Kamierabi God.app

Do not ever download and open suspicious apps or strange notifications. Because by doing so, you might end up becoming a candidate in a death battle to become God! Oh wow. Plot sounds as cheesy and generic like other battle royale genres but yeah, need to know what kind of app does that since we’re all so reliant on our Smartphone. And so in Kamierabi God.app, our chosen candidates will be given some sort of strange power from the app as they hunt down other candidates in the field until there can only be one. Oh well, makes you wish for easier times when you could just make 3 wishes upon a genie’s lamp!

Episode 1
Gorou Ono is made by his friend, Yutaka Akitsu to film him. Akitsu jumps off the edge! What a scare because there’s a hidden platform below. This is to see Gorou’s reaction and you bet Gorou is not happy. Classmate and crush, Honoka Sawa seeks Gorou’s help in some online social media thingy in which he gladly helps her out. On his way back, he notices a black cat crossing the street. Nobody giving a damn because they’re looking at their phone! And why is the cat looking back at him?! And just like that, the cat gets run over. Nobody cares. Return to your mundane life. Back home, he notices his phone is displaying a strange message. Something about he has been chosen and thus is allowed to have a wish. Thinking this is some scam, he nonchalantly wishes to do something ecchi with Sawa. Well, be careful what you wished for because wish is granted. Next day, Gorou is somewhat a celebrity because his video of Akitsu jumping off is viral all over social media. Gorou didn’t realize he accidentally posted it when he was helping Sawa. Obviously the duo get suspended for a week from school. Sawa feels bad about it and hopes to make it up to them. Akitsu lends him the key to his video arcade place so they can ‘date’. There, some hentai game accidentally got displayed on the screen. Gorou then unzips his pants and start to masturbate on Sawa!!! She allows it?!

That’s when this little imp, Lall congratulates him for his wish coming true. She starts to explain about this death game in which participants must kill each other to become the only God. Oh, did she mention she is his partner in this game? Gorou is not amused as he runs away. He realizes the hospital he frequents to is no more. What’s this about for his wish being granted, something is being compensated. Some karma thingy. He gets mad and lashes at all this nonsense when Sawa approaches him. Well, she’s not going to give him a blowjob. She’s going to kill him! Luckily he dodges and that poor passer-by got killed. She extracts a huge sword from his corpse to hunt Gorou. Gorou pleads to her to stop, thinking she too has been scammed. But she beats him up and claims she is doing it on her own free will. He runs as she mocks he isn’t even trying. Where’s his weapon? Since Gorou is so stressed up, Lall tells him to just die and avoid all the suffering. Yeah well, life is unfair. So is the whole world. Everybody dies every day and nobody cares. God isn’t going to save you. Just like that he gains an interest to stop Sawa. Before she attacks, he uses his book to summon some weapon to pierce through her. Game over. Next day, life seems to be normal. Sh*tty, that is. Mom is still an alcoholic and everybody treats him like trash. Lall mocks him this is the twisted karma on him and he would’ve been better off dead yesterday. But wait. Sawa is still alive?

Episode 2
Apparently it is one of Gorou’s wish to resurrect Sawa after he killed her. Lall calls this a foolish move since this gives her a chance to kill him. But it’s his wish so whatever. At school, everyone witnesses a girl being burnt alive. Yup, that gas mask dude is definitely a candidate. But he soon disappears. Because of this incident, the school will be closed temporarily. Karma has it that everyone is now bullying Gorou. Akitsu still remains his pal, though. Sawa wants to talk to Gorou privately and she is not happy about him resurrecting her. It makes her feel all weird. Because of that, she wants to form an alliance with him as she knows his ability is powerful and is scared of it. Lall warns him not to as she can tell she will betray him. However Gorou agrees to her alliance as long as she doesn’t kill him. Sawa then calls out to Akitsu eavesdropping. Looks like he is a candidate too. She has to teach the guys about the app because it tells about their abilities as well as other candidates. There are other functions but it is locked for now. We learn Akitsu’s ability is to see 5 seconds into the future while Sawa’s is to materialize a sword from any sort of meat. They have to get running because that gas mask guy is back and is burning down the whole place to entrap them. The guys just being freaking useless as Sawa uses her ingenuity to save their asses. She further explains the candidate is doing this to drag them into their zone. The stronger the fear, the better the chances. Hence this morning’s killing was to instil fear. Akitsu sees the vision too late as Gorou falls through the floor. He realizes he is now in gas mask’s zone as Gorou narrowly avoids his flames. One hit and he is a goner. Gorou seeks Lall’s help as she warns him doing so will further twist his karma until the misfortune becomes fatal. Gorou is willing to take the risk of living with some misfortune than dying here. With that, Lall uses her power to rewrite the laws of physics to repel air from gas mask. He now suffocates to death. In the aftermath, his body is not found (could’ve escaped) and Gorou collapses from exhaustion.

Episode 3
Is Gorou kidding that he hasn’t decided to fight and become God yet?! He is already in the damn game! Lall has to remind him it is kill or be killed. This means killing others even if he doesn’t want to. Akitsu suddenly pulls off a prank to steal his handphone. Lall panics since that is the source of his power. Without it, he won’t know about the other candidates too. Gorou stays calm and knows Akitsu will not betray him. Flashback 2 years ago shows Gorou was ostracized by his class for punching some popular guy. Even his parents regretted having him as a child despite all they need to do was apologize and avoid a court case. The only one who supported him was Akitsu who was a stranger then. Akitsu knew Gorou did it because that guy badmouthed about his parents. He was impressed with it. Gorou became emotional since nobody was on his side. Akitsu laughed his ass off. That’s how they became friends. Gorou finds Akitsu back at his home as the latter gives back his phone. See? No harm done. Gorou talks about them running away from everything. Flee to overseas and if somebody challenges them, they can just fight them off. Akitsu likes that idea since he isn’t fond of fighting and doesn’t want to see him die. Which is a pity as he is going to kill him now. Gorou has his arm chopped off as Akitsu reveals his true ability of moving items through timelines. As long as it exist in this space, he can materialize it here. He cuts off Gorou’s power as he knows it is to link up with something. As Gorou is seconds from death, it is like he revives and regenerates. Using his power to make something not exist, this sends Akitsu to his defeat. This is when Akitsu reveals he saw the endless future shortly after he got his powers. In all of them, they were brutally killed. However there was this 1 timeline in which there was hope. The one with Gorou winning. He hopes he can win to change this sh*tty world. He is forced to resort to this as it was the only way to alter the future. Gorou screams as Akitsu breathes his last breath. RIP, my friend.

Episode 4
Gorou is depressed after killing his best friend. Lall tries to cheer him but he is in no mood to talk. Uhm, so is he not going to resurrect his friend? Is it too heavy a price to pay? Ran out of wishes? Or perhaps the future will return to being sh*tty if Akitsu is alive? Anyway, Sawa visits and she can tell he killed Akitsu although Gorou will not say why and it’s a secret between them friends. She is here to tell him of this rumour that someone in their school who is nicknamed Little Angel is able to make your desires come true. There are accounts of those who actually got their wish in 3 days. As suspected, Angel might be a candidate so they are going to check this out. While looking about, Gorou stumbles upon this spunky lab coat girl, Chika Nojima. In short, she begs him to join her science club (or is it occult club?) to avoid being shut down. It seems she isn’t a candidate either. Not sure how she talked him into joining forces with her. She brings him to spy on this gloomy guy, Tatsuya Amano who is the supposed Angel. But soon, Kouki Ama grabs him away so Chika forces him to go stop it. Gorou’s move? Run away! Not going to risk his life fighting this bully! Later Gorou trades info with Sawa. Speaking of which, Kouki and Tatsuya just pass before her so she goes to confront them. Sawa attacks Kouki as she knows he is a candidate. Gorou and Lall discuss about Tatsuya not being a candidate because one could easily tell by the dangerous vibes all around as emitted from their power. Gorou tries to contact Sawa but she isn’t picking up. Uhm, she got killed?! As Gorou tries to investigate the posts on Angel, it seems there have been no updates from those who posted their wish came true for weeks. He gets a distress call from Chika for him to come help her since somebody is going to kill her. Then he gets a message to come to school because Angel awaits.

Episode 5
Gorou heads to school and almost gets attacked by Chika. Yeah, she thought he was the perpetrator. Thanks a lot. Suddenly they are being attacked by, uhm, masked zombies?! Sorry Chika, those aren’t aliens. They are saved thanks to Kouki as he brings them to hide in his student council office. Oh, haven’t you heard? He is the student council president! Kouki explains he was acting like a jerk to avoid more victims. 5 years ago, he was a bully victim. Understandably he wanted such people to cease from existence. However grandpa told him as they didn’t understand his point of view, he too didn’t understand from their point of view. So Kouki made some changes and somewhat became a delinquent to see from their side. Hence the reason he came to this school (which prides itself with student liberties) is to help such people find something that they can be proud of. When Kouki became the student council president, Tatsuya was his vice. He too was a bully victim when Kouki saved him from such. However Tatsuya thinks the rest of the student council members are trash and should be rid of. This doesn’t sit well with them and despite Kouki trying to mediate between them, they end up beating Tatsuya. A few days ago, those members became obedient thanks to an app Tatsuya got to rewire their personalities. Yes, he is a candidate. He has manipulated many of this school and wants Kouki to help him in their dream to clean up this school of scumbags. Especially playing the part of Angel, he rewrite their brains to make them think their wish came true. Of course Kouki wasn’t pleased and confiscated his phone. That is why without it, Angel wasn’t operating for weeks. Kouki messed up when Sawa confronted him. He dropped the phone, allowing Tatsuya to take it back and do Sawa in. Now they are in his zone. WTF this revs up Chika as she goes out to fight the zombies?! This science stick sure comes in handy. They arrive at the hall where Tatsuya is now playing God. He is trying to convince Kouki to join his side. Too bad he won’t. He understands but what he is doing is wrong. This makes Tatsuya sad as he believes he is not wrong in all of this. He is still hell bent on eliminating scumbags. With Chika’s help to free Gorou, he is able to use his power to drop Tatsuya into the abyss. Even at this point Kouki tries to save him. Tatsuya is impressed but realizes his loss and forfeits himself from this game. Kouki depressed for failing to save him. As Chika leaves, we see her meet up with a comrade. Turns out she too is a candidate and is not detected simply because she turned off her phone! Her ditzy act is all to gather info without busting her identity.

Episode 6
A year ago when a fan tried to tell his feelings to his favourite idol, Iyo Futana, the moment he entered her room, she is dead! Gorou is chirpy has hell because today is the day Iyo has her comeback concert. Screw Lall’s talk about being closer to God after Tatsuya’s defeat. Nobody gonna kill his vibes! Iyo is his goddess!!! He tries to invite Sawa but after that embarrassment, she doesn’t want to do anything for a while. And so Gorou invites Kouki. To his surprise, he can see Lall and this means he is a candidate. Apparently Tatsuya transferred his candidacy to him. You can do that. Or you can forfeit and die. Kouki doesn’t understand it all but he isn’t going to stress out on it. Iyo personally comes out to personally thank everyone and be a little patient more as the show hit a little setback. Gorou is so happy to see her that he needs to go pee. All the public toilets have a long queue so he has to sneak into a private one. That is when he hears Iyo talking to her manager about the cancellation of the concert. She is against it as she worked so hard for this day. As she frets about it, she realizes Gorou eavesdropping and this he is the one who is made the bomb scare claim. Lall then calls Iyo’s bluff and knows she is a candidate. Then a bomb goes off. Gorou still brings her to safety despite she is the enemy. In the concert hall, they see the perpetrator. Iyo then realizes he is the one who killed her a year ago! This Iyo is actually that fan who has impersonated her. His power is to mimic anybody including their memories, feelings and pain. He laments that day when Iyo took her own life because she couldn’t take it anymore the pressure from the stalker. She couldn’t tell anyone for not wanting to let them down. Now he is going to kill him but Gorou stops it. Despite all the hardships, he doesn’t want her to go down this road and will always cheer for her. Iyo accepts this salvation and to top it off, Kouki gives that stalker a good punch. In the aftermath, Iyo’s concert is reduced to online viewing. Nevertheless, Gorou is happy. Now we know where that silly dance came about! Perhaps he can die happy as Iyo personally thanks Gorou for bringing her back to her feet. Yeah, literally he starts to cry blood! It’s no joke! The twisted karma has taken its fatal turn for the worst!

Episode 7
A flashback when Sawa was young, she was ingrained with the family rules. F*ck, how many were there?! Sawa receives a call from Kouki to come to the hospital since he is in bad shape. She isn’t interested but changes her mind. It is because this is a chance to kill him. Sure, they made an alliance but she didn’t say about not killing him. Of course Kouki won’t let her and with Lall calling out her true colours, she threatens to mince her. This makes Sawa scared and runs away. Kouki tells Lall off for that threat even though it was a lie she can use such power herself. Lall is worried that all the misfortune is falling into place. Gorou doesn’t care about the price to pay ever since Akitsu died. But Kouki promises he will not betray Gorou as he is a friend. The more pressing issue now is Sawa. Speaking of which, as she tries to leave this place, she bumps into Chika who is looking for a friend supposedly sleepwalking. Sawa doesn’t detect her as a candidate and makes her way. She realizes too late as she enters a zone. It brings her back to those childhood days. Because her brother, Kouta broke the rules, he was locked in this room without food or anything for days until mommy and daddy said so. This of course brings Sawa a lot of trauma as she regrets not being able to save him. Back when she was small, she couldn’t reach the numerous locks. Now she just cuts through them. But it’s empty. When she hears her parents returning, she is stumped because she killed them before. Oh well, time to go kill them again. She returns to reality as Chika talks about parallel worlds that has no bearing on this one. Sawa realizes Chika is a candidate but this parallel world belongs to this wheelchair ridden friend of hers, Ryou. With Sawa claiming she will be God to save Kouta so they can all be happy, this initiates a fight between them. Surprise but not surprise at all, Chika reveals she is that gas mask character. She starts burning down Sawa and in pain, she realizes she doesn’t want to die yet so she stabs herself. No, not to kill herself but to use her own meat to revive. This time Chika’s flames don’t work on her. Sawa won’t kill her and makes her swear an allegiance. Otherwise she will kill Ryou. Scared Chika agrees but notes what kind of game the guys are playing because the last time Gorou also didn’t kill her. Too bad she jinxed it because she gets killed off by Ryou’s brother, Kyou. He doesn’t like the idea of collusion as it is too early for it. He leaves with his sister. So he isn’t killing off Sawa?

Episode 8
Keita wants some mangaka, Chokubo to change his story. Of course he refuses. Because of that, Keita makes a few taps on his keyboard and turns his life upside down. He is now a wanted criminal. Kouki has cooked this massive meal for Gorou to celebrate his recovery. Believe it, he can actually cook. You think nothing surprises Gorou anymore? Wait till he sees Iyo bursting out from this huge present! Yeah, that’s the reaction. I bet he is feeling more than better now. As Iyo’s agency has ideas of her doing some game streaming, Gorou would be glad to help her. He remembers that hentai game on Akitsu’s TV and takes precaution not to show her. Too bad Iyo already turned the TV on. Welcome to a new gaming? Kouki tries to pull the plug but the porn is still on. You know what this means. A candidate. Even more shocking a girl named Mitsuko pops out from the screen! This is not part of the game! Meanwhile Chika is still alive because Sawa healed her. Now that she has confiscated her phone, she has her spill the beans especially her comrades. Chika mentions about Ryou and Kyou. But they are nothing compared to Keita who is just insane. In short, his power allows him to manipulate any info and turn lies into truth. Mitsuko pleads Gorou and co for help because her friend, Mikipiyo is being held hostage by Keita who stalked her. She tried to tell him off but you can guess what happened next. Mitsuko is finding other candidates who will help fight this crazy guy. Speaking of which, he calls Mitsuko and knows that she is trying to form an alliance. He throws her a challenge to come rescue her friend in 3 hours or she goes boom. Oh, he has branded them all as terrorists so you bet the police are hot on their tails. Mitsuko’s power is to teleport them to places she knows she they take refuge at the playground. At the same time, Sawa finds them and also reveals about Chika. She proposes all of them form an alliance and a deal that whoever becomes God, will grant all their wishes. Can’t say no to this deal, right? But time is up. Police drones have found them and Keita relishes to play this game.

Episode 9
Well, looks like nobody here has got offensive power to fight the drones. Iyo’s barrier shields them from their fire but she won’t last long. Hence they have this desperate idea for Mitsuko to teleport them away. Don’t care where, just anywhere! As she begins, she realizes she messes up. Meanwhile Keita tries to talk to Mikipiyo who is ignoring him. Still being the haughty jerk he is as he offers one last time for her to be his girlfriend. Or die alone. Okay. It’s her choice. He returns to track the rest but can’t seem to find them anywhere on the face of this Earth. Just then he gets a call from Chokubo that he decides to draw the manga he wants. Keita is amazed and looks at this week’s issue. As he turns the pages, Mitsuko suddenly pops out and punches him! We go back an hour earlier, it seems Mitsuko messed up imagining some manga cover as she, Gorou and Iyo ended up in Chokubo’s apartment. Although he tells them about the lies on him, he doesn’t care anymore. It’s not like it’s going to change things for the better. He is on the verge of giving up as he tells the rest his story. Keita was a fan of his works but forced and imposed his ideas into his manga. We all saw what happened when he refused, right? However Iyo believes there is one work that Keita is still infatuated with because she noticed he still spouted lines from it. Thus the idea of Mitsuko popping up from a manga page at where Keita is. However Chokubo pointed out this week’s issue is not scheduled to appear this week. In that case, Gorou will use his power to put that issue back this week. Once that was done, Mitsuko began her trip. Keita is beaten up and Mikipiyo freed. Jerk still claims this is all unfair. So taking hostage was fair? She forces him to undo everything. Once that is done, she teleports him to South Pole. Have fun admiring the aurora. If you’re wondering where the rest are, looks like they got the short end of the stick. Kyou handing their asses to them.

Episode 10
Flashback a year ago, Chika found it troublesome since her parents had high hopes for her in taking over their hospital. She stood at the edge of the rooftop. This made Ryou thought she was going to jump off so as she tried to stop her, almost causing both of them to fall off! WTF?! Chika’s great luck and strength pulled them back up. Ryou lectures her about killing herself although pessimistic Chika believed all that she had done will amount to nothing. Ryou disagreed. As long as she kept living, she will one day find her dream. And now in present time, looks like she is on the verge of death. Kouki is facing off with Kyou who narrates the kind of world he wants to make. Obviously not the kind Kouki approves. Ryou makes him mad on purpose so that he will have the killing intent. Kouki beats him to a pulp until he is dead. But as Chika warned, he isn’t. Just like that he and everyone else gets impaled. Gorou and Iyo are making their way as the latter talks the strangeness of the candidates having superhuman powers and thus did God not foresee this mess? And what the heck is Lall? Well, little imp tells them not to think too much about it and fight each other to the death. Gorou explains about Akitsu’s death and the reason why he is still carrying on. But Lall brushes it off that his wish is anything like that. Lall is reluctant to say and Gorou doesn’t want to push her. It could be too late as a portal in the sky opens and blood rain starts falling right before Lall wants to reveal some big secret. Lall then fears the worst. Yeah, I thought she knew all about Gorou? So why she gets upset he didn’t tell her? Apparently karma has now slowly taken his senses bit by bit. And now bodies and falling down. We see Kyou talking to Ryou about some Schrodinger cat thingy. Basically, because Ryou is God, she can tell what kind of cats are in the box without opening. So if she is God, what is Kyou? God’s cat. He poses the question what will happen if that cat in a parallel world opens its own box. Gorou knows using more of his power will let his senses chip away. But he is well aware of the risks as Lall agrees to support him until he becomes God. He shuts off the portal.

Episode 11
Flashback to a year ago, Kyou talked to Ryou about the stars in the sky. They talk about some of its answers and Kyou’s conclusion is that the light of those hasn’t reached them. It will take a long time and the only one who could see or knew these starts is someone who lives forever. Like God. Unfortunately, Kyou is suffering from some disease and knows his days are numbered. One day it got bad enough for him to be hospitalized. Dad told Ryou to be patient since he will be sent to a faraway hospital for treatment. Ryou understood and waited. But as the days passed, she could obviously see the frustrations growing in dad. Something about wanting a cure and not some weird hieroglyphics displayed on his computer screens. He became obsessed in finding whatever cure when Kyou’s condition worsened. He sank into depression as Ryou snuck into his room where the computers are. Suddenly they told her she was the chosen one and to have a wish. Spooked, she ran out. Not sure how she could spot Ryou at the distance when it’s so dark. So as she tried to get to him, she got hit by a truck. In comatose state in hospital, she dreams about all the things she could’ve done with her brother. But the most important being she wanted to watch the stars with him from anywhere. And just like that, her wish of having her brother back materialized. Gorou sees all these memories as he leaps into the parallel world. Kyou confronts him to talk and wants him to join them in rebuilding a new world. He reveals Ryou’s power to materialize any ifs and non-existent realities into parallel worlds. And in such parallel worlds, Kyou has the power to control them in any way he likes. He can even link and overlap them. However he cannot cure Ryou’s condition. And that is why he needs Gorou’s powers. What do you say we join forces and screw this tournament? Gorou rejects him and Kyou sees that coming and thus is prepared to rob his powers. They fight and since Gorou has lost his senses, can’t fight well. Even if Kyou gets killed, he respawns himself from another parallel world. Since Kyou wants a happy for his sister where she can’t get hurt, Gorou tells him to talk to her directly and attacks Ryou. This makes Kyou panic as he rushes to protect her. At this point, Ryou awakens and is in a daze. This is where the parallel world starts to crumble as they return to reality. The public is now scared seeing dead corpses and blames Ryou for this and beats her up! A weakened Kyou can’t do anything. Gorou has paid the ultimate price as he can’t move and pleads Iyo to save Ryou. However she doesn’t recognize who the f*ck Gorou is.

Episode 12
With the other characters streaming in, Sawa thinks Gorou is the enemy and wants to finish him off. However Iyo and Kouki caution her because they feel something isn’t right. Something is missing from their memories. Sawa couldn’t care less and in her b*tch mode, wants to kill this f*cker. But WTF?! Lall gets in the way and gets stabbed?! Even so, Sawa continues to b*tch about everything including becoming God and getting her wish. Lall tells her to STFU because God is one who listens to the wishes of others. And the only person who fits that is Gorou. Now we see Gorou having a monologue about his sad life. Some talk with Kyou about the sad facts of reality that things won’t change no matter how hard one tries. Because of that sealed fate, people tend to give up. So what is the value of life? Then it is Akitsu’s turn to talk about something similar. And the real tragedy that hit Gorou’s family: His mom having an affair with another man and looks like she got pregnant from it! Gorou found out and threw up? Then a talk with Lall as he remembers about his true wish. Something about wanting others to entrust their wish to him as to show that he is wanted. Not just Akitsu’s but everybody else. Lall calls someone who does that as God. Now Lall continues to lecture about how she was never her fate to be born but yet Gorou wished her a happy future even when God wouldn’t save her! She thanks Gorou for caring for her and because of that, she can become the price of his power by fading away. She hopes to meet for real next time. Lall becomes Gorou’s power as he awakens as, uhm, God? Because everyone around him soon gets zapped into nothingness! When Ryou is the only one left, she immediately stops him and sternly tells him off her wish belongs to only her. Not sure what power she used but everyone returns and only both of them disappears. Meanwhile in South Pole, Keita curses his luck. If only there was internet so he could mess with some data to get him rescued. Then he realizes something in his phone. Now we see a politician calling out the recent terrorist attacks as a failure from the current administration to handle such crisis. He vows to make the change to reflect the true will of the people! Uhm, is this Gorou adult version?!

Karma-geddon!
Well, if the ending was helluva confusing, don’t worry because even before this season ended, they announced there will be another one coming up. Rather, I was confused why this was only a single cour because before this series started, I read somewhere stating this was going to be like 2 cours. I thought I read wrongly on my part. Looks like they decided to split it into another season. Yeah, we need to take a break from all the sh*t f*ckery that has happened in this season! Watching it consecutively in 2 straight cours might make you go crazy! Don’t want to be responsible for unrepairable damage, do we?!

So yeah, honestly I had some hopes that this series would be interesting. Long story short, it failed to live up to my expectations even if that expectation bar was set low enough. I mean, thinking this would be some sort of battle royale where people put their lives on the line, this should be interesting. Yes, candidates do put their life on the line but there weren’t enough people dying! OMG. Am I such a bloodthirsty sadist?! Blame Squid Games for upping the bar on such survival games. On the surface, this series had an interesting concept for it. Using you Smartphone or app on it to play life or death games. However the execution and how it played out was just disappointing. It was never really explained in detail (maybe it did but I wasn’t listening?) and I went through the entire season confused and blind. Until the very end, I still don’t know how the app really works or even see how the characters truly used it. Heck, the even more pressing issue are the strange and confusing abilities that the candidates draw up. I don’t even know what the rules to it are. Therefore in most cases, it felt like the producers were just winging it or writing the whole thing on the fly as they go by. To be fair, this anime was originally written and not based on any manga, light novel or game source. Goes to show how hard it is to write a good story in today’s era, eh? Yeah, somebody didn’t use the God app here to write a better story!

Thus as far as I can see for this season, it was just some long draggy drama between the characters we are introduced as they fumble along the way while playing this confusing and uncertain game. Heck, the rules themselves seem so flimsy and it’s like nobody even stops to think about it like circumventing them or finding a loop hole. I give you an example, is there any time limit to play this game? Because if there is none, there could be a point where everybody just won’t fight each other and carry on with their normal lives. Rendering the game to be endless. But hey, that’s not breaking the rules, right? Then there is the mystery behind this app or why certain candidates get chosen. Maybe it will be explained next season but as far as this first one is concerned, it leaves a lot to be desired. And why do we see the candidates all mostly from the same school or area?! Is this thing an international game or is it just confined locally?

And if multiple Gods are allowed (talking about making alliances so that our characters we love don’t have to kill each other), then what is the point of having this game?! You don’t need to kill to be God, so let us all be Gods together! Do you see what I mean?! As seen, Chika could switch off her phone and still not pay any penalty. So can we all just switch off our phones and ignore the game?! What happens if we change phones?! Lots of such questions are boggling my mind right now but I am going to play the patient game and see what they have to offer next season before I jump the gun in talking trash about this anime. Yeah. So for now I have to put up with this season’s strange story flow of our characters introduced, forming strange alliances as they fight the antagonists of the day. Yeah, that’s basically the formula I see this season has.

One of the biggest controversies that most viewers would have is the visuals. Ah yes, this show is rendered entirely in CGI. Yup, the dreaded method of today’s anime visual standards. It would have not been an issue especially like yours truly to b*tch so much about it had they at least put in some decent quality. It is not impossible. For instance, Trigun Stampede and Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall both have satisfactory quality and the entire season was done in CGI. But for this series, it serves to remind us the abomination why we hate it so much! I don’t know if they don’t have the budget and hired amateurs to do the rendering but as you can clearly see that the models were like incomplete or something. It’s like nobody applied the final texture and sometimes the scenes look like it is still work in progress. The guiltiest one in this department are the extra or background characters. The way they animate them, makes them feel like soulless NPCs! I know they aren’t important characters to begin with but come on, at least have the decency to make them look like decent human beings! Yeah, unfinished render. WTF. Looking like mannequins come to life. Are you even serious, people?!

I don’t know with the bad CGI, can I even say that this is at least slightly better than the promotional poster? Oh Jesus, when I first looked at the promotional poster, it was hideous and ugly as f*ck! Yes, I did not actually want to watch this anime at first and was going to give it a hard pass. But then I thought I should give it a chance after reading the synopsis. Oh you know, don’t judge a book by its cover! I guess that didn’t work here. But had I done so, I wouldn’t have come to a conclusion of how bad this show is. Anyway, making it worse were the character designs at least on the promotional poster. They were so ugly like as though they have some sort of skin disease! My God, WTF man???!!! It gave me an impression this was going to be some sort of horror theme! Yikes! Look at those abomination! Who the f*ck drew them?! Hence comparatively, they look better in CGI. I’m sad that I have to say that. Uh huh. What if that was just a psychological tactic to make us admire the ‘better looking’ (term used very loosely) CGI effects. This show is animated by Unend. Never heard of them? Yeah, a new studio and this is their first works! OMG. This is the level of quality on their debut? Not leaving a good impression here… I hope their name didn’t jinx them because it will be The End for them! HAHAHA!!! Sighs…

And now moving onto the characters, unfortunately they don’t impress me. Sure, everybody has their problems and their wishes especially our main character Gorou who is leading a pitiful and sad life. Whatever. Doesn’t he look like a wimpy version of Shingeki No Kyojin’s Eren?! Anyway, Gorou being the main character is forced to shoulder some sort of burden and also he must have that sort of justice that cares for everyone because that is one of the ingredients that made him the main character. He isn’t perfect and has a lot of flaws but somehow I just can’t seem to like or support him. Because he is also given some sort of ultimate ability that I don’t really understand how it works. Basically it’s like the God power of all God powers and he can do anything he wants but will pay a great price. Yeah. I might be wrong but that’s how I see it. And it is all for the sake of plot convenience. In a pinch now? Yeah, Gorou will do something with his convenient powers to save the day. There. Problem solved. It remains to be seen what has come of him but my guts ring hard that he will be back. Some twist will allow it. I know. Because he is the main character. Or is he not?

Then there is this Lall. Strange little flying imp who is said to be Gorou’s source of power. Yeah, why don’t other candidates get something extra and cute like Lall? All I can see is that Lall’s character is to be some sort of pet mascot or sidekick to Gorou. Oh you know, main character and his little sidekick needs to have some sort of amusing banter and that’s why they created her. Thing is, she too doesn’t know much about the rules and at this point I just want to scream BS at everything. Yeah, it’s like they couldn’t come up with an answer for us so they conveniently make her have no memories of her life before she came into existence. That’s why I said she is more like some comic relief sidekick. But my conspiracy theory of Lall as seen from the last episode: Could it be that Lall is Gorou’s unborn step sister? From the way she says things, it is highly likely that she is so. Otherwise, why still stick around him?

The other characters are also barely winging it. Sawa being the b*tch girl because we need somebody selfish and aggressive. To counter that, we have Iyo who is sweet and gentle but I am confused, is this the dead Iyo or the fan who is impersonating her? If it’s the latter, then it’s not the real Iyo, right? Whatever. Don’t want to think about it. Then there is Kouki who is the other guy in the group so it won’t look like an obvious harem. So he is clueless in the game and just winging it too but despite all that, has his own sense of justice and Gorou’s backup just in case. Then there’s Chika the reluctant ally. Feels like her character has fallen from grace ever since she was revealed to be the gas mask character (which isn’t surprising) and if I should say, lost her oomph. She wasn’t fun anymore. Then there’s Mitsuko… Oh I don’t know, she came in relatively late and there’s not much about her except she as trying to save her friend. So is Mikipiyo part of the group now or not? Oh wait, is she even a candidate?

Obviously other characters who aren’t part of this group would be deemed the antagonists. Too bad they feel one-dimensional. Kyou looks like your typical overprotective brother would do anything for his sister even if it means destroying and changing the world. Nothing exceptional because that’s what bad guys mostly do as opposed to heroes who are the opposite as they would kill you just to save the rest and many. Heh. But are the siblings really the bad guys because just like other candidates, they too have their own wishes they want granted. But I guess they’re better than Keita who is just a sleazebag, right? From the looks of it, we haven’t seen the last of him.

As already said, the powers and abilities of the candidates are not explained well so we don’t really know how this game or its system works. This means the action scenes are just mediocre and the problem already compounded with the CGI visuals and this makes the movements and all looking really weird. So yeah, just conjure the power and some flashy effects whatsoever, there, you have your candidates fighting. Are you satisfied? Not! And the worst offender of all? Personally it is not enough people dying! This season only actually had 2 candidates dead! I was expecting at least 10 people! Oh yeah, the series would then be filled with lots of uninspiring characters but whatever. Let me see some deaths! HAHAHA!!! So the only ones dead include Akitsu who is Gorou’s friend and typically as such scripts wrote, best friend must sacrifice himself so main character can realize something and move on. The other dead guy is Tatsuya who technically withdrew but he is as good as dead. So next season can we introduce more characters and have bloody deaths like Squid Game???!!! PLEASE???!!!

Voice acting feels pretty normal. Ayane Sakura as Lall feels a lot tame here. It could be just me because I felt that she too wasn’t really impressed in voicing her character and thus Lall sounding like Lall. Same can be said for Aoi Yuuki as Ryou but then again, it could be just me. The other casts are Kazuki Ura as Gorou (Shouta in Shuumatsu No Harem), Sara Matsumoto as Sawa (Towa in Hanyou No Yashahime), Tomori Kusunoki as Iyo (Makima in Chainsaw Man), Gakuto Kajiwara as Kouki (Asta in Black Clover), Natsuko Abe as Chika (Lonti in Leadale No Daichi Nite), Chiaki Kobayashi as Kyou (Mash in Mashle), Ai Fairouz as Mitsuko (Takechiyo in Hanyou No Yashahime), Shuuichi Uchida as Akitsu (Terafune in Fuufu Ijou Koibito Miman), Yuuki Shin as Tatsuya (Jinn in Edens Zero) and Shou Karino as Keita (Chifuyu in Tokyo Revengers).

One of the weirdest things this series has to offer is the opening theme, Scrap & Build by Elaiza. This song sounds like some sort of comical carnival and doesn’t fit the series at all. But considering how appalling everything is, maybe we need this weird song to make us raise an eyebrow and go WTF in a different way. Especially the opener where Gorou does his strange Iyo dance. WTF indeed. At least the ending theme, Bleed My Heart by Alisa is more bearable. Even if this song doesn’t fit the series but at least this hip hop with funky bass line and is sung entirely in English makes me want to shuffle my feet at times. Yeah, after seeing all the atrocities, maybe I need to hear such songs to wind down.

Overall, this series could have been better as it had the potentials but it screwed up from the start and what we got is this dreary mess including which the disgraceful CGI effects takes the largest chunk of the cake. You bet it was disappointing alright as it has wasted its chance to make something good out of it. Especially a concept of using Smartphone apps, something that is so indispensable from our everyday lives. Of course there is next season and while I still hold some hope that things will get better like fleshing out the mechanisms and the characters better, I am at the same time going to lower the expectations bar even further! Thank goodness I am not a candidate in this sh*tty game because my wish is just to simply end the whole damn thing right now! It is also a good thing I am not Smartphone savvy and I have no clue about the apps I have on my phone. Oh f*cking hell, I just block and disable all unknown apps from installing on my phone!

Itai No Wa Iya Nano De Bougyoryoku Ni Kyokufuri Shitai To Omoimasu S2

I thought they might forget about it but oh well, who am I kidding? It has been 3 years since the first season aired and at the end of it they hinted a sequel. And that sequel, Itai No Wa Iya Nano De Bougyoryoku Ni Kyokufuri Shitai To Omoimasu S2 (or Bofuri S2 if that title is still too f*cking long and a mouthful for you to pronounce) has come and gone. Not that I’m a big fan of this series anyway but what to do? Stupid ‘law’ needs me to follow up and hope the sequel would be something better than the first. Sighs. So here am I watching this. But how much better could it get? The main heroine already has maxed out her defence so much that she is basically so overpowered in her offense as well. Technically like cheating but it’s not because she legitimately maxed them out. She’s having such a blast but more headaches for the admin who try to nerf her without breaking the game and also try to be fair but we all know nothing is going to stop her and her friends. Now we wait for her to complete the game, upgrade and get everything she can get her hands on and become a 100% completionist. Best game ever.

Episode 1
An event coming up in NWO? Let’s login and play! So we see Maple and co defeating some level boss (more like Maple doing the overkill) and their reward is being transported to this very Japanese-like town. So while they wait for the event to start, everyone goes their separate ways and do what they need to do. Like Sally having to once again tend to Frederica’s challenges. Frederica thinks she got her this time but once again, falls to her trap and loses. Maybe next time. Maple then sees Mii secretly entering an establishment. Turns out she is enjoying cuddling cute cats? Don’t worry about Maple busting this secret because she too enjoys all the cuddling. Then there’s Kasumi buying all her favourite Japanese stuffs. Realizing she’ll run out of money, she takes on a quest to earn some. She tests her special sword. Specialty includes a revealing cleavage but it’s damn powerful. Unfortunately the side effect is her body turned into of that of a child for a few minutes. Soon the next event starts as the admin explains about rare and exclusive Christmas items hidden across the field. Everyone is then teleported to random starting points. Tree monsters descend on Maple. Don’t worry. Time to show off how overpowered she is. Easy. Then she stumbles into Payne as he suggests they pair up for this mission. This sets the admins into panicking mode again. Yup. Not Maple again. Pairing with NWO’s greatest player will jeopardize all their hard work. So are they going to change the game’s rules and specs just to nerf her?! Well, thank goodness no. That’ll wreck the game’s balance. For now, they’ll just observe and collect data. I wonder if this is to show that Maple isn’t 100% the best so she got covered in some weird honey that indicates she might die in just 1 hit! So now it’s Payne’s turn to step up to his game and show us why he’s the greatest. Kasumi is forced to use her special sword. Hoping no one would see her but damn, Shin’s here. As the event nears its end, Maple holds a Christmas party for her guild and also invites others. Everyone opens their mysterious present and now they all have Santa outfits and Christmas-like accessories. Only Maple is a reindeer. Are you sure this is random? Then they drink to more adventures ahead.

Episode 2
Time to see what Maple Tree can do without having to always rely on their leader, eh? Yeah. Taking out this floor boss is so easy. See? They can do it. Of all days Maple had to be sick, no? When she is well, she goes to fight the floor boss to advance to the next level to join her friends. She fights this old dude and you know they’re trolling us when whatever Maple throws at him doesn’t work. Because time to use some overpowered move for ultimate victory. She doesn’t do this move because it also hurts the wielder. Thank goodness for her maxed defence, right? What was the name of this anime again? Unfortunately this is not the correct floor boss so all her actions were for nothing. Then she meets with Frederica and her party members. They are here instead of the next level is to help some of their guys level up. Yeah, those nameless background characters that we’ll never know. Maple easily pounds the floor boss and the rest must be horrified to see this, huh? Now that Maple can access the next level, she stumbles into May and Yui. They just lost to some lightning monster. But knowing Maple is here, they know they can defeat it. Always feels good to rely on your trump card, eh? And yes, it is that easy now to defeat the lightning monster with Maple around. And with the rest of Maple Tree, defeating this jellyfish monster to advance to the next level. Wow. Such progress. However this level is a horror zone and this does not sit well with Sally. She’ll find other ways to get to the next level so she’s sitting this one out. But what made her change her mind? There’s this special item or skill boosting thingy… Yeah, better sum up your courage. With Maple, they head to the graveyards as Sally begins the fright of her life. Hey, you want it so badly, right? Entering the mansion, Sally continues to be a scaredy cat and even more so, ghost hands! But after Maple eliminates them, a spell activates and separates them! Oh dear. Real horror AKA fun time begins now! Can’t logout too! Imagine, Sally is so fast and she can’t even outrun ghosts… Ironically all the jump scares did not cause her to have heart attack as soon Maple the saviour is here. The ghosts then go away because they go haunt new visitors. The girls use this chance to escape and since spending so much time in this mansion, looks like Sally got some goodies. Wow. That easy, huh? Back in reality, looks like her parents are working late and won’t come home early. Oh dear. Home alone. The horror movie continues? Luckily Risa calls Kaede for some company at least until her parents return.

Episode 3
Maple defeats a couple of naughty loli ghosts to get whatever items Sally wanted. This makes the admins frustrated again because of whatever bug there was. Time to get fixing again. Soon, Maple meets up with Mii to go help her fight a monster. As expected, easy peasy. Then the duo chat about teaming up before being joined by Kasumi and Frederica. The latter was trying to find Sally for another challenge but she’s not around so Kasumi fought her instead. Yeah, Frederica lost. Can she actually fight Sally if she keeps losing to Maple Tree members? They talk about some guild competition as well as Frederica wanting to get a ghostly familiar in her bid to take down Sally. An announcement for the next event where parties can choose what level they want based on difficulty. Each party will also have their own level so they won’t clash with others so feel free to let loose as much as they want. Maple and Sally team up for this next event as they begin to climb the tower. First, they fight a dragon with a powerful breath weapon. Easy, just go inside it where it’s weak and attack! Apparently the admins didn’t think they would do it but yeah, looks like another plan to stop Maple foiled. In the next level, monster books steal Maple’s techniques. This means Maple is now a sitting duck as Sally is left to do all the fighting. Too bad she knows Maple’s abilities and uses it against the monster. In no time it is defeated and Maple got all her skills back. Yeah, another foiled plot. Maybe the next one… Fighting a lava monster that soon turns into an ice monster but Maple uses her monster form to easily defeat. I swear, the admins must be f*cking frustrated now. They’re at their wits’ end to stop her so much so they think having done some terrain damage to her is already a huge achievement?!

Episode 4
In the next level, Maple and Sally are so cool that they’re riding and enjoying themselves on the back of this giant turtle which is supposed to be the floor boss! Once they’re done, instant death for the turtle! They’re gonna further frustrated the admins… We see the other guilds making their own progress throughout the tower. Of course a big bulk is focused on Maple and Sally as they traverse to higher floors. So how does Sally handle the one with ghosts? Why, hide in Maple’s Godzilla mouth! Oh well, the lesser of 2 evils… Other than that, it’s pretty much predictable as the duo fight on. Not even some huge freaking tower boss could even stop them. In the final level, they are already up facing the supposed strongest boss. Of course we got the entire second half for this and hence need to add some drama like Maple getting knocked back and her defence isn’t as strong as before. Yeah. Knight boss is really fast and strong. Gonna make us sweat a bit… In the end, the duo pull off whatever epic moves to finally defeat it. Crazy hard but it was worth the effort. With many other guilds also conquering the tower, the admins are celebrating with happiness. Their goal is for others to defeat their tower they created and have fun. They want people to beat their game. With Maple Tree happy that all of them pass this event, they decide to fight the next boss to head to the next level. Nothing this is going to be a scary one, they wonder how Sally will fare. It is then they show how it is done. No shame. Just get it done like this. Wow. Are we so speechless and dumbfounded?

Episode 5
In this next level, players are allowed to tame monsters. Like Pokemon?! However not all can be tamed and there are certain rules on how to tame those who can. Since a player is only limited to a single monster, this means Maple and Sally who already have their own familiars cannot get another one. Hence they will help other members to get theirs. This is vital since for the next event, a familiar will be most helpful. Maple accompanies May and Yui to find one. They stumble upon a pair of cute bears that leave behind coloured footprints?! Too bad they’re too fast. They head back so Iz can make them some gear. Uhm, rabbit outfits? Now we see snippets of 3 different adventures here. Maple getting kidnapped by a tentacle monster and taken to some underwater cave in which she gets eaten and more tentacle stranglehold. Sorry folks, nothing racy here. The sisters continue to hunt the bears and when they find them, the bears get kidnapped by this evil tentacle tree! Oh dear. But sorry, nothing spicy too. Lastly, Kasumi. Following the words of some NPC, she fights through several enemies and levels before facing a seemingly unbeatable giant snake. May, Yui and Kasumi keep losing and hence their quest keeps restarting but they won’t give up. Maple fights back by, uhm, eating the monster?! Tastes delicious! Are you f*cking serious?! Now the monster is scared of her but Maple eats too much of it until it dies. Wow! Seriously?! Kasumi defeats the snake and this leads her to a smaller but cute white snake that will become her familiar, Haku. The sisters too end up victorious. The bears are theirs as they name them Tsukimi and Yukimi (better than Bukimi HAHA!!!). Maple returns to her party and everyone is shocked she now can produce tentacle arms!

Episode 6
Now we focus on the remaining Maple Tree members in getting their familiars. First up is Kanade. Walking through the familiar town, she knows every NPC until she stumbles one that is never seen before. Uhm, could it be a player? Anyway, following him leads to some house in which it activates a quest for her to defeat some mirror slime. Basically, fighting herself in a mirror battle and winning it. Obviously. Can’t lose to yourself because who knows yourself better than your own self, right? Now she has a slime familiar named Sou. Next is Iz as she is interested in this spirit based familiar. However it seems to unlock it, lots of quests to retrieve items is needed. So she seeks Maple and Mii’s help as the first place they go is to defeat the lava dragon at its volcano home. I’m sure this is for Maple to show off her tentacle skills. One down and many more quests to go. Yeah, we’re not going through that so we’re focusing on Kuromu on his long quest now. 10 spots he went and they’re all a miss. Hopefully this cave with zombies and ghosts that is like some Pirates of the Caribbean spoof would be the one. Indeed. After defeating the skeleton captain, his box of treasure includes this ghostly armour familiar whom he names Necro. Iz has got all the ingredients and finally makes a pact with this spirit, Fay. Maple Tree congratulates them for getting their familiars as Kuromu shows off that he can combine with Necro for an even more durable armour. Like putting on another set of armour? Hope Sally won’t get scared with a ghost familiar in their group.

Episode 7
Frederica challenges Sally again. This time to show off her new familiar. However Sally doesn’t give her any openings and quickly owns her. So you thought Frederica is being mean to have a ghost familiar but it’s a cute little chick named Notes. The admins then announce some details for the next event. Basically individuals will be competing with each other for survival, earning points on how long they survive and monsters they defeat. The higher their rank, the better the rewards. To prepare for the next event, Maple and Sally adventure around the area. Then they notice this crystal and as it turns out, it is one of the few keys needed to trigger something. As they look around, Sally finds an underwater map of what is supposed to be of the level. Is this where the missing Poneglyph of One Piece is?! They return to ask Kanade for advice and she has some answers since she read all the books in the library! The duo then head off to several spots to fight monster bosses to get those crystal keys. Once they have collected them all, it unlocks this beautiful colourful ruin. Lots of weird critters around. Are these Ghibli’s rejected designs?! When they reach a seemingly important spot, this levels up Syrup and Oboro. Now in their newly evolved forms, they have a new set of skills too. Maple hopes the rest can also help evolve their familiars but they are stumped since they have encountered nothing of that sort. The rest deduce that perhaps their bonds with their familiar could only trigger it. After all, Maple and Sally have been with their familiars for a long time. Meanwhile the admins are griping about more bugs and all. Well, if these are creating monsters, then it’s only right to throw monsters at them. But some caution doing so exceeds their processing capabilities. Oh well, got to try something.

Episode 8
Maple practising her skills with Syrup. Mii’s pals stumble into this and note how much they’ve grown. They also show their familiars since they’ve seen hers. Uhm, didn’t she have Syrup all along? The next event is here as the admin relays more details about it like getting points for monsters they kill and surviving till the end. After more training, everyone gets transported to the battlefield. We see Maple making a killing until a point where monsters start running away from her! Then she realizes several new skills she got, one of them causes lower level monsters to run away! How can she kill monsters for points now? Don’t worry, this flower trap she accidentally sets off attracts monsters. Time for total annihilation. Now we see how the rest of Maple Tree are doing. May and Yui easily defeating a bunch of losers from another guild. Then they want to go help Maple thinking she will have too many enemies to handle. Seeing she is trampling all over them, they believe it is best they leave her alone. Kanade has her back against the wall with Dread and Drag. She gets killed off but obviously she was just using a shadow clone and got some useful info about their familiars. Then we see Iz setting bomb traps and bombing the forest while Kasumi slices anyone, monsters or players who enter her territory. Sally is wandering around but stumbles into an epic fight between Payne and Mii. This great battle is ‘ruined’ when joker Maple comes by inside an alligator’s mouth, running about and having fun?! Yeah, they lost interest and will resume their fight another day. So apparently Maple got eaten by this monster but since she didn’t enter its stomach, she used a skill to control it. Now she’s having fun riding and shooting beams to hunt monsters! WTF?! The preliminaries end and Maple Tree members all score high points and rank highly. Can’t wait for the next round of main event.

Episode 9
More details about the next main event. Basically if you survive, you get silver medals in which you can trade for skills and other stuffs. So the higher the difficulty, the more medals you get. There are also events in which strong monsters will pop out so keep an eye on the timer. As they get transported over to the next event, they are immediately thrown into battle with some of the most ferocious monsters. Since they didn’t drop medals, it’s safe to say that these are just warm ups and the toughest are coming. The decision now is to either search for medals together or split up. Eventually they form 2 groups to look for the medals. Maple’s team will have Sally, May and Yui. We see them fight mud zombies whatever and thanks to Maple’s ability of not taking damage, this is going to be easy win. And yeah, first medal obtained. On Kasumi’s side, they fight a sneaky and invisible enemy. But when they put their teamwork together, the sniff out the enemy and get another medal. Not a bad start as they regroup. They see this dummy cave labyrinth and think of making this their base to rest. Yes, having time to decorate their base and even putting traps all over. When they wait for the timer to reach zero, here comes the horde… Only… None came. Did the traps take them all out? Maple and Sally check it out and it seems with all the loots they dropped, the traps did their job. Then they beef up their defence and put more traps. Yeah, so much time on their hands they start playing cards. And all the silly monsters activating the trap and go boom. Is this a tower defence game now?! Even the admins are shocked to see them create a dungeon even deadlier than the ones they made. So they think the monsters will only get tougher now, eh? They should well know who they’re dealing with…

Episode 10
When Maple Tree exit their base, suddenly they got teleported and scattered. We see Sally fighting monsters alongside Frederica. Nothing that they can’t handle. With the monsters done, Frederica suggests a duel to kill time. Well, we all know how this will turn out, right? Maple is also fighting monsters but Mii comes to her aid. She then tells Maple that the world is somehow collapsing from inside out and that many of her comrades got scattered to. Is this event going to be like Fortnite? This means we see other Maple Tree members ending up with other guilds like Iz with Markus, Kuromu with Misery, Kasumi with Shin and finally Kanade, May and Yui with Drag. Teamwork allows them to easily defeat their foes as they all reunite. Because Flame Emperor and Order of the Holy Sword have lost their bases, it is suggested they temporary make base with Maple Tree. It’s going to be the big and most powerful alliance ever. Meanwhile we see those admins talking about this forced relocation and minimizing the map size was all part of the strategy to trim down the players for the event’s finale. Strong monsters were also sent as part of it because it wouldn’t be fun if the most difficult difficulty is easy to beat. But looks like they’ll be eating their words as they learn Maple Tree has formed an alliance with the 2 other powerful guilds. Oh dang, they’re going to feel pity for the monsters! They worry more people will complete this event now. Are they saying they short sell and don’t have enough prizes? Oh well, time to make more adjustments… With strong monsters entering the base and the traps have no effect, Payne and Mii decide to fight them off as repayment for the shelter. While they easily complete the task, soon the gang wonders if this is an efficient strategy. They think it would be better to go out and fight more monsters to earn medals instead of sitting and waiting here. After all, something may happen tomorrow like the forced teleportation today. Hence we see our heroes split themselves into 4 groups to conquer everything in all cardinal directions. And the weak ones stay behind to hold the fort, right?!

Episode 11
Those who stay back at the base try to do something to repay Maple Tree’s kindness by going out of their cave to fight monsters. Too bad they have to come running back to their safe zone after getting their asses handed to them! We focus on May and Yui’s side (that includes Markus and Dread) as they head into some underwater cave to fight some catfish boss. They beat it and earn a medal. Next up is Kanade and Iz who has Payne and Misery in their group. In this cathedral dungeon, they fight their way through magic enemies. We all know how it will end, right? Then in the desert zone, Kuromu, Kasumi, Shin and Drag fight scorpion and snake bosses. You know the drill. Finally, Maple, Sally, Mii and Frederica barge through a forest full of batty monsters and into a portal to another dimension to face off with this Maple’s Godzilla clone. No prizes to guess what happens in the end. Everyone regroups back at the base and you bet everyone has done well enough to earn lots of medals. Now the admins are worried because they’ve gotten so many medals and if they make the monsters harder, other players won’t be able to even beat them. Heh. Are there even other players at this point?! Worse, if they get even more medals, the admins have to work overtime! But don’t worry, they’re betting on this next monster… How many times were we fooled already? The final day is here and while it seems like a good strategy for the alliance to just sit back and survive till the day is over as they already have more than enough medals, suddenly loads of those Godzilla monster clones pop up. They deduce there will be even tougher monsters than this and if they get cornered here, there will be nowhere to run. The only way? Go out and attack them!

Episode 12
Our heroes barge their way out as they fight the monsters. They manage to escape and take temporary refuge at this mountain. Holding out would be ideal but with more Godzilla clones spawning, that won’t be an easy option. Especially this really huge mother Godzilla that threatens to destroy the world! Hence the plan is to cooperate (what else?) to take down the lesser monsters so they can concentrate on the final boss. So Flame Emperor and Order of the Holy Sword will do just that as Maple Tree concentrate on the big mother. Everybody helps chip away its enormous HP. The monster then tries to escape and flies away. Maple and Sally are left on its back as they try to take down its wings. Anyway it worked. Now that it is grounded, it’s about time for everybody to show off their skills with their pets to do further damage before our guild bosses do their even devastating moves. In the final attack, Maple realizes her HP is dangerously low. So she hasn’t maxed out her defence? Sally gives her some elixir in time. After healing up, Maple gets a great push from Syrup as she thrusts through the monster with her devouring move. Big boss defeated. End of event. Hooray! All survivors get lots of medals and they can trade them with whatever weapons or skills they want before the next big event. Meanwhile the admins are broken. Their best ace got taken down like any other monsters and now there are too many players who survived and got lots of medals. You know what this means. Back to the drawing board to work out more details before the next event. Yeah, more overtime. But I guess one of them got so broken that she claims what they did was correct because as long as the players are happy, they did their job. She is so moved by their passion that she will talk to the management for special bonuses and hire more people to help. While this makes everybody happy, we wonder if management will even listen… We all know the game industry isn’t all bed of roses, right? As Maple hang out with Sally, we see a bunch of new characters sizing them up. They think they know their weaknesses and can beat them. Yeah well, I think I know how it will turn out…

NWO Any% Glitchful Speedrun
Can anybody stop these powerful players? Your guess is as good as mine. Sure, maybe they are so strong that they could be attracting new players to the game but at the same time, put other newbies off because well, they are so overpowered. And to think they end it with some drama that some new characters think Maple’s skills are just for chums. Are they trying to fool us? I’m sure they haven’t faced her yet and that’s why they talk big and don’t know the extent of her strength. My guess is that there’ll be a short skirmish and in the end, become allies and the alliance of powerful guilds will grow bigger. Yes, more friends. And yes, more headaches for our admins. Better throw away whatever real life they have and started tweaking! Is this worth all the special incentives and bonuses in the end? Too late to turn back now… But I guess Maple and friends are having a blast so…

Honestly, this season feels a whole lot boring. Forgive me if I missed a lot of important details and couldn’t piece together the puzzle to understand what is going on because I caught myself countless times being distracted by something else while watching this. Uh huh. So basically this season is about Maple and her friends going about their online adventure to kill more monsters, level up and get great goodies, defying expectations of the admins. Rinse and repeat. Is that not what this whole series is about anyway? Worse, I noticed that in some events, it felt like the whole thing was just like one big summary. This means the fight is not really dragged out and we see snippets of it mostly. This is both good and bad. Because the whole thing is already a bore, dragging out the overpowered fight scenes will be even more boring because we all know how it will conclude especially in Maple’s case. So it doesn’t matter if a fight event is zipped through or not because in the end, our main characters always win. Hence such ‘summary’ is good because it saves a lot of time on that but on the other hand, it’s not really a good thing when you have many events being given the fast forward treatment. Oh well, after all they are mostly all almost identical, right? Find monsters or go on a quest, defeat the monster boss, get rewarded. Rinse and repeat. YAWN!!!

Making the whole second season even worse are the characters. There is basically not much character development in this season as the first has already introduced what is necessary to us. Sure, we see them level up and obtain some new skills but nothing that would be a major significant that would give the series a whole new direction. Like Maple, we already saw how overpowered she has become in the first season that she is literally a walking legal cheat code God. Heh. Because of that, she has the luxury to just have fun in everything she does without so much having to worry. Weaker characters who still have a long way to go in improving their level and skills will have lots more to worry but not her. Literally, always in her own pace. I mean, who is going to beat her, right? There are moments when it seemingly looks like she might lose but rest assured, it is all just for drama purpose as all Maple needs to do is just to calm down, think about what she has in her arsenal and then unleash it. Always works and never fails. Rinse and repeat and there you have it, NWO’s strongest player ever. This entire season is so focused on her and her friends online that you might even forget they’re just playing a game. Literally, they have no life outside NWO!!!! And basically you can’t hate Maple for being overpowered because she didn’t cheat her or worse, bought and max out her abilities with real world money! Oh God. Those are the worst kinds of players, no? And to think NWO has no such mechanics, makes me wonder how they will stay afloat. I can foresee the management isn’t going to approve that special bonuses for the overworked admins…

And so the rest of the other characters in Maple Tree aren’t exciting either. I don’t know what else more to say about them. In fact, they feel insignificant despite having somewhat more share of the screen time. Yeah. Blame Maple for stealing the scenes with her overpowered features. So I don’t know if it is a good thing if Maple Tree didn’t get any new members inducted because they might be a small guild but they are so overpowered already. Yeah, maybe that’s why it felt so boring. But then again, better not have new characters because we already have had enough of overpowered characters. So as to show them as human and have a vulnerable side, I’m sure why we are reminded that Sally is still afraid of ghosts. But she’ll get around it when it matters most, right? And Kasumi’s new skill turns her into a vulnerable loli? KAWAII!

So to somewhat spice things up, hence the alliance with Flame Emperor and Order of the Holy Sword because it’s the only thing left to do. Instead of making them fight each other for supremacy (my bet is that Maple will still top them all), hence the latest event having them joining forces for the greater good. As good as saying they’ve already beaten the game because when you have the game’s strongest top 3 guilds working together, everyone else is screwed. Other players have no chance at all and the only way is to join them. Yeah, imagine if every player falls under one of these umbrella guilds, that would be so boring! So while it is refreshing to see the top guilds work together, ultimately I feel it is all just for aesthetics. Oh look, everybody is here! Yeah. That. I noticed a bunch of goons and clowns under the Order of the Holy Sword. Joker characters definitely. Yeah, they talk big or act tough but end up as losers anyway. It’s amazing how they can last this long into the game as the events get harder and more taxing. Yeah, always get protected by the powerful ones, huh?

Then there are those admins who will always forever be troubled at how much Maple and her guild has grown. We all might laugh at them for being too dumb to fix things or make things worse but put yourself in their shoes. With a game this big, bugs and glitches are bound to happen so it’s a herculean effort trying to find and fix them. While they are always complaining about Maple being overpowered, they are actually still trying to be fair admins. After all, if they really want to play dirty and don’t like her, they can just ban and suspend her account! Something they had not done and this proves that they are trying to take a more positive approach and fix things with their programming. Again, yet a seemingly impossible task since Maple has always surpass their expectations. They think the next time will be it but after coming this far, we all know better. Thus these admins are not the bad guys as they are just trying to do their job and make a game that is playable and more importantly, fun to everyone. Keep praying that Maple won’t cause any more trouble… Right, when pigs fly…

This season’s action scenes are still mediocre at least to me. As I am already so bored with everything, I thought perhaps the fighting scenes would at least alleviate some of that boredom. Sad to say, it did not. Sure, everyone has levelled up and gained some new set of moves especially with everybody now having their own cute little pet mascot. It feels like such scenes are to showcase in a flashy way all that power and it is only right because this is a fantasy game, right? Basically this is what many of the scenes in each episode is about. Fighting. After all, that is what such online RPGs like NWO is supposed to be, right? You’re here to show off your powerful skills and to do that you fight monsters. Sorry if you want some romance, go play a dating sim! But yeah, I couldn’t get all excited watching the power fight scenes because it’s all too predictable (even for the big final last boss battle). As I’ve already said, the latest event has the top guilds joining forces, it feels like a gimmick to give us viewers some variety because we’re so hell bored seeing the same Maple Tree winning, right? So why not share that win with the other top guilds.

