Toonami

The Dangers of Nightclubbing on Lazarus

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

Lazarus Ep 4 Review

Thanks to Lazarus’ efforts in the last episode, they managed to get a few leads on Dr. Skinner. Axel and Leland managed to track down Skinner’s grandmother in Istanbul and got a better idea of what the man behind Hapna is like. Meanwhile, Eleina managed to discover that the one responsible for covering Skinner on cameras everywhere is another hacker, Dr. 909. The bad news is that not even the FBI knows who 909 is. The good news, though, is that Eleina has a plan to catch them. However, to pull it off, they have to go to his contact at a swanky nightclub. Lazarus is going clubbing, and that in and of itself carries a number of risks!

Time to Go Clubbing

Thanks to getting 909 to take Eleina’s bait, Lazarus has learned a few things about them. Firstly, that they somehow knew ahead of time that Hapna stocks would crash. Secondly, they worked with a stockbroker to make a ton of money off it. The good news is that they know who the stockbroker is; they’re the owner of a popular nightclub.

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The bad news? This guy, Sam, is a creep, a sexist, and just cringe. The Lazarus team even admits it! Unforutunately, the only way to get to him is by having the girls dress up and get picked up by him at his weekly party. Though, in this case, that means Chris…and Leland dressed as a girl.

Club at Your Own Risk

Clubbing is often a high-energy, potentially high-risk activity. On the one hand, the bright lights, thumping music, and party atmosphere can suck people in. On the other hand, if you’re not careful, bad things can happen to you. Lazarus does a great job of capturing both aspects of the nightclub, and capture them well. The background art alone is praiseworthy and eye-catching, but it’s the smooth animation of the club-goers that makes the place really entertaining. It’s very much like the kind of club that you would expect the young and hip to attend…and for creeps to try and take advantage of people.

From the start, Sam and his guy posse are portrayed as nothing but one-dimensional sleazebags trying to take advantage of women. Sam himself drugs the women he brought with him, which is morally reprehensible and disgusting! His hired DJ, Visionary, is no better, trying to hit on a disguised Leland. Not to mention how the man has no respect for his craft, leaving it up to AI to do all the heavy work for him! And, as Eleina figures out, he’s also the hacker they’re after.

A High-Stake Helicopter Chase!!

The entire experience at the nightclub is capped off by something that is a staple of many a good action film: an honest-to-goodness nightclub shootout. Axel and Doug make short work of the guards, while Chris gives Sam some well-deserved karma for being an enemy of all women.

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And Watanabe continues the trend of beautiful women who can kick men’s asses. All of this culminates in yet another staple of the action film genre: a high-speed chase on a helicopter with Axel flying a drone after them like he’s the Green Goblin!

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Hapna is the Real Deal, and Really Dangerous

Sadly, their efforts prove to be for naught. Neither Sam nor Dr909/Visionary/Donald McDonald know nothing about Skinner. They were just taking advantage of the chaos to earn money, like the wastes of space they were. The one consolation is that these events confirmed that Delta, a medicinal company, was aware of the dangers behind it. Only 24 days remain before Hapna becomes lethal, and if people were doubting this fact, the episode gives major proof otherwise. In the final scene, we see a group of monkeys in a lab that were likely used to test Hapna start to die. In other words, this drug is the real deal.

This was a fun episode in a series that, thus far, has been fun to watch. People seem to love Lazarus so far!

I Give “Don’t Stop the Dance” a 4/5

‘Lazarus’ Got me Craving Baklava

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

Lazarus Ep 3 Review

The hunt for Dr. Skinner has begun, yet so far, there are no leads as to where he could be hiding. Right when Lazarus thought they had a clue, it turned out to be a dead-end. However, with the fate of the human race in the balance, this ragtag band of misfits canโ€™t afford to give up! Whether by fate or dumb luck, they manage to get their hands on another possible lead to Skinnerโ€ฆand it has to do with a delicious, Turkish pastry.

Firstly, though, it feels important to talk about how each episode starts off with a speech about the effects of Hapna, seemingly given by each member of Lazarus. They talk about their thoughts on the โ€œmiracleโ€ drug and how it managed to change the world. This week, it appears to be Chris speaking, talking about how Hapna seemingly solved the pain that comes with living, but also questions if that pain is an integral part of life. Itโ€™s very philosophical, and it doesnโ€™t always make sense. Yet it does bring up an intriguing question about life.

