Isekai

Chloe is Super Important to the Story!

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 15 Review

You know how in anime, when a person shows up in an OP or ED, that means that they’re going to be important to the story? It’s just something that I’ve noticed from years of watching anime, as the OPs and EDs for a show can reveal potential spoilers. Well, there is a pretty big one for the new OP and ED for Slime Tensura that has to do with two people: Chloe Aubert, Rimuru’s student, and this mysterious, black-haired woman who keeps appearing throughout the show who Chloe seems connected with. If you’ve read the light novels, then you already know what’s going on, but if you haven’t, then you’re about to understand just how important Chloe actually is.

The Black Numbers Get their Jobs

Thanks to Diablo’s recruitment drive, Rimuru now has three powerful Demon women working for Tempest: Ultima, Carrera, and Testarossa. Thanks to them, he’s finally able to fill some positions that he’s been needing filled for a while to help with their diplomacy and legal system. Testarossa is now Tempest’s representative with the Western Council to help keep them on the level. Which is good, because she is great at making sure people fall in line! Ultima and Carrera are now the Chief Public Prosecutor and Chief Justice, respectively, meaning that they will be in charge of enforcing the law. Though it’s a little bit concerning that Carrera’s immediate reaction to potential crimes is the death penalty. Hopefully, they’ll learn to let the punishment fit the crime!

All of this means that for the first time in a while, Rimuru can take it easy and have some more free time. And the first thing that he decides to do is visit Tempest’s school.

Chloe’s Progress

If you want to make sure change sticks into the future, you have to educate the next generation. That’s where school comes in, and the one that Rimuru has set up in Tempest seems to be doing a good job. In the episode, we see how the students come from the many different races that inhabit the world, both human and monster. By having them grow up alongside each other, it can eliminate the prejudices that may otherwise develop. More importantly, this school means that Shizu and Rimuru’s old class now has plenty of new friends to play with. We even get a scene where Ryota and Alice are arguing like regular classmates! However, it’s not all the students that we should be focused on, but one student: Chloe Aubert.

Since her introduction, the anime has been dropping several hints that there’s something special about Chloe that sets her apart from the rest of Rimuru’s students. She’s got the potential to be the strongest of all of them, a fact that gets hammered home when she and Rimuru have a brief sparring match, and he gets reminded of Shizu and Hinata due to how strong she is.

Then there’s the fact that when Rimuru got her a spirit to help stabilize her magicules so she wouldn’t die, this woman appeared and jumped into her after giving him a phantom kiss. The sight of her was enough to anger Veldora, who seemingly knew her.

Leon Wants to find His Little Sister

The biggest reveal, though, comes from the Moderate Harlequin Alliance’s meeting with Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. He’s been trying to acquire kids summoned to this world for a long time, which is how Shizu wound up there. As this episode reveals, though, he’s doing this because he’s looking for one person in particular: Chloe. He even has a painting of her in a private room!

I can’t tell you why Leon wants Chloe so badly without spoiling the story, but I just want to say this: Leon isn’t simping for Chloe. Let’s just say that he’s more like a protective big brother to her, and it seems that it won’t be long for he and Chloe reunite.

Which brings us to the setup for the next big moment in the story of Rimuru: the visit to Lubelious.

Luminous Wants some Culture

Ever since the opening festival, Lady Luminous has been desperately wanting some cultural exchange with Tempest. And she’s getting tired of waiting, so she has Hinata go and ask Rimuru when they’re going to get on that. Well, with his workload now lighter, Rimuru is free to focus on that. So, he tells Hinata that he plans on traveling to Luminous’ country for a musical conference to satisfy his fellow Demon Lord. Unfortunately, there are people in the shadows looking to cause trouble like always: Yuuki and Granbell.

With Maribel dead thanks to Rimuru (even though Yuuki was the one who killed her), Granbell is out for the slime’s non-existent blood. So despite having worked for Luminious for a thousand years because she promised to keep humanity safe, he’s throwing that idea out of the window. He is ready to go to war with her if it means that he can bring down Rimuru, and he and Yuuki have a plan to do so. While everyone is focused on the conference, they plan to steal Luminous’ most prized possession: the legendary hero that she has in stasis. You know, the one that she keeps talking to and hugging while naked despite the pain it causes? The magic used to keep the seal in place is dangerous to her, but since she can regenerate, the worst it does is cause pain and destroy her clothes. But yeah…she is into her.

https://twitter.com/animefants/status/2078149753741729899?s=20

In case you haven’t noticed, that woman bears a strong resemblance to at least three other women we’ve met so far: Chloe, Shizu, and Hinata. And that’s a good reason for that, but I don’t want to spoil it. All I want to say is that we should expect things to get crazy. I can’t wait.

I Give “An Unsettling Feeling” a 3.5/5

Wait, Diablo got WHO?!?!

