Author: AidanAK47

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World Review – 91/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World, Reviews by AidanAK47

I will be the first to admit that this is very much a biased review as I have come to love this series very dearly and will now proceed to devour every piece of entertainment related to it that I can find until the day a second season is confirmed. The story involves a boy who is suddenly transported to a fantasy world while shopping and follows his adventure to save a girl from a gruesome fate. However what makes this different for the usual fare is that our protagonist has no magic superpowers or special abilities besides one. When he dies he returns to a point back in time and can use his new knowledge to guide things to a better outcome. With this the story follows the Subaru’s tale as he goes through time loops till the point when he can make things right. All the while dealing with the heavy psychological scars of suffering death time and time again. As you can tell Subaru is the one with the most focus and also gets the bulk of the character development for the show.

His transformation is a fascinating one which makes him one of the more interesting protagonists to come out of anime in a while. Subaru is flawed selfish character which differentiates him from the heroic white knight he wishes people to see him as. It makes him remarkably refreshing when compared to the heroes of these kinds of stories as he is unmistakably human. Subaru usually doesn’t truly fight the villains he faces but instead helps and guides those who can defeat them. The story can get quite dark as Subaru deals with some pretty heavy PTSD and a world that is outright cruel and unforgiving to a normal human being.

White Fox did a great job in bringing this story to life though the art style could be better and when compared to the animation powerhouses of Ufotable or madhouse it does fall short. But it gives the fights of the series the dynamic movement and focus to make action exhilarating. Presentation overall is marvelous and adaption of the source isn’t perfect but is pretty good nonetheless.  The music deserves special mention as the staff aimed for a more cinematic feel to the sound and it really shows. The thing that really makes the best moments of this series hit hardest is the music playing at that time. Though equal praise can go to the voice actors who just did a great job throughout.

One particular standout choice when adapting this was to on several occasions cut out the opening and ending to put in more content. As a result the opening and ending of the show is not often used but in exchange we get over an extra episodes worth of content from the series. As sparingly used as they are, the opening and ending do a decent job of showing what the show is about and the songs are serviceable. Animation remains fairly consistent throughout the run with the director compensating for what drops in quality there are with atmosphere and suitable use of still frames.

Despite my praises for this show I will admit that there are a number of things here which could not to be to anothers liking. I do adore this show but it is far from perfect and if some cannot find enjoyment in it I can at least see why. For a few examples, the main heroine of the show remains a fairly bland one dimensional character for this season and for the most part is completely overshadowed by the female cast of the series second half. As the series continues she seems to assume a role of a plot device to keep the story moving forward. Subaru’s meta jokes can be rather annoying and can grate on a viewer’s nerves. As well as Subaru’s general attitude which can border on obnoxious at times. The villains of each arc while serviceable and likeable to extent lack any real character depth and have motivations that range from gleeful sadism to just performing a job.

When a story arc of the series ends the series feels rather directionless up until the point that Subaru starts looping again. Despite the series going to great lengths to show Subaru as an average human being with no superpowers, the story still cheats and has him perform some clearly superhuman feats such as welding a club his own size with one hand and performing some ridiculous midair acrobatics. This is also the question that the story tends to veer away from is the matter of Subaru’s past and more importantly the family he left behind in his old world which is never addressed or elaborated on.

Due to the adaption cutting out material it can seem at times that Subaru is pulling solutions out of nowhere. The level of sadism the plot pushes on our protagonist can get a bit too much, particularly during the middle part of the series. This sadism is offset by the times when Subaru gets his act together and suddenly everyone is praising him which can feel disingenuous on the author’s part. Moreover even if the story does aim to go against the trends of standard Light Novel storytelling, it still does rely on standard tropes for the fountain of the cast. Therefore the cast that doesn’t get developed can be a bit run of the mill, a primary example being Beatrix who by all accounts is a pretty standard tsundere loli. Subaru also appears to be gathering a harem of girls by series end. Lastly the entirely of this 2 cour series feels only to be a prologue of a much grander story to come which at this point in time may not be animated. Yes if you dislike this series I can at least get as to why that may be but even if the reasons above are not contributing factors, the story is of a kind of love it or hate it quality.

That said if you do take a liking to it then it will have you hooked from start to finish. Re:Zero uses a lot of cliffhangers leaving you scrambling for the next episode and has a very addictive quality about it that can make episodes breeze by in what feels like minutes to the viewer. Characters may start out stereotypical but quite a number of them become absolutely lovable by the shows end. The battles in the show feel high stakes as with the nature of Subaru’s power allows the possibility that everyone can die at any given moment, giving battles a tension not seen often in stories. The cinematic feel can lead to some truly outstanding moments with the end of episode 15 being a massive high point. Re:Zero is a story that starts good, becomes very good ten episodes in and by episode fifteen it becomes great. I do think that this will be an anime to be remember and one still recommended years from now.