While the art and animation remain the same, I have to mention that some monsters are given the CGI treatment and I think it should have been done better. Yeah, why do they always have to give us mediocre CGI quality? The main reason why it doesn’t seem so awful is because for example, the final battle with the big mother, the scene is quite dark. Aha. Enough to cover and hide the atrocious CGI, right? Oh yeah. Just what we need.

Junjou No Afilia who sang the first season’s opener, they continue to do the same for this season. However Kono Tate Ni Kakuremasu feels awfully familiar with their first season’s stint like as though it is some sort of spiritual successor or something. Oh you know, it sounds like one of those lively generic anime idol pop song with lots of sparkling effects. I don’t find it exciting for me, though. The same can be said for the ending theme, Step For Joy by Fram. Nothing special about this anime rock outfit which sounds as generic as any other. But the song I want to point out most is the insert song, As You Wish by Fram. This feels like a spiritual successor to Good Night by Rico Sasaki that was the insert song from the first season. With its tropical samba and cool acoustic guitar pickings, this is the best song for me this season. However unfortunately it still can’t hold a candle to Good Night as still prefer that one much more than this. One reason that As You Wish feels a bit weird is because the song is entirely in English and the singer sounds like she’s singing in Engrish mode! Ugh. Also, her singing sounds muffled and I can’t hear her clearly enough.

Overall, this sequel continues to be a let-down and worst of all, even more boring! I might not remember the first season much but my guts tell me this season was worse and lacklustre. You have to be hardcore fans of the series or the characters to like this sequel or find the second season to be something solid but unfortunately I am not one of those. I’m so glad this is over and considering this sequel ran into production issues (some episodes were postponed while the season was running and were blamed on that damn Corona virus and even the final 2 episodes were delayed to a few weeks later), I’m sure the production staffs too were glad they finally got over this nightmare. Uh huh. Don’t want to work overtime to fix something that many aren’t going to appreciate in the end, right? Yeah. Just enough to just finish the season and hopefully not get another. Yes, hopefully no third season because no matter how overpowered you are how much super goodies you have in your arsenal, it all means nothing when the server gets shutdown and the game goes offline forever! Not even Maple can max her way out of that! Or can she? Then it’s welcome back to reality, the true NWO! How about maxing out real life stats? Tough, right?!

Overlord IV

FINALLY! The pipe dream has come true! I’m talking about Overlord IV! Yeah! I suppose 4 years feels like a really long time to wait for another sequel and during those times, I actually thought they would never make another sequel ever again. Thankfully this series is too interesting and has too many potentials to be left unanimated. So it remained true to its words at the end of the third season that the story will continued. Indeed. It has continued after 4 long years later. And even more so, after being unceremoniously be trolled in the previous season about a certain skeleton knight from another world, now let the true skeleton mage from another world (who is back after a couple of seasons from that isekai crossover comedy which is just play-play stuff) to show us how it is done and awe us all with his amazing strategy and mercy. Sort of. All hail Ains-sama!

Episode 1
Fancy seeing Ains in a different outfit today? Taking care the first order for today, he stamps his approval on documents he doesn’t understand. I guess he’s the boss. Then he reads anonymous suggestions from his subordinates for discussion. Of course Albedo shoots them down at first until Ains thinks it is a good idea. Aura and Mare come in just to sit on Ains’ thigh? I guess it’s to lap up some b*tch rivalry and showdown with Albedo. Once we’re done with this shenanigans, they discuss the important issue at hand: Lack of goods in E-Rantel despite being a merchant town. Ever since Ains took over, there are hardly merchants visiting the city. Albedo gets his permission to go to Re-Estize personally and will leave things here to Pandora. Ains then goes to talk to Pandora personally. Basically he sees him as his own son and wants him to grow to surpass him. His goal is to see how he does things differently than how he was originally created for. Pandora accepts this but also asks how Ains will rule this kingdom. Because as he is impersonating as Momon, he gets lots of visits and questions by the people on what kind of country he will be leading. Will the people become slaves or be sent off for war? Ains then visits the local adventurers’ guild. He notes the lack of adventurers and even quests posted on the board. He speaks to the guild master, Ainzach about wanting to absorb this guild into his fold despite they stay independent in every country. Ainzach agrees to it since it is his wish. Ains thinks Ainzach has transferred other members elsewhere to hand over an empty guild. He also asks if the adventurers truly protect other races other than humans. Ainzach claims yes. Ains further adds about adventurers are those who explore the unknown. Now they’re just like exterminators and doing security. Something his personnel can do. Hence he wants the adventurers to take up the role of exploring unknown lands. That is why he wants to take the guild under his wing because if by posting a mere request, will the guild resolve issues when it comes into conflict with other countries? Under his wing, the guild will have his full support. Ainzach accepts this offer. Ains notes he cherishes the creations left behind by his comrades. That’s why he wants to make his kingdom a utopia. A place where humans and non-humans want to forever be ruled by him! Of course his goal is so that once he establishes his kingdom, he can proudly show to his comrades who may be out there somewhere.

Episode 2
Ains is in a dilemma. If Sorcerer Kingdom does become a kingdom of equality, it may lead to the same path he had with his previous comrades. If he told Albedo about his feelings, it might ruin their plans so he’ll leave it for now. And that’s so much about Ains’ appearance for this episode! We see Renner having an orphanage of her own. She talks to Evileye and Tina about doing this to scout and raise people for their talent. Evileye talks about some of their dead comrades. She praises her hero Momon while being disgruntled at Ains, unaware they are the same person. She is further baffled that Momon decided to work under Ains. Zanac laments the loss of Raeven and thinks he won’t come back. As the next in line to the throne, he needs to find a way to deal with Sorcerer Kingdom and perhaps send a tribute to them to deepen their relationship. When Renner says Sorcerer Kingdom will soon send a diplomat and suggests giving a tribute that is double the amount, Zanac thinks it’s a good idea. Brain trains under a retired adventurer, Vesture Kloff Di Laufen. As a commoner, he thinks he lacks the connections and that’s why is looking for someone to fill in Gazef’s position instead of filling it himself. Zanac greets Albedo as the diplomat. When he holds a ball, we hear this small time noble, Philip Dayton L’Eyre Monsterrat fuming that nobody respects his family because they are poor. When he sees Albedo, he is smitten with her beauty and feels the need to take this chance. Hence he boldly introduces himself to her. Back home, his father is mad that he blew this chance. He pulled strings to get him to that ball to remind everyone he is his heir. But Philip believes in aligning with Sorcerer Kingdom since their little village is sandwiched between both nations. He also believes Sorcerer Kingdom will aid them in supplies since it will be good public image for them. Because Philip requested to a hold a ball with Albedo, where is he going to get the money and place to hold it? He has arranged it with this rich commoner, Hilma Cygnaeus. Philip is not pleased with the third rate nobles Hilma invited. But she believes they will grow if he leads them. With Philip wanting to court Albedo and even asking Hilma for tips, she gets scared and claims it is impossible for them to even get close. Albedo can tell Philip is a fool but finds him useful in that since and it would be a waste to replace him. Later Albedo talks privately with Renner and rewards her with some box. She is tasked to open it before the invasion.

Episode 3
We see Ains sending off Albedo and warning her abut mysterious diseases she might catch. She suggests giving a kiss to solve it! Why, he pecks her cheek and Georgie Porgie makes her cry! She didn’t think he would do it! Meanwhile we see a few elemental cardinals from Slane Theocracy discussing about Ains. They think it is wrong for an undead to rule a kingdom. They talk some other stuffs which I don’t really get it or remember. Then we see Jircniv getting stressed out that Ains is an undead and wonders how to survive this. Can he curse him just to survive? He fears if Sorcerer Kingdom aligns itself with Re-Estize, maybe Baharuth should align with Slane just to have a chance against Sorcerer King. Then he is agonized that Fluder defected to the other side. Then in some coliseum, he meets a few adamantite adventurers. Jircniv is further shock to see that the opponent for Warrior King is Ains himself. The Slane side thinks he set them up so Jircniv is thinks Ains has it all under his hand from the start. With the Slane side still suspicious, Jircniv claims he is trying to warn them of any hasty actions since Ains is ruling benevolently but who knows who long this peace will love. If they have something to defeat him, please tell. So now he knows Warrior King can’t best Ains in his cunningness and he is just to do his best? Has he lost it?

Episode 4
Ains and Ainzach bypass the officials of Baharuth to enter the kingdom quietly since Ains’ plan is to scout for potential adventurers to be recruited for his adventurer institute. Ainzach then questions if that is the case, the adventurers here might not give up easily on what they have. Because the strong is always admired, he suggests scraping his scouting and start from scratch. Why not advertise himself by fighting in the coliseum? He is friends with a promoter, Osk and can arrange a meeting to have him fight the strongest warrior here AKA Warrior King. Ains then goes to see Fluder to get some info on Warrior King. Meeting with Osk, a sword with runes catches the eye of Ains since runes aren’t of this world. He learns the dwarves created it. Osk is surprised he wants to fight Sorcerer King and asks a few questions. Ains’ goal to fight the strongest is to see if he is stronger than Gazef. Because there are some rules, Ains cannot use magic or at least many of his magic options will be taken away. We now return to see Ains facing Warrior King in the arena. Ains learns he is a war troll but unlike his race, he does not look down on others and admires the strong. So they make a deal. If Ains wins, he will become his subordinate. If Warrior King wins, he will eat Ains and become stronger. The match begins and you can hear Jircniv crazily cheering for Warrior King to win. Noisy. Obviously Warrior King can’t stand a chance with Ains. With his magic weakening his abilities and all, eventually Warrior King realizes Ains didn’t even use a fraction of his true skill and wants to have a taste of that before he dies. Ains grants him that and then kills him. Then he makes an announcement to all of his plans and wants true adventurers to join his kingdom. He assures they will not be used as tools for war and with his proven strength, he can back them up for he has overcome death. He proves it by resurrecting Warrior King. He is about to leave when Jircniv has something important to say to him. Well, he pleads for Baharuth to become his vassal state! Since Ains doesn’t know what that means, he will have him officially write that. While everyone is in shock with Jircniv’s decision, but he reasons there is no longer a way to defeat Sorcerer Kingdom. But he is stumped he didn’t take the offer. Could it be something went in the way of his original plan? A panicky looking Jircniv thinks he will prove himself to be of value to manage a vassal state. He has resigned himself as the world’s most unfortunate person.

Episode 5
Demiurge returns but Ains is not around. Albedo says he is visiting the dwarven kingdom. She shows him the results of Ains’ visit to Baharuth and how the empire wants to become a vassal state under Sorcerer Kingdom. Ains has left them both to think on how to deal with this. Now we focus on Ains as his entourage prepares to head to the dwarven kingdom as he is interested in forging ties with their kingdom to learn their runes and weapons. He has taken Aura and Shalltear as his bodyguards while Zenberu will lead the way. Shalltear is taken for this journey because Ains wants her to grow and surpass even further than before. When they arrive, it seems the city is void of life so Ains sends his ninja scouts to survey the place. Indeed, there is no one living here although they hear some mining noises in the mines. Aura greets the lone dwarf, Gondo Firebeard mining alone. He freaks out at first but after being introduced and especially to Ains, he tells the whole story of what happened. Apparently all the dwarves moved to another city up north so this place is abandoned. Long ago, dwarves used to craft and infuse runes in weapons and items. Gondo even comes from a lineage of a runesmithing family. However, 200 years ago, a magic caster found a way to enchant items with magic at a faster rate with the same effect. Hence the traditional craft of runesmithing began to die out. Of course runesmithing has its advantages like it is cheaper since enchanting items need high expensive quality magic materials. Gondo still believes in runesmithing although he admits he is less talented. Despite all the problems they faced, he still believes in it. Ains then offers his support to hire all the dwarves to work with him. Of course he wants results in exchange. Gondo is willing to sell his soul to him if he is given that chance. Shalltear then reports the intrusion of many demi-human intruders known as Quagoa. They are the reason dwarves abandoned this city as they eat metals and their skin is hard as f*ck. Ains orders Shalltear to capture them all and extract info from them. She does so and then interrogates the leader, Yohz who reveals they serve the great clan lord, Riyuro. They have plans to destroy the dwarves in the north and this special separate troop is stationed here to kill any dwarves trying to escape in this direction. Even as they speak now, the main troops will be slaughtering the dwarves right about now.

Episode 6
The dwarven general and his army manage to stave off the Quagoa attacks. Soon, Ains meets with them and learns about the situation. He proposes an alliance because it will do his kingdom no good if the dwarven kingdom is no more. Ains sends a couple of Death Knights to slaughter the Quagoa. As the survivors scamper and run away, they are crossing a bridge so Yohz has to cut it down and sacrifice some of his men to save the rest. Thinking that the dwarves have gotten a powerful golem on their side, he proposes to retreat and report to Riyuro. Ains receives report that his Death Knights are eliminated. He thinks there is someone more powerful who can take them out together and could it mean there is another player? Ains is then taken to see the dwarven council who rule the kingdom in absence of a king. They get down to business discussing things. Ains wants them to send all their runesmiths to his kingdom to imbue weapons with their technology. And he wants to monopolize this technique. In exchange, he will help them regain their old capital. The council is suspicious at first but with time running out, they have to make a quick decision. They agree to send them all to his kingdom but in exchange they will send investigation teams to check on them in the future. Ains then goes to see Gondo and the rest of the runesmithing dwarves. He tells of his intentions and as they ask why, he shows him a sword imbued with 20 of their runes. They claim it is impossible because their dwarven hammer has the most 6. This means it could be forged from lost technology. Hence he wants them find and rediscover this lost technology. This revs them up and agree to follow him. Gondo feels sad because this decision means the dwarven kingdom has abandoned runesmithing. Ains assure him even if the dwarves don’t find it important now, his kingdom finds value in it. Ains will now head over to reclaim their old capital. Gondo volunteers to come since he knows the way. Ains disallows it since it will be dangerous. Gondo whispers there is a precious book on runesmithing he needs to get. After all, what use will it be for a kingdom who has abandoned runesmithing. Ains will close an eye on this ‘robbery’. The journey begins but with Ains having all the super powers, whether it is the lava sea or the poisonous labyrinth, it’s a breeze going through them. Now the final obstacle is a frost dragon…

Episode 7
Yohz reports to Riyuro about what happened. He will go speak to the frost dragon and have him fight on their behalf. This is to weaken both sides before the Quagoa crush them all. Meeting the lord of all frost dragons, Olasird’arc, Riyuro is willing to often a sack of gold to help them fight the dwarves. After confiding in his wives, he agrees to do it but they must get 10 times more the gold. Of course Olasird’arc will not go himself and will send one of his sons, Hejinmal. Since he is recluse in his room, papa has to break it down and force him to go deal with the matter. Hejinmal is more of nerd and lacks fighting prowess. So when he sees Ains coming, he gets afraid. He tries to act tough but when Ains is going to test his strength, he immediately prostrates and submits! What a joke! Ains then makes Aura his master. He will go deal with the dragons and wants Aura and Shalltear to take care of the Quagoa. When Hejinmal introduces Ains who will rule over the dragons, Olasird’arc is not impressed and will kill this skeleton himself. Ains uses a simple magic to crush his heart. So easy. Just died like that. Ains wants Hejinmal to point out his mother since he will kill the rest. All claim they are his mother! In that case, Hejinmal also says they’re all his mom. A promise is a promise. After summoning the other dragons, one cannot accept this and attacks. Ains use that same instant kill move on him. Now the mighty dragons have fully submitted. Aura and Shalltear meet Riyuro. They tell him to submit or they’re forced to trim his side from 60,000 to 10,000. In the end, Riyuro sends his men to attack. Yeah, what a great slaughtering day for Shalltear. Let the bodies keep piling up! Riyuro is agonizing that they didn’t show their true power at first and thus he need not resort to this. At least if they have surviving members again, they can rise up in the future. Riyuro and his Quagoa submit to Ains so he promises prosperity for their race. He also praises Aura and Shalltear for a good job. Shalltear is overcome with emotion, freed from the shackles of her past failure. With the old capital reclaimed, the dwarves hold a farewell feast for the runesmiths which also serve as a welcoming party to Ains’ kingdom.

Episode 8
Zanac and Renner talk about the Sorcerer Kingdom’s reputation that continues to grow. Even agreeing to terms Re-Estize has set for them. He thinks this is another one of their ploys so Renner suggests becoming a vassal state just like Baharuth. Zanac quashes that idea because the nobles will rebel against them. Meanwhile Philip is drunk, drinking out his sorrows. He complains to Baron Delvi and Baron Rokerlen how nobody listens to him and because of that his plans failed. When they say Sorcerer Kingdom is producing lots of food with their undead and hence able to sell them at cheaper price, this upsets Philip as this will affect the crop prices grown in his territory. But Philip comes up with a devilish idea… When Albedo receives report that a food carriage being transported to Slane has been robbed, she calls for Ains’ immediate return and initiates a meeting with the rest of the other floor guardians. She points out the culprit of a silly noble being the perpetrator of this robbery. With Hilma as the witness they summon her as a frightened Hilma gives her statement and swears she was unaware of this. After finding no lies in her words, Ains will not put the blame on her. This doesn’t sit well with Albedo since a superior should take responsibility of their subordinate’s mistakes. Ains points out while this is true, those words must be used to protect the subordinate as well. Because who was responsible for appointing Hilma? Albedo, right? Now who is Albedo’s master? See where this is going! So you’re not trying to say this is Ains’ fault, NO!!! Hilma is released and upon returning, she has become so infatuated with Ains being such a reasonable king, she wants to devote herself to him.

Ains and the rest then discuss about this carrot and stick plan. Some really technical stuff here that I don’t understand. As for the punishment, everyone at first thinks of killing everybody! But since Demiurge remembers Ains’ words of violence will sully Sorcerer Kingdom’s name, they have to give another punishment. So what I understand is that they’re going to employ this carrot and stick plan on an international level. They’re going to reward greatly Baharuth for their submission but give Re-Estize a more devastating punishment. I’m sure Ains is in total shock hearing all this. King Ramposa III of Re-Estize along with Zanac and other nobles have a meeting regarding this robbery case. They have received an official letter from Sorcerer Kingdom and its allies that this might amount to war. Zanac has found out that Philip is behind this and needs to summon him here fast. Zanac’s goal is not to fight Sorcerer Kingdom anyhow despite Ramposa disagreeing sacrificing an innocent noble’s life just to maintain good relations. A minister suggests Re-Estize becoming a vassal state like Baharuth did. Ramposa shoots down that idea because it is an insult to all those who died protecting this kingdom. But Ramposa has a good idea. With Albedo visiting, Ramposa first apologizes for his citizen’s actions and then asks if it is possible to gain forgiveness with his head alone.

Episode 9
Albedo laughs at Ramposa’s request. She never expected him to make such a decision. Nevertheless, the decision will still be the same. Sorcerer Kingdom declares war on Re-Estize and the attack will begin 1 month from now. The nobles think this is all part of Sorcerer Kingdom’s schemes but Albedo hits back that this came to a surprise to them so they too want to know what they’re thinking. Ains has a meeting with his floor guardians about the war. Preparations have been made like making Re-Estize think they have withdrawn into E-Rantel and that some nobles have defected to their side. The main objective of this plan is to prevent other countries from intervening so they have been going around destroying villages around Re-Estize’s borders. The next region to attack is the port town of E-Naeul and this is under Ains’ jurisdiction. The rest don’t understand how the plan works so Ains tells them to watch. In actuality, Ains is relieved this manages to buy him some time. Flashback he went to visit Pestonya and Nigredo (Albedo’s sister) who was banned from leaving Nazarick. Oh damn, she’s faceless and wields bloody scissors?! Perfect for horror movies! Nigredo pleaded to stop the senseless massacre but Ains rejected her idea. She claimed all humans have potential to create new things and can advance civilization in new ways but Ains thinks otherwise. Such progress is dangerous as the powerful stagnate while the weak get stronger. He wants to eliminate all possibilities of Nazarick being overthrown. Pestonya then suggested sparing some survivors to spread the horrors they’ve experienced. Ains will consider it. Now we see a group of undead marching towards E-Naeul. The count of the place is glad the Four Armaments (mythril class adventurers) to help out. They can’t run away anyway since it is possible Sorcerer Kingdom wants them dead and you can’t escape from those undead. A short distraction of the count trying to match make Lilynette Piani with his third son who is only 12 years old in exchange for some heirloom sword. Instead the shotacon priestess is drooling over this prospect. The war begins as the humans test out the undead’s strength by firing arrows and casting spells. Then real hell begins as a Death Knight rushes and breaks through the main gate. Four Armaments engage with all they’ve got when a second Death Knight rushes in to join the battle. Screwed? But woah?! Who this red mecha fellow dropping in to shoot his machine gun and reduce both Death Knights to ashes?! Then he flies away like nothing happened. He could be adamantite class adventurers known as Vermillion Drop. Despite the loss of the Death Knights, Ains expected this.

Episode 10
The floor guardians deduces Ains’ plan. Yeah, Ains just go along with it. Bait to lure the enemy out? Sure. Whatever. With this goal achieve, Ains decides to march on to the royal capital. This is to buy time so E-Naeul have time to escape. Zanac talks to Renner about Sorcerer Kingdom’s advancement gone largely unnoticed by them. Renner believes their own people may be behind this and it could be Raeven. Since his domain is around those areas, his son might have been taken hostage so he might be aiding Sorcerer Kingdom. Zanac has no choice but to go ahead and lead his people to war. It’s not about winning or losing. What has to be done, must be done. Renner views he has become a true king. Lakyus and her Blue Rose members go see her uncle, Azuth Aindra. At the same time, a group of strange people come in to see him. It is believed they are a secret unit from Slane, Black Scripture. They want to join forces to fight against Sorcerer Kingdom and help secure mankind’s future. He will not force anybody so Blue Rose declines. After they leave, Lakyus asks Azuth about his plans. He will wait here till Ains arrive. He tells them to escape on their own and won’t be joining them. There is no way they can defeat Sorcerer Kingdom but if he is alone, he knows how the escape despite being surrounded. As Sorcerer Kingdom approaches Re-Estize, Zanac wishes to talk to Ains. He asks why he didn’t accept their plea for surrender and wants to go ahead with this massacre. Although Ains’ goal is to find his comrades in this world, his answer to him is to find happiness. He reasons why it is his duty to bring happiness to those serving under him and hence Re-Estize will become an example of that. All their people will be sacrificed for his happiness. It is also to show the world not to mess with them for centuries to come. Zanac thinks a man of his calibre and power chose something close minded. Ains asks Zanac the same thing, would he tell his own people to forgo their happiness so that others could live? Then he asks who possesses Gazef’s sword. Brain has it and is in the royal capital. In that case, Ains will have no qualms using any magic to decimate his army. Zanac pleads to not make everyone suffer. Zanac also learns that it was one of Ains’ subject who killed his brother, bringing a closure to his whereabouts.

As Zanac returns to his camp, he laments he perhaps was never fit to be king. Back at his tent, he tells everyone negotiations have failed and everyone is going to be massacred. This does not sit well with some nobles because they want to live and thus think of pledging their allegiance to Sorcerer Kingdom. Zanac has his responsibility as a royal head so he dares those who rebel to fight him. Later those nobles go to see Ains and pledge their allegiance to him. As a gift, they bring Zanac’s head in a bag! Ains asks where his body is because he wants to give a respectable burial. When the nobles plead to spare their lives as well as their families, an indifferent Ains agrees to their wishes. Then he has Albedo take them to Neuronist! Oh sh*t! Fate worse than death! He also reminds aura remind Neuronist not to kill them unless they beg for it. Even so, a slow and painful death. Ains has lost interest in this battle so he puts Cocytus and Mare in charge. They are to freely use their strength and not let a single person live.

Episode 11
Ramposa knows the kingdom will fall now that Zanac’s whereabouts are unknown and it could mean he is dead. He relieves everyone of their posts and will have them escape the kingdom. He will stay here and face his fate. Hilma has taken Cocco Doll and some Eight Fingers to be part of her group. This causes Cocco Doll to be shocked since he never expected it and he thinks she is a demon in disguise. Shalltear is here to have them gather the rest to live in such place. Then she takes Cocco Doll to go see Kyouhukou. Yeah, this guy is going to have lots of trauma and fear. Ains and Albedo wait as that red mecha from Vermillion Drop pops up. Ains doesn’t want her to kill him but to get info. He attacks but after realizing they don’t work, he escapes. Albedo gives chase and after a distance, he attacks her. She predicted it all and none have any effect on him. Then she lets him rant about accusing them for being savages in using small excuses to go invade other countries and destroy villages. Meanwhile Ains is attacked by this powerful holy knight dude, Riku Aganeia. Ains offers Aganeia to be his subordinate and he will stop this attack since he is far more valuable than this massacre. Aganeia refuses and continues his attack. Woah. Ains being pushed to the limit?! Is this all part of the plan or for real?! After a few blows, Ains can tell Agneia’s weapons are part of his body and the real person is controlling this armour remotely.

Before Agneia can deal the finishing blow, WTF AINS PROSTRATES AND BEGS TO SPARE HIS LIFE!!! WHAT DA F*CK???!!! He is even giving petty excuses that this isn’t their fault whatsoever. Luckily Albedo returns and she is real mad about this. Ains orders her to stop so Agneia retreats. Although he refuses Ains’ offer again, Ains claims his door is always open for him. Agneia then meets up with that red mecha guy who turns out to be Azuth. Agneia is also a fake name and his true identity is Tsaindorcus Vaision AKA Tsa for short, a platinum dragon. Both deliberate they weren’t powerful enough to stop their foes and hence this kingdom will soon fall. Tsa further deliberates that because Ains seemed weak, could it be that Albedo is the player while Ains is the NPC? Fighting Ains gives Tsa a good idea of his strength and he finds it impossible to defeat him in a single blow. The will mind themselves to be careful as they have earned their wrath. They cannot slip up now as they make their preparations to fight against evil players. Tsa has thoughts that Azuth is also weak. It would be better to kill him and give his armour to another stronger person. However with resurrection magic existing, he must be careful on that. Ains and Albedo return to Nazarick. Oh my, the Ains we see fighting Agneia turns out to be Pandora! Now it all makes sense, eh? The real Ains has been watching and wants him to tell all about his interaction with Agneia.

Episode 12
Pandora’s act of prostrating is acceptable for Ains because if this is what it takes to drop the enemy’s guard, so be it. Ains is still dissatisfied that he does not have much info on Agneia. Because of the troublesome skills he showed, he could be using a world item. However as such, it should not decrease Agneia’s HP each time he uses a skill. Ains then realizes he must fight him one more time and lose. This is to obtain more info so as to achieve ultimate victory. Ains then thinks about how NPCs in this world can be resurrected but the same cannot be said about the players. So as long as he loses but still lives, it is an acceptable loss. Blue Rose meets Renner. It seems her comrades want to stay for tea since it would be a waste as this would be the last time they will see each other. But it seems they are being rude to Lakyus as they serve her tea and soon after that, they attack and beat the sh*t out of her! Once a spell is put on her, they brainwash and tell her to heal all her wounds. You see, Lakyus wanted to stay and protect this kingdom, something her comrades are secretly against. Even if they run away, she will stay back herself. As they care more about their own than this kingdom, hence this secret plan to knock her out and escape together. They offer Renner to come along but she will be staying. After they leave, Brain gives Gazef’s sword to Climb. He has no intentions to fulfil that late guy’s wishes and will go find Ains to challenge him. Why does this sound like his death flag? Cocytus and Mare march into the capital. Brain thinks how he should find and face Ains but he has to deal with Cocytus first. He prepares to fight and needs to end this in a strike if he wants a chance to survive. But alas, too bad he is dead instead! I guess all the powering up still gave him no advantage whatsoever. Yeah, Brain died again. Cocytus laments someone like Brain would’ve been a great asset to Nazarick. However he cannot embarrass his resolve as a warrior. He takes his sword as trophy and has his servants preserve his body in ice.

Episode 13
Ramposa wants Climb to take Renner and run. In exchange, he is willing to give her hand to him. Climb refuses since he only takes orders from Renner. She then has an idea to get a little revenge back at Sorcerer Kingdom. She wants to take father’s crown and hide it somewhere. When she confronts Ains, he can’t level the place completely because he needs the item that signifies authority over the people of the kingdom, right? She has Climb go to hide it in some warehouse and wants him to come back alive and not engage in any fight. Meanwhile Vesture confronts Mare who is willing to spare him and his samurais’ life if they let him have some magic item. Since he won’t, Mare kills him off and everybody before he finishes his sentence! When Climb returns to the palace, he is distraught to see Ains and some of his floor guardians in the throne room. Worse, he thinks he made Renner kill Ramposa with her own hands. Ains allows Climb to fight him but no matter how angry this kid, he cannot beat Ains. Then Ains talks about inequality in this world. One should not be in despair about it because that is life. Hence the only true justice for that is death! Because death is fair to all and he is the one who presides over it in this unfair world. Ains will kill him since he has no value. Even with this ring Gazef gave him that increased his abilities, Climb cannot win. Ains leave him in despair as he will not answer his question if he will kill Renner after this.

Climb is killed but subsequently finds himself alive in a room with Renner by her side. It seems everyone else is dead and she is the only survivor. This is because she has been turned into a demon after pledging her allegiance to Ains! Now that she will live forever, she will be lonely and hopes he can become a demon for her sake. What choice does he have? This leads to her revealing the reason he is still alive is because her allegiance to Ains in exchange for his resurrection. Later Renner goes to talk to Albedo and thanks her for going along with her plan. True shocking revelation that Renner is the one who planned 90% of it all! Including the fight with Ains and Climb! Albedo rewards her with this Seed of the Fallen, something Renner wants and was worth selling out her kingdom. Damn, girl so happy that she is starting a musical! Delusional, isn’t she. A short montage of Demiurge and Renner’s plan or whatever from last season. Supposedly putting the pieces of the puzzle together but I can’t remember so I don’t understand. A drunk Philip stumbles into a room and is delighted Albedo is here. He claims he worked hard for to do things he thought was right. Albedo will reward him. Here, heads of his family members! Philip freaks out as Albedo tells him his father begged her to show his foolish son the same experience that his people suffered. She is going to keep that promise. Nobody can hear you scream, Philip… In the aftermath of a devastated Re-Estize, Raeven and some of the nobles are summoned by Ains. He makes it short that he will destroy the remaining noble fiefs and return home so Raeven and the rest be sure to govern their lands as per set rules until further notice. Then he asks if anyone will now go against him after seeing this devastation. Raeven believes no one will. Thus Ains is very satisfied that all this was worth doing. Definitely satisfied with the results. Who are we to object, right?

Death Comes To All!
Oh well, it is no surprise at this point that there is going to be a sequel. However! It is in the form of a movie! Oh gosh. Why a movie? You know me and my dumb rules of aversion for movies, right? Sighs. I hope they will somehow adapt it into a TV series even if it is a few episodes short of a normal season to give viewers like me who missed it a chance. Yeah. Just like how Kimetsu No Yaiba did for its Mugen Train story. And of course this movie sequel came as a bit of a surprise to me either because this is the third movie under this series belt. I skipped the first 2 and never gave it much thought because it was just a glorified summary of the TV series. Uh huh. It’s like those who hate binge watching TV series, those recap movies were made just for them. Now hopefully the reverse can be done for people like yours truly. Yeah…

Initially when this fourth season began, I was jumping to conclusions and getting worried that this may not be an enjoyable season. Firstly, after the long hiatus from the third season, my memories are obviously shaky at this point. Even if they do not do any recap at all, suddenly having a few new plots made me anxious if this was going to get way more confusing. Because you know, suddenly we have dwarves, Quagoa and dragons to deal with. Very fortunately soon all those worries were blown away without even me noticing it as the series gets more interesting as Sorcerer Kingdom prepares its invasion and massacre of Re-Estize. Yeah, that’s the funny and enigmatic charm of this series. Despite they have compounded more plots and characters for this season, the rate of me getting confused and not understanding will increase. At this rate it has so many plots and subplots, unless you have a fantastic memory or a devout fan of the series, I think you’ll need to do some refreshing by doing some rewatching to keep up with it all. While the possibility of me getting confused and forgetful certainly remains true, the irony is that despite all that, I still find this series highly interesting and can’t wait to look forward for the next episode. Am I really charmed by Ains-sama? And now the ending of this season has left me wanting more already. Come on, make a fifth TV season already!!!

At this point, I don’t know what else to say because it is mostly the same thing. Everything still looks interesting and has a lot more potential and yet there are a lot of things that I have forgotten. That’s right. Trying to breeze though my previous blog on this series didn’t really help much either. But I have got to remember that all this is part of Ains’ plan to set the groundwork and roots to create a much better kingdom for himself and his people in the future. After all, you can’t just create a kingdom overnight and even more so when you want to leave some sort of legacy for generations to come that will be remembered until the end of time, there are a hell lot of things you need to do. Especially when there are so many other different countries and cultures all around. Eliminating a country isn’t just the only indication of absolute supremacy. Making others want to be ruled by you is another form of it because how are you going to rule over others if they are dead? Oh right. Ains is already an undead. That is why it is both interesting and frustrating to see that this season is just part of that small but important workings towards Ains’ greater goal. Happiness he says, huh? One man’s meat is another man’s poison. That’s life, people. Unfair.

As for the characters, the main ones are still great especially Ains who is of course the main character so he gets a lot of focus. After so long, Ains still manages to get away in the sense that he is clueless about the plans his floor guardians have come to deduce and he just goes along with it. More than often, being surprised at their conclusions and decisions. Thank goodness for using his greatness to cover for this and so his underlings have to figure out his plan themselves instead of being fed everything, eh? Works like a charm all the time. I suppose when you have people who admire you so greatly and believe you can do no wrong, definitely you can do no wrong. But of course Ains do not simply rest on that as he is merciful enough to let them say what is on their mind instead of absolute dictatorship. This allows him to come up with some new ideas or more excuses to cover his back. After all, who else dares to question the great Ains, right? Another interesting point to ponder after Tsa brought this up, could it be in actuality the real Ains is one of the floor guardians like Albedo and the skeleton dude is just a figurehead to troll us all?! If it is so, it could be one of the biggest deceptions ever in all of anime history!

His floor guardians continue to revere him and this season seeks to help ‘improve’ Shalltear due to her ‘failure’ that was from the first season. I think at this point, she’s as good as redeemed herself. Feeling mostly side-lined this season are Sebas and the Pleiades maids. Feels like they never exist at all but I guess that is better than other floor guardians like Gargantua and Victim who are nowhere to be seen at all. Like as though their very short appearance in previous seasons was just to quell our curiosity if they ever existed at all. More dilemma for me as I have said at this point, the characters have accumulated so much that I think we need an encyclopaedia to keep track of them all. With new ones introduced this season, we have to make provision for new ones that will appear later. So yeah, it is both good and bad thing because we see more characters pledge their fealty to Ains like Hilma, Gondo and Hejinmal. Otherwise, meet your demise! RIP, Olasird’arc. Hence old ones like Eight Fingers if they didn’t bring up this season, I would have totally and completely forgotten about it. It’s just too bad that once these characters are done with their role or Ains has gotten something he wants from them, they won’t appear anymore. At least for this season. At least for now. Yeah, better have a better memory as all the new characters keep piling up.

I am not sure if I should call Jircniv the most disappointing character this season. Or maybe my mind AKA failing memory is playing tricks on me. I always had this impression that Jircniv would become an antagonist or at least someone who will be against Ains. Jerk-niv, that’s what I would call him! . But shockingly and suddenly, he pleads to become a vassal state! OMG. Didn’t see that coming. I guess after seeing Ains’ power in the last season, he wise up and learnt his lesson to avoid the tragedy we have seen befallen on Re-Estize. Yeah, that kind of God-like power would make even God tremble in fear! Heh. What a knee jerk reaction. In case you didn’t notice, I made a pun of his name. Sorry, not a good one. Then there is the curious case of Philip. This guy is the source of why Re-Estize got into this deep sh*t. What happened to him after that brazen robbery? I mean, where was he the entire time during the declaration of war and the aftermath destruction of Re-Estize? I feel that something more than meets the eye to this fellow. Or is he just another pawn and a fool? Most probably the latter and in the final scene, it is left hanging about his fate because not sure if Albedo actually killed him and his scaredy cat screams making us think he is dead. Could also be trolling us and Philip is further kept and preserved as another pawn for future use.

Lastly, about Zanac. I never thought highly of this character and even if there was something I would have thought of, it won’t be anything positive. And it sure caught me off guard when he died at the hands of his own people. His final talk with Ains proved to be his own death flag and in some ways made me have a little respect for him. Even that Brain guy is dead for the second time. But who knows in the future? Because Ains can resurrect the dead as it is only a different state of existence, who knows he might resurrect the dead (including Gazef) and have a whole new zombie human army of his own. Not sure when that happens, I would like that character as that instead of their previous original state. Of course the shocking one comes in the form of Renner. I always had a hunch she was more than meets the eye but I didn’t think it would be this drastic. Hence if I should say, she is the most twisted character of them all because of her sly and sneaky behaviour. Being cute on the outside but she’s totally twisted and dark on the inside. If she can do this to her own kingdom, imagine the possibility she can betray Ains! I don’t know, seems like a far-fetched idea and because Ains is so overpowered and very careful, we may think it is impossible. But who knows with this crazy ex-princess now turned demon, better keep your toes on alert.

Art and animation remain consistent as in previous seasons as Madhouse continues to oversee this series. Just want to note the use of CGI this season. Well, I won’t go so far to say that they are bad but it is quite obvious. Especially those Death Knights. Well, I suppose it is okay since they are lifeless to begin with so their movements are one kind. Yeah, so CGI-like kind of movements. Oh right, those Quagoa pack. Yeah, how do you animate hundreds of those creatures?! Hence I think visual wise, this has got to be the lowest point of the series. Not saying that this is the worst CGI as compared to other series that employs even much worse quality, I’m saying that it could have been better if they put in a little bit more effort.

With the expanding number of characters, you bet the cast list is going to get longer and longer with many characters having a few lines and that’s it. While it is good that the old ones are retained especially the main and supporting characters, the new ones to note include Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Philip. Definitely trying hard to cast away his Kirito stereotype role, eh? And the other one I recognized is Kikuko Inoue as Nigredo. New ones to note include Yasuyuki Kase as Azuth (Kankurou in Naruto), Jin Yamanoi as Tsa (Dokugakuji in Saiyuki Reload Blast), Mitsuaki Kanuka as Gondo (Spiritreux in Delicious Party Precure), Yuuya Hirose as Hejinmal (Alto in Kinsou No Vermeil), Toa Yukinari as Hilma (Rin in Deatte 5-byou De Battle), Kanehira Yamamo as Ainzach (Rigurd in Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken) and Hisako Kanemoto as Lilynette (titular character in Shinryaku! Ika Musume).

Just like in previous seasons, OxT once more sings the opening theme. Although Hollow Hunger maintains the same vibes as their previous songs and has a playful sense it, it still can’t beat Calattanoia or come close to it. As for the ending theme, this time it is sung by Mayu Maeshima. However No Man’s Dawn sounds pretty generic a rock pop and lacks any oomph. Honestly, I don’t think it fits the series well. They should’ve just stuck with MYTH&ROID style of music.

Overall, this season still rocks and doesn’t disappoint even though the plots are all piling up on each other and more characters are getting introduced into the series. Somehow this is one of the few series whereby I don’t mind seeing an overpowered main character easily overpowers his opponents and seeing them all weaklings struggling a losing battle against him. Must be some sort of charm Ains has casted on me since the first season, huh? I’m sure I’m good to be one his subjects. No, not as Neuronist’s experiment! Anything but that. Or that roach one either. I’m sure I’ll love to hear the return of Ains for another season. No, not the isekai one, please. All hail Ains-sama!

Tomodachi Game

Playing games to get more money and cover your debt, huh? Well, that sounds so much like gambling but I assure you, Tomodachi Game is more than a simple game for addicted gamblers with lost causes. Don’t be fooled by its name, though. Sure, friends are important and cool but they can also be the double edged sword and cut you wide open when you least expected it. When millions are at stake, do you trust yourself or your friends? Because that’s the game you’re going to play with in hopes of reducing your debts or passing onto someone else. Is money or friends more important? Basically, the winner takes it all, the loser’s standing small…

Episode 1
Yuichi Katagiri works hard to save up for the upcoming school trip. It’s 70 grand per person, you know. Is it mandatory? Well, he promised his friends they’ll go together. He manages to achieve his target, delighting his friends, Makoto Shibe, Tenji Mikasa, Shiho Sawaragi and Yutori Kokorogi. But soon, those funds totalling to 2 million have been stolen! Oh Shiho, with so much money and you just put it in your locker?! The culprit was never caught and soon Shiho and Makoto didn’t come to class, fuelling rumours they might have stolen the money. One night, Yuichi gets a letter from Shiho to meet at the school gates. When he arrives, the other friends are also there. They want an explanation as all has received a letter from Yuichi to meet here. Before they realize this is a setup, they get knocked out and kidnapped. Yuichi remembers dad telling him the most important thing in the world is money. A large contrast to mom who said friends are the most important. The friends wake up in a room and before them is this mascot character, Manabu. They will all play a game and earn 2 million if they win and at this rate they might repay their 20 million debt. Before Manabu can be accused of kidnapping them for a sick game, he says that they already received the entry fee of 10% of the 2 million debt. So feel free to leave if you want but you won’t get the money back and will still be in debt. As the friends deliberate on this, Yuichi wanted to ask who is in debt but Shiho claims it is no using doing so as she believes this might be a trap. Manabu then suspects Yuichi of suspecting his friends and asks what is most important to him. His friends of course!

In the classroom where their first game will begin, each will wear a tag that shows how much they are in debt. Their starting point is 4 million each but they cannot show this amount to others or it will be doubled. The game they play is a fairly simple Kokkuri-san. Put your finger on the coin and point to yes or no. They test play one and it is very simple. However there is a catch. Unless it is unanimous, if there is a minority opinion, the coin will follow the minority. Sounds easy, right? All they need is to win 1 round to advance. Manabu’s advice is not to doubt your friends. With Makoto reading the first question that is so fairy simple (tallest mountain in Japan), however somebody betrays and chooses no. The same goes for the next rounds, Shiho and Tenji. This has Yuichi remember if there was some sort of bust up among them. Like perhaps that one time Makoto tried to steal a kiss from Shiho. When it is Yuichi’s turn, he reads the question only to find it is of the reader’s choice. But at the bottom a catch states the reader’s debt will be halved if the answer is no. Yuichi realizes everyone must be looking out for themselves and betrayed their own answer. Yuichi finds it tempting but has to think about Yutori. As she is the last person, all the debt will be dumped to her. He believes in he must protect her and will answer yes to his own simple question. However the coin still goes to no. Somebody is indeed trying to dump the debt on her. This is when Yuichi realizes that the final question may be different. Indeed. Game moderators, Maria Mizuse and Tsukino explain how it contains a simple yes or no question with no catch. So as Yutori reads if they are friends or not, what will be everyone’s pick? Will this group get eliminated on the first round? However Yuichi breaks a rule by speaking up as he asks if they know Shiho’s underwear colour?!

Episode 2
Yuichi further reveals the traitor’s plan to dump all the debt on Yutori but now that he has spoken and doubled his debt, if they lose here, the traitor will be the biggest loser. He then claims he was just joking but reminds them that they’re all still friends, right? And just like that, a unanimous yes as they clear the first game. As Manabu guides them to the next game, Yuichi claims to tie his shoe laces. But it is to look at everyone’s card to see what debt conditions they got (he doesn’t believe everyone’s claim their debt is the same). However he can’t see anything as the moderators used some ink that will have it vanish after some time. Wow. Perfect timing. Shiho then talks to him alone to ask if he really suspects one of them as the traitor. He says yes and the one he suspects the most is Shiho herself. Because the Shiho she knows will not forgive the thief who stole the funds. She then apologizes for suspecting him first because he is poor. But her second confession shocks him because she really likes him. Didn’t see that one coming, huh? She also reveals her debt is much higher than before because it is still considered breaking the rule when she almost screamed her head off during the game.

Next game on the rooftop is Suguroku. Everyone rides on a card that badmouths a person. The viewers will then vote and the one with the most votes advances the most squares. But the first person to reach the goal first will suffer a massive loss. The game is cleared and each person gets 400 grand but anyone left on the board in the end gets a million additional debt. That person also doesn’t have to play the next round and can go home for a while. If they don’t want to badmouth, they can submit a blank card. If all are blanks, then all will advance 1 square. It seems like a good idea but every square they land, they take on additional debt. So by the 3rd square, someone hands in a card that claims Shiho likes Yuichi and dated Tenji. This means Shiho is the only one who gets the votes as she advances many spaces. This leads to the start to the bust up of the friends as Tenji and Makoto almost fight over Shiho. Shiho revealing her childhood friend relationship with Tenji as their parents are close together as one is a police officer, the other a prosecutor. They even talked about them getting married. Hence they pretended to date each other just to appease them. It could be all lies but Tenji claims he liked Shiho too. With Tenji mocking Makoto for being dumb and jealous, it could’ve gotten ugly had not Yuichi stepped in to tell them not to do things to upset the girl they like. Yutori looking jealous Shiho is liked by all the guys. Next round, this time 3 badmouthing cards. Shiho has the most votes with that plastic surgery comment. Makoto making light of it but Shiho doesn’t share the same sentiments and wonders if he would’ve liked her or remained friends if that was true.

Episode 3
The round only has 1 next card. But this time it states about Yutori doing compensation dating in middle school. This makes Yutori go into trauma mode. She accuses Shiho of betraying her as she is the only one who knows despite Shiho claiming she didn’t rat her out. Because Makoto is unsure what that means and asks about, Tenji punches him to STFU. He then has Yuichi accompany her and hear her out. Yutori begins talking about being bullied back then. The only way to stop the constant bullying was to give money. The irony that money protected her. But to earn that, she realized the fastest way was compensation dating since she was physically well endowed. It all started with a friendly chat with an elderly guy. Slowly one thing led to another. But before he could touch her, she ran away. She promised that’s as far as she has gone and is still a virgin. Yutori fears Yuichi abandoning her and doesn’t want to be alone. He replies it is not the case of whether he believes her or not. No matter has happened in her past, he assures her that he will always be by her side. Because he casually forgave her, the moderators think Yuichi is impure and has something to hide. For now, Yutori doesn’t want to be close to Shiho. Shiho talks to Tenji as she confirms saving Yutori from a bunch of punks from another school. A traumatized Yutori then told her situation. Shiho might not prod further and know the whole story but promised not to tell anyone. That’s why she is upset that the only thing she will never do is break a promise to her friends.

The moderators deliberate that there is somebody among the friends who isn’t here to clear the debt but rather to ruin the friendship among them. They list why each are the most suspicious as we hear the culprit monologue and admit he really did this to destroy the friendship. Further flashback shows Shiho put the money in her locker and locked it and went to see the teacher. Makoto was busy trying to copy someone’s homework and Yuichi asleep. Then bumping into Yutori and learning she was drawing her own manga and all but that didn’t matter because it was enough time for him to steal the money. And I’m sure you could’ve guessed the very perpetrator now who is no other than Tenji himself! He knows everything because of a bug he planted as Shiho’s keychain he gave to her. That’s how he heard and knew everything. He can’t wait to see Shiho’s friendship break apart and once she is all alone, the kind of reaction and words she’ll say to him. Yeah, this sicko gets his kicks from just thinking about it.

Episode 4
Tenji revealing he wrote many of the reveals on the cards so as to destroy Shiho’s friendship. Because Yutori already doesn’t trust her, now he is going to make sure to crush Shiho’s trust on Yutori. First, he whispers to her that Yutori herself may have written that just to score sympathy points with Yuichi and make her look bad. As the game continues, Tenji goes first to write the card. But when he comes out, he sees Yuichi slapping Shiho because she asked Yutori if she wrote it herself. With both girls accusing each other, Shiho then reveals she didn’t get plastic surgery. It was actually surgery to cover up a scar she got from an accident. Now that the girls’ friendship is strained and Yutori sticking to Yuichi, Tenji assures Shiho that he will believe her no matter what. The next round has only a single card that states Tenji is a year older. He admits to it and reveals about some failed transfer and this skipping an entire year. This is part of his plan to put more suspicion of Shiho since she is the only one who knows this and it makes it look like she was the one who wrote this secret. Of course Tenji continues to assure her he still believes her although he points out she is increasingly becoming isolated. Shiho lands on a special chance spot in which she can pick anyone (including herself) for a big reveal. When that selected person’s dirty secret is revealed, the audience will then vote to believe it or not. The former will move many steps ahead. Tenji is worried because if the secret he stole the funds to fund this game gets out, all his plans are for nothing. Shiho is about to pick Tenji because as Manabu claims, if he is most innocent, there won’t be any dark secrets, right?

Fortunately for him, Makoto volunteers to be picked since he wants to make up to her. Shiho does that as Makoto proudly assures he has nothing to hide. And then Manabu reveals that his dad, a public prosecutor is actually a sleazy scumbag. Photo evidences of him womanizing, having affairs and scandals, taking bribes and even sexual abuses and harassment. Above all, he has been throwing money around to cover it all up. Makoto is in shock to hear this but before Shiho can believe in him because it is his dad’s doing and not his, Tenji warns her to stay away. He accuses Makoto of having something to hide and has done something like his dad to cover it up. Because, is it not strange he volunteered for this? Even more so, why are students like them in debt? Because his dad’s scandal may also have something to do with him. He wants everyone to stay away from him until this clears up. Makoto in despair but Tenji relishes this is going better than he has expected. He will use this chance to finish off Makoto. In the next round, only a single card that states Makoto has killed someone. This shocks Tenji because he didn’t write that. He left his card blank to avoid suspicions since he already stirred up so much trouble. Could this be Yuichi’s doing? Oh, look at that evil scheming face!

Episode 5
Tenji claims he has the right to take everything away from Shiho because she robbed something from her. As Makoto begs he didn’t do it, nobody believes him. Even more so he must show proof. Desperate but dumb, he claims he should have no problems in life because his dad takes care of everything. Well then, 99% voted not to believe him. With that, Makoto springs into first place. Then Yuichi claims he knows who the traitor is but won’t reveal it yet. Tenji thinks he is bluffing. Yuichi then knows a way to beat this game as he has discovered something. In order to make this show more interesting, the spaces at the start increases your debts while those towards the end decreases it. This is to discourage from moving in sync at first. In the end it will be plus minus zero. Hence he suggests that everyone except Makoto writes and badmouths themselves. The traitor will be revealed if he breaks that promise and badmouths on Shibe. It might not be the best method but it should stop them from hurting each other anymore. Tenji disagrees because it would make more sense to reveal the traitor and then send that person to the third game alone. After writing all their cards, it seems there are 10 cards. Somebody wrote and dumped multiple cards into the box. Tenji then tries to force him to say the name of the traitor. Yuichi then apologizes and claims he was just bluffing. With that, Tenji knows he has won and nothing can stop him and his revenge.

The rest of the game painfully drags on in a boring manner with none of the friends talking to each other. Finally Shiho is back in first place and one space from winning the game. Yuichi then mentions he has another plan for the traitor to expose themselves. A way to send everyone except the traitor into the next game. Everybody needs to write their name on the card and state he is the one who applied to play this game. Because others will get penalized for lying, this means the traitor will not and everyone else will reach the same space as Shiho. With that, only true friends will be left to play the next game. Yuichi lets Tenji write first since Shiho trusts him and needs to be assured. Tenji knows he has screwed and will definitely be discovered. He thinks of putting up crocodile tears to admit it but concoct a lie that he was blackmailed into this, blah, blah, blah. After everyone has done writing, it seems all other cards are blank and only Tenji has written on his. Tenji goes into acting mode but he gets scared seeing the demonic aura from Yuichi who forces him to confess that he was the one who applied for this game.

Episode 6
Yuichi already had a plan to smoke out the traitor before this game began. He made an alliance with Shiho first. He used to cards to write secret messages to her and that’s how they communicate. To test whether she was the traitor or not, he told her to badmouth him using a secret they only know. Since she obliged, he knew she couldn’t be the traitor. Hence Yuichi is trying to find the traitor via elimination. Next is Yutori and he did the same thing and had her pretend to fight with Shiho. When it boiled down to Makoto or Tenji, it was pretty easy to figure out Tenji was the one because during the special chance, Makoto volunteered himself. The traitor wouldn’t have done that. The final confirmation for earning their trust is that Yuichi had them hold their name cards. They did so, so as not to be isolated, a tactic how cults and pyramid schemes work. Tenji wonders if Yuichi had always suspected him since he is the last. Tenji’s ‘mistake’ was that he wasn’t acting as himself. The Tenji he knows is smart and calm but here he was trying to pick a fight with Makoto. After all, Makoto is the one who least knows their secrets. Nobody tells it to him since this idiot has a big mouth. There were also a few cards he wrote and badmouthed himself just to protect his friends and his way of cheering them up. As the game still needs to be finished, no matter what Shiho will still end up winning. He whispers something to Manabu and immediately he ends the game and declares Yuichi the winner.

Turns out Yuichi had lied in one of the cards. The friends wonder why he is letting Tenji getting away with this. Yuichi claims it is up to them to forgive Tenji as he can’t judge him. That’s why they will take this time off to talk things over. Yuichi hints he has did worse things than Tenji. The card he lied was the one he wrote Makoto killed somebody. In fact, it was himself who killed 3 people. Manabu thinks Yuichi will regret it going into the next game alone because it is hell without friends. On the contrary, Yuichi believes his friends were his limiters. Without them, now he can go all out. He doesn’t bat an eyelid to announce he will crush this game and management in the next round. With the friends arguing about Yuichi really killed people, Yuichi tries to put them down, claiming he doesn’t need friends and that they’re a hindrance. Of course this is the best way to protect them. But before he jumps into the next game, Tenji won’t let him go alone and will go with him. In fact, he also lied. The card he wrote he dated Shiho, he actually has no romantic feelings for her. He did all this to break up their friendship to keep someone to himself. And that person is Yuichi! Oh sh*t! Is he desperate to turn the tables with this gay sh*t?! To prove it, Tenji kisses Yuichi!!! That’s enough drama we can take for today. Shocking, eh? I wonder who the biggest loser is…

Episode 7
Yuichi and Tenji find themselves in a prison cave. Seems they will have to wait here for 3 days before the next game starts. Tenji reveals that gay sh*t was just a ploy to follow him so he can tell the whole truth why he betrayed them. Apparently this is Tenji’s second game. When he was young, he had 2 best friends and they wanted to start a business together. Tenji had a million yen in reserves to get it rolling. But when Shiho was introduced to the group, trouble started arising. The group had trouble managing their funds and Tenji suspected his friends falling for Shiho. One day, one of them suggested a challenge whereby who made the most profit will be the CEO of their company and get to propose to Shiho. Soon they find themselves in debt and in this game. In the end, Tenji lost and got all the debt to himself. When he was released after agreeing never to tell anyone what happened, he confronted his friends who revealed they spent all their money on Shiho. Then he talked to his father as a last resort but soon he was found dead on apparent suicide. Tenji was shocked because he went to see Shiho’s father for a big case. He felt something was off and whatever it was, Shiho was at the centre of it all. Investigating her thoroughly didn’t yield any results so that’s why he was forced to make his friends participate in this game to reveal her true colours. Tenji also reveals about Shiho lying about her debt. After the second game, you should know the group’s debt by asking Manabu. As it now stands at 10.8 million, which is way off their 18.8 million deduction. So as they consider all the options and everything, it is highly probable that Shiho lied about hers. After what they’ve gone through, the game only makes them realize how much they are strangers. Tenji followed Yuichi despite rumours of him being a killer because he said he will crush this management. Tenji wants revenge on his dad and thus Yuichi to fight with him. Yuichi still can’t believe 100% so Tenji shows his name card and risks increasing his own debt. He won’t ask him to help but wants to fight for Yuichi, so feel free to use him as a tool. He is his last hope. Well, Yuichi has 3 days to think about it. We know the answer, right?

After 3 days, the duo come out of their cave and into the jungles. Manabu announces the next game to be friendly hide and seek. They will be facing off with another group. Looks like the smaller your group, the more disadvantage you will have. That’s because one member will hide and the rest will be seekers. The game ends when the opponent’s seeker finds you. Thus it’s a game you can’t clear by yourself. There are also some other rules too. The one to note is that a seeker can switch sides. If this leads to his team’s victory, the traitor cannot advance but will transfer all his debt to the losers. Hence the bigger the group, the higher the chances of betrayal. Of course he can also switch back too but at that time you know his pals are going to beat him down, right? Manabu adds a special rule for Yuichi’s side. There is a sole player from another group who made it here and they have a choice to accept this cutie girl into their girl. Despite Tenji’s reservations of having a stranger in their team, Yuichi notes they will have a higher winning chance with another member. And that girl is Maria! Turns out she is sent in as a spy to keep tabs on Yuichi after the higher ups learn about him. Also, there’s a competition between Tsukino and Reiko Tamai to see which of their group will come out tops. Reiko thinks her charismatic team will win but Tsukino is confident her genius can kill a monster. With Tenji and Juuzou Kadokura volunteer to hide, the third game has begun.

Episode 8
Yuichi and Tenji go over some of the do’s and dont’s of the game. After finding a place for Tenji to hide (a hidden cave), Yuichi wants him to tough it out no matter what (hiders are given a special button and right to give up any time and make their whole team lose). Tenji believes in him and will do just that just to regain his trust. But after 2 days, no word from Yuichi. Doubts are starting to form in Tenji’s mind that Yuichi might have betrayed him just to get back at him for betraying his friends. Because a hider cannot move and this means his teammates must bring him food which is abundantly available in the middle forest’s camp, Tenji is starting to starve and growing weak. Pressing the button is very tempting. Remembering that Manabu gave them a phone that can call anyone, Tenji calls Yuichi but it is the enemy who picks it up. Tenji is told that Yuichi has switched sides and all this is to get revenge over him. He has been doing nothing but eating and sleeping at the camp with Maria. If he so wishes to confirm it himself, he can pass the line to Yuichi. Tenji continues to put his trust in Yuichi because he will contact him if he is needed. Flashback when the game started, Juuzou told his comrades a sure way to win this game. Because of how huge this forest is, it doesn’t matter how many men you have to look for the hider. It will be still hard to find. Hence the strategy is that they will follow the opponent who will bring food to the hider. This is why their side that have numbers is at a great advantage. Because right now, Yuichi and Maria are indeed waiting at the camp and they can’t move or risk revealing Tenji’s position. If they remain stubborn, their hider will die or press the button. Either way, it works in their favour. By the third day, Tenji is glad Yuichi has come to him! Too bad he is so hungry that he is hallucinating! Reiko is in disbelief because Yuichi continues to hang about doing nothing and even revealing some secrets of his friends. She wonders if Yuichi really intends to abandon Tenji. Furthermore, Maria who is supposed to act as a group member, continued to do nothing. Tsukino did only receive a single report. And that is she warns Yuichi is an even crazier asshole than she thought. Because looks like now Yuichi has started to make his move. He wants to switch sides!

