Behold, an ancient relic from a lost civilization!
PSYREN Ep. 3
After a brief struggle against the masked freak, Ageha ultimately prevails by piercing what looks like the monster’s core with Sakurako’s sword. Soon after, they find the other payphone and return to the real world, or, to be more specific, the present. Yup, it’s time for the dreaded exposition dump. Thanks to Sakurako and her “sensei” Matsuri, a concert pianist who has crazy hair and likes to ride motorcycles, we learn that the other version of Japan is actually the future. The latter can crush an entire water tower on her own. I do feel bad about the building that the water tower belongs to. Imagine having to pay thousands in damages just because some woman couldn’t find a better target in the middle of her exposition dump.
Anyway, like I said last week, it’s kinda like a death game. Psyren will keep summoning the kids back to the future as long as there’s a “balance” on their phone card. Matsuri has already “won,” so she can’t help the kids directly; she can only train individuals like Sakurako, and now that Ageha has survived the first game, he’ll probably awaken to psychic powers too. But Sakurako has been playing this “game” for several months now, right? Assuming she doesn’t die tragically — and she likely won’t due to being the deuteragonist and love interest — then wouldn’t this imply that her “balance” would also run out before Ageha’s? Will we get to the point where he’ll be plunged back into the game without her? Of course, our duo could simply solve the mystery behind Psyren before that happens. That’s the end goal, it seems. Figure out why Japan has become a desolate wasteland in the future, prevent it, and also unravel the mystery behind those weird monsters and Nemesis Q. I can’t say I’m very excited with the premise, especially considering how every episode opens with a spiel about urban legends. This has nothing to do with urban legends anymore. It’s just another boy gets powers, boy saves the world scenario.
Also, this guy is apparently a former classmate of Ageha’s. C’mon, he looks and sounds like he’s in his 30s!
TOUGEN ANKI: Nikko Kegon Falls Arc Ep. 4
We are introduced to the Oni Brigade. They’re a bunch of Onis who don’t believe in peaceful coexistence with the Momotaros. Instead, their mission is to completely wipe the Momotaros out. They’re led by Hayate, who is basically the wind variant of Shiki. Hayate tries to recruit Shiki, who predictably turns him down. What I didn’t expect, however, was Hayate just accepting it. Oh, that’s chill of him, I guess. Too bad about the whole genociding Momotaros thing, though. Unfortunately, Yaoroshi likes that idea, so he takes off his uniform and joins the Oni Brigade. Ah well, not much of a loss! But that’s not how a shounen hero is supposed to react, so of course Shiki wants to get the jerk back. Ugh, I hate to admit it, but Shiki’s right… dammit, he’s right. Genocide is bad, folks. I know, I know, some people don’t agree with that. But it’s bad, and if your classmate wants to join a group full of genocidal maniacs… sigh, fine, let’s get his ass back to school. So one by one, the rest of the kids are swayed by Shiki’s argument.
The thing is, the show immediately cuts to the Momotaros, and they’re literally experimenting on Oni children. They’re literally harvesting their brains! C’mon, guys, you’re really making it hard for me to come down hard on the genociders. Sad thing is, the show introduced us to a father-daughter duo in the cold opening, and I bet they’re only in this story just to meet a tragic end. In fact, I bet that little girl is now a brain in a jar. Ugh, this show would definitely pull that kind of cheap, exploitative stunt.
Tokyo Revengers Ep. 54
Yep, we’re back at it again. We’re time-travelin’ once more, because Takemichi just can’t let Mikey go. Literally. But let’s start at the beginning. Takemichi finds a shop that still can play the tape he found in the time capsule. On it, he sees a home video of better days. Specifically, it’s a home video of Mikey and his family. It soon cuts to an older Mikey, however, sitting ominously on a couch. He taped over those memories. He’s basically erasing his innocence for good. Mikey confesses that he has always had dark impulses, but having Emma and Baji around kept them in check. But without the people he loves most, he can no longer resist the darkness inside him. He then warns Takemichi to stay away. Sounds like a good idea, right? I wouldn’t pursue Mikey either, especially not after I just get to see my future wife in her wedding dress! How could you risk it? How could you possibly risk an entire future with your true love for one guy? What if you fail? But Takemichi can’t bear the thought of himself getting to be happy when Mikey can’t, so he keeps looking for the guy.