It ends with a fairly decent conclusion but it is true that this really needs a sequel to truly make use of the plot points brought in it’s last episodes. Even if you hate it, you must admit there is a reason this show is as popular as it is and when it comes to over excited new anime fans, which would prefer they be throwing at there friends claiming it’s is the pinnacle of anime? This? Or Sword Art Online? An anime where you have to work and suffer to earn your happy ending? Or an anime where everything is handed to you, you are praised for being super special and important for no reason? I know which of the two I prefer and I say instead of a new SAO movie we just pump out two more seasons(Or more) of this. I don’t care what needs to be done to accomplish that, get on it White Fox. Good work, keep it up, I look forward to buying the Blu-Rays and Rem is best girl. I will accept no debate on that last matter. Good day.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 25

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World

Well it’s over and what a ride it was. Betelgeuse is defeated, everyone is saved and Subaru gets to confess his love to Emilia to leave the series off on a hopeful note. Only thing that would have made it better is more Rem but let us be frank, there is never enough Rem. I did wonder just how Subaru was going to stop Betelgeuse from possessing his body but the way he did it was the ultimate way to take him own. By bringing Sattella out while Betelgeuse was possessing him, he gives Betelgeuse a chance to meet the witch he so desperately loves only to have Sattella herself reject him. He’s crushed, the person he has adored and worked for all this time bashes him out of Subaru like batting away a cockroach. What little sanity Betelgeuse had left is surely gone now but what I find most interesting is the words he shouts to Subaru as he chases him in his new demonic form.

“I haven’t forgotten a single moment of all the things you did for me. Even if you have forgotten.” This words sound oh so very familiar. In fact they sound exactly like that of what Subaru said to Emilia. To a strange degree, Betelgeuse’s and Subaru’s objectives may indeed be the same. Though Subaru wishes to save and repay Emilia. While Betelgeuse wishes to save and repay Sattella. Perhaps Betelgeuse is also someone who was taken from his world and thrown into this one. He may have even had return by Death at one point as he speaks of Sattella not remembering him. Perhaps what Subaru is going through right now is some sort of rite of passage for an Archbishop of sin. Perhaps he is pride after all.

While Subaru’s intentions are for the best, I feel he is being somewhat rude to Emilia in how he planned to keep her out of this as much as possible. It goes to show that he has not got over his issues yet but it is surprising that Emilia took being deliberately removed from the equation so well. Even setting her up with the kids to insure that she didn’t do anything reckless. I seen it a bit in the last episode as well where Emilia seems disappointed in the fact that everything had already been worked out without her involvement. But it seems that any misgivings will not be addressed in this finale. As finales go this was somewhat predictable but not unwelcome as Subaru is given a last minute mission to reach emilia before the bomb he forgot about in the last run explodes. With Betelgeuse chasing after it gives Subaru a moment to shine before the end.

Particularly like that Otto redeemed himself for his actions before and even the oil he bought is put to use as Subaru uses it to set Betelgeuse on fire. Still it was interesting that Subaru kept sidestepping telling Otto what exactly was chasing them as he likely remembers what Otto did before to save his own hide. Subaru save Emilia and confesses his love to her with admittedly some words he outright stole from Rem’s confession. Got to admit that was a really scumbag move to use the words of the girl you rejected to snag the girl you wanted. But C’est la vie. They went overboard on the brightness at the end that it was near blinding but still it’s a good note to go out on.

Overall I see this a very solid ending though I do see there is those lamenting that White fox left out the full ending of Arc 3. Having spoiled myself on what exactly that is I wholeheartedly disagree as if they did go with that ending I would have had to buy a plane ticket to japan, visit White Fox and hold them at gunpoint till they made a second season. This ending at least gives Subaru a happy finale for now and while there are loose story threads at least if this turned out to be the only season of this show we get then this makes for a fitting end. Plus it’s not a filler ending so I believe White Fox can pick up right where this left off with no trouble. So we get a satisfying ending that leaves room to make a sequel so all and all I believe this to be a perfect end point for now. A second season is pretty much guaranteed considering the popularity of the series but when we get it might take a while. After all Attack on Titan is still waiting on it’s second season. For now I would like White Fox to confirm that a second season is planned. It’s highly likely but just having the confirmation would put my mind at ease. Though one thing we can take into account is just what Re:Zero’s success could mean for the industry as a whole.

Chances are that more web novel adaptations are coming our way and there’s even one about to be announced for a Knight’s & Magic web novel series.(Not confirmed but they said they have an important announcement and whenever something has an important announcement, it’s an anime.) Considering that web novel is pretty much trash that doesn’t make me too happy and this does have me concerned that an abundance of utterly terrible web novel adaptations are coming. I mean I wouldn’t turn away a Rising of the Shield Hero or Mushoku Tensei adaption but let me say if you think light novels are horribly written self indulgent power fantasies then web novels are going to be so much worse for you. I hate that a good show like this could lead to a worsening effect on the industry as a whole and thus garner unjust hatred towards this series. Let us hope that is merely pessimism speaking on my part and that doesn’t happen.