Episode 9
Kei Shinomiya decides to call Juuzou for advice. Yuichi laughs at them and mocks that they depend on a control freak to decide their next move. This makes Hyakutarou Onigawara almost wanting to beat him up but is stopped by Chisato Hashiratani who reminds him using violence means their team automatically loses as per the rules. After Kei makes the call, he returns with Juuzou’s decision: Don’t let Yuichi join. Their strategy is already perfect so stick to the plan. And if Yuichi insists on joining, make Maria also switch sides. Maria realizes Juuzou is a sharp dude but notes Yuichi has already taken this into consideration. Before the game started and he talked to her, he told their plan about hanging out at the camp doing nothing and on the third day he will switch sides. He also knew the other team knows this isn’t an ordinary hide and seek game because instead of choosing the smallest guy to hide (Kei), they chose the biggest one. Yuichi then wants to confirm if Maria will swear her absolute obedience to him. A threat? Well, as long as they win, she’ll do it. Then he told her his next plan which is inaudible but sounded crazy to her. Yuichi also took into account if he can’t switch sides. Because the 2 days of hanging out, it’s not like he won’t be doing anything but will find something. Next morning as Kei and Banri Niwa go to deliver food to Juuzou, the rest stay back to watch Yuichi and Maria. Yuichi talks to Hyakutarou and finds him a good person. But when he asks why they are playing this game, Chisato switches with him before he reveals too much. Hyakutarou goes to watch Maria but she is missing. Thinking she has run, he goes to find her only to see her bathing in the stream. This makes him panic and all. So Chisato will switch with him again but that is when Yuichi yells to Maria that he has found it and signals her to run. Both give chase until it is time for Yuichi to push Maria off the edge! WHAT?!

Meanwhile, Tenji is this close to pushing the button. However he realizes life won’t change even if he did. His life will still be empty. After all, he decided to put his trust in him. He laments he couldn’t avenge his dad or apologize to his friends but at least he didn’t betray in the end. Suddenly he hears Yuichi calling to him. It’s the real deal. Tenji is now replenished as he hears the story from Yuichi. Of course Yuichi didn’t tell him because he wanted to test him. Now that he has proven himself, Yuichi will trust him completely. Back to the strategy, Yuichi told Maria to be his distraction when the time comes. But she didn’t actually see being pushed off the edge. When that happened, Hyakutarou grabbed her hand. Chisato wanted to go after Yuichi but was forced to help Hyakutarou who can’t pull Maria up himself. After all, Hyakutarou mocked Chisato he was always chasing skirts but can’t save one when one is before him. You see, the past few days Yuichi has been observing their relationships and personalities. Hence the thing or person rather he is trying to find is the kindest one. That person is Hyakutarou. He also noted about Chisato reacting to everything Hyakutarou does. Seeing this, he knows Chisato is the kind who looks like he is interested in something but doesn’t have depth in it. Because of his fake personality, he can’t stand authentic people and that’s why he cannot turn down Hyakutarou. The final hurdle now that will assure their victory is to break their relationship. Yeah, Yuichi’s specialty. Maria working her charms that she is thankful to the guys for saving her. After Yuichi returns to the camp, we see a huge argument breaking out between Hyakutarou and Chisato. Because Hyakutarou wants to switch groups! The bond is crumbling.

Episode 10
We see Maria feeling indebted to Chisato and Hyakutarou for saving her life. When they return to camp, Yuichi is also there so he starts acting like a dick and asserts his dominance over Maria. When he gets rough with her, it is a clear act of violence but as per rules, it is only a violation if you commit it to the opponent’s team. When Hyakutarou suggests Maria switch sides, Chisato throws caution that this might all be an act. This causes them to almost fight as Kei breaks them up and will consult Juuzou. It seems Juuzou will not let Maria switch but if Hyakutarou is so hell bent in protecting her, he can switch. And now that Hyakutarou is on Yuichi’s side, he is going to smack him good but Yuichi is a better fighter and overwhelms him. For now, Hyakutarou is tied up as Yuichi calls Tenji to update what happened. Maria warns Hyakutarou that Yuichi will do anything to get Juuzou’s hiding out of him since he has murdered before. Hyakutarou would love to snitch but… He doesn’t know Juuzou’s hiding place! The shock on Yuichi’s face… We see the real mastermind behind this group is actually Kei! So when Yuichi realizes this, he calls Kei. I’m sure it’s not just to tell him he realized he is the group’s real leader, huh? Kei believes victory is theirs because the time bomb AKA Hyakutarou is on their side. This means Yuichi has to keep watch on him to prevent him from getting violent and can’t move. With Yuichi falling into despair that he will definitely lose, this makes Maria disgusted. Wow. Really? Yuichi has lost all confidence? Then when she goes off herself, Kei confronts her and knows she is part of the management because when she first arrived, he noticed there was no food ration for her portion and she looks well fed. Anyway, he wants her to betray Yuichi. Her payoff? She’ll get to watch that sadistic Yuichi crumble in despair. Later Maria calls Yuichi and wants him to reveal Tenji’s hideout because she can take food to him while she is alone. Noticing that all the opponents are here, Yuichi does so. That is when Maria pops up and tells Kei the secret. Yuichi falls into despair seeing he has been betrayed. Tenji receives a call from Kei to cut ties with Yuichi before he does something inhumane. Tenji continues to believe in Yuichi when suddenly Kei shows up! Peekaboo! Found you! All the players return to the camp for the announcement of this game’s results.

Episode 11
Yuichi’s team wins?! Although Kei found Tenji first, it was not the only way to win. You see, when the gang left to find Tenji, it was when Yuichi hatched his next plan. He was pretending to be in despair so that when he was alone with Hyakutarou, he called Juuzou and wanted him to push the button. Juuzou did not buy his bluff initially even when Yuichi started punching Hyakutarou in the face. So when Yuichi threatened to break his fingers, Juuzou was still hesitant. Until he heard the sound of a broken bone. That was when he pressed. After all, Yuichi knew he was the one in debt and the reason they are playing this game. Juuzou admits his family was in debt so bad that he had to quit school and start working. He hoped they could play one last game together but that’s all up in smokes now. Even if all that is true, Juuzou beats the sh*t out of Yuichi for being a scumbag. To his shock, Hyakutarou’s finger is okay. It is Yuichi who broke his own finger! Hyakutarou didn’t say a thing because Yuichi promised to let Juuzou beat him up as much as he wanted. With Yuichi’s side winning the game, Kei cannot accept this result. He blames everyone for ruining his perfect plan. That is when Banri spanks him! This childhood friend tells him he lost because he didn’t take into account this. Plus, had Juuzou threw Hyakutarou under the bus, he would’ve lost respect for him. Take this loss as an asset for their future. Yuichi reveals he also knew Maria from the management. That’s why he had no qualms throwing her off the cliff. It was suspicious for a frail girl like her to obediently follow his every word. He wants her to leave a message to management that he will crush them. Tenji thinks Yuichi isn’t a scumbag even if he himself thinks so. Because he didn’t destroy Juuzou’s friendship and they’re closer than ever. But Yuichi notes that if Juuzou was late to press the button, he wouldn’t have hesitated to break Hyakutarou’s finger.

Since there will be some time before the next game begins, the duo are allowed to return home but of course cannot tell others or run away. As they go back to school to confront Shiho, they see Yutori cleaning graffiti on her table. It seems Shiho and Makoto disappeared about a week ago. When they returned, the class accused Shiho of stealing the funds. Makoto tried to cover for her and claimed he is a rich kid and can recover that loss. It’s a stupid move but the worse was still to come. To get that money from his dad, he told him about the game. Oh look, right now there is an incident at Makoto’s house. His dad has been murdered! A bloodied but shocked Makoto is taken away, claiming he didn’t do it. The one arresting him is Shiho’s dad. He warns Yuichi to stay out of this if he knows what’s best for him. But Yuichi is not cowed and dares him to come directly at him. Later when Yutori confronts Yuichi and Tenji for being too close now, Yuichi snaps at her that he is done with her. He calls her a deadweight and that she can’t think for herself, the reason she does what others tell her. It’s a cruel way to sever their friendship but we all know it’s not to put her in danger for the next game, right? As long they can convince management to transfer her debts to them, it’ll be okay. Suddenly Tenji gets an unknown call. This guy claims a special game will start soon and it’s only for Yuichi. Yutori has been kidnapped. If he shows up, he will suffer greatly. Otherwise, it will be Yutori who will suffer most. What will it be? Yuichi warns him, if he does anything to Yutori, he’ll kill him.

Episode 12
Yuichi meets Kuroki and his gangsters. Kuroki asserting he has full authority here and this limits Yuichi’s options to act or do anything rash that will put her in danger. Kuroki explains they will play 3 games of pain. Only Yutori gets to decide who gets to feel the pain. If she chooses herself, she’ll experience it but if she picks Yuichi, he will experience it 3 times worse. If he talks or she doesn’t make a decision, Yuichi gets it by default. First game is who is going to get punched by this strong gorilla guy. Since Yutori is scared and confused, Yuichi takes 3 bone breaking punches. Yuichi asks why everybody follows this piece of sh*t so Kuroki claims he uses his brains, got guts and never betrays his friends. Next, will Yutori allow a single fingernail to be torn off? Scared on what to do, Yuichi hints of offering himself and so he gets 3 fingernails peeled off! OUCH! Final game is for Yutori to strip and everyone molest her but since nobody wants to see a naked guy, Kuroki will stab his hand 3 times instead! Yutori is so scared that she lets him decide. And so Yuichi gets the brutal stabbing 3 times. With the game over, Yuichi assures that Yutori was never at fault and that she was just the victim. Because his grudge is on Kuroki and the game hasn’t end yet. Yuichi suggests Kuroki play a game with him. Just a single round of rock-scissors-paper and if Kuroki wins, he’ll get 10 million yen. If he losses, his fingers get chopped off depending on which he puts out. Kuroki doesn’t believe he has that money but Yuichi says if he claims he knows him, then he should know that amount is just small change. Plus, Yuichi will give each of his men a million yen if he wins. Now that they’re egging their boss to win, can’t chicken out now, eh?

Because of Yuichi’s injured and bandaged hand, his options are limited to what he can put out. But this is where the mind games begin as Kuroki wonders if he is going to play that hand or just trolling. With Yuichi pressuring to get the game rolling, eventually Kuroki does paper and what’s this? Yuichi using his other hand to put scissors? Kuroki cries foul but clearly he wasn’t paying attention that Yuichi didn’t say he could use the other hand. And that the move he implied he was to use was for the injured hand. Kuroki orders his men to beat him up but that’s when the management barge in to arrest all of them for this illegal impersonation. Imagine how strong Tsukino is when a single kick knocks out that gorilla guy! Does she have metal as bones?! Before Yuichi left for this place, he had a bad feeling so he told Tenji to contact the management. Thank goodness he managed to get them here in time. Yuichi will still have Kuroki pay his dues as he is going to cut all his fingers. He can choose which one to go first. However if one of his men would swap for him, they would only lose a finger. Kuroki feels relieved and wants somebody to switch but nobody does it. Thanks to Yuichi passing out, I guess Kuroki is saved. But Tsukino points out he lost more than that. Yuichi showed everyone he is stupid, had no guts and above all, has no loyalty. Even his men now doesn’t think much of him. Yuichi is given first class treatment because he is an important product for the game. So you bet management wants him in tiptop condition for the next. However looks like he is too weak to participate the next one. Speaking of which, Makoto is now in prison and the next game might have a chance to set him free or undertake a 500 million debt that his dead dad left him. Yuichi tells them to do it since friends are more important than money. Tenji and Yutori take up the next game as Manabu the judge begins to preside the next game of friendship guilt court.

Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Oh wow. The next game without Yuichi in it? Can Tenji and Yutori do it? Oh well. Always remember to believe in your friends. Who knows? Maybe Yuichi will have regained his strength and barge into the game halfway or towards the twist at the end and save the day. This isn’t your ordinary court of law, right? After all, Yuichi reeks main character vibe so eventually he has to be the hero and Tenji and Yutori just warming things up. Let them hog a bit of the spotlight, do all they can, show us that they’ve grown. Once that is done and all seems hopeless, Yuichi will be back before you know it. Because remember again, that’s what friends are for, right? Yeah, since I’m getting so hyped and far ahead of myself already with such baseless conspiracy theories-cum-delusions, WHY HAVE THEY NOT ANNOUNCED ANOTHER SEASON YET?!

Seriously, I’m having mixed feelings about the series overall. While it isn’t all that bad but I feel it lacks something that extra something that would have made it a lot more interesting. Oh. I think I know. Nobody dies! Oh dear. Am I such a bloodthirsty violent person wishing to see more blood spilled and heads roll? Uhm, can I still blame Squid Game for that?! Yeah, it’s about a year already so you can tell how impactful that Korean series is in my perception for this genre now. So yeah, I was under the wrong impression that this was going to be a death game where a group of classmates were going to play a game of life and death. I was wondering how they were going to pull off with only 5 characters or at least these 5 characters were the main characters and the rest of the classmates weren’t. How wrong I was. So yeah, in that context, I can see why I am slightly disappointed. But that is mostly at myself for expecting something and not actually the context of the anime itself.

While this may not be a death game (yet) and looks more like a survival game, it is still nevertheless quite interesting. Even though the series is mostly very, uhm, how should I put it, very conversational or a lot of dialogue. Yes, it is not the kind of series that is packed with action. The games aren’t that physical and even if the friendly hide and seek was the most physical, it wasn’t really an important element needed. So this is where my dilemma comes in because you know me, not a very bright person so a lot of talking may confuse the hell out of me. Which is nearly what happened here. While the games and its rules are simple (though, there were some that stumped me), it is the strategies and the tactics narrated by the characters that play an important part to the flow of the entire series. We delve into the minds of the characters as we see them thinking up of their strategies they think it is perfect for them to win the game. Some are pretty straightforward but for a series that needs to maintain the attention of its audience, it is going to be anything like that all the way.

Hence for the sake of dramatic effect and plot twists, that’s why they can drag out a single game into several episodes. Sometimes I under the strategy but often at other times I am lost since I was trying to make sense of everything by piecing the puzzle together. Especially the badmouthing game when you bring in dark secrets of your friends and trying to connect them into the game, it could be overwhelming. Because you don’t know what or who is telling the truth. Everyone is a suspect. Trust nobody but yourself. The most confusing part for me was the debts total. Sorry folks, I wasn’t keeping count nor do I understand how the debt system works so when they spam the amount in my face, I’m just lost. I have a feeling I should be suspicious or curious when they declare the amount of debts they totalled but I just couldn’t.

However had the entire series have the vibes of the final episode, whereby it was fast paced and brutal, my opinions of the series could have dramatically changed for the better. Now that final sick pain game was perhaps the thrill I was looking for because it really put me on the edge of the seat. Also knowing that this was the last episode and not enough time gave me that pressure too. It was the kind of excitement I was expecting from this series. Oh well, better late than never.

For a game that is run by a shady huge underground organization, I still find it weird that they can let participants back out in the public. I’m sure a mere verbal threat not to expose or escape won’t be a hinder to someone. Even so, it still feels weird that you can take a break in between and go home. Like as though my conspiracy theory that the whole world is actually in on this game. You know, maybe your parents are also in this? Maybe that quiet neighbour across the street could be part of the management. That’s why management is not scared in releasing participants back to their lives temporarily without any sort of insurance or collateral. Or perhaps if you try to report to the police or somebody else, they’ll not believe you and brush you off as mad. Yeah. That. Or they could be in it too.

This brings me to Kuroki’s case because how can a few punks impersonate such a game? I don’t know, don’t tell me it’s trademarked?! Yeah, nobody has the right to conduct such games in our name without our authorization. Hence my conspiracy theory is that Kuroki is a scapegoat and all part of the management’s plan to test Yuichi. After all, how the heck could Tenji have the management’s number even if it was told by Yuichi? Do participants get to have their number? And Kuroki is giving the management a big risk by impersonating with this illegal game that the real management itself is conducting behind shadows. So don’t you think something feels off here? Because how the f*ck did Kuroki even get Tenji’s number or why the f*ck they kidnapped Yutori? What do they even get out of this? The thrill? And why them? How do they know about them? Certainly Kuroki pulling his bluff and I’m sure he doesn’t know a thing about Yuichi. So hence I bet these are all part of the management’s plan and Kuroki and his guys are just disposable pawns.

The theme explored is fairly simple: Money or friends. It is easy for keyboard warriors to argue safely in the comfort of their seats about the principles and all, but as we have seen, it is anything more than just a straightforward matter. As they say, money is the root of all evil so it complicates everything when the dollar signs get involved. How far are you willing to go for money or friends? And I’m sure many won’t agree that debt and age are the same because it’s only numbers, no?!

So while the games themselves are okay and the strategies cooked up are fairly interesting, the other underlying plot is of course the real dark secrets that the characters have. Basically, everybody has a skeleton or two in their closet. Nobody is a clean angel and putting up a mask. By the time you are deep into the badmouthing game, you would have started to form your own paranoid suspicions that these friends aren’t as clean as innocent as you think they are. As outsiders and third party viewers, we can only speculate so much from what we are shown. We don’t know what the truth is or how far the rabbit hole goes. Hence my guess is that eventually the games could be just a side distraction and whatever sinister plot hatches in the real world would be the real plot instead.

So like I was saying about everybody has something to hide and secrets they could have taken to their grave, we don’t know how far these truths and lies go. For example, Yuichi himself. Looks like a pretty normal and cliché main character from the get go. And what’s this he has killed others before? Of course that info is insufficient and we are free to speculate all kinds of conspiracy theories until more details on this matter come to light. Perhaps all that is blown out of proportion. Unfortunately, not in the span of this season, though. We are often shown his dark side, you know, when he starts giving that evil grin and his black aura starts permeating the screen, it’s a signal to tell us Yuichi is going to make some pretty sick evil move. And become God with his revelations! What if all that is just pretending? After all, Yuichi had to act so just to deceive others and get what he wants. I mean, to deceive your enemies, deceive your friends first. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer and your best friends closest! Yeah. Sort of. Therefore Yuichi may be just playing the villain when in actuality he cares for his friends. It’s his way of protecting them. I mean, if he really doesn’t find them as important, he wouldn’t have gone through great lengths to assure victory. He could have easily devised simple plans for his own solo motives but he did not.

Having said all that on Yuichi, the same can be said for his friends too. It is easy for us to pigeonhole the rest as we first see them. You know, Shiho the beautiful model student, Tenji the smart guy, Makoto the sociable kid and Yutori the innocent cutie. And as Tenji revealed his true nature and goal, that smashes all we know about them. Once again, we are left to ponder how innocent these guys are and if they are guiltier and worse than Yuichi. While the series has revealed about Tenji and makes us suspect Shiho, I’m not ready to let Makoto and Yutori off the hook yet. After all, Makoto might be seen to be a dumb rich kid but again, what if he is just pretending and could be a sick twisted person who killed his own father! Yutori may look like the weakest and the most innocent but like I’ve said, they just want us to think so since among the quintet, she feels like the ‘least important’. For all you know, she could be the mastermind and part of the management! See how paranoid I am becoming?! At this point, I’m starting to doubt everything!

But then again, it could go the other way as Yuichi is slowly repairing his friendship with his friends. Because after we see their friendship get torn apart, Tenji was the first to swore his absolute allegiance to Yuichi. And with the final game having Yutori coming out of her shell and pledging her full obedience to him because she’s sick of being a stranger, now that’s 2 pawns, whoops I mean friends Yuichi has gotten under his wing. So if the court case plays out right, Makoto could be the next to swear his allegiance before the final queen Shiho herself. And then it would be the perfect friendship Yuichi has been yearning for as all his friends promise unconditional commitment to him forever! Not by pressure, coaxing or intimidating but at their own free will. Wow. Yuichi is one pretty slick guy, huh? In this context, now I can see why he says friends are more important than money.

I also feel it is odd that the management has game moderators in charge of various groups of the game. Can I see the game format and how people are divided into groups? While that is a total mystery, I suppose to add to the variety and not bore us, other than the main characters narrating to us their wise moves, sometimes it goes back and forth as we hear these moderator babes also narrating the same strategy. Yeah, like they’re reading off from the same script. It’s like Tsukino and Yuichi’s minds are linked and she can tell what he is thinking and scheming. Weird. Oh yeah, I’m probably still trying to put the pieces together so I wasn’t being that observant. Anyway, having some sort of management in each group, I wonder what the heck this is for because I don’t know, the winning group will have the management in charge go on an all-expense paid vacation or something? It’s not like some of them are friendly with each other either and there’s some sort of rivalry too. Like as though sponsors are placing bet on them and they have to win or else… It’s not just lowly people in debt playing high stakes games too, you know… And the irony, viewers like you and me are the ‘audiences’ watching and enjoying seeing these people suffer through these games!

Art and animation are pretty standard. The characters design are so plain that they fit into your stereotypes as expected. Do you know how ubiquitous Yuichi’s main character look is? So abundant that it’s so plain. Shiho the bishoujo, Yutori the kawaii, Makoto the bishonen and Tenji the bespectacled genius. To fit the dark theme of the series, the overall colour tone feels monotonous, giving that depressing, dark and gloomy feel. If there is one thing about Manabu, he is entirely done in CGI. It won’t be obvious at first but it blends in perfectly with his strange movements. After all, he is a puppet, right? This anime is done by Okuruto Noboru who did Ore Dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon, Akanesasu Shoujo and Isekai Maou To Shoukan Shoujo No Dorei Majutsu Omega.

Voice acting is pretty okay with me just recognizing Shizuka Itou as Tsukino, Nana Mizuki as Reiko, Jun Fukuyama as Kuroki, Daisuke Ono as Banri and a very tame Tetsuya Kakihara as Chisato. The rest are Chiaki Kobayashi as Yuichi (Yuji in Tensei Kenja No Isekai Life – uhm, doesn’t both characters look and sound the same?), Daiki Hamano as Tenji (Valtos in Black Clover), Yume Miyamoto as Shiho (Tamako in Taisho Otome Otogibanashi), Tomohiro Oono as Makoto (Ryuuji in Munou Na Nana), Satomi Amano as Yutori (Rena in Shuumatsu No Harem), Reina Ueda as Maria (Kanao in Kimetsu No Yaiba), Kensho Ono as Kei (Floch in Shingeki No Kyojin), Kishou Taniyama as Hyakutarou (Jean in Shingeki No Kyojin) and Tetsu Inada as Juuzou (Gamagoori in Kill La Kill). Interestingly, the Manabu character has a different seiyuu depending on what kind of cosplay, uhm, I mean profession he takes on while he referees the game. So we have Minami Takayama as the main mascot (titular character in Detective Conan), Chafurin as the teacher (Henpeita in Gintama), Tomoaki Maeno as the sergeant (Schubert in ClassicaLoid) and my, my, what a surprise, Kana Hanazawa as the judge.

The opening theme is pretty slick. Double Shuffle by Nana Mizuki, while personally this isn’t one of the best songs I heard her sing and also not the kind of song that showcases her singing vocal talents, I guess this song fits the theme of the series like a glove. It’s quite fast pace, catchy (with its funky bass line and piano finger drills), jazzy and got some hip hop element into it. I have to admit that it might not be one of the best songs of the year but it’s still nice to listen to from time to time. Especially when your feet needs to do a bit of shuffling. The ending theme, Tomoshibi by Saji is also not bad (why does it remind me of Shura by DOES, an ending theme of Gintama?). But it feels a bit more of a generic rock piece now that I have listened and preferred the opener better.

Overall, despite nobody dying and the series leans towards more on the dialogue side in this survival genre, I still find it quite entertaining and interesting. Not sure if the anime will get another season because I would sure love to follow up on this. Well, there was a live action adaptation and a movie back in 2017. And just recently only in 2022, they announced the continuation and another season of the live action TV drama series. So who knows? Maybe the anime will get its due sequel in a few more years. So while I ponder if playing such games to tackle your debt problems would be better than taking a risk and gambling it all at a casino (both are bad, between the devil and the deep blue sea), always bear in mind that while money may not buy you love, but without money, nobody loves you! Yes, it sucks and is a sin to be poor. What are friends for if I can’t borrow a few hundred thousand million bucks, right? Stupid inflation… It’s a good thing I don’t have friends then…

Deatte 5-byou De Battle

It’s time for another survival battle anime. Since we didn’t get another season from Darwin’s Game, here, have Deatte 5-byou De Battle instead. Unsuspected people are ‘killed off’ to become participants in some sick and twisted experiment. They are each given some sort of unique powers to fight each other in battle. So I thought this was going to be another bloody action battle anime. Until the synopsis further claims the protagonist is going to use his brain skills instead. Oh. So this is going to be one of those thinking animes? Okay, not quite entirely that either. It’s going to have a bit of both so I’m relieved that my brains aren’t going to take some sort of damage by thinking too much by the time I finish watching this.

Episode 1
Akira Shiroyanagi. Typical social outcast gaming nerd. Messy house. But got brains. Top student. Yeah, plays games to avoid boring reality. Well, his life is about to become a hell lot of a game as he is being attacked by this zombie mummy dude. He runs and knows he cannot fight him head on. But if he treats this whole thing like a game, he’ll win. So we see Akira using his brains to get the better of this monster and kill him. Shortly after, this strange woman, Mion pops up and congratulates him for defeating her pet. However it is futile for him to even win this game. She kills him. Akira thinks it isn’t over till it is game over but the next thing he knows, he is in a room filled with different people. Then here comes Mion congratulating all of them for being part of this focus group. Don’t worry, all of them are considered dead in society and so they’ll have to live and play by their rules. A burly guy thinks he is tough and wants to kill her but it’s good timing for Mion to transform her hand into a cannon and kill him! Make sure you know your place now. She further explains that all of them are given a unique ability and they will be conducting experiments as feedback. Or else. Each of them has handcuffs that restrict their ability but when they come off, they can use it in any way they like without fear of being penalized like harm or death. Mion seems to know everyone’s personality as she tries to take questions from potential main characters like Madoka Kirisaki, Ringo Tatara, Shin Kumagiri and Rin Kashii. Yuuri Amakage asks why they are selected. Don’t get disappointed by the answer: It’s random. Tough luck. You lucky people won the lottery! Mion’s comrade, Yang reminds her it is time to start the programme. Everyone is ushered into their rooms. Akira sees a note containing his ability. He is shocked and ponders how to use it. The first programme is a one-on-one fight and it pits Akira against Madoka. Madoka wants him to surrender but Akira won’t. So as it starts, Madoka transforms his wooden sword into a real sharp blade. Akira dodges and escapes. It seems he has not been using his ability all the while. Until the time is right as he turns his hand into a cannon like Mion and fires at him. Madoka is forced to surrender. Mion is happy since her favourite subject won. Yang wonders why Akira didn’t use that ability at first but Mion explains this illusion ability. You see, Akira’s ability is whatever his opponent thinks his ability is. Hence he was waiting for the right moment and conditions to get Madoka to believe he had this hand cannon. Akira thinks of testing his ability more and playing along enough till he makes Mion regret giving this ability to him.

Episode 2
Now we see from Yuuri’s end. She hates coincidences since her whole life is nothing but bad luck. Like how she saved a guy but he became her stalker, her mom picked up a new boyfriend at a bar and he too has a daughter, Riria. One day she spotted her stalker trying to kill himself. She tried to save him but he pulled her down with him. Next thing she knew, she’s part of this sick programme. She sees her ability and tests it out. Looks like some strength thingy but the organization isn’t so dumb to make her so powerful that she can punch down the walls. She vows to go home to Riria who is hinted to be an abused child. More flashback reveals when she tried to console mom that she is here for her, instead she got blamed for having her because her life is now ruined. Yuuri faces off with a shabby perverted old guy whose ability is to identify conditions of others via scent. Creepy. This f*cker takes off his pants to fight! Yuuri is of course confused by all as she gets overwhelmed by this stalker. He narrates his pathetic past like how he was having sex with a high school girl. But when she blackmailed him for money, he killed her and got hooked on this feeling of control. Now he gets to do it all over with Yuuri. Of course she isn’t amused especially when he says the taboo word of coincidence. She gets mad and beats the sh*t out of him until she is the winner! As revealed, her ability is to quadruple her physical abilities. Akira is taken to a room for the next programme. Looks like it is going to be a team battle and his teammates are Yuuri, Madoka, Shin and a discount Lupin guy, Satoru Sawatari.

Episode 3
With 2 hours to the start of the programme, Sawatari suggests introducing themselves. He reveals his power to be turning a button into a rope. WTF… So the rest also introduce themselves as we hear Shin reveal his power to be invincible for 2 seconds. When it is Akira’s turn, the dilemma of whether or not he should reveal his power. Of course he lies that he has hand cannon. While revealing the truth may unlock infinite potentials, but there is a risk this will fail and his power cannot manifest. Hence it is too risky for now. Thanks to Sawatari being a great group host, Akira is relieved that he is not in focus and this means he doesn’t have to demonstrate his powers since the conditions are not right for him. As the programme starts, it seems this team battle isn’t all 5 fighting together at the same time. It will be one on one and the team with the most wins will win overall. Funny, personally I thought it was this format!!! Anyway, with this format, Akira realizes that this format might have made some to reveal crucial info unnecessarily. First match up is Sawatari against Rin. Rin wants Sawatari to forfeit his match. Don’t let her sexy negligee fool you. She is willing to give him special service after that. Monkey guy would love to take the offer but he has a better suggestion. They’ll flip his coin and the loser forfeits. As he does so, Rin kills him off! Nobody saw it how those sharp items suddenly impaled Sawatari’s body! With Sawatari dead for real, Madoka belittles his death because he let his guard down. But this doesn’t sit well with Yuuri and Shin. In-fighting among teammates is the last thing Akira wants so he manages to quell them to focus on the next match, which is Shin vs Ringo.

Ringo looks pretty calm staring at Shin. When it begins, Shin makes a dash towards her. He stops dead in his tracks thinking she is going to do something dangerous. Except she forfeits her match! Everyone in shock. But that’s legit so second match over. When Ringo returns to her teammates, she explains her ability to copy the ability of others. However she cannot identify Shin’s and this puts her at a disadvantage if this becomes a physical brawl. Hence she forfeited. However we see Rin’s true colours as the group’s dictator as she abuses Ringo for not even letting Shin to at least show his ability. She warns if their team loses all of them might get penalized and this makes her win for nothing. After she calms down, Ringo might be putting a calm exterior but on the inside she is scared to death. Further revelations reveal that not only she can copy the ability but that copied ability is only at 1/10 of its value. So of course she knew about Shin’s power but it would not do her any good anyway so might as well forfeit. Next is Madoka against Saeko Zokumyoin. Now we can at least see some real fight. Saeko starts off by taking out her slingshot and fire. Madoka deflects it in time before the marble enlarges itself. No matter how many times she shoots, Madoka’s quick reflex has him deflect them away. Even if the marbles enlarge in time, he can easily cut them in half. Madoka’s ability is not only to turn a stick into a sword but to cut through anything too. Saeko is worried she can’t win. Yeah, a fate worse than death awaits her. Rin’s evil b*tch face…

Episode 4
Saeko throws lots of marbles to surround him. She feigns throwing a last one so when Madoka cuts it, she has another one ready to shoot at him at point blank. However the joke’s on her since Madoka has a hidden sword and cuts her slingshot. It’s her loss as Madoka tells her to forfeit. But the joke’s now on him since a loose marble rolls near his feet and enlarges. Damn, it hit his balls real hard!!! OUCH!!! Just like that, the tables are turned and Saeko wins! Next is Akira against Kouji Kitajima. Akira conducts a few experiments. He knows the loser will not get death because otherwise why will they get medical treatment after the game? Then he tests several conditions for his ability to materialize. One of them being accusing Madoka for his pathetic loss and threatening to punish him. Of course he purposely misses his cannon at him. Then he fires back at Kitajima but it seems he manages to block his shots. But Kitajima being a loser with low self-confidence, thinks he will lose so the girls led by Rin cheer on him. Enough to make virgin guy do his best. Too bad he took too long fantasizing and Akira throws his shoe at his face before pointing his cannon at him. He can tell his ability is to nullify others but only when his hand touches the ground. This happened since his hand cannon also disappeared. Kitajima surrenders and it’s game over. Akira also goes over the fruitful experiment. It seems there are conditions that determine the ‘other person’. His hand cannon won’t materialize if his opponent doesn’t acknowledge they are engaged directly with him. Final match is between Yuuri and Ouji Hoshino. Oh sh*t! It’s that stalker guy who died with her?! You bet Yuuri is mad and wants to beat the sh*t out of him. He dares her because his ability is to turn his body into iron and will withstand all her pounding! Is this a masochist vs sadist match?! Yuuri so mad her punch makes him fly out of the ring! Yuuri wins! Now for the penalty. The winning team are treated to nice food being served by the loser team dressed in Playboy bunny outfits. Only the ladies, huh? The guys are excluded? Rin is interested in Akira and wants to know him more but Akira knows better and brushes her off. Better stay away from this dangerous woman. As they move to the next phase, Mion hints that wasn’t the real penalty and that is still to come… Meanwhile Akira’s team will now have to break up and choose a path and follow its instructions there. Because Yuuri’s hand is sore from punching the stalker, Akira gave her his handkerchief and hopes she could give it back to him once this is over. While Yuuri is flustered by it, we all know that Akira has planted the seeds in hopes it’ll turn out to his favour in the future.

Episode 5
Akira hears the instructions to collect 1000 points. He currently has 100 points. He is surprised to see the stage as the outdoor woods. He thought Katsuya Saitou is here to ambush him but he wants to talk. Suddenly Yuuri is seen running away from a group of perverts known as Red Dragons. WTF, how can Yuuri not outrun or beat them down with her ability?! Anyway, Red Dragons want to recruit Yuuri into their team, which of course she doesn’t want to. One of them has a hand cannon ability so when they learn Akira has one too, they are shocked and want him too. Katsuya uses his ability to turn wood into a bow and shoot infinite arrows to let them run away. But it is ultimately Akira’s hand cannons that allow them to escape. Katsuya brings them back to their base. Damn, it’s a mini village?! There’s even a baby here too but without any cuffs because his mom was brought here while pregnant. Katsuya leads them to their leader, Yuuto Shirasagi who is ecstatic to learn the super abilities they have because now they have a fighting chance. Shirasagi explains the background that you can earn points while doing missions and then use them as currency to buy stuffs including info. When he was first here, teams were relatively small. But soon one team started to bloom and they are the Red Team. Because there is no guarantee that the next programme will be better, they decide to make this their own kingdom. However they do this by kidnapping others and rule via fear. Now we see Red Team ruled by this strong weirdo, Hajime “Ichi” Oogami who is not happy that Red Dragons failed to capture those useful duo. He punishes the shorty leader by smashing a beer bottle in his face! Sub leader, Masaya “Kuro” Kuroiwa believes there is more to Akira than his hand cannon because it seems improbable he could escape from Red Dragons. If he has some rare ability like them, this would gain the attention of somebody they want. Shirasagi continues his explanation that those who won’t stand for the exploitation of the weak end up in Green Team and they are fighting back against them. But there is a neutral faction and although consists of many smaller groups, they are collectively known as Blue Team. Yuuri will join them as she will not stand for their tyranny. But for Akira, looks like he plans to take Shirasagi as hostage?! However his hand cannon cannot manifest and he wonders if he has nullification abilities or is just not convinced. But soon his hand cannon materializes. Shirasagi dares him to shoot. Bang!

Episode 6
Nothing happens to Shirasagi and it was all part of Akira’s plan to test him for his leadership. Now he is convinced to stay on this team. Suddenly there is an influx of newbies. Not enough rooms? Akira suggests to share a room with Yuuri. HUH?! They have no other females she can share a room with?! You bet Yuuri’s reaction of getting ahead of herself is reading too much of those manga stuffs. So when Akira wants to confess to her with this note, you bet she is going to be disappointed. The note says his real ability is telepathy. He wants her to test out and soon they’re speaking telepathically. His reason for them talking this way is because they may be monitored as they are strong and new recruits so it is likely Shirasagi wants to keep an eye on them. They get to know more of each other via telepathic talk. Yuuri talking about Riria and Akira’s goal is to get revenge on Mion. With all the trust in place, Akira then reveals his secret as neither the hand cannon nor telepathy but whatever his opponent think it is. Then an announcement by Mion for a ghoul hunting event tomorrow. Green Team arrives at the ruins as Mion begins the side quest. It ends with either all ghouls dead or the humans. Shirasagi’s partition of the teams allow them to nicely defeat the ghouls. Akira’s explanation how he can still use his hand cannon in this state sounds confusing. But whatever. When Red Team arrives, Shirasagi has his team retreat because he doesn’t want Ichi and Kuro to see their abilities. But those bosses play dirty as they send in ‘slaves’ to get killed by the ghouls so that Shirasagi’s team is forced to save them. Kuro’s ability is to forcefully collect owed debts. Uhm, is this mind control? Anyway, one of those slaves is Ringo and of course Akira saves her. Mion then gets the main event started with this huge cat ghoul. Akira is in a pinch so Shirasagi is forced to step him to let Akira escape, risking his enemies see his true ability. Uhm, so what’s this conduct peaceful negotiations with the other party? Not sure how it works as a barrier but heck, it’s peaceful for him. But when negotiations break down, he can direct all that accumulated power back to the aggressor. Big boss ghoul is down. Red Team bosses satisfied in getting Shirasagi to reveal his trump card. But event not over yet. Cat ghoul eats other ghouls to regenerate!

Episode 7
Shirasagi tells everyone to escape. However, Yuuri isn’t fond of the idea of abandoning so she jumps back to help him. This in turn has Akira coming into the picture as he also fires his cannon. To defeat this big boss, he has an idea. They take pot shots at it as Akira needs to hide himself from Red Team’s bosses for this trick to work. He manages to get into a blind spot and gets himself cornered by the boss. It looked like the monster took him out but the next thing we see, Akira planting his cannon right in its mouth. Blam! Victory? Yeah, it revives again. This time Ichi jumping in and kicking off its head! He is so satisfied with what he sees, he dares them all to fight him. However Mion reminds he doesn’t call the shots so she suggests a more interesting mission. She wants Green Team vs Red Team in the sense that whoever hunts down the leader’s interface wins. But Kuro doesn’t find this exciting unless she adds a penalty. Everyone on the losing team dies! Of course Mion also adds another condition that both the team’s bosses will have their abilities suppressed. This is tempting as Ichi and Shirasagi have very strong abilities. Because both sides are at a deadlock, this could be their chance to crush the other as their boss will be in a weakened state. With that set in stone, this hunting game will take place in 7 days. As Green Team takes in the injured, Shin helps bring back safely a Green Team girl, Hareka from being harassed by a Red Team goon. Understandably everyone thinks he is a baddie but with Akira and Yuuri recognizing him, they apologize. Ringo goes to talk to Akira. Looks like it is more than just wanting to thank him. After summoning up her courage (oh, she’s a fan of him in the real world?), she claims she knows his ability. He quickly ushers her into his room and wants an explanation. She tells what her ability is and believes it is weak on its own. Hence she needs a partner. She views Akira the same and wants him to be her partner. Akira seems interested because this means she knows the abilities of those in Red Team. Ringo leaves, firmly believing she is Akira’s only partner. Why does this start to sound like a sleazy harem fight? I mean, Yuuri just saw Akira whisk her into his room, right? No funny thoughts here… Akira then gathers Yuuri because he needs to go talk to Blue Team. Meanwhile we see Kuro calling his crazy fighters. One of them is Renka. B*tch slut gonna happen with Rin? Not just yet. Then there’s this old geezer Kamui and the crazy samurai slasher Rindou. Yuuki brings an escaped comrade. Thanks to a spy in Green Team, he managed to escape and report what he saw on Akira’s tricks. Hence Kuro is adamant that Akira’s cannon is a fake and that he has another ability.

Episode 8
Yuuri once again gets trolled by Akira about wanting to be alone with her and to feel it! But of course it’s just to test their powers. Akira trying to use Yuuri’s power failed and he thinks the trick of teleportation that got him out from that monster cat’s pinch was just lucky. He suggests trying another method. This time she has to visualize someone specific as Akira will turn into that person. So she visualizes Ringo? It works. Of course this means Akira knows she saw them together yesterday. He tells what happened but can’t say anymore because of Ringo’s conditions to her. First, to tell her about this as her way of insurance (if Akira kills Ringo, Yuuri will lose her trust in him). Second, he cannot disclose Ringo’s power to her. Then they go meet Iori Omoto who is the leader of Blue Team. Akira wants to recruit some members to join them but of course Omoto reminds them they are neutral. Even if Akira is willing to pay hefty points, this only works if Green Team wins. But if Yuuri joins him, he might convince many of his Blue Team to join him. Akira instantly shoots that suggestion down since Yuuri is very important. In fact, so important that he’ll only trade her if Omoto himself joins in the fight and obeys his command. Omoto will do him a favour and tell his teammates about this offer. Akira and Yuuri are too late to realize Madoka is on Blue Team. Looks like he still wants a rematch with Akira so he’ll join Red Team to fight him. Okay. Whatever. Next day before the hunting begins, there are a few added rules. Some towers in which if they hold the fort and charge their devices, they can earn some points in which accumulating a certain of them allows you to get Mion’s help. After selecting their king, the game begins. Shirasagi as the Green Team’s king has his men take control of the towers. All is fine at Katsuya’s team. Asuka Kiryuu and co run into trouble because Ichi is here himself. He is going to play with her until her comrades arrive. Despite her ability to control the weight of her sword, this isn’t even enough to pin the big guy down. She gets done in. Then we see Red Team’s crazy fighters all out on a killing spree. What a field day for massacre. And Shun already got a hand cut off by Yuuki!

Episode 9
Akira meets up with Rin and it looks like both have agreed to some exchange plan. Though, both don’t trust each other especially Akira who is resisting her advances. Once Akira leaves, Rin makes a call to someone to report she has found Akira. Ichi feels all those Green Team he beat down has been a waste of time. Before he kills Asuka, here comes Yuuri to save the day. Now it gets interesting for Ichi as he fights her. Thanks to Akira’s tactics, Yuuri is able to hold her ground against this behemoth. Thanks to Ringo’s ability, she managed to weed out the spy (because the spy was lying about his own ability). But before she could seek out more info, he is suddenly killed off. Then she realizes this means there is another spy. Yeah, it’s that old lady close to Shirasagi, Momoko. Flashback shows Akira was against Yuuri going to Asuka’s aid because he needs her by his side. She told him to work with Ringo then (jealousy?) and claims his trust in her is so that he could just use her (definitely jealousy talking here). Although Yuuri left to help Asuka, Akira has a plan in case this happened. He bumps into Madoka and they start fighting. However with Rindou coming to kill both of them, Madoka makes a truce with Akira to take down this samurai. It is revealed that Madoka and Rindou are the person Akira and Rin called respectively so this is all part of the plan. While it is thought that Rindou’s ability is similar to Madoka’s, Akira notices there are some differences like Madoka’s sword could cut through his cannon but Rindou’s attack couldn’t. He must be cutting something else. Then they device a plan to take him down. Madoka fights him in close range until Akira fires from a blind spot. Rindou saw this coming. But he didn’t see the last step as Akira blasts the trees, splinters allow Madoka to turn it into knives and throw it back at Rindou. Dead. Yeah, his death looks so fake… Meanwhile, Renka is killing everyone but a dying Green Team member uses her ability to twist her own neck. Only, Renka didn’t die. Because Rin sees this, Renka will kill her. Rin fights back as she splatters her blood all over Renka so that blades could pop up and stab her. But Renka still won’t die. After Rin binds her, she targets the real body of Renka. Yeah, killed some ugly dude hiding in a box. Rin knows Renka is a puppet because it would be silly for a death game to have a contestant who is invincible, right? Rin’s plan as she made a deal with Green Team is to kill one of Red Team’s generals. Doing so, they would attest to Mion she is Green Team’s spy. This means it doesn’t matter which side wins, she’ll still survive. It is revealed that her true ability is to turn her bodily fluids into torture devices.

Episode 10
Yuuki’s ability is to shrink things. And he is about to shrink his string around Shin’s neck when Hareka jumps in to shove Yuuki. Flashback on Shin that he had an older brother in wrestling whom he admires. They promised to team up once Shin is out from hospital. Too bad he died in an accident. Hence Shin has been hesitating using his invincibility power out of respect. But the ghost of his brother tells him it’s time to move on. Hence Shin transforms into a metal knight to break free from Yuuki’s strings and give him a good smack down! That should put this kid out of his misery. Katsuya is about to sacrifice himself to Kamui but luckily Akira is here to tell him to go save Asuka. Akira then throws a stone to Kamui to test his abilities. Kamui knows Akira’s ability is not the cannon thanks to Kuro telling them beforehand. When Akira takes out Rindou’s sword, Kamui is convinced his ability is to copy others. He gets slashed by Rindou’s ability. Of course this all works in Akira’s favour as Kamui thinks he has Rindou’s ability. Akira also lets him know that his ability is not the cannon is part of his plan. Meanwhile Momoko is about to kill Shirasagi but he knows she is the traitor all along. He just didn’t want to believe it. Momoko reveals that she was at first on his side. But when she learnt about Red Team’s bosses, she switched. That’s because Ichi and Kuro are her kids?! Then she takes baby Taro as hostage. Give up or the baby dies. Shirasagi gives up but it looks like Red Team hasn’t won yet. It is then Kuro deduces Shirasagi isn’t Green Team’s king but Akira. Don’t look now, Akira is here after using up Mion points to locate his whereabouts. As Momoko and Ringo is about to have a showdown, Ringo has her put Taro in a safe spot. I’m surprised after all the noise, the baby is still sleeping soundly! Ringo still doubts herself as Akira has given her the role to stop the enemy in such circumstances. But Akira also told her to have confidence in her abilities so she copies Momoko’s cannons. Despite 1/10 of the power, it shoots faster. This gives her some ideas to try out. However Momoko beats her up as she claims about failing to save her kids before but will now save them. When Momoko fires at the rocks to crush Taro, Momoko panics. But Taro isn’t there. Momoko hasn’t been firing pot shots but to change the terrain’s shape. Now that Taro is in Ringo’s hands, she knows Momoko let her guard down when Taro went missing. Although Momoko gives up, she still wants to kill Ringo. Ringo fires into the rocks to let it all crush her. Yuuri won’t be fighting Ichi alone as Shin and Madoka are here to help. Kuro have also predicted this but didn’t think Akira would be the king. No matter, he’ll still crush him with his ability.

Episode 11
If you’re wondering where Saeko, Kitajima and Ouji have been, wonder no more. They’re Kuro’s slaves. As he sends his slaves to corner Akira, Akira knows his abilities thanks to Ringo. When they were captured by Red Team, Ichi was about to kill them but Kuro stepped in to save them. But that was only a ploy to make them think so. Because of that, this triggered his ability to make them his slaves as they owe him a debt equivalent to their lives. When Akira tries to talk about his power, Kuro believes that he is just buying time for his friends to defeat Ichi. Because of all this, this somewhat trigger Kuro’s ability to turn Akira into his slave but since it is only minor, he can only bind his leg. But this is enough because Kuro forces him to use his teleport ability. Although Akira does so, he gets captured by the slaves. Right where Kuro wants him to. Then Kuro stabs him in the guts as he brags how he has him danced in his palms all the while. But that is when Akira starts to make his counterattack as he blasts Kuro away with Shirasagi’s ability. Akira explaining his talking wasn’t to buy time but to subtly imprint reminders of Shirasagi’s powers. Oh, Akira put slabs of meat on his stomach in anticipation of the knife attack. Now it’ Akira’s turn to reveal his genius plan and how Kuro was dancing in his palm instead. When Shin found the spy, Akira had Yuuri to that experiment and turn Akira into that spy. Hence he was the one who leaked info the Kuro about Akira’s power. Of course he leaked enough so as to make Kuro think he came to that conclusion himself but the conclusion Akira wants. After Kuro admits defeat, Akira thinks Yuuri’s side will be okay but Kuro cautious that is where he is wrong. He’ll show his true power when he is cornered. Indeed. Ichi now turning into some Hulk and bashing everyone around! Such feelings of who he is makes him power up. Flashback shows both of them come from the same orphanage. But the headmaster is an abusive motherf*cker. Kuro and Ichi clicked in creating their own ideal kingdom. So when the headmaster trampled on that feelings, Ichi snapped and beat the sh*t out of him. At that point he was unstoppable. Perhaps he is a monster. Yuuri can tell of his hard beginnings from his scars because of Riria. Will she turn out like him? She still believes that despite the inhuman treatment, they are all still humans. That’s why she can stop him. Now she truly believes everything that has happened isn’t random. Okay. Can we end this fight now?

Episode 12
Woah! X-ray move! Yuuri and Ichi took out each other’s arm. While Ichi continues to pummel her, he is baffled she is still standing. Yuuri feels hurt all over but what about him? He claims he doesn’t but that just feels like an excuse to run away. Then as she gives her final punch, suddenly her powers are sealed. Turns out this is the final work of Kuro. Knowing he has not much longer to live, he distracts the rest by freeing his slaves. He used up Mion points for this last act. Akira also uses 1 Mion point to make a huge announcement for Ichi to stop killing Yuuri. Admitting himself as Team Green’s king, he will head there and they’ll settle it. Ichi knows that Kuro is dead and that their kingdom would be meaningless without him. He accepts Akira proposal. As Ichi charge at Akira, suddenly this guy powers up and gives him a punch that is 10 times its power?! Flashback shows Akira and Yuuri practising whatever this move. Thank goodness it paid off. With Ichi down (he looks like he doesn’t regret it), Green Team is declared the winner. Akira and Yuuri’s reunion interrupted with Mion has a final role for the king. As Akira cleans himself up, he is approached by Omoto who claims he saw his move. Akira panics thinking his secret is discovered and tries to stall for time to get info. Omoto then shows his ability by shooting him with his hand cannon. He wants Akira to tell Mion that he will be going active now. This means he will be advancing to the next programme to kill Mion. Since Akira owes him his life, he wants his help to achieve that goal. Next we see, Akira back to his ordinary life? Was it all a dream? Well, he meets up with Yuuri who is so happy to see him, she can’t wait to jump and hug him. But they note that they are still in the game because those who advance now won’t have those chunky handcuffs but a double green stripe over their wrist.

Wearing A 5 Second Hat On A 5 Second Head…
Oh God. I have so many questions for the last episode. Firstly, did everyone in Red Team die since their king lost? Hey, those slaves were freed from Kuro but that doesn’t mean they are no longer on Red Team. Or did Mion have a change in heart? Not likely. But who cares, right? Akira and co who decided to move on to the next programme, did they all advance together shortly at the same time? Because I thought they needed lots of points to do that. Or did Akira made a deal with that special role we didn’t get to see (or was it a setup just to meet Omoto?) to give his friends who want to move on some points? And how did Shin get his hand fully attached back?! And since the next programme is in Tokyo, wouldn’t it be weird for these missing people to bump into other people whom they know? I mean, they’re technically dead, right? How would they react? Oh, is Akira now Omoto’s lapdog now? So many questions and no answers…

Okay, let me be honest. After seeing that recent Netflix surprise hit series, Squid Game, suddenly my expectations for this series changed dramatically. What’s this atrocity of me watching anything other than anime???!!! Is this blasphemy?! Hey, I’m free to watch I want! And truly yes, I watched Squid Game because I was freaking curious. Spoiler alert, lots of people died! Now I know why many people loved that show. Anyway, seeing how awesome that Squid Game was, that is why my disappointment for this series suddenly grew. It wasn’t a great series as the episodes go by and seeing how things were turning out at this pace, you bet I can’t help start to compare this anime with that Korean hit.

You see, this series started off interestingly (albeit not by very much) because you know, everyone given different abilities to fight each other. The first programme was one on one before the second one turned into a weird group match before the third programme that took the bulk of this series became some sort of some team community fight. Yeah, the lack of major deaths was one of the factors that made me feel disappointed. Sure, there were a few deaths but most of them were Kuro’s slaves who don’t really matter and that Sawatari was too insignificant to even be remembered and not constitute to be considered as the first major death of the series. Even Ichi and Kuro’s generals were a bunch of weirdoes who were introduced in a rushed way and so when some of them died, it didn’t matter because they’re the villains, right?

The third programme turned out to be one big draggy affair and honestly, I can’t say I was bored the entire way. Although my interest was more like on and off, fluttering volatilely throughout this mini arc. Nevertheless, it was still draggy. Firstly, this whole third programme felt out of place. I mean, they can have participants who choose to stay here and not move on for many years? I am assuming the organization’s priorities are to test the abilities given to the players so having this third programme where a community is formed and some of them not moving on feels detrimental to that purpose. Unless I have the wrong assumptions. I don’t know, I don’t see other admins other than Mion and Yang so how the f*ck do they divide their time in watching all the different programme stages while recruiting new participants? Well, Mion and the organization are a big mystery themselves. There is nothing much we know about them. But at this point we don’t even get so much of a hint about this as we’re so focused on Red Team vs Green Team. And now that the fourth programme is back in the city, so would it be a country team thingy? The setting is getting bigger and bigger. Who knows? Next programme the entire world! And the next, the universe! Heh. I won’t be surprised if the organization’s goal is to find the one with the power to fight God! On second thought, I’ll be so flabbergasted and cringe that my stomach will turn inside out the moment they reveal this is the f*cking plot! IT BETTER NOT BE!

If I’m going to nit-pick further, it will be the name of this series. I mean, it sounds so cool if you don’t know Japanese or if Japanese isn’t your main language. But when you translate this title, it is “Battle In 5 Seconds After Meeting”. Like… WTF?! It sounded like they couldn’t find an appropriate title for this and named it so. Sounds so amateurish too. Like a toddler came up with this name. Hence the redundant moment for every start of each battle, a 5 second countdown. Like… WHY?! Is 5 seconds enough to get you psyche up and prepared for the fight? Not that I see it made any difference during the fight. Sure, hearing the characters’ monologue but that doesn’t do anything much too. Just for the sake of living up to the anime’s title. Nothing else.

The action sequences are so-so and not really that exciting. It feels obligatory because this is an action battle anime so they need to have some players having offensive abilities just to prop up some adrenaline rush. Initially I thought the abilities for each players were like taken inspiration from an old anime. You guys old enough to have seen Ueki No Housoku AKA The Law Of Ueki? At least for some participants whose abilities are to turn something into something. That is what all the power users in The Law Of Ueki have. But of course some abilities of other players are more straightforward such as Yuuri and Shin while others are just f*cking confusing like Shirasagi and Kuro. Speaking of theirs, I think it is that ambiguity that makes their ability powerful because it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I mean, if I were given those powers, I wouldn’t even know how the f*ck to use it! Seriously. Such abilities are those for the intellect so if you really know how to use them and interpret it as such, the power will work wonders for you. That’s why Akira’s power to have what his opponent think what his ability is, is a double edged sword. Although it gives him the flexibility to conjure anything (AKA plot convenience), the requirements to set that conditions and circumstances are tough.

As for the characters, not even interesting to say the least. Akira as your main character carries this typical trait that he hates his ordinary life and hence his only reason to live is because he likes to play games. Uhm, doesn’t this remind you of a certain character, especially the recent 100-man Inochi No Ue Ni Ore Wa Tatteiru? And to justify why he is a damn smart kid, it’s because he plays games! Oh yeah. For the umpteenth time, games do not make you stupid as contrary to popular belief especially parents! So anyway, Akira being the brains as well as the main character, he looks so flawless in his deduction and planning that it makes it all feel so unreal. Un huh. It’s like as though he is holding the script to this anime or has read manga volumes of this series! You think you’ve bested Akira? Well, jokes on you. Akira was just playing and leading you along to where he wants you. So it was a bit funny, the battle between Akira and Kuro. I got you. No, I got you instead. Nope. I GOT YOU ACTUALLY! HAHAHA!!! Yeah, that’s how it feels like. Is that how battle of the brains supposed to play out?

Okay, to be fair, he has to stay ahead of everyone in order to survive. But seeing the kind of direction of this series, I don’t really see him or any other characters in any real danger in losing their lives. Okay, maybe at certain moments during battle but other than that, I never really felt they would die anyway (reminder: thanks to Squid Game). Even when Shin has his hand cut off. That guy can still survive so long after losing so much blood? What a tough guy he is. Back to Akira, they give him the flimsy reason of wanting to get back at Mion and hence why he is playing along with these silly programmes. Not sure how many programmes there are because I feel if Akira is trying to wait for the perfect moment, it’ll never come. Eventually he is going to realize that playing along won’t get what he wants. The question is when he’ll power up more powerful than Mion herself before attempting his revenge plan. I’m sure he already has one in mind, right?

Yuuri exists only so that they can troll us over some pseudo romance between her and Akira. Because of Akira’s ambiguous way of saying things, Yuuri often jumps the gun to think that Akira wants to get romantic with her. Turns out it is something else other than that. From time to time, Yuuri continues to get trolled and tricked into this. She should have known better by now but I guess she is a young high school girl so I suppose this means she has some sort of hopes in that happening. Not so random, huh? To up this pseudo harem thingy, hence they throw Ringo into the fray. Making it complicated, she is a fan of Akira. Yuuri liking Akira because he trusts her. Ringo liking Akira because he is her key to survival. So how will it play out? I don’t know. But I think as long as they’re on the same thing, they’ll keep continue to troll us that there will be a fight over Akira and we’ll keep continuing to fall for that. Don’t even discount Rin. She might really drive a wedge between them since she is a very scheming vixen. Don’t let that babydoll dress fool you. Oh wait. It fooled a lot of people already. Here’s your fanservice moment. Tomboy girl, shy girl and mature sexy woman, can Akira play his cards right? That’s a programme we won’t get to see :-(.

Other characters feel so flimsy that they don’t feel sufficient and mostly weak. In terms of character, that is. Like Madoka and Shun don’t really feel justified accept they’ve been part of Akira’s team from the second programme and since they know him, that’s where their trust lies. So they’re like extra pair of hands so that Akira doesn’t feel like a one man show and that this isn’t some harem Akira is having. Some feel redundant especially those from the third programme like Katsuya. Uhm, does he even matter? Not sure about his feelings for Asuka but I suppose it’s the only way to give him some character because he is in love with a woman who already gave birth to a child here. Yeah, those who decide to stay back feel like they’re still in prison because of those handcuffs. That’s the weird thing about this programme. You don’t give incentive or enough threats for players like them to move on. So is there a special task force to monitor those who decided to live the rest of their lives in the third programme? And what’s this? It is hinted that Akira’s dad is also a player in this game due to that green stripes. This answers where he’s been all this time, huh?

Many of the villains from Red Team should have an interesting background. But some aren’t really fleshed out and are just mentioned briefly. Because it would’ve been interesting to see more of the predicament they were in before they were ‘selected’ for this experiment. Outside was already a sh*t hole, so might as well live their lives a kings here. So while it shed some light on Ichi and Kuro’s background, too bad overall it makes them still feel like one dimensional villains. We understand the pain and suffering they came from. But their methods I am sure we mostly don’t agree on. It’s sad to see them be part of the vicious cycle. Others treat them like trash so they grow up to be twisted and they too step over others. Oh, can some righteous allies of justice shed some light of truth to them? Yup. I guess we all know who did the job. And yeah, not forgetting Omoto. Blue Team is pretty much redundant as this series is concerned. So Omoto showing up in the end just to give Akira a run for his money and I bet he could have exactly the same ability as Akira. Uh huh. That’s why I felt Akira checkmate himself then. Another guy who wants to kill Mion? Will they be rivals or will they cooperate?