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 14 Review

There have been several times throughout the series where Rimuru has come close to dying. The most apparent example was his initial fight with Hinata, where he had to resort to using a body double to escape. However, our GOAT has come close to dying without even realizing it, which is why so many people are left dumbfounded when he does something unbelievable. And thanks to Diablo, we just got to see the biggest example of Rimuru cheating death without even realizing it. And he does it by gaining the loyalty of a trio of beautiful Demon women.

Who are the Primordials?

While Rimuru and the others were dealing with things with Maribel, Diablo was largely absent for the first arc of the season. That’s because he decided he wanted some extra hands to help him serve his glorious king. So, he headed back to the Demon Realm, the dimension where all Demons originate. Spawned from chaos, they constantly fight, die, and revive in a struggle to get stronger. It’s basically a place of anarchy, chaos, and survival of the fittest. Being the ultimate glazer of Rimuru, Diablo decided that his master deserves only the best minions, so he decides to recruit the biggest, baddest, toughest Demons in the Netherworld: the Primordials.

In the Demon Realm, power is determined by how old a Demon is and (I think) how long they’ve gone without respawning from death. And at the very top of the food chain are the Primordials, of which Diablo is one. They’re the original seven Demons that appeared near the dawn of creation, making them some of the most powerful characters in the entire series. For reference, remember Guy Crimson, the oldest and strongest of the Demon Lords? He’s the original Primordial! With all of that said, is it any wonder why so many people have freaked out upon learning who Diablo is? He could’ve easily killed Rimuru when they first met if he had wanted!

And he wants to recruit three more of them.

Three Demon baddies who can kill you

First up, we have Jaune, the delinquent. Her main hobby is firing off nuclear magic at the base of Demon Lord Leon Cromwell, simply because she’s bored. And when Diablo comes to her to spread the word of his lord and savior, she tries to kill him…to no effect. He just tells her about the glory of Rimuru the slime while she tries in vain to beat him. But all that ends with her being planted into the ground and told to think about her attitude before he comes back.

Next is Violent, the Princess. She actually has some history with Tempest from the series first movie, where she had made a deal with a royal family that was supposed to end with her getting her a body to incarnate in. Thanks to Rimuru, though, she found out one of her subordinates broke the rules of the deal, forcing her to end things. Needless to say, she’s pretty sadistic. But Diablo wins her over when he says that her counterparts will get to incarnate into the mortal world. Now, it’s important to note that Violet, Jaune, and the final Demon have been competing for eons to see who can incarnate first, so it’s important to them.

Speaking of the final Demon, we have Blanc, one of the oldest and strongest. She is the textbook image of an elegant, beautiful lady, and she is already aware of Rimuru. It doesn’t take much to persuade her to meet with our resident Slime. But she also shows just scary she is by casually maiming two of her subordinates for speaking without permission.

Again, these are the ones that Diablo wants serving Rimuru. Three Demon ladies that most Demons fear. And Rimuru has absolutely no idea about any of this.

Thank god that Rimuru has Raphael to back him up. Because if he hadn’t figured it out…the girls would’ve killed him. But the danger was worth it to see him flex his Haki.

Good Lord, Rimuru doesn’t even know what he’s doing.

And so, without even meaning to do so, Rimuru managed to hire three of the most powerful beings in the multiverse as his newest minions. And with them, the 700 Demons that serve under them, giving birth to what will be known as the Black Numbers. And, in keeping with Diablo’s name, he gives the girls car-based names: Carrera for Jaune, Ultima for Violet, and Testarossa for Blanc. And he gives them all artificial bodies so they stay in the physical world for as long as they want.

This is honestly hilarious. Rimuru doesn’t even realize just how much power he’s managed to obtain for his nation. It’s probably going to end up upsetting the balance of power in the world of Tensura before it’s all over! But, again, he’s not entirely at fault. I blame it mostly on Diablo gassing up Rimuru. Either way, things are about to get a lot more fun!

I Give “The Black Numbers” a 4/5

You Won’t Believe Who Rimuru Hires this Episode

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 13 Review

It’s been a good time for Tempest. With Maribel’s defeat and Yuuki laying low, Rimuru and his friends are free to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor…is what I would like to say. Sadly, Tempest is getting to the point where the work is getting to be too much for who they currently have to handle. Speaking as someone who has experience with more work than one person can handle, I can tell you how disastrous this can be for morale. So, it’s time for some new recruits for Tempest! And as fate would have it, Rimuru gets some perfect hires without having to post a ‘Help wanted’ ad.

Firstly, we need to talk about the OP. With this being the second cours of the season, that means it’s time for the anime to receive a new OP. This way, its remaining up-to-date on what’s happening in the story. And this OP is one of the most enigmatic, with heavy emphasis on subdued colors or outright black and white, chains, and, it should be noted, Hinata and Chloe. Anime logic dictates that what’s going to happen in this second part is going to put a lot of emphasis on the two girls. Just something to think about.