Mob Psycho 100 – 10

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Mob Psycho 100

Plenty of action this week as Mob, Terumi and Dimple take on the major members of claw. As far as what happen this episode feels a lot like your standard fare for a shounen anime series. The main group infiltrating an enemy base, split up and encounter the enemies in one on one style battles. It’s a little too standard and even ONE himself mocked this in One Punch Man when Saitama and Genos reached the house of Evolution which was a servel floored deathhouse which you would assume the heroes would have to go through encountering foes alike. But then Genos just blasts the whole building to oblivion. Here however it’s played straight and in that regard it is a little dull despite the animation being quite interesting for the fights themselves.

A particular standout moment had to do with a group of henchmen who encounter Ritsu while he is rescuing one of the captured awakening lab espers. Just when the henchmen are about to fight them, an old grizzled henchman tells them all to stand down. Saying that there is no way in hell that normal henchmen like them can take down an esper. Despite this decision rooted in cynicism rather than wisdom, this man is absolutely right.  Making this guy the smartest henchman I have ever seen as he knew he was outmatched and decided to stand down. Unlike him though, most of the other henchmen follow the normal route and try to fight the likes of Teruki, Dimple and mob thus naturally getting destroyed in no time.

So this episode consisted of fighting and people running around which naturally gives me little to work with. I was surprised to see Mob get beaten up by a physic physical fighter again only for Mob to reveal that he was holding back from fighting because she was a woman. Through once she commented that his chivalry was insulting to her as a fighter then Mob naturally knocked her out with no trouble offscreen. Mob really has ingrained Regains lessons into his mind to a degree that they could be considered a weakness. Though these lessons are important for Mob to retain his humanity. The animation of the fights can get a bit messy but the animators must be having fun with the level of movement they can work with. Teruki’s fight against the pyrokinesis scar did have some remarkable fire animation. So now the group has been captured and it’s really a waiting game for when Mob wakes up to destroy them all. However the organization’s leader looks to have appeared and he seems oddly familiar.

91 Days – 09

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

After the drama of last episode this series takes so time to cool off as we see the aftermath of Corteo’s actions. For the most part it appears to have worked for the Vanettis benefit as without a head the Orco family is essentially finished and thus have incorporated themselves into the Vanettis. This hasn’t caused the Vanettis to be lenient with Corteo as he’s being interrogated in a garage outside the estate. This puts Avilio in an interesting position as his friend that he dragged into this mess is now being tortured for information. It is here that I really would like to know exactly what Avilio is thinking as I can’t discern his exact feelings about this situation. In front of the Vanetti’s, Avilio is as cool as a cucumber, never showing a sign of weakness. Outside he’s a little more aggravated but I question as to exactly why that is.

The obvious reason would be his own guilt over his friend suffering because of his own actions but I happen to see another reason as to why this particular scenario would make him equally flustered. After all Corteo is the only one who knows Avilio’s true name and real agenda for joining up with Nero. If Corteo breaks under the torture or speaks out of revenge then Avilio is completely screwed. It would be debatable as to how much faith the mafia family would put in Corteo’s words but it certainly would light some suspicions about Avilio and make his goal harder to reach. It’s that which has me wonder as to just what is getting Avilio worked up here. Guilt or self preservation? Nero is also made Don in this episode which may be part of Avilio’s plan for all I know. The former Don remarks about how he was never able to protect what really mattered in the end which may be his way of saying the Nero that even as the head of a mafia family, one can be powerless.

However as Avilio goes to rescue/potentially silence Corteo, someone else gets to him first and killed one of his guards while lightly injuring Ganza. Here is the first point of suspicion against Ganza which ultimately justified his reveal of being the man who sent Avilio the letter and likely the fourth man whom Nero mentioned. This doesn’t really stand all the well with me as all the evidence which points towards Ganzo is given in this episode when before he was mainly a background character. For a show that generally puts a lot of subtle visual foreshadowing, I think it as cheating to only just lay groundwork right before the reveal. It feels unplanned and it calls to question as to why Ganzo didn’t get more screen presence for this reveal to get a reaction besides a “Oh, so it was that guy.” I have praised this show for it’s show don’t tell policy of storytelling but I must admit that it is keeping a little too much to itself. Avilio is the obvious example as his plan of revenge has been an enigma for the start and his stoic nature makes it hard to see what he is really thinking. He is now in a position where he can kill Nero easily and take out the don while he’s at it.

