The Beginning after the End

Baby Arthur Almost Dies

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

The Beginning After the End Ep 2 Review

The Beginning After the End is only in its second episode, but the Internet seems to hate it already. The two most common complaints are that a.) it’s copying Mushoku Tensei, and b.) the animation is terrible. They’re not wrong; TurtleMe admitted Mushoku Tensei was a big inspiration for TBATE. And when comparing TBATE to the mega-hit that is Solo Leveling, the animation is severely lacking. But to encourage people to at least read the web novel and comic, we’ll keep reviewing the show.

The Anime-Original Scene is Decent

Like the first episode, the second episode of TBATE includes an original scene that helps shed light on Arthur’s past life as King Grey. This memory shows Grey dealing with an attempted assassin from a foreign country as well as his family. Knowing that they will all face death upon returning home, Grey chose to spare the assassin’s wife and child a horrific end by killing them with his own weapon.

This moment might seem cruel and heartless to others, but it actually speaks volumes about Grey’s true character. Were he truly as cruel as everyone (even himself) thought he was, he would’ve let them all face the cruel death that awaited them. Instead, he chose to give them a mercy killing. This moment shows how Grey was a good person at heart but had to be ruthless to survive in his dangerous world. Furthermore, it provides further context about Grey’s ultimate decision during the episode’s climax.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode proves to be severely lacking when it comes to adapting the story.

After realizing just how gifted Arthur is, his parents argue what they should do about his future. Reynolds wants him to study in an elite school, while Alice thinks he’s too young to leave his parents behind. Arthur solves things with a “here’s a bright idea” moment: they all move to the big city together. It’s a little funnier in the webcomic, with images of the parents fighting with armies made out of their dinner, though.

On the Road

This decision to move leads to the introduction of the Leywin’s former adventuring party, Twin Horns, who help escort them to their new destination. However, I’m not even sure if the name of the city they’re headed is brought up. If it wasn’t, that was one of several minor details and moments from the webcomic that helped to flesh out the world and its inhabitants that the anime chose to leave out. It might seem like a good idea to cut out things like the group bonding over things beyond eating together or Arthur helping their youngest, Jasmine, train. However, when you’re going to be telling a story that requires extensive world-building and character development, that’s not a good idea. Taking the time to develop everything early on will help maintain interest in the long run.

The moments that the anime does choose to focus on are the fighting scenes, which normally wouldn’t be a bad thing. When done right, a good fight scene can carry an entire episode. However, the anime is hindered by the fact that it’s very poorly animated. The worst example is during the sparring match between Arthur and Twin Horns member Adam. It’s neither exciting nor eye-catching, which doesn’t help things.

The one good thing that I could say about all this is the fact that we get to see Arthur do a ninja run from Naruto. As a Naruto fan, seeing this get referenced will never not make me smile.

Sadly, Arthur’s family trip to the city gets cut short by what could be described as either a turning point or canon event as their group is ambushed by bandits. In the fight that ensues, Arthur is ordered to take his mom to safety, as she’s pregnant with her and Reynold’s second child. Sadly, a mage catches them in their crosshairs, and, to save his mom’s life, Arthur’s forced to sacrifice himself.

Okay, the Anime Helped This Moment, at Least!

This is the moment that that anime-original scene helps elevate in importance. As he’s falling off that cliff, Arthur notes the irony of him now being in the same position as that assassin from his first life: giving up his life for the ones he loved. Since he had to close himself off from others, this is another important milestone in his life. And, to his credit, it’s a lesson that Rudeus took longer to understand. The sad thing is, it comes right as he’s apparently about to die. And for extra tragedy points, right as he learned he was about to be a big brother.

Thankfully, there’s a post-credits scene revealing that Arthur survived the fall. But as with other examples in this episode, the anime cut out a few things for the sake of time and to set up the next episode.

Studio A-Cat, You Have Some ‘Splainin to do

For the second week in a row, TBATE fails to meet expectations. This time, though, it feels even worse, considering how they cut out so much from the webcomic. If they were going to do it, then maybe they should’ve split things up into more than one episode. In addition, I think everyone’s reactions to Arthur’s apparent death could have been more emotionally distraught. As distraught as Eris was when she saw Rudy almost die at the hands of Orsted.

Here’s hoping that things start to get better in the next few episodes. Otherwise, this show is going to become infamous for doing a disservice to the source material.

In the meantime, go read the novel and webcomic!