Never Underestimate a MacGuffin

At the end of the last episode, Lazarusโ€™ resident hacker, Eleina, managed to locate Skinner using facial recognition technology. However, it would seem the Doctor thought ahead, paying someone to replicate his face on thousands of individuals. It seems brilliant, but as Doug points out, it all but eliminates the possibility that heโ€™s disguising himself. In addition, Eleina is able to deduce that, besides herself, only two other hackers are capable of this feat. If they find the hacker, they can use them to track down Skinner.

Once again, the team splits into two pairs. Chris and Leland head to Skinnerโ€™s home to find any clues the authorities missed, while Axel and Doug look for Dougโ€™s old mentor, who once worked with Skinner.

The searching of Skinnerโ€™s home might not seem that important, but upon closer inspection, there were a few things that stand out. The first is the sheer number of hardy plants he has, such as cacti. It may not seem like much, but the fact that he preferred plants know for surviving harsh conditions could help build a better psychological profile of the Doctor. If you know how a subject thinks, you can guess what theyโ€™ll do. The second is that Chris finds a small, orange pill that the authorities overlooked. It may seem insignificant now, but thereโ€™s a good chance it could wind up being important macguffin down the line.

Good on anime for the Transgender Woman

The real focus of the episode, though, is on Axel and Dougโ€™s search for Dougโ€™s old college professor. This takes them to a homeless shelter led by a friend from Axelโ€™s prison days. And a quick sidebar: good on the show for deciding to make this person a transgender woman. Not everyone will approve of this, but including it demonstrates how society is working to become more accepting of such things. Plus, Jill also gives some insight into Axel and his ability to adapt to any environment yet never get too close to others.

Also, it might just be my imagination, but did one of those homeless people happen to look like Dr. Skinner? Was that a goof, or possible foreshadowing?

I now Want Baklava

Either way, while Dougโ€™s mentor doesnโ€™t know where Skinner is, he does give Lazarus their first concrete clue, mentioning the Doctorโ€™s only known relative. As a result, Axel and Leland head for Istanbul in search of this relative, Grandma Belinda. The resulting chase and fight sequence provides another example of how Watanabe is able to craft attention-grabbing action without being overtly flashy. Plus, it was funny to hear the two get out of trouble by saying they wanted to try some of Grandma Belindaโ€™s baklava.

There really is nothing better to eat in this world than the cooking made by oneโ€™s family. And once she opens up to them, Belinda is rather willing to help them find her wayward grandson. At the very least, she shows them a video he sent her three years earlier, possibly around the time he was getting ready to introduce Hapna to the world. Plus, Axel does find a hidden camera, presumably left by Skinner himself. And that ended up leading to the hacker making their move and falling right into Eleinaโ€™s trap.

Twenty-six days remain before Hapna starts to turn fatal, and Lazarus has its first real lead. The hunt is only going to escalate from this point forward. This is shaping up to be quite the globetrotting mystery!

I Give “Long Way from Home” a 4/5

Oh, Skinner, Where Art Thou?

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Lazarus Ep 2 Review

Twenty-nine days. Thatโ€™s all the time that humanity has to find Dr. Skinner and the cure for Hapna. Otherwise, everyone who has ever taken the โ€œmiracleโ€ drug is going to start dying. And since almost everyone has taken the drug, the human race faces extinction. Now, itโ€™s up to Lazarus, a ragtag task force of misfits, to get to Skinner and save the world like superheroes.

Thereโ€™s just one problem: they have no idea how to find Skinner!

Firstly, though, letโ€™s gush over the OP to Lazarus. Whether it was Watanabe himself or the people who worked with him to create the anime, they must have been taking a page from Cowboy Bebop. From the way it makes extensive use of big, stylized text in the background while having the main characters remain shadowed or in black-and-white in the foreground, โ€œVORTEXโ€ takes a lot from Bebop. In addition, the music, while more subdued compared to โ€œTANKI,โ€ still has the notable inclusion of the jazz music that Watanabe is so fond of. Itโ€™s clear that Watanabe is aiming to make Lazarus the spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop, and so far, heโ€™s succeeding!

A Ragtag Bunch of Misfits

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The first half of the second episode is largely focused on one of two things: introducing us more to the members of Lazarus and exploring Dr. Skinner’s motives. When it comes to the former, the show seems to adopt a โ€œless is moreโ€ attitude regarding their backstories, though it does establish that each of them has things in common. Theyโ€™ve each committed crimes of some sort, ranging from petty theft to hacking on a global scale. Each of them is insanely talented in an area of expertise:

  • Axel is an all-rounder and a genius escape artist.
  • Doug is good in combat and can think well under pressure
  • Christine is skilled with multiple firearms
  • Leland is an expert on piloting drones
  • Eleina is a master hacker notorious around the globe

Furthermore, each of them admits to having taken Hapna, meaning theyโ€™ve got skin in the game and a reason to locate Dr. Skinner.