Yet Avilio still plays the role of faithful lackey for a large amount of time. Still the series did tease the thought of Avilio killing Nero near the end of the episode as he was given an ultimatum by Ganzo to kill Nero to save Corteo. Sadly this tease holds no tension as we all know that Nero is going to be the finale. They are not going to kill him next because they have been clearly setting him up to be the last man Avilio kills. Even the promotional material right from the start insinuates this. Still the only thing which could be delaying his death from a narrative standpoint is the identity of the fourth man. Which Avilio could have easily gotten either by questioning Nero to a greater degree or even forcing it out of him before killing him. Really, just why is Avilio procrastinating? Has he taken a liking to the Mafia life? Has he come to think of Nero as a friend? Is he just losing his nerve to go through with it? Whether these emotions are swirling inside Avilio or not we do not know, for all we see is a grim faced man who looks like he has a plan..

This may be why 91 Day’s engaged me so much more last episode when Corteo was the focus. You knew what was going on in Corteo’s head which it made him relatable and the situation all the more engrossing. However I never know what’s going on in Avilio’s head and he rarely shows his emotions so I can’t relate to his situation. He is ever stone faced, seemly apathetic of his surroundings. Thus because he isn’t moved by the situation, I too as a viewer is equally unmoved. This may be at the core of why 91 Day’s isn’t as engaging as it by all rights should be. Still with the unveiling of it’s greatest question we may be at the point where Avilio’s nature will be unraveled and his plan finally comes into play. Once Ganzo is taken care of there really will be nothing stopping Avilio from taking his revenge. With so few episodes left I think this slow burn needs to turn into an inferno.

2016 Fall Anime Season Preview

by AidanAK47, posted in Seasonal Previews

There are times when I think that time hates me. After all my work hours go by so slowly that one would think time has stopped. Yet my spare time flies by that I look at a clock and one minute later look again to see an hour has gone by. I barely feel this season even started and yet it’s already ending and we got a whole new lineup to see. I previously said the current season looked to be a rather weak one but it has brought a number of surprises. The question is whether that will happen again as this season is looking potentially weaker. The large amount of original shows certainly increases the chances of a number of hidden gems so you never really know until it’s over.

My usual method of checking out every bit of source material I could find didn’t fair too well this time due to the large amount of anime original and untranslated works. But if I could get my hands on it, I checked it out. This season we are doing something a bit different. My usual way of doing this has become a bit outdated not that we have a number of authors on the blog. So instead of the poll below being used to decide one of the shows I will cover, we will use the poll as a means of figuring out just what you want us to cover. Basically it will be more or less the same but the top pick may not be covered by yours truly. Feel free to vote for as many shows as you would like.

This poll is no longer accepting votes

What will you be watching this winter?
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Once again thanks to Mario for gathering the images and the others for inputting their two cents on certain shows. Let us get started.

 

The sequels/prequels I don’t care about

12-Sai. Chiccha na Mune no Tokimeki 2

AJIN 2

Bubuki Buranki: Hoshi no Kyojin

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS 2

Cardfight!! Vanguard G Next

Digimon Universe: App Monsters

Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou

Hibike! Euphonium 2

Kaitou Joker 4

SHOW BY ROCK!! 2

Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans 2

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Legend Star

ViVid Strike!

 

Series I don’t look forward to

 

Bloodivores

 

60 years ago, a strange case of insomnia struck the population, forcing them to stay awake for more than a full week. The victims, completely sleep deprived, all went mad. To cure this illness, a new medicine was produced, but the side effects turned the patients into vampires. Humanity went to war against this new species and triumphed, but some of the vampires managed to survive. Born from a Human and a Vampire, the main character Mi Liu, “The Child of Hope”, is to represent the new hope that will connect the two species. Ringleader of a bank robbery, Mi Liu is arrested and transferred to a special prison of the National Defense Agency that monitors Vampires. Trying to break free with Anji, Mi Liu is attacked by strange monsters and he finds out that the prison location corresponds to the birthplace of Vampires, the old capital “Blue Town.” Why are Vampires trapped in Blue Town? What are those strange monsters attacking them? Our heroes must fight to solve those mysteries.

Studio: Creators in Pack TOKYO

What happens in the backstory of this show sounds much more interesting than the show itself. A world driven made by insomnia? That is actually a pretty interesting concept. But nope, it’s just backstory to justify vampires. Really gotta hand it to the scientists that somehow managed to turn people into vampires when trying to cure insomnia. Anyway we have no staff information and it might surprise some that this is an adaption of a Chinese web comic originally called Space-TIme Prisoner. Based on what little I read it’s really nothing to write home about. Fairly mediocre, much like The Outcast series airing in the summer season. I quite like that anime is being created of non-japanese works but I really wish they could pick something a little more worth it.
Continue reading “2016 Fall Anime Season Preview” →

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 24

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World

Things seem to be wrapping up as things approach the finale and one of my previous assumptions turns out to be correct in that Subaru died last episode and his “save point” was updated to the point after the White Whale. This really does show that this curse doesn’t just randomly decide where to bring Subaru back to, but it feels calculated. Decided by another entity, namely the jealous witch. Speaking of her we learn of the reason as to why the witches cult is after Emilia and it looks like they plan to test whether she is an appropriate vessel for Satella. However what is interesting is that even if Satella rejects Emilia’s body the witch will still be reborn in some fashion in the future. Given that Puck has frozen over the manor(Or if his contract is true, the world.) in all of Subaru’s previous loops, it’s safe to say that Satella rejects her body as a host.