I Give โ€œThe King, Under Attackโ€ a 2.5/5

TBATE, I know you can do Better

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

The Beginning After the End Ep 1 Review

In my time on this blog, you have heard me mention something called “The Seven Summits of Isekai.” Putting it simply, it’s a term I use for what I consider to be the titans of the isekai genre. The series that put in the legwork to make the worlds the protagonists get summoned and/or reborn into feel real. In other words, the good stuff that stands mountains above the usual isekai fare. Mushoku Tensei is among those seven, and, after reading over the webcomic, I was looking forward to adding its spiritual younger brother, The Beginning After the End, to the group. However, after seeing the first episode, I may need to rethink its membership.

For those who haven’t already, I highly recommend you head over and read my initial overview of the series, as it does a good job of explaining the basic premise. This way, I can dive in, review the first episode, and explain why TBATE is going to be fighting an uphill battle.

A Small Divergence from Mushoku Tensei

Over the years, TBATE has been accused of being too similar to the likes of Mushoku Tensei, and its detractors aren’t wrong. As the first episode deals with King Grey’s death in his first life and the beginning of his new life as Arthur, it copies a lot from the start of Mushoku Tensei. Like Rudeus before him, Arthur milks his time as a baby for all its worth to help give himself an early advantage in life. Which eventually leads to both of them revealing their apparent genius in the most explosive way possible.

While it may seem like this is a word-for-word copy of the moment when Rudy blew a hole in his childhood home. However, there’s one major difference between him and Arthur that changes how things play out: their reactions. Unlike Rudy, who was never in any real danger afterwards, Arthur almost dies thanks to some falling debris, only for his dad to save him. It was this experience that finally made the former king-turned-baby realize something that Rudy wouldn’t fully understand until he was an adult: Alice and Reynolds are his parents. They love him, and he loves them, and this realization leads to all them having this very heartwarming moment together. The kind of moment that Rudeus wishes he could have had with his own family before he left Buena Village. It’s very sweet to see…

Is what I would say. Except there’s one problem with this anime that’s so bad, even I notice it: the animation.

The animation…is trash

There’s no easy way to say this about The Beginning After the End: the animation is trash.

I normally don’t put that much attention onto the animation quality for a series, as I usually care more about the storytelling. It allows me to overlook moments that may not have the best animation in order to enjoy the story to its fullest. However, when the animation quality is so bad that even I notice it, then there’s something very wrong.

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Everything about the animation in the first episode only serves to fuel the allegations that TBATE is a cheap knock-off of Mushoku Tensei. That, in turn, will only harm its reputation in the long run. I know how stressful the the anime industry can be, but the people behind this should at least have some level of standard that they’re trying to uphold. Mushoku Tensei was able to get an entire studio founded just so it could succeed in being the best, so why can’t TBATE?

I have become a fan of The Beginning After the End, but it’s seeing the anime in action that makes me question whether this will be worth watching or not. This might be a rare instance in which the webcomic or manga might be better than the anime, and that’s not something that I like to see take place. That being said, I’m going to keep reviewing the anime anyway. If we’re lucky, the story will help to offset the poor animation long enough for it to gain traction. Until then, though…

AARON! Solo Leveling stays the manwha king!

I Give “The Rebirth of the King” a 2/5

The Beginning After the End Has a Long Road Ahead of it

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

The Beginning After the End Initial Overview

A month ago, Aaron and I were talking on Discord about the then-upcoming spring 2025 season of anime. Somewhere in the conversation, he brought up an upcoming isekai anime that, he claimed, could be bigger than Solo Leveling. It was called The Beginning After the End, and it was something that I had vaguely recalled hearing about. Despite being skeptical about his claims, they still intrigued me. Thus, I found myself jumping online and binge-reading through the webcomic that the anime would be adapting. Within a few days, I had read through the majority of the chapters currently out. And, while I still remain skeptical about its ability to be better than Solo Leveling, I do think The Beginning After the End is a good read.

A Western Isekai

Firstly, let us clarify some things: while The Beginning After the End, or TBATE, has gotten an anime adaptation, it doesn’t originate from Japan. In fact, its author, who goes by the moniker TurtleMe, is American. He’s been writing the ongoing TBATE web novel since 2017, with the webcomic coming a year later. If you want to check out the latest chapters, find them on Tapas, or join his Patreon for early access.

As its name suggests, The Beginning After the End is an isekai, and it begins with an essential moment in the protagonist’s life: his death. The protagonist, Grey, was a man who had risen to become the King of his nation on a potential future version of Earth. However, his life was miserable, with his status as King depriving him of any family or friends. Worse, it gets cut short in his mid-thirties by a death so sudden, not even he knows why he died. Being an isekai, his death only means he gets reincarnated into another world filled with swords and magic. While initially unhappy with being a baby in such a medieval setting, Grey, now going by Arthur Leywin, soon sees the second chance he’s been given. Thus, he resolves to make sure his new life is everything that his old one isn’t. IE, one filled with warmth and kindness and surrounded by the friends and family he never really had his first time around.