As for Dr. Skinner himself, the premiere already established that he made Hapna a deadly trap because he was fed up with humanity. This episode elaborates on that by giving us an exposition dump about his backstory, and it soon becomes obvious why he came to this mindset. He devoted his entire life to helping others, to the point where he gave up the money he couldโ€™ve gotten off patents for his drugs. In addition, he was a major voice in the fight against climate change, urging people to do everything they could to undo the damage humans have done to the Earth. As is often the case in real life, his pleas were met by apathy and silence from those in a position to do something about it. Hence why he likely made Hapna a trap; he decided mankind wasnโ€™t worth saving.

And I donโ€™t blame him.

Look, Mankind Needs to Get its Act Together

As much as I want to see mankindโ€™s continued existence, there are times when I cannot help but wonder if it would be better if we werenโ€™t around. That being said, I feel the ultimate solution is for us to spread across the stars so the Earth can have some breathing room. I still have faith in mankindโ€™s ability to grow and change, and it feels like Lazarus is being set up as a symbol of that optimism.

In a laymanโ€™s terms, Lazarus might be a story of optimism vs cynicism, but we wonโ€™t know until the story is finished.

Oh, and Lazarus has armbands that will melt their hands off if they try to go AWOL. Theyโ€™re basically the Suicide Squad meets the Avengers.

A Wild Goose Chase

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The back half of the episode sees the entire group splitting up to track down leads on Dr. Skinner. Unfortunately, the man seems to have covered his tracks very thoroughly to make things as hard as possible. Case in point, Axel and Chris head to a survival shelter they think Skinner purchased, while Leland and Doug head to the office of the company he bought it from. At first, the deserted atmosphere of both makes it seem like thereโ€™s a greater conspiracy at work, especially when people show up and start threatening the team. In a humorous twist, though, not only is the person they find not Dr. Skinner, but the people shooting at them werenโ€™t even looking for him. They spent a whole day on a wild goose chase for a man who ran out on his debts.

This is going to be harder than we thought, and there are only 28 days remaining. It can be easy for someone of Skinnerโ€™s intellect to disappear, and it could take years to find him. Lazarus has less than a month before humanity faces extinction. In the meantime, though, I’m going to be enjoying this potential second coming Cowboy Bebop.

Join the chase. Catch an all new episode of #Lazarus next Saturday at midnight! Only #Toonami, on adult swim.

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— Toonami Squad (@toonamisquad.com) April 13, 2025 at 12:38 AM
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I Give “Life in the Fast Lane” a 4/5

Uzumakiย is One of the Scariest Anime I’ve Ever Seen

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

Uzumaki Mini-Series Review

During the spooky season of the year, I like to ignore my usual tendency to avoid horror and find things freak me out. The problem is that there’s still that upper limit of what I can tolerate before I get too scared to sleep. I’ve gotten better at pushing that limit as I’ve gotten older, but that’s just made me look for even scarier things. And whether by fate or by coincidence, I managed to learn about Uzumaki, a mini-series on Toonami and based on a popular manga that people said would be terrifying.

They were not lying. I watched all of Uzumaki, and it’s one of the scariest things I’ve seen in years. An absolute cosmic horror from which there seems to be no escape.

A Horror a Quarter-Century in the Making

An anime twenty-five years in the making, Uzumaki was published as a short manga from 1998-1999 by mangaka Junji Ito. For those who don’t know who that is, calling him the “Stephen King of Japan” should be enough of a hint. Set in the fictional, Japanese town of Kurouzu-Cho, Uzumaki tells the story of high-school couple Shuichi and Kirie as a mysterious curse related to spirals (Uzumaki literally means ‘Spiral’ in Japanese) begins to corrupt the town. And the longer it goes on, the worse it gets as the town is slowly transformed by something that no one can fully explain, but everyone comes to fear.

The Uzumaki is Everywhere

One would think that a curse involving something simple as spirals wouldn’t be so scary, but if there’s one thing that I’ve learned watching this, it’s that Junji Ito can find a way to make things scary. And as the anime demonstrates, he made spirals pretty scary.

From the first few seconds of the anime, you are inundated with the image of uzumaki, both real and imaginary, in the form of the clouds in the sky to the bark on a tree to even some blades of grass. Things only escalate from there. As the anime progresses, viewers and people in-universe will start to see uzumaki in everything. Even the very inhabitants of the town start to morph and transform into grotesque abominations to conform to the spiral. Before long, you’ll be sharing in the paranoia of Shuichi, the first guy to realize something’s wrong yet refuses to get out while he can because of his family and girlfriend.