Perhaps this is merely because it isn’t the right time as I believe Satella really did bring Subaru to the world to protect Emilia till the day she takes her over. On that note Emilia has a small moment as Subaru incognito helps her recognize that the children don’t hold the same animosity towards her as the adults do. Even with this I can’t help but notice that right up to the end of the series she has been a rather flat character. I have heard tales that might change in the future but as of now I see Rem as the true series heroine and Emilia as more of a plot McGuffin.

When I see Subaru succeed it fills me with conflicting emotions. On one hand it’s a great payoff to the long journey of agony he has gone through to reach this point and is is quite satisfying. However when the story turns like this then it edges towards becoming the generic Light Novel setup that it has actively avoided. It is a somewhat silly worry of mine but I know of how fast a story can slip into the trappings of this particular genre and end up derivative. The common main fall factor is when the protagonist gets god modded and thus the remainder of the story becomes a string of battles to show how amazing the main protagonist is to other people. That’s why when I see Subaru succeed and everyone praise the hell out of him, I worry that the story may take a turn into wish fulfilment power fantasy.

But then I remember that the author is a complete sadist and the chances of that happening are quite slim. I will admit that the author has done a great job of setting the tone as in this episode everything goes exactly as planned. Thus because everything is working out it leaves the viewer with immense suspicion that something is going to go wrong. Because we have been here before and last time punched us in the gut. As Subaru leads everyone to a complete perfect victory I had a small part of my mind preparing for the story to stab me right in the heart. The problem is I have no idea as to when the attack comes.

Subaru did remark about how terrifying his existence must be to the witches cult and honestly he has a point in that regard. We know what he has gone through to get to this point but to anyone looking from the outside, Subaru is some random person who showed up out of nowhere and knows your every move. I interests me as to how this will affect Subaru in the future as he is given off the impression that he is some master Tactician and earning massive respect from the people he is leading. What makes this troublesome for him in the future is that he cannot possibly live up to that respect without abusing his “Return by Death” which is ultimately a gift from the final endboss of Re:Zero. When it comes time for him to face Satella then he will be at a massive disadvantage as Satella is most likely not going to let him repeat till the point where he can beat her.

But that is a conflict for another day. This day has Betelgeuse being rightly bewildered by Subaru’s ability to see through all of his plans with little effort. This looks to be the end of the demented psychopath which I admittedly took a liking to despite his crazy act being ridiculously over the top. I think the turning point was when I stopped looking at him as a menacing villain and more see him as a evil anime Jim Carrey. Then his whole act just became rather charming. There were some animation blunders(Namely one point were Julius’s mouth disappeared) but the action in this episode was fairly solid and we have a nice lead into the climax of the series.

Well it’s been a long glorious ride of ups and downs but we finally reach the end of Re:Zero. The next episode should be the last unless there is a 26th episode I am uninformed about. The big question is just how White Fox plans to wrap this all up. I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume a second season is guaranteed as this show has been immensely popular not just in Japan but outside it as well. However I have said before that an ending can change everything when it comes to a show. A bad ending is the thing that can change a shows impression from “great” to “very good”. There are worries that the ending will be rushed to accommodate for a lot of material at the end of the arc and there is the question of this last episode being able to provide a satisfying conclusion while leaving room for a sequel.

The absolute worst case scenario would be the series ending on a sequel hook as that would be cruel beyond measure to wait for the light novels to gain enough material for another season. There enough of web novel material, that’s for certain but I highly doubt they will go ahead with a second season using that. My wish is that we leave this story with a nice temporary sendoff that leaves us happy and patient enough to wait for a sequel. But let us remember, this is Re:Zero. Where suffering is the name of the game and nothing goes according to plan. I can hardly predict what cruel machinations Tappei Nagatsuki has awaiting us poor unsuspecting viewers but I can say that my Sundays will be very lonely from now on without this show. This year’s winter looks to be cold indeed.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei – 10

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei

The final battle begins and this show yet again gives me little to work with. It’s funny but being a Fate fan I thought I would be able to go on endlessly about this show with little effort. Yet the pacing of the last few episodes has been dreadfully slow and not a lot has actually happened. That said, what did happen was pretty entertaining. For one our main villain is revealed to not be Darius Ainsworth but instead his son Julius Ainsworth. After being stabbed with Caster’s rule breaker his illusion falls and with it comes what seems to be his original personality. I actually prefer Julius’s now cold serious personality to that of his immense overacting when he was impersonating his father. The question is though, just why was he impersonating his father? Perhaps it as to maintain control of the family after likely killing his own father. What makes this reveal so strange is that this isn’t the first time Julius’s first time appearing as he turns out to be the boy that Beatrix was obsessively fangirling over. She too enters the fray after insinuating that she was just finished enjoying herself and asking to not go into more detail. It’s all too clear just what she was doing but what concerns me is whether all the Ainsworths are related because if so this becomes quite creepy. Well, creepier.