Dino the Freeloader

So after Millim gets dragged back home due to shaking her duties for the umpteenth time, Rimuru decides to get back to work. You can’t exactly blame Millim, though. She’s so happy getting to play with Gaia after these millennia. Sadly, the Dungeon is the only place where it can survive, so it has to stay behind. In the meantime, the work in Tempest is starting to pile up, and Rimuru’s team of Veldora, Ramiris, and more are needing some extra hands to help with their work. As fate would have it, though, one seems to show up right on Rimuru’s doorstep.

This is Dino, and like Rimuru, Ramiris, and Millim, he’s a Demon Lord. However, that title might be stretching it a bit, even by the standards of Demon Lords in this series. Dino is known as the Sleeping Demon Lord and is infamously known as a slacker amongst the other Demon Lords. He doesn’t have his own home or domain to manage. He’s just been freeloading off of Guy Crimson, the oldest and strongest of the Demon Lords, forever. And Crimson finally decided to kick him out, only to dump the responsibility onto Rimuru. And it should be noted that Rimuru cannot refuse. Guy Crimson is far stronger than him, and could easily wipe Tempest out if he wanted.

Rimuru, being a hard worker, doesn’t want to have a freeloader mooching off of him, but thankfully, the problem solves itself. Dino takes one bite of the food in Tempest, and for the first time in forever, he’s motivated to do work. So, he gives him to Vesta the dwarf as his assistant. He’s literally been bribed by food. Honestly, though, it’s a good deal. Food and a roof over your head is a good motivation for working.

As for Veldora, he’s also wants an assistant, but his choice surprises Rimuru: Ifrit, the Fire Elemental.

I don’t Understand how Ifrit is this Way now

If you’ll recall, Ifrit is the Fire spirit that was sealed inside Shizu when she was summoned to this world as a kid. It saved her life, but she had to spend so much of it keeping Ifrit from going on a rampage that it led to her eventual death after Rimuru split them up. Naturally, Rimuru is not keen on Veldora’s request, but there’s a catch to it. After getting sealed inside Rimuru’s stomach, the flame spirit befriended Veldora and they kept each other company. Thanks to that, Veldora was able to help Ifrit chill enough to realize how much pain he caused Shizu and to regret it. Now he wants to make amends by helping Rimuru, and he’s already done so. He provided the salamanders needed for the Magitrain!

So, thanks to Veldora’s recommendation, Rimuru gives Ifrit a chance and gives him a new body to inhabit and renames them to Charys. For some reason, though, Charys can now change from man to woman whenever they want, getting stronger with fire or wind depending on their gender. I don’t know how this is possible, to be honest, but I think we should just roll with it. I’ve already seen a character in One Piece with the power to make people swap genders, so this is nothing to me!

This is a very slow and lowkey episode, in my opinion, as it revolves around Rimuru getting more help around Tempest. Ramiris gets even more helpers in the form of more Dryads thanks to the artificial bodies Rimuru is making, so that’s good. However, the real highlight is the ending as we cut to one servant of Rimuru that has been notably absent: Diablo. Earlier in the season, he said he was going off on a trip to find some worthy assistants for himself, so he’s gone back to the Demon Realm to do so. And he’s apparently bringing up to a thousand subordinates with him when he gets back. Rimruru is cool with it, but he has no idea just who Diablo has in mind. And I’m not spoiling it for you guys!  It’s going to make the surprise all the better! So, see you guys next episode!

Also, I really liked the new ED that’s based on a board game. It’s pretty obvious that, besides Rimuru, the other person playing the game is meant to be Chloe. And she’s on some sort of journey to find Rimuru. I’m not sure if you know this, but besides being her teacher, Chloe has a crush on him, something he’s well aware of (and wishes someone had said that to him when they were 18 or 20). It’s adorable for right now, but it seems like it might be more serious than we realize.

I Give “New Companions” a 3/5

So, What are you Watching this Summer?

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

Some of the anime that RJ Writing Ink’s Watching this Summer

Summer time! That means it’s time for family trips, smashing watermelon on the beach, and arguing over who looks best in a swimsuit. Anime fans do all that, and we have to keep an eye out for all the new anime that’s coming out. This year, we’ve got a pretty good lineup of new and returning anime to watch, with Crunchyroll having dropped a list of some of its biggest upcoming shows. And, I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t know how much of it I’m going to be able to watch. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m going to be so busy covering things. But that’s not going to stop me from giving you my list of anime that I’m looking forward to enjoying! I’m RJ Writing Ink, and here are all the anime for the summer season that I’m probably going to watch! Hopefully!

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Season 3-July 5th

The Rentaro Family is back! And just as crazy and wholesome as ever! If you remember my writings from the winter of last year, then you know that I’m crazy about the ultimate harem anime. Naturally, I’m going to want to cover it as we get even more members joining the Rentaro Family! I won’t spoil anything about them, but let’s just say that this next batch will contain some of my favorite girlfriends thus far, as well as some that will make you question how the mangaka got away with them. So, just be prepared in advance.