Last and not least, Mion herself is one big mystery. But she also has a cheeky and playful exterior. It might seem cute and all but it’s like as though it hides her darker and crueller personality. The reason we don’t see it is because Akira is her favourite so she’s keeping her eye on him and she doesn’t want to show her hands yet by being ruthless. You know, this is mostly a battle of the wits so once again, it could be Mion leading Akira to think he’ll get his revenge on her when suddenly it is revealed Mion could be his mother in disguise, raising someone to take down the organization from within!!! OMFG! Please let this not be true! As opposed to Mion, we have a very meek Yang to try and counter balance all that cheekiness. Because of that, Yang doesn’t really make an impact. Both host the next episode preview at the end of each episode and as expected, Mion playing a fool while Yang tries to get her to be serious but fails. They love trolling us, huh? Unlike many other animes, there is no next episode preview on the last episode but this one has. But of course, it’s not about the next episode nor the next season. Just their usual mindless chatter over this season. Well, you know my sentiments for this series by now, right?

Art and animation are pretty standard so it’s nothing much to complain. Oh wait. I have one complaint: Some scenes are animated in CGI and it sucks! Of course, not as atrocious as Ex-Arm but it still feels bad albeit not very obvious. For instance, in some fighting scenes that involve Ichi, you can clearly see this abomination in CGI abomination. His movements become weird and all. It makes you wonder why they didn’t just use the normal 2D hand drawn technique but I guess either they want to show off some technology chops or somebody got lazy or they didn’t manage to hire enough animators. Whatever the reasons, those CGI moments really take the vibe out of the action scenes once you realize how bad it is. Oh heck, the final episode’s quality feels like it take a dip a lot especially even in 2D form, Ichi looks hell of a weird. They really want to make him look like a monster? This anime is jointly done by SynergySP (Hayate No Gotoku, MAR, Major, Cross Game) and Vega Entertainment (Gun Frontier).

I like Mayumi Shintani as Mion because it makes her character sound sassy. She’s the voice behind FLCL’s Haruko and Kill La Kill’s Jakuzure, so you know why she sounds so. A few recognizable seiyuus include Kazuya Nakai as Madoka, Yuuichi Nakamura as Shin, Koji Yusa as Kuro, Hiroki Yasumoto as Ichi and Yukari Tamura as Renka. What’s this? Ayane Sakura as Riria? I wouldn’t have guessed… Maybe I wasn’t paying attention to that slow flashback moment… I also thought Cho was behind Shirasagi’s voice but turns out it was Tomohisa Asou (Ooguruma in God Eater). The other casts are Ayumu Murase as Akira (Luck in Black Clover), Aimi Terakawa as Yuuri (Kasumi in BanG Dream), Miyuri Shimabukuro as Ringo (titular character in Yuragi-sou No Yuuna-san), Toa Yukinari as Rin (NK Cell in Hatarku Saibou), Akari Kitou as Yang (Nezuko in Kimetsu No Yaiba), Gakuto Kajiwara as Katsuya (Asta in Black Clover) and Sayaka Senbongi as Saeko (Shuna in Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken), Maaya Sakamoto as Omoto (Ciel in Kuroshitsuji). The opening theme is No Continue by Akari Kitou. This badass hard rock piece sounds awesome had not this series been disappointing. The ending theme, Make Eve Jikkyou Play by 15-sai To Seiko Oomori sounds equally badass with its hard rock style too and could’ve been a great song cover for Overlord with its wild singing style.

Overall, I wanted to like this series but the disappointing pace and direction bogged it all down. Because of that, the story and characters felt underwhelming. Even more so because may I remind you again that I just finished watching Squid Game! Definitely would go watch that horror survival game show series than this one. For a survival action battle series, this sure doesn’t feel like one as it feels more like a showcase who has a better superpower or at least who uses their ability better. I was still trying to cling on to my naïve hopes that it had potential and better development should it have another season. Alas, I must know when to cut my losses and not go down with the sinking ship. Thus I left the series in 5 seconds after 12 episodes of struggling. Sarcasm. That, my ability is to make puns that are not funny at all :-(.

Kyuukyoku Shinka Shita Full Dive RPG Ga Genjitsu Yori Mo Kusoge Dattara

Oh no. Not another anime whereby it involves using some system that has you fully dive into a VR gaming world and experience all its wonders. From the awesome and popular Sword Art Online to the less impressive Infinite Dendrogram, looks like now it is now the turn of Kyuukyoku Shinka Shita Full Dive RPG Ga Genjitsu Yori Mo Kusoge Dattara. Yeah, I had to copy and paste that long ass title here too. So did they purposely make that long ass title up so as to distract us from how crappy and generic this anime is going to be? Oh well, we all suckers were too late as we dived in to find out whether how true it was.

Episode 1
As narrated, the VR gaming world has advanced so much that you could literally link up all your senses and play the game like as though it’s your real life. But it soon hit a peak and everyone became bored of it. Because games are supposed to be fun and relaxing, advanced VRMMO games are now thought to be not fun. Hiroshi “Hiro” Yuuki is being given a pep talk by his teacher about his future. Like he gives a f*cks. How about playing some sports with his friend? Nah. Video games only for him. You bet Hiro’s life sucks because he gets extorted by bullies as protection money. Then as he goes to buy the latest game, Finalizing Quest 22, he finds he is short of cash. Gave too much extortion money? On his way home, he passes a shady game store. What are the chances this shop has FQ22? Asking the staff, Reona Kisaragi about it, she makes fun about its silly name and numbering. Yeah, I can say the same for Final Fantasy too! HAHA! But does she have FQ22 or not?! Yeah, she might have. After he hands his cash, he realizes it is a different game, Kiwame Quest (KQ). Money back, please! Too bad she cashes it in and gives all sorts of reasons why this game is better than FQ22. It has some adult elements… Oh Hiro, don’t let those huge boobs convince you… Too late… Since Reona plays the game too, she is willing to help out from time to time. Hiro returns only to realize this game is 10 years old! Can’t throw it away. He paid 10 grand for that! So he goes home and logs in. Pretty standard features. But he marvels at all the realism. All the senses are great. Even the pain. Ouch. There’s the exit button to make sure he is in a game and not isekai! He interacts with the NPCs. They are Alicia his childhood friend and her brother Martin who is also his best friend. They’re supposed to go pick apples but when Hiro says he wants to leave this place and head to Flora Castle as per instructed at the start, they start to panic. They tell him this town is cordoned off by the world due to goblin attacks. Hiro rubbishes all that and still wants to go so Martin beats him up! Real pain! Is this part of the tutorial?! Hiro realizes how much his life sucks so when he fights back, he accidentally kills Martin! Holy sh*t! Knife through his mouth! What now? RUN! Alicia gets mad and chases him! Hiro manages to hide in town. Oh, here is Reona. She’s a fairy? Oh, she is his support and this means other NPCs and monsters can’t interact with her. As her promise to help him, she takes a look at his tag to see his current status. Oh dear. Best friend killer? Game over?!

Episode 2
Hiro wants to restart but Reona says that is impossible. Data is retained in the hardware so even if you buy a new copy, your stats will be saved in it. The only way is to buy an entirely new VR set that costs a lot. Hiro wants his refund but Reona has a no refund policy. Couldn’t Hiro just stop playing this sh*t? Before you talk about suing and legal stuffs, Reona wants to look at this in a positive light. As KQ was only released in Japan but its player base dwindled throughout the years, there are a few that are still playing this game. One of them is Ginji and he too killed his best friend. That was 10 years ago and he could be found drinking in casinos. The next stop is to get him clothes but the town already has wanted posters of him. Better lie low. Hiro gets some hood but the shop owner blackmails him with a higher price to keep his mouth shut. Yeah, can’t rat out his paying customer, right? Soon, Hiro is found by Alicia! Oh sh*t! She still wants to kill him! Basically her idea is to kill him and then kill herself so they can join Martin and be friends again in the otherworld! Hiro manages to run for his life. And his title gets upgraded? Running Best Friend Killer? Yeah, you can accumulate titles. He wants to log out but the option is not available. KQ has this policy you can’t log out during combat. Which means… ALICIA IS HERE!!! A slash on his palm hurts so bad. That’s realism for you. Fortunately, Reona punches Alicia’s eyes for Hiro to get away. Hey, I thought she can’t interact?

Anyway, once Hiro is safe, he logs out. But soon a message from Reona to log back in tonight. Or else she’ll kill him! Can he just ignore her? But I guess his real life sucks so back to KQ. Before doing so, his little sister, Kaede warns him about playing the game because last night he was so noisy. Anyway, she’s not impressed with his nerdy hobby and thought he would go back to track and field he once was so interested. Not happening. Hiro returns to KQ in the exact same state. His palm still hurts and the bleeding can’t stop. His herb medicine didn’t work because as per realism, you have to boil it?! Suddenly a fat ugly guy comes up to him. Because of his old term usage, Hiro can tell he is Ginji. He brings him to the casino to talk about things. He too killed his best friend, Enrique. Because his sister wouldn’t shut up, he killed her too! Gosh. He did so because of the curiosity of killing NPCs. I mean, you old gamers are guilty for trying to shoot the dog in Duck Hunt too, RIGHT???!!! Ginji continues to explain how stats in KQ reflect your real life abilities. He notes that there was only a guy who completed the game, Kamui. Yeah, got a cool title too. The Eternally Invincible Never Bested Adventurer. Better than Ginji’s Not Human: Heartless! Hiro thinks Ginji can join his party but the latter declines since he isn’t young anymore and is in no shape. So how will he help? He unmasks Hiro and tells everyone the killer is here! Call the guards! Heartless indeed!

Episode 3
Hiro tries to escape but of course Ginji judos him. He is arrested and will be put on trial so Ginji advises him never to admit is a murderer or he’ll end up doing hard labour like him. Yeah, he is serving time of 13 years and is out on parole! So why doesn’t he quit the game?! He can’t… Along the way, it is part of the town’s traditions to throw stones and fruits at him. But what makes Hiro want to go to prison fast? Guess who is that one eyed avenger stalking him? ALICIA!!! Hurry and put me in my cell!!! Inside, he tries to log out but he can’t. Can’t log out in the midst of an event? Yeah, after waiting an hour, nothing happens! Still can’t log out. Suddenly he is spooked after seeing the ghost of Martin! Full dive horror! Martin wants him to remember their promise or else he will haunt him till he remembers! Get ready for Martin time! Oh sh*t! Vomiting blood all over! Hiro screams to Reona for help but it isn’t her who got him out but Mizarisa. She then takes him to her room with a bed. Then a prompt comes up that stimulation for this part is real, are you ready to experience it? Thinking that this might be some sexy adult time, you bet the power of boners has Hiro accept this. Okay then. Please lie on the bed and close your eyes. When everything is done, Mizarisa is in a dominatrix outfit. Turns out she is an inquisitor and she specializes in torture. This will determine if he is innocent or not. If he breaks during torture, he is guilty. If he can endure it, it means the blame will be put on the demons and he is set free. So I guess this isn’t some kinky S&M play Hiro expected, huh? HELP! F*ck! She’s going to saw off his leg!!! Reona arrives in time to help. Yeah, she was watching some anime. For the umpteenth time! So how does she help? By cheering him to do his best! Hiro is f*cked! So scared that he soiled his pants. Mizarisa loves it and looks forward to the torture! But looks like Hiro has given up. He doesn’t care anymore. Those dead eyes so real. Before Mizarisa could cut, the guard comes in and says the torture is cancelled thanks to Tesla the head guard ordering it. Hiro is freed and gained another unwanted title. Now he can quit. I guess you can’t blame him for rage quitting and vows never to play this sh*tty game again!

Episode 4
Back to reality. Good news: Pants not wet. This reminds him of an awful past incident. A time when he just entered high school and is taking part in a track meet, it seems this was an important one because there are scouts watching as well his biggest rival, Tatsuya Moriguchi participating. Not to mention a retired Olympic medallist turned sports writer, Mike McLachlan personally came to talk to him and saw hope in him. During the race, Hiro made a slow start. As he tries to catch up and near the finish line he trips! That’s not the worst part. Because that part is he then wet his pants!!! OMFG. You bet he became a laughing stock. Kaede tried to cheer him up but he lashed out at her seeing that this was the end of him. No more chances. Even Mike had something to say about this. Basically he has something worse than being unable to perform under pressure. Back to current time, another complain from Kaede about him being noisy last night. When Hiro claims he is quitting KQ, she is not amused and calls him a loser? I thought she wanted him to quit? Yeah, but giving up because he can’t beat it is entirely different. WTF… Next day in school, you can tell Hiro doesn’t give a f*ck anymore. Before the bullies can even ask for money, he just gives it to them. Shocking, huh? Teacher asks about his post-graduation plans. Sure. Whatever. He answers a call from Reona who needs him to come over. What a coincidence, he is on his way there too. He tries to sell back KQ and of course she brushes him off. She even laughs off that pants wetting incident. Anyway, she is here to show him a video from an assemblyman named Souichirou Kamui. In a recent interview, he admitted he was an addict to full dive RPGs. Safe to say, this guy is that Kamui who is the only player to beat KQ. Yes, he even has a walkthrough site. But why can’t players clear it then? Well, many don’t read through since most parts are in text form. And they’re insulting you! And those video walkthroughs, he is insulting the loser you are for resorting to this! Plus, lots of vague answers. No wonder many just gave up. And what’s this? Reona hugging Hiro from the back and claims she would love to marry the person other than Kamui who beats the game. Very tempting when those huge tits are pressing against your back! Trying to make the clincher by claiming she likes him. Hiro thinks it is a trap. He will not be fooled. But like every man’s weakness, the power of boner is too strong since Reona hints she can do it with him. Do you want to do it with her? Then log in tonight and continue the game. And so he is back where he last left off. The soiled smelly pants and ecstatic Mizarisa wants to keep this wet patch as her charm. Sighs… Hiro is taken to see the guard captain, Tesla.

Episode 5
Tesla has investigated Martin’s murder. Seems that if Hiro wanted to kill him, he would’ve used the sword in his room. Also, the angle of the knife even a knife master would struggle to get it so. Hence it was all just an accident and Hiro is acquitted. However this doesn’t dispel the fact that Alicia still wants to kill him so if he needs help, feel free to call him. Hiro thinks he is a free man now. But the townspeople still think he killed Martin and start throwing rocks. That’s realism for you. Hiro needs to get a job to buy some smoke bombs to escape Alicia. So if Hiro doesn’t want to break the law by robbing, time to go look for a job. Since his reputation is still not good, he has to get one at a shady employment agency rather than a guild. Hiro is being picky so he gets kicked out. The last option left is to borrow. From who? Let’s visit Ginji! Wait. How can Reona interact with Ginji? Anyway, Ginji won’t let him a cent and knows his pants soiling reputation. That word has become a taboo for Hiro so the guys clumsily fight as Reona cheers on this exciting ‘fantasy’ fight. Before Hiro could nail the finisher, he is haunted by Martin’s ghost. As Ginji explains, they randomly pop up to haunt you so get used to it. Speaking of which, here comes his. Reona thinks deep down Ginji might regret killing his friend too. Before Ginji returns to sleep, Reona lies that he lost a duel and must hand over his cash. Ginji mustn’t be thinking so here, take it all. And with that, Hiro has got a new title that includes him as a robber! Heading to buy smoke bombs, Hiro chooses this hot sexy chick store over to a shady old dude. But it’s the price to pay as she jacks up the price and charges him more for just choosing her! Lesson: Never just go by appearances. He should apply the same to Reona too… Hiro returns home to get the sword. However Alicia is waiting!!! OH SH*T!!! Throw those smoke bombs!!! What do you mean you have to light it up to use?! Before Hiro is dead meat, who is it that comes to his rescue? Sorry, it’s not Tesla. Mizarisa! She won’t let any b*tch kill her favourite bed wetter.

Episode 6
So, if Tesla has absolute judicial authority and everyone knows it and Mizarisa is going to kill anyone who disrespects his judgment, so why didn’t she protect Hiro from all those unruly townspeople who stoned Hiro after the verdict? Anyway, Mizarisa’s great sense of smell led her to him. Yeah, the ammonia in his pee in his pants is strong! However Alicia refuses to acknowledge Hiro’s innocence. She is pretending not to hear Tesla’s verdict so she can kill him! Both fight and although Mizarisa is stronger, Alicia is faster. Damn, is this girl a ninja or a certain ghost?! She can climb on ceilings!!! Mizarisa reveals her true intention to protect Hiro: So she can kill him later! However Mizarisa gets knocked out when she didn’t expect Alicia to give her powerful kick to the guts. Now it’s Hiro’s turn to die! Thankfully he didn’t soil his pants this time as he thinks of Kamui’s vague hints to get out of this sticky situation without fighting. Aha! Grab her boobs! Alicia not impressed. He will now die! Yeah, seeing Martin going to drag him to the afterlife with him! Hiro then goes for broke by saying he loves her. Alicia is confused and calls him a liar but Hiro’s smooth act and words makes her drop her knives. Alicia still blames him and if he considered Martin’s death to be an accident, why did he run away? Alicia leaves but this leaves Hiro realizing that he was in the wrong all along. Martin was his best friend but yet he didn’t try to help him but ran away. Then he goes to the tree where they made their promise as he summons out Martin. Sorry, not going to die yet. Although he doesn’t expect to be forgiven, he wants Martin to come with him. A flashback is shown to Hiro of their younger days. Hiro sounding like a dork? Anyway the promise is to be best friends forever. With that, Martin feels at ease and ascends to heaven. I guess Martin time’s over. Hiro is sad since he really wanted Martin to join him. So he got a new title, huh? Best Best Friend Killer: The Best Amicide. WTF does that even mean? The church bells are heard ringing. Oh no. The town is on fire! What do you mean such event never happened before in the game?!

Episode 7
Everyone is so selfish trying to save themselves, they won’t tell what’s happening. Maybe the blacksmith whom Hiro is going to restore his sword might help. It seems the goblins are attacking the town! The moat around the town has dried up due to the draught. Hiro needs the rust off his sword but the blacksmith has no time to do it for him. Do it yourself. Well, this is going to take forever. As a hero, he can’t sit by and let those goblins attack. Reona warns him of doing so because the goblins are super strong and he will no doubt die. So? There’s something terrible if you die in KQ. Oh sh*t. But nope. You won’t die nor will you have some body part broken. Rather, the console will break! She explains the lawsuit people tried to sue over it but the company used its massive funds and influence to stamp them all. In the end, all the returns got stored in some warehouse. So Reona just admitted she sold to him the sh*ttiest game and over the list price, huh? She tells him to save and log out now but since he wants to take a quick peak at the goblins, oh damn, they’re ugly mothers! IS THIS WHAT EVIL YODA LOOKS LIKE?! But then he sees a lost crying girl. Oh dear. Want to save her? Despite Reona’s attempts to dissuade him that she is just NPC, Hiro doesn’t want any more deaths after his incident with Martin. Oh well, let’s see how brave are you know when the lone goblin kills all the guards! Too bloody! Too gory! With Reona distracting it, Hiro goes to take the girl and run. Oh sh*t. Another goblin ahead. Out of options? Since this girl looks like a young Kaede, he tells her to run through the alley. But the goblins go after her. Hiro gives chase and as the girl is about to get clobbered, Hiro turns into The Flash and saves her! What speed! Hiro thinks this must be some game bug. All assured as Tesla is here. Something says when the goblins get afraid and start running. You bet because Tesla easily slices them apart! He is after all the strongest NPC. Viewing Hiro’s heroics, Tesla wants him to join his elite guard as he needs all the power he can get. Hiro relishes to become a hero and signs up. Yeah, the pay too. He takes this chance to log out. Seems he likes KQ as a game now and looks forward to play it tonight. But first, he seeks Kamui’s walkthrough on how to deal with goblins. He lists several options but joining Tesla’s group is the worst as your survival rate is only 0.1%!

Episode 8
Looking through the walkthrough further, it seems Kamui has a specific walkthrough for those who killed their best friend! Yeah, your survival rate just increased to 0.5%! Though, the hints feel like warning because he hints something terrible will break him after enduring 5 days of training. Hiro contemplates of quitting KQ now. But looks like he can’t. Hence he goes to apologize to Kaede that there might be screaming tonight. It is true he only ran away after he quit running. But he would like to see this game through. Whatever. Kaede not impressed. Don’t bother me. Hiro returns to KQ. Tesla has him meet Queen Govern who immediately hugs him. Her boobs touching him makes him squeal and Reona has a field day teasing him. Tesla then introduces him to the other guards. But he is not the only new recruit. Granada and Palu are new ones too. Damn, don’t they look like gangsters! Hiro is shown his quarters by Bob. They resume training under Amos who doesn’t like Hiro one bit. Hiro also meets Cathy. She is the one who took care of the little girl Hiro saved from the goblins. Amos picks Hiro for the mock sword fight. In short, Hiro is freaking weak and gets owned! This makes everyone who has hope on him disappointed. Now, Granada is a strong dude and easily overpowers Amos. This is more like it. Thanks to all that, Hiro is ostracized. Even in next day’s training, he is ‘demoted’ to just practising swings. He has to. I mean, if training was easy, nobody would’ve spent years doing it, right? So suck it up and start swinging! Granada and Palu mock him about killing his friend and that he might come after them. Despite being cleared by Tesla, they warn him not to drag them down. Thanks to Cathy, Hiro learns a bit more. Next day, Hiro is pit to fight Granada. In short, this weakling still loses. Granada and Palu tell him to just quit if he is going to be this weak. Or else just pay them for the privilege to stay with them. Does this sound familiar? Yeah. This has Hiro remember this is no different than his pathetic real life.

Episode 9
Depressed? Reona brings him to a counselling office. But the officer blames him at fault and suggests he quit! Apparently that office is only for wounds so wasted time there. Cathy suggests baptism but the nun just splashed holy water all over him! Uhm, is that it? Too bad nothing changes as he gets his ass whooped even by Palu. Even when he surrenders, he continues to beat him up. Cathy brings Amos to stop but he ignores it. Worse, Granada and Palu bully Cathy into making her admit that Hiro isn’t her friend because those who are will get the same treatment. WTF Reona laughing because his friend also betrayed him?! Hiro is really down but Reona promises to use her holy fairy powers to do something. Next day, it seems Granada’s boots went missing. It was found in the ditch. Then his sword goes missing too. Found in the toilet bowl. He is quick to blame Hiro but others point out he has no proof and Hiro helped in the search. When the nurse lost her panties but found it in Granada’s bag, he insults her. This time everyone defends the nurse and starts accusing him of being the baddie. Even Palu betrays him and stops being friends with him. This makes Granada quit. Then Tesla arrives with a letter saying that it was Amos’ doing. The letter is from Palu. Both deny this. But that is when a tearful Cathy admits all of them were being awful to Hiro. Since Amos isn’t repentant, they accuse him of being a useless instructor. Tesla doesn’t have proof about Granada’s case but the fact that none of the soldiers defended it shows his true character. He is relieved of his duties. Amos cries and it breaks Hiro’s heart to see him like that despite everyone else apologizing for being mean to him. Later it is of course revealed Reona did all this bad stuffs. And Hiro got a new wicked devilish title from it! Unrepentant Reona even wants to go further and bring justice to Palu but looks like Hiro is done for. Tomorrow is the day the goblins attack and he isn’t ready. He’ll go as far as he can. A serious Reona thanks him for playing KQ and will reveal why she was so desperate to find someone to play it.

Episode 10
Apparently 10 years ago Reona met Kamui in the game. She was in love with him and asked him to date her. However he rejected her because her boobs were too big! WTF?! Ever since, she swore revenge and will find somebody to beat the game. Then she’ll marry him and at their wedding, show the middle finger to him! OMFG… I was a fool to believe it was something serious… That night, Tesla talks to Hiro and knows he is trying to leave the city. Tesla hints he wants to leave too if not being tied up with his job. But he’ll think about it and go with Hiro once this goblin invasion is over. Hiro logs out to check the walkthrough. He gets the scare of his life when Kaede is watching him?! She got worried on what he said earlier and checked on him. He teases her she was worried for him but it’s back to the usual sibling quarrel as she storms out. Hiro checks Kamui’s walkthrough. Hmm… I guess we’ll have to see what it is when Hiro puts it into action in the game. Returning to the game, on the day of the goblins’ attack, Tesla introduces 2 new soldiers as replacement: Mizarisa and Alicia! HOLY SH*T!!! Furthermore, Tesla has them team up with Hiro because he thinks they know each other and should take this chance to patch things up. Oh sh*t… As they patrol the city, they see a robbery in action. Hiro too weak to stop so Alicia cuts off the thief’s hand! Oh sh*t! They make him spill the beans that a ringleader is making them do this. His hideout is at the casino as they see many hostages among the thieves. Ginji is among the hostages. As the girls fight the bandits, Hiro goes to free the hostages. Turns out Ginji is the ringleader as he takes Hiro hostage. Apparently he is doing this to make a profit. Hiro is upset about this and wants to settle things with him. Before the guys could do it, an unimpressed Alicia knocks Ginji out and scolds them to stop this farce. End of fight. Ginji and the thieves are arrested but it could be all part of Ginji’s plan. By purposely committing crimes, he’ll be sent to prison where he’ll get free food and stay safe from goblins. Then the alert sounds. The goblins are here. Hiro suddenly has a bad case of stomach ache. Oh dear. Don’t want to soil his pants. Better go do his business now. Just as he finishes, he notices a goblin peeking at him!

Episode 11
Thanks to Mizarisa decapitating him, Hiro is safe. In actuality, she wanted to take a peek at him taking a dump but the goblin beat her to it. It was easy to cut its head while it was distracted. Mizarisa wants to torture-cum-pleasure Hiro now but looks like Alicia won’t be allowing that. Before another catfight begins, time to find Tesla. Hiro then experiences another stomach ache. Didn’t he get it all out? Looks like as long as he is nervous, he will continue to suffer from this. Reona wants to hear the truth of why he suffers like that but after telling it all, she laughs her ass off! As expected. But thanks to all her teasing, his stomach feels better now. Not sure if that was part of her plan… They see Tesla and his men fight the goblins. You call that number an army?! Why, there are more spaces between the goblins! Mizarisa and Alicia show their might as they chop out the goblins. Yeah, Hiro doesn’t even need to help. Just spectate. When Govern’s residence is threatened by a lone goblin, Tesla believes it is One Eye. True enough, it is him. Tesla fought him once a long time before while he was patrolling the outskirts. He blinded an eye but he managed to get away. Now Tesla orders his men to bring out the cage. Mizarisa tries to assist Tesla fighting One Eye but gets knocked out via a single kick in the gut. Now it’s Alicia’s turn. Then the men return with the cage. What’s this? Goblin prisoners?! Because this stuns One Eye, Tesla manages to defeat him. However Hiro realizes the whole truth. When Ginji was imprisoned, he heard strange noises from a different cell. He thought it was prisoners but now he realizes they were goblins. In fact, these goblins are captured and confined long time ago. After Tesla decapitates One Eye, he praises Hiro for being smart. One Eye is their father! Govern is in cohorts with him to abduct goblins and keep people from leaving this place. As this place is outside the control of every kingdom in this world, you could say they are their own little nation. Goblins are smart and peaceful creatures. Unless provoked, they rarely attack humans. Hence by abducting them, they use the goblins’ wrath to keep the people in as a tool for them to rule this city. Tesla then kills his men. All those who knows this secret must die. That includes you too, Hiro.

Episode 12
Before Hiro gets done in, Alicia protects him! OMG! Time for a dramatic goodbye. So why you saved him? She had a dream whereby Martin told her to move on. So when she heard he joined Tesla’s guards, she joined to protect him. She laments she has been awful to him since. With Alicia’s death, Hiro gets mad. Tesla strikes but misses? Fluke? He strikes again but this time Hiro blocks it. How can this be? Flashback shows Kamui’s revelation about the secret technique that isn’t just limited to KQ. Apparently when you draw out all your emotions and convictions, these let you exceed your limits. Seems you can do that in real life too. So as Hiro fights on par with Tesla and is about to win, his sword breaks! Damn! Back to being a wuss. Before he dies, a vision of Martin? Hiro apologizes he is dead and Alicia too. But Martin isn’t sad. He wants him to take him along this time. Because Hiro’s broken sword now becomes a lightsaber?! Tesla is shocked he is using a cursed sword and is going to finish this with his ultimate technique. Hiro is not worried, though. You’re the cursed one! Final battle and it turns out… HIRO LOST!!! Damn, what a let-down after all that build up. Actually Govern played dirty and hit the back of his knees! This allowed Tesla to stab him.

With his console fried, Hiro should feel relieved but can’t help feeling sad. After all that he has been through, I understand he came this close to winning. Why, Reona is even willing to rent him a new set for free! Call it service for her future husband! Hiro then realizes a secret entry on Kamui’s walkthrough that didn’t appear before. It seems there is a secret technique that can have you restart an hour before you die! After booting up the new console, insert the broken game and just recite this gibberish within 10 seconds! Hiro is ecstatic because this means he can save Alicia. He tells Reona this but she thinks he is nuts. You mean Hiro remember all that gibberish?! Well, I guess he is desperate. However he wants a month before he gives KQ a try again. That’s because he starts training and this rekindles his love for running. Even if Kaede still spites him but at least she sees him in a new light. Even his friend can tell he has changed for the better. What about the bullies? They think he has been working out to beat them up. Actually, the thought of Tesla defeating him pisses him off so he snaps at that jerk. This scares the bullies and they leave him alone. That’s all they have in them? Hiro fears they have the wrong idea of him. Hey, at least they won’t bother you now. As Hiro waits for Reona who is late, he dozes off and dreams of Kamui. Arrogant jerk mouthing off as usual. But this time Hiro says back, if he knew this secret technique, does that mean he also had his console fried? Kamui denies. Now Hiro is prepared to dive back in KQ, a game that is sh*ttier than real life! Masochist…

Fool’s Dive – So Real It Hurts!
Oh what the heck?! So they leave us with that sort of ‘cliff-hanger’?! Hiro getting to retry KQ again but that’s it for us?! I guess that is our sh*tty experience for watching this crap! Not even giving this series a proper closure! Sure, I know this might give rise to a sequel but looking back at how sh*tty everything was, do you think that is possible? Maybe the producers would like to torture us again in the future but I doubt they can do that if they don’t have the funds… Yeah… Hence the only thing that is so unreal about KQ is giving Hiro a second try at the game! THAT IS SO F*CKING UNREALISTIC! YOU DON’T GET TO DO THAT IN LIFE!!! So, uhm, not so sh*tty after all with that ‘cheat code’? Oh well, not that we cared at this point.

Well, the plot doesn’t feel really concrete at all because it is mainly about Hiro being coaxed into playing KQ and make use of every penny he has been scammed out of from buying the crappiest game in history. But I guess since Hiro doesn’t get trapped there indefinitely like in some animes like Overlord and Log Horizon, in a way it feels even crappier. I mean, if he is not trapped like those aforementioned series, there is no reason why he should dedicate his time and effort to level up or increase his skill. He can log out (whenever the chance arises) and just carry on with his mundane reality. No real life threats there. Oh well, if his real life sucks this much, what is else there to say? Even in the game itself, the plot feels iffy and more like side quests. I mean, the first half feels more like Hiro trying to run away from Alicia who turned into relentless avenger killer. Even if that is supposed to be the main plot from the unfortunate route he has taken, it still feels like one big messy side quest. Once he made peace with Martin and calmed-cum-confused the hell out of Alicia’s feelings, the plot now shifts to the goblins’ invasion on the city. Damn, if Goblin Slayer played this game, he is really going to get a kick out of this one. BRING ON MORE GOBLINS, I SAY!!!

So I thought this part was a bit boring and draggy either because damn, they have to put in that pathetic training arc of Hiro joining the mercenaries and getting bullied just like in real life? Oh wow. You escape into the game to escape reality but reality catches up with you and bites you in the ass. The only shocking part for me was that the goblins aren’t the real antagonists here. I mean, I always had my doubts on Tesla being a good guy and all because my guts were telling me that there are more than meets the eye to this capable leader of the city’s guards. I just didn’t see it coming that it had some sort of connections with the goblins. So that part caught me off guard and held my interest for a while. But largely otherwise, this anime mostly feels like running around in circles with all the crap and shenanigans. I mean, right at the start of the game, Hiro was told to leave this place for some castle. Sounds like an easy task, right? Well, right up till the end, we’re still stuck in this city!

KQ being labelled as the sh*ttiest game in history could also serve as a cover up to hide how bad the plot and direction of this series is. I mean, when you set your expectations so low, how low can it get, right? So all the real pain and sensation felt by Hiro as part of the game’s aesthetics are more for comical purposes because you see Hiro in surprise on how far they go for realism. Yeah, who the heck wants to experience taking a dump in a game?! Don’t be surprised if there is really a sh*t simulator out there… Some rules felt made up because Reona in the game as character that others except Hiro cannot interact with, how comes she is seen being able to talk to Ginji and that part whereby she could poke Alicia’s eyes? So is she lying? And this Ginji character, it was intriguing that he has been stuck playing this game for so long. It would’ve been interesting if they explore this and his circumstances but I guess they forgot about it. Or it wasn’t important in the first place.

Hiro as the main character, well, he is pretty meh and useless. Both in real life and in the game. So as to make him a game otaku and nerd, the tragic part of how he is bullied in real life and a very unfortunate track event that screwed his future and went downhill all the way. Sometimes, I think that if this series wasn’t focused on Hiro playing this sh*tty VR game, perhaps if Hiro became a real life depressed high school student, it could have been a bit more interesting. What I’m saying is that we could have a glimpse of Hiro trying to eke out his uneventful days and it would provide some good drama fodder. But now he drowns himself in VR games and with the latest KQ on his hands, hence the shenanigans and crappiness. After all, this is supposed to be a comedy and had it been that dark drama I suggested, well, it wouldn’t be funny but a whole lot depressing.

So this is the excuse and plot that drives Hiro to become a recluse and end up playing his VR games, huh? Well, from what I can see from his performance in KQ, he sucks too. Okay, can’t complain as he isn’t an overpowered character. But to see him be a wuss all the way and become to butt of a lot of jokes, damn this guy is pretty useless. Even more so during the goblins’ large scale invasion of the city, Hiro didn’t even fight a single goblin! He is just spectating and shelling out comments and the likes! Hey, I thought that was Reona’s role?! Sure, being a weak character means he can’t do much and thus keeping himself alive by not getting into battles that would otherwise get himself killed. Which is supposed to be okay because he hates the game, right? But nope. With Reona’s enticing charms, this loser has to see it through. Well, I guess if you give up this game halfway, it not only means he wasted his money but also proves that he is a loser for giving up. My, a catch-22 situation he is in, huh? Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. But that doesn’t excuse Hiro for being an unlikeable main character. I mean, I don’t really hate him but I have no sympathy to support him whatsoever. Yeah, now I understand how Kaede feels! And the last episode temporary power up feels so cliched and predictable that even Reona had to make a snide remark how this is so shonen manga-esque. Yeah. Plot convenience is the other word.

Speaking of Reona then. Gotta get this off my chest… BOOBS!!! Yup, this is what she is. I feel they deliberately created her character this way just to draw horny guys into this trap. Yup, gotta admit I must be one of those guys. Heh. She is responsible for about half of the cheesy fanservice of this series because those twin peaks, oh damn, those huge racks are so big that it feels like they’re going to explode any time! Serious! Each time Reona gets into the picture, whether in real life or in the game, the first thing that’ll distract you are her huge tits. Hey people, my eyes are down there! I don’t know, I feel that if I use a small needle and poke her boobs, it’ll pop and explode! I just can’t shake off this feeling… So yeah, those glorious boobs could probably be the biggest swaying factor for many guys to get the crappiest things they don’t need. Doesn’t have to be KQ or any other video games. Those tits can make you buy anything! Dangerous indeed. The other boobs killer is Govern. With a name like that, who governs those twin peaks anyway?! HAHAHA!!! Sighs…

Anyway, Reona her role I believe she is supposed to be some joker or comic relief character because I often noticed that many of her part involves making silly jokes or comebacks on Hiro. She is somewhat a not so honourable person too. You think that she might be doing something out of the good of her heart but in the end, the big twist turns out to be there is some hidden ulterior motive to all that. You’ll feel like a fool for taking her seriously. Especially when she laughs her ass off like as though this whole thing is a big joke. Okay, maybe in hindsight, everything in here is a joke! Of course, it’s all supposed to be part of the punchline and joke. And yeah, Reona does really have bad luck with men. Doing all this silly KQ thing just to spite the guy who rejected her. Then having end up with Hiro the loser and now Tesla the NPC character whom she admires so much turns out to be a bad guy. Wow. I guess those tits aren’t so great now, huh? That’s why in the last scene, she had to tease us by using them to wake up Hiro and ruin his dream with Kamui. Putting those tits to good use for the first time, huh? I bet Kamui’s life advice teaching to Hiro should he be so interested to follow is to stay away from big breasted women! Yeah…

I’m not sure if this is considered a harem anime because the ladies here sure doesn’t feel like one. I don’t know, they feel a lot empty too. Like Alicia who feels more a yandere character and someone who keeps Hiro on his toes. Even if she has lost the will to stalk and kill Hiro, that lingering effect is still there. So if Hiro slips up, she might just do him in for real this time. She redeems herself in death but remember, she’s going to get that second chance with Hiro retrying the game. Then there is Mizarisa who is a crazy torture b*tch. Twisted in the head and loves guys who pee in their pants. Yeah, we must remember this tragic running joke on Hiro. Harem protagonists love it when girls fight over him. Not Hiro. Alicia and Mizarisa’s clash is mainly all about who gets to give pain to Hiro! He better hope they always end up in a draw to keep the balance between them and of course his life.

Feeling very underutilized is Kaede. From the credits, it gives the impression she could be a major character. Heck, I thought she could be impersonating as one of the NPC characters! Cathy, maybe?! Isn’t that why Cathy isn’t part of the harem even though she is NPC like Alicia and Mizarisa? Suspicious… Anyway, Kaede is your character who once loved her brother but now all that love turned to hate. We saw why. Now that Hiro has turned into a gaming nerd, the more her detest for him. But I just can’t help wonder this conspiracy theory of mine that she still actually loves him and is just being a tsundere. You know, she is waiting for the moment that onii-chan will return back to his normal self with pride. I mean, what good would it do if she tried the softer approach and being nice to him? Amai na! That’s not the brother she admired. I don’t think she really hates him and there is still a little shred of hope in her heart that he might return to his glory days. Just wait a little longer. Okay, maybe slightly longer.

Art and animation feel okay but there are some parts of the animation that I feel makes things look cheap and low quality. For instance, Hiro who already looks generic enough, at some points he looks a bit comical. Especially when he goes into that flabbergasted look, damn his face looks funny. I mean, not the comical funny kind of funny. The weird kind of funny. Not sure if this is intentional, though. And some goblin designs, they aren’t the most ferocious goblins out there but I still can’t get my mind off that some of them look like horror version of Star Wars’ Yoda! Yikes. There are some blood and gore too but they aren’t scary enough to make you sh*t in your pants. So much for our realism, huh? Heh. Thank goodness. This anime is done by Engi who did Hataage! Kemono Michi and Uzaki-chan Wa Asobitai. I wonder if there’s a connection since we’ve got a super busty babes in each of these series. Can Reona match up to the sugoi dekai of Uzaki and the dumb and dumber Carmilla?

Voice acting, Ayana Taketsu feels at home playing as Reona. Just like Ui in Okusama Ga Seitokaichou and Risya in Kimi To Boku No Saigo No Senjou Arui Wa Sekai Ga Hajimaru Seisen. Then there is Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Kamui, he tries to sound a lot like Inosuke from Kimetsu No Yaiba. No pig head this time. Just a crow mask. Others I recognized are Satoshi Hino as Tesla and Shizuka Itou as Govern. Once again I thought it was Natsuki Hanae as Hiro but turns out to be, you’ve guessed it, Daiki Yamashita. Man, got to start seriously differentiate them apart. The other casts are Ai Fairouz as Alicia (Hibiki in Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru), Shiori Izawa as Mizarisa (Tanpopo in Witch Craft Works), Aoi Koga as Kaede (titular character in Kaguya-sama Wa Kokurasetai), Haruki Ishiya as Martin (Mordred in Radiant), Katsuyuki Konishi as Ginji (Fuegoleon in Black Clover), Kanae Itou as Cathy (Saten in To Aru Kagaku No Railgun), Kazuyuki Okitsu as Amos (Nagare in K) and Gakuto Kajiwara as Bob (Asta in Black Clover).

The opening theme is Answer by Mayu Maeshima. This hard rock outfit would’ve fit animes like Sword Art Online and Overlord. Seeing the comical nature of this series, it just feels off. The ending theme is Kisuida by Hiro’s, ahem, harem. Oh you know, the quartet of Reona, Alicia, Mizarisa and Kaede. Your typical lively anime pop but made even more chaotic with the ladies speaking inaudible lines together at certain parts. Messy. So does everybody love Hiro or just want to kill him?

Overall, this show isn’t all that bad but it is not really that good either. So it’s average, huh? Okay, I’ll say it is mediocre at best because of a wimpy main character, his harem girls who seem to just want to torment him, a plot that doesn’t matter, and everything else that just feel okay and barely passable. It defies logic of human nature to play a game that is so sh*tty and way worse than your own real life. And to show my appreciation of watching this series, I’m going to award it the title of: Best Amazing Generic Crappy Mediocre Anime With Wuss Main Character Who Pissed In His Pants And His Exploding Tits Boobs Shoved In Your Face Sidekick And Pseudo Harem That Are Just Laughable And Pitiful, Baited For Losers Who Have Nothing Else Better To Watch But Out Of Sheer Guilty Pleasure. Yeah, I laughed so hard coming up with that lame title but thankfully I didn’t pee in my pants, thank you ;p.

P/S: You know what they say, once a sh*t, always a sh*t. Even if sh*t turns into gold, it’s still a golden turd. Thank you for listening to my words of (sh*tty) wisdom.

Subarashiki Kono Sekai The Animation

Oh dear. The title was certainly almost misleading. I thought Subarashiki Kono Sekai The Animation was some sort of spinoff sequel to the hilarious slapstick comedy, Kono Subarashii Sekai Ni Shukufuku Wo! And of course as we have seen, it was not. Both series were totally different in every aspect and nature. Sighs. Imagine how a few keywords were enough just to mislead yours truly. I should develop a habit of reading things slower instead and processing it all before jumping to wild conclusions. Well, uhm, anyway, this series is about people who are dead, fighting for their right to return to the living. So it’s like a battle survival game but only for those who died? Hmm…

Episode 1
Neku Sakuraba is shocked to find himself in the middle of the busy streets of Shibuya. But could he be a ghost? He can’t touch people and everything else goes right through him. Until a timer pops up on his palm and a game message on his phone telling him to reach a certain building in 60 minutes or get erased. Or, get erased by monsters known as Noises! Yeah, see those ordinary dudes getting killed off? Luckily he is saved by Shiki Misaki who wants him to make a Partner Pact with her so they can fight back. He agrees and just like that, they gain cool powers to kill all the Noises. Then they proceed to the building in which completing their mission means their palm timer disappears. They are approached by a couple of Reapers, Uzuki Yashiro and Kouki Kariya. Can’t miss those black wings on their back. They just say that the more players they kill, the higher their chances of getting promoted. Neku feels queasy and passes out. When he wakes up, it’s already the next day. Good timing for Shiki to explain things. This place is called Underground and although they are in the same place as reality, it’s a different world. Although they can’t interact with non-players, scanning/touching them means they are able to read their thoughts. They are then approached by Beat who assumes Neku is a Reaper. Before he can do anything, Rhyme explains why Neku can’t be one. See? All of them have this pin as proof that they are players. Mission time as they are to save some sculpture. More Noises pop up so with angry Neku decimating the Noises, this mission is cleared in record time. The Reapers note how Neku’s negative feelings will cause him to self-destruct as it attracts Noises. Then they tell him to kill Shiki and promise to set him free of this game. Neku is about to do that but is stopped by Sanae Hanekoma. He warns the Reapers not to break the rules as there is only 1 mission per day. At the end of the 7th day, the Game Master will come out to challenge them. So to your best and survive by working with each other.

Neku passes out. Another day passes. He apologizes to Shiki for trying to kill her and reveals that he doesn’t remember his past. Basically, your typical amnesiac main character. Next mission is to defeat the boss of a hall concert. They see a Noise coming out from a rocker boy. Easily, Neku-Shiki combo destroy it. He then brings them to 777 who is the lead vocalist of a popular rock band, Death March. Thanking them for saving his guy, he gives Shiki a pin to his concert hall. Inside, they face off with more Noises and a Noise boss. This time Beat and Rhyme join in. Safe to say, another easy victory. The quartet agree to go on remaining missions together. Meanwhile we see some Reapers meeting and discussing things. Status update shows half of the players in this game have been erased. Megumi Kitaniji appoints Yodai Higashizawa as this game’s Game Master. It seems Kitaniji has gotten the permission of the Composer to promote Higashizawa one 1 condition: Erase every single player. As Shiki wonders how 777 is able to see them if it’s not a player, Neku points out the obvious: He is a Reaper. Oh, I see they can hide their wings too.

Episode 2
Neku talks about how he hates Shibuya because everyone’s so condescending and selfish. He likes it here in Underground where nobody can interact with him. Shiki talks about her dreams to become a designer while Beat’s is to become the best skateboarder. Rhyme doesn’t have one yet but she’ll find one someday. They hear a commotion and it seems that some popular model, Eiji Ouji is promoting some water. Yeah, all the girls just screaming and swooning. Shiki continues talking about her dream to become a fashion designer with her friend, Eri. She hopes to make clothes that will make people happy. Next mission has them freeing an area from Noises. Turns out the source is from a couple of arguing girls. With their negative aura, the Noises are endless. As Neku fights them, Shiki uses imprinting to communicate directly with them. So that’s what the pin is for, huh? So once the girls reconcile, the Noises are gone and the mission clear. Suddenly Eri passes by. Neku is surprised they look alike. What’s this about Shiki saying she is Eri here? Shiki explains that Eri is a person whom she inspires to become. Neku feels all this doesn’t make sense. We’ll think about it after clearing the next mission. Something about making everyone look at a video at a certain time. Their idea is to do imprinting on Eiji but it seems to get to where he is, there is a barrier. Only when 777’s pin shines, a Reaper lets them through. Must be a special pin, huh? Shiki is surprised Neku has 2 since each player is supposed to only have 1. Anyway, they head to the hall where Eiji is doing another promotion. They implant in his head to have all the screaming fan girls to go watch the video. When the time comes, non-players watching the video suddenly have their soul suck out?! It forms dark clouds that fire beams at players! Lots of players got erased. Neku and Shiki would’ve too had not something stop this terrible incident.

Shiki continues to feel down as she feels Neku has been saving her neck all day. However he praises her that it is because she doesn’t abandon others, lots of people have been saved. This includes after what he almost did to her on second day. And just when things are about to get back to normal, oh boy, here comes Eri talking to her friend. What’s this she saying that she wants to quit fashion designing?! Shiki is afraid to scan her as she doesn’t want to know her true thoughts on her. Luckily that won’t be as Eri reveals she is quitting because Shiki isn’t around. She can’t do it without her. Only because of Shiki, her things work out. So I guess Shiki is now determined to come back to life, huh? Hey, what do you mean come back to life? You see, this looks that Shiki has now is actually Eri’s look. In reality she looks totally different. The entrance fee to play this game was her appearance. Hence this game is to see which players get resurrected. Yeah. Shiki died in a car accident. This shocks Neku as this means he too must be dead!

Episode 3
Shiki adds that his memories must have something to do with his entry fee for this game. You see, in order for one to participate, one must exchange it with something most dearest. For Shiki, it could be his memories. Remember Rhyme said she had no dream? That could be her entry fee. Shiki expands her own theory of her selfish self, the reason she is here. She thinks if they win this game, they’ll get back what they lose. You sure they have such return policy? Oh well. Only 2 days left to find out. It seems there are only 4 players left (guess who) and their next mission is to head to Tower Records. No time limit. Gee. Easy. Little do they know it is the Reapers’ plan to make them let their guard down. Because a shark suddenly tries to devour Beat but Rhyme saves him and gets devoured. You bet Beat is freaking mad. Uzuki and Kouki drop down just to tease Beat and tell him they can only send out Noises but not attack the player. So yeah, here’s a school of Noise fish for you to handle. Beat wants to destroy everything himself but Hanekoma stops him. As he has lost his Partner Pact, his attacks no longer have effect. He’ll deal with Beat and let the rest handle the Noise. As per expectations they do so. Now on the final day, they’re going to face Higashizawa. But first they receive a call from Hanekoma that Beat is missing. He fears he may have gone to take things into his own hands so his only hope is for them to defeat the Game Master. Yeah, Beat confronting Uzuki and Kouki having lunch at a fast food joint?! What is he going to do?! Steal their lunch!? HAHA!!! Anyway, back to the fight with Higashizawa, at first we see Neku and Shiki struggle like hell but as you can predict, their greater will means they win and defeat the bastard. Yeah, they make it look so easy. They think the game is over but find themselves in a blank space. Before them is Kitaniji. As the conductor of this game and a loyal servant of the Composer, he tells them that as per rules, only 1 of them can be rebirth. Based on the performance and growth, it will be Shiki. Oh damn, you mean they’re not going to fight it out?! BORING!!! Shiki denies it and tries to credit it all to Neku. Vice versa. Kitaniji says Neku can take part again but if he loves the massacre, he can become a Reaper himself. So as Neku agrees, suddenly Shiki starts to disappear. Hey, did you not remember the rules? Entry fee. What’s important to Neku right now? Yup. Shiki. Oh man, you kids have been played!

Episode 4
And so Neku is back for the second game. He believes winning it will bring Shiki back. Wait. DID HE ASSUME THAT?! With a new Game Master, a mission is quickly despatched. A math equation? Yeah, those who don’t arrive at this point will not be saved. But how can Neku fight Noises without a partner? Ah, this convenient dude, Yoshiya Kiryuu AKA Joshua. After making a Partner Pact, they kick ass. However Neku feels odd. If Joshua is a player, how come he can scan him? Plus, Joshua claims he knows all about Neku and has been watching him. Reaching their goal, they see the new Game Master, Sho Minamimoto. Because he wants think to be super exciting, he shifts the goal posts. With all the players gathered here, he wants them to kill each other! Only the survivors he will save. While they have to deal with Noises, some players actually betray their own partner to save their own skin. Minamimoto also adds another goal to be saved and that is to defeat Uzuki and Kouki. Of course those who rush in get erased easily. Neku and Joshua’s teamwork defeats the Noises so Minamimoto calls it for today. Next day, Neku realizes he got some of his memories back as he recognizes the streets of Shibuya. He hears Joshua talking to someone on the phone. The next mission has them walk a certain route so Joshua explains how Reapers like to name street after numbers. Also, he points out stores that have Reaper stickers mean they can go in and shop and get stuffs from the real world. I don’t even… Arriving at the spot, they are attacked by unusual Noises. It seems only their combo can defeat them. Joshua wonders if they are Taboo Noises. Neku then spots Eri entering a flower shop to get offerings for her deceased friend. She still feels lonely. Neku feels for her but still can’t remember how he died. That is when Joshua sounds blatantly like a bad guy, threatening Neku to listen to him if he wants to live. Neku accidentally scans him and sees himself bleeding to death at Udogawa. Then Beat flies down. Oh those wings. So he is a Reaper now, huh? He has orders from Kitaniji to beat him up. Just one punch and that’s it for today?! WTF?! Maybe it’s because Neku saying something about Shiki being used as his entry fee and his goal to bring her back to life. Damn nostalgic friendship…

Episode 5
Joshua needs Neku to come with him but he is anxiously waiting for the next mission. Ah, there it is. Get to Cat Street within 15 minutes? Gotta hurry. Neku rushes but Joshua takes his time. Upon arrival, this is the place Joshua wants to take him as Neku realizes the mission is fake and Joshua sent him a fake message. Wow. Did he not see who the sender is or is any messages all anonymous? Anyway, running this coffee shop is Hanekoma. He learns about Neku’s predicament. No point crying over spilt milk. Joshua explains his ability to see things others can’t and Hanekoma has been helping him out a lot. He finds Underground a lot more interesting than reality but Neku doesn’t share the same sentiments. Hanekoma installs some app in their handphone. His words reminds Neku’s of a person he admires. In fact, the graffiti all over Shibuya was designed by CAT. Using the app to make their way, they come see lots of non-players wearing red pins. As the design looks like CAT, they wonder if CAT is also a Reaper. When Joshua tells his reasons to guide Shibuya and needs Neku’s help, just like that another day passes. Now Neku wants to head to Udogawa first. However the path is blocked. They see a few rocker dudes who are trying to find their lost microphone. Joshua makes a deal to help find it in exchange of opening the path to Udogawa. Elsewhere in some area, black Noises are attacking players. Even Reapers too. Joshua uses the app to scan the past and it seems Minamimoto has taken it for his art. After opening the path, the duo stumble into players, Souta and Nao who are running away from the black Noises. They are confused with everything and only want to come back alive. Joshua breaks the bad news that only 1 can return alive. Yeah, trying to play up Neku’s trauma of using Shiki as his entry, eh? Anyway, Souta and Nao can’t stay long so they run. This leaves Neku and Joshua to destroy the Noises. Easy pie. Arriving at Udogawa, because Joshua says some ominous things, this works up Neku. Then it’s like he got his memories back. At this particular spot, it is Joshua who shot and killed Neku!

Episode 6
Before Neku blows his top, Joshua assures he will protect him till the game ends and in the meantime he also needs his cooperation. Joshua hints his goal is to meet the Composer. Hence this high energy detection on his phone could be him. But it turns out to be Minamimoto carving some strange symbol before flying off. As Neku ponders about fully trusting Joshua, they make their way to Hanekoma’s place but the path is blocked. They have to deal with Noises as well as Beat flying down to beat Neku’s ass. Only, Uzuki and Kouki warn him not to break rules as Reapers cannot directly fight the players. They take him away to investigate Taboo Noises. Joshua sees Hanekoma to fix his phone. While Neku sits alone by himself, Souta and Nao comes to talk to him. Neku wants to be by himself but apparently they say f*ck you and talk about what Neku said about the entry fee for this game. They’ll gladly do so if the other gets to live. Neku and Joshua resume their walk as the latter notes how Neku is like walls around Underground as he doesn’t want to communicate with the rest. This leads to him talking about Shiki and he realized how happy and smiling she was when she talked about her friend. With Neku still obsessed about CAT’s graffiti, Joshua points out that CAT is Hanekoma. Yup. That’s the guy. Neku in disbelief and I swear he was a step away from being like a squealing fan girl. He even feels embarrassed after realizing the ‘dumb’ things he talked to Hanekoma the other day.

When Joshua detects another high energy, Neku doesn’t want to join since he doesn’t want to take risks that would prevent him from winning the game. Joshua is cool with that. Only, at least please come with me to check it out. This leads them to a sewer dead end. But looks like a Taboo Noise attacks them. Even their combo attack won’t work. Yeah, there’s another one now. Joshua is forced to use his trump card. Woah. What’s this angelic beam blast that decimates them?! He claims he doesn’t use it often as it drains his energy. Uzuki who has been watching confronts them and can confirm Joshua is not dead because no players can use that. IS THERE NO OTHER WAY TO DETERMINE IF A PLAYER IS DEAD?! So essentially this is breaking the rules but will let this slide due to Taboo Noises. Next time they meet, he’ll be erased. Neku is reeling from this lie as Joshua himself confirms he isn’t dead. He claims he is the same as the players once he makes a Partner Pact. This angers Neku further because unlike him, the rest didn’t want to die. Now he accuses Joshua of killing him. But what of that? After all, Joshua has been watching for a long time because he is his salvation. Uzuki and Kouki report to Mitsuki Konishi about Taboo Noise Refineries. It is believed that Minamimoto is using them take out Reapers. Konishi tells them to continue their investigation. And Minamimoto is relishing the countdown to his solution.

Episode 7
Neku continues to accuse Joshua that he is taking it easy because he is still alive. But Joshua points out even so, he is still bound by the rules. That means if he dies, he will still get erased. Time for a mission. This time it sounds like some calculating riddle. But don’t worry for us dumb folks, Joshua solves it and explains to us. Basically, defeat the boss at Udogawa. Konishi reports to Kitaniji that Minamimoto is the one behind the Taboo Noise. He will talk to the Composer about this. Neku and Joshua fight a lot of tough Noises. They see Souta and Nao getting done in. Aggravating Neku’s woes is how they want Neku to win and live. Now he has too, right? Joshua explains about Stray Noises, those normal Noises that they fight under the Reapers’ orders. Then there are those Taboo Noises that attack anyone indiscriminately. The duo see Taboo Noises killing Reapers and they go help out. Kouki shows her gratitude by being a b*tch. She didn’t need their help and could’ve taken care of things herself. Yeah, wasn’t she the one in a pinch and need Uzuki to come save her? They finally defeat the Noise boss at Udogawa for the day. Here’s Minamimoto to ‘congratulate’ them because tomorrow is the final day he’ll get the face off with them and vows to defeat them at the speed of light to solve the calculation he screwed up that day. Next day as the duo head up the tower, lots of Noises in their path. Strangely, Beat comes to help them. I thought he was here to pick a fight with Neku? Changed his mind? After Neku return’s Rhyme’s bell, Beat thanks him and goes off. Weird.

At the rooftop, they confront Minamimoto. He isn’t pleased with this unexpected miscalculation as he was trying to recreate the exact scenario that day. What scenario? Convenient flashback as the memories return to Neku. The last time we saw Joshua shot Neku, right? Turns out Neku didn’t get hit. He was trying to shoot Minamimoto behind him! So it was Minamimoto who shot and killed Neku! That’s your twist. Minamimoto uses the Taboo Noises he created to turn himself into some monster. Of course our lads defeat him when they combine and power up. Minamimoto isn’t done yet. He claims this world is made of numbers and he has been doing reverse engineering to get his desired solution. So, is he going to do kamikaze?! Yeah, he blows himself up but Joshua protects Neku by pushing him off the ledge! HOW IS THIS GOING SAVE HIM FROM THE FALL???!!! Anyway, Neku is so confused. He was always suspecting Joshua and now he saved his ass? Cannot compute! And suddenly Neku is whisked away before Kitaniji. Congratulations for surviving this game. Too bad for Joshua. Kitaniji thanks him for helping out to deal with Minamimoto since he killed lots of their Reapers too. Before Neku could feel all the guilt of not trusting Joshua, Kitaniji says that Joshua committed an offence and as his partner, Neku should also be erased along with him. However thanks to his help, he is willing to give him another chance to play the game. Oh boy, a third time? However this time the penalty is that he cannot participate in future games and this will be his last. Yeah, can’t have him on a winning streak now, can he? So I suppose he is going to enter this to get back Joshua and apologize to him, huh? Man, that’s a lot of people to bring back. Not to mention he didn’t get Shiki back either… Oh well, hopefully third time’s the charm.