Well I will be damned, Hades really does have a cap of invisibility and here I thought Prisma was making up noble phantasms again. Though the design doesn’t look like it’s from ancient Greece, that’s for certain. What I can say is that it gave Gil some great moments. It’s a pity he’s not taking a more active role but having him bust out Miyu’s brother so the Ainsworths wouldn’t have anything to hold over Miyu was clever. They already knew where he was so getting him out wasn’t a big problem. I do feel bad for Erika this episode as Miyu admitted that she wasn’t her friend but all things considered I understand exactly why Miyu would say that. Erika does not mean any harm but she’s just been too far twisted to really see the wrong in her actions. Seeing her say she would put her trust in Julius just right before getting smothered in what looks like the black mud from the polluted grail was rather heartbreaking. If the parallels to Illya carry true then Erika is likely a holy grail as well so this really doesn’t bode well. Silver Link missed a great chance for some fanservice with servants who failed to get the grail appearing in droves. Come on, we could have had Diarmuid or Castor or Rider show up in mud form but instead we just get a bunch of generic dudes in Armour. Considering the level of power of heroic spirits, there should be no way in hell that Illya and crew should be putting up this much of a fight but we can blame them as being not full manifestations.

Miyu’s brother is revealed and to no one’s surprise it’s alternate universe Shirou. Making an admittedly badass entrance, the boy is ready to hijack the show and I really couldn’t be happier about that. Though I think Sliver Link picked a poor ending point for the episode. Given just thirty more seconds they could have ended this on a much more awesome note. Also it was rather strange to change it so Shirou blocks a hailstorm of arrows on Rin, Bazzet and Luvia because that suggests he can project Rho Aias from a distance. Which I am not certain he can do. The big question is that how is everyone else going to react when the Shirou they know was the lamest version to date compared to what some consider to be the best version of Shirou’s character. It is no joke that Miyuverse Shirou is pretty great as he feels like a combination of Unlimited blade works Shirou and Heaven’s Feel Shirou. He’s almost the halfway point to Archer as evidenced by parts of his skin turning tanned and the small dash of white hair. It’s a pity we won’t see his backstory as that’s for another season. Either way we got a pretty epic battle coming up and I am most certainly ready. Just make sure to play Emiya at one point and this will go marvelously.

Mob Psycho 100 – 09

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Mob Psycho 100

When watching this I really cannot help but draw comparisons back to One Punch Man whether I like it or not. I can see that Mob Psycho is trying to be it’s own thing but when I see the members of Claw gathered around a table I am instantly reminded of the S class heroes of OPM. The Claw members are equally as diverse a set of characters. The big shots of the organisation are referred to as scar’s and this seems to correspond to the scar each member has. The scars themselves were inflicted by the leader of the organisation and it appears the number of scars corresponds to the number of times that member has challenged him. It’s debatable if we shall see this boss in this series or if he is someone who will show up in a sequel which is uncertain to exist after this. This episode for the most part is inbetween time before Mob and Teruki take on the group in earnest.

As the two make their way to save Ritsu, Ritsu himself is dealing with imprisonment within claw as they attempt to brainwash them into working for the organisation. Ritsu looks to have lowered self confidence due to his dose of humble pie and without dimple he isn’t certain he can control his powers as well as he could. It’s nice to see his ego trip end and him move on but I really must question were all that dark personality went. He’s practically a completely different character now as he’s putting faith in the members of the awakening lab who previously he looked down on. Though it’s nice to see he’s not simply sitting back and waiting for his brother to rescue him.

I was greatly surprised with just how easily Mob wiped out the man he previously fought. Before Mob essentially had to go super saiyan to fight with him yet here he easily just pinballs him around the room and calls it a day. Mob makes a comment about not having time to waste, suggesting he wasn’t using his full power on him before but this doesn’t really make sense. Mob was very emotional before when fighting him and it didn’t seem like he was holding back there. Yet the man still managed to withstand it and steal his brother. If Mob could so easily do away with him like this, it begs the question of why didn’t he do it when the man was taking away his brother? It could be a matter like Terada’s first encounter were the two boys simply took him down when he wasn’t ready. But Koyama most certainly looked like he was giving it his all. I’m a little disappointed as this person was the first to give Mob an actual fight and show that he wasn’t as overpowered as thought. This however seems to suggest that Mob is as strong as the situation calls for. The plot needed his brother to be kidnaped so he struggled against this guy.