The brilliant part of this is the fact that the spiral is both natural and supernatural in nature. Spiral patterns are often found in nature in everything from shells to our fingerprints to even the part of our ear that helps us stay balanced. Spirals are also found in art and architecture, as though people have this unconcious desire to make things spiral-related. There’s something about them that gets people’s attention, and Uzumaki plays that up to levels that have to be seen to be believed.

Then again, that seems to be how the Uzumaki spread to engulf the town.  It’s like an Internet troll demanding your attention and doing crazy things to keep it, each more outlandish than the last. You have to actively resist looking at it, but the black-and-white world it’s in makes it hard to ignore.

They Had Five Years and Still Gave us Bad Animation?

One of the big draws to this series is the fact that it’s done entirely in black-and-white. This decision, plus the way the cast’s movement is animated, gives Uzumaki the feel of a motion comic…when it works, that is. The second episode managed to get flak from people for how poorly animated parts of it were near the end, and I have to agree. I usually either don’t notice bad animation unless it’s glaringly obvious, or just ignore it in favor of the story. But when I do see it, I’m going to point it out. What makes it even worse, though, is the fact that the studios had an extra five years to get it right, and they still messed up!

Just look at this in the final episode!

Uzumaki was announced at Crunchyroll Expo 2019, and was originally supposed to premiere on Toonami in 2020. However, like many things around that time, it got delayed by COVID-19 and then the delays just kept piling up.

Call the SCP Foundation if this happens to you.

Shortcomings in animation aside, Uzumaki seems to live up to the hype surrounding this terrifying manga. There were moments that didn’t just scare me but almost made me vomit in disgust. Word of advice: do not watch this alone at night if you don’t want nightmares. Uzumaki is as scary as any big horror film that you can think of. It might even be scarier since the antagonist is something that we can’t even fully comprehend or fight back against…unless you’re the SCP Foundation.

No, I’m not joking. After watching this show, the Uzumaki curse feels like something that you would have to call in the SCP Foundation to deal with. I can even see how they would handle it!

  1. Evacuate the remaining townsfolk via a non-standard method of transportation. Teleportation recommended as only viable means.
  2. Adminster amenstics to the surviving townsfolk so that they no longer remember the Uzumaki curse.
  3. Quarantine the entire town and create a false news story claiming that a disaster has rendered the area permanently uninhabitable to prevent any more victims from being taken.
  4. Monitor the town to confirm whether or not the curse is limited to the vicinity of the town.

Or if they had someone like Takatou, they could have him kill it.

I Give “Uzumaki” a 4/5

Toonami Rewind Set to Return Legendary Block to Weekday Afternoons after 20 Years

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Toonami is a name that almost every fan of anime in America should know about. After all, if it wasn’t for Toonami, anime might never have gained a foothold in the West. Beginning in 1997, Toonami served as an afternoon block on Cartoon Network and helping to bring anime to millions of American children. It proved widely successful, with many people (myself included) crediting it for being a big part of why anime is now mainstream. Much to my dismay, though, I was never able to experience that fabled afternoon block. In April, 2004, Cartoon Network moved it to Saturday nights from 7 to 11 PM, which is where I found it and where it remained until its original cancellation in 2009. Even after it got revived on Adult Swim in 2012, Toonami remained confined to the weekends. Those halcyon days of afternoon blocks, a distant memory.

Or they were. For the first time in almost twenty years, Toonami will be airing on a weekday. 

Over the past few months, Adult Swim has been pushing its runtime back earlier and earlier into the day during the weekdays. Then starting in August of 2023, they upped the ante with Checkered Past. For two hours, they air cartoons from the golden age of the late 90s and 00s, much to the delight of those who grew up with them (like me!) Now, they upping the ante again.

Starting Friday, May 31st, Adult Swim will be airing Toonami Rewind, featuring episodes of the anime that made anime big in the West: Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z (Kai), and one of my all-time favorites, Naruto. It’s only three shows right now, but it’s a start.

That’s not all. Unlike the ongoing Toonami block on Adult Swim, Toonami Rewind will be using the aesthetics of the TOM 3.0 Era. Which, arguably, was the best-looking era of the original Toonami run. 