Episode 8
Neku is the only player in this game and Konishi is the Game Master. So if he is the only player in the game, how can he summon his powers to fight Noises? That’s right. He’s’ screwed. Uzuki and Kouki come down to just give him that. Lucky for Neku, Beat comes to help him and makes a Partner Pact. Woah, his Reaper wings just vanish like that? The duo then defeat the Noises and go ahead to clear the mission of reaching a certain spot. Beat has a keypin that allows him to open barriers. He explains that after Rhyme got done in, Hanekoma assembled what’s left of her into this Noise critter. Oh. So this cute critter is Rhyme? Beat turned into a Reaper thinking he could turn Rhyme back but as Hanekoma explained, only the Composer can do that. Of course when you’re a Composer, you can do anything, including bringing back the dead. All you have to do is defeat and replace him. Easy. Yup, that’s going to be their next target. They have an idea where the Composer is: That sewer. Meanwhile Konishi talks to Kitaniji about Beat’s betrayal and will deal with him. However he tells her to treat him as a player. He will be invoking Emergency Call in Underground. Hence Konishi goes to seek Uzuki’s help. Yeah, she’s so bored and eager to do whatever because if she succeeds, it’s promotion for her! Konishi then confronts Beat. Because he is a player, she will be taking his entry fee: Rhyme. Defeat her if he wants her back. Uhm, shouldn’t that be taken away before he joined in? Next day, the mission is to find Konishi and defeat her. They have 6 days to do it! To be fair, she will not move from the spot. She then invokes Emergency Order to have all Reapers erase the duo. They are also ordered to equipped special outlet pins to boost their power. Normally they don’t do this often as it drains their power. So as they fight off Noise and Reapers, they enter the concert hall thinking Konishi is here. No Konishi but rocker dude, 777. He is going to defeat them because he likes his life here and wants to maintain that peace. Of course it doesn’t take long for him to be defeated. He gives his keypin to them that could open more barriers. After they leave, Konishi confronts 777 and asks why he didn’t use the outlet pins to fight when he was ordered to. He didn’t think it would be fair. He is more concerned of solving the Taboo Noises who killed his Reaper friends-cum-bandmates. Too bad Konishi kills him off since he won’t listen to orders. Mean b*tch…

Episode 9
You mean Neku and Beat really turn back just to check on 777? He’s gone. Only his choker left behind. Next day, Neku notices Beat spacing out. Time for him to reveal the truth. This is the spot he and Rhyme died. They were arguing and a car lost control and crashed into them. Neku is shocked to hear that Rhyme is Beat’s little sister. It could be Rhyme’s entry fee since when they first appeared in Underground, Rhyme doesn’t recognize who Beat was but knows she has a brother, although she can’t remember his name or face. Beat has lots of regrets but surprisingly Neku agrees and calls him an idiot. Is that a compliment? Neku has never cared about others but has opened up to others ever since. So the only way is to act like an idiot and move idiot? Okay. Says the idiot. They try to lie low and not attract attention of Reapers. Then they find it strange they can’t scan people. It’s like as though they are hollow. Beat then notices everyone wearing the special pins. Noting the same design, could it be that CAT and Composer are the same person. Oh my. Neku in dilemma. Because if he was, Joshua wouldn’t have been running around looking for him, right? Time for some Noise action as rowdy people who can’t get those special pins are having their emotions turned into Noises. Once that is done, Kouki and Uzuki drop down to give them a mission. If they manage to beat them, they’ll give Rhyme back. Ultimately, Neku and Beat’s tidal wave combo defeats those pesky Reapers. Yeah, Uzuki complaining?! I thought she was hard up for this?! Anyway, when they give Rhyme back, she disappears. Beat thought they tricked them but Kouki realizes that this is all a trick to buy Konishi time. Yeah, you didn’t actually think she’d change the mission and give them Rhyme back so easily, WOULD YOU???!!! WTF Uzuki start blaming Kouki too that he doesn’t care about promotion or whatever?! All Kouki cares is being on the ground in Shibuya because the place is a collision of ideas and creativity. To compensate them for this sham, Kouki gives them his pin. Kouki notes how Shibuya is becoming more monotonous lately. Suddenly the Reapers get weakened. Kouki notices Konishi observing them. Looks like the special pin is having an effect on them and Konishi is using them as guinea pigs to obtain more data. So, Kouki and Uzuki now become zombies or something? Meanwhile Hanekoma is making minor adjustments to a design and what pops out is some monster Reaper?!

Episode 10
Neku and Beat realize that the ordinary are talking and saying the same things like robot zombies. This is such a great place, huh? Well geniuses, I guess we can all say that special red pins that is making everyone so, right? And yeah, join the pieces of the puzzle together. Because if those designs are created by CAT, it means CAT is the Composer and that means the Composer is Hanekoma! Neku denies this logic because how can a friendly dude like him help expand his horizons? Why would he give Joshua the run around? For now, they go to places they haven’t visit. They see Reapers also acting like robot zombies and had to kill them off. Then they notice the barriers looking strange. Yeah, somebody busted a hole in them! I guess this is where Joshua’s app comes in handy as Neku takes a pic to see its past. Oh damn, Hanekoma drawing that mean design right here? Sure puts a dent in your perspective now, eh? Then they are attacked by Kouki and Uzuki. Yes, robot zombie mode. But realizing the red pins are causing them to act this way, just take them off! Wow. So easy. Neku is now determined to go to Hanekoma’s café to have him spill the beans. But upon arrival, his place has been bust up. Using the app again, they see him put a message in a spot. Searching for it, it reveals an envelope that contains a pin that is slightly different in design. Also a letter that hints them on how to survive and fight Konishi. Neku remembers this design from the sewers. So is this where she is? But Neku feels suspicious. Why is Hanekoma doing this? As they make their way, they stumble into a revived Minamimoto. Yes, he is the guy who broke through the barriers and the one resurrected by Hanekoma. About his erasure last time, not sure what forbidden spell he used and now his body has returned in a much tuned form. Yes, he is a Taboo. He feels he is on par to fight the Composer but wants to know Hanekoma’s whereabouts. He fights the duo as warm up. Yeah, not even much of a fight as they lost badly. And just like that, another day passes. They rush towards the sewer but Minamimoto has beaten them to it and has bust a hole in the barrier. Oh well. Time to follow the trail.

Episode 11
Minamimoto stands in their way. Beat asks about Konishi’s whereabouts and Minamimoto just mocks them because they never realized it. WTF Konishi pops out from Beat’s shadow. There she is! Why did she give herself away?! Confident she is going to win, huh? Minamimoto attacks Konishi but it seems the latter proposes some kind of deal. She’ll let him go and become the Composer if she can get Kitaniji’s position. As long as her authority is assured, she doesn’t care who the Composer is. Minamimoto leaves as the guys have to deal with Konishi. So another round of drama and fight. To turn the tide in favour of our young heroes, Beat manages to snatch Rhyme back. This allows them to power up altogether for a devastating move to defeat Konishi in her furry form. Before she kicks the bucket, she tries to make Beat go into despair. She claims that memories of Rhyme is Beat’s entry fee. But since it is not the case for Rhyme, this means she thinks less of him. You know, that is so vague but still, WTF a guy like Beat who is always his own pace starting to believe her? So they’ve also cleared the game, right? Yeah, Shiki is back. Uhm, if that’s the case, so should Joshua? He isn’t around. Shiki being back means she wasn’t totally erased, huh? They troll us that Neku might be in love with her since she came back but it’s just cheesy… Oh, maybe the game isn’t over. Because before them is a defeated Minamimoto. Because now they face off with Kitaniji. He claims the Composer as some being who brings happiness all. When Beat claims he can do that when he becomes one, Kitaniji also points out that is the root of all evil. HUH???!!! Shiki is then turned into some zombie to fight against the guys. But WTF, they defeat Kitaniji in his dragon form easily? Neku then throws away the red pin Shiki has. Can’t mind control her now, jerk. Neku is further shocked to see a timer on Kitaniji’s palm. Reapers have that too? Kitaniji is running out of time. He claims different negative emotions are amplifying and producing all things negative. So he intends to create an ideal world by stripping everyone’s individuality and turn into a singular place with a shared idea. Basically, everybody is the same. Hence he is the one who created those red pins and designed them based on the Composer’s. Neku who once couldn’t care about others has now realized that ignoring all that won’t change anything. He believes Shibuya is fine as it is. No siree, we’re not going to let you change the world. Kitaniji absorbs all the Noises and becomes a multi-headed dragon.

Episode 12
Kitaniji claims Neku is the chosen one. Well, duh! HE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER! HAHAHA! Anyway, if Neku is having a hard time fighting this dragon, Beat and Shiki join in to power up and defeat him. There. Easy. Kitaniji laments he failed to change Shibuya. Time’s up and he’s erased. Next up, the final boss. Inside a room filled with CAT’s graffiti, here comes your Composer… Not! It’s Joshua. He claims they have won. Because all this while they weren’t actually playing games by Reapers. But actually a contest between Kitaniji and Joshua. Because… Joshua is the Composer!!! Wow. They really trolled us good, huh? It began when Joshua wanted to erase Shibuya after sensing how dull they’ve become. Hence Kitaniji pleaded to do something to change all that. Hence a game was initiated between them. Kitaniji had a month to change Shibuya however he liked. If he won, Shibuya will continue to remain. So… I don’t see how turning Shibuya into one monotonous street is any different. Yeah… Maybe he became desperate. Otherwise, Shibuya gone. Hence Joshua had a proxy to play the game. Yup, that’s you Neku. You’ve been doing everything that Joshua wants. Joshua reveals more revelations to a shocked Neku. As the Composer, he managed to seal his powers in Underground and reality and was the one who defeated Minamimoto because he wouldn’t want him to interfere with his fight with Kitaniji. Joshua returns the final pieces of Neku’s memories. Remember Neku thought Joshua shot him but it was to shoot Minamimoto behind? Uh huh. There’s more. Minamimoto tried to shoot Joshua back but his Matrix skills has him stop all bullets. Minamimoto escaped and so what did Joshua do? Shoot Neku! OMFG! So he is the real culprit all along and made it look like Minamimoto did it! After that, Joshua dropped his keypin to him. After Minamimoto fled to Underground, he dabbled with Taboo Noises in order to bridge the power gap.

Joshua wants to play a final game with Neku. It will be a quick draw this time. However shoots the other first when the countdown reaches zero, wins. As Joshua counts down, Neku is still in disbelief. But voices of trusting his comrades echo through his mind. And so Neku drops his gun and says he believes in Joshua. SUCKER! Joshua shoots him! Oh man… Next thing Neku knows, he is back in Shibuya. Not just restart but he is back alive! And some of the other players we know too (f*ck yeah, remember Souta and Nao?). Neku meets up with Beat and Rhyme and of course the real Shiki. Hey, why don’t we get to see her proper face?! Is she that plain?! We see Hanekoma talking to Joshua and answering most of our burning questions. Hanekoma was surprised that Joshua allowed Kitaniji to become the temporary Composer and allowed himself to fight alongside Neku with suppressed power. Both were big risks to him. Also, Minamimoto was the only one who knew how the Composer looked like and that is why he acted too soon to try to take his place. He thinks Hanekoma told Minamimoto about it since he too wanted to preserve Shibuya. The red pins are for imprinting Kitaniji’s will on people and the reason he used missions as a cover to distribute them. Hanekoma did make them for him because it was a request from the current Composer so technically he isn’t breaking any rules. As for his graffiti, it also helps imprint on humans who come into contact with it. It infuses a certain command for them to enjoy every moment they’ve got. Joshua might have won but he didn’t erase Shibuya because of Neku. Because he dropped his gun and believed in him. For one who didn’t trust anybody and to just open up in 3 games, it’s definitely a minor miracle. Joshua’s special pin allowed Neku not to be brainwashed by Kitaniji and Hanekoma tampered with the design of Joshua’s refinery of Minamimoto was because he viewed him as Shibuya’s hope in case Kitaniji’s loss. So who is Hanekoma actually? Well, his sprouted white wings indicates his is an angel!

Existential Crisis: Shibuya Incident
Woah… That was a very heavy finale… It’s like they dropped all the revelations in the final episode just to tie things up. Not sure if I understood all that confusing twisting plot over plot. But I guess in the end all that matters is that Shibuya is still around. Because yeah, it will be weird as f*ck when Japan realizes there is a big hole of void and nothingness in the middle of Tokyo! So I suppose that is why Shibuya is always flowing and teeming with creativity and ingenuity all the time. Because the moment it becomes dull, damn Reapers wanna erase it from the face of the Earth! Keep those creative thinking caps on always! For the sake of Shibuya’s existence!

I didn’t expect this series to be damn boring! I mean, I didn’t exactly place high expectations on this series but I somehow I was expecting this action survival series to be somewhere along the lines like Darwin’s Game or at worse, 100-man No Inochi No Ue Ni Ore Wa Tatteiru. But of course I am partly to blame for that as I did not play the original game of the same name that was released way back in 2007. Of course this means there are elements from the game which I am not familiar with and references that I might not understand. Hence if you are a viewer like me who has not heard of this game before and jumped right in to watch the anime, you’d be lost. Although the plot is not that confusing as far as I can see, it is unfortunate that the overall pacing and direction just feels so boring. It’s not the kind of life and death survival game where character dies. I mean, okay, some characters die but they are insignificant nameless people whom we don’t care. But what I mean is the intensity of that life and death situation where you know you’re done for if you screw up. But here, we see them trying to play and solve clues given by the Game Master. It just feels… Boring. And most of the time we see them run around on a wild goose chase, trying to get to a certain location or looking for something.

So the whole thing feels like it doesn’t make sense. Because not only some dead humans are trying to play a game for the right to be revived, on the other hand the Reapers themselves have some sort of things going on for their own. For example, Uzuki keeps b*tching about wanting to be promoted. So, this tells us that Reapers too are playing a game and that there are rank and files among the Reapers themselves. Are they playing some sort of game to earn something too? There’s a side we don’t see since we assume and are focused on the side of the players. And how does one become a Reaper? I mean, is it that easy to be one? Like in Beat’s case? And those keypins and other similar looking badges feel like some sort of plot convenience to open up barriers or whatever. That easy, huh? All isn’t well fleshed out in the anime so I’m thinking this show may be intended for those who are familiar with the game and not for newbies. But then again, all Reapers could be brainwashed by Kitaniji into playing this weird game and if angels existed, does it mean there are other games in other districts like Shinjuku and Harajuku over its existence too? Damn, I definitely don’t want to be caught dead playing this sh*t!

It doesn’t help that the action parts also feel very boring. I don’t know, I just don’t feel very engaged or even engrossed watching them. Sure, the characters may have a few flashy unique skills of their own. However I don’t find them memorable. I mean, Neku has got some fire moves, right? And then he combines with his partner to make some even devastating combo move. Like, whatever. It was a big yawn fest. This is the problem when a video game is trying to transit and being adapted into a show. It just does not fit well. Thus, perhaps if you are playing the game and have to fight those Noises, there might be some kind of excitement and only because you are being engaged to interact and do stuffs. But watching the action here, it is just plain boring. Besides, the fights with Noises in between feel forced and the need to put up some action scenes. Just because. I mean, drama time, some talking, blah, blah, blah, okay now, let’s take a break from that and have random Noises pop up to kill so our heroes won’t get their skills rusty. That kind of feeling. While it may work for the game, it does not for the anime.

It feels even weird there is a lot of waste of time in between the games. I mean, a game lasts for 7 days. But the tasks normally lasts about an hour. Some more, some less. So once a game is cleared for the day, what happens to the players? I suppose they all fainted and go into some sort of coma until the next day, huh? Yeah, really a lot of wasted hours in between the next day when they are only awake for a few hours or so in a day for gameplay, huh?

The characters feel meh too. Like Neku is your typical negative character from the start but as he goes through and experiences life and things, he starts to change and open up. After all, he is the main character. So main character that he gets to play the game not twice but three times! Holy cow! Such privilege! Funny, it’s just to showcase and pair him up with different characters. The first being Shiki, next is Joshua and finally Beat. I mean, it’s just weird. The other characters feel confusing like Beat and Rhyme’s case. Something about them being siblings, memories, and how it is their entry fee or something. It is said Beat’s entry fee is memories of Rhyme. So doesn’t that mean he should not recognize her as his little sister? But he still does. So I’m confused! I think they forget to reveal this in the final episode because they were so focused on Neku and things related to him. But since Beat is back with Rhyme and she herself is back to her human form and they’re together, I guess that is all that matters. Shiki also has some real life problems too but I guess that is needed for some character development for Neku. Then she becomes missing for the middle part. Uhm, so she isn’t even the supporting main character? Then she returns just for some final redemption that hardly matters. I guess better than Rhyme. After her ‘death’, she’s hardly noticeable as a critter.

In the middle arc, Joshua suddenly just pops up and trying to play detective and troll and throw Neku off. Like, how can a person who isn’t dead be in this game if that’s the rules? Did I miss something? Or did they make things up as they go along? I guess all those should be warning signs that he isn’t a normal person to begin with. Hence trying to find the Composer was just some sort of cover up to troll Neku? Yeah, I’m so confused that I just forgot about him until the end…

Then there is Hanekoma himself. Oh boy, everything was trying to pinpoint to this guy as the Composer. Trying to trick us into thinking he is the Composer so that we could scream I told you so and criticize how cliché everything was. Yup, we played right into their trap. I mean, why would this old uncle who runs a café be helping you kids in the first place? Something is up. Definitely this guy is more than meets the eye. But his actions are enigmatic enough to make you wonder and be suspicious if he is friend or foe. Especially when he has his first name that is totally reserved only for girls, makes it weird altogether, huh? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS A MALE VERSION OF THAT NAME TOO???!!! 草苗… Oh, I see… Well then, I guess that beats Kitaniji who has a female first name then… WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS A MALE VERSION OF THAT NAME TOO???!!! 恵深… Oh, I see… Anyway, so I guess this guy lives up to his angelic nature to help others, huh? So if Shibuya was losing its life and creativity, how did that happen in the first place? Maybe it’s not so nice to see such graffiti all over Shibuya. Makes it look like some gangster town. Couldn’t Hanekoma do other artwork besides graffiti to influence people with his command? I thought this guy was talented… Oh well, he isn’t God in the first place.

The Reapers themselves are as annoying. Especially Uzuki and Kouki. They have this penchant to just drop by and annoy the characters with their mocking or whatever. Worse for Uzuki as she keeps complaining and trying to put up a tough act like she knows better or acts better than you just because she’s a Reaper. And there are so many things going on that even the Reapers themselves don’t understand. Perhaps low level ones like them are just pawns. And then this Minamimoto who has his own plan or something but I’m just so confused whatever zetta calculations he is trying to do to get his ideal world. Basically he failed because he rushed in. That’s how I see it.

The other Reaper ‘generals’ feel bland, generic and boring too. Like Higashizawa is your typical first boss character. After his defeat, nobody remembers him. Konishi is like your sly b*tch who wants to maintain her authority but she went down so easily in what seems to be like a sub-boss fight. And yeah, there’s Kitaniji the seemingly big bad antagonist. Oh what’s this his wish to make everyone in the world the same? You bloody racist, homophobe (insert here all other current political trendy slurs) because do you not want diversity and inclusivity in your Shibuya???!!! Yeah, these Reapers sound badass and tough but once you meet and fight them, they’re just really boring people. I know, not all Reapers are bad like 777 but his character feels redundant. That’s why they had to kill him off. Good riddance. Not sure why some Reapers like 777, Uzuki and Kouki return back to life in the end but others like Konishi, Minamimoto, Higashizawa and Kitaniji never returned. Is it because they’re bad people and by that means they can’t return to life? Weird.

On a trivial note to nit-pick, the official English name for this anime is “The World Ends With You”. This is totally different than the Japanese’s name, which literally means “This Wonderful World”. Why the discrepancy? Both have such different meaning and they’re like at the polar ends of the context. Are they saying that the Japanese have more positive views while westerners are mostly negative? Even more so the “TWEWY” acronym looks and sounds so gay… But I’m guessing if you look at both in a very general context, both might come down to mean the same thing in the sense of your loved ones. Because with the ones you love, the world is wonderful and without them, the world literally ends. I think it’s that… And of course, Shibuya is a wonderful place of its own, right? Yeah, discreet promotion one of Japan’s famous place.

The art and animation is exactly the same as its video game counterpart. So those who played the game can feel at home with the similar edgy and cell shading style. You almost can’t tell apart the anime and the game. Also, if you noticed some characters looking awfully a lot similar like those from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, that’s because they are designed by the guy who designed those characters for those games. So don’t be too shocked to see your Sora in Neku. But with headphones! Also, I want to point out that some of the characters here look super anorexic, especially those with no muscles. Looking at characters like Neku, Shiki, Joshua and even Kouki, it feels like if I just twist their arms a little, it would really snap and break in 2! Really! This anime is done jointly by Shin-Ei Animation (Karakai Jouzu No Takagi-san, Denki-gai No Honya-san, Tonari No Seki-kun, Anime De Wakaru Shinryounaika) and Domerica (Flying Witch Petit).

I feel that some of the recognizable seiyuus here didn’t really put their talents to much use. Like Satomi Arai as Uzuki, she’s just barely at it. I think her Beatrice role in Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu is more feisty and interesting than this bland b*tch character. Then there’s Ayana Taketatsu as Rhyme and Kenjiro Tsuda as Hanekoma who feel they are very much underused. Something about Shiki’s voice that makes her feel a bit raw and amateurish (some call it natural?). Voiced by Anna Hachimine, this is her first voice acting role as she is mostly an actress. The rest of the casts are Kouki Uchiyama as Neku (Ichika in Infinite Stratos), Subaru Kimura as Beat (Gian in Doraemon movies), Ryohei Kimura as Joshua (Tsubasa in Kyoukai No Rinne), Anri Katsu as Kouki (Tsuchimikado in To Aru Majutsu No Index), Hiroshi Shirokuma as Kitaniji (Warrod in Fairy Tail), Hitomi Nabatame as Konishi (Margery Daw in Shakugan No Shana), Takayuki Fujimoto as Minamimoto, Kenji Takahashi as Higashizawa (Mizuki in Dramatical Murder) and Shuuhei Sakaguchi as 777 (Dranbalt in Fairy Tail).

I believe many the songs and music come from the game’s soundtrack. They’re just redone to suit the anime. Like the main opening song, Twister by MJR is a great hip hop song totally sung in English. Only if the series didn’t suck that much. Did I hear the lyrics go, “That power is sh*t unknown”???!!! Of course I found it’s not but it was really weird the first time I heard the song, I thought I heard “sh*t” a few times. The first episode’s opening theme Calling by Leah is also not bad. But yeah, if the series didn’t suck that bad. The ending theme is a rock outfit, Carpe Diem by ASCA. I think this song is not from the game soundtrack and originally written for the anime. Quite an okay piece although not my kind of style.

Overall, this anime is bad and disappointing. If you really want to enjoy the series, better go play the game itself. It might not be as good as its other flashier counterparts like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts (all of these games are developed by Square Enix after all) but I have this feeling it still beats the anime any time. I mean, the game mustn’t be that bad since it is long running and a sequel was just released right in this year 2021! So was the anime some sort of promotion and awareness for this game? Who knows? But with the boring and unexciting story, characters and action, not to mention sometimes it gets confusing just for drama’s sake, it is safe to say that this animation is anything less than subarashiki. This anime ends with mediocrity and disappointment. Any chance someone playing this game with the goal of erasing it from existence? Oh well then, got to live with the decisions I make…

Imawa No Kuni No Alice

Do you ever wish that you had more meaning and freedom in your life to do whatever you want? And that all you dreams and desires would come true as you have thought? Well, that would be very nice and something to look forward to considering the trying times we live in. But too bad and suck it up because life’s just not freaking fair! HAHAHA! I’m saying this because be careful of what you wish for. You think you have it tough? And no, I’m not going to ask you to put yourself in the shoes of others who are having it worse than you. Instead, you yourself will be put in a much tougher situation. A situation where you have to play a series of deadly life or death series if you want to survive! That’s right. That’s what the main protagonist in Imawa No Kuni No Alice had. A boring and meaningless life, huh? Now how much alive do you feel in playing survival games?! Oh yeah. Very alive indeed. Because that’s the state you need to be if you want to breathe to see tomorrow’s sunrise. Wished you had your boring life back now, did you?

Episode 1
Ryouhei Arisu, Daikichi Karube and Chouta Segawa are hanging in the dead hours of the morning and wish they were in some place exciting. Yeah. Freedom to do whatever they want. Suddenly fireworks light up the sky. At this hour? Pretty, no? Then there’s one that is too big. Oh f*ck! Explosion! The next thing they know, they are in some dystopian world. Dilapidated buildings overrun with overgrowth. No other life forms. Wow. Is this the freedom they are looking for? Oh yeah. Time to have fun. While Arisu and Chouta are having the time of their life, Karube is more down to earth and has them think about reality. Something is wrong. Then they see a festival ahead and enter the vicinity. More fun, right? The post in the centre of the festival starts making an announcement. 4 participants confirmed. Karube wants them to get out of this but Saori Shibuki warns them not to. The area is cordoned off with some invisible barrier and walking through it means you get zapped! Holy sh*t… The post then announces 3 of clubs. Shibuki claims this is their difficulty meter. More announcement is made as everyone must draw their fortune and clear the game. Shibuki further explains no one can opt out and warns if they don’t buck up, they’ll die. Karube can tell she isn’t a first time in this game and has seen people die. He just wants to know if she is their ally or not. She just says she is in the same position as they are. Karube draws first. Great luck. Something good waiting in the south. Chouta draws next. Normal luck. A maths question? He casually answers. Wrong answer. Penalty is flaming arrows shooting at him. How many? The difference between the correct and his wrong answer. So he’s off by 3. And suddenly 3 flaming arrows almost hit Chouta. Oh sh*t. Arisu and Chouta are scared sh*t now. Shibuki draws her fortune. Bad luck. A maths question to guess how many litres of cow blood or something. Wrong answer. Difference? Over 400!!! Here comes the flaming arrows! HIDE!!! Unfortunately Chouta gets hit by one in the leg. Karube rushes over to pour water over and pull out the arrow.

Seeing how mature and manly Karube is, this gives Arisu hope that he can do this. So he pulls his fortune. Oh. Extreme bad luck! What’s the question? How many people on Earth!!! Sure, he makes a guess and he is off by a few hundred thousand! But he isn’t panicking. Because he thinks back of all the clues they missed. Firstly, he knows which direction the arrows will be coming. It is clearly stated in the fortune but just difficult to notice. Second, this luck thing is pre-determined so the hint of the safe place was stated in Karube’s fortune in the south. After all, the rules didn’t say getting the correct answers would clear this game despite it stated they must answer the questions. As they run towards the south as the flaming fires start coming, they see a well. Too bad it is filled. Game over? But dig a bit deeper and there’s a hatch. Open it! Inside is a room in which the post congratulates them in winning the game. The quartet are happy and in exchange for their win, they are given a visa in correspondence to their difficulty level. Shibuki says this means they are granted permission to stay in this place called Borderland for 3 days. There are also other participants in Borderland and games are held after sundown. Each time you win a game, you are granted a visa to extend your stay. After treating Chouta’s leg at a hospital, they see a guy cowering in fear in a dark room. You can tell he participated in previous games and looks like he is done playing them. All his friends are dead. Now, if you wonder what happens if you don’t renew your visa, here’s your answer. As this dude’s visa has expired, a heavenly beam strikes him once the clock strikes midnight! Bloody. OMFG. So much for the freedom you wanted, huh, Arisu?

Episode 2
Arisu and Chouta drink at Karube’s bar that he owns. They’re racking up the tabs so Karube tells them to buck up and not ruin his dream of buying a ranch in Australia and herd sheep for the rest of his life. A drunk Arisu claims that if they were put in a survival game, he’ll definitely unleash his potential. Well, now’s the time, Arisu. Uh huh. He is feeling for the past 17 years of his life might all be just a dream. When Karube claims they should participate in a game tonight rather in the next 2 days, this is because they should sharpen their skills and not get complacent. But what about Chouta? He is injured. Of course he’ll sit this one out. Shibuki offers to stay with him so he won’t be alone. So even if they get their visa extended, they’ll also enter a game with Chouta to renew his. Chouta is overwhelmed with emotions. He claims he is useless and a deadweight to them. Arisu disagrees because he doesn’t like the idea of comparing. Arisu and Karube enter the complex for tonight’s game. Lots of weirdoes. The post announces that tonight’s game will be a game of tag. Players will be given a spot to start and in 5 minutes a killer will come out. All the doors in this complex are locked except for one, which is the killer’s base. To clear this game, they must enter this base. The game ends when time runs out or all the players are killed. As this game is ranked 5 of spades, a flashy old dude explains that it is a physically demanding game and would like to stick to Arisu and Karube. A few minutes into the game, oh well, a couple of punks are gunned down. And they’re close to Arisu’s groupie! OMG! This horse head with a machine gun is the killer?! Run! Shuntarou Chishiya claims to be a smart guy as he observes from atop. Because he didn’t see where the killer comes from, he deduces it is from the blind spot he is standing. Arisu and Karube hide in a corner of a floor while the flashy dude continues to run on his own. Because when he reaches the straight hallway he gets gunned down. Karube then screams to let others know about the killer. But as Chishiya narrates, it might not be a good move because it is only human nature not to trust others and doing so only gives your position away to the killer.

The killer is now targeting Yuzuha Usagi. Thanks to her athletic ability, she manages to get away by jumping and climbing to another floor! Too bad for that nerdy girl who got shot instead. One dude got too scared and decides to escape. Got blown up by the mines when he steps outside the building. Due to Arisu’s lack of stamina, Karube is forced to leave him behind as the killer is hot on his tail. Arisu is hiding at a small corner and fears this is it. He’ll be discovered. Flashback of his own family problems. Basically, he doesn’t even exist. Well, that isn’t a bad thing now because the killer didn’t see him and walks past him! Karube stumbles into a couple of guys who think of turning the tables on the killer. First, they spray fire extinguishers to mess him up but he still fires anyway. Then this strong wrestler guy comes to grab him from the back to break his back. Only, the killer has an extra gun. Bang! Both guys dead. Karube continues running. He is relieved when he hears Arisu’s voice. This time the killer fires at Arisu’s way and changes his path towards him. But this has Arisu thinking. He sees bullet holes on the wall, the first shots the killer fired. Those must just be warning shots. Putting himself in the killer’s shoes, he realizes there is no need to go all out to hunt players. All he needs to do is just guard his home base. Though, this might give away his position. With that, Arisu hatches a plan with Karube. The killer is seen standing outside his base. Arisu distracts him as Karube tackles him from the back. However as Arisu enters the room, he is in despair because there needs to be 2 people to push 2 buttons at the same time to clear this game! Karube is struggling against the killer and is about to get shot but Chishiya is here to help buy some time and shoots the gun off his hands. Arisu screams for help and this is where Yuzuha leaps in as they press the button to clear the game. At 1 second remaining! It ends with the killer’s head exploding! Phew. A close one. Arisu and Karube return to a relieved Chouta and Shibuki.

Episode 3
Karube is looking through the taxis for radio. Because when he talked to Chishiya then, he didn’t say much but hinted that radios in taxis still worked. Meanwhile Chouta is still suffering from inferior complex and claims himself as useless. Shibuki reveals she stayed back with him because she was also scared. So the key now is to live in the moment and they make out???!!! WTF???!!! Sex definitely real. Shibuki also reveals the first game she played on a train. Gas mask and poison. Anyway, it was hard and she was resigned to give up but survived. Shibuki weeps but Chouta assures her that they have strong friends like Arisu and Karube so they’ll get by. Arisu wanted Yuzuha to come with them so they can survive together but she declined since she feared those feelings will get in the way and when that time comes, it’ll be hard. But Arisu doesn’t think that sort of thing will happen because he is confident all of them will survive. Well, that comes to a test when we see them entering a greenhouse. They are to put on a headset and visor. Once in the game area, the post tells them this game of hide and seek will be of 7 of hearts. One of them will randomly be the wolf and the rest sheep. When the wolf makes eye contact with the sheep, the sheep will become the wolf and have 3 seconds to get out of the wolf’s sight. In 10 minutes when the game ends, whoever is the wolf will survive while the sheep will die!!! OMFG… Everyone is in shock as Chouta is chosen as the wolf. As they contemplate on things and the wolf being passed around, when Shibuki becomes the wolf, she becomes selfish and runs away. If only 1 person can survive this, it has to be me! Karube becomes mad and hunts her down. He tries to force open her eyes and even threatens to kill her. Do it and there’ll be no wolf and all of you will die. She makes eye contact with Chouta. Time for him to run. And then he makes contact with Arisu. Sorry dude, we’re no longer buddies. Bye. At this point everyone is just mad and trying to hunt for Arisu while he hides and hopes his non-existence will help him survive.

It is then when Chouta comes clean with everyone. Revealing he had sex with Shibuki, he also admits himself as stupid and weak and tried to betray his friends. But it is because of them, he came this far. This is when Arisu realizes he was the one who plunged into madness. He announces he will be withdrawing from the game. He is standing at the entrance and pleads for any one of them to come and see him. Once the wolf is passed, he’ll go hide somewhere. He feels sorry for trying to betray his friends because now he realizes life isn’t worth living if he has to sacrifice them all. Funny, Karube has the same thinking. He is proud to hear Arisu say that and that means a lot to him. Shibuki doesn’t want to bear the burden of this friendship thingy so she’s going to hide too. Karube reminds Arisu of his Australian dream. Well, that was his dream because Arisu had a dream to go to Australia. Whether he remembers it or not, they talked about the vast space and land as well as watching the sunset together while drinking beer. Yeah. Such a cool dream. So yeah, Arisu, please live for the rest of us. Arisu desperately runs around to find the sheep but they’re all cleverly hidden. Time’s up. The sheep’s collar explodes. Damn, Karube’s cigarette enough to light up and burn down the entire greenhouse?! Arisu survives as he lies outside in shock. Then he becomes a madman and screams as he vows to find those f*ckers behind this sick game and get his revenge. Yuzuha approaches him and extends her hand. Come with me and we’ll survive together. Uhm, so she changed her solo policy?

Test Your Luck…
OMG… OMFG!!! IS THIS HOW IT ENDS???!!! I NEED MORE!!! I WANT MORE OF THIS!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE NO MORE EPISODES???!!! WHAT THE HECK???!!! WHAT THE FFFUUUU???!!! Oh my. Sorry lost my composure there because every second of each episode had me on the edge of my seat so when it ended that manner, I literally fell off my chair. Sure, I wasn’t expecting an ending with all sunshine or rainbows. Even so, couldn’t they at least make another episode just to tie things up or at least set up the next stage? Oh well, I guess not. Doing so would only make me ask for a mile after being given an inch. I mean, doing another episode to only set up another cliff-hanger will also have me seething at the teeth. More questions raised than answers. Oh shucks. You can say I am bummed out just finishing binge watching this. Where will I get my next blood spilling gore festival???!!!

Obviously after watching Tenkuu Shinpan, this was what led me to this series and I could say that this is so far the best action survival series that I have seen in recent years. Yup, even better than those like Darwin’s Game, Btooom and even Tenkuu Shinpan itself. All the games that were featured here were really suspenseful. They’re packed with adrenaline pumping action suspense and even though you know our main characters will survive, there is this sense that they might not. Which we have seen in the final episode. Nobody is safe. Death is just standing right next to you and the next second could be your last. It is sad that this series might not get any sequel seeing the manga that this is adapted from has already long ended (I think it was back in 2016) and its spinoff just recently. And with no signs of trying to even adapt this into a proper TV series, hopes are looking pretty dim. Just like the survival rate in this series. Haha. Not funny. I guess the content is too violent and edgy to be properly adapted and that’s why the adaptation is via OVA format. Oh wait. There was a real live adaptation back in 2020 on Netflix. Hmm… Maybe there might be a chance to review it for the anime version…

While the suspenseful action is the main attraction and the only obvious thing that is bombarded in our faces, the other potentials like the characters and underlying story feel very neglected. Rest assured, I’m not going to drop points for this series just because it lacks that. It’s like watching porn for the story. Get what I mean?! Anyway, the lack of characters and story can also be greatly contributed thanks to only 3 episodes, which of course logic tells you that it is not enough to flesh anything out. Hence instead of trying to cram everything and be everything, they spammed us the suspenseful action. You won’t notice this while watching the anime but after a while when it ends and you start to do some retrospect thinking, they become somewhat glaring. They do leave some miniscule hints but it isn’t enough to conclude even a sliver for a conspiracy theory. Okay. Maybe. Because if they do drop more hints, this means increasing the curiosity level and hence making us pondering this and that. So by not getting in too deep with such, we can just leave the series as it is without feeling too much confused with what has been brought up and not answered. My experience with Tenkuu Shinpan had me come to that conclusion. So for the time being, I suppose I’ll let it slide my questions about the visa and if there are any super admins behind all this organizing this sick and twisted games. Imagine if a country allows you to stay only if you clear their games. Yeah, literally a sh*thole!

As also pointed out earlier, having 3 episodes didn’t do justice to flesh out the characters especially our main ones. We were given a few snippets and flashbacks to peek into Arisu’s life but nothing really concrete. We can only conclude that his household has trouble or at least he is the problem kid in the household. Hence his inferiority complex is the reason why he seems to be languishing and wasting his life away with his pals who could be in a similar state. Except for Karube. Personally, I think he is the best character because of how he takes affirmative action on the situation. He is like the big brother of the trio and looks out for them. Without him, they could have been dead even before becoming participants in Borderland. It’s just sad that he had to die. Chouta isn’t such a bad character too but with him sitting out in the middle episode, he gets less screen time for us to take notice as we are mostly thrown the Arisu-Karube dynamism. Short ugly guy might have self-confidence issues and it’s just heart-wrenching to see him wallow in that sort of uselessness. But was the one who got to f*ck a smoking hot babe. Feels weird and strange but whatever. When you’re scared, you do jack sh*t things. Yeah. Although we don’t see it, we could feel the tightly knit bond between the guys. It just sucks that their friendship came to an end. Till death do us part. Yeah, Arisu’s final emotional outburst really reached us. Felt really sad for him :’(.

It is strange for a character like Shibuki to become part of the trio. Something compels us to feel that she is already part of the group and then before you know it, she gets killed off. Goes to show that nobody is safe. It felt weird that she was introduced as a tough women in the first episode and then in the next, suddenly she becomes meek?! Is this just to troll us with a sex scene?! Where did that badass attitude go? And in her final game, she was just selfish than badass before succumbing to the might of the bros. Weird indeed. Then there’s the condescending Chishiya who sounds like he is the smartest person in the world. Well, we’ve seen him only in 1 game so can we judge him so or is he super lucky. He reeks a lot of mystery like as though he could be one of the admins organizing such games. Last not least, Yuzuha. She showed us some potential but again, everything is so iffy that it makes you wonder if she has an ulterior motive. I mean, she didn’t want to be part of Arisu’s groupie but then changed her mind after his pals died. So technically it’s okay if it is just him? Is Arisu the chosen one or something? I’m sure there are a bunch of other intriguing characters too but making them pop up here would only raise more questions so I think it is for the best that since the OVA ended in such a cliff-hanger way, don’t need to introduce to us more characters than they need.

Animation is pretty standard affair. Nothing to shout about but I can say that it has better quality than lots of animes in recent years. After all, this is OVA format so there better be some quality to give your 2 cents worth. Though, the main characters do look a bit funny and cliché. Like Chouta looking like some midget fairy or something. Arisu exuding typical spikey hair main character aura while Karube have this yakuza look but a yakuza with a golden heart. Yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover. This series is jointly done by Silver Link and Connect who also did many shows together like Strike The Blood, Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism, Death March Kara Hajimari Isekai Kyousoukyoku, Bonjour Koiaji Patisserie and Chaos Dragon.

Overall, this is a very good and interesting series. Despite lacking an ending as well as other departments, it is still a very good show to watch if want a show that puts you on the edge of your seat with lots of adrenaline rush. It is really a shame that this didn’t get a proper TV adaptation or even at least a sequel. Considering in today’s era where we have sequels, remakes, reboots and retellings, this one was not on the radar. Oh well, if there’s something we should have learnt from this anime, it is to be thankful with what we have and not whine so much. At least it got adapted than never, right? Yeah, life’s like that. Having said all that and seen all the sh*t that has happened here, so I guess stumbling through this Corona pandemic season isn’t so bad after all, huh? Uh huh. Be thankful for this sh*tty reality than to be in Borderland anytime!

Kusoge Tte Iuna Animation

For those who love playing video games, we all know the state of the industry, right? Greedy developers who create games just to milk money out from players rather than focusing on giving great gaming experience. Sighs… Worse, there are those who half-heartedly implement bad mechanics and other designs and release them quickly just to make a quick buck. Yeah, those f*cking crappy junk games. I guess the only thing we could do to counter all that is to not buy their games. Or make a meme out of it! At least in Kusoge Tte Iuna Animation, it centres around NPCs in a really crappy game. They need to make changes to turn the game into a better one but they realize it is no easy task as the situation spirals out of control. Once a crappy game, always a crappy game? Yeah, can sh*t turn into a diamond? Uh huh. Thought so…

Episode 1
Our heroes have defeated the evil and reached the good ending. Hence Leedis and the whole gang celebrate their achievements. They’re feeling pretty good that they have some off time until the game restarts. I guess they have so much time till then that the main heroines, Lillia, Mellie and Louise start fighting over Leedis. Marius the sage returns. Leedis wants to know reviews of the game. The verdict is in. It’s a crappy game!!! SAY WHAT?! Everyone feels bad for the developers who put in extra hours and effort to make the game. Wait till they read the comments on why it’s a crappy game. From incoherent story to having no depths to easy heroines, yeah, those complaints are legit. This game isn’t anything special at all. This means gamers won’t replay it. Hence Leedis has no choice but to use edit mode. As it grants players total freedom, this puts the story at risk of falling apart. However everyone is on board to make this game a better one themselves so that it will never be called a crappy game ever again!

Episode 2
The opening sequence is played out… And it is skipped! The king delivers his slow long ass lines. Leedis and Marius hope that as long as he doesn’t flub his lines, all will go well. The king manages to do so until he gets to the important part. Uh huh. He sneezes. So now the hero’s name is recorded as Achoorius. Then for the character recruitment scene, the original game was unpopular since players can only choose guys. So the king presents the usual knight and wizards but adds one on his own: Maid! Instantly players choose her! And so the king summons Mina the castle’s maid to accompany the heroes. We approve! This leaves Lillia and Mellie jealous as their heroine status is in danger.

Episode 3
Mina hopes to be of use to the hero. But as a maid, can she fight? Don’t worry. She claims she has done some training as she demonstrates her knife attacks. SHE SUCKS!!! Oh… Where did the knife go? It got stuck on Leedis’ head! Don’t worry. He only lost 2 HP! As the game goes offline, the characters converge as Leedis blames the king for his slipup. Then they discuss about getting info and weapons in the next town of Lynx. This is when Pyurius the sorcerer pops up with a scripted event of fighting him. The hero will fight him and die. But this will cause the hero’s power to awaken. However no time to think further as the game is back online. Everyone scrambles back to their post so they leave it to Pyurius to do whatever that works.

Episode 4
Our heroes flee every battle. No wonder they couldn’t level up at all. Arriving at Lynx, they head to the shop to get some items. Oh well, the player sell everything at hand! So what will the player buy with the money? A frilly skirt for Mina. Aesthetics > functionality. There is a scene that will trigger Mina being taken away and the player is trying to avoid that. This is where Pyurius comes in as he decimates this scene. Then he tries to zap Mina but some barrier blocks it and deflects it back at him. Pyurius is shocked to learn Mina is some holy sister and flees. Of course all this is just him adlibbing and Mina didn’t do anything in particular.

Episode 5
With Mina now a holy sister, she doesn’t have to leave the party. Leedis thinks this means he is still stronger than her. WTF… When they encounter monsters, of course being the weak ass guys they are, they couldn’t do much damage. But with Mina, she destroys them! Is Mina a broken character?! Heck, she evens defeat her own comrades?! Poor Leedis and Marius taking a lot of beating as Mina defeats the enemies. Well, as long as they have 1 HP remaining, they can revive and continue. As they continue their journey, stalking Lillia and Mellie continue to be jealous because despite they are also holy sisters, they are more of clerics and can’t journey with the hero no matter how much they want to. They need to come up with a plan to change all that.

Episode 6
Despite it’s not her turn to appear yet, Lillia adlibs by feigning a monster is attacking her and wants the heroes to save her. This cute little baby bunny is the threat? Leedis lets it loose into the woods… Wow! My hero! So brave! Let me join you! So can Lillia join them? The players say no! Now it’s Mellie’s turn. What now? A cute kitten is stuck to her hands! Leedis lets it loose… Wow! My hero! So brave! Let me join you! Can Mellie join them? The players reject her! Lillia then accuses Mellie of copying her tactic. They get desperate as they tell the players to choose them and the other will strip! A mad Mina punches a hole in the ground! Stop this pathetic sales pitch! She runs away as the heroes go after her. Uhm, so the heroines get to follow or not?

Episode 7
With the townspeople b*tching about wolves terrorizing the forest in the north, I guess our heroes have to take up the quest to eliminate them. Yeah, Leedis and Marius are so weak ass so they get their asses handed to them. It’s Mina turn. Although she couldn’t kill them, she does some heavy damage on the wolves. Then they realize the wolves were protecting their pups. Aww… How cute. Can we not kill their parents? However the players choose to kill them! This is when Mina turns to the camera and pleads with her teary eyes if they could be spared. Instantly the players change their mind! This leaves Lillia and Mellie jealous since this never happened for them. Yeah, Mina getting real popular with the players now… And double happiness since the wolves return to their cubs.

Episode 8
Looks like Lillia and Mellie gave up being heroines and just do support. With this role, they are able to boost their main party’s powers during battles. Too bad this means Mina does more damage to Leedis and Marius before defeating the monsters. And she levels up???!!! In this water town, looks like there is a main quest for the hero to get a sealed shield underwater. From the info they gather, the caves will only be accessible during low tide. That sounds like bad news… So they enter the cave and the usual happens. Yup, Mina defeating the guys first before taking out all the monsters. It’s amazing they’re still at level 1 and not build up and resistance.

Episode 9
Now that they’ve found the shield, as Leedis tries to touch it, a barrier zaps him. Don’t worry, Lillia will say some prayers to dispel the barrier. Did it work? ZAP! Nope. Mellie mocks her uselessness. She’ll show everyone how it’s done. Mellie says some prayers too. Did it work? ZAP! Didn’t. Now it’s Lillia’s turn to mock her. Since both won’t give up, they continue to try but the zapping still remains. How shameful… Leedis suggests Mina should try…

Episode 10
Mina tries to pray. Looks pretty normal and polite. Lillia and Mellie and mock her that she might get zapped too. Well, what do you know? Mina gets the shield! You could say it’s another round of shock for Lillia and Mellie. The irony that they’re clerics but couldn’t take the shield… With the Shield, Mina further levels up and easily kills more enemies. Yeah, who’s the hero here? During the break, the gang discuss where they went wrong. Mina feels guilty that ever since she became a holy sister, the clerics’ powers have decreased. Even the Demon Lord feels sorry for them. Yeah, his underling Pyurius has gone fishing ever since! They start arguing about everyone doing as they please but this goddess, Elouisa tells them all to shut up.

Episode 11
Elouisa is supposed to be a wise and magnanimous character. Well, that’s on screen, right? Here, looks like her true nature is a spoilt selfish b*tch. The heroes need her help to solve this problem but after complaining, she’ll look at what she can do. First, she has them open their stats. Then she laughs at Lillia and Mellie’s class now rated as loud woman and grumpy brat respectively! As Mina is the only true holy sister, as long as they can fix her up, they’ll maintain consistency. Can they? She hints that Mina might be the true hidden cleric and the rest were fakes. Having Mina open up her action algorithm, Elouisa now laughs her ass off at her 95% action to attack her allies! Like as though she is the kingdom’s assassin! Elouisa freezes this set so it’ll be rare for her to attack them. A tearful Mina is glad she doesn’t have to hurt her friends anymore so Elouisa tries to guilt trip the rest to be a good girl like her. But how can the rest defeat any enemies as they are still at level 1? Don’t worry. Elouisa has fixed that too… Oh no… That devilish look… We’ll see because the game is booting up again.

Episode 12
When an enemy attacks, oh no, Mina is too scared to attack! She is paralyzed in fear! How now?! When the enemy is about to kill her, suddenly it’s like her inner evil switch flipped and she becomes a badass-cum-kickass character to kill the enemy! Scary! But thanks to that, Leedis and Marius also power up. The game and adventure proceed smoothly until the end. The NPCs celebrate their replay and are feeling good the reviews will be better because this means it will have a trickle down effect to make other formats better. They can’t wait for Marius to return with his report. However Elouisa smokes him out from his hiding. Looks like he is too scared to go as he begs to us viewers to give them a high rating!

This Anime Is Clearly Junk!
Well, people? What do you think?! I think the verdict is very clear. Yeah. We’re giving it the thumbs down! And make it double. Low scores all the way! Boos and jeers! We’re not going to replay this sh*tty game ever again! HAHAHAHA!!! All you NPCs can carry on with your idyllic life forever as we players and viewers move along to other better games! And with that said, this anime isn’t going to get a sequel, right? And that also means this game will not be getting a sequel too, right?! Hey. Can’t blame this one entirely on us. You messed up with all the weird shenanigans at your second chance of replay. Having an overpowered Mina as a novelty was just good for 1 try. There wasn’t any replay value to begin with. Uh huh. And we’re out of here.

Unfortunately, even if the story is a simple and straightforward one, it seems quite boring. I mean, even with the seemingly jokes and funny stuffs happening, it is just barely funny. Even if I wasn’t laughing out loud or even laughing, the smirk I put on when those supposed funny scenes come to play feel forced and obligated. For example when bad stuffs happen to the fallen heroines, it just felt like a cue for me to grin because that part is supposed to be funny, right? Sure, the whole premise is for these NPCs to do something about their crappy game reputation. However the rate that they are going, they just fall flat on their faces. Things that are supposed to spiral out of control because of that attempt of theirs feel very tame. Yeah, like as though they didn’t really put enough effort into it. Are they sure they really want to turn this crappy game around? Oh wait. Maybe I got all this from the wrong point of view. Do the producers actually really want to make a crappy anime???!!!

The characters are boring too. I mean, how much can they try and change? How far can they deviate from the norm? I know it’s supposed to be the game developers’ job but screw it. One of those times where taking things into your own hands didn’t produce any good results. So we have Leedis and Marius as the main characters but fail being so because they become the running joke of being beaten up by Mina. As well as that gag that they are so weak ass and can never rise beyond level 1. My conspiracy theory is that the players already have the all-powerful Mina. They just need her to do all the monster killings. So screw Leedis and Marius! She herself is enough to kick ass! You boys just stay as your role to be punching bags and comic relief characters. They’re just useless.

I guess Mina is the only character why this game has a slight replay value in the eyes of players. I mean, who doesn’t love a maid character???!!! Even more so, I freaking (although accidental) powerful one!!! HUZZAH!!! BANZAI FOR MAID CHARACTERS!!! Making her character even more adorable is her clumsy and polite ways. Yeah, she sure scores right into the hearts of players. But character wise if you want to think deeply about it, she’s just mediocre. Don’t let that cute girl outlook fool you. Sure, she’s the reason why the party managed to complete their quests. Doesn’t that make her an overpowered character? Oh right. Who cares as long as you have a cute maid main character, right?! Too bad, like I said, no enough to save the game and anime, thus not really much of a replay value either.

Making the series even cheesier are the shameless and sleazy ex-heroines, Lillia and Mellie. Another bunch of low level characters written to be comic relief characters. Their running joke is that they want to impress Leedis because they like him but often fail because, that’s right, they’re comic relief characters. There’s no pity in seeing them get their just desserts as Mina unconsciously owns them. Too bad, they’re also unpopular with players to begin with. Proof that despite having sexy boobs or cuteness, those factors alone won’t help save your characters or make them likeable if you’re actually real b*tches. One day they’ll be just like Elouisa who screws everything and just have fun at their own pace. Hey, this is a crappy game after all, right? Gotta not give a sh*t because if players don’t, would you?

Other minor characters fail to make any impact. Like that other heroine, Louise whom I thought was going to be part of the gang and hence turn the ex-heroines to the legendary status equivalent to the Three Stooges. But I think it is better for her to have not made her forced presence like Lillia or Mellie because we’ve seen how low they have gone. Louise not making such appearance means it saves her from such utter humiliation and in our eyes, she’s totally tolerable. Then there’s the absentminded king (f*ck, I thought he was Santa Claus!) who is just forgettable and the devil characters who are just, well, uh, forgettable. Yeah, this series already has trouble with its plot and characters, you think having more of these minor characters will do any good? I’m surprised people are still playing it. Oh right. Mina.

This anime is clearly done in 100% CGI fashion and Flash based (or at least its equivalent since Flash is already dead today). It doesn’t suck but it isn’t anything new and most of the scenes are like retro RPG interface style (like dialogue boxes popping up). And since everything is in chibi mode, there’s your cuteness factor. Yeah, they should’ve had better graphics if they wanted to attract more players and turn around the fate of this game. This animation is done by Charaction who did Boku No Imouto Wa Osaka Okan, Mameneko and Micchiri Wanko Animation. If there was one thing that brought me a slightly bigger smile, it would be the ending theme. Bearing the same name as this title and sung by Otaya, it’s not that I actually like this song nor this piece is good in the first place. You see, this song sounds more like a hard rock punk outfit. Yeah, some screaming somewhere in the song! It’s like they screw this animation and decided to take it all out here in the ending theme. Let it all out! Yeah. I can understand why. No wonder I’m laughing (slightly) at the best part of the entire episode!

Overall, everything about this anime is crappy! Even if crappiness is intentional and part of the satire (because all their episode titles are about something is junk!), it still doesn’t hide the fact that this anime itself is pretty much crappy and low tier. Everything is so uninspiring and boring that if they thought of making it such a way as a great reverse psychology (everything is so bad that it is just good?) well, they got it all wrong. Yeah, they actually live up to their name in the most literal sense. Therefore we’re not just calling it a crappy game. We’re going to deny it even exists! HAHAHA!!! That’s what sh*tty games and animes deserve, right?! But hey, it could’ve been a lot worse. Of all the failed improvising and adlibs, at least this game isn’t a live service! Phew?

N/B: But what if there’s a limited edition of super sexy maid outfit of Mina, would we throw our money to buy that?! WE MIGHT! Hence crappy games made by crappy developers for crappy people. Ah, such a vicious cycle.

Hagane Orchestra

We all know (or at least being told) that advertising is such a powerful tool in making your product or brand known and exposed. So in this age with the Corona virus wreaking havoc with people’s life and severely affecting the economy, we need to get back up to our feet as soon as possible. That’s why we need to find new ways to advertise our products and stuffs. If all those advertising gurus and talks sound too complicated, maybe you can try this anime for a start, Hagane Orchestra. This might not be very comprehensive or even related to what needs to be done in real life but perhaps it could give you some sort of idea. Hopefully. Maybe. I think. After all, it is blatantly admitted that this anime is nothing but an advertisement for a Smartphone game set in this world! Hey, I did warn you.

Episode 1
Our game characters, Kurenai, Masha and Nanaka and Kako brainstorm how to advertise their game. One idea includes handing out tissues at Akihabara. It failed because they used guys to distribute tissues! How about giving Hagane parts? Illegal! Got summoned by authorities? Sexy naked pics of Kako? Got arrested by authorities! Okay then. How about using maids to distribute tissues! Oh yeah! But… They are guys dressed in maids! F*CK THIS SH*T!!!! Masha laments at their failure and if only her prince is here. Chris who is the main character of this game, has no qualms passing this one up.

Episode 2
What is today’s advertising going to be? Hmm… Something that shows off the game’s selling points. No, it’s not the orchestra! That’s right. Hagane, supposedly strange artefacts found throughout this world. The girls decide to come up with their own awesome Hagane like a giant mecha version of Kurenai, a giant mecha groom version of Chris (Masha would certainly love to elope with this one) and your typical several vehicles that combine into one giant mecha. Of course the question is whether or not they can make such Hagane. If you’re curious to know, download the game!

Episode 3
The game is now top of the rankings because of many people downloading it. Not satisfied, Masha wants to further increase their rankings. This means the whole gang downloading the game, deleting it entirely and repeat the whole process again! You bet this ‘ritual’ is going to get sickening! Of course, to further entice others to download, they write fake reviews which are blatant lies! So you can get a boyfriend after downloading this game?! It is only put to a stop when the inn hostess, Tsubaki warns them about deceiving customers. Better stop now or you’ll get what’s coming. Yes ma’am! And now they’re talking about integrity in business!

Episode 4
After reading a fan letter on how she wants to play a mobile game but finds it hard to get started, the girls start talking about the harsh industry whereby new games are released every day and this means there will some that will get shut down. So they talk about the possibility of keeping their game running for many decades to come. I don’t know how but fast forward 70 years later and this game is still running! Yeah, Kurenai and co are frail old women and some of the other characters have already passed on. Oh yeah. 70 years and still running! Let’s keep going! No confidence to pass on the baton to others, huh?

Episode 5
So we take a break from advertising for a hotspring fanservice episode?! OH YEAH! But wait! There’s a catch. There’s those blatant steam censors! You want less of them? Download the game!!! OMFG!!! This is sure going to be super effective. So as we see the horny guys downloading with all their might to get rid of the steam, but each time Kako does something creepy that would ruin the horny mood, the download meter goes down!!! Come on, guys! What are you doing?! Keep on downloading?! Don’t lose out to Kako’s lame stupidity???!!! OMG!!! COME ON! COME ON!!!! Damn, the lameness in Kako is too strong…

Episode 6
Our girls are cosplaying as Sabers from the Fate series. So are they advertising another series and how is this going to advertise their own? Beats me. Then Tsubaki gives them eat mushroom snacks. Mushrooms with faces?! I don’t think it’s Super Mario but I could be wrong… Masha thinks she has the answer for a skyrocketing popularity trend. The guys cross-dressed as idols? Anyway as you can tell, this is not what Masha had in mind. And Chris is enjoying wearing the silly mushroom outfit…

Episode 7
Today’s episode will show off the Hagane. As the girls enter the workshop, they hear ambiguous lines coming from Chris and Nanaka. As you can expect this sex cliché, they are just fitting parts of the Hagane. It is complete but Kako doesn’t understand why they did not fit in the huge cannon. If they did, the Hagane will not be able to move since it is heavy. Taking it for a test run, Kako appoints herself as the captain. The Hagane ride is smooth as expected. Then Kako wants to test fire. Since Nanaka doesn’t skimp on the Hagane, this means it contains real ammo! Everybody run! Unfortunately the blast hits the male characters having their break time.

Episode 8
Maki and Yukari enter town and seek lodging from Tsubaki. They’re like frenemies since they keep arguing passive aggressive style and giving each other sarcasm. They tour the place like soaking in the hotspring and visit the agriculture area. To look for a job, Yukari thinks of using their beautiful voice to do BL voiceovers. Would they?! Until Yukari spots some Hagane recruitment poster and thinks this is her calling to become the best Hagane pilot. And for those wondering where the heck this series’ advertisement is, the narrator had to point out that these 2 babes are already the advertisement themselves!