The Elusive Samurai, Season 2, July-

Two years ago, we got the first season of the anime The Elusive Samurai, and now we’re finally getting the second. Created by the mangaka behind Assassination Classroom, the Elusive Samurai is a historical fantasy about Tokiyuki Hojo, the last surviving heir of the former Shogunate, forced to go on the run when his family is overthrown. I liked it well enough at the time, but I never got into it as much as I could have. With the manga having ended earlier this year, though, I might be willing to pick this story back up.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4-

So, it turns out that I was mistaken. I knew that the fourth season of Slime Tensura was going to be split up into multiple cours’, but I assumed that they would be split up into different seasons of anime. As it turns out, I was wrong. That means that we’ve got another 12 weeks of Slime Tensura to get us through the Summer, and I’m looking forward to it! I can’t wait to see what Rimuru gets up to next, because I have no clue.

Speaking of peak Isekai…

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3-July 5th-

You know that Crunchyroll is pushing a show to be a frontrunner for the season when they make one of the main characters the thumbnail for their trailer for said season. Mushoku Tensei has exploded in popularity thanks to the success of the anime, and I have been waiting for the last two years to see us pick up where we left off with our boy, Rudeus! He may have lost his arm and his dad while saving his mom, but he’s gotten a second wife in the form of Roxy, and more importantly, he’s a dad now! The real highlight of this season, though, is going to be the return of Eris, AKA the girl who broke Rudeus’ heart. If you’ve read my reviews of the show, you’ll know my opinion about Eris: she’s going to have to spend the rest of her life making up for bailing on him the way she did. More importantly, though, we are going to get to see something happen that will reframe the story and what happens going forward. Something that I’ve had to keep my mouth shut about for years now, and if the anime doesn’t go into more detail, I will!

Baki-Dou: The Invincible Samurai-June 18th

I know that this comes out three days before the actual summer solstice, meaning that technically, it doesn’t count as a summer anime. However, this is Baki we’re talking about. If you’ve seen Baki, then you know that the characters in this series do things that regularly defy common sense. They can do whatever they want! And in this case, the second half of Baki-Dou has the entire cast throwing everything they to defeating the resurrected Musashi Miyamoto, AKA the undefeated Samurai of legend. A man who was able to go toe to toe with Yujiro Hanma!

And this is just the start of the anime that are coming out this season. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch some beach episodes and see who wore a swimsuit best!

OHMYGOSHABABYDRAGONITSSOCUTE!!!

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 12

With the threat of Maribel defeated and Yuuki forced back to the drawing board, life in Tempest returns to normal. Well, as normal as it can get in a nation that’s evolving at such a ridiculously fast pace! Really, that is what this entire episode is about, though. Tempest is continuing to evolve as Rimruru looks towards the future of his nation. And there is plenty for him to look forward to as we head into the second cours of this incredibly long season!

This episode is more or less a breather episode to get us all caught up to speed on what comes next for Tempest, as Rimuru goes around meeting with his friends and allies and discussing what comes next. First up, he meets with the other leaders of Tempest to discuss the need for a legal system. Now, none of them would object to Rimuru being the end-all for the law, but he must have read up on history, because he knows that doesn’t end well. So, he comes up with a governmental system based on one of the most (objectively) successful on Earth: the United States government! And I say objectively because, let’s be honest, there are times when the US Government is its own worst enemy. Thankfully, everyone in Tempest is incredibly competent at what they do, so it’s not that big a problem.

CHOO-CHOO

One of the bigger highlights of the episode, though, is the surprise unveiling of the first-ever Magitrain! Thanks to Veldora and Ramiris’ help, the engineers got it done faster than I think Rimuru thought it would take!

I know it may not seem like much when we have cars and planes, but when locomotives were first created, they were a game-changer. For the first time, journeys that would take days or weeks were cut down to a fraction of the time. That led to an explosion of travel and trade in our world, allowing populations to skyrocket to what they are today. And with Tempest being the ones building these trains, it stands poised to become the biggest economic hub on the continent! Everyone will be clamoring to be on good terms with them, and that means that the idea of Humans and Monsters living together in peace is one step closer to reality.

The real highlight of the episode, though, has to be Millim and the rebirth of her beloved dragon.

BABY DRAGON

Thanks to Rimuru managing to save them in the last episode, Millim finally has a second chance with the beloved pet that she thought was lost to her. There’s one scene where Rimuru finds her fast asleep clutching the egg like it’s a beloved toy or pet, and it really shows us just how much this means to her. Millim may be very childish in nature, but there has always been that part of her that’s used it as a way to cope with her tragic past. Getting to see her enjoy this second chance is just so heartwarming, and it only gets better.

Given how this is the end to the first cours of the season, it’s natural for the anime to give us a special ending to reflect that. In this case, we see everyone in Tempest celebrating their accomplishments as of late l, only for it to be broken by the news that Gaia’s egg is about to hatch! As everyone in Tempest gathers around, we see the egg crack open as Gaia, Millim’s dragon friend, is reborn into the world. It’s honestly just so wholesome to watch, like a big family welcoming its newest member to the world. Seeing Millim happy over getting to see her friend again is enough to make a grown man cry, and that’s okay! Weep manly tears of joy!