I never got the chance to see the classic Toonami at its height, having only started watching it after it had moved to Saturday nights. For those who did, though, this is a big win. For an entire generation, Toonami was the after-school block to watch on TV. Not only did it provide an introduction to the world of anime, it gave them the perfect excuse to not worry about things like homework or tests that wouldn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. And while it only consists of three anime right now, who knows? If it does well enough, they might add more in. Either way, Toonami faithful win big!

And, Scene! Ninja Kamui Ends on Cool Note

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

Ninja Kamui Ep 13 Review 

It’s over, people. After three months of watching Higan’s quest for revenge, we have reached the end of the road. Andย Ninja Kamuiย managed to go out on quite theย bang,ย if I do say so myself. With the Ninja now poised to conquer the US, and Joseph ready to blow the AUZA reactors to oblivion, things were looking desperate.ย Butย in a final battle fought on multiple fronts, Higan, Morriss, and Jason not only stop Yamaji and Joseph.ย They prove that the former’s views on the Ninja being cold, uncaring killersย isย wrong.ย 

Joseph Finally Gets his Just Desserts

On the first front, we have Agent Morriss and Jason as they go after their main target, Joseph. After escaping Yamaji’s Ninja for the moment, the cowardly CEO of AUZA attempts to smuggle himself out of the country. On a plane stuffed with pigs. But Morriss isn’t having any of it. Thanks to his instincts and Jason’s hacking, they manage to ruin his ride out of the US. More importantly, Jason manages to hack the satellites that would’ve let Joseph blow the nearest reactor sky-high. The end result is pure cathartsis for Emma’s death, as Morriss proceeds to beat the smug CEO’s face in. Then, when the man boasts how he’ll be out of jail in no time, Morriss pulls a move that would make Batman proud.

For a while, the anime makes it appear that Morriss lost his temper and proceeded to kill Joseph. Given how he killed Emma and committed who knows what other crimes, no one would’ve held it against Morriss. Instead, the Veteran FBI Agent stays true to his moral code and simply makes the cowardly man so scared for his life, he wets himself. Furthermore, hearing Morriss promise Joseph that he’ll come find him if he ever tries to escape justice is pure, unadulterated badass. Knowing Morriss, he’ll be happy to sacrifice his retirement to follow through on that promise. Go ahead and enjoy it, though, Morriss. You’ve earned it.

Yamaji Just Another Would-Be Despot

The big draw of the episode, though, is the fight that’s been built up the entire series: Higan vs. Yamaji. A fight between a Ninja and a former Ninja over the fate of their entire clan. The fight is, naturally, impressive to watch, but what cinches it is how it boils down to a fight of ideals. Yamaji, for his part, continues to insist that his way of thinking is right and that with the Ninja watching over the world, there will be true peace. In other words, the same self-serving spiel that many wannabe conquerers spout; I could feel my eyes rolling as I heard him go on and on about it. While he does get a brief flashback that hints at how he developed his way of thinking from witnessing the horrors of war, it doesn’t matter. Yamaji’s so blinded by anger that he chooses to shut himself off from the world, and thinks that that’s best for everyone.

As Higan and Zai prove, he’s wrong.

Yamaji Proven Wrong, Dies. 

As I hoped, Zai does return for the final battle, and, at a crucial moment, he turns on Yamaji, choosing his friend over the man who turned him into a weapon. It costs him an arm, but it was still nice to know that Mari’s hopes for Zai came true. More importantly, it gives Higan the chance he needs to rally.ย Spurredย on by the memory of his wife and her philosophy on living, with the anime’s OP playing inย full, Higan wastes Yamaji.

And, to sweeten things, we get to see those who remained loyal to the former head of the Clan like Emma take down their brethren. Thus, the threat of the Ninja has ended. Whether or not this means the end of the Ninja as a whole, though, is left up for debate.

Time to Put the Ninjas Behind us

For Higan, though, that doesn’t matter.

Higan started this journey for one reason and one reason alone: to bring down Yamaji and his former clan. In the process, he also managed to reconnect with his old comrade, Zai, and convinces him to find a new purpose in life outside of being a weapon. Having done all he set out to do, Higan heads off for parts unknown, wandering the earth as the series comes to an end.

It’s the kind of ending that would make the likes of John Wick proud, and Iย personallyย loved it.ย Whileย Iย do think thatย the action lagged atย certainย points in the story, I stillย thinkย thatย Ninja Kamuiย was a pretty fun anime to watch.ย While there are someย deeper,ย philosophicalย questions about life that itย seems to pose, I’ve decided that that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.ย All we wanted wasย to see Ninjas doing cool Ninja things, and we got that in spades.ย Iย justย might have to binge-watch the entire thing on Maxย nextย chance I get.ย 

I Give “Episode 13” a 4/5

Yamaji is Out to Conquer the World!