Episode 9
So today’s blatant advertising will be done by the male counterparts? BORING! But they reason because 99% of their target audience is male, it only makes sense that their input is important because they know how men think. They’ve got a point… So what we see them is fantasizing the female characters with their typical male fantasies. Like Tsubaki the perfect sexy wife, Kurenai the gothic chuunibyou, Nanaka all bandaged up, Kako in kimono and Masha the kindergarten loli. Then they all laugh how most of them have no sex appeal at all. However Chris has reported all this to their female counterparts. Thus they march over angrily and beat the crap out of them.

Episode 10
High school setting! But Hibike! Euphonium spoof? It feels like a big trailer as we see the characters in a high school concert band trying to get to the Nationals. Yes, filled with clichés of friendship, rivalry, love, heartbreak and some other tropes you can think of. Anyway it all turns out to be Kureha’s idea to get more audience so Masha thinks she just wants to do something with orchestra. What is the name of this anime again?

Episode 11
Kako has this idea to do doujinshi and advertise at an expo. Masha will not allow this because she thinks such stuffs are BL yaoi and she will not allow her Chris to be defiled by other men! Though, she herself gets a nose bleed. Kako denies it is BL yaoi because it is more yuri! Yeah, the thought of being yuri with Kurenai too has her getting a massive nose bleed. Anyway Kurenai likes this idea so they start making their own doujinshi. On the day of the expo, visitors who flout the rules will be mercilessly shot by Chris piloting the Hagane! Take no chances! At the end of the day, their event is successful and they hope to do more expos. But as narrated, this doesn’t help in advertising the game no matter how successful their expo is. And too bad the girls only realize that after the fifth expo…

Episode 12
This is what the series looks like if you take away all the nonsense and comedy. A show about a boy (Chris) and girl (Kureha) using their Hagane to defend their hometown from enemies. They aren’t fighting alone because they also have their friends. Hence their cooperation and coming together to fight the enemy is like an orchestra. Wow. Such a really serious movie-like trailer. Should’ve done this from the start if they really wanted to promote this series! Everyone is impressed. Except Masha. Was she on the enemy’s side in the trailer?! And finally, Chris breaks his character to become a lively guy to ask us to download the game!

Can’t Sell Anything If You Don’t Tell Anything
So… Did we learn anything? Unfortunately for me, I didn’t. HAHAHA!!! Oh wait, that’s not funny… Oh sh*t… Sighs… :’(. So if by today you still don’t remember the name of this anime, is the advertising considered a failure? It didn’t become a household name for Smartphone games like Candy Crush, Angry Birds or Clash of Clans. Too wacky for people to relate to anything, huh? Yeah, maybe if they made Hagane Orchestra The Movie, maybe it could have gotten a little further. Just maybe. I mean, with all the downloads and ungodly fees one dumps into mobile games, you’d think those companies would have a cash load to even finance a decent movie, no? Oh wait… That Emoji Movie… On second thought, maybe being a bygone product would be better for this series… And in a way it has. You’ll soon see why…

It is quite unfortunate that the anime itself didn’t do any justice to promote the game. I mean, what can 4 minutes actually do? Although it is meant to be funny shorts, they aren’t exactly advertising material either. Yes, we do see the girls trying out funny ideas but they all seem more like antics and misadventures rather than actually promoting the game itself. I know, I know. If they actually make it look like a serious game promotion, I would still complain this is so advertisement-like that this is not an anime and shouldn’t have been one in the first place! Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. But what I’m trying to say is that the antics featured in these episodes here don’t make me feel interested in checking out the game itself. I can’t anymore. Why? There’s a good and sad reason for this. Well you see, sadly the game has its servers shut down in May 2018. I guess 2 years after the anime, it didn’t do well or enough advertising to help sustain it, huh? So unfortunate that they can’t live up to one of the episode’s jokes that this game will keep on going after 70 years… Damn…

Hence many of the antics and skits seen here especially when the narrator blatantly tells you to go download the game if you are ever so interested to know more, personally it just feels more like a joke than an actual order to go download and play the game. At least, I don’t feel that kind of urgency or conviction that ads have that tell you to go buy their products. You know, when you see an ad you like and the product resonates with you or something, you are more likely to have that impulse to buy it the next time or at least keep it in mind. I don’t feel any of that here. Most probably it is because I am not really into Smartphone games even until today so I didn’t actually take the bait whatsoever. To me, they are all just jokes of an anime that I am supposed to enjoy as an anime and not the game. I had no connection to both mediums whatsoever.

Hence the jokes in this anime are mostly a hit or miss. There are some that I don’t get it and most likely those who are familiar with the game itself would appreciate and understand. Of course as said, they can’t spam too much explaining about the mechanics of the game or it will bore viewers. That is why for those who knows nothing about the game like yours truly, one may not find some jokes to be funny and just head scratching. At the end of the day whether or not this is good advertising, I think they’re trying to strike a balance about revealing too much about the game because if that happens, potential viewers may not find it interesting so they need to leave some parts unexplained in the anime so as to pique your interest to go download the game and further find out. As you can see for my case, it did not at all. It did not give me a really good reason why I need to download this game. So did I help contribute in the closure of the game? Uhm… Oh… I think it’s bad advertising then. Heh.

The characters themselves aren’t anything much. I mean, do you expect any sort of character development with just a dozen episodes of 4 minutes each? Kurenai as the supposed leader of the pack seems to be bold in trying out those ideas but other than that, she’s pretty plain. Same case for Nanaka who is a mechanic and her obsession is tinkering with the Hagane. That’s all. Hence you are more likely to remember Kako for all the wrong reasons because this perverted lesbo has only getting into Kurenai’s pants on her mind. And then there is the prideful Masha, if she is not being prideful, you can see her blushing and fantasizing over Chris. Speaking of that guy, he is probably the best character because of his deadpan monotonous character and perhaps the only one you will ‘laugh’ at as he pulls off his deadpan punchlines. There’s so much on his face that screams he wishes he isn’t here doing this sh*t. Yeah, we can all relate to this guy… Then there’s the beautiful inn hostess Tsubaki who is at the top of the pecking order because if anything gets out of hand or anybody stepping over their boundaries, she’ll be there to warn you or get rid of you. And not forgetting those other male characters whose names I don’t even remember and their role is to be comic relief characters, bearing the brunt of whatever unfortunate consequences. Hey, it’s all for the sake of advertising, no? At least they’re hilarious…

The art and animation seems pretty normal and standard. The character designs lean towards the kawaii and moe look as opposed to the chibi look the game is mostly appears as (note, this is just my quick lazy Google search). This anime is done by Fanworks who only produce short form animes like Aggressive Retsuko, Honobono Log, Gakkatsu and the Ani Ni Tsukeru Kusuri Wa Nai series (joint with Imagineer). At the end of each episode, one can be awed by the latte art drawn by some latte art maestro. It is quite nice to see them draw from start to finish and we’re so awed at how they bring their art to life (making it harder for me to drink if I ever ordered a cuppa like that!), so I suppose we won’t be paying to the ranting of the next episode preview because who cares what the characters say when you can appreciate good latte art, right? Of course not every episode features latte art and a handful of them are just normal illustrations. I think I still prefer the latte art, though…

Overall, this is just a passable anime and I don’t think this was really meant to be a serious advertising for the game. Even if they told you it was, it was just to break the fourth wall and make you laugh. Or maybe it is. Damn, advertising can be such a psychological pain. As we can see the fate of this series, it goes to show that advertising can only do so much. Even big and established brands too can one day go out of business if they do not find new models to adapt to. So yeah, looking back in retrospect and what happened to this game, advertising is indeed a powerful tool. Too bad this series didn’t become a household name because I am sure if you mention this to even gamers, they’ll give you that confused look of WTF-this-game-you-mentioned. There are no plans to revive this game in the foreseeable future so I’m guessing this game is buried dead for good. Unless a new advertising stunt like being featured as guest players in other popular mobile games like Azur Lane or Girls’ Frontline. Uhm, maybe not. Because many would still be asking Hagane who?

Dolls’ Frontline

Can this be technically categorized as girls with guns anime? Another popular Chinese mobile game given the adaptation. Dolls’ Frontline (originally known as Girls’ Frontline but had to change its name due to trademark issues in Japan) is one of those animes that sat borderline on my to-watch-or-not-to-watch list. Besides, it was hard to find the ‘correct’ version to watch because the series is originally in Mandarin audio and the Japanese subsequently dubbed over it. Also, not a fan of such mobile games. My experience tells me they don’t really adapt well. Take for instance my recent stint with Tenka Hyakken. That was the worse. Of course it wasn’t long that I discovered Mamiko Noto had a role in it and I found a rare site that has Japanese audio. Okay then. What am I waiting for? The rest is history…

Healing Chapter

Episode 1
As narrated, after World War III, a new battle took place that involved highly artificial intelligence known as Tactical Dolls. Hence, plunging the world into great danger once again. So what are the dolls fighting over this time? Over the last piece of cake!!! A fierce battle of wits and trickery as both sides try to get the last piece. But with all the bloopers, finally the cake flies into the mouth of Gr G11. And she was just there sleeping all the time…

Episode 2
G11 uses an extended straw to drink from everybody’s drink. When 416 lets her drink, G11 takes this as her sign she is giving her drink and takes the entire bottle away. Of course it isn’t and she got punished. When everybody else goes out, G11 is tasked to watch over the battery and collect them when it’s ready. Of course the sleepyhead falls asleep on the job. So much so she dreams of the batteries thanking her for watching over them. Sweet dreams…

Episode 3
M4 SOPMODII wants to check on the modification she made on ST AR-15. What modification?! It seems she has placed a speaker in her necktie. Initially it had no sound but now it does. Yeah. Now there’s music coming out of it and SOPMODII thinks it can be played at a lot of occasions. From confessions to watching a movie at the cinema to sleeping and while you’re taking a bath! How useful! Not! And then the alert sounds. Time to go fight the enemy. But then… The stupid music starts playing! Annoying. Oh, AR-15 finds the best use for it. She chases and blasts the music at SOPMODII. Are you loving it?

Episode 4
While fighting the enemy, the tide is turned with the appearance of the UMP sisters, UMP45 and UMP9. We see them being ‘legendary’ as UMP45 rides UMP9 like a skateboard while avoiding enemy fire. Then she uses UMP9 as a shield! UMP9 still loves her sister! During Christmas, UMP9 got a red dog collar for UMP45. WTF… Of course big sister isn’t impressed so she too has a present for her. It’s an ancient wooden handcuffs. And so UMP45 takes her out walking like a prisoner-cum-dog… When they return, they see sleeping G11 using 416 as a bolster. Everybody so weird…

Episode 5
After a successful mission, the girls want to hang out. However, M4A1 isn’t that sociable and doesn’t want to do so. In that case, SOPMODII gives her a mini doll, Jr to keep her company. Alone in her room, M4A1 freaks out when the doll starts to move! Throwing it aside, Jr starts crying. M4A1 feels bad about leaving it alone and agrees to play with it.

Episode 6
M4A1 falls asleep and starts dreaming. Make that a very f*cking weird dream. In some Alice In Wonderland garb, we see many dolls calling her princess, she rides a giant moustachioed enemy fighting against a giant SOPMODII (who got owned anyway), a dog rolling, G11 riding a chariot that is being pulled by the other girls who are rolling (?!) and finally some clips from the game itself! Weird indeed. When she wakes up, G11 is seen dozing off next to her.

Episode 7
A bored 416 surfs through the TV channel. Then she stumbles into this shopping channel hosted by Kalina. It seems she is promoting some grenade 416’s face on it at a special price. Hurry! Pre-order now! Now we see 416 faster than a speeding bullet rushing through and destroying shops filled with her unauthorized merchandise. And right before Kalina could end her segment, 416 pops up behind her. Oh sh*t… Meanwhile some chicken dude who is responsible for drawing this sh*t, suddenly 416 pops out from his computer and haunts him! And it is said that all staffs involved in the project started seeing visions of 416… Oh sh*t…

Episode 8
AR-15 is stumped on how to pass this giant enemy cannon before them. And then SOPMODII finds a black ball and activates it into its giant size. The cannon relentless attacks as both of them get into the ball. While the cannon cannot penetrate through the ball, how can it attack back? Don’t worry. SOPMODII transforms it into a mecha version of herself! Unfortunately all the transforming means it ran out of energy. The only option left is to self-destruct! Goodbye. Yeah, WTF. Because the production also ran out of money. I understand why AR-15 is so flabbergasted at this plot development…

Episode 9
The girls are shocked they have an empty hall! They didn’t think this is what HQ meant when they said they’ll be changing their hall. Kalina suggests that they do some mission and earn tokens that will enable them to exchange for furniture. And so the girls head off to fight the enemy. 1 token per day so after 10 days, they have 10 tokens. And all the furniture they get is a chair?! So you want more, do more missions? Why does this feel like a scam? But some rich customer gives 100 tokens and get extras because of some long term promotional thingy. Scam!

Episode 10
The UMP sisters are dressed up real fancy. This is thanks to all of them overworking for tons and tons of tokens! Right back at you, stingy Kalina! Now she is forced to give lots of freebies. But the stunning one is 416. Damn, she’s hot and gorgeous in that dress! She feels embarrassed but UMP45 notes how 416 has such big boobs and never noticed them from her usual thick clothes. UMP9 thought she could cheer her sister up by supporting her but UMP45 takes this as an insult, thinking she views her as having small boobs. She is about to slap her little sister but 416’s boobs got in the way. Boing! Eh? Then GR11 comes out dressing up like a reindeer. M4A1 looks at a dress display in the window and longs for it.

Episode 11
SOPMODII Jr wants to play with M4A1. However she is busy at the moment. Hence the doll starts playing with another toy, Diner. Then they manage to get out and go on a fun little adventure themselves. Soon it starts raining and they take shelter in a cave. But then there’s a bear in it! The doll calls out to M4A1’s name for help. Can she hear?

Episode 12
UMP45 is about the accuse M4A1 about eating her cake but she sees her cowering in fear. She explains Jr and Diner are missing and blames herself for being too busy to play with them. UMP9 claims she saw them outside so as the girls deliberate on how to look for them, don’t need to worry because SOPMODII has got a tracker on Diner! So they trace them to the cave. Oh dear. Could a bear have eaten them? M4A1 drops into despair but sees a version of herself if she is going to give up like she did. She doesn’t want her too because it doesn’t solve anything. She is different and has hope. That’s why she believes everything will turn out alright. Because everyone is with her. They continue looking and find the little ones sleeping in the flower garden with the bear cub. How sweet. So now M4A1 is ready to play with them.

Madness Chapter

Episode 13
The UMP sisters are about to enjoy their new sofa when suddenly there’s some mad person behind the locked room? Don’t worry. Super Shorty and Skorpion will handle this. Unfortunately Super Shorty failed to kick the thick door open and Skorpion already set off a Molotov cocktail. Can’t cancel! Catch! Boom! Meanwhile FNC enters the kitchen and sees a delicious cake. She gets annoyed thinking this is why the rest won’t let her in here. After some deliberation with her inner angel and devil, she decides to eat it but falls flat and cake in her face. M1897 is cleaning the stains so she gets freaked out seeing FNC’s face with cake all over and instantly sanitizes her. P38 and MP40 are complaining about the tough job they have while the higher ups have it so easy. Then PPS-43 accidentally opens the door, forcing MP40 to spill all the food all over P38.

Episode 14
GR G36 wants her girls to be seriously on patrol tonight. However she is wary of G11 because she is always sleepy and slacking. Then she realizes something amiss. Her worst fears come true. This G11 here is just a cardboard cut-out! The real G11 is snuggly sleeping in her bed. M14, IDW and Super Shorty are stuck in a cabin as they seek shelter from the blizzard. But IDW gets bored and wants to go outside to build a snowman! She got flooded with snow of course. And worse, IDW dozes off with a Molotov bottle in her hand. The cabin’s made of wood, you know. How many bottles did she light up?! They manage to escape but they have to leave the supplies behind. Boom! No supplies. No shelter. Cold. Whose fault is this?!

Episode 15
IDW spots a tactical fairy watering her plants. Because she is so cute, she can’t resist hugging-cum-molesting her. Little fairy bombs her away to escape. Now IDW’s face is filled with holes?! As she tries to sit down and recover from this, unknowingly she sits on one of the fairy’s plants. Anyway it is a bomb and you bet she gets blown away. Plant more of those, little one. Gr MP7 is happy to live in this new place. Looks good. Even has a nice scenery. Until she realizes it is just wallpaper! Damn, high quality wallpaper… Later she is introduced to a veteran member, P38. However, that is just a cardboard image of her and the real person is actually IDW. M14 is warned not to stand behind Super Shorty because of her height. Despite M14 praising all of Super Shorty’s good points and that she is a likeable person, she realizes too late when a bullet is fired their way. Super Shorty didn’t even have to dodge it. Oh, M14…

Episode 16
Z-62, MP40 and Grizzly turn in early since they drank a lot. Next morning when they wake up, MP40 and Grizzly realize they are in cool outfits. As for Z-62, she could see the child IQ of the duo? She freaks out upon remembering she drank too much. Type 63 is shocked to see Type 80 blow up different objects with her tongue (chewing gum actually). She got too close and it exploded in her face. Makarov chides SVD for not living up to her sniper status. She needs more practice and will come check on her later. Hence SVD pleads to OTs-44 for help since she made a bet with AK-47. So when Makarov returns, she is shocked to SVD drinking with AK-47 and the one practising is OTs-44! Skorpion complains to OTs-12 to come out and help her as a secret weapon. Reluctantly she does and then brags to her if this is what she expected from her as a secret weapon.

Episode 17
Agent is going to kill M4A1 (is she asleep?) but as she is about to do it, their eyes meet and it kicks off some weird romance-like stare. Then she vomits all over her face! M16A1 then butts Agent away and thinks she has saved the day. You can praise her now… Yeah, M4A1 might be just sleepy… G43 and MP40 realize they are out of bullets and hope to conserve some. Though they call for reinforcements, she is MG42. She fires away and wastes all their remaining bullets! Later the duo are glad there are still some bullets reserves in the storeroom. Before they could conserve it, here comes MG42… Oh no… MP40 has taken too much damage and needs to switch out. But MG34 and MG42 are too busy firing away so she ‘dies’…

Episode 18
Hearing about how both sides form a temporary truce on Christmas, M1911 starts singing Silent Night. Didn’t work. Enemy continues to fire! Skorpion that she could shoot up in a flashy way. Turns out her effective range is short and rounds that go beyond 100 metres have no penetrating power. Under heavy attack, NTW-20 has 1 last shot to take out the enemy boss. She hits! But it’s a subordinate and not the boss. So basically she missed. Retreat! Skorpion believes nobody can beat her in some speed competition. Turns out she solved 2 Rubik cubes in 20 seconds! Tokarev has fallen. How would they fight in the dark then? AK-47 uses her as a spotlight! Because her soul is still shining bright, no?! PPS-43 and Skorpion are in a competition to see who defeats the boss first. PPS-43 steps on some trap and disappears. She pops out in the real world and starts shooting the poor girl who is playing the game, thinking she is the last boss! Dance baby, dance!

Episode 19
Suomi KP-31 is happy to report for duty. Too bad she is told by her commander to do her job properly because she spent 70,000 resources on her! Oh no. Pressure. Then she has clones of enhancement fodder that has just arrived but Suomi feels embarrassed to use them. The commander is then asked to make some dummy linkage. But since she already used the core on her rare doll, hence she creates C96. She then uses her as a civilian doll. Standing guard in the middle of the rain… M1911 has just been completely healed by the medic. She is touched with the kindness so she shoots herself in the head?! Huh?! With the enemy overwhelming them, the commander wonders if M2HB can defeat them all. Of course she can. She fires away but runs out of bullets. Then the enemy bombs hit them. Game over. Later as the enemy continues to advance, M2HB is tasked to help with suppressive fire. Too bad she is sleeping. She wakes up when the enemy starts shooting back but her comrade has already gotten shot. She still continues firing all she’s got. When they are overwhelmed and told to take cover, M2HB tells them to screw it with their cover and so she goes wild shooting at the enemy! Can’t compete against that!

Episode 20
The enemy is nearing and G11 is supposed to provide cover while M590 attacks. However she is sleeping so M590 wakes her up by throwing some nut. The enemy thought it is a grenade and runs away. AM RFB is locked up for playing video games in the middle of combat! She hasn’t learnt her lesson, though. She continues to play her game in prison until the battery runs out. Let me out! As FMG-9 goes through the security checkpoint and her flashlight looks suspicious. Then it transforms into a sort of weapon (it isn’t a weapon anyway) and she got arrested. M4A1 and M16A1 are looking for Team 404 so the latter climbs atop a giant gun to do so. She spots and calls out to them. Team 404 got scared thinking they’ve been spotted but upon closer look, they realize it’s that idiot. Later as the mission is done, everyone is supposed to greet their new team member but M16A1 wants to sit out since she fell and got injured. So she sleeps in but later gets a rude awakening by RO635 to just get up. Your peaceful life is over!

Episode 21
Kalina narrates about the problems of installing the game. Why does it stall? Because your PC has no extra space to keep the downloaded file. So be sure to make space for it so that downloads can resume. Yeah, she cleared out a fridge of somebody’s snacks just to give us this example. Next, she explains about rings that are able to forge an oath and deeper bond between players and dolls. So she’s trying to sell us an expensive wedding ring too? Next, she explains about login bonuses but some are time limited so if you are a day late and missed it, that’s your problem. Finally there’s this quick repair mode for damaged dolls to get them back in action quick. Why do they have that sexy look while being repaired?

Episode 22
Makarov takes a hit so of course her comrade sends her back for repairs. Unfortunately the commander tells them to complete the mission because otherwise their rankings will drop! Kalina tells us to use support echelons if the enemy is too strong. So we see a giant doll wrestler making mincemeat out of her enemy. Then there is also some narration about enhancing the combat effectiveness of the dolls with your stats via enhancement capsules. Yeah, they go berserk and violent destroying everything. Next, some skill points to unleash the dolls’ potential but all we see them is going crazy and violent.

Episode 23
Kalina reminds the commander to collect his batteries but he is too lazy to do it. Till she explains the things he can do with them so when he tries to look for them, it’s not around. Where are they? Looks like somebody is using it to play games, thinking he never uses his batteries ever. Don’t look behind now because the commander is… Kalina further narrates about expending batteries, blah, blah, blah, gain more experience, blah, blah, blah. Just when she thought she is done, the commander drops her more jobs. The commander is treating himself to food. SPAS-12 thinks she can eat anything too and since the commander gives his permission, she and her clones order everything on the menu. That is sure going to cost. Lee Enfield is going to cook a nutritionally balanced meal. Of course she is just dumping everything in, including floppy disks! Eat up now. Hope your stomach won’t get data corruption…

Episode 24
An explanation about using heavy production to create rare dolls. A tough method but some dolls can only be created this way. Also, something about the effectiveness of handguns via dummy link. M1895 thought she could finally be of use and would do anything. Too bad she is made to do a manga job! Finish the manuscript! We are briefly introduced to the concept of fairies and of course not the real mythical one because everything would’ve been solved easily via magic! So keep struggling with the enemy drones with much intelligent AI!

Dolls Just Wanna Have Fun
What the heck did I just watch? Oh well. It was to be expected but I didn’t expect it to ‘end’ like that. Heck, do you even call that final episode an ending? Like as though they ran out of really random skits and inserted some tutorial in the last few episodes just to bore the hell out of you. Because if the anime sucks, go download the mobile game and start playing! I’m sure you’ll get more kick and excitement when you spend your money on dolls and their upgrades. The more you spend, the more they’ll love you back. Hah! I don’t know. I didn’t play the game so I don’t know anything. Not even interested to go take a peek. Sorry, no game hints from me. Phew.

As expected, there is no proper storyline and all the short skits are pretty random. I guess the objective is to give viewers a short burst of random laughter. Nothing more, nothing less. However I believe that you need to have some knowledge of the game itself for things to make sense and to enjoy it. Otherwise if you are like me who has no experience or knowledge whatsoever even with the game (heck, I only heard about it when it was adapted into anime), there are so many parts that are just confusing. More like, I just don’t get it. It is only ‘funny’ because those moments are shown in a slapstick way so I suppose it is cue for me to laugh? Hence my experience and sentiments throughout watching the entire series hover between confusion and funny. Thank goodness each episode is only 3 minutes long, no? However some episodes in the first half has got this extra live action scene. As random and weird as ever. This segment shows paper cut outs of the dolls bumming around or harassing somebody’s pet cat. Huh? Like, WTF?!

As we have seen, the adapted series is divided into 2 parts, the Healing Chapter followed by the Madness Chapter. It feels that both parts are different despite being the same. What do I mean? You see, the first half mainly shows the interactions and fun between just the few dolls. Nothing much in particular and perhaps that is why it is called the Healing Chapter. Everything or for the most of it needs to be in a calming and soothing pace, right? Okay. Fine. Then when it comes to the second half, the formula suddenly drastically changed. Each episode is already so short, it is then further divided into more skits, making each skit just a few seconds long.

True to its Madness Chapter name, it gets helter-skelter and crazy here because they introduce a hell more bunch of characters. The antics are crazier and everything happens so fast including the punch line, before you could react, the skit is already over. Truly an insane section if I should say. And then towards the end, they narrate some game mechanics and I’m not sure if they are supposed to be tips but as said, if you’re like me who knows nuts about the game, this is where you will truly feel lost. Whatever repairs or batteries topic thingy, the punchline that comes after that feels empty to me because I just don’t get it. Oh yeah. Cue to laugh, right? Okay. HAHAHAHAHA! So those tutorials, they are making assumption that you have fallen in love with the series and are ready to go get the game?! Here, take note of these tips to upgrade and manage your dolls. This is our goodbye present from us to you for the chibi anime series. Heh. Because of this messy second half, I deducted some points off that would otherwise have the series being having a more passable score.

As for the characters, oh boy, there’s too many of them! The Healing Chapter was fine because there were like about 8 or 9 of them only. So it’s pretty much ‘confined’ although there is technically no character development. The most you get is seeing M4A1 with Jr. But even so, that didn’t amount much to anything. And some like G11 being portrayed to us as a sleepyhead while UMP45 takes advantage of her sister’s love for her own gains. That’s pretty much about it. Pretty okay for the most part. The real hell comes with the Madness Chapter when a whole bunch of other dolls are randomly featured from episode to episode. I believe some only appear once but it’s not like I keep any count. Yeah, too confused to even bother. If not for the ending credits and the help of Google search, I think I will not be able to identify which doll is which and name them here in my blog. Yes, that is a true story. I think I got most of them right so forgive me if I misidentified some of them here. So good luck trying to even remember them if you’re not a fan of the series. If you think there are a hell lot of dolls popping up here, wait till you see how much more there are in the game itself! Scary…

You have got to be a really hardcore fan and fanatic of the game or the guns to just remember the dolls. All of them. I don’t know exactly how many they are but being a mobile game, I’m sure they want you to spend your money so there has got to be lots of characters, upgrades, equipment, booster items, stats and other stuffs just to retain your interest. It may look like girls with guns but I think it is more of the lines of girls as guns. Yeah, imagine one knowing all about guns thanks to the personification of these dolls as guns. What a way to turn something so manly and violent into something so cute and violent. Now you can shoot to kill with cuteness!

Art and animation are just okay. Thankfully each episode is only 3 minutes so seeing the characters in their chibi form looks okay and fine. Looking cute and funny together. Yeah, we so many characters, I bet the design of each character is going to be a nightmare with more and more characters introduced. Uh huh. This shows there are just so many freaking type of gun models in the world and to personify them all as cute chibi dolls, that’s a herculean task. Of course my puny brain can’t remember them after an episode and some dolls look the same to me but as said, thank the end credits and Google search. Too bad the Google search images return results of those dolls in their hot mature combat form compared to this anime’s cute and chibi shape that lacks all those details. It is a reason why I might misidentify a doll too. Not that I care at this point.

As you would all already know (if you follow my blog), Mamiko Noto has been my favourite seiyuu ever since and I certainly wouldn’t have picked it up or the chances of watching it this soon, if not for her having a cameo role here. It is unfortunate she’s just making a cameo as UMP9 (a character I believe making a lot less appearance compared to M4A1 and SOPMODII) but I guess I have to be grateful and take whatever roles she plays these days. There are also other recognizable seiyuus lending their talents like Haruka Tomatsu as M4A1, Yukari Tamura as SOPMODII, Ai Nonaka as 416 and Nao Touyama as Kalina. The rest are Nozomi Yamane as M16A1 (Javelin in Azur Lane), Ayaka Fukuhara as G11 (Veronica in Fairy Gone), Emiri Katou as AR-15 (Kagami in Lucky Star) and Tomomi Mineuchi as UMP45 (Eiko in Slow Start). I’m not going to do the other casts appearing in Madness Chapter! Screw that! With the skits so short and the dolls having limited dialogue time, I don’t think I recognize anybody else. Not that I care at this point. I’m sure with such an extensive doll line-up, some seiyuus may be voicing multiple characters. If it’s so, I’m not really surprised.

Overall, it feels like this anime needs to be adapted just because it needs to cash in on the popularity of the series. Otherwise, only fans and those who have played the game are the only ones who can at least appreciate, understand or even enjoy this adaptation. Everybody else will be left confused in the dust. Not sure if this is to expose and introduce those to play the game but it sure didn’t do the trick for me. Hey, I wasn’t even interested in taking look at Azur Lane the game (the other very popular Chinese mobile game) after checking out its anime version and sure as heck I won’t be the slightest curious to check this one out despite having lots of cute anime babes. Call me old fashion, I guess to me the best anime dolls are still those from Rozen Maiden. Dolls with guns still not up my alley. Sure, they look cute but also weird at the same time. Now imagine Care Bears wielding assault rifles. Cutely weird, right???!!!

Higashi No Eden

If not for the Corona virus, I would have not really watched this series. Uh huh. With a handful of animes of the season getting postponed indefinitely and my anime schedule somewhat a little ‘free’, off I go searching for a retro series to fill in that free time. And that was how I stumbled into Higashi No Eden AKA Eden Of The East. More than a decade ago when it came out, perhaps the plot didn’t sound so interesting. Not sure if time made it sound interesting because now it sure did. At least it did capture my attention and made my whimsical mind want to check it out. After all, is it not interesting to see ‘players’ being given a huge amounts of money to save Japan in any way they see fit! Wow. Sounds great. I suppose all those otaku culture of anime, manga and game weren’t enough, huh?

Episode 1
Saki Morimi just arrived outside the White House. AMERICA!!! CENTRE OF THE WORLD!!! Not sure if it’s a dare from a friend because she starts tossing a coin in. A couple of police spots her and of course wants to question her. She is only ‘saved’ because a naked amnesiac kid with a gun and handphone in hand waves across the street! Welcome to America! The police want to go get him but apparently American trucks don’t slow down so the dumb cops think he latched onto the truck and got away. Before naked kid parts, Saki gives him her cap and coat since it is freezing. He then uses his handphone but is only greeted by a voice known as Juiz. She claims he has erased his memories but left no specific instructions on how to create a new personal history. So he’s screwed, right? Noticing on his phone is also the map of his ‘home’. He makes his way there as Saki realizes she left her passport and wallet in that coat and goes after that guy. Inside the apartment, seeing all the weapons and tools, he thinks he might be a terrorist! Even more so when he discovers several fake passports. Sorry, not Jason Bourne. With Saki outside the door asking for her passport and wallet, he agrees to give it back. That is when he decides to take on the identity of one of the fake passports, Akira Takizawa. He toasts the other passports to leave no evidence. As he leaves with Saki, a policewoman acting on a tipoff wants to see their ID. Based on the surveillance cameras around the White House, she asks Takizawa to show his johnny! You mean his dick?! He flashes for her! Not the same johnny so she lets them go???!!! Oh well, it was pretty cold outside DC, if you know I mean… Then they head to the airport since Saki is supposed to return to Japan today. Takizawa learns Saki was here for a graduation ceremony in New York. But because she wanted to see the White House, she came here alone. As for Takizawa, not sure if he is lying when he says he is playing some extreme terrorist game with his friend. Saki discovers she is just born a day earlier than him. So she’s his big sister, huh? But she wonders if he is her prince. Maybe not. Then they see the big news on TV: A missile just hit Tokyo.

Episode 2
Arriving at Tokyo, thanks to the missile attack, the place is really jammed up. Stuck. The news further reports that there are survivors from the attack but this shocks Saki. Because the attack never had casualties before. Satoshi Oosugi calls Saki as he is on his way to pick her up but the damn jam has made him stuck. Going to take a while. Also, Takizawa gets a call from Juiz. As he has entered the area of the Selecao system, he must immediately fulfil his responsibilities as a Privilege. It seems he has 8.2 billion yen balance in which he must spend! Because Juiz will do anything, Takizawa tests by wanting out of this jam quickly. Suddenly the airport manager personally comes to clear them out. You’d think everyone would be mad of them jumping queue but they think he is some sort of celebrity and cheer on for them! Saki so embarrassed… Because Takizawa doesn’t know his way around, he has Saki further accompany him. He learns more about the Careless Monday attacks. Apparently it has been quite some time an unknown missile has struck Japan. Each time, nobody died and because nobody knew which nation actually launched it, many conspiracy theories came up. Detective Yuusei Kondou has the same phone as Takizawa. It seems he is able to track every move and wants to meet this guy. So while looking for him, it is Takizawa who comes to talk to him because of the same phone. So it’s like they’re both playing dumb. Nothing happens and they part ways. Now that Kondou knows Takizawa’s face, he thinks he struck out on this. Returning to Saki, Takizawa has her talk about her plans and family. She’s supposed to start work after she returned from graduation but it didn’t go well. Her parents died in an accident so she is currently living with her big sister who is married and they have a child. Takizawa also tells her some of his recovered memories (memories from his mom?). Something about a person who helped him with money and that was that last time they saw each other. They’re supposed to part but after that awkward stare, I guess Saki wants to come along. Yeah, enjoy the boat ride. Meanwhile Kondou is confronted by his debt collectors. Wanting to restart his life, he calls Juiz and wants them killed. He kills them off using his finger gun?! Too bad he had the only innocent witness killed too. Kondou is eager to take over Takizawa’s duty.

Episode 3
Saki follows Takizawa to his supposed residence. Since it is near ground zero, the place is turned into a slum. So his ‘residence’ is some shopping complex? He has the keys to the place too. Inside, they get startled by something but it turns out to be a cute little doggie! Aww, so cute! Since the dog licks Takizawa, it must be his place. Doggie leads them up. Along the way, Takizawa sees a place similar in a photo in his American apartment. They end up in a movie theatre so Saki thinks she must be a manager or something. Cool, right? Since he is willing, she requests for a French movie, a favourite movie of a person she liked. Meanwhile Kondou has also tailed Takizawa here. He stumbles into that place. Lots of thrown away handphones. It could be related to the incident where NEET guys disappeared. So as the movie plays, Takizawa knows Kondou is here to see him from the surveillance cameras. He wants to ask some questions but all Kondou is interested is taking his handphone. Kondou beats him up and takes it from him. He tells what he knows. They were given 10 billion each to save the country in some sh*tty game but he knows this is not enough. Hence he just wants his money and restart his life. Also, once the money on your phone reaches zero, a Supporter will be sent to kill the owner. Takizawa lets him get away because he swiped his detective ID. Next morning, Saki leaves and because she never saw Takizawa since, she left doggie a note for him. No biggies. Just calling him stupid. After Takizawa receives the note, it’s time for him to return Kondou’s ID. Kondou tries to use Takizawa’s handphone but can’t get it to work. Calling Juiz about this, it seems it cannot be activated without the owner’s fingerprint. F*ck. F*cked up big time. Then Takizawa calls him from a public phone to meet up. As Kondou waits, he is approached by his wife, Misae. I guess she isn’t happy he has a mistress. Time to end this. Oh sh*t! She stabs him with a knife! By the time Takizawa arrives, Kondou is already half dead. He knows his time is up and has lost so don’t bother saving him. Kondou tells him the rest. There are 10 other players AKA Selecao in this game. He can track them via the phone’s history but each of them could be dangerous. He believes Takizawa is one of those 20,000 NEETs who were rounded up and killed by an explosion. Kondou gives him his phone so Takizawa no choice has to leave before it gets complicated.

Episode 4
Saki returns home. Oosugi calls her to assure she is fine so she makes up some lies that she was staying at a friend’s place. Takizawa confirms from Juiz that he did rounded up 20,000 NEETs but it cannot be confirmed if he killed them. Asking about Supporter, it is one of the 12 Selecao chosen to kill those who have broken the rules of the game. Takizawa makes his way to some unfinished highway. Some weird hallucinations of creepy mannequins greeting him before he scolds them away?! Huh?! Takizawa then heads to a hospital owned by Hajime Hiura who is one of the Selecao. Requesting to meet, Hiura is sceptical at first as he thinks Takizawa is the Supporter since Kondou got done in. But Hiura has a pill that will make him at least remember how he got the phone. He takes it an instantly passes out. This was what happened. A strange machine with a voice identifying himself as Mr Outside has selected 12 messiahs to save this country. Each of them are given 10 billion yen but that cannot be exchanged for cash but they can call Juiz and execute some services in which the amount will be debited from their balance. Their purchase will be transmitted and logged that all Selecao can see. But among them is a Supporter who will kill them if they break the rules. Among them is trying to abandon this game, going for long periods of time without using the phone and not producing results, using the money for one’s own desires and when the balance hits zero when the nation is not saved. The game is over when a Selecao saves the nation and the others will be killed. Takizawa finally meets Hiura in person. He talks about his dream as a doctor to save as many lives he can. Especially the old people who were abandoned by this country. However he knows this won’t amount to saving the country and he doesn’t intend to win this game. That is why he will not accept Takizawa’s money even if he offers it (he has run out of it with his latest purchase). As for Takizawa’s old self, Hiura wouldn’t say much. He was a charming person but because he erased his memories and betted on a new self, he thinks he is fine as he is. After Takizawa leaves, a Supporter pops up in Hiura’s room. Hiura has no regrets over his decisions and is prepared for his fate. Takizawa is sad seeing Hiura’s signal disappear from the phone. He vows to at least punch Mr Outside.

Episode 5
Takizawa is confused and all when suddenly this dude who recognizes him, goes up to him to beat him up?! Of course he fails. It seems Takizawa promised them some paradise but ditched them in the middle of a desert. Then they got abused by some Indian overseer. It’s amazing they survived without money and with little food. But the moment he realizes Takizawa really lost his memories, he just gives up. So he is marrying a girl in Dubai? But thanks to all that, he is able to return to society. Wow. Confusing. What’s going on? Saki is on her way for a job interview and meets Oosugi on the train. They talk about their prospects entering into society. Takizawa tries to get some info from Juiz but he is joking around about making the Prime Minister say some gaffe, request accepted and what do you know? The PM actually did say that gaffe live on TV! And his popularity increased by 10%???!!! This is sure WTF. Takizawa realizes he missed Saki’s message and tries to text back to meet as he too has some questions. She can’t reply because of the interview so he thinks she is mad. Time to request from Juiz… Saki attends the interview as the interviewer also has her give her honest thoughts about Careless Monday. Then the interviewer invites her over lunch. She waits but he never showed up and worse, somebody accidentally spilled food over her skirt. Then as she washes herself in the toilet, she heard those mean corporate b*tches badmouthing her. Dumb girl didn’t realize she got stood up and the food spilling was also part of the act. As she leaves, Takizawa is seen waiting outside. But she can tell from her sad face so he takes her away on his bike. Oosugi sees this and gets disheartened. Away at some place, Saki rants about her disappointment about society and being an adult. Yeah. Welcome to life. Even more so she explains how she can’t return home to face her family. Because she’s in love with her sister’s husband! Wait. I actually figured that out already… You’d think Takizawa has been staying quiet listening to her, he didn’t want to get involved in this even more complicating game! But he kisses her! Then he invites her to stay at his place and he’ll take care of everything. Listening to her, he is now motivated to do something. So he doesn’t want her to push herself. Eventually they’ll realize they’ve screwed themselves so it’s okay not to do anything. Meanwhile Oosugi is depressed and drinks till he is drunk. He is approached by Kuroha Diana Shiratori.

Episode 6
Oosugi is captured by Kuroha. Dominatrix woman wants to cut off his johnny! Fortunately for him, something urgent came up. After Takizawa drops Saki off at a friend’s house, she calls her sister just to inform she can’t come back home. She can’t face her husband. Next day, we see Saki returning to a small club called Eden of the East. While Mikuru Katsuhara and Sis are sympathetic over Saki’s story, Kazuomi Hirasawa who is the club leader is very suspicious especially of this Takizawa dude. Even Haruo Kasuga doesn’t think Takizawa is a bad dude because nobody who owns a dog is a bad person! Thus the only way to settle this is to see this Takizawa guy in person. After the ladies left, Kasuga tells Hirasawa that Oosugi invited him to dinner that was supposed to be for Saki. Then he got drunk and left depressed. Speaking of Oosugi, it seems he manages to somewhat break free (although his hands are still tied) and starts taking pictures around his captive room. The Eden members head to the shopping mall. Hirasawa gets spooked when he realizes the room is filled with cameras and jumps the gun thinking they’ve all been watched by this mad Takizawa. Until of course Takizawa comes in to greet them. After showing them the deed that he is the real owner of this mall, Takizawa hears a little about the club and is super impressed of this image recognition programme that is written by Mikuru. Hirasawa elaborates further about the club. Initially it started as a small recycling club until Mikuru wrote that programme. However it brought some trouble as they got investigated, the reason why they didn’t launch this app. Then Saki added some value into it and although it became a valuable matchmaking tool, more trouble ensued. So much so, one member quit and started looking for a job and things happened to Saki that they don’t even know. It seems Hirasawa’s plan for Eden is to make it a NEET’s paradise. Takizawa doesn’t really understand but somewhat feels he understands and would like to help. With Saki supporting that idea, Hirasawa accepts Takizawa’s help although he still doesn’t trust him. Later Hirasawa gets a call from Kasuga. He thinks he might have found Oosugi. A guy has been posting random pictures on the internet seeking for help. It could have been that he stumbled into a serial killer known as Johnny Taker. If they don’t act soon, he could become part of the statistics of 20,000 victims!

Episode 7
Based on the pictures, Eden can safely safe that the belongings belong to Oosugi. But why did he post it on this forum instead of contacting them directly? So this is the website Oosugi goes to find a date, huh? Takizawa doesn’t know about this Johnny Taker thingy so they explain the rumours that this crazy woman kidnaps virgins to her room and if they can’t get it up, she snips your johnny! Using the image recognition software to detect some of the unique items in the room, Takizawa has an idea on who the culprit is seeing that Juiz is the accomplice. After making a few requests from Juiz, he makes his way to the supposed hotel where Oosugi is held. He also makes a request to stop Kuroha wherever she is. A police does so but when she realizes Takizawa is on to her, she ignores the police and rushes back to the hotel. She even tries to get back at Takizawa by having a tanker before him cause an accident. Takizawa survives but gets injured. Wow. A tanker blowing up on the highway causing a massive jam already? Eden stuck in the jam… Saki won’t be a sitting duck and makes her way there by foot. Upon arriving at the hotel, Kuroha realizes Takizawa has used up a billion yen to buy the hotel! Seeing Oosugi squirming around, she is going to just snip off his johnny. Luckily Takizawa arrives in time. She thinks he is the Supporter but he denies and is just a Selecao like her. So among the talk they have, it is revealed that she is a serial killer but only towards rapists. She firmly believes in this justice-cum-murder by snipping their johnny. She has Juiz help her sniff out those male pigs and clean up their corpse. Of course, she had no intention of winning this game as she only is an ally to half of the world. That’s why she is going to force her justice till she runs out of money. Takizawa unlike her wants to win this game since he doesn’t approve of Mr Outside’s ways. He wonders if a man did something horrible to her. Because it looks like she was never made happy by a johnny! So he’s saying his johnny can satisfy her?! Well, she’s willing to give him a chance! Steamy moment ruined as Takizawa faints from his injuries. Bummer. Saki who heard everything via Takizawa’s phone finally arrives. Seeing Takizawa and Kuroha together might be misleading but she assures nothing happened. Then she calls Juiz for preparations. Black wings sprout?! How this even?! She takes Oosugi away. But she reveals this isn’t Oosugi but a vile rapist. She then flies out the window! Man, this special effect is going to cost all her money! Saki is left confused and even more so Takizawa is unresponsive.

Episode 8
Takizawa has a bad dream about johnny… Don’t worry. Saki’s by his side. Oosugi is fine. He isn’t happy they mistook some other guy for him. He dropped his stuff after getting drunk and some guy picked up who eventually met his fate with Johnny Taker. Oosugi doesn’t agree with Eden working with Takizawa. Do it and he won’t come back here again. Oosugi gets madder seeing Saki with Takizawa. So now he’s going to be a stalker? He snaps a pic of Takizawa and hopes the software can decipher who he is. No data. Takizawa shows Eden the phone of Kondou. It isn’t working and he hopes they can fix it. Saki suggests Yutaka Itazu to look at it. Itazu who? Apparently this programmer helped them a lot while their programme was being created. But 2 years ago he quit university and became a hikikomori. Takizawa wants to meet this guy so Hirasawa has Mikuru go with him. She is reluctant because she doesn’t like this guy so Saki will also follow them. The rest of Eden try to research more on Takizawa but it looks like there are proper papers in place. Oosugi is shocked that there are many postings on Takizawa’s pic, each calling him by a different name. He is worried he might be some criminal with many aliases so he calls Hirasawa about Saki’s whereabouts. Then he wants him to take a look into the shopping mall as well as the postings on Takizawa. He fears Takizawa might be planning something unthinkable. Arriving at Itazu’s place, first he has the girls go buy some stuffs for him while he fixes the phone. But Takizawa waits behind and gets Itazu’s interest when he mentions he is part of the Selecao. He opens the door and lets him in.

Episode 9
Flashback shows Itazu’s fortunes told him he is going to be a NEET forever. And then his only pants got blown away by the wind. So that’s an excuse he made never to go out again?! A couple of Selecao, Daiju Mononobe and Ryou Yuuki meet up as they are suspicious of Takizawa. Inside his room, it might look like a normal messy un-neat NEET place (pun intended) but he has a hidden room with superb computers and servers where he uses to hack into Kondou’s phone. He manages to display the history and list of purchased items of Takizawa. Among them including buying a huge container to house 20,000 NEETs to be shipped to Dubai as well as keeping them fed for 2 weeks. Then he also hacks the history of other Selecao and they see one who has been responsible for firing missiles on Careless Mondays. Takizawa hopes to keep this a secret. He will leave the phone with him to hack more info and if there is anything interesting, please contact him. Meanwhile Mononobe and Yuuki are waiting outside Itazu’s place. The girls finally return from their errands. I thought it was just a simple errand but it took them the whole day? Anyway, they are shocked to see how fat Itazu has become as the guys pretend that there was nothing special on the phone that could be used. After they leave, Saki hands Itazu a pair of pants she bought for him. Yeah, he can go outside now, right? Then she whispers she knows there are secrets on Takizawa’s phone but Itazu has sworn his brotherhood secrecy so he tells her he can’t say. Also, he advises her it is better she doesn’t get involved. Itazu continues to hack the phone’s history. Looks like he has found something interesting. He wants to call Takizawa but his own phone has run out of batteries?! Worse, Takizawa didn’t leave his email at all! Only his phone number! For the first time, Itazu puts on his pants and runs out. But the moment Mononobe sees this (especially the phone with Itazu), he starts up the car and rams into him! OMG! Fatty bouncing off and falling into the small stream???!!! Mononobe tries to question him but looks like fatty is done for. Itazu realizes it is one of them who fired the missiles. Unfortunately fatty dies… Just like his fortune told him he would die a hero… :’(. Also, Itazu has left his computer on, transferring some large data from the phone. Mononobe then personally calls Takizawa. Meanwhile Hirasawa and co have arrived at the mall. Oosugi shows them a strange place. On the wall written in huge words: Kill Takizawa!

Episode 10
Takizawa doesn’t board the train. There he goes again, leaving Saki… Meeting up with Mononobe, from their talk, Mononobe realizes his memories haven’t returned nor has he read the history. Mononobe claims he is going to win this game soon. If he comes with him, he can be part of that win and learn how he got that phone. Then a call from Saki. She claims she knows his phone has secrets and has noticed the strange things that have happened to them. She thinks Selecao are a group of terrorists behind Careless Monday and that he is one of them. She wants to know who he is. Takizawa doesn’t give much away. Though, he believes he doesn’t really know himself well and is talking to someone who does. He will keep the phone on so she can listen to their conversation. If he turns out to be a criminal, forget about him. He’ll be out of her life. Oh, Saki not prepared for this outcome. As Eden explore the mall, Hirasawa receives a message from Itazu but the data that has been sent to Eden’s server is too large to be viewed on his phone. Takizawa follows Mononobe in his helicopter as the latter reveals Mr Outside’s identity: Saizo Ato who is the president of ATO Company. Yes, Mr Outside is a pun of his name. After WWII, he is a businessman with deep pockets and political connections. He was one of the few who helped with the reconstruction of Japan after the war. So for why he is now giving 10 billion to youths to save Japan, it might be he wanted to see if he made the right choice in reconstructing Japan after coming so far. Was this what was best for Japan. So he forced his power upon those he acknowledged to once again give this country a dramatic change. As for Takizawa’s goal to beat him up, he can’t. He could be dead by now. You see, at the start of the game, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Mononobe’s plan of winning is to become Mr Outside.

They land at a science lab that is facilitated by ATO. After Mononobe realized Mr Outside’s identity, he left his bureaucracy job and became an executive of ATO. He reveals a couple of Selecao working with him. One of them being Yuuki (the one who fired the missiles) and the other being Jintarou Tsuji. Inside this lab, there is one deep hole. Mononobe reveals this is the real identity of Juiz. Now that Mr Outside is dead, nobody outside knows what this facility is for. Like as though it is his way of atoning and taking actions behind the scenes without being the centre stage. It is revealed they will fire about 60 missiles into Japan tomorrow morning. This is Yuuki’s idea. Yuuki goes on to complain about the fake equality Japan has as well as the shirking of responsibilities. So firing those missiles was a warning to the government that their responsibility wasn’t good enough. Mononobe aligned with him seeing that eliminating problematic old people who cling to outdated interests as well as slackers AKA NEETs may be the best interest of this country. Takizawa doesn’t agree to this and wants to beat them up. Ironically they note that this was what he said before his memories were erased. So the reason he erased them: He was betrayed by those he helped and those who helped him. Saki gets emotional after hearing that because she too felt she betrayed him in certain ways. Meanwhile Hirasawa and co check out the huge data Itazu sent from the hack phones. But then they hear containers docking. OMFG! 20,000 naked NEETs running out for their freedom???!!! YOU BETTER RUN TOO!!! Takizawa won’t be part of their plans and leaves. Mononobe lets him go, believing he can’t do anything significant. When a secretary comes in to hand Mononobe’s victory champagne, it is then he realized somebody has made a purchase to move Juiz to another hidden spot. Also, they’ve been had because could it be Mr Outside is also a Selecao and the Supporter?

Episode 11
Saki and Hirasawa share what they know. Though Hirasawa warns them not to come to the mall because NEETs have flooded the complex in search to kill Takizawa (but many trying to look for their phones first!), however Mikuru wants to because they need to do something with the data that Itazu sent them. Saki further explains about Takizawa who wiped out his memories and played the villain just to save the 20,000 NEETs from Carless Mondays. In order to do this, Takizawa enlisted the help of many volunteers to help save them. Though it was successful, some of their methods were borderline criminal. But soon the rescued started to get suspicious because they wonder how Takizawa knew when the missiles will strike. Some volunteers went far enough to steal things. Disillusioned by those he saved, that is when he gathered the NEETs at the mall to claim before them that he is the one behind the missile attacks in order to focus their hate at him. That’s why he is known and hated by various aliases. Takizawa continued to shield them from the public eye by sending them to Dubai for 3 months. Despaired by the events, he saw no other way but to wipe out his own memories. They want to post the missile threats online but in today’s era, they might get arrested for trolling. Even if they still want to go ahead with it, there’s a problem: They forgot to take the PC with them! Yeah, it’s in the hands of those NEETs now. Oh well, get naked and try to go retrieve it! That’s how you hide a leave in a forest. The guys manage to snatch it but those angry NEETs are after them. At the same time, Saki and Mikuru also arrive. Don’t worry about any assaults. These NEETs are only into 2D women… :’(. Once the PC is good hands, they prepare to share the data that targets various areas in Japan including the mall. But then Takizawa hacks everybody’s phones and announces that he is going to fire missiles to kill everyone accusing him and those who know about the truth behind Careless Monday. But he is going to give everybody a chance. Go up to the rooftop if they want to survive.

Mononobe splits with Yuuki seeing he views this moment as all man for himself. He is going to look for Mr Outside and once he does, he will contact him. Tsuji knows Yuuki has been screwed as he has stuck his neck too far out. Mononobe could have been a Supporter for all they know. Besides, Yuuki has been acting on Mononobe’s instructions. Now he has lucked out and it is all on him alone. Takizawa returns to save Eden from those bungling NEETs. Saki knows he is trying to play the baddie again. Awkward stare between them. It’s like he knows her better so he takes her hand to follow him. She chose Takizawa. Not you, Oosugi. Now the NEETs are at the rooftop, Takizawa tells them to post on the Eden site on how to take down those missiles. Everyone starts contributing. As the missiles are already fired, Takizawa calls Juiz to take action from the best suggestion. And that action is having the military from jet fighters to SAMs fire at the missiles to destroy them. Success. Every last one of them shot down. Takizawa continues to talk to Juiz. Viewing that playing the terrorist is no longer viable, he wants to use all his money to become the king of this country. Though there are lots of smart people, none are willing to take this role. Even Takizawa himself doesn’t want to do it. But he will even if there is one person who believes in it. So… Another round of erasing his memories? Overlooking the minimal destruction of the city (well, missile shards did fall here and there), Takizawa slips his phone into Saki’s pocket. Saki notes in a country with no kings, just like that he became a prince.

The Price Of Salvation: Total Recall, Mess-aiyah And Johnny Be Good!
Seeing how the TV series ended, ah well… I don’t think I want to go ahead and watch the 2 movies that are supposed to be the continuation and possibly a closure and answers to a lot of other questions left hanging. You know me and my affinity for movies. Heh. Can’t sit and watch a show that lasts for 1.5 hours but I can sit for 6 hours straight just to binge watch an anime series with a dozen episodes. Something wrong. Definitely. Nobody saved me from this atrocious mind set. Whatever. Anyway, before I drift off into something so unrelated, so yeah, I don’t think I am interested to go watch the movies and will just leave my sentiments and thoughts for this series hanging. If they even had to make a movie compiling all the 11 episodes and call it a director’s cut or something, I think it’s safe to say that I would be having a hard time with the sequel movies.

While the series starts off with an intriguing and enigmatic plot, along the way I started to feel it went downhill. They drag out the plot long enough to last a season and by the point the TV series ended, I already lost my enthusiasm. Though they just saved Japan from another Careless Monday bombardment, the overall game still feels that it had not moved an inch. Blame myself for thinking that this was going to be another survival game where people die trying to outwit each other. I thought this would be like Mirai Nikki but other than the general concept of players playing a deadly game, everything else differs. I thought it got the ball rolling with Kondou dying and soon other players would die too. It is unfortunate that Kondou remains the only one dead. Everybody else is much alive. Even Hiura is alive because I read in spoilers (another excuse why I won’t watch the movies) he just got his memories erased. Heck, even Itazu survived that accident and is all bandaged in hospital! Though it is unclear over Mononobe and Yuuki because I read they tried to kill each other but their fates remained unknown. And yeah, the big guy Mr Outside himself is actually alive and is the Supporter. Spoiler: He’s the cab driver or at least masquerading as one. Man, Kondou sure really lucked out on this one. Thinking how he even got killed by Misae is just so mind boggling. Like it was out of plot convenience or something.

Fuelling my decision not to watch the movie are the comments I read all over the internet. Basically, it is obviously divided into camps who love the series and those who hate it. From my standpoint, I feel there are more of the latter. I don’t believe that this series is really that bad or even mediocre. It is just that is drags out the story and even include side plots that don’t really seem to be important. It could have been better had this series been 2 cours instead of its continuation in movie format because like I’ve said for myself, I would have gone ahead and binge watch them. But after reading more negative comments compared to those few praising it, in addition to my waning interest at the end of the TV series, I think it’s an excuse for me just to opt out and not waste my time on something if it isn’t going to be conclusive. Spoiler: Takizawa did meet Mr Outside and they both discuss plans to make Japan a better place. So does this means the others lost? Not quite. Further spoilers: All remaining survivors declared winner and got their memories erased! How convenient. You’re a winner, he’s a winner, she’s a winner, everybody’s a winner! And Takizawa erasing his memories so many times so this means he is immune to his memories resetting again. How convenient.

It could have been better if they had delve more into the workings of the game as well as other Selecao players. Because everything feels so vague apart from the few rules that are actually penalties to keep you in line with the objective of being given 10 billion yen. I figure out that this might be so because if you put too many rules, it might stifle the creativity and freedom of trying to save this nation. After all, Mr Outside is trying to see if there is a different and efficient approach in saving the country. To do that, he needs to be open minded. If he was close minded, he wouldn’t have made this stupid game and used the money himself. So I understand the lack of clarities of the rules. But it is how Juiz gets the orders done so quickly. Like as though she has magic. It is seen that every ‘magic’ moment, there is something in the background to actually make that happen. For instance, Kondou using his finger gun to kill his debt collectors was actually the police sniping from afar. Kuroha’s raven flying gig was actually some really expensive visual effects! Sure, it costs a lot but how can Juiz so effectively get it done like almost instantly? How many connections does she have? Is everybody so easily swayed including the PM to so something in a jiffy when told? I suppose everybody has a price. By the way, spoilers told me she isn’t a machine but quadruplet granddaughters of Mr Outside! Damn, this is getting weirder and weirder the more I read. After all, even if Juiz can seemingly do anything, she can’t do everything. She isn’t God. Otherwise, why not just use up the 10 billion yen at first go and order her to just save the country? There. Game over. So easy. I’m so smart.

The real issue is the plague that has befallen Japan and turning the nation into a pathetic state. I think this also applies in real life. Almost everyone views Japan as a very advanced state and with people with unrivalled hospitality and kindness. We want to believe it is so but could it be that everything is just superficial? Because we also know the downfalls of Japanese society itself that nobody is talking about such as overworking to death and sexual harassment of females in a male dominated workplace. Thus is was perplexing for me at first when I heard the goal of the chosen Selecao is to use the money to save Japan. I mean, how? What constitutes in saving Japan? How do you define and conclude Japan has been saved? Not even the world’s greatest country (arguably) America is the greatest and has very obvious open flaws. For example, Hiura’s goodwill intentions in establishing a hospital to save the elderly and Kuroha picking out rapists. Are they not good enough to save Japan? Even if it is just a small segment that benefits? Because if it’s not, than nothing will. Perhaps this is why Mr Outside at the end of both movies, declared all of them winners. Because no single correct method. No one size glove fits all. Hence all the Selecao alone might not save the country but with everyone’s efforts, it makes them greater than the sum of parts. So it begs the question, can money actually save the people? I know, I know… We the people have to change first, right? But from past experiences, I don’t think humans in general aren’t willing to change so quickly.