This is Not Like Rudeus…mostly.

If the synopsis sounds similar to Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, there’s a good reason. In an interview with IGN, TurtleMe said that Mushoku Tensei was one of the biggest inspirations behind The Beginning After the End. Both center around a protagonist who had an unhappy first life before suffering from a premature death. Both are reborn as babies to loving parents in a world dominated by the use of magic and medieval technology. And both use their prior knowledge to help them get ahead in life in order to ensure they live their new lives to the fullest. While some may see this as TurtleMe merely copying Mushoku Tensei’s formula, there are several differences that become apparent as time passes.

Firstly, while they both had similarly unhappy lives and premature deaths, Arthur is radically different from Rudeus. Rudeus had plenty of chances to better himself and open up to others in his first life and wasted them. While Grey also chose to cut himself off from others past a certain point, it was so he couldn’t be manipulated by others once he became king, leaving him little choice in the matter. In addition, there’s how both see their families in their new lives. Rudeus never considered Paul and Zenith his parents until after Paul’s death, something he regrets. In contrast, Arthur initially keeps his distance due to not knowing what familial love is due to being an orphan in his first life. Once he understands the feeling, though, he doesn’t hesitate to consider Alice and Reynolds his mom and dad and becomes fiercely protective of them.

Secondly, while their plots start off similiarly, past a certain point, TBATE diverges from Mushoku Tensei. While Mushoku Tensei will come to encompass this grand plot involving the future for the world, it remains largely focused on the life of Rudeus and his growing family. In contrast, Arthur begins to find himself involved in a conflict that’s bigger than he ever thought possible. The kind of conflict that has the potential to end the world if things go bad. Rudeus will go on to fight great battles in the future, but none will be on the scale of what Arthur and his allies will come to face.

Lastly, and this is the most important part, is the fact that Arthur is nowhere near as flawed as Rudeus was starting out. In other words, Arthur is not as h**ny as Rudeus can be. In fact, that can apply to the entire world of TBATE. They’re nowhere near down bad as Rudeus’ new world is!

There’s Always the Web Novel and Comic

I can’t reveal anything further regarding the plot of TBATE without spoiling things. However, while the anime might not be as good as it could be, I do still think that the webcomic is worth the read. If you want to give it a shot yourself, then I highly recommend going to TAPAS and helping to support TurtleMe. He’s also got a patreon where he releases chapters of the web novel early. I might end up supporting him myself if it means he can keep making this story.

Warm Up This Spring With Some New Anime

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

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Spring 2025 Anime to Look Out for

The sakura blossoms are in bloom, and that means that spring is finally here! While that means that it’s time for anime lovers to say goodbye to the winter’s big hits like Solo Leveling, Zenshu, Sakamoto Days and more, there’s no reason to fret. Spring 2025 is packed with potential hits. From newcomers trying to make their mark to returning veterans, there will be plenty of anime to binge this spring.

I’m RJ Writing Ink for the D&A Anime Blog, and this is a list of some of the anime that people will likely be paying attention to this spring. Yes, I’m going to be watching most of it. Yes, there’s a chance I’m going to review some of this. And yes, I am aware that by the time this goes up, many of these will be out! That’s a consequence of covering four series at once over the course of the winter!

The Beginning After the End, April 2nd

Isekai anime might be dime a dozen these days, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a diamond in the rough. For the Spring 2025 season, that diamond might be The Beginning After the End, or TBATE. Based on the Korean-American Web Novel and Webcomic of the same name, TBATE is about Arthur Llewyn. Formerly known as Grey, Arthur was a powerful king in his first life before abruptly dying a mysterious death and waking up in a world of swords and magic. Now going by Arthur, the former king strives to master the powers that govern this new world while also making sure to enjoy everything that he missed out on in his first life.

Full disclosure: I’ve binge-read most of the webcomic after Aaron reccomended it to me, saying it could become the next Solo Leveling. While I wouldn’t got that far, the series certainly lives up to TV Tropes description of it being “Mushoku Tensei meets Naruto.” Since I love both of them, that makes it worth my time. The one downside is that everyone is complaining how basic the animation is compared to the likes of Mushoku Tensei and Solo Leveling. Hopefully, that won’t be too much of an issue.

Wind Breaker, Season 2, April 3rd

Let’s get ready to rumble!!! Wind Breaker, the deliquent anime of spring 2024, is back for round two. This time, Haruka Sakura and the members of Bofurin are up against a ruthless gang going by the name of KEEL. And from the looks of the trailer, the boys of Bofurin are going to be in for one heck of a challenge.