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Ninja Kamui Episode 12 Review

There comes a time in every nation or big organization where the way things work stops working. When they need to chart a new course, evolve, or else they die. In the worst cases, a disillusioned member of that group could decide to burn the whole thing to the ground and start fresh. And, as the penultimate episode of Ninja Kamui indicates, the Ninja have reached that point under Yamaji. And the only one who can bring him down for good is Higan. Otherwise, the whole world will be swallowed by the shadows of the Ninja.

Time to Burn it All Down

As Higan continues to rest from his fight with Zai, he’s visited by the same old doctor who treated his wounds in Episode 2. Except it’s revealed that he isn’t just any elder. His true identity is that of the former Chief of the Ninja before Yamaji seized power. And much like Higan, Aska, Mari, and many others, he thinks its time for the Ninja to either end or be born anew.

This episode delves deeper into the backstory of the Ninja as an organization, and how they defended their native Japan for centuries from the shadows. However, as Japan prospered, they stopped relying on the Ninja to aid them in favor of other groups. The Chief saw the writing on the wall: if they didn’t adapt, they would die out, but he couldn’t see another path beyond the cold, rigid code the Ninja followed. Until he saw Higan, Mari, and Zai embrace their emotions to make them stronger. And he thought that, maybe, that was the future the Ninja could take.

Yamaji is a Stubborn Fool

Yamaji, though, thought the opposite. Instead of embracing change, Yamaji led a coup, nearly killed the Chief, and decided to double-down on their strict code, which led them to work for AUZA. But as the series has demonstrated, that way of thinking won’t help them survive, but hasten their doom. 

Case in point, Dilly, the Ninja protecting Joseph, grew to admire his crazy plans to change the world, and chose him over Yamaji. Ultimately, the conflict of Ninja Kamui could be boiled down to a conflict of tradition vs. change. And in this case, the traditionalists like Yamaji are in the wrong.

It might be too late to save the Ninja from themselves, though.

Joseph, AUZA, and the Ninja Just got Busted

Joseph may have gotten away with his life thanks to Dilly’s sacrifice, but AUZA just got backed into a corner. While he was busy running, James managed to blow the whistle on AUZA by uploading all the dirt Emma/Aska had on them. Illegal activities, the Ninja, the names of high-ranking government officials, everything. And Morris is able to use that to turn the FBI on AUZA. 

Then, Joseph ups the ante by threatening to rig his companies’ reactors to blow sky-high unless the government calls off the hunt for him. And to add even further to the chaos, Yamaji makes his move. Using an army clad in Gusoku Gear, the Ninja drop all forms of stealth and openly attack the US Government. And that’s only the start. Once they’re done in America, they’ll move onto the rest of the world, and with their Gusoku Gear, the world will fall.

The Final Battle is at Hand!

Bravo, E&H Production, Sola Entertainment, and Sungwoo Park. This is the kind of stakes that I have been wanting to see. An army of evil Ninja out for world domination? Using mech suits? That is all kinds of awesome! It’s actually a pity that next week marks the finale to Ninja Kamui, because it just got really, really good. I’m looking forward to seeing the finale, though!

I Give “Episode 12” a 4.5/5

Whoa! Yamaji Just Played Everyone!

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Ninja Kamui Ep 11 Review

The story of Ninja Kamui is coming down to the wire, and things are getting desperate for all sides. Higan and Zai are settling their grudge match, the FBI is hunting Morris, and James is working on getting access to the intel that Emma/Aska stole from AUZA. On the other side, the tension between AUZAโ€™s Joseph and Yamaji ends in the only way it could: with both turning on each other. And by the time the episode ends, the only one in control of anything is Yamaji himself.

A Meeting of Fists and Ideals

There can be more to fighting than an exchange of fists and weapons. Fighting can be about the ideals, the motivations behind the people who are doing it. And much like Naruto and Sasukeโ€™s numerous clashes, the fight between Higan and Zai is less about winning and more about whose side is right. Was Higan right to abandon the Ninja? Was Zai right to remain loyal to Yamaji despite him taking them away from their original ways? Their fight is as much a battle of ideals as it is their fists, and it is epic.

Higan and Zai both put everything on the line as they fight for their ninja ways, with Zai making it known how betrayed he felt by Higan and Mari leaving him. In return, Higan says that they wanted to one day see there could be a life outside the Ninjas, but he was too blinded by anger to listen to them. Mari even hoped that seeing their son would make him realize this. 