Character wise, I think the only one that shines is Takizawa. He eludes this enigmatic kind of charm and the more you see him, the more you want to know about him. It’s pretty cliché he took on the villain role and the convenience of being an amnesiac character makes this whole drama intriguing. Too bad, still not Jason Bourne material. I just wondered why he got a gun in hand when he first appeared and of all places, naked in DC. So the gun was just red herring? The big problem is Saki’s character. In fact, I thought deeply about it and eventually believe that she is quite irrelevant to the story overall. She isn’t even a damsel in distress! She’s just some lost soul tagging along for some adventure because I suppose her charming prince is more interesting than stupid society. Without Saki, the plot could have moved along faster and cut out those Takizawa-Saki moments that felt like some romance drama troll just to disappoint those who were hoping for some chemistry to happen between them. Saki doesn’t really do anything integral to the plot or even the game itself. She is just a character who could be symbolized as us viewers who are clueless about Takizawa’s background. Hence the need for some explanations when the time calls for it. So it’s like the more she wants to know about him, the more suspicious he gets to a point she starts wondering who the hell he is. It’s like she wants to be with him but is scared to know the truth about him. What if this, what if that. Now you happy he isn’t a real terrorist? Still want to stick by your prince? Hell yeah. Better than being a corporate slave and put up with corporate b*tches. I wonder if she is over her sister’s husband…

The other Eden characters also feel like additional side plots that we don’t need. Had they not been featured, the series would have moved along even faster! So uhm, what the heck is the significance of the recognition software Mikuru wrote anyway? I don’t see how relevant it is for the TV series except to sew some suspicions when there is no data on Takizawa. It might be some minor stepping stone to introduce them to Itazu but it feels like a roundabout and they could’ve inserted that Panties guy somewhere in between unrelated. And yeah, Oosugi. It’s like they have to put in this character to troll us some possible love triangle because this dude is obviously so in love with Saki but not sure if Saki is just pretending not to notice and turn a blind eye. Oosugi’s jealousy of new guy Takizawa is so obvious and they’re probably for comic relief. Too bad it sucks to be you Oosugi because the other thing that Takizawa has other than his charm that you don’t have is money! 8 billion in his phone at least for the time being! Gotta do better than that.

Can’t say much about the other members of Eden but I don’t even see how Hirasawa wants to turn it into some NEET paradise. I don’t know, if you ask me, being a NEET is more of a privilege. Yeah, how mind boggling those NEETs stayed in the container to Dubai for 3 months naked! Why aren’t they even clothed?! Are you telling me that NEETs are generally naked because they hole up in their rooms and hence no need for clothes?! Yeah, this series has got to hold the record of having the most gathered johnnies in one place!!! Why are they looking well enough?! Because being holed in a container all the way around the world doesn’t look very comfortable. And do you know how big 20,000 a number is? It’s amazing the entire roof of the mall didn’t collapse when everyone gathered there. It doesn’t feel like even half that number. I could be wrong, though. Hey, at least somebody cares enough for NEETs.

Another big unfortunate thing is how the other Selecao players are not given enough screen time. You’d think that they would be essential to the plot of the series but I think only half of them have appeared here. Heck, I read from spoilers that there is one Selecao’s identity who is never known. Not even appearing in the movies. Considering this is an original anime, I suppose they want to put enough numbers there in case they need some other plot. After all, it would have been more interesting to meet these other characters and know their ideals on how to save Japan. Even so, those like Hiura and Kuroha who don’t plan to win, their back story and current circumstances are just sufficient. Like as though they are just bits and puzzles to help Takizawa move on to the next stepping stone in understanding his erased memories. Mononobe looks and act like the main antagonist but he hardly does anything but just latches on a disgruntled Yuuki. And just like that, there’s your answer to Japan’s Careless Monday. How convenient. Because of the lack of their back story, it makes some of these characters feel hollow. Like Tsuji. Don’t even know what he’s doing because he claims he has not even spent a cent ever since the game started. Unlike many other survival genres like Mirai Nikki, this isn’t a death game to see who finally survives. It is just a race to see who can make Japan better. So there’s no urgency in that sense. Though, the initial threat everybody gets killed when there is a winner feels flimsy.

Animation and art are pretty good. Though I can say this for the backgrounds and sceneries, I can’t say the same for the character designs. It’s not a bad thing actually. Because when I first look at Saki, I thought she looked a bit like a frog or that character from Ponyo On The Cliff! Really. I’m not kidding. The more I stare at her, the weirder she looks. The same case with some of the characters like Oosugi. This anime was done by Production I.G who did Guilty Crown, Suisei No Gargantia, Kimi Ni Todoke, Usagi Drop, Psycho Pass, Haikyuu and Kuroko No Basket.

There was once a time when I considered Saori Hayami as Mamiko Noto’s clone. Very funny enough, the first time I heard Saki’s voice in the first episode, I thought it was Mamiko Noto. This is me well knowing that Saki is voiced by Saori Hayami before I started watching the show. I guess this as one of her early days in voice acting, she wasn’t ‘refined’ enough. Then subsequent episodes I must have gotten used to her voice and didn’t think she sounded as Mamiko Noto’s clone anymore. Strange indeed. One thing to note that in the first episode where it is staged in America, they used real English speaking people to voice out the minor roles. That’s why those Americans really sound very authentic when they speak English. I guess this beats having Americans speak fluent and perfect Japanese just for convenience. But the mind boggling part was how the Americans in the show know Japanese because Takizawa was speaking to them in Japanese although they replied in English. Weird.

Other than me recognizing Nobuyuki Hiyama as Itazu and Koji Yusa as Tsuji, the other casts are Ryohei Kimura as Takizawa (Tsubasa in Kyoukai No Rinne), Takuya Eguchi as Oosugi (Kon in Ixion Saga DT), Rei Igarashi as Kuroha (Precia in Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha), Sakiko Tamagawa as Juiz (Natsumi in You’re Under Arrest), Motoyuki Kawahara as Hirasawa, Atsushi Miyauchi as Mononobe (Niji in One Piece), Masakazu Morita as Yuuki (Ichigo in Bleach), Ayaka Saito as Mikuru (Tomoka in Girls Bravo), Kimiko Saitou as Sis (Chieko in Kuragehime), Hayato Taya as Kasuga (Kazuki in Shadowverse) and Hiroshi Shirokuma as Kondou (Warrod in Fairy Tail).

One of the things you’ll notice is the opening theme is sung totally in English. Feels familiar? Yup, because Falling Down is actually sung by the English rock band, Oasis. So either they didn’t have the budget to do their own opening or they think it would be cool to splash more royalties and to attract viewers with this Manchester groupie. Personally, the song feels weird to be paired with the series. Maybe something resonate with the lyrics but I wasn’t paying close attention. It feels like they’re just sampling the song because unlike many other TV anime songs, they have been re-edited just to fit the TV size of the opening credits. This one just feels like it just ‘ended’. Actually, it just fades somewhat. Weird. Back to anime style music with its ending theme, Futuristic Imagination by School Food Punishment. I just love the creative paper art animation in this ending credits segment. There is an insert song, Reveal The World by Brenda Vaughn which is quite nice to hear although it feels disjointed from the series. I like the very slow and jazzy soul-like music. Reminds me of Aretha Franklin and other similar divas’ style.

Overall, this series does have an interesting plot and set of characters but the execution of it makes it overall feel dragged out and there much more could have been done to flesh out the development of the story as well as some of its characters. Especially Saki. And I mean not just for the sake of trolling us with some budding romance. Maybe she’ll do better in the movies but who knows? I didn’t watch it and I certainly can’t tell. How much you gonna pay me to watch the series? Goes to show that no amount of money could change the country unless the people themselves change their mind set. And that is why no amount of money could make anime better if it is not spent wisely. No wonder there are so many big production and big budget flops these days. Good to know that money isn’t everything. RIGHT???!!! No amount of money could save the anime industry or a country but a bunch of naked NEETs and their johnnies actually do prevented Japan from a missile attack! Boy, now I’ve seen everything! Definitely priceless and no amount of money could buy!

Infinite Dendrogram

While we wait for the second part of Sword Art Online: Alicization – War Of Underworld to arrive, here is another spoof of that said series for us to pass the time. If you still somehow can’t get enough of virtual MMORPG, then Infinite Dendrogram is that fix while you wait for Kirito’s revival in that said anime. So if you know Sword Art Online and other virtual MMORPG styled animes, then I guess it saves the explanation of what this one is generally all about. If not, seriously, go read up about it! Or you can just watch it and find out first hand yourself.

Episode 1
With the release of a MMORPG, Infinite Dendrogram, Reiji Mukudori puts on his discount NerveGear and dives in. With the help of Cheshire, he creates his avatar under the moniker Ray Starling and gets his equipment while being told he can do anything he wants. That’s why this game has infinite possibilities. Even more so he is given an Embryo that will hatch and match his personality. He is sent down into the world. Can’t he just be teleported onto the ground instead of skydiving? Somehow he survived. He enters the capital and is supposed to meet his brother, Shu. But he bumps into Liliana Grandria. Damn, you mean all his arm bones broke after that bump?! After she heals him, she reveals her little sister, Miliana is missing. As he has no means to help yet, she leaves her contacts. This then triggers a quest as Ray realizes she is an NPC. Meeting up with Shu (Big the Cat x Pedo Bear?!), he tells what happened and Shu explains that due to infinite possibilities, NPCs also can trigger quests. Taking a look behind the note, it seems Miliana has gone to the ruins at the outskirt of the capital to find berries. It’s a monster lair now. Worried that this might be a timed quest, due to realism, if NPCs die, they really die for good. So what if players die? They just get locked out of the game for 24 hours, which translates to about 72 in-game hours. DAMN! I THOUGHT YOU WILL REALLY DIE IN THIS GAME!

So the brothers head to the ruins to see Liliana staving off the bugs. After helping them, the quest is not over as monster worms pop up. What is worse than a monster worm? Why, 4 of them! Shu thought he can handle them but gets owned! Oh sh*t! He’s dead?! Liliana will fend them off while Ray takes Miliana to safety. He agrees since he is level 0. He finds out she was perhaps duped by a man into coming here to get berries since she wanted to make a cake for her sister’s birthday and all the shops were sold out. But a monster worm is after them. Ray tries to be a hero to fight it off while he buys time for Miliana to run. He gets owned all the time. Thank goodness he came prepared with healing potions. Until the worm targets Miliana. Last potion gone. Desperate times calls for desperate action as Ray calls forth his Embryo to give him a happy ending. And so pops out this hot chick, Nemesis becoming his shield and then a death sword for him to slay the worm. Vengeance is mine! Happy ending indeed when the sisters reunite. Even more so when Shu is still alive. He dug his way to safety. That long? So all that reward is just the berries Miliana collected? Oh well, everybody is safe. Ray couldn’t ask for more than that. Then he realizes Shu is the culprit because he bought all the berries from the shop just to make a dessert and celebrate Ray’s first dive. Why you little???!!!

Episode 2
Hmm… There seems to be a conspiracy to weed out intelligent NPCs like Liliana and her sister. Even their backup plan to do so failed because of ‘interference’ of a lowly ranked player. Celebrating Ray’s success, Shu talks about the different types of Embryos. So Nemesis is a hybrid and a Superior? Gee, lucky Ray. As for Liliana not liking Shu, well, there was a past between them. 6 months ago, the machine city of Dryfe Imperium waged a war on this Altar Kingdom. The former massacred the latter easily all because Altar’s king didn’t put up any reward for this unlike Dryfe. Hence many top ranked players did not join. To add salt to injury, Dryfe’s neighbour, Caldina invaded in the middle. Many in Altar died and they lost a lot of their land. Liliana’s father who was the knight commander was one of the many killed. Liliana is mad at Shu as he didn’t participate in the war. He couldn’t risk his gear broken and revealing his identity. After the war, many migrated to other nations and with the rankings shuffled, Ray thinks it is a good idea to be a top rank player. Ray decides to become a paladin. There are strict criteria to become one but you bet Ray can meet almost all its conditions. After parting ways with Shu, Ray and Nemesis adventure on their own. Along the way, they meet and help another new player, Rook Holmes and his Nemesis, Babylon. They become friends. Later, Ray barely dodges an attack from something that tried to kill him. He realizes somebody is doing player killing (PK). Ray tries to run but gets killed. 24 hour lockout. When he returns, Nemesis feels depressed and blames herself for not being able to fight better. Thank goodness this is a game so they can try again. Oh yeah. Back in business. So to avoid becoming PK victims, they have to do some grinding at the royal cemetery where it is prohibited. So, Nemesis is afraid of ghosts? More ironic, she is afraid of slicing zombies but is okay cutting up much hideous monsters? Ray better clean her good after this. Soon, they thought another player is trying to kill them but he turns out to be Figaro (one of the top ranked players) as he apologizes for mistaking them as monsters. He is here because he wants to see how far beneath he can go. He then suggests Ray to head to the next kingdom, Gideon. They offer battles in arenas and they can fight without dying. However all paths to Gideon is closed for the time being. He hopes to meet them there when the maps are finally opened.

Episode 3
Ray and Rook talk about the sudden disappearance of PKs. Marie Adler who is a journalist joins in this discussion to give them some juicy details. Of course it isn’t going to be free. She confirms that top players from each region have taken out the PK groups. Like in the south, Figaro singlehandedly destroyed the Mad Castle clan. Think you’re tough and superior? Figaro is even more superior than that! Then in the east, Tsukuyo Fuso of the Lunar Society eliminated the threats while in the west, Lei Lei, Prodigal of Feasts did the honours. In the north, the PK group is unknown as they attack from the shadows. But with the battleship might of King of Destruction, yeah the entire forest is destroyed! Even so, it is believed the PK group only known as Superior Killer escaped alive. Ray and Nemesis head there to check things out when Nemesis discovers a secret portal that no other players could have found. It leads to Cheshire as he explains how PKs aren’t punished unless that person is most wanted on the list. Because players who have committed sins can just log out and log in back as a new free person, this would only lead to repeat offenders. So is this the biggest loophole in the system? There is a prison to lock up those players but that player must be defeated first. This means the strongest criminals would most likely remain at large. Ray returns to Rook as they look through the guide to earn money from jobs, now that the path to Gideon has been reopened. WTF Rook’s job is a pimp?! Is that this world’s term for monster taming?! Marie wants to join in too since she has business in Gideon. Meanwhile travellers are ambushed by goblins. Fleeing them is one thing. But then they got owned big time by, uhm, Berserker?!

Episode 4
Ray and his party stumble into goblins ambushing travellers. What else but to help them kills those annoying green pests. Rook might have taken the lion’s share in eliminating the pack but it’s not over because the big goblin boss, Gardranda drops in to avenge his underlings. They can’t get too close to him seeing he can spew poisonous miasma. Ray gets hit and finds his life force depleting. Marie’s elixir helps stop the decline for a few minutes. Enough time for him to slice and destroy his head. However as he remembers clearly, such monsters have their heart in the stomach. With the elixir’s effect over, Ray has no more strength left. Then some option pops up for Nemesis. Must decide whether to take this or not. Hurry. Gardranda is charging. Ray accepts this gamble and this allows Nemesis to transform into her second and more powerful form. Yeah, he has his life bar healed and his skills are sharper. He fights on par with the monster boss until he finally destroys his entirety with a single blow. He receives a special item as reward for this victory and even named as MVP! But Ray knows that he didn’t entirely deliver the finishing blow by himself. Somebody shot his Embryo to help hasten Gardranda’s defeat. Could it be Superior Killer? In the aftermath, a funeral is held for unfortunate NPCs who were killed. Ray questions if this is really a game. Well, you’re playing it. For defeating Gardranda, a bounty reward is also given so Ray and co argue who should get the lesser share. My, so humble aren’t we? Ray practises his newly acquired skills but it backfires. Need more practice. He is then approached by a strange guy in a penguin suit. Flamingo is his name? Suspicious. He gives Ray something to drink. And he just drinks it like that without batting an eyelid?! Thanks to that, he grows a pair of animal ears. Ray is mad and threatens to slice him if he is not turned back but I think the fault is his to begin with for being too trusting. Flamingo claims his experiment is a success and even wants to take a picture of Ray topless! This bird really wants to be killed. Though, he runs away and assures the effects will be gone after 10 hours of login time. Ray wonders if he knows him because Flamingo knows his name.

Episode 5
Ray is worried about his ears. But nobody cares. He shops around for new clothes since Rook got a cool coat himself. Seeing a long queue at the gatcha, Ray tries his luck. So he got a silver horse, eh? Hi-yo Silver?! Unfortunately he can’t ride it despite being a paladin. So he must obtained such skill as a lowly knight first? Gee, that’s the downfall if you skip ranking up properly, huh? Anyway, he learns that it is going to cost a lot just to learn that skill. Need to go find a job. Then he spots a woman being surrounded by ruffians. She is supposed to hand them ransom money to secure her little brother’s release but they’re going back on their word. Before Ray could jump in and help her, another hero, Hugo Lesseps does so. He gets beaten up!!! Ray punches one guy out and has the rest fleeing. The woman pleads to save her brother because this clan is famed for not only kidnapping but eating children! Of course the heroes will do this free of charge. Hugo then introduces his Embryo, Cyco who has interrogated those ruffians their hideout. Then he summons his mecha so they can head over there. Hugo fights the ruffians outside to allow Ray to head deeper into the base to rescue. To his horror, he sees murdered children in zombie form trying to kill him. So Nemesis isn’t afraid of these? Yeah. Just mad at the despicable person who would do this. Ray burns them all to free their suffering. Then he starts to understand what Hugo meant about players who have maiden type Embryos don’t believe Infinite Dendrogram is a game. It could be these feelings close to being real that made it hard for them to carry on and quit. Well, he can’t quit now. Meanwhile Hugo faces off with the gang’s boss, Gouz. As a strong monster, Hugo is easily owned. Hugo thought of retreating to avoid the penalty of death but after seeing eating children and targeting live ones, screw all that. You’re going down. So he releases the seal on Cyco to turn her into her true form. So Cocytus (her real name) becomes some armour to enhance his mecha? Back to Ray, he enters a room and rescues a kid lying in the middle of some incantation circle. Didn’t he realize this is a trap? Walked straight into it and got killed!

Episode 6
The mastermind is some centaur, Maise. He brags about the need to take lives in order to become some immortal and he is close to achieving it. Oh well. That’s his death flag. Because Ray revives and attacks him. Maise’s attacks bear no impact so he runs outside for Gouz to help. Too bad he is dead. Cornered, Maise begs for his life and will give all his money. Ray doesn’t want money. His life is good enough payment. And he punches his head off! While they go rescue to children inside, the bandits try to steal the loot. They carelessly touch Maise’s item so it activates some trap and absorbs all of them including the dead into this giant monstrous centaur. When Ray and co come out, they see this sh*t. They have no chance of beating it at this rate but Ray will hold it off enough for Hugo to bring the children to safety. Then there’s something Nemesis said about they have a chance to beat it. Because they absorbed Maise’s attacks, they need to time their attack when Maise’s grudge is in control (because multiple grudges are controlling it) and then move in for the kill. Though they manage to find the core that Maise is controlling, Ray takes a lethal blow. Unconscious, Nemesis lets him drink whatever potion left to heal him. Not much but better than nothing. Why does she need to put the liquid in her mouth and then kiss him? Why not just put the entire bottle in his mouth? Isn’t that faster?! Anyway, Nemesis now goes off to fight the monster. Meanwhile, somebody is showing Ray his past. A time he saved a girl from an oncoming traffic but it caused his elder brother, Shuuichi to sprain his ankle. He felt guilty because he was participating in a martial arts competition that day. So Shuuichi told him how proud he was for his actions and some radix point explanation, blah, blah, blah. As long as you don’t give up, the possibility still exists. And big brother showed him by winning the tournament. This flashback is shown by Gardranda. He is now in a form of a cute ogre girl?! So she is now some incomplete power inside him? Ray wakes up to help Nemesis in trouble with his new power. Yeah, to new possibilities! The monster is defeated and he gets new goodies. Meanwhile we see Flamingo and Hugo know each other. Hugo notes Ray will be a hinder to their plan but Flamingo says he is no cause to worry. If their plan goes wall, some war they are waging will end with minimal casualties.

Episode 7
Ray sees Marie for advice about his weakness so she tells him to raise his agility and endurance stats instead of just focusing on strength. And something about Embryo needing an ultimate skill. Because Marie hinted like as though her own Embryo has got it, Ray notes he has never seen hers. Marie then changes the topic. She then gives tickets to Gideon to watch the tournament in which one of the anticipated match is Figaro against Xunyu. Later Ray and Nemesis meet up with Shu to talk about things. Nemesis gets to know Shu’s real life. To put it shortly, it is all over the place. Though he is now retired and living with his earnings he won from the lottery, before that he was doing jobs as an actor, singer, martial arts and even assistant lecturer! Ray then meets up with Hugo to split his huge reward from the recently defeated monster. Yeah, he isn’t greedy and can’t take it all. Ray and co are at Gideon to watch the tournament. During the break, he thought Shu was supposed to come watch with them but he didn’t. Going to find him, it seems Shu is talking to Figaro (about something fishy going on in town). It seems both of them have something to hide from Ray so they lie and pretend about stuff. Shu gives Ray some telepathy cuff he never got the chance to give him. He can chat with another friend equipped with this.

Episode 8
Ray wants to bet all his money on Figaro? Not if Nemesis is his financial advisor and beats him up to make him change his mind. Xunyu takes this as an insult that Ray doesn’t believe she could win this. Ray thought she is holding a hostage (it’s just her assistant passed out from the supersonic air travel) and wants to fight her. You sure? Had not Shu stepped in, Ray would’ve not see it coming and died. Meeting up with the rest, Marie seems unnerved seeing Shu. She pretends she is afraid of bears. Likewise, Shu thought he recognizes Marie but he thinks her character is based on a character on a short lived manga. Figaro vs Xunyu fight begins. Xunyu even announcing she won’t budge from where she is standing until Figaro is on his knees. The fight is too fast for us to see so they kindly slow it down for us. And lots of explanations about the skills they used. I’m going to pass on that. Anyway, Figaro looks like he is only defending from Xunyu’s relentless attacks. And then she manages to steal a lung of his although she intended to aim for his heart. And then when Figaro drops all his equipment, it’s like he becomes stronger and faster. He is now on the offensive. Something about him getting stronger the more gear he takes off and the longer he fights, the more powerful his stats get and there’s no ceiling to it. Something about Figaro has been using his Superior Embryo since the start of the match despite the fact that nobody has ever seen him used it. Eventually Figaro cuts through Xunyu for the win and it is revealed his Superior Embryo is his heart. And then Flamingo drops in to interrupt. He reveals his true identity. He is mad professor Franklin from Dryfe who sent his robots to spark a war with Altar. The audience attack him but no effect. Then he holds the second princess, Elizabeth S. Altar hostage. He wants to play a game.

Episode 9
Flashback shows Marie stumbled upon punks trying to kidnap and sell a loli. She easily beats them up but they have to run from the guards who have found them. This loli turned out to be Elizabeth as she was tired of her strict royal life and just wanted to let her hair loose in town. So they became friends as Marie showed Elizabeth around town. Franklin tries to explain but the people keep ignoring his threats and attack him! So he is forced to unleash oxygen slimes to devour them. That is by the way part of the game. The oxygen slimes can only be destroyed by destroying this controller in his hand. They have an hour or it’s game over. Shu feels something amiss since he is telling everyone a way to win. Elizabeth and Franklin are riding some manta ray as Franklin explains his goal of doing this is to break the spirits of Superiors before the next war. The arena is also cordoned off with some barrier in which if they destroy it, more monsters will be unleashed randomly around town. However it seems there is a loophole as players below level 50 can go through it. Ray, Rook and other low levelled masters go through but are now faced with Franklin’s men from Dryfe. Of course Ray surprises them all with moves that nobody expects a rookie could pull off. I guess they haven’t heard about a rookie who defeated 2 unique boss monsters. Suddenly someone takes out Franklin. He realizes of all the Superiors who can do this, it is one without a Superior Embryo. One who is no other than Superior Killer. Marie saves Elizabeth but soon is snatched away by Franklin. He survived because he transferred his damage to his nearby monsters. Franklin knows Marie is the Superior Killer and lets one of his confidante handle her, Veldorbell. Meanwhile Hugo and Cyco are guarding some gate. Dumb players think they can rush and defeat them in numbers but Cyco freezes them all over.

Episode 10
A short flashback shows Veldorbell as a musician but realized he couldn’t create anything. Then he stumbled upon Infinite Dendrogram where any possibility is endless! Marie is having a hard time fighting of Veldorbell and his Embryo. She takes a huge damage and that’s why we are obliged to see her flashback. In real life, she is a mangaka and one day she was just dropped. Although another publisher picked her up, she found it hard to breathe life into Marie, a character she created in her manga series. At a lost, she then stumbled upon Infinite Dendrogram. So by playing the game, she hopes to find what she had lost sight of and roleplaying as Marie would give her new ideas for her character. So back to the fight, in short Marie owns this old dude because of some ability of hers to just vanish from this world although it eats up a lot of her SP. Franklin rendezvous with Hugo. Franklin is going outside to fight all the royal knights outside. He also wants Hugo to let only Ray through if he comes by. Because he wants to fight him. And now we get a flashback from Yuri Gautier. Who? Anyway, French girl looked like she lived a happy rich upper class French life. Turned out her father was a wife beater and her older sister ran away because he hated her clay crafting hobby and also she was against the arranged marriage. Then the parents divorced (naturally) and Yuri was left to ponder if she could have protected her family better then. Protected them like the brave knight she always saw in plays. And when she stumbled upon Infinite Dendrogram, that’s why she embodied her avatar as that childhood wish of hers. Yup, she is Hugo. Ray arrives and is shocked to see Hugo on the side of the enemy. Hugo lets Ray pass as per Franklin’s request so Rook will have to take over fighting him. But first, Ray and Hugo clash once just to see who is superior. Ray of course. Franklin easily defeats the magic knights because of his, uhm, potato monster? It’s called RSK. Hmm… Ray Starling Killer? And the only person who can take it on (baked potato now?) arrives. Ah, Ray. You’re here.

Episode 11
Since last episode we didn’t have enough time, now we delve into Rook’s flashback. Born in London to a detective father and a thief mother, he inherited both their abilities. They didn’t want him to follow their footsteps and left him to figure out what he wanted to do in life. Unfortunately they died in a plane crash. At a loss, Rook discovered Infinite Dendrogram as a client requested his father to unlock its mysteries. He hopes this can show him the way. Back to Rook and Hugo’s fight, we see Rook using his deductive skills to explain Hugo’s freezing power. And then also another explanation why he is such an irritating and kind of person he hates. Do we need to hear all that? Apparently it is just to buy time so that Rook can combine with Babylon to become some dragon armour hybrid. Too bad Rook didn’t have enough power to finish off Hugo. But at least he brought him out from his mecha to charm him. Now to focus on Ray’s fight. Franklin reminds Ray that time is running out. He throws the controller into RSK. The only way to save the city is to destroy RSK. Can Ray do it with only the help of Liliana and her fellow paladin, Lindos? Ray’s moves are ineffective on RSK because it seems Franklin knows all of Ray’s stats. When he got those animal ears, it also acts as a transmitter of his stats and abilities for 24 hours. Hence this allowed Franklin to learn all his moves and created a monster specifically to kill him. Yeah, now I know why it’s called RSK. Franklin claims he lost to Ray once and made it a point to get revenge. Franklin was the one who set up Miliana to look for berries at the ruins. Had Ray and Shu not interfere, his assassination plans would have worked. Ray is ever pumped up to punch this guy. Ray uses his ability to check that the monster’s real name isn’t RSK but something else. It could be RSK summoned another monster inside that is doing all the attacks. Hence outside attacks by Ray didn’t work. He has an idea to take it down but it is a risky gamble. After all, it is not like Franklin knew his other newly acquired skills after that 24 hour window, right? So from what I can see, Ray gathers up all the fear of the people in the city, condense it into one big compressed chunk of air and then releasing it all at once. Once he gets on RSK, he uses Gardranda’s ability to nullify whatever. And Ray stands out as the winner.

Episode 12
Ray is charred and is being healed. Franklin pulls off a dick move by summoning a few more monsters all over the city that are stronger than RSK with a spare remote. But nothing happens. Apparently Marie has disabled all those concealed eggs all over the city. Phew. Meanwhile Rook and Hugo argue about Franklin’s character. Hugo thinks he knows Franklin and is confident he will not hurt NPCs. But it’s the opposite for Rook. Because he doesn’t know Franklin and from what he has seen today, he is definitely has something more sinister up his sleeve. Rook’s prediction comes true as Franklin announces something more sinister. He summons his Superior Embryo, Pandemonium which is actually a giant monster making factory-cum-fortress. He will be releasing over 56,000 monsters into the city and the first 5,000 are his suicide series! Ray is healed enough to go back into battle. But can he take on all the monsters? Well, not if he has Marie to help. Also, he knows Marie is Superior Killer because of her aura. So no point hiding it from him. Are they both enough to take on the monsters? Not if Rook and other rookie adventurers pitch in. Are those monsters really that weak? Meanwhile Shu has changed to his true form and breaks the barrier in the arena. Ray knows he might not survive this but will put up a fight till he dies. Not going to happen! Because Shu is here! Because this guy is the King of Destruction, his strength is off the charts as he easily destroys the monsters! WTF. Couldn’t he acted like this from the start?! But even if his agility is slow, how can he fight monsters with faster speed? Real life martial arts training, huh? How the f*ck does that translate into the game?! Figaro and Xunyu know that there are self-destruct monsters in the arena and Franklin will not hesitate to use it once this plan fails. You bet they’re going to do something about it. A huge mecha destroyer pops up to give Pandemonium a run for its money. This is when Franklin realizes his plans are all foiled and he cannot win. No matter how he planned it, they come up with something better to counter. There’s only 1 way to erase their victory and his defeat…

Episode 13
Franklin activates some bug under the arena but it was swiftly dealt with by a master in the stands. Franklin wonders why Shu didn’t attack his Pandemonium directly and that would have stopped everything. Gee, dumb question because he answered it himself. Because Elizabeth is here! Also, Ray wanted to come here and asks Franklin a few questions. Among them are his thoughts about this world’s NPCs. Franklin doesn’t know if this is really cutting edge technology of if the NPCs are aliens from another world. One thing he knows if that either way, this is not a game and he would still have done the same thing. He is done being manipulated and will crush anyone who stands in his way. Franklin realizes too late that Ray was perhaps the decoy because Marie has rescued Elizabeth right under his nose! Franklin needs a way to get out of this seeing he has totally lost. But Hugo (hinting Franklin is his sister!) comes to protect him from Ray’s attack. Ray might have lost an arm so is he going to use the other arm? Hell, no! His mouth wielding Nemesis to cut through Hugo!!! Because that other arm is to punch Franklin in the face! You mean he just stood there and took the punch?! Wow. He really resigned to his defeated fate. Liliana heals Ray’s wounded up but there is nothing she can do about the one that got cut off. Tsukuyo may be able to do something but that’s another problem…

Everyone celebrates this victory as we see Shu, Figaro and Xunyu talk about King of Beast who is the physically the strongest and The Earth who is magically the strongest being part of the spectators in the arena. They wonder if the former was in cohorts with Franklin because if she was, the plan would have been designed around her. As for the latter, he could be here after hearing about Franklin’s terrorism’s plans. Speaking of him, Shu once fought him to a draw. Back in Dryfe, Franklin fires Hugo from his clan. Veldorbell will also be leaving since he has another goal. He talks about the many people who came and go in this game under him. He must’ve got used to all the betrayals. He asks why Hugo protected him in those final moments. Hugo doesn’t know and starts crying. Franklin suggests Hugo go travel the world and broaden his horizons. One day they’ll meet again. Oh, here’s a birthday present as parting gift. Can’t forget little sister’s birthday. Of course this is all part of Franklin’s plan because with Hugo out of the way, he will no longer have the conscience to hold him back so this time he is going all out to kill Ray. We see Ray and Nemesis in an exhibition match with Marie. Trying to test his level with only an arm? And looks like Elizabeth has snuck out from the castle again to go watch this. After all that has happened, you’d think the royal guards would have put a tighter security. It’s like they’re NPCs that don’t learn! Ray isn’t too happy he has earned a lot of nicknames. Unbreakable is one of them. Of course we have to be reminded that this has all been a game so Rei puts down his game and prepares for college. Welcome back to the mundane and boring reality!

Unlimited Possibilities Of Crap…
Oh yeah. As long as there is a sliver of possibility, nothing is impossible! The chances are zero! Don’t give up! It’s all within your reach if you keep trying! That’s what seizing possibilities is all about! Great advice. So I’m taking this opportunity to get out of this series despite I watched the whole damn season. I don’t think this will get another season and I’m hoping it won’t but damn that dreadful possibility seizing lecture. As long as it is not zero! F*ck this sh*t. I’m outta here! Oh damn. Not this mundane and boring game called reality! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh? Oh well. Now I guess I understand how Franklin feels. You just can’t win no matter how hard you’ve tried thinking you’ve got everything planned out and covered. There’ll always be people like Ray and his band of merry overpowered characters screwing you over. Wow. Virtual reality so real like real life. Is that a success or failure?

I can’t make out of what the story wants to be because it is all over the place. I suppose that is why this series is called so. If you don’t know what a dendrogram is, to put it simply, it is like a tree diagram that branches out. Hence the reason why they said that there could be infinite crap possibilities, it is one way to cover the poor excuse of poor story and writing. I mean, they already said that anything could happen, right? Yup. Anything. Infinitely. That’s why you have the first half of Ray powering up by fighting big bosses impossible for rookies and gaining allies while in the second half you have some terrorist attack by a mad scientist avatar jerk. Really. It’s just nothing out of the ordinary or special. Just plain boring. It is unfortunate that they give an impression that this world has a history of its own like that whatever war then. Some heroes fought in it (Tsukuyo, Lei Lei, forgot about them already?). Whatever. But it wasn’t fleshed out properly so eventually it doesn’t really matter. Like as though they needed some flimsy story and setting just to make it look like this game world isn’t as crappy as you want to think it is. After all, remember, infinite possibilities! Yeah. Too bad we got the bad ones.

Taking a look at what happened so far, it would have been better that all this would have been better if the setting was of the isekai genre. Unfortunately that genre is so greatly despised at this point so they can’t use that for this season. Hence this virtual MMORPG ‘substitute’ until our anger for this particular genre subside. The setting would work better as a fantasy isekai with the way things played out but perhaps if you think deeper and from another perspective, virtual MMORPGs are also considered another form of isekai. But then again, it is not that we actually hate such genres. The bad writing and uninspiring characters have become such staples are the real reasons we dislike that bad series and overtime we got so sick and tired of it that we just happen to generalize it all under that genre. This series didn’t fare any better at all in improving our sentiments even if they are misguided misconceptions.

Even the characters aren’t really interesting especially Ray as the main character, he has got all the ingredients of what makes him a cliché main character. New kid on the block obtains special power ups and saves the day. That’s basically it. He is such a lucky player because I believe that almost anybody who gets such chance would also do well as him unless you’re a pure evil scumbag. Making it sad is that we don’t know much about Ray’s real life persona. It is as though we are close to almost forgetting that this is all just a video game and Ray’s avatar is the real thing, not Rei. That is why that one time he got killed and was locked out for a day before he could return playing the game! What a minor penalty even if it is 3 days inside the game. I suppose when you want people to keep playing your game, you can’t lock them out for a long time. They might jump ship, you know. Anyway, Ray being such a typical good character, you bet that he’ll be the next big hero should there be a big crisis hitting these (virtual) kingdoms. As for Nemesis, I’m only thinking they needed to put a cute female character as his partner who also serves as his weapon. Other than that, I can’t think more. Unfortunately I am not impressed with the dynamism between them. It just feels plain boring. Not even cute. Then there’s this mind boggling joke about her being afraid of zombies. Like, WTF. Yeah, it just really want to show us that she has some sort of persona and not just some mindless sword. Whatever. Now with Ray missing an arm, it’s going to get a lot cuter with Nemesis wondering if handling her with his mouth amounts to a kiss… Dream on…

Oddly, some of the characters have a short flashback of their real life persona like Marie, Rook and Hugo. (Ray’s flashback is basically Shu’s if you think about it). It is ironic that I find this more interesting than the actual story of the anime itself because despite how silly some of their reasons are to sign up for this virtual game, it still beats the actual story that is happening inside the game itself. Though it just sheds light on their real life but their in-game avatar, not so much. Then we have very strong players like Shu and Marie and even Figaro in the mix but they’re predictable since they way they act so suspicious to hide their true strength and only reveal it when the time calls for it (AKA plot convenience), nothing more to say about them. Especially Shu who has won the lottery in life and inside the game because he is essentially living the kind of dream and life that all gamers want. Grr… Kuma!

Last and not least, Franklin becoming the villain of this series, he feels more like a cartoonish villain more than anything. I don’t really understand his goal in doing this and I’m not sure because I’m a dumb simpleton or the show didn’t explain it very well. Or both. Not sure what Franklin’s original goal was but ever since Ray got in his way, it’s like the rest of the series is one big elaborate revenge plan just to take him out. It is said that the light novel that this anime is adapted form, tried to packed in a lot of volumes so you can see why there are missing a lot of explanations and stuffs. Especially that girl whom Rei passed by in the final scene of the last episode. I read spoilers that she is Franklin AKA Francesca in real life AKA Yuri’s older sister and lived in the same apartment as Rei. So what’s her deal having a grudge against Ray? Or Rei? Did he spurn her advances?! Hope not. I’m so lost. Hence if you really want to know in detail the characters and everything, the novel is the only way for you to understand better. Seeing that I am not impressed with the anime already, it’s an excuse for me not to go check it out.

They try to sound different by claiming how tians (the term for NPCs used in this game) have their own sort of life. So they’re like sentient beings? Like how Project Alicization is? Rip-off! Heck, we aren’t even sure if every human you see in real life are just NPCs! So they make it sound like a big deal that once they die, they never come back. Oh, so sad. Better be careful not to kill them then. I guess the irony is that this world isn’t so infinite after all. Because the possibility of bringing them back to life isn’t one of those choices. Sad. Even sadder how we don’t really care about any NPCs either. Assuming Liliana is one. I suppose it is to draw the line and tell the difference between normal players and, uhm, good players. Because as said, as far as I understand, the good players do not see this as a game but treat this game as something real. Like as though this is their real life. And so they go all out to do what is right and care for stuffs such as NPCs. Treat all life as sacred and valuable. Respect life. So if you’re just a normal player, you’d kill an NPCS without a second though and don’t care whether they respawn or not. Oh come on. Are we here not to have fun?! Why is everyone so serious?! Especially that terrorist thing in the second half. I don’t know if the programmers of the game purposely put it that way, though. There are lots of things I want to question regarding the programming of the game but I don’t want to open another can of worms. That’s why I said it should have been better as an isekai setting.

The action scenes are just pretty moderate. Just rather okay. Nothing really special. After all, we need a reason to see why Ray has powered up so much and accumulate a bunch of special moves but they aren’t really that memorable. I wanted to make a joke from his line whenever he uses Nemesis as a finishing move “Vengeance Is Mine” but it slipped off my tongue. Now it’s lost forever… And everybody else has got their own moves and animal familiars for variety but still nothing adrenaline pumping. Even the match between Figaro and Xunyu felt really plain. Is this the best Superiors get to offer? And they left Ray and Marie’s fight to our imaginations because I’m sure it would be devastating to us if they made it ‘official’ who is stronger than the other, huh? Can we just call it even? Like a draw?

Animation also feels mediocre. Though your typical conventional Japanese anime standard, sometimes I could see a drop in quality especially during the fight scenes. Sometimes the characters do look stiff and I’m wondering if it is because of the animation production quality or rather the in-game issues. Can’t be the latter. A game that offers such infinite possibilities that connects all your senses having drops in frame rate? Impossible! This anime is done by NAZ who did Hamatora, Hajimete No Gal and Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki.

Voice acting is also rather okay. They got a few big stars in the line-up but with such crappy story and characters, they couldn’t save the series. Like Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Franklin trying hard to cast off his Kirito stereotype but it always made me feel that this is what happens if Kirito turned to the dark side. Seriously. Then there are Satoshi Hino as Shu, Yoko Hikasa as Marie, Yui Ogura as Cyco, Kenichi Suzumura as Figaro, Nao Touyama as Xunyu, Takehito Koyasu as Maise and Aoi Yuuki as Liliana. The rest of the other casts are Souma Saitou as Ray (Tatsumi in Akame Ga Kill), Yuuko Oono as Nemesis (Asagiri in Mahou Shoujo Site), Makoto Koichi as Rook (Tsukasa in Nurse Witch Komugi R), Yuuki Takada as Babylon (Aoba in New Game), Ayumu Murase as Hugo (Joseph in Mahou Tsukai No Yome) and Aya Uchida as Elizabeth (Kotori in Love Live). The opening theme is Unbreakable by Aoi Yuuki (didn’t occur to me it was her singing). Generic rock music befitting this genre. Nothing special. Is it me or are the fonts used for the credits look ugly? Reverb by Aya Uchida as the ending theme also another generic rock piece. Just passable. But the animation has lots of pixel noise spamming your visuals. At first I thought the frame rate of this segment was bad…

Overall, this series unfortunately falls under the category of the ubiquitous novels getting a rushed adaptation. Boring story and characters as well as insufficient explanation of how things work that only serve to confuse those who aren’t familiar with the source material. It is no Sword Art Online or anywhere near it (even if it tries to rip-off a few of its concepts) but with Sword Art Online being the benchmark for all other series under this genre, definitely others will have a hard time surpassing the high yardstick it has set. This one you could say has stumbled before even leaping off the ground! Players play games to have fun but instead got caught in some terrorism war or something. Otakus watch anime to have fun but instead we got this bad crappy adaptation. Even sadder, there’ll be more of such garbage in the future to come if we continue to accept this inferior work. We’re already at breaking point. We’re already fragile and breakable. Too bad that vengeance is not ours.

Tsuujou Kougeki Ga Zentai Kougeki De Nikai Kougeki No Okaasan Wa Suki Desu Ka OVA

Well, well, well. Can’t get enough of your MILF fanservice, huh? You know what is even better? Beach episode MILF fanservice! YAY! A real proper beach episode that we didn’t get in the TV series. And so that is the basic excuse premise for Tsuujou Kougeki Ga Zentai Kougeki De Nikai Kougeki No Okaasan Wa Suki Desu Ka OVA AKA Okaa-san Online OVA. Is there any other reason to watch this than the obvious?! So what are you waiting for?! More Mamako please!

Do You Love Your Mom On The Shore?
Shirase has our gang have fun at the beach simply because she wants to grant our wishes for a beach fanservice episode. Yeah. Thanks a bunch! After we see the ladies in their swimsuits, Porta tries to blow her inflatable but runs out of breath. Masato tries to continue buy Wise stops him. Then everyone teases her for being worried about this indirect kiss. Her magic causes Masato’s trunks to rip. So Mamako hugs him to hide his privates! She is even willing to let him wear hers since she is not embarrassed! I bet Masato will die of embarrassment a thousand times! Thank goodness for spares… As they go dip in the sea, it seems Masato doesn’t like Mamako being too close to him. He sits out as Mamako feels sad. But so as not let this be all gloomy, the other ladies have fun with her. Then the watermelon splitting event, Porta turns an ordinary stick into a sword?! Masato is of course going to split it as Mamako guides him. Then he hits something soft. Turns out to be Mamako’s boobs! Cheeky mom even makes a cheeky remark he split her melons in 2! Somehow the sword becomes a boomerang and hits back on Masato’s head. He passes out but when he comes to, he is amnesiac. He doesn’t remember anything. Not even himself. So who is Mamako? You know, she could have just avoided all this confusion had she just said she is his mom. Instead, some long winded talk that he is her most precious in the world. Yeah… Masato feels comfortable being with Mamako and her words put his heart as ease. Since helping her cook is one of her many dreams, Masato is willing to make all her dreams come true.

So yeah, we’re playing this Twister game that for obvious reasons Masato won’t play with mommy anymore. You can tell how this is going to end. Best view for Masato, her ass before his face. Next is catching crabs. For obviously stupid reasons, the crab escapes and hides under Mamako’s bikini. Then it gets naughty enough to cut her bikini! Masato quickly hugs her to hide her modesty. So he doesn’t want anybody else to see her naked body. He is the only guy around, you know… With Masato and Mamako having such a swell time together, the other girls need to put an end to this or this will get troublesome. Hence Wise and Medhi try to seduce him to get his guard down so they could whack him on the head. Of course they also have plans to actually seduce him. But Masato can tell their intentions and tells them off. The girls get roasted about their boobs… They’re so dead. Masato and Mamako watch the sunset. More loving words from Mamako. This makes Masato realize as he confesses he loves her. Before he kisses her, a squid tentacle grabs Mamako. Oh right. This is supposed to be a fanservice episode, right? Masato saves her but realizes he called out to her as mom. Then the squid grabs Masato. Don’t tell me this squid is gay… Nobody touches her son. So Mamako uses her swords to defeat that squid. Masato is drowning but remembers flashback of some small beach mishap. Mom was there to console him. OMFG. Mamako becomes Moses as she splits the ocean apart to go get her son! OMFG! Masato has gotten his memories back and realizes mom has always been saving him. Back on the beach, free squid BBQ. Masato doesn’t remember his time while being amnesiac but Mamako isn’t sad because she knows Masato will always need his mom. Yeah, mom knows best, right? And then for some stupid reason, the heat causes the tentacle to jump and hit all the ladies. Now it’s their turn to have amnesia.

Is It Wrong To Pick Up Mama On A Beach?
Oh well. It was pretty much as expected as it would be. But it is still mind boggling to know that Masato actually lost his memories. IN A VIRTUAL GAME! I mean, how the heck could this happen? Is the game so powerful that it could also affect your real life memories? Whatever and however this works, it is just your cheesy reason so as to get some MILF fanservice. Because obviously Masato who is at his usual rebellious phase would never cooperate and do all this cheesy sexy stuff with his mom. So the only way he could do it all as if he is dating is if he lost his memories. Now you see why the perks of Mamako having such a hot sexy onee-sama body and looks? And my guess is that Mamako really wants to do this too because you do not even see her the slightest of being embarrassed that she is being literally seduced by her own son! I fear that when he grows up further, she would want to marry him! Assuming Papasuke is dead or divorced. But you get the point. You see Mamako enjoying herself to the last bit. This is why she didn’t tell an amnesiac Masato that she is her son. That is why she never resisted when Masato was slowly preparing to kiss her! I mean, he is your son! Do you not feel the slight disgust! YOUR SON! Thus she really wants to live this moment when her son who is now a hot hunk to give her that kind of romance. After all, it will be over soon, right? Such a great fleeting dream…

So yeah, Mamako is a real creepy mom if you think about it. And she might be right to know that Masato will always come back to rely on her. Heh… The rest of the other girls didn’t quite make an impact and even if they do, Mamako still steals the spotlight. Too bad Wise and Medhi, looks like we now know that even in Masato’s unconscious state, he’ll most probably choose mommy over you. Better try EVEN harder than that. And Porta still carrying her bag on her head everywhere she goes. Even to the sea. Now that they leave us with this cliff-hanger that it is the ladies’ turn to have memory loss, I am certain that Masato will not go so far as to brainwash mom that they are not close. Or at least keep her distance. I’m sure he is not that kind of son. But sometimes, a kid his age maybe needs his little distancing from mommy. Because at this rate, how can a guy like him spread his wings and fly if mommy keeps sheltering him? Uh huh. It’s like Mamako doesn’t want him to leave the nest at all… Wow. Too deep and dark thoughts for what should have just been an enjoyable mindless MILF fanservice. So thank you Mamako, for all the lovely fanservice for us viewers. I know the only guy in the world who will not enjoy this a single bit is your son but whatever. Millions of guys out there are made happy. And so it is true indeed that mothers really know best! ;p.

Itai No Wa Iya Nano De Bougyoryoku Ni Kyokufuri Shitai To Omoimasu

Remember before you faced off with the ultimate final boss of a game, you would stock up as much healing potions as you can? Or at least level up like mad before the final fight? And then when you fought the big bad boss, you realize that it wasn’t so bad in the first place and all that potion stocking and levelling up felt like a big waste of time? Yeah. But you can’t always be too sure, right? Because like they say, the best offence is a best defence. Itai No Wa Iya Nano De Bougyoryoku Ni Kyokufuri Shitai To Omoimasu (or Bofuri if that name is too freaking long for you to pronounce and remember) is like the ultimate defence version of Shinchou Yuusha. The main character hates pain so she puts all her points into defence, making her character the most impenetrable and rock solid defence ever. Don’t laugh. Better be safe than sorry.

Episode 1
Kaede Honjou has been pestered by her friend, Risa Shiromine to play this VRMMO game, New World Online (NWO). After putting on this discount NerveGear, she enters NWO and is tasked to enter a name. After inputting Maple, she needs to select a weapon. Not wanting to feel pain, she decides this shield is the best. As for distribution of her stats, she puts it all to defence. Don’t want to feel pain now, do we? Diving into the game, she asks a girl (Frederica) where to level up. In the forest, a cue bunny attacks her. But she feels no pain and gets no damage. After an hour, she seems to have built resistance and hence levelled up. So the next time to bunny continues to attack, it dies!!! WTF?! She levels up and earns more points in which she puts it all to defence. Next, a cute bee attacks. Though, she is not immune from its poison, she notices she can build immunity this way. So she purposely gets poisoned to build up resistance?! WTF?! Then using a simple attack to kill it. More level up, more stats and a special rare item ring. Wow. This game is too easy. Then she just sleeps there in the middle of the road while all the critters attack her. Once done, WTF she has built more resistance and skills???!!! SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS GAME?! Enough for today. Log out. Oh, it’s after midnight! Homework not done! Next day she logs in. Needing for better gear, she talks to this guy, Kuromu who seems to be the same shield wielder with her. He brings her to Iz who is a blacksmith. But since she has not enough money (a million gold is needed!), she is told the dragon’s labyrinth could earn her some treasures. First monsters are cute slimes. Her knife attacks don’t work, so how? She slams them with her shield! OMG! This does more damage?! Of course, new skills and level up achieved. Then she faces off with this poisonous hydra. She is not totally immune from its poison as her HP is decreasing. But each time, she drinks her health potion. So rinse and repeat this cycle. Guess what? She builds immunity to poison!!! WTF???!!! I swear this game is something wrong… But she can’t attack so how? She bites and eats the hydra until it dies!!! OMFG!!! I DON’T BELIEVE THIS!!! And yes, you know the drill. More levelling up in stats (you know where she’ll put it all), receives a really rare armour in which if it is broken, the next one gets stronger. I rest my case… No wonder she so happy and hooked in this game. So technically if I go by this game’s logic, if I die many times, will I build resistance to death and become an immortal???!!!

Episode 2
Wow. Maple is eating more bugs and levelling up… She then participates in NWO’s very first event. It’s not specifically stated what it is but from what I can see it’s like a battle royale. Hence, I’m thinking why is Maple participating in this if she has no intention to fight others? I mean, she’s just idling around and drawing nice pictures. When a guy comes to challenge her, he dies just after hitting her shield!!! OMFG! Soon everybody starts to gang up on her but you know, she’s so untouchable at this point. She’s even got some paralyzing skill to paralyze them all and take them all out in one fell swoop with her poison breath. Amazing. All without even really hitting others! In the end, Maple got third place (first is Payne while Dread in second). It’s no wonder everyone is in shock. Is her shield actually legal or broken? Next time, Risa now manages to log in to play with Kaede. She goes by the name Sally and she doesn’t think of increasing her defence points. Because if she doesn’t get hit, it doesn’t matter, right? Also, there are some weapons that will automatically increase her hit points so she won’t increase that either. Because she wants to be a fast swashbuckler, she puts her stats in agility. As Maple wants to change the colour of her shield, Iz told her that in some underground lake of the southern city has white fish scales. Riding on Sally’s back, they make haste there. They do some fishing but with Maple’s low agility, she cannot swim. Hence Sally does the exploration around the lake. You know you’re near the treasure when some monster fish boss is around. Sally gets into serious mode to fight it until she beats it. And the treasure she got? Hmm… Some cool looking cape? Then the announcement of another event. Because it is in another world, its criteria is for them to clear exclusive dungeons.

Episode 3
Looks like the developers have applied some fixes and updates to the game. This means Maple can now receive some damage and she will have limited times to use he godly moves. Yeah, it’ll be a pain if everyone ends up like her character. But as consolation, all the damage effects coming out will make her feel more invincible. With Maple now a household name, she is met with Dread and Drag. They talk about the next event and next world but since the girls want to explore this world further, they recommend a quest in the north forest to increase speed. But it might be tough for Sally since this is a haunted forest and she is afraid of ghosts! Can she complete this quest? Apparently luck is on their side because they discover a secret underground room. Some tortured guy sitting there. Sally applies her healing until he moves on to the next world. And voila! Here’s the scroll for the super fast skill. Then they enter some pathway that leads them to some nice beach. Picked up some nice red stone that they’ll keep as souvenir. At the entrance to the next world, Maple uses up some of her limited moves already. Sally help tests out some of her skills to fight the monsters. Then they face off with this deer monster boss and of course defeat it. They are now in the new world. Iz is already here and has opened her shop. Just in time for Maple to handover the ingredients and create her new white shield that she names Snow White. Before the next event, Maple and Sally have this romantic dinner under the starry sky. Eating weird tasty food and drink that has their eyes and hair glow in different colours. Sure this game isn’t laced with drugs too? The next event is here. There is some girl, Mii rallying her Flame Emperor group to bring victory. Before the event starts, it is announced it will be a treasure hunt and they are to find silver medals in which collecting 10 of them can be exchanged for a gold medal. As stealing from others is also okay, the top 10 players from the last event will receive a gold medal each at the start. So stay on guard always.

Episode 4
Walking through the endless plains, suddenly Maple falls into a secret cave. A hidden dungeon? Of course a joker monster attacks them. Nothing like a few combo moves to take it out and receive a couple of silver medals. Next day, as they are about to try this snowy dungeon, Kuromu and his team are here. They don’t want to fight or steal medals but it seems others don’t have the same idea. Since they are hard on their luck in finding medals and this dungeon can only allow a single party, kind Maple decides to let them take this one. After they enter and Maple and Sally about to leave, the entrance opens again. They fear they might have been taken out by a powerful monster. What to do but to check it out? Indeed. There is this very powerful ice phoenix. To add to some drama, we see them fight real hard and even Maple is being flung around. Wow. Their attacks did no damage? And then Maple’s shield breaks. Gasp! Oh, but it resurrects. Hope this one is stronger. Finally some mirage move from Sally to trick the bird and then Maple finishing it off with her poisonous hydra. Phew. They’ve earned this victory. They would’ve been goner had not Maple acquired a new skill that saved their asses. After collecting some goodies, they also collect cute monster eggs that will hatch if warmed up enough. Meanwhile, the developers are starting to panic. That bird boss is packed with all the lethal skills impossible for any players to beat. Basically, an evil prank. And it’s that damn Maple who defeated it! Worse, they got off with monster eggs! Oh dear. Time to work harder to fix more bugs… Maple and Sally continue their adventure. Get more medals. Then their eggs hatch. Wow! Cute turtle and fox! Maple names her turtle, Syrup. She really wants to make a pun with Maple Syrup, huh? Sally names her fox, Oboro. Weird, Syrup has faster agility than Maple… So with monster pets at their side, they can help aid in their fights. The duo arrive at the oasis. Waiting there is a samurai girl, Kasumi. She wants Maple’s gold medal.

Episode 5
Sally and Kasumi engage in some super fast fight. But when Maple comes crashing into them, they all fall into some sandpit. Inside this dark underground dungeon, the trio are chained together. It seems if one dies, everyone dies. Convenient plot for them to work together and get out of here, right? They explore the dungeon and then cooperate to escape from unkillable giant slugs. Finally they enter the treasure room. They share the loot of weapons and medals. After getting out, they part ways. Maple and Sally continue their adventure and obtain more medals. They also meet another player, Kanade who isn’t so interested in collecting medals as she is satisfied with this Akashic Records puzzle cube that she got. As a token of their friendship, Kanade gives them a hint book for the event. Of course it is filled with riddles and it is no fun if she tells them the answer. Go discover it yourself. So here they are in some ruins. It teleports them to some underwater ruins whereby they have to fight off (and successfully defeat) a squid monster. And yeah, more medals! Meanwhile, the game developers are tired of hearing of Maple’s achievements. Yeah, they don’t want to face reality anymore! She has gotten more powerful, defeat enemy bosses easily, so much so she has become more of a last boss than the real last boss! With the duo short of 2 medals, Sally decides to go hunt other players as time is running out. She doesn’t want Maple to come as many would recognize her. And so Sally becomes a demon and massacres other players. Wow. She mowed down the whole bunch and that bunch just got 2 medals? I guess they’re all amateurs. But it’s enough. Returning to the cave where Maple is hiding, it seems Kasumi is also here. She too is trying to hide from other players who are now desperate to hunt others with medals now that time is running out. So the trio hide in the cave until the event is over. With the medals exchanged for gold, a gold medal allows a player to choose a skill. And so Maple has Syrup get some mega morphing skill while she herself picks psychokinesis. Now she can shower acid rain while riding on a giant floating turtle! HAHAHA!!! SHE’S SO UNSTOPPABLE!!!

Episode 6
Kaede has been playing the game so much that she is letting her bad habits creep into her school life. Reality doesn’t work like the game. How embarrassing. Time to lay off NWO for a while. And after 3 days, she’s back! Damn. That was fast. And while she was gone, NWO has added a few new features. Damn. That was fast. One of them including purchasing a home. Time to go house hunting. Eventually they settle for this cosy tree house base. Because it looks too big for just the 2 of them, they decide to invite others and at the same time form a guild. Hence you’ve guessed the usual suspects that include Kasumi and Kanade. Since Kuromu and Iz were passing by, they too get invited. Damn. That was fast, the recruiting. They all agree to have Maple as the guild master and in turn she names the guild, Maple Tree. Hey, it’s her guild, right? Of course they got to show us how superb this group is as we see them slash some monsters as training. Maple Tree then conducts its first guild meeting. Talking about the upcoming events and new world, because there are going to be lots of monsters and drop items, there will be competitions among the guilds. Kuromu suggests to invite more people to join their guild to bolster their chances. Maple and Sally go to the bulletin for recruitment. Since many want high level players, Maple is okay in taking in beginners so long as they all have fun. Wow. She really is taking this game thingy as a game seriously, huh? Going back down to the first world, they quickly stumble into a pair of sisters, May and Yui. Maple invites them but they don’t think so and consider themselves as weak. It seems they maxed out their offensive skills but other skills are basically zero. So after talking and ironing things out, I guess they agree to join. So as to have them join them in the next world, they fight that deer monster boss. Uhm, only Maple and Sally do all the action and the sisters just watch? Is this another broken feature of NWO? May and Yui are introduced to the rest of the members. They bow their heads so hard that the table cracked! Sally ‘worries’ if they would end up just like Maple. Oh I bet they will…

Episode 7
Maple now takes May and Yui to do some time trial run. Yup, it’s more challenging to take on monsters in an allocated time. Plus, the faster they do it, the faster they level up. And man, they’re breaking their own time record each time. At this rate, they’ll be faster than Sonic! As expected, the sisters have done well enough to get some devastating offensive abilities of their own. The next scenes show the other members of Maple Tree levelling up like mad. This game is too easy. While Maple is out in town, she stumbles upon an NPC quest. Mother needs to do something for her ailing daughter. What else? You guessed it. Maple is going to take on this side quest. But it seems there is a chain of quests here. Until Maple realizes that it might be some loop. She goes to do some fetch item quest, daughter gets better, but something bad happens that would reset her health back to initially. I don’t know if the developers want other players to take on such quest. I suppose Maple has taken on this quest a few times so there is an extra option which might lead to a different path. Indeed. In addition to saving the child’s life, Maple also gets, wait for it, another ability! And so what’s this ability all about? Well, not only she transforms into an angel, but as long as her comrades are standing within her range, enemies cannot harm them at all! Basically they’re immortal!!! F*ck! Why does this scene of the enemies perpetually trying to beat down Maple Tree but to no effect feels like that Spongebob episode… This overpowering has gone way too far. Meanwhile Payne is quite concerned with the rise of Maple Tree. Along with his other Order of the Holy Sword guild members, Dread, Drag and Frederica, they are going to scout out the enemy for more information.