This was such a sweet moment to end this first part of the season on, but thankfully, we don’t have to wait long for the next part. This season is so big that the anime is splitting it up into five parts, and the next one will be coming next week! Which, judging by when this goes up, will have already passed. So, hopefully, I will already have it ready! Fingers crossed!

I Give “Tempest Evolved” a 4.5/5! Bonus for the cute Dragon!

How to Train your Crazy Dragon, By Rimuru

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, S4 Ep 11 Review

Once upon a time, Millim had a best friend, a dragon that had been gifted to her by her late father, AKA the creator of the universe. The girl and the dragon loved each other very much, and thought that they would be together forever. But then this punk nation tried to gain control of Millim and killed her friend, making her crash out and become a Demon Lord. Like Rimuru, she used the experience to bring back the one she lost. Whereas Rimuru brought back all the Tempest citizens without issue, though, Millim failed. Consumed by wrath at its death, the dragon went on a rampage, forcing Millim to seal it away. Until Maribel decided to bring it back to distract Millim while she killed Rimuru! And now, Millim has to relive her trauma all over again! The good news, though, is that this time, she has Rimuru.

So, there are likely some people out there who don’t like characters like Rimuru because of how OP he is. And they’re not wrong; from what I hear about the end of the light novels, Rimuru could solo a vast chunk of fiction. The thing is, though, is that Rimruru has to be OP by necessity. It’s the only way he’s able to survive in a world filled with so many broken enemies. Case in point, the elemental dragon that Millim called a friend is now going on a renewed rampage. The kind of rampage that, if not stopped, could reduce the entire world to ash!

While Rimuru was busy with Maribel, Millim has been trying to contain her pet dragon, but the anime makes it clear that she’s fighting with a handicap. I like how natural said handicap feels in the context of the episode. We know Millim could destroy the dragon if she wanted to, but her love for him means that she can’t bring herself to do it. I know that some people wouldn’t hesitate to do what might seem necessary without any remorse, but Millim isn’t like that.

Thank heavens that Rimuru is the way he is, though!

Rimuru Eats a Dragon

So, once Rimuru shows up and sees what the dragon is doing, he doesn’t hesitate to help Millim deal with her problems. And despite being a Demon Lord himself, the dragon does give him a hard time. But that’s when he realizes something important. It was believed that when Millim revived the Chaos Dragon, they had come back without their soul, hence why they were so angry and destructive. However, Rimuru discovered that this wasn’t entirely accurate: a fragment of the Dragon’s soul was left behind. And that’s when he comes up with a crazy idea.

I have to admit, it’s crazy to think that Rimuru was able to retrieve that soul fragment from the Dragon before Millim destroyed it. What’s even crazier, though, is that he was able to place it inside a container. How many characters in fiction do you know that are capable of manipulating beings on the level of the soul? Very few that I know of, and Rimuru is one of them! But, again, Rimuru has to be the way he is for the sake of the story, and I think that just highlights how crazy Slime Tensura is.

Happy Ending for Everyone

So, everything works out. Rimuru is able to give Millim’s dragon an actual second lease on life, even letting her give it a proper name, Gaia. The ruins get turned into a tourist attraction. A happy ending for all involved who isn’t Maribel or Gaiye. Except Yuuki still got away with everything, and he knows it. He can pin everything on Maribel controlling him, letting him continue scheming unimpeded…is what he thinks.

Yuuki may have pulled the wool over Rimuru and everyone else, but Raphael isn’t fooled. She knows that Yuuki was faking being brainwashed the entire time and tells Rimuru he’s not to be trusted. He can’t do anything without being made out as the bad guy, but now he’s on his toes. So let’s see what Yuuki will do next.

There’s one episode left to the first cours so let’s see what happens next.

I Give “Millim’s Friend” a 4/5

Rimuru Folds Maribel like Paper

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

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, S4 Ep 10 Review

Dang. I knew that Maribel was going to get absolutely embarrassed, and that’s not just because I read the manga ahead of time. It’s just what happens when you mess with someone like Rimuru. But I didn’t think that seeing it in anime form would be so humiliating! I know that we shouldn’t underestimate kids, but even so, Maribel just got reminded of her place in the world in the worst way possible! For her, that is. It was like watching one of Jinwoo’s curb-stompings for me!

What did she think would happen?

So, Maribel has decided to stop messing around and throw everything that she’s got at Rimuru. She’s got Yuuki fighting for her, some knight we dont know, and last, and definitely least, her trump card: Gaiye. Yes, the arrogant and self-absorbed adventurer that made a fool of himself at the opening festival and during the fiasco at the Council is Maribel’s trump card. She used her power to supercharge him up in exchange for most of his life force or something, thinking that it could distract Rimuru long enough to brainwash him. But we already know how that turns out.