Despite seeming like another series extolling how cool the rebel deliquent life seems to be, Wind Breaker turned out to be an anime with a surprising amount of depth to it when it first aired. The fights themselves are well-choreographed and often serve as a means for the story to elaborate on why the characters are fighting in the first place. It may still be a series about fighitng, but sometimes, the questions of why people fight and what’s worth fighting for can be just as interesting as the fights themselves.

Devil May Cry, April 3rd

DMC fans, your prayers have been answered. Capcom’s popular half-human, half-demon Demon Hunter is getting another anime. And from the looks of things, it’s going to be an absolute banger. Set in an alternate contiunity from the games, Devil May Cry will follow Demon Hunter Dante as he comes face to face with the villainous White Rabbit as he attempts to stage a demonic invasion of Earth.

I know very little about Devil May Cry beyond the basic premise, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking this series has the potential to be one of the big hits of the season. Firstly, the animation looks absolutley gorgeous, brought to life by Studio Mir of Kipo and My Adventures with Superman fame. Secondly, the voice cast has multiple legends among it, with Johnny Yong Bosch voicing Dante this time around. However, it’s the inclusion of the late Kevin Conroy and Tony Todd that’s gotten plenty of people talking. Having recorded their lines for the show before their passings, this will likely be the final chance people will get to hear the GOAT Batman and Candyman. And I’m going to take full advantage of it.

One Piece, April 6th

It’s only been six months, but if you’re a One Piece fan, it’s felt like an eternity. After going on a vacation for the first time in its history, One Piece is returning with the second half of the Egghead Island Arc. When we last left off, the anime had just finished going over all of the major events that were taking place in the world at large while the Straw Hats are busy on Egghead Island. With everything abroad now wrapped up, though, the series is ready to focus on the Straw Hats as they try to defend the island and the genius Dr. Vegapunk from the forces of the World Government.

And things are only going to get crazier from here.

I’ve been covering every chapter of the One Piece manga on my own blog for years, so I know what’s going to happen with the rest of this arc. I am not exaggerating when I say fans are in for an absolute emotional rollercoaster. I can’t even say anything about what happens without veering into spoiler territory. What I will say is that you should be prepared for some of the most exciting moments in One Piece history as well as some of the most heart-breaking, tearjerking ones. Keep tissues ready!

Witch Watch, April 6th

This rom-com on Netflix is about Morihito Otogi, an ogre who looks like a human who’s loving his best high school life. Until, that is, his childhood friend, the witch-in-training Nico Wakatsuki, moves in with him and decides to make him her familiar. While Morihito is supposed to guard Nico, his job gets harder due to the fact that a.) she lets everyone know she’s a witch, and b.) she is madly in love with him.

After the end to 100 Girlfriends, I’m going to be needing a new rom-com fix. And judging by the description to Witch Watch, this series looks to be right up my alley. I’m a big sucker for the childhood friend romance trope, so I’m sure to enjoy whatever will happen here!

Lazarus, April 6th

If something seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. That is the lesson that the world learns when they discover the wonder drug, Hapna, will soon kill everyone who took it. The only way to prevent this is to find its creator, Dr. Skinner, in the next thirty days. Thus, the worldโ€™s best hope for salvation is in the hands of the task force known as Lazarus.

If this series feels like the second coming of Cowboy Bebop, that’s because it is. This series was created by none other than Shinichirล Watanabe, AKA the creator of Cowboy Bebop. Considering how instrumental the adventures of Spike Spiegel were in bringing anime westward, having Watanabeโ€™s next work come to Toonami is a big deal. This has the potential to be this generationโ€™s Cowboy Bebop, and I am all in for that idea! Bring on the gunfights!

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, April 7th

The story of Deku and Class 1-A might be winding down, but there are still plenty of stories to tell in the world of My Hero Academia. Nowhere is this shown better than with the new prequel series, MHA: Vigilantes. Taking place five years before the events of the main series, Vigilantes follows a pair of aspiring heroes who, after various things happen, wind up becoming unlicensed Heroes. Now they have to fight evil while staying outside the reach of the law.

The big irony of the world of My Hero Academia is that the concept of superheroes has become a profession rather than an ideal. In most works of fiction, superheroes are often vigilantes operating outside the law; people let them do this because they tend to be good at it. If the original MHA focuses on world-ending threats, then Vigilantes is going to be the series that focuses more on the streets, like Batman and Daredevil would. Either way, this should tide people over until the final season hits this fall.

Any anime we missed? I know that there are going to be anime we missed, so let us know in the comments below!