However here we need to get to the real fighters so Mob can just snuff him out in a second. It’s a little too convenient for my liking. Dimple appears to have taken a position of good guy now as he tags along with Mob and Teruki in the body of a claw member. My guess is that even with his dubious morality, he’s going to be an ally for now on much like how villains turn over in a shounen series. This episode was a weak one for the usual standard of the series but it does provide buildup to what could be Mob’s best battle yet. Still even though this series has be particularly noteworthy it appears to be overlooked by the anime fanbase. Many are citing it’s unconventional artstyle for turning most people away though that may be only one part of what makes this series overlooked in this season. Personally I never saw this series reaching the heights of popularity of it’s predecessor but it is rather unfortunate that it be passed over like this.

91 Days – 08

by AidanAK47, posted in 91 Days, Currently Watching:

I will admit that I was losing interest in this series as of late and the recap episode aired last episode had me not very concerned with checking out the new episode. However upon watching this you can sign me right back up for whatever you got planned 91 Days because this episode was marvelous. What we have this week is the slow breakdown of Corteo who looks to have seen just how dangerous the path he followed Avilio onto really is. With Avilio becoming closer to Nero and more distant from Corteo, Corteo was slowly getting driven into a corner. Much like we have no real idea as to what Avolio’s agenda is, Corteo is also clueless on just what his friend is planning. From his perspective it’s very easy to see his actions as him warming up to mafia life and changing in a man very different from the one Corteo used to know.

The big turning point was Nero’s decision to kill the inspectors family which Avilio didn’t oppose in the slightest. It certainly is odd for Avilio to commit to such an action when you consider just what drove him to revenge in the first place. Though perhaps he should have put more faith in Avilio as it looks like he never intended the family to die in the car explosion. The was smart as well considering that actually killing his family would have been a boneheaded move to make. Avilio is well aware of the draw of revenge and if they took out the inspectors family then he would truly be a man with nothing to lose. Instead Avilio tricked him by making him think his family died in the car bomb and gave him a taste of just what he could lose. After that it’s no wonder he canceled the investigation much to the dismay of the residents cheering him on.

I like to think of the inspector as a kind of metaphor. Namely that the one who have the power to change things for the greater good are often those with the most to lose. Still this move was enough to encourage Corteo to betray the Vanettis and help Fango attempt to kill Nero. A very unwise move as now he has Fango to deal with along with the Vanettis and Fango is hardly the most trustworthy. Corteo is enraged by Avilio’s attempt to give him an out from the mafia life and quite frankly he has every right to be. Avilio dragged him into this, used him and now is sending him home. Even if those are not his intentions, it’s sadly what it feels like. With the Vanettis suspecting him of being a traitor and Fango pushing him for more info on the Vanettis, it really was only a matter of time before he snapped. And damn, it was glorious. Out of all the cast I never suspected that the one to kill Fango would be Corteo. In fact Fango never suspected that either which ultimately lead to his downfall. But that’s what happens when you back a dog into a corner, they lash out. In this case Fango gave Corteo no other option and he made it clear that with the formula to make Lawless heaven he no longer had any need of Corteo.

Fango was about to inform the Vanettis of his actions and the only thing awaiting him was death. The stress of being under surveillance, the abandonment by his only friend, the constant threat of death, his own drunken state and now all his options gone. The moment he just let out all his rage and frustration on Fango was a damn fine anime moment. The skipping of the record as Corteo violently smashed his head in with each sickening thud felt so visceral and real. With Fango gone this feels like a turning point in the series, where everything is going to burn. There are two Mafia families left and with Fango removed you can bet they will be itching to grab his territory. With the end of prohibition coming I think it would be quite a finale for the Vanettis and the Galassias to go to all out war and destroy each other. Then with all three families destroyed, Avilio will take his revenge.

I know this is odd coming from me but I actually will miss Fango. I have always hated his presence in the series as he often was just too crazy for the sombre tone. However since becoming Don, Fango has dialed back on his crazy and as a character he really started to work. Perhaps he realised that no one was willing to do business with someone who shot crazy eyes in their direction. He was calmer and more calculating while saving his beastly nature for the moments he decides to just let loose. A Fango who puts on an act of civility only to outright kill someone who dares to undermine him is a much more interesting character than a hyperactive psychopath.  Nero also looks to be taking the death of his brother hard as he develops the same tired eyes his brother had at the end. Perhaps this is a hint that he has picked up a drug habit or may it’s just hard for him to sleep but his easygoing personality appears to have morphed into a cold murderer. Avilio appears to be trying to cheer him up but as to why is still a mystery. He has his full confidence and could kill him at any time. But what is he really waiting for? A chance to kill the Don of the Vanettis? I am beginning to think that Avilio’s plan isn’t to get revenge on those who killed his family but instead to destroy the very mafia itself.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World – 23

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World

With another week gone I get my fix of Re:Zero and yet again I have to wait a week to sate my need. The cliffhangers really kill me on this matter as I am leave hanging till the buzz from the last episode runs out and then it gets me again. To future anime viewers, know that you did not have to suffer as an ongoing watcher of this series has and the joy of being able to marathon a show without the wait in between weeks. Quite honestly I don’t know what I will do when this show ends two episodes from now as I cannot binge on the source material and it appears the anime has finally caught up with the light novels. Looks like production of the light novel has sped up with volumes coming out monthly but to gain the amount of material needed for a second second would take a year at the least. I am concerned over just how this series will conclude if there’s another volume of material but I think White Fox won’t trip up at the finish line.