Ultimately, the battle itself ends in a draw with neither dead. Given how Zai walks away and starts pounding his fist into ground and crying, though, itโ€™s safe to say that Higan won the argument. Zai has spent his whole life blinded his anger and pain, and pushed away the two people who cared about him as more than just a weapon. Yamaji and the other Ninjas, in contrast, not only berated Zai for not stopping them, but scarred his face as punishment. Thatโ€™s messed up!

Yamaji Played AUZA Like a Fiddle

Meanwhile, even as AUZA needs its plans to control the world from the shadows, schisms have already formed between them and the Ninjas. Having become aware of Yamaji planning to manufacture the Gusoku Gear on their own, Joseph tries to put them in their place by killing them all. 

Yamaji, in return, makes it painfully clear who the Devil is in their deal, and itโ€™s not Joseph. 

If the previous episode didnโ€™t make it clear, this episode does: Yamaji was just using Joseph and AUZA to make the Ninja more powerful. They only wanted the resources to make the Gusoku gear for themselves, and now that they have it, theyโ€™re leaving. And they come close to killing Joseph as they do so. As big of a jerk as he is, a part of you canโ€™t help but feel a little bad seeing him panicking when his bodyguard, Dilly, seemingly throws him out a window. He survives, but still. 

They Have to Leak the Documents!

In the c-plot of the episode, we also have James and Morris finally unlocking the intel that Emma left for them. And it was all thanks to the drawing that Morissโ€™ daughter made for him having her fingerprints. However, to buy time, Moriss gets caught by the police. If they canโ€™t expose AUZA now, then Moriss can look forward to spending his retirement in prison. 

There are two episodes left after this, and things are coming down to the wire. Will any of the characters make it past the finish line? Will Higan avenge his wife and son? The tension is building, and I donโ€™t know if it can be resolved in the short time the show has left.

On a side note, Toonami took the time from this episode to promote the upcoming prequel game, Ninja Kamui: Shinobi Origins. The game looks to be an action side-scroller, and for $24.99, it looks decent. The game releases May 30th, so the anime will still be fresh in peopleโ€™s minds. Maybe Iโ€™ll give it a try.

I Give Ep 11 a 4.5/5

How Zai Joined the Ninjas is So SAD!!

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

Ninja Kamui Ep 10 Review

You remember watching Naruto and remembering how angsty and rage-driven Sasuke was? That led him to abandon the Hidden Leaf Village and study under a criminal for years, and it only escalated from there. Now imagine if it was the reverse that happened. Instead of Sasuke leaving, it was Naruto and Sakura who left instead? That is a basic explanation of what Zai went through when Mari and Higan left, and why heโ€™s so determined to bring Higan down. And with AUZA and Yamajiโ€™s plans getting closer to fruition, the time to settle this grudge draws near. 

Everyone is Sadder than Ever

In the aftermath of Emmaโ€™s death, her friends are left reeling and trying to figure out what to do next. Ideally, they want to expose AUZA using everything that Emma/Aska got from their servers. However, there are two big problems facing them. Firstly, Emma left everything encrypted and only she knew how to decrypt it. Secondly, AUZA managed to be one step ahead of them. They already revealed that their reactors were โ€œattacked by terrorists.โ€ Now any attempts to whistleblow on them could get passed off as fake news or covered up altogether. The worst part is that Morrisโ€™ best plan to take them down, using what few people in the FBI he thinks arenโ€™t on their payroll, doesnโ€™t work. His former partner tries to turn him in.

Whether AUZA can even be brought down remains to be seen. However, the more immediate issue is Yamaji and Zai. 

Zai’s Life is SO SAD!!

I said before that Zai took Higan and Mariโ€™s defection personally due to the bond they forged. However, I underestimated just how personal it was for him, as this episodeโ€™s flashbacks reveal. Unlike Higan and Mari, he wasnโ€™t born into the Ninja, but was recruited.

He was an unwanted orphan held prisoner by a group that Yamaji brought down. Seeing how angry at the world the boy was, Yamaji took him in with the obvious intent of using him as a deadly tool. And for the most part, he succeeded. Zai was a ruthless killer who didnโ€™t care about anyone else. Until their first mission together when Higan saved his life. It was likely the first act of kindness Zai ever got towards him. 

That’s why Zai hates Higan so much. He and Mari were the first people he was ever able to open up to and be vulnerable with. He trusted them, and when they saw how corrupt Yamaji was making the Ninja and left, he took it as a personal betrayal. That led him to double down on his previous beliefs that no one else mattered, and itโ€™s why he needed to kill Higan with his own hands. 

