain the powers of a powerful monster and use them for themselves, though in this case, they’re called Beast Tamers. And since Arthur got his Beast Will from Sylvia, a dragon, his is extremely powerful. The good news is that all the training he’s done means he’s no longer in any danger of dying.

The bad news? He’s…now a parent.

No, Really. Arthur has a Child Now

In case people forgot, Sylvia gave Arthur two other things besides her Beast Will before she died. One was one of her feathers, and the other was a stone. Fast forward three years, and Arthur discovers that that “stone” was actually an egg…and it just hatched.

While some viewers might share Arthur and Tessia’s sentiment that Sylvia’s newborn daughter, Sylvie, is adorable, the anime ultimately does her, and Sylvia, a little dirty. After biting and leaving that mark on him in the webcomic, Sylvia gains the ability to mentally communicate with Arthur. Yet, for whatever reason, the anime either neglected or forgot to show what Sylvie was thinking, forcing viewers to guess what she’s thinking. As a result, this deprives the show of some of the humor that this moment had in the webcomic. I.E. Sylvie first calling Arthur mama, and then papa, and how freaked out she gets when Tessia insists of cuddling her.

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There are many characters in fiction whose verbal communication is deliberately rendered unintelligible to the audience. Two major examples would be Chewbacca and R2-D2 from Star Wars. The cast can usually understand them, but it’s up to viewers to guess for themselves what they’re saying. In Artoo and Chewie’s case, it’s fun. In Sylvie’s case, though, it’s an issue that’s keeping us from getting to know her better. Hopefully, this was a one-time thing and we’ll soon get to hear what Sylvie’s thinking in future episodes.

By the end of the episode, the Elves have finished the preparations to send Arthur to the human kingdom, so it’s finally time for Arthur to reunite with his family. Thus, he and Sylvie get a big send-off from everyone they’ve met and known in Elenoir, with one initial, and notable, absence: Tessia.

So, Who Ships Arthur and Tessia?

The Beginning After the End makes it no secret that it takes a lot of inspiration from Mushoku Tensei, with Tessia being a combination of the three women who fall in love with Rudeus. And just like Sylphie, Tessia’s reduced to tears at the prospect of her first and only friend going away. That being said, Tessia handles it rather well for an eight-year-old, understanding that Arthur has his own family that misses him. More importantly, while the two go their separate ways for now, it’s all but stated that they will see each other again when they’re older, meaning Tessia has another chance of seeing Arthur.

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The Beginning After the End is now seven episodes in, and while it’s no Mushoku Tensei, it feels like the anime is slowly improving. The animation could be better, with one person on TikTok even proving they could do better in under an hour. But it feels like the series is at its best when it’s not focused on the big action scenes, with the slower moments of this episode proving to be just as good.

I Give “The King Says Goodbye” a 3.5/5

It’s Time for Arthur…to Have a Training Arc

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The Beginning After the End Ep 6 Review

Ever since he got separated from them by bandits, all Arthur has wanted is to return to his family. His stay with Sylvia helped him get ready for the journey, and his detour to help Tessia get home to her own family had slowed him down. That selfless act, though, might have paid off by giving him his best chance to get back to his parents, only for him to learn that that might have to wait. Whatever power Sylvia gave him, his body can’t handle it yet. So, he either stays in the land of the elves, who aren’t too welcoming of him, and trains, or takes his chances by going home and potentially dying.

At least he has a friend in Tessia, though.

When Your Daughter Brings Home a Boy

As the last episode managed to establish, Elves are not too fond of Humans. Given how the events that led to Arthur meeting Tess involved her being captured by slavers, the feeling is not unwarranted and likely mutual on Humans part. So, despite being happy that Arthur saved their only daughter, the King and Queen of the elves aren’t happy that her grandfather wants to take him in as his apprentice. Doing so would mean that A.) a human would be living in the home of the elven royal family for an extended period, and b.) that human is also a boy Tessia’s age.

Anyone who has ever had a daughter will likely sympathize with what Tessia’s father is feeling. His little girl is only five, and she’s already bought a strange boy him. Worse, if he tries to throw him out, Tessia will hate him, making it a lose-lose situation.

Jokes aside, a big part of this episode focuses how important her friendship with Arthur is to Tessia. It’s all but stated that Arthur had no friends in his first life, so Tess is likely the first friend he’s had since he was young. Tessia, on the other hand, has only ever had “friends” who just wanted to take advantage of her princess status. That led her to close herself off to anyone outside her family, hence why she can act so aggressive at times. As her grandfather notes, having Arthur around has made her happier than she’s been in years.

This will be Tough for Arthur, but he will be Fine

Unfortunately for Arthur, the majority of the Elves don’t extend that sentiment. As soon as Tess takes him out to play, he’s accosted by a snooty elf who looks down on him. Thankfully, he shows that he’s not to be messed with in short order.

The more important thing about this episode is that Virion introduces to his friend Xinia, who uses her magic to let Arthur contact his parents. Thanks to that, he’s able to let his grief-stricken parents know he’s alive, but that he can’t come home yet. With that out of the way, though, he’s free to work on fixing his inner power. Which means it’s time for him to undergo his first training arc.

And with that, the first (webcomic) season of The Beginning After the End comes to a conclusion. It was a little rocky at first due to the animation, but once you get past that, the series does have its own rough charm to it. Next time we see Arthur, though, he’ll be bigger and stronger and likely closer to Tessia than ever! Here’s hoping that the animation improves some more!

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I Give “The King’s Training” a 4/5

Don’t. Drink. THE KOOL-AID.

