Time for the usual slop.
Black Torch Ep. 9
I have the Goldilocks problem with shounen anime. I wouldn’t mind a dumb but fun series to get into, but none of these protagonists ever do it for me. They’re often too dumb or hot-headed. Jiro is sadly both. Sometimes, you get a smart protagonist like Deku, but his soft spot for Bakugo ruins the entire character for me. I guess Yuru in the next show is alright, but… something about him feels a bit bland. Like I said, it’s the Goldilocks problem.
Well, Jiro can’t even control the power that Rago left him, but he wants to charge headfirst after Amagi. He can’t beat his captors on his own, though. He has to let the furry beast within completely take over before he breaks free of his initial prison. And even then, Furry Jiro gets his ass handed to him easily by Gramps. Yeah, they called in Gramps to get the kid under control, but that’s beside the point. I’m just sayin’, you don’t gotta be a rocket scientist, but Jiro’s just too dumb. Even so, it’s training arc time. Gramps sticks him on a mountain with the mononoke Ibuki. Jiro won’t be able to escape unless he presumably controls Rago’s power. Yawn… sure.
Elsewhere, Ryosuke talks to the people controlling the Bureau, and they’re all a bunch of floating masks. These assholes are the ones representing humanity against the mononoke? Are we sure they’re still human? Ehhhhh.
As for Ichika, she laments that everyone else gets to have something serious to deal with but her. Yeah, I know, they won’t let you play. It bugged the hell out of me when none of the female heroes in My Hero Academia ever got to participate in the biggest fights. Granted, that might have changed in later arcs — I dropped the show shortly after they saved the Eri kid — but I don’t think I should have to wait that long. But I digress.
Ryosuke has a task for Ichika: interrogate the mononoke they had captured after the last mission. But as soon as she steps into the room, the freak professes his love for her. Yeah, don’t you guys eat humans? I dunno if she’s gonna go for that, buddy.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 21
The twins and Zashiki-Warashi duo kinda hash things out? Well, Fake Asa — her real name is Kiri — can say whatever she wants, but I don’t feel any pity for her. Of course, Yuru is a lot nicer about it than I am. He reasons that he wouldn’t have been able to cope without them — that losing his parents would’ve been too much if he didn’t have a friend and a fake sister to keep him going. I dunno, this all feels a little too… “the ends justify the means” for me. Ultimately, they followed orders to manipulate Yuru’s heart — orders meant to keep him tied down. Like I said, something like that would be too much for me. No, I’m not saying I would reap retribution or anything edgy like that. But I definitely wouldn’t have a friendly relationship with the duo going forward. Luckily, I’m not supposed to be a magnanimous shounen protagonist with a big heart.
We also get Zashiki-Warashi’s backstory. Something about how their original master went to war, but never returned. They collected dust for a while until Dera’s father found them. Since then, they’ve acted as surrogate children for Kyoka, I guess. Kinda weird being immediately affectionate with a stranger, but I don’t know daemon psychology. They then told the twins how their parents first met. Minor plot details, really.
Ultimately, the twins resolve to find their parents, defeat their enemies, and try to have a normal life — whatever a normal life even looks like for someone like Yuru. And they have a lead to pursue: discovering Dera’s father’s whereabouts.
Uh… did anything else happen this episode? Oh yeah, Hana asked if Ken might not want to go to school. Hate to say it, but he would be bullied for being half-Ethiopian. Hell, he’d probably be bullied just for not having his parents around.
Tomb Raider King Ep. 8
It feels like every episode, we either get introduced to an assload of new relics or an assload of new characters. Here’s yet another rich dude in a suit! Here’s a dangerous woman! There’s even a little girl whom the MC doesn’t hesitate to threaten with bodily harm! But what’s the point? They all suck anyway. Well, whoever wrote this story clearly never heard of “less is more” or “quality over quantity.” Then you get some fight scenes. Yawn.
Why do I keep watching? ‘Cause if I didn’t, this feature would only have two shows. But don’t worry, ’cause in preparation for the fall season, I’ve been passively marathoning Black Clover while soloing Deep Dungeon in FFXIV — huge emphasis on the word “passively.” I also know Tougen Anki is making a return, as is Dragon Ball Super. Shounen Saturdays are gonna be so bad, and I’ll be here every step of the way.