And Rimuru just revokes the man’s subscription to life like it’s nothing.

Honestly, what was Maribel thinking here? Gaiye was a chump even before she pumped him with her powers. He couldn’t handle a Dryad, for crying out loud! How did she think that he could fight Rimuru! It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic!

What follows can be best described as a grown man giving a little girl a lesson on the pecking order of the world. Maribel just keeps trying to throw everything she has at Rimuru, and he just no-sells it all like it’s nothing.

This is just sad

And the more she keeps failing to get rid of him, the more she gets upset as she realizes how badly she messed up making an enemy out of him. But she’s got no one to blame but herself about this, as she chose to go into this fight without learning more about her enemy. If she had, she would have known that it would take way more than what she brought to kill Rimuru. In all honesty, the only useful card she played was Yuuki.

We as the audience should already know just how dangerous Yuuki is thanks to his manipulation tactics. As it turns out, though, he’s also dangerous in the physical sense. His secret power, Anti-skill, lets him seal away any skills an opponent might have, if only for a short while. And since skills are often what determines how powerful a person is, that makes him very dangerous to fight. Even Rimuru realizes that there’s a chance that Yuuki could kill him. But thankfully, he still manages to come out on top. But then Kagali and the others give this impassioned plea for him to snap out of it and not let Maribel control him and he snaps out of it.

Wait, what?

Man, Yuuki is good

Rimuru effectively voices the thought that the audience is meant to think while watching this: this is cliché. Way too cliche, in fact. I’ve seen plenty of anime where a character is mind-controlled and overcomes it thanks to the power of friendship or something else, and it’s usually very heartwarming. It’s supposed to be heartwarming, after all. But this was way too easy, and Rimuru knows it. But he can’t prove that Yuuki was faking it without looking like the bad guy, so he’s forced to let things go and let him deal with Maribel as she tries to blow up a magic reactor and kill everyone.

And you know what? We’re right to find this sus, because Yuuki was playing everyone!

As Yuuki corners Maribel, alone and wounded in the ruins, he decides to play with his food before eating it. He reveals that he was never under Maribel’s control, and had been faking it the whole time!

This is actually a brilliant play on Yuuki’s part. He knew that Rimuru was starting to become wise to him, and the last thing he wanted was to make an enemy out of a Demon Lord before he was ready. But thanks to Maribel, he can now say that all of it was because he was being controlled by Maribel’s skill, Greed. And since Rimuru can’t prove otherwise, he can’t make a move against Yuuki without looking like the bad guy. Thus, he’s managed to get away with everything he did up to this point.

And then comes the most humiliating aspect. Right before Yuuki delivers the killing blow, Yuuki reveals the fatal flaw to Greed: it doesn’t work if the target’s own greed exceeds that of its user. And while Maribel wanted to control the world from the shadows, Yuuki wants to rule as its king. You can’t get greedier than that! Maribel was just born too late to do anything, and that costs her her life.

It’s sad, honestly. As evil and selfish as she was, Maribel could have done a lot of good for the world.  Then again, the same could be said for a lot of villains.

I Give “The Master of Greed” a 4.5/5

THIS was Maribel’s Master Plan? Are you Serious!

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

That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 9 Review

It’s storytime with Mr. Jay, no relation to the Joker. Once upon a time, there was a very happy girl with pink hair and godlike power. She spent her days playing with her adorable and easily marketable-as-a-plushie pet dragon. But then this Elven king wanted the girl’s power for himself, so he tried to assert his control by using magic to kill the dragon. But instead, the girl crashed out, became one of the first Demon Lords, killed the King, and leveled his kingdom. The survivors would build a new city that eventually became the ruins that Rimuru and the others are about to explore. Unfortunately for everyone, Maribel has gotten so desperate that she’s willing to do something just as stupid as the stupid king.

Let’s get one thing straight about this episode: it is just the setup to the climax of this first part of Slime Tensura’s fourth season. As such, anyone who came into this expecting some epic, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Uncharted adventure is going to be sorely disappointed. In all honesty, though, those kinds of stories paint a pretty unrealistic picture of archaeology. There are moments when people make epic discoveries and fantastic treasures, but most of the time, archaeology is pretty uneventful. I should know; I took a class on archaeology 101 in college!

What I’m trying to say is that there is not a lot of action for most of this episode. Mostly, it involves exposition about how this city became the way it is as Kagali guides Rimuru’s group and the other explorers through the ruins. Though ruins would be a stretch, as the Dark Elves still live in the topmost sections. The rest is sealed behind magic barriers that only Clayman had been able to unlock. The plan was for the explorers they brought along to unlock it, but Rimuru does it in two seconds. Because of course he does. He’s lucky that those archaeologists are humble enough not to be offended by him making their jobs so easy.