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

Lazarus Ep 6 Review

Have you ever heard the phrase “Drinking the Kool-Aid?” It became popular in the aftermath of the Jonestown Massacre, an event in which almost a thousand Americans from the cult of the People’s Temple killed themselves in mass suicide via poisoned drinks. While the drinks weren’t made with Kool-Aid, but a different brand, the phrase still has the same meaning: buying into a idea that is incredibly stupid and self-destructive. I.E. trying to kill yourself because a deranged cult leader says so. Unfortunately for Lazarus, their next lead on locating Skinner has to be in one such cult. And everyone there is about to drink the Kool-Aid.

It should also be noted that this marks the first episode since the pilot where a character doesn’t open things with a monologue.

An AI Cult

Having come up with no leads about Skinner for the umpteenth time, Lazarus changes tactics again. They find an old article about how Skinner once visited this Neo-Luddite commune that worships this AI called Naga as a god. They think it’s a good hiding place for Skinner, but since they can’t hack into Naga, Elenia and Leland have to sneak in.

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The twist: this cult, Tower of the Truth, is where Elenia grew up before, perhaps wisely, running away. It gets even crazier, though, when it’s revealed that Naga the AI was based on the brain patterns of Dr Skinner. And because they didn’t know to leave well enough alone, the scientists at MIT that created Naga added in a desire for power and need for control.

Artificial intelligence has long been a staple of science fiction, but for every example of one that doesn’t go nuts, there are multiple examples of Hal, Skynet, Ultron, and the Absolute Solver. With AI starting to get more and more powerful in recent years, there is a legitimate concern that they could go mad with power and destroy humanity. It’s why the Three Laws of Robotics are a concept, and why people are urging AI not to be abused. And unfortunately for the Tower of the Truth, Naga’s creators did the exact opposite by giving him a god complex. And in an effort to prove its own divinity, Naga plans to have the entire cult commit suicide by immolation. It’s having them drink the Kool-Aid and go full Jonestown!

This is Why Need to Not Be Dumb With AI

The entire episode is more or less a cautionary tale about two things: the dangers of unethical AI, and the dangers of living a life isolated from any outside information. While the Tower members aren’t wrong about the world being filled with a lot of bad things, shutting themselves off from life means they don’t understand why trying to commit mass suicide is a terrible idea. Then again, Skinner suckered most of humanity into drinking another kind of Kool-Aid in pill form, so…

Fortunately for Elenia and Leland, they manage to convince one of her only friends in the cult to save them, and Lazarus is able to stop the drinking of Kool-Aid before most of them die. The only casualty is the leader of the cult, an Ex-MIT scientist who became obsessed with Naga in the first place. As for Naga, he survives, only to get told off for being nuts by Axel and likely destined for deactivation/execution.

Things aren’t a total loss, though. Lazarus managed to recover Naga’s memory banks, so if the AI had any other contact with Skinner, they can find it. It’s probably going to be another wild goose chase, but maybe we’ll be surprised this time. At least we won’t have to worry about the Kool-Aid anymore!

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I Give “Heaven is a Place on Earth” a 4/5

Arthur Gains a Teacher

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

The Beginning After the End Ep 5 Review

If you stick with something for long enough, there’s a chance it might end up being better than how it started. If that’s true, then maybe TBATE is finally starting to get better. With the post-credits scene from the last episode ending with Arthur being held at sword point by the Elves of Tessia’s homeland, things did not look good. It looked as though Arthur might be in even more trouble, with Tessa seemingly indifferent to his plight. What makes things more surprising, though, is how this is actually a step up from what happened in the webcomic!

For the first time, the TBATE anime has one-upped its source material.

What Happened in the Webcomic

In the original webcomic, Arthur and Tessia’s arrival in the Elven city is far more lighthearted in tone. The reaction Arthur has when learning that Tessia is the Princess of the Elf Kingdom is more comedic and the attitude of the other Elves is more respectful. Whatever suspicions they had, the fact that Arthur returned with Tessia safe and sound warrants a little courtesy.

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By contrast, the sight of the Elves outright attempting to arrest or kill Arthur could be seen as an improvement on the source material. Not only do the adults’ hostile attitudes increase the tension, but they also drive home just how deeply distrustful the Elves are of Humans for things like slavery. Thankfully, once Tess snaps out of whatever trance she was in, the sweet girl is Arthur’s biggest defender. The sight of her innocently taking Arthur home with her without any prejudice is the kind of thing we should all want to see our kids do.

The original webcomic is already good, but this was probably the first time the anime managed to improve upon things. As funny as Arthur’s reaction to learning his new friend is royalty (and he chews her out over it later), the anime’s decision to have Arthur’s life depend on his ability to talk things through feels more realistic and dramatic.

This episode really helps to hammer home the idea that TBATE seems to be at its best when it’s not focused on the fighting. Instead, the character interactions and the resulting drama help to keep people interested despite not looking as good as other anime. Case in point, when Tessia’s grandfather, the former King Virion, takes an interest in Arthur, he invites him to scrap together. The resulting fight once again shows the series’ criticized “PowerPoint fights,” as the fight isn’t that impressive. That being said, the show does make an effort to include some actual animation.

At Least the Fighting’s Getting Better

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The fight isn’t really what’s important, though. What is truly important is what happens afterward. The reveal of the cause behind Arthur’s increasing chest pains, as well as the fact that they will eventually kill him if left unchecked, is handled well by the anime. As is Virion’s offer to train Arthur as his apprentice. The alternative, though, is what will eventually happen if Arthur doesn’t get help for his chest pains: they’re the result of Sylvia giving him some of her power. And since his body can’t handle it yet, he’ll die if nothing is done.

With Arthur’s plans on returning to his family now on hold for the time being, the show looks set to settle into the land of the Elves for a few episodes. Here’s hoping that things improve for the anime’s sake, or it’s not going to last past the first season.

I Give “The King’s Test” a 3/5