Well, he got exactly what he wanted. He finds Mikey and even gives him an invitation to the wedding. So how does Mikey respond? By shooting Takemichi several times, then climbing to the rooftop to kill himself. This reminds me of those men who destroy their own families then commit suicide. Why do they do it? Is it really due to just a chemical imbalance? But family annihilators are disproportionately men, so something about us makes us want to destroy everyone we hold dear. But I digress. The point is, the worst came to pass. And yet, Takemichi, while bleeding out from several bullet holes, still somehow manages to catch Mikey as he’s falling. If you think about the physics, that is insane. A grown man, probably about 65 kilos for someone with Mikey’s build, falling several stories down a building, would be near impossible for someone like Takemichi to catch with one arm. But again, I’m getting distracted. Takemichi catches Mikey somehow, and swears that he’ll save his friend. Mikey, touched by Takemichi’s dedication and love, finally admits he doesn’t want to die. And just like that, they shake hands and return to the past.
The thing is, we don’t watch these stories to see the hero fail. We watch these stories to see them fight against all odds in order to achieve their perfect ending. The older we get, the more we have to compromise. I always wanted to be an astronaut. Unfortunately, I messed up a bit in my college years when I should’ve buckled down and studied. Could I still become an astronaut? Eh, not with the time I have left. I have to compromise. I have to accept that I have an ailing mother whose bills I gotta foot. I can’t go chasing my dreams at my age. But that’s why we watch these shows, right? To live vicariously through these characters and see them achieve their perfect, golden ending. As a man who’s probably burned through more than half of my life expectancy, I wouldn’t risk a future with my wife if I was in Takemichi’s shoes. But this is fiction, so dream on, I suppose. I mean, you’ve already defied physics.
Black Clover Ep. 174
In this week’s episode, we get Nacht’s backstory. He comes from House Faust, and just the name alone should clue you in on what they’re all about. Yup, his parents were devil researchers, and they would eventually induct him into the family business. His brother Morgen was the lone “black sheep,” i.e., he was a do-gooder unlike the rest of them. Good thing, too, ’cause would you believe messing around with demons is a bad idea?
Who would’ve thunk, huh? Unfortunately, Nacht and his parents got more than they bargained for — just like literary Faust, huehuehue — when they tried to summon Lucifuge. Morgen had to sacrifice himself just to save Nacht. After he had to hold his dying brother in his arms, Nacht underwent a change of heart and joined the Magic Knights. So why are we getting this backstory? It’s for him to look cool, right? Nah. Unfortunately, his best doesn’t even faze the demon pair in front of him. As a result, Asta has to swoop in and save the day. Then the demons fuse, because we all know shounens love fusions. The fused result even charges up a massive anti-spirit bomb. So what do you do if you’re Asta? Duh, just get an even bigger sword! Like Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Asta just doesn’t like to practice the first part, but it’s okay, Roosevelt was a bit of a larper despite being an upper crust Ivy League boy.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Ep. 2
Watching this episode, I was somewhat reminded of FFXIV: Endwalker‘s ending. Every time streamers get to the final 1v1 showdown against Zenos, their chat will invariably beg (almost bully) them into choosing the option where their player character validates Zenos’s self-destructive hunger for battle. I find it particularly cringeworthy if only because I think Zenos is a boring character carried mostly by his amazing voice actor. Also, let people make their own decisions, damn. Well, I feel the same way when I watch Beerus yawn through a sparring match against Goku. Here we are again, watching two battle-hungry freaks flex their muscles. It’s akin to your FFXIV player character choosing that aforementioned option. Surely, there’s more to life than just fighting! Nay, says Goku, the man with a wife and two children!
Anyway, one moment did catch my attention. Goku was about to launch another series of attacks on Beerus, but he instinctively pulled back. Even he was surprised by his own actions. This has to be foreshadowing for the eventual Ultra Instinct crap, right? But from what I can recall, he won’t attain that form until much later. It certainly won’t happen in this arc against Beerus. Like I said, I didn’t really watch the original Dragon Ball Super series. I only caught the tail end of the Jiren arc, so this is actually all new to me.