The coolest part about this episode, though, is the mural that the group finds depicting the story I mentioned above. More importantly, though, is seeing how Millim reacts to it. It’s ancient history to everyone else, but to her, it’s looking back on a part of her life that she may not want to remember that well. And unfortunately for her, history is about to repeat itself thanks to Maribel, who’s so desperate to get rid of Rimuru that she’s willing to do something incredibly stupid. Something that not even Luffy would do!

Going back to the story about how Millim became a Demon Lord, much like how Rimuru used his evolution to revive Shion and the other citizens Falmuth killed, Millim used it to revive her pet dragon. The problem was that it was so hate-filled by its death that it went on its own rampage. Millim had no choice but to seal it away in a pocket dimension for all eternity. But now, Maribel has set it free to lure Millim away from Rimuru so she can control or kill him.

There are so many flaws to this plan that I dont even know where to start. Firstly, Maribel unleashed an angry dragon capable of leveling the world, endangering the lives of billions. Secondly, when Millim finds out who did this, she’s not going to be happy and want to know who did it. Lastly, does she really think that just luring Millim away will be enough to make Rimuru vulnerable? He’s still got Gobta and Shion.

To her credit, Maribel did think ahead by using the ruins for her trap. The security’s activation is enough to be a hassle for the group. But, again, this is Rimuru. So Maribel has no choice but to reveal herself.

I know I’ve heard speeches about how no one is created equal before, and they do have a point. There are always going to be people that are just better at some things than others and thus see the world differently. Though when the Founding Fathers of America wrote that, they meant that everyone has the same rights regardless of background. If everyone was truly the same and equal, the world would be pretty boring. That’s what Maribel doesn’t get, and that’s why she and Rimuru were always going to be at odds.

Next episode, the fight between Rimuru and Maribel finally begins! But let’s be real: we know Rimuru is gonna win. We just want to see how he wins.

I give “Investigating the Ruins” a 3/5

Maribel Still Wants the Smoke from Rimuru

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

That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 8 Review

When will people learn to stop messing with Rimuru and his people? Every single time that someone tries to mess with him, they either get humiliated, die, or end up joining him. I think that it’s honestly just embarrassing at this point! Although we wouldn’t have much of a plot for Slime Tensura if that happened, would we? In any case, though, it seems that Maribel Rozzo doesn’t seem to understand that, because she is going to try to get rid of Rimuru yet again. And this time, they’re going to try and do it in a setting that feels ripped straight out of Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, or the Uncharted games.

Maribel is Doubling Down on her Behavior

Picking up where the previous episode left off, Maribel, Yuuki, and her lackey Johann are discussing how their plan to frame Rimuru at the Council meeting failed with their assassin being caught. This is also where we see one of the many flaws in their logic regarding Rimuru, as since Maribel has lost her connection to Glenda, she concludes Rimuru killed her. She never considers that Rimuru not only did not kill Glenda, but he freed her from her curse. I chalk this up to her being so selfish that she would never even consider doing something like that, and thus never considers anyone else doing it. In other words, she’s psychologically projecting.

In any event, rather than accept defeat and back off, Maribel decides to double-down on her attempts to bring down Rimuru, this time with the help of Yuuki. A while back, Rimuru and Milim had learned about the ruins of this old city, Amrita, in the former territory of Clayman, and they decided they wanted to explore it. Rimuru approached Yuuki’s guild for help, and his assistant, Kagali, is going to guide them through the ruins. Maribel decides that this would be the perfect place to set a trap for the demon slime to put him under her control or just kill him. As for Milim, Yuuki says he has something that used to belong to her that he thinks will keep her busy long enough to keep from being a nuisance.

Maybe it’s because we can see the full picture as the audience, so I may have no right to say this, but…does she even hear herself right now? Does Maribel really think that she can take down not just Rimuru, but also Milim? Milim is one of the first Demon Lords and one of the strongest, as well as being an overall agent of chaotic good. She was able to fake being under Clayman’s control! And Maribel thinks that she can bring her down? How could she possibly think that this could happen? If you want my personal opinion, I think Maribel is someone just as blinded by greed as those she controls. And when people are blinded by things like greed, they tend to make stupid decisions.

Glenda added to the party

While all of this is happening, Rimuru is busy getting all sorts of new information out of his newest follower, Glenda. She was very insistent on joining Tempest to thank him for sparing her. Thanks to her, they know all about Maribel’s schemes and how she intended to get Rimuru under her thumb, regardless of what happened at the Council meeting. And as much as I hate to admit it, she did have a well-thought-out plan. By having Gaban and Johann against each other like they were, she positioned them so that one would gain influence with our favorite slime demon. If it weren’t for the fact that Rimuru has Raphael, it might have worked in the end. But it didn’t.

As a quick aside, I like the fact that the story makes Rimuru feel so broken yet doesn’t make it feel like he can bulldoze through everything. That’s good writing.

In any case, Rimuru’s going ahead with his plans to explore the ruins of Amrita, knowing that Maribel and Yuuki will have a trap set for them. But since he knows about it, he can plan around it. Also, he’s not going to miss out on the chance to be an adventurous archaeologist.

