dubbed anime

Did I say Abstergo? I Should’ve Added in Shinra!

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

Ninja Kamui Episode 3 Review

Ninjas, as the popular imagination came to know them, are said to have first appeared in Feudal Japan. They served as spies, saboteurs, and assassins, either for their feudal lords or as mercenaries for hire. And while itโ€™s doubtful that any of them could walk on water or create shadow clones, plenty of fictional works depict them as capable of such. Now imagine what it would be like if modern-day ninjas existed and relied on the most advanced technology, and you have the premise of Ninja Kamui. A fusion of the ancient and modern-day, serving their lord’s interests. It just so happens that said lords are also a global megacorporation in the vein of Abstergo Industries and the Shinra Electric Power Company. 

This is the group that Higan is going up against, and they are everywhere.

A Bunch of Crazy Ninjas

The episode opens up in bloody fashion as we see Lil, a foul-mouthed ninja from Higanโ€™s former clan, assassinating a man. Afterward, he clarifies how turned on he gets by his violence, acting like Deadpool if it wasnโ€™t as funny or spouting out pop culture. Heโ€™s essentially the antithesis of Higan and someone who has little to no respect for what ninjas are likely supposed to be like. And if he and the man who killed Higanโ€™s family are the norm under AUZA, itโ€™s not hard to see why Higan and many others left. The whole group might be corrupt now.

Corrupt or not, a ninjaโ€™s still a ninja, which means theyโ€™re dangerous. Thatโ€™s best shown when another ninja, Zai, takes down his former mentor, who had left like Higan. The mentor tried to slice Zai up with blades made out of air, and the man impaled him without the former realizing. Thatโ€™s scary! At least they can be punched or stabbed, though. AUZA, as a corporation, canโ€™t, and thatโ€™s what makes their influence so scary.

Abstergo Fused with Shinra

The previous episodeย clarified that AUZA has enough pull in the authorities to cover up their attempts to kill Higan. In this episode, Agent Moriss is frustrated when the FBI claims the attack at the restaurant was part of some gang war. The audience doesnโ€™t buy it, and neither does Moriss. Despite the subtle warning from his former partner to let it go, Morissโ€™ sense of justice wonโ€™t let him. In true Jim Gordon fashion, he chooses to keep looking. And thanks to his temporary alliance with Higan and the technical know-how of Emma Samanda, he and the audience learn how much power AUZA has.ย 

As a side note, Samanda is starting to grow on me as a character. It helps that sheโ€™s voiced by Lucy Christian, the dub voice of Nami from One Piece and Uraraka from My Hero Academia. However, Samanda is tech-savvy enough to turn her car into a mobile computer. Her being a redhead makes her feel like an Expy of Barbara Gordon.ย 

AUZA City, Here We Come!

Thanks to some exposition from Samanda, the show confirms what we already knew: AUZA is the showโ€™s equivalent to Abstergo, though their motives are more in line with Shinra from FF7. Theyโ€™re motivated by greed and the desire to expand their influence, and, presumably, thanks to the ninjas, theyโ€™re on the verge of controlling the world from the shadows. To further the comparisons to Shinra, they even have their own private city, AUZA City! 

Much like Shinra, though, it seems that not everyone in AUZA is on the same page. A meeting between an AUZA higher-up and the head of the ninja clan, Yamaji, has the latter chew the former out for what happened at the restaurant. Theyโ€™re working together, but Yamaji hates it as much as Higan did. 

This episode was primarily focused on exposition, but when it got to the action, it cooked. After another ninja comes after Higan, we get another epic fight complete with the same kind of rap insert song we got from episode 2. So, itโ€™s pretty epic.

Once the fight is over, itโ€™s clear that Higan needs to head to AUZA City. The problem is that itโ€™s impossible, even for someone like him, to get in there without getting caught. However, he seems to get a lucky break when he gets a call from an anonymous person that knows his name. We have no idea who they might be, but Iโ€™m looking forward to finding out. Plus, I want to see what AUZAโ€™s equivalent to Midgar looks like. 

This is getting interesting!

I Give “Episode 3” a 4/5

I’m Now Convinced Carol is Messing With Us!

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

Another week, another episode of Tomo-Chan is on the books. The rom-com, slice-of-life genre isn’t my usual go-to when it comes to anime, but I’ll make an exception every now and then. If the plot or characters are entertaining enough, I’ll watch anything. And between Tomo, Misuzu, Carol, and Jun, Tomo-Chan has a fun cast. Especially Carol, given how last week gave us this gem.

I had no idea what was going on, and I loved it.

Carol is From a Family of Airheads

Carol Olston might be one of the most airheaded girls I’ve seen in recent anime. Her thought process is a mystery to everyone; she always seems happy. Did I mention the headband thing? That was so random and hilarious!

So when Tomo and Misuzu get invited to her house, it should come as no surprise that we learn that Carol’s mom is just as much an airhead. She mistook Tomo for a boy, she can get lost walking back to her own mansion…and she’s just as affectionate as Carol.

This must be Misuzu’s worst nightmare. Then again, what happens next might be Misuzu’s worst nightmare.

Carol Olston: Ditz, Genius, or Genius Ditz

There is a trope that is known as obfuscating stupidity. Essentially, it is when a character in fiction pretends to act dumb or clueless when, in truth, they’re way smarter. Some people do it to avoid suspicion or the stress of their talents, and others do it for the lolz. After this next short, I’m convinced Carol might be the latter case.

So, the midterm’s are the next day, and Tomo’s freaking out since she forgot, so Misuzu offers to help her study at her place, and Carol joins them. Given how the subject in question was math, I don’t blame Tomo for freaking out. Math was my worst subject in school, and it caused me far more stress than it should have. Unfortunately, if she wants to go to the same university as Misuzu like she wants, she’s got to do well.

Carol, on the other hand, doesn’t need to put much effort into studying for math. She manages to get the top score on their math test, taking Misuzu’s spot as number one, much to her irritation.

Until we learn otherwise, I’m convinced that Carol might be a bigger troll than Misuzu.

The Big Sleepover

The real meat of the episode comes in the third segment, though. When Jun gets a new video game that he and Tomo have been dying to play, he invites her over to his house. Overnight. While his parents are out of town. You see where this is going?

I don’t know what Tomo would be more stressed over. The fact that she’s spending the night over at a boy’s house (even if he is her best friend), or her parents are perfectly fine with it. Her mom even says she will start thinking of names for her grandkids! She says that! It’s hilarious; embarrassing and hilarious.

While Tomo and Jun do spend most of the night just playing video games and best friend stuff, to the show’s credit, they do have a few moments where they could take things a step out of the friend zone. There’s the standard “fall on top of you” scenario, and at one point, Jun accidentally grabs onto Tomo while he’s asleep on the floor. However, they don’t take that next step because it’s too awkward for them. And it stays that way for a week afterwards.

As annoying as this is, though, it did show me one key thing. I’m almost certain that Jun’s into Tomo like she’s into him because he was as flustered as Tomo was. He’s just in super denial over it. 

Now, the anime’s only thirteen episodes long, so I doubt anything will get resolved before the season’s out. If it does well enough, though, it might get a second season, so if you wanna find out if they get together, then support this show on Crunchyroll. Do it for Tomo and Carol, who I’m also nominating for the best girl of 2023!

I Give “The Girls of the Olston Family”, “A Feeling I Won’t Give Up” and “Heart-Pounding! A Gaming Overnighter” a 4/5. a 3.5/5, and a 4.5/5