Anyway it appeared the cliffhanger of the previous episode has been defused pretty fast as Ram mistakenly though Subaru betrayed them only to be convinced otherwise within a minute. The letter Subaru sent them which was supposed to explain the situation was just a blank piece of paper which makes me question if Subaru made the boneheaded mistake of misplacing the letter or if someone in the mansion intercepted it. Both scenarios are equally plausible though it is an unfortunate coincidence that a blank letter in this country is a symbol of the messenger deciding to cut off communications. This tradition seems like it could give rise to a lot of misunderstandings as I see it but well the mistake of sending a blank message is rather rare. The village looks to be pointing the finger of blame directly at Emilia for the witches cult coming to attack and what makes this interesting is that despite it being blatant racism, they are not wrong. Emilia really is the reason that the village is going to be attacked by the witches cult. It’s not her fault, that is for certain but it’s hard to deny that if she wasn’t there then no one would be in danger at all. As a matter of fact, the main cause of all of these events that have lead to everyone dying is Emilia herself. The mabeast incident of the village is a matter for debate but Emilia really is the one drawing these events. Which points the direct origin of all of Subaru’s suffering being Emilia herself and perhaps the very reason Sattella has brought Subaru here is to keep Emilia alive till the time she can serve Sattella’s purpose

Ferris and Julius got a bulk of the screentime this episode which is reasonable considering how the episode ends. Ferris is still leaving people in doubt about whether his claims to be a boy is really true but I like that they made it that there is more to him than his trap gimmick. For you information I will let you know that when the merchant witch’s cult member blows up his cart, he did technically kill Ferris with the blast. However Ferris’s healing magic is so overpowered that he can reconstruct his body even if it’s destroyed. Yep, in Re:Zero even the white mage is twenty times more powerful than our protagonist. Still to give Subaru due credit, it was very smart of him to use the Mabeast’s of the forest to take out one of the fingers. At times I really can’t tell if Subaru is smart or stupid but maybe he works better in the moment. It’s nice to see him almost make old mistakes only to have someone give him a push in the right direction. That was a problem with Rem in general. She stood by Subaru’s side but she always went along with whatever he did, rather than provide the kind of support Wilhelm and Ferris have been giving him. But it’s likely the Subaru of those episodes wouldn’t have taken the hint like he does now. Julius also reveals that he is the one who saved Subaru twice by putting him under the protection of one of his spirits and does point out that Subaru does seem to have a high affinity with them. Despite his introduction being typical of the kind of villain in a Light novel, he proves that he is actually a good guy. I applaud that as I find those one shot weak villains to be a poor excuse of empowering the protagonist.

My theory from last episode looks all but confirmed as a number of Betelgeuse’s pop up to attack Subaru and co. I really have to give credit to the number of voice actresses who act out his mannerisms to a great degree. I may not know Japanese but there does seem to be a lot of talent in this series. The end of the episode was brutal in that just when you think everything is fine and maybe this week won’t have a cliffhanger, we have the series throw a gut punch. I was well on my way to believing this was Subaru’s successful run and then this comes out of nowhere to prove that no matter how much Subaru accomplishes, he can still have it all undone at any moment. Well I do think that the remaining episodes are not enough to do a run through of the White Whale again and I think two possibilities exist here. One is that Ferris will find some way of reviving Subaru without Betelgeuse coming with him and the other is Subaru’s save point being moved up to after the White Whale is defeated. Number two seems the most likely as undoing the events of the White Whale and Rem’s confession would be a bad move.

There is just far too much character development there to just do away with. Likely the save point will be before the first attack on the witches cult as that is the point Subaru could make the most use of his knowledge. Still this does put him in a bad spot as simply killing Betelgeuse isn’t going to stop him from possessing his body again. There could be other factors that allow Betelgeuse to take control of someone, with the gospel being a big factor. However if what allows Betelgeuse to take control of Subaru is just the smell of the witch then I don’t see how Subaru can beat him without getting possessed. There are likely more conditions for Betelgeuse to meet before he can possess someone as it is odd that he didn’t choose to take over Subaru on his first death. Perhaps the choice of who he can take over is not up to him and he simply goes into a random person who happens to have the smell of the witch. Though one thing that seems apparent here is that the witches cult is not operating under Satella’s instructions and seem to be acting in what they believe to be what she desires of them in order to earn her love. What is in store for the climax of this series is still a mystery to me but while I doubt it will be completely conclusive, I at least hope it ties up the particulars of this arc and doesn’t leave a cliffhanger for a next season. A week is something I can put up with but making me wait over a year for a continuation of the story would truly be slothful.