Which brings me to my favorite part of the episode: their prep to explore the ruins.

Just Like Tomb Raider

Rimuru must have been a fan of stories like Indiana Jones in his first life, because the gear he has made for their trip to Amrita feels like something pulled out of the adventure genre. The pith helmet and clothes fit the concept to a tee, and for bonus points, they’ve got guns now! Yes, they actually managed to make guns that fire magical bullets, and it’s awesome! Are they necessary? No, but they made them for the cool factor, and that’s what matters! Live out that explorer fantasy, Rimuru!

Eventually, the day arrives for their trip to Amrita, with Rimuru and Milim taking Gobta, Ranga, and Shion along with them. Between the five of them, I think that they can handle anything Maribel pulls. And with Rimuru using a teleportation gate to take them directly to the ruins, we bring the episode to an end.

I give two, maybe three episodes before Maribel’s regretting all her life choices.

I Give “Foundation of Greed” a 3.5/5

Rimuru now knows about Maribel

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

That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime S4 Ep 7 Review

You know what’s awesome? Ninjas! Part spy, assassin, and warrior, ninjas have become a staple of pop culture in the East and the West, with everyone having their own intepretations of them. As someone who played a lot of Assassin’s Creed in its heyday, am a big fan of Naruto, and even trained in martial arts for a while, seeing ninja’s fight is awesome. Why am I mentioning this? Because that’s basically what we got in this episode of Slime Tensura as, thanks to Souei, Rimuru learns about the existence of Mariabel Rozzo.

The entire meeting between Tempest and the Council of the West was a twofold trap. Maribel’s ultimate goal was to either force Tempest to bend the knee and do what her puppets wanted, or off the Prince of Engrassia and frame Rimuru for it. Being Rimuru, though, he and his friends foiled it without breaking a sweat. Even better, the would-be assassin was dumb enough to stick around after she failed to get her target. And that mistake was all that Tempest’s best ninja, Souei, needed to move in for the kill.

The fight between ninja and assassin is pretty subdued compared to other fights we’ve seen in the anime. However, I think that’s in line with what they both do. Assassin’s are supposed to keep a low profile and not get caught. By that logic, they’re not going to attract attention with flashy techniques. That being said, I was impressed by how that assassin was able to use her magically-created bullets and spatial magic to push Souei into a corner. Too bad for her, he was using the shadow clone jutsu. Still, not bad, lady!

Here’s the fun part, though. I didn’t recognize her at first, but it turns out that we’ve seen this woman before, from back in season three. And it gets better. Not only is she an Otherworlder like Rimuru and Hinata, but she was one of her old subordinates in the Ten Great Saints before Tempest humiliated them: Glenda Abbey. She had run off after getting beaten by Diablo during the Falmuth Civil War, but it seems that she was working for Maribel the entire time.

And when she sees that Rimuru is accompanied by Hinata, she is (rightfully) freaked out and convinced that she’s going to die. But not necessarily at their hands.

This was all Maribel’s Fault

As Glenda confirms, the fiasco at the Council meeting was the handiwork of Mariabel of Greed. Her whole plan was to either make Rimuru her puppet, or make him look bad to everyone with that assassination plot. And she used her Skill, Greed, to make sure everyone would act the way she wanted. She never expected that Rimuru’s own Skills would allow him to cancel hers out. But neither was Rimuru expecting to learn that the former hero, Granville Rozzo, is still alive and the one pulling Mariabel’s strings, either.

Rimuru and the others also learn that when the Rozzo family summons Otherworlders, they put a curse on them that makes it impossible to disobey under the threat of death. They’re basically being used as slaves.

Obviously, Rimuru isn’t cool with either of these things, so he decides to do something about them. First things first, he cancels out the curse that Glenda is under, setting her free. She then proceeds to ask him for a job, much to his surprise. The man just can’t seem to stop making people want to be loyal to him!

Elsewhere, Maribel is left stewing over how she failed yet again. And even though we already know why she and her grandpa are doing all this, she gives this monologue about how a Demon Lord like Rimuru can’t be trusted. That with the way things are going, the Western Nations will bend the knee to him without even realizing it, and they can’t let a Demon Lord do that to them. Granted, those are valid points, but they overlook the fact that Rimuru isn’t like that. He just wants to chill and enjoy himself; he wouldn’t abuse that kind of power even if everyone offered to let him. But now that she’s picked a fight with him, Rimuru is going to be coming for Mariabel.

If I were her, I would do one of three things right now: get down on my knees and apologize, run for it, or get my affairs in order. There’s no scenario in which she’s getting out of this without some form of punishment.

This was one of the slower episodes of Slime Tensura, but as always, it’s the intrigue and the characters that make it interesting to watch. I can’t wait to see what Rimuru is going to do to Mariabel.

I Give “The Mastermind’s Identity” a 3/5