Itโ€™s like Naruto and Sasuke, but with the roles reversed. And theyโ€™re about to have their final showdown.

One More Duel

In the closing moments of the episode, Higan receives a challenge via crow from Zai. While Morris tries to find someone to take the leaked intel and James stays safe, Higan dons the Kamui, travels to a hidden Ninja hideout, and faces Zai for what will likely be the final time. 

Sadly, we will have to wait another week to see the fight in full, if it lasts that long. However, while this fight might be the most personal one that Higan faces, his ultimate enemy remains Yamaji. Even though heโ€™s letting AUZA and that smarmy executive give him orders, the episode makes it clear that hes making plans to double-cross him. Hes been working on getting the schematics for the Gusoku gear so the Ninjas can make them themselves, so heโ€™s likely been playing them this whole time. As much as AUZA needs to go down, the idea of a corrupt group of Ninjas having that kind of suit is just as bad, if not worse. And, as it turns out, I misread the number of episodes. Three episodes actually remain, and Iโ€™m hoping the series reaches a good conclusion before all is said and done. 

I Give Ep 10 a 4/5

Someone Dies at the End

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

Ninja Kamui Ep 9 Review

As if we didnโ€™t need another reason to hate AUZA, they managed to sink our expectations even lower than they already were. With Higan, Aska, Morris, and Jason poised to hit AUZA where it hurts, Joseph, the guy running the shots at AUZA starts to grow more unhinged. And what he does this episode puts him straight at the top of everyoneโ€™s hit list. While the teaser for this episode implied someone would die, it also proved to be a red herring. Someone does die, but itโ€™s not the person everyone was expecting.

Joseph Has no Respect

With Higan and Aska having escaped AUZA not once, but twice, last episode, Joseph is starting to lose it. AUZA is close to finishing their plans to control the world from the shadows, and Higan threatens to undo everything. As a result, he starts coming down hard on Yamaji to do something about Higan. He also chews out Big D for not killing them when he had the chance (he doesnโ€™t care), and tries to coax Zai into going after Higan the first chance he gets. The majority of the episode is him yelling at everyone at how theyโ€™re going to ruin everything.

From the outset, the anime made it clear that Joseph is a horrible person. Heโ€™s arrogant, rude, and condescending to everyone around him, and itโ€™s clear that Yamaji doesnโ€™t respect him. The fact that Joseph threatens to make the former commit seppuku for his failures only highlights how ignorant and uncaring the man is towards the ways of the ninja. Yamaji even lampshades that ignorance by pointing out seppuku was never a ninja thing. That was the Samurai! 

In contrast to this, though, Big D proves that even though heโ€™s on AUZAโ€™s side, he has more respect for the ninja way. He refused to kill Higan when he wasnโ€™t at his full strength, and he pointedly ignores Josephโ€™s grilling while he gets his haircut. More to the point, when he and Higan do face off in their Gusoku suits this episode, he doesnโ€™t want anyone to interfere. So when AUZA troops show up to try and kill everyone, he objects. Moreover, when Higan does win, he takes the defeat with grace and is willing to die at his hands. Heโ€™s got more respect for ninjas than Joseph ever does. A fact thatโ€™s made clear by Joseph rigging Big Dโ€™s suit to self-destruct in a last-ditch attempt to kill Higan!

It doesnโ€™t work. But it does take someone elseโ€™s life besides Big D.

F in the Chat…for Aska.

Based on the previews for this episode, it looked like Agent Morris was going to die. The fact that heโ€™s about to retire, his daughter is dead and his wife has left him all seemed like death flags to me. However, he manages to survive the episode. Tragically, there is someone else who dies thanks to the explosion: Aska. She isnโ€™t able to get out of the blast in time, and spends her final moments being comforted by Higan, Morris, and James. 

This was such a massive shocker to see. Considering how close she came to dying a few episodes ago, this caught me off-guard. And as the three are cremating her remains, you can tell how done they are with AUZA. Aska was the reason that Higan managed to survive the attempt on his life, even if his family didnโ€™t. James respected her as a hacker. And Morris admits that he thought of her as a second daughter. Imagine getting a second chance to be a parent only to have that ripped away from you? 

At this point, there are three episodes left, and the trio are ready to burn AUZA to the ground. This anime hasnโ€™t been the most action-filled you could find, but itโ€™s still been a good show to watch. And Iโ€™m hoping that before itโ€™s done, Joseph is lying on the ground wetting himself while they make him pay. 

I Give “Episode 9” a 4/5