Episode 8
So we have an event that kills cows to get bells and the more bells you get, the better the reward? Whatever. Iz has made fitting outfits for her comrades for this event. So as Maple Tree get into the groove of murdering bovines, Maple wanders off herself and stumbles into an abandoned church she once visited before. Then she triggers some demonic dark night who attacks her. Before you could say that she’s going to overpower her way out of this again, they make us worry a bit since she is struggling to contain this violent mother*cker. Her defence not working? Heck, she even gets eaten! But of course, she eats her way out! I didn’t know it was this easy to kill a demon. And as expected, she gets a new ability. So besides being an angel, she is now a demon?! Is she even human anymore?! And yeah, the developers aren’t even bothered with Maple anymore. They think she can’t defy anymore logic. THEY HOPE! Why do I feel they’re going to regret everything soon? Maple shows off her new skills. Uhm, she transforms into an armoured alien Godzilla and easily kills off this oversized broccoli monster! Everyone is so in shock and baffled. Just another usual day of Maple getting buffed up. And Maple so happy she can protect everyone better now. She’s basically more perfect than perfect! Maple Tree then heads to the next level which is some machine world. Exploring about, as you can tell, Maple saves an NPC who then triggers a quest for her. This old fart tells some old story about some feud between the first and second generation, blah, blah, blah. Maple makes her way and finds herself in some machine graveyard. Scrapyard? Before her is the supposedly previous king of machines. Because he attacks her and wants to turn everything into junk, cue for Maple to fight back. Another easy win. The machine than gives him her powers so as to defeat somebody. The machine then turns into an even more badass machine boss so to prevent her ass being blown to bits, Maple uses the new power to turn herself into a mecha! Woah! WTF?! Since when did this become a power mecha battle anime???!!! As expected, Maple wins since her blast is more powerful and flashier. Heh. Who’s the scrap now?

Episode 9
Maple shows her team her awesome mecha firepower. At this point, they’re not surprised but still can’t help feel dumbfounded at her latest arsenal entry. While some train, others relax. Sally calls Frederica out as she knows she has been spying on them for a while. She can tell she is scouting other guilds to gauge their capacity. Sally challenges Frederica to a duel in which the loser will reveal info about their own guild. Frederica agrees but will only tell info on the Flame Emperor. So the duo teleport to another arena and duke it out. After putting Sally on the edge and having her reveal some of her secret skills, Frederica surprisingly surrenders. She talks about some of the powerful members in Flame Emperor to be wary off like Markus the trapper, Misery the cleric and Shin the split sword. After Frederica leaves, we see her monologue this was all part of her plan. It was to see Sally’s secret skills. Had Frederica fought longer, she would’ve given away herself too. Also, telling about Flame Emperor is so that Maple Tree could fight and both sides will crush each other. Sally reveals to her comrades about her fake skill. Yeah, she isn’t that stupid either since it was her part to deceive the enemy too. Maple Tree receives news about the upcoming guild war. Basically it is some capture the flag version. Not only you defend your own orb in your own base but you can steal enemy’s orbs to earn more points. Maple Tree divide their roles with Maple, Yui and May at the defence, Sally, Kuromu and Kasumi as the offensive power while Iz stays back at the base. Kanade is the joker card and can be anywhere she wants. After more training, the guild war begins. The event begins and we of course see other dumb guilds becoming Sally’s victims. So dumb that she eggs them to fight and blame each other for stealing their orbs while she secretly steal theirs. Are they even cut out for this game?! Then there’s that short bout between Sally and Dread that didn’t amount to anything much. We see Flame Emperor owning the game. But what’s this? Sally manages to steal one of their orbs?! When she gets away, we see Mii’s true colours. She’s actually a meek player pretending to be strong. She can’t take it anymore and wants to quit being a leader while crying alone! Enemies have discovered Maple Tree’s hideout. No problem, right? Yup. Double grievance for them as they all got owned by Maple the angel. Flawless victory.

Episode 10
Payne is slaying his opponents like nobody’s business. Despite singlehandedly getting like about 20 orbs, this guy is still sceptical about wanting to steal and fight Maple Tree. Good instincts. I can see why this guy is the top. Meanwhile Maple Tree has got like 10 orbs. But they’re still like in 17th place overall. No rest for Sally as she continues to hunt down smaller guilds and take their orbs. The logic is that smaller guilds tend to be wiped out faster so if bigger guilds get them first, it will be hard for Maple Tree to take on those larger guilds. Yeah. Great strategy. So we see the rest of Maple Tree heading out to do the same or put a stop to ambushing guilds trying to steal their orb (it is only right they attract attention since the orbs are gathered at their base). While we see Kasumi taking Shin who was an old comrade (of course in which she would eventually defeat), Sally meets her match when she is outnumbered by skilled players of Holy Sword. Frederica thought she knew all the tricks in Sally’s ability. Until it didn’t work and Sally continues to stand her ground, did Frederica realize that those aren’t Sally’s abilities but her own reflex!!! Hey wait a minute. Can you do that in an online game???!!! Anyway, before Sally gets taken down, here comes Maple just in time. Because Sally messaged her she might die. Nothing like that taboo word to send a friend come flying in. Now the tables are turned. Holy Sword is owned left and right!!! Those guys are f*cked!!! But this is a distraction because with May and Yui left at the base, Dread comes in to steal the orbs. They give him a run for his money before getting killed. Of course Maple and Sally return just in time to kill him before any orbs are stolen. When Maple Tree reunites, they’ve taken their orb tally up to 22. Sally moves on to their next plan. You see, the reason she has been ambushing guilds hard is so that she could map out their base. Now that she’s got the entire map of everybody’s whereabouts, Maple can now go on a robbing spree. So to speak. And hence, it’s like Maple with May and Yui go on a field trip picking souvenirs on a flying turtle. Ah, such easy pickings. Eventually the next target is Flame Emperor. Yeah, Maple isn’t afraid of anybody. You know you’re screwed when all the traps that Markus set, SHE JUST WALKED THROUGH THEM LIKE NOTHING!!! LIKE A BOSS!!! WTF IS SHE ON CHEAT CODE MODE???????!!!!!!!! Before Markus is marked and more misery for Misery, here comes Mii to face off with those cheaters easy goers. Somebody needs to stop them dead in their tracks and make them think twice that they could REALLY DO ANYTHING so easily.

Episode 11
The epic boss fight begins. However with Maple being the strongest defence and Mii being the strongest offence, the fight isn’t going anywhere. Hence Mii wants Misery and Markus to buy her time while she activates her ultimate skill. So eventually Mii unleashes some flaming prison to engulf Maple. It’s looking bad for her since it is depleting Maple’s life bar the more she stays trap. If you think Maple will find a way out of this, you guessed right. Because she transforms into her mecha mode!!! Holy sh*t! Flame Emperor is totally f*cked now. No time to be flabbergasted by her new form. DO SOMETHING!!! Unfortunately, Maple’s awesome firepower means there is nothing they can do! See the crater she leaves in the beam’s wake???!!! Hasta la vista baby!!! Misery suggests escaping and Mii accepts this. However Maple won’t let them go and fully blasts them!!! Wow. Maple is so greedy. Mii is the only one left from the blast so she isn’t going down easily. Thus she tries to take Maple out with her own self-destruct. Boom! Guess what? Mii’s dead but Maple somehow survives!!! WTF???!!! But ‘good news’. Flame Emperor took their orb away so Maple Tree can’t steal them. You mad, Maple? Yui and May suggest raiding other nearby guild bases. Okay. Greedy girls… Meanwhile Mii is crying like a baby, knowing she has been soundly beaten by Maple. To add salt to her wounds, she hear reports that Maple escaped unscathed after the self-destruct. Time to cry harder… Maple Tree has been gathering lots of orbs enough to break into the top 10 but still nowhere near Holy Sword who is sitting comfortably at the top spot. Hence Sally predicts they will come to attack them soon. This turns out true but she only miscalculated one thing: She didn’t expect the top players of Holy Sword to come instead of the whole army. Because with such a big guild, they will move slower and their movements will be noticeable. Holy Sword top players are now at Maple Tree’s base and it is showdown time. Both sides clash heavily and with Maple having used up a lot of her limited skills already, she has to revert to her usual. No angel mode this time. This allows Payne to move in and slash her! OMG! Maple done in for good???!!! I wouldn’t count on it…

Episode 12
Yeah… Maple still lives. Maple Tree gets a taste of what it feels like when they’re cornered when Iz, Kanade and Oboro gets killed! OMG! The beginning of the end?! Maple then fires her awesome big gun and Payne survives. You mean to look this shocked that he did? He is NWO’s top player! I guess fun time is over. So before Payne kills Maple, Maple throws away her shield and turns into her Godzilla mode! So she is invincible now in this mode?! Because she devours Payne! OMG! Payne is killed! And slowly Godzilla Maple smashes the rest of Holy Sword! Wow. F*ck, man. That’s how they won. But strategy time. At this point, Maple Tree has ranked up to 6th place and because the top 10 guilds all get the same reward, there is no point in stealing orbs. Hence the strategy now is to eliminate other smaller guilds and their orbs. Yup, with Maple in Godzilla form, you bet the other smaller guilds are f*cked big time. Why do they look like villains now? Flame Emperors are also having this same idea as the smaller guilds are teaming up to fight them. Mii already has her hands full when she receives report that Maple Tree is coming. Okay. Bring it on! And then she sees Godzilla Maple. WTFFFFFFFF???!!! However Maple doesn’t kill her but helps out in destroying the smaller guilds. As part of the strategy, Flame Emperor’s large guild size can help them in trimming those puny guilds. So it’s the same for Holy Sword too. You thought you’ve seen everything. Until Maple clones her Godzilla mode 7 times!!! OH F*CK!!!! EVERYONE IS SO SCREWED!!! Can the game just end already? So the admins are glad the event is over and only 6 guilds are left. Their goal is to put a highlight video together but most of them are from Maple Tree… As for the question of wanting to downgrade Maple’s abilities, they think it is not the best interest of the game to do so. Because Maple has become the poster girl of NWO and attracting new players to play and fight her! Woah… Everybody such a masochist… The admins are so broken that they are now Maple fans? Yeah, they take a peek on what she’s doing right now… Soon, Maple Tree celebrate their 3rd place finishing. They also invited Holy Sword and Flame Emperor to join the fun. I guess if they’re not competing, there’s no point being enemies, right? Everybody thought they have seen all that Maple has to offer but Sally cautions them she might pick up weirder skills. And when Maple she is just playing normally, everyone scoffs at her. Having fun, aren’t we? See you next season then. Wait. WHAT?!

Bore-freak: The Rising Overpowered Shield Heroine
Wow. They should just give up in balancing the game and rename NWO into Maple Tree World Order. MTWO. A tribute literally in her name. The game is literally all about them now. They’re so unbeatable. Not even bosses from other games can beat her and her small team even if they joined forces. Not even Kirito who broke into Underworld and defeated Administrator/Pontifex by himself. You think you’ve seen everything there is for such a game to offer but you haven’t seen anything yet if you have not encountered Maple. And best of all, she is just playing everything normally without any effort. Genius or extremely lucky? Let’s hope her offline life is keeping up with her online triumphs. She’d better. Before the next season comes about. OMFG!!! Really?! This is getting another season?! For real?!

With the ire and hatred over badly adapted isekai animes spamming the airwaves recently, I have this suspicion that this season they turn it into some virtual MMORPG. Yes, in the same season, we also had Infinite Dendrogram of the virtual MMORPG genre. So this series isn’t actually an isekai category and therefore you can’t technically hate it because it is not an isekai genre! Get it! Too bad being a virtual MMORPG genre, it still is nowhere near the godly tier of Sword Art Online. It is sad to say that whether or not it is isekai or virtual MMORPG, as long as your story is sh*t and the characters are also sh*t, eventually the anime will still turn out sh*t. Period. This is the unfortunate thing that I feel for this series.

One of the craziest things that this series focuses on is levelling up and maxing out Maple’s defence points. Now, this is where my dilemma comes in. Because you see, had this been an isekai genre, Maple levelling up and maxing out her defence would be more plausible, though not necessarily likeable. Because you know, it’s the other alternate fantasy world, there are things that work beyond the comprehension of humans from this world. But now considering that NWO is actually a virtual game created by game developers, this is where it doesn’t make freaking sense. To say the game is broken at its initial stages feels like an understatement. Because it feels like there was a need to turn Maple into one of the most solid defence characters in the game as fast as they can, hence all the mind boggling stuffs that she ‘coincidentally’ and ‘accidentally’ did to just level up her defence points. I am very sure that this is not how things work whether it is in reality or in a game. I mean, come on. Get bitten by poisonous creatures so much and instead of dying, you become immune to poison????!!!! WTF IS THIS LOGIC???!!! YOU CAN’T LITERALLY MAKE UP THIS SH*T!!! While this might be true down the line of millions of years and hundreds or thousands of generations of evolution, it is definitely not so for such a game. Definitely a game breaking bug, if I should say.

Making it all worse are the game developers themselves who turned a blind eye as Maple makes her ascension to becoming God. Sure, they did implement some limits at first. But each time Maple manages to somehow find a loophole and further power up herself. To a point the developers don’t even care and try to find excuses not to even talk about her! I mean, WTF???!!! Did they just give up?! Did Maple drive them crazy to not care anymore?! Maple isn’t really a bad player and it is not her fault that she isn’t breaking any rules. But at this rate she’ll really break the game and will it be fun for others? That’s why I think the developers cannot entirely ban her or even downgrade her character. Because it’s their own fault to begin with to have such faulty features in the first place! And sure, they made it that there won’t be future Maples in the making but one is already bad enough and it is going to get worse if they don’t do something about it. It’s amazing that all those who got their ass handed to them didn’t really complain or feel enraged over her overpowered character. Unless they’re all NPCs… And now that she is the unwitting face of NWO, drawing new players to the game, wow, this world sure doesn’t have toxic gamers to begin with. No wonder they got another season…

Like as though it wasn’t enough that Maple easily gaining abilities in the freakiest of ways possible, they add more salt to the injury to insult our intelligence when they also make Maple have one of the strongest offensive weapons. Like, having the best shield wasn’t suffice. Having the title of the strongest defence wasn’t good enough. So they had to make her have some attacking options too so as to spice things up and shock everybody. Yeah, either you’re a good offence of defence. Not both. Unless you’re Maple. F*ck you, lazy developers!!! Yeah, I just remembered I did mention something about having the best offence means also having a best defence. Right… Now Maple doesn’t have to just defend her comrades, she can also attack and win battles herself. Damn, I want to join her guild! If that isn’t all, the cherry on top the icing is how they gave Maple her own mecha mode. And then the invincible Godzilla mode x 7. That does it. That is the straw that broke the camel’s back. I was like, whatever. Maple is God now. She cannot lose. Seeing her struggle is just part of the drama to make it look like there is still a fighting chance for the opponent when there is actually none. So I’m rooting for Maple because she has become so untouchable. So if she loses, I’m going to lose my sh*t as well.

And now that she has gotten like almost everything, it is ironic that she doesn’t play the defensive role anymore. It’s like she’s now getting cocky and going all out as a very offensive and attacking player. If this was part of the Shinchou Yuusha universe, Seiya would have turned in his grave! I guess Maple being the main character and leader of her small guild, they need to make her do something and not just be the role of defending. That’s why she has to be ‘upgraded’ and taking on such frontal assaulting tasks. Heh. The other irony is that with her defence being so impregnable, it allows her to switch from being defensive to offensive just like that. Well, good for her. Not so for other players, though. So basically Maple has become Jack of all trades, master of all! That is why in the last episode when she seemingly threw away her shield, it is like as though to tell us that the shield was actually a hindrance and if she was to make greater strides, she must toss it away, not rely on it and attack! When you can’t increase your defence points anymore, now it’s the time to put it all into offence points!

Having said all that, you bet that the characters are just so weak that you wouldn’t even care. With the big focus on Maple, the only reason why she is having fun is because of all the perks that she has discovered and gained while playing NWO. Yes, she claims that she is playing because it is fun. Not because for power or fame or supremacy or whatever. Because it’s fun. But of course. How is it NOT FUN when the bugs in the game literally made you a God???!!! I would be having a whale of a time if I was in her shoes too. If there were proper mechanisms, checks and balances in place, I don’t think Maple would have really find this game as much fun as she did. Maybe half of it. There would be some struggles but not as much fun like right now as she bulldozes her way through everything. EVERYTHING! She might get in a pinch once in a while but you bet she’ll find some way to get weirder and buff up more powerful to overturn the tables and also overkill. Yeah. So, f*ck you again, lazy developers!!!

The other characters in Maple Tree are like, I don’t know, they feel irrelevant. Just to show that Maple isn’t a solo player, hence she forms a guild with reasonably skilled players so as to make her look like she’s a team player. Hardly feels so when she steamrolls her way through any sort of competition. And when she finds herself in a bind, you can bet your virtual ass that she’ll somehow find a way to get out of her predicament. So easy. That’s why for the rest of the Maple Tree characters, they’re pretty meh and not really relevant. Just a few players to add some variety to the small guild, that’s all. You don’t know much about their background or even real life persona to even care about them. At least Naofumi from Tate No Yuusha No Nariagari had comrades to help him in the attack area. But not for Maple. She’s all in one. So really, why does she really need friends in her party? All just fun and games, huh? Heck, from time to time we see short clips of Kaede back in reality just to remind us that all we’ve seen is just the game. She still has her real life to live… From the way I see her at this rate, she might turn into a game addict. She’s so happy because she’s having fun (and winning all the way) and it might be inaccurate to gauge how she is doing in real life. After all, we’ve already seen how it affected her reality.

Sally being Maple’s friend is a fast ninja and great strategist. Then we have samurai girl Kasumi and puzzle player Kanade in the mix. Don’t forget blacksmith Iz who can conveniently make weapon upgrades when necessary as well as Kuromu as the only guy in the guild so as not to make it look like an all-female clan and pander to stupid feminist extremism ideology whatsoever. Too bad he isn’t the main character so can’t say this is his harem. Finally there is the loli pair sisters, Yui and May who for some reason choose to wield hammers rather than some ranged weapons seeing they put all their points to max out their strength and offensive stats. I don’t think they’re the melee combat but I thought it would be better if they are weak in other stats, might as well keep their distance and go for ranged weapons like bows and arrows or something. Just saying… Oh, before I forget, every guild like this needs an animal mascot! Even better, 2 of them! Maple really having a field day naming her turtle, Syrup so she could make some team combo pun. At least she didn’t name them after Italian Renaissance artists… Big convenient because Syrup can turn big and provide some floating transport. This guild has got everything so convenient! Can I really join your guild, please?!

And the rest of the other players… I can’t believe they’re still playing this game. After seeing Maple Tree owning other small guilds, it looks like there are a hell lot of players and noobs in this game. Aren’t there other virtual MMORPGs out there? Maybe not. After getting owned by Maple Tree in the latest event, they might want to consider quitting after that small guild continues to dominate. Hey, can’t call them cheaters. Everything they do is in the criteria of the game. Blame those lazy developers! With Maple Tree growing bigger in fame and reputation, you bet there are more small fries out there who want to try their luck and bring them down. I won’t bet on it, though… Holy Sword and Flame Emperor being the best guilds ever also don’t fare any better. It’s only a matter of time before they meet their match in the name of Maple Tree. Like they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. They have some strong players but even so, not so after facing off with Maple. At least they gave Maple Tree a run for their money that they aren’t as dominant as they think but that eventually came to an end once Maple somehow finds a way round to it. Oh well, if everybody say it is a fair fight, then by all means it is.

It’s amazing that despite everything that Maple has levelled up, she is still nowhere near the level of Payne who is NWO’s greatest player. Maybe they need somebody as comparison, huh? If those are the top 2 guilds, I wonder how would it be like for other top guilds below them like Wizard Hideout, Rainbow Wings, Shambala and Thunder Storm to name a few. Sounds pretty ferocious. Until they fight Maple Tree, that is… One thing irks me, though. I noticed that the big guilds, how come all the followers are wearing the same uniform and have almost the same looks? So those players in real life swore their fealty to Mii or Payne and agreed that because they are low level players in a big guild, they don’t really matter and hence dress up the same. Yeah, these guys got no personality then. Don’t tell me they’re NPCs… And at the end of each episode, there is a forum that just spams their opinions about Maple and the likes in NWO. Who are these people anyway? Not that it has any bearing in the story anyway.

The action sequences are mediocre at best and like I’ve said, they’re just there to showcase how awesome and overpowered Maple has become. You’re only stunned and astonished with your mouth wide open not because of the awesome firepower that Maple has obtained, but the absurdity of how she actually obtained it. So once we’re done seeing Maple taking in all the enemy’s attack, time to see her counter back with more lethal firepower. But the one that confused me was during Sally and Frederica’s fake bout. It is believed that Sally’s skills aren’t derived from certain abilities but rather through her own reflex. Please bear in mind that this is an online digital game and not in the real world. Even if you have lightning speed reflex, you are still bound by the whatever cooling period or limitations of that skill you are using. So even if Sally did train herself to become better, so isn’t that still the same levelling up style? Not her reflex? By saying that it is her own natural reflex means that she somehow circumvented the game’s programme or something. It’s like she is living through her avatar! Does not make sense! Oi! Lazy developers, buck up!

Art and animation are rather okay. Everything in this world is so lively and colourful that sometimes you forget it is a virtual MMORPG and more of an isekai. Also, the character designs especially the ladies, they lean more towards the cute department and hence making it sometimes look like cute girls doing cute things virtual MMORPG version. I have a feeling I have seen the character designs from somewhere but at this point I’m too lazy to point out so let me know if a certain character looks like another character from another anime, okay? (Like how Syrup reminds me of a certain turtle from Love Hina). This anime is done by Silver Link so you can see some of their art style trademark in here in their other works like Masamune-kun No Revenge, Baka To Test To Shoukanjuu, Non Non Biyori. Midara Na Ao-chan Wa Benkyou Ga Dekinai and the Fate/Kaleid Liner Pisma Ilya series to name just a few.

In the voice acting department, a few recognizable seiyuus lent their talents like Saori Hayami as Kasumi, Satomi Arai as Kanade, Satomi Satou as Iz, Ayana Taketatsu as Frederica, Rina Satou as Mii, Akira Ishida as Markus, Kappei Yamaguchi as Shin and Noriaki Sugiyama as Kuromu. Unfortunately they can’t save this anime and their limited roles mean they are only limited to what they can do. The rest of the casts that I don’t recognize are Kaede Hondo as Maple (Natsuki in Val x Love), Ruriko Noguchi as Sally (Ailane in Show By Rock S2), Nanaka Suwa as Yui (Kanan in Love Live! Sunshine), Ai Kakuma as May (Julis in Gakusen Toshi Asterisk), Kensho Ono as Payne (Slaine in Aldnoah.Zero), Takumi Yamazaki as Dread (Bansai in Gintama), Nobutoshi Canna as Drag (Lancer in Fate/Stay Night) and Yuko Minaguchi as Misery (Yaone in Saiyuki series).

The opening theme is Kyuukyoku Unbalance by Junjou No Afilia. Sounds like your typical generic lively anime idol song. Sounds okay and fitting if you consider and accept the fact that Maple and her comrades are having a blast playing the game. Play The World by Rico Sasaki as the ending theme also feels like a generic anime pop that is also okay and fitting if you consider and accept the fact that Maple and her comrades are having a blast playing the game. Yeah, nothing special to me. However the one that I really like is the insert song, Good Night by Rico Sasaki. In fact this is the best thing and the only thing that I actually like and look forward to hear in this entire series. This is a very cool song with cool acoustic guitar pickings and has this tropical samba feel to it. Makes me feel like I’m relaxing on a sunshiny tropical sandy beach! Quite catchy and makes me want to get up and dance a little. Screw whatever achievements Maple Tree is doing in the montage of clips because playing this insert song during that flushes away all the disappointment. Until the song ends… Aww, can we have another go at it, please?

Overall, this series is quite a let-down and to think they can cover it all by showing us cute girls doing cute things in an overpowered way, well, they’re wrong. Being an overpowered dark horse is not a good factor to have viewers root and support the character. Even more so, other supporting characters that are just lacking and boring. This is an opposite to everything in Tate No Yuusha No Nariagari. That is why we love and support the main character of that series because of all the hardships and tribulations he went through despite the dark themes of that series. Maple had everything here so easy. Despite being lazy bugs that made her literally overpowered, it doesn’t feel that she actually earned them. But don’t hate the main character just because of the flaws in the game that made her so. Yup, don’t hate the sinner, hate the sin. Don’t hate the anime or the genre. Hate the ones who continue to make this sh*t! No matter how high your defence points are, it will never protect you from badly written animes! You’ll be likely to get hurt and disappointed, dissatisfied and disillusioned in some ways. So instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, try to spread them out more. I think that would be a safer defence tactic. Just saying… So maybe for the time being, I’ll go back to watching the dreaded isekai genre before the next season comes about… *Shrugs and roll eyes*.

Darwin’s Game

Finally! A survival game that has actually some people die!!!!! Heh. Forgive me if that sounded very cruel but that’s only because I was tricked, trolled and frustrated by the previous survival game anime, Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Yup. Nobody died in that one and everybody was like happy-happy helping each other to solve puzzles to go onto the next stage. Yeah, that was a bummer. Enough to make me forget that there were so many survival animes in the past that actually had characters dying. Ousama Game, Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, Juuni Taisen, Btooom and Gantz to name a few. So with a name like Darwin’s Game, I wasn’t putting my hopes up to it until a few episodes in, I realized that death really do happen here. Yay! My bloodthirsty darkness has been satiated! And just like the name suggests, it is a mobile app game in which people kill each other for whatever (and no, it doesn’t take place in a capital city of an Australian state!). Uh huh. The handphones that we are so dependent on nowadays are taking a step further. Instead of just watching ultimate big army fails and future Darwin award recipients on YouTube, let those dumb enough to play, fight and kill each other to the death! That’s the real value of entertainment, my friend!

Episode 1
In this hour-long special, Hamada is out of options. He is running for his life. His only hope left is to call for his friend, Kaname Sudou and hopes he will come in time. Unfortunately time runs out for him as he gets killed. In school, Kaname is looking at the recent news of pixelated body outlines littered throughout the street. Is this some sort of new graffiti? Hiroyuki Kyouda then comes in and is worried about Hamada absent. Kaname didn’t think much about it but shows him an app called Darwin’s Game that Hamada sent to him last night. Before Kyouda could warn him not to launch the app, Kaname’s finger is faster. A snake pops out and bites his neck. Kaname passes out but when he wakes up, he is in the infirmary and feels fine. Though, he wants to go home. Kyouda will talk to him later about this game at home. On his way home, Kaname launches the app again and is puzzled of his avatar and other details. Then the game starts. Kaname vs Banda. This local baseball panda mascot? Well, he is sitting right in front of you now. Banda approaches him and tries to kill him. Kaname runs for his life. He tries to get help from the police but Banda kills the officer! Lucky for Kaname, Kyouda is here to shoot his crossbows into Banda. But Banda uses his Sigil which is invisibility. Which is easily detected by Kyouda’s Sigil, infrared visions. Both wound each other as Kaname takes Kyouda to run and hide. But due to a search app, Banda is able to look for them (although not pinpointing their exact location). Kaname wants to call for help but nothing connects and a girl named Shuka Karino that she might help. Kyouda tells Kaname to run and leave him behind since he is targeted and hence Kyouda can’t be detected. Also, he needs to survive until the time limit is over to win. Kaname does so and will come back for him when this game ends. Kaname taunts Banda and fights him. The surprise attack worked at first but how can you kill someone who is invisible? Thankfully a car bangs into him. Oh sh*t! With time is up, Banda loses since he receives more damage. It is then his body starts disappearing in chunks of blocks, leaving behind a pixelated body outline. When Kaname returns to Kyouda, he is saddened he is already dead. Yup, that pixelated body outline. Kyouda left him a final message to survive. Thanks to his first win, he ranks up and receives a mysterious box delivered to his home. A gun. Wow… Is this game great or what?

Kaname needs to find out more about this game so he agrees to meet up with Shuka at the factory area. He asks how to quit but she already told him then you can’t. The only way is death. She will cooperate with him if he tells her his Sigil. Unfortunately he doesn’t know what that means. It should be something natural but he still doesn’t get it. Even his profile status listed it as error. She wants him to show his bag because if it contains weapons, the deal is off. While Kaname is glad he left the gun back home, inside the bag contains other survival weapons. His hesitant has Shuka irked. She calls off the deal and will kill him. Battle start. Kaname blinds her temporarily with his flashlight to run. But apparently she has control of the lights in the factory and has locked all exits. He runs for his life from her snake-like chain as he laments about this Sigil thingy. As he won’t give up and wishes for a weapon, now a gun materializes in his hand. This allows him to give him some breathing space. He then thinks of how this could be his Sigil and recalls the process of doing this. Shuka returns to hunt him but this time she gets fooled by his decoy. The gun shoots out the electric box and takes out all the lights. Because Kaname’s eyes have been adjusted to the darkness, he barges towards her until he pins her down and materializing another gun to checkmate her. She warns him to kill when he has the chance but he is adamant he has his own way in dealing things. She is now convinced he doesn’t know anything about this game. She cancels the game by admitting surrender. This means surrendering her points to her as well as her obedience. Kaname is so relieved they both get to live that he collapses on her. Just like that? Maybe she took it the wrong way because when he wakes up, he is sleeping in her bed. Naked. She is also naked and all over him. What’s this request? She wants to make a family with him???!!! Is this part of the game?! Since when Darwin’s Game is some dating sim too?!

Episode 2
Shuka has a reason why she sleeps without clothes. Whatever. Thanks for the fanservice. Oh, that family thing? It’s like making a clan. A guild. A team. Hey, don’t blame us for thinking otherwise if she had better chosen her words! Shuka further explains some of the rules that one can avoid being challenge by taking their name off the list by paying points. However this does not exclude a direct confrontation when a challenger does so before the player. Kaname agrees to take up her offer to form a clan. However because of his low rank, he can’t. So why doesn’t Shuka just invite him straight? She wants a man to do the invitation. Sheesh. Work hard and rank up… Since there is going to be a treasure hunting game soon, Shuka has Kaname take her out shopping. Women need to buy clothes and more clothes, you know. Also she explains further players of Darwin’s Game cannot disclose this publically to outsiders. Violation of such rules means ‘ejection’ from the game. You know what that means, right? Meanwhile, Inukai buys info from Rein Kashiwagi about Kaname. He wants to get to him before others. So while Kaname waits for Shuka to finish her shopping spree, Inukai steals his handphone so that they could go talk. Inukai is interested in him because he ‘defeated’ Shuka who is known as the Undefeated Queen. She got to the top A Class without a single loss. So when she lost to him, he wants to ascertain this himself. Inukai instantly challenges him. Promising he won’t use his Sigil, his close quarter combat skills are still enough to take Kaname down. Over already? Meanwhile Shuka gets a call from Rein regarding some player she is searching for. Not much but at least Danjo’s Boxing Club has nothing to do with it. As for Eighth, their leader Wang seems to kill everybody he challenged. Oh, there’s something on Kaname too… Inukai is starting to get disappointed but Kaname fights back and uses his distraction to steal his handphone. The tables are turned. With Shuka coming to aid him, Inukai is forced to surrender. At this point, the treasure hunting game is about to begin. Everyone is teleported randomly throughout Shibuya. The goal is to collect 3 rings. Of course there isn’t enough rings. Those who failed within the allotted time will be game over. Yup, a scramble for survival. Wang likes this and thinks this is up his alley. A girl thinks she can take him out but unfortunately Wang uses his Sigil and before she knows it, she’s dead. One player out. 299 more to go.

Episode 3
More rules are explained that one cannot go out of bounds or it’s game over. One can also use the alternative camera to find the rings although it doesn’t pinpoint its exact location. Kaname is in a hotel room. He finds a ring nearby and the moment he steps out, damn, lots of body art everywhere! Must be his worst day since he encounters this death Nazi guy. This guy got a machine gun! He tries to run but the stairs exits are all covered with plants. I don’t think slamming on the elevator button will make the lift come faster. Confronted by that death Nazi guy, Kaname will give his ring in exchange for his life. However, Kaname is holding a gun and death Nazi guy is still wary. Luckily, his machine gun jams. Kaname points his gun but he is too shaky to pull the trigger. Death Nazi guy finds this match boring and lets him live as he enters the elevator. As Kaname rues this pathetic loss, he is about to take the elevator down when Rein advises him not to. Death Nazi guy is dead with plants all over him. Rein deduces that somebody’s Sigil of producing plants has locked all the players in this hotel. She suggests teaming up to survive. Meanwhile this game is being watched by wealthy influential people. We see Shuka in the lead with 6 rings and Wang right behind her with 5 although his clan has amassed 18 of them. Kaname is cautious about Rein but after she lets him know all the info she knows about him and his winning streak, Kaname feels his last one was pathetic. Rein explains in a battle royale, individual matches don’t count and points of dead players are distributed to survivors. Kaname agrees to team up since both of them have the same strategy of running away. Besides, Rein doesn’t find running away anything shameful. In fact, in this game it is considered artistic and creative. That’s why when a challenged player survives by doing so, he/she is ruled the winner. This is how Rein has been surviving. While Kaname notes his luck has got him this far, Rein points out that it is rather because he never gave up. Their plan is to make their way to the top. As they see more dead bodies, they realize the ones in the elevator didn’t turn into pixelated body outlines. Could it be that the perpetrator only known as the Florist has drugged them under his control? Better run because here they come. Even if they don’t have rings, how does he know where they are? The surveillance cameras. They realize he is in the control room. Are they going to shoot out all the surveillance cameras?

Episode 4
Florist uses some tactic to search door to door on each floor to find them. But some rooms are auto lock and the duo are hiding in one of them. Of course they can’t rely on this trick as Florist will soon realize this. True enough, Florist senses something amiss. He then narrows down where they are hiding from the surveillance cameras they shot out. His zombies barge into the room but nobody is there. A loud explosion is heard. Rein trying to bomb to plants blocking the path but it didn’t work. The next step is a gamble as she runs to the top of the hotel with the zombies chasing her. Man, she can outrun the zombies? Anyway, at the top floor, they start shooting but how can they all miss? We hear her narrate her Sigil. Like that Laplace demon, she has the ability to infinitely process all data from every movements of every miniscule atoms. Florist then realizes something else amiss. Where is Kaname? A loud explosion is heard outside the control room. Kaname using Rein as a diversion has climbed down outside the window to the ground floor where Florist is. Florist comes out of his hiding. He claims he is playing this game for money. He needs the money. Because when someone dies, it helps someone else. Kaname doesn’t like this BS and fights him but his plant armour is hard to penetrate. Also, Florist has seen through Kaname’s Sigil. Although he can replicate any weapons he has seen, it is not unlimited as the more he replicates, the more it takes a toll on his health. Kaname gives all he has got but to no avail. Almost passing out, he hears the soothing sound of a blacksmith forging a sword. Don’t really understand the advice gave Kaname but it made him realize he needs to make adjustments to his machine gun weapon. So in order to make harder bullets, he shortens the lifespan of the machine gun. This time the bullets penetrate Florist’s armour. Florist admits his defeat and wants to die but Kaname won’t allow that. With Rein joining them, he asks Florist AKA Ichiro Hiiragi how many rings there are in this hotel. As she can tell, this treasure hunt is about to end and the strong players will be facing each other off. As Eighth is currently the most powerful clan, they need to form a ragtag clan to fight them. People like them are already exhausted so they have no chance of fighting them on their own. So either they survive by cooperating together or die separately.

Episode 4.5
Seriously?! Really?! REALLY???!!! REEEAAAAAALLLLYYYYYYY??????!!!!!! A RECAP EPISODE????!!!!! This show is going to be the first of the season to get a Darwin award…

Episode 5
Shuka is bored at killing camping snipers so she heads down to the subway. Isn’t that more dangerous? Kaname makes a deal with that death Nazi guy to set him free if he promises not to attack them. He even invites him to join their team but he disagrees because he doesn’t want to team up with Hiiragi who brainwashed him. As he leaves, he heard them formulating a plan to counter Eighth. That is when he changes his mind and wants to join. He’s got a bone to pick with them. Unmasking himself, he introduces himself as Ryuuji Maesaka. They discuss about the oddly valued gems (because some valuable ones seem to rank lower than those that aren’t) and the very vague rules. Meanwhile Shuka faces off with a psychotic kid, Souta. She thought his Sigil is only water but he can also freeze it into ice and this traps her weapons. She thought of running away but he sealed up the place and flooded it. Shuka going to drown? So when Kaname who is waiting for Shuka to rendezvous with them, receives a help message from her, he thought it was a joke. But he soon realizes it can’t be so he decides to go save her. Can’t leave a comrade behind. Ryuuji will also follow him while the rest stay back to hold the hotel as a fort in anticipation of Eighth’s attack. Ryuuji learns Kaname’s Sigil to create things but only simple and small ones. Ryuuji would love to trade his Sigil with his because he finds his own Sigil to detect truth or lie to be useless. The duo then encounter a young girl, Sui. Ryuuji’s Sigil comes in handy as he could tell she isn’t lying that she doesn’t want to fight. She tries to warn them about the subway but Kaname still wants to dive in and swim? Plus, so heroic this guy that he wants Ryuuji to return to the hotel if he isn’t back in 5 minutes and give his rings to Sui. Wow. After he dives in, Ryuuji notes Sui lied on one part and wants her to tell the truth. But she uses her Sigil to distract him and run. Ryuuji can’t kill her since killing kids are bad. Besides, he needs to extract info and so he goes after her.

Episode 6
Souta is hiding from Ryuuji as he is communicating with his twin sister, Sui about killing this dude or else they won’t survive this game. Sui is against any killing but with desperate times, they need to take action. Luring him to a convenience store, Sui then uses her Sigil to turn all the water in the bottles to capture him. Souta still wants to kill him but Sui fights hard to prevent any bloodshed. Kaname has found Shuka lying at the bottom of the underground pool. So CPR is enough to bring her back to life?! Great reward for him because she gives him a proper kiss. I don’t know. I felt like she was just waiting for this moment to happen. Shuka also tells him her reason of playing this game. It is to find her parents’ murderer (a Chinese Freddy Krueger?) and avenge their deaths. Then another game announcement. A new ring pops up and the survivors are to look for it. Shuka hears out Sui and would have killed her had not all this event led to her being close to Kaname. Lucky kid. Sui explains Souta is her twin brother who died in an accident. However when she entered this game, she got her wish and his soul came back although it is inhabiting her body. Okay, we believe you he isn’t an imaginary friend. Rein has replied regarding the numbers on the rings. Hence Kaname tells everyone to toss away all the rings they have now and go for the real big treasure that will end this event. Eighth is starting to assault the hotel. Knowing they are outnumbered, Hiiragi tells Rein to get away while he sacrifices himself to hold them down. Hiiragi can’t throw away the rings as he needs the money for his daughter’s surgery. Rein advises him that if she was his daughter, she will be sad to know her father died in some weird game. Something that is worse than having any sort of disease. Eighth makes their way into the hotel. Led by Sig, he heads in first because he knows very well his fiery Sigil can burn on any plants. After riding up to the top level, the rest are waiting below. That is where Hiiragi comes to slaughter them all. Then he returns back up to fight Sig. Rein has gotten away from the hotel as she narrates about those numbers corresponding to the hardness of the precious stones. Arranging them together, it displays the coordinates which is the centre of Shibuya station.

Episode 7
Rein told Hiiragi of the men he needs to be careful in Eighth other than Wang. Keiichi Katsura whose Sigil allows him to crush others without using his fist and Sig who has fire properties. Thanks to this info, Hiiragi is able to escape death at Sig’s hands. However with Keiichi joining in and helping out, Hiiragi is dealt a fatal blow. But he isn’t going down without a fight so he uses his plants to crumble the entire hotel and take out everyone with him. Rein has reached the station but realizes there are more Eighth members here. She tries to get away but is spotted. As long as she doesn’t get in Wang’s way, she’ll be safe. But surprise! The big bad wolf pops up before her despite she is using her Laplace abilities. He breaks her arm and forces her to reveal info. Luckily she stalls for enough time for Kaname and co to arrive. Kaname wants to negotiate but Wang laughs at this proposal of theirs. You think they are equals? Eighth’s policy is to take and take! Negotiations break down so it’s a mad slaughterhouse. Rein thinks hard and deep and needs to go deep into her Laplace just to find the meaning and answer. So from what she found, the numbers correspond to the date when Charles Darwin published his The Origin of Species. This is where the real treasure is. Ryuuji observes Wang’s Sigil of being able to teleport and slice within 5 metres. As long as he stay out of that range, he is safe. But distractions from other Eighth members allow Wang to close in and rip off Ryuuji’s arm. Wang is going to show off to his men in killing Ryuuji when Kaname pops up and surrenders! WTF?! He claims he has the key to the real treasure and in exchange for this, he wants their lives to be spared. So consider give and take policy now?

Episode 8
Ryuuji can tell Kaname is lying. But will Wang fall for it? He is not like other members who are out for the money. Flashback shows Ryuuji wants revenge on Wang because he killed his brother. Ryuuji continues to hear Kaname lying from one BS to another about the key and the real treasure. Although Wang plays tough, Ryuuji can tell he is also worried. Wang finally agrees but will still kill Ryuuji since he is already halfway through his execution. Kaname doesn’t care. They just formed an alliance out of convenience. Kaname throws him the key and after Wang catches it and realizes something is wrong with it, before he could order his men to kill him, Kaname keys in the code to the locker he is standing next with and it opens. The game is over and Kaname is declared the winner. All the gamblers watching this are thrilled with this unknown Kaname as the winner. But there is one who bet on him and won… Inside this locker is a handphone. Answering it, it is the voice of the host and game master of this game. Naturally Kaname is angry for being dragged into this but the host just explains the points and rewards he will get. But here’s the best part: As the winner of this treasure hunt, he will be granted a special privilege. Of course a privilege must be something the host can grant. So too bad Kaname, can’t quit the game yet. The host then reveals 2 ways to exit this game: Either you complete the game or you kill the host and destroy the game system. Kaname thinks hard for his privilege… The host also gives him a new Sigil called Fire God of Iron. 2 months down the road, the hotel is sealed off and the reports say it was the work of terrorism. Shuka discussing with Sui of buying a house to serve as a base for their clan. Hey, she’s a rich girl. But can’t they just use her own house? Maybe she wants some privacy? Hideaki Kanehira from the insurance company sees Suzune at the hospital to pass her a cheque over her father’s death. She doesn’t take this ‘joke’ likely and kicks him out. Rein is waiting outside and is the one responsible to see Suzune got the money. Hideaki wants to meet Kaname but Rein isn’t his manager or anything. Later Suzune bumps into Rein and they become some sort of friends. But Rein gives her contacts in case she wants to find out the truth about her father. Ryuuji is finally healed by Kaede who is a member of Danjo. Of course he is also friends with the big man, Danjo himself. Inukai has been training Kaname and it seems he is all buffed up and ready! Kaname wants to form an alliance with Danjo but Danjo wants to see if he is worthy of that alliance. So an all-out fight using their Sigil on the cards, right? Meanwhile, Kaname’s friend, Shinozuka tries to look for him at his place but he is not around. But a member of Eighth is… Oh sh*t…

Episode 9
In this no holds barred match, Kaname goes all out against Danjo and despite all the weapons he conjure, he has to keep Danjo at bay or else getting to close means game over. That is all Kaname has done using his Sigil but Danjo has used none of his. Just when Danjo gets close enough, Kaname drops his grenade in an apparent suicide move. But the bomb is a dud and it was enough for Danjo to turn his body into steel as anticipation. Though Danjo acknowledges him, he wants to fight Kaname longer. Unfortunately the match is interrupted when Liu Xuelan (the top Darwin’s Game player) interrupts to kidnap Kaname. Shuka is of course angry to hear this. But it’s not like everyone else just stood there and do nothing. They couldn’t do anything at all. They felt they were killed but once they come to, their bodies are still intact and Kaname gone. It is believed that is not Xuelan’s Sigil but her ancient Chinese energy art. As Kaname is their leader, they’re going to get him back. Xuelan tells Kaname that she comes from a line of assassins. She wants him to work for him. She has observed him and found that his style is very suitable for war. Also, she wants to ensure an heir and doesn’t mind bearing his child. Geez, this is getting weirder! Soon their car is being chased by Shuka’s group. Xuelan wants Kaname to tell his group to back off but instead he tells them to do whatever it takes to stop this car. Then he throws down a challenge to her that if she can beat his clan, Sunset Ravens (?!) without killing anybody, he’ll join her and even be her husband! That’s a promise. Xuelan puts up a formidable fight and even Shuka’s sweating. In the end, it is Kaname who helps out in the distraction for the rest to put the car to a stop. Xuelan doesn’t admit defeat but her driver, Ximing does so. Considering their situation, Sunset Ravens has got the capacity to get away clean unlike them. He advises to make allies than enemies. Xuelan admits defeat but refuses Kaname’s offer to be their ally. However she will join his clan to see for herself if he is worthy to be her man. Everyone objects. Especially Shuka! Kaname accepts and has seen for himself Xuelan keeps her word. No doubt she can betray them anytime but makes a condition for her to join Sunset Ravens: If she is going to betray them, betray him first. Betraying other members is unforgiveable. With that, Xuelan is now part of the clan. Meanwhile Wang and Eighth have tortured Shinozuka and cutting all his fingers! They send a video message to Kaname and wants him to come here or else more misery for his friend.

Episode 10
Rein sees a friend, Kotori to get more info on Eighth. In exchange, she wants to join Sunset Ravens (despite she herself is in a clan of her own). Rein can’t guarantee anything but will pass that message to her boss. Meanwhile Kaname is mad. Please don’t take it out on the wall… Ryuuji calms him down that they can ask Kaede to heal him and at the same time they can kill this Wang piece of sh*t. After he calms down, they devise a strategy to rescue Shinozuka. Based from the video frame, Rein could tell they are in some port warehouse (seagulls!). First they call the police to surround the place. They will be the distraction they need to sneak in to rescue Shinozuka. But only Inukai is available to help them as the rest of his clan members are busy fighting off another clan, Uroboros who is believed to have ties with Eighth. Wang didn’t like the police showing up before his playtime with Kaname so he has Keiichi (yes, this guy survived) blow off one of their heads! Then the rest proceed to slaughter the rest of those useless cops. Meanwhile, Shuka manages to sneak in a handphone to Shinozuka (is her chains not strong enough to carry him away?). Kaname talks to him and wants him to become a participant in Darwin’s Game. Just click the link. It’s going to be hard without fingers… Shinozuka wants to survive so he uses his tongue to become a participant. With that, his Sigil seems to be some sort of telekinesis, shoving things away with great force. Like this new skill, huh? Until he faces off with Wang… Meanwhile Inukai fights off Keiichi so the rest could sneak into the warehouse. Inukai knows all about Keiichi who was a karate sportsman and could have been a great one had he not accidentally killed his opponent during a match. Keiichi elaborates he regretted it since everyone since then viewed him as the enemy. So while he was depressed, Wang came to save him. So to get over his depression, just kill more people!!! OMG. That’s the extreme version of fighting fire with fire. Well, sad to say it worked for Keiichi. Kaname and Ryuuji come face to face with Wang. Kaname will fight him so as to release his friend. But Wang corrects him that he doesn’t to fight him. Just to see his despair face. Because he cut up Shinozuka and put him in the box!!! OH SH*T!!! Kaname now in despair!!! Wang then blames it is all Kaname’s fault that because he tricked him and made a fool out of him, some innocent guy had to die. Wang orders his men to kill them. But you can see Kaname is John Wick dead serious mad. An accurate shot right in the forehead of one of Wang’s men. No more nice guy.

Episode 11
Kaname invokes his special privilege and starts a clan battle. Damn, a perfect headshot into all the Eighth’s goons! When Wang targets him, Kaname lets Shuka fight him while he and Ryuuji dispose the rest of the trash. In a different warehouse, Shuka taunts Wang like hell. But when Wang attacks, he realizes his foot got cut off! He tries again, this time from behind but now his hand is chopped off! With Shuka continuing to taunt him, Wang then realizes the entire place is covered with thin wires. But is that enough to cut off limbs? As Shuka controls them, she can make them vibrate and turn into some mean saw. Wang is now scared and tries his final trump card of switching pace with Shuka (since he is tied up by the wires). However this failed and he loses another feet. Now he is begging for his life and tries teleporting away to escape. Too bad he landed outside before Kaname and Ryuuji. Not wanting to die, Wang surrenders. Sunset Ravens wins but Kaname views the rewards obtained from Eighth not enough. Considering how much Eighth took from them, it’s never going to be enough. Apparently this is Kaname’s privilege. Some winner takes all strategy by betting all his chips and his opponents must bet the same. So if the opponent has less chips, they lose. Hence Kaname can bet as many points he wants at the start of the game to increase his points. Wang realizes his reign as king is over. He accepts his loss and impending death but warns Kaname that he has become just like him and many others will die at his feet. Kaname pumps a few bullets into him before he disappears. Yeah. STFU and just die. Kaname now sets his sights on the game master and will put an end to this game. This is the goal of Sunset Ravens. Meanwhile we see the game master contacting another bloodthirsty killer, Oboro. As the game will move on to the next phase, he warns Oboro not to engage with Kaname yet as he is putting him on special observation. Just like Wang whom he thought would become the eye of the storm, this led to the creation of a more powerful player AKA Kaname. Until the next phase, Oboro must steer clear of Kaname as they will have a big role to play then. We see Sunset Ravens owning anybody trying to be funny. It seems they have invoked a special rule: A ban of Darwin’s Game on their turf. Anybody defying this rule will pay the price. It’s effective quite effective and they’re expanding their territory…

Natural Selection: May The Odds Be In Your Favour
I don’t think it will turn dark but there could be a possibility. What I mean is that Sunset Ravens becoming the new group of villains! You see, some of their members really will stop at nothing to teach non obedient players a lesson (although short of killing them but that itself is still a last resort), they now have a ‘uniform’, all dark and grey garb that makes it look like as though they are attending a funeral, they have a badass clan logo to boot, and they are muscling and expanding their territory like some new yakuza clan on the rise. Don’t they just look like bad guys now? While the possibility is miniscule, the chances are not zero. After all, Kaname might lose sight in his bid to find the game master but I’m confident with his members by his side, they’ll bring him back to the right path.

The overall premise may look like some simple survival game. Kill your opponent to survive or at best make them surrender. As we can see, it goes beyond that and it is a shame that for the time being it doesn’t have further episodes to flesh out the development and other potentials. I’m sure that many of us would be asking who the organizers and host of this game, their intentions of having such a bloodthirsty game. It could be for just entertainment purposes but my guts tell me it is more than that. A hidden agenda. But then again, sometimes my guts could be wrong. But I don’t think so. Maybe. Heh. Even this season’s story of introducing our main character into this death game, showcasing the main event and finally ending with a somewhat clan war outside the game itself, the plot itself is still engaging from start to finish and you can’t help feel wanting more of it or can’t wait for the next episode to roll out. At least, that’s how I felt. This season again like I’ve said may not be much but it does enough to help establish Kaname and his Sunset Ravens as formidable players-cum-survivors, which I feel is the main element of focus. Considering Kaname’s no-kill policy, he might end up recruiting a hell lot of people. Just saying…

Action wise might not be a masterpiece but it is still engaging. After all, this is the main draw of the anime, right? As long as people die, blood spilled and at least limbs are coming off left and right, what is there more to complain? Having the participants possessing a unique Sigil makes the action sequence a bit more exciting and adrenaline pumping. But there are limits using them so they can’t spam us Sigil moves all the way. That’ll be no fun. Otherwise, Kaname could have just materialized tanks and outrageous guns from video games to just blow away the competition. Can’t have our main character to do something so easy if we want to at least support this guy, no? Since this show isn’t some mystery puzzle, I thought the treasure hunt riddle was a let-down. I was expecting something more out of it but the solution turned out pretty meh. Like as though plot convenience was the main key here.

One of the ‘scariest’ things about this series is when a participant dies for good in the game, his/her body would disappear and leave behind a pixelated body outline. For me, the caved in contour of blocks looks pretty scary. I don’t play Minecraft but those blocky leftover blocks also look like they came from that video game.

Though character wise, I feel it is somewhat lacking in this department. I’m not saying it is the worst but it leaves more room for improvement. As I mentioned, this season feels like introducing Kaname’s clan. However we hardly know anything more about the characters in Sunset Ravens than what has been minimally revealed in the anime. Everyone has their own reasons and circumstances to play this game but aside Shuka and Ryuuji wanting revenge and Kaname wanting a total way out as well as burying this game for good, there is nothing deeper about these characters. Maybe in the future they will be fleshed out better but for now, it just seems that they’re part of Kaname’s group because he spared them and also they aren’t the worst sh*t characters in the game and hence share a somewhat common goal to work together and survive this mess.

Kaname is your typical underdog main character. A wuss who gets dragged into something he doesn’t want to get involved but thanks to luck (which I feel it is a big factor) that has him stand out and survive this long. We see his character grow from a puny high school student to become a respectable no-nonsense leader of a small clan. With all his high school friends dead, you bet he isn’t going to take their deaths lightly. His no-kill policy might be a no brainer in a game that commands death from its participants but so far it is working out for him. And for the better. Hey, if something works, it cannot be entirely stupid, can it? Though, his 100% clean record is now shattered because he made his first kill on an Eighth member. So don’t f*ck with this guy now. And especially don’t you dare f*ck with his comrades. Hey, even Batman has killed people despite his no-kill policy. Though of course, this is only applicable to real scumbags but it still sends a message not to mess with them because they really mean business. Sometimes you have got to be cruel to be kind. So if you find Kaname’s serious face now scary, until this crap game is destroyed, no time to take it easy.

The rest of the other members in Sunset Ravens, well, I thought Shuka felt lacking ever since she fought Kaname the first time. Ever since she voluntarily became subservient to him, it’s like she tamed down a lot. Remember how she was almost killed once during the treasure hunt? Yeah, why do my guts tell me it is the feelings of love that got in the way? For now, she is painted as some waifu material for Kaname. If that didn’t convince you, now we have Xuelan joining in to ramp up the rivalry for Kaname’s chastity. Maybe all she wants is to play family and this dysfunctional family in the name of Sunset Ravens is just fine for her as long as Kaname comes home. Food for thought: If Xuelan is the top player in Darwin’s Game, does this mean she is the stupidest player???!!! Oh sh*t! Please don’t cut me!!! Okay, okay, I get it. Xuelan is the top player means she is the best survivalist. Period.

The other survival game we might or might not want to see… This one I feel is going to get bloodier… Then we have a pair of loli girls, Rein the info master and Sui for who knows what. Whatever the latter, I guess her split personality with Kouta comes in handy sometimes for battle purposes. So as not to make this look like a harem, that’s why we have the other guy, Ryuuji. I thought Hiiragi would have been a great edition to the team but I guess if they want to satiate my bloodlust of body count, somebody has to die… Ah well, it wasn’t a big surprise. After all, his character wasn’t part of Kaname’s gang in the opening and ending credits… Big hint… No wonder his character gets the most fleshing out especially something about his hospitalized daughter. Characters who are going to die get the sort of privilege and make peace with whatever before they go permanently.

You got to agree with me in some ways that Wang is one of the most despicable characters ever in all of series villains. I believe they really want to make his character that way and they did a pretty good job in that. This guy could be the devil himself reincarnated as he is merciless, ruthless, cruel and just pure evil. If you are afraid of Eighth, that’s because you are really afraid of only this guy. Because the rest of the punks in Eighth are just pretty meh. Even Keiichi and Sig couldn’t match up to Wang’s cold blooded lust. It’s the reason why Eighth has got a fearsome reputation and I believe it is only thanks to Wang. So when Wang was being tortured and killed in the finale, we didn’t feel any pity for him and just glad he bite the dust. Good riddance. No love lost from us. Live by the sword, die by the sword. He got what he deserved. Eighth could just be a drop in the ocean as it is hinted there are other fearsome clans out there. Uroboros could be the umbrella group for Eighth and other ‘evil’ clans. Well, both clans have a snake eating its own tail as its logo, right? So Eighth is just the tip of the iceberg for Sunset Ravens as there will be other even more psychotic groups out there.

Art and animation are okay but sometimes I feel the overall tone of the visuals is somewhat a little bland. I don’t know, I just feel like the colours are a little dull and blunt. Especially some of the dark scenes. I only want to comment on Wang’s character design, the more I look at him, the more he starts looking like some snakey devil. Honest. Like I’ve said, they want to really paint this guy to be the embodiment of evil so he has got to look the part as well. Don’t stare too long or he might steal your soul! Yikes! And also Danjo… Is his character taken after X-men’s Colossus?! See the obvious similarities: He is Russian and a strong guy who turns into steel! OMG… This anime is produced by Nexus. They don’t produce much anime (average an anime a year) and the other shows they did lean more towards cute girls such as Comic Girls, Granbelm and Wakaba Girl (Shuka, Rein and Sui are cute but not as anime moe cute as these girls). So doing Darwin’s Game as their first serious title may be the reason they want to do something different.

For the voice acting, you got to agree with me that the best one goes to Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Wang. If you think voicing the gruffy scruffy uncouth Inosuke of Kimetsu No Yaiba was his best non-Kirito-like characters, you haven’t seen anything yet. As Wang, he takes the cake trying to really make his character sound very despicable that you would love to hate. Kudos and hats off to a voice acting job well done. The other recognizable seiyuus are Takhito Koyasu as Hiiragi, Ai Kayano as Xuelan and Akira Ishida as Oboro. The rest of the other casts include Yuusuke Kobayashi as Kaname (Shin in Kenja No Mago), Reina Ueda as Shuka (Akane in SSSS.Gridman), Taku Yashiro as Ryuuji (Ebitani in Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa), Nichika Oomori as Rein (Yurine in Jashin-chan Dropkick), Yumiri Hanamori as Sui and Souta (Seth in Radiant), Junya Enoki as Inukai (Hiro in Kuutei Dragons) Shunsuke Takeuchi as Danjo (Seba in W’z), Konomi Kohara as Suzune (Chika in Kaguya-sama Wa Kokurasetai) and Masaya Matsukaze as the game master (Suiryu in One Punch Man S2). The opening and ending themes are rock based, Chain by Asca and Alive by Ayano Mashiro respectively. They suit the pace of the series well but they’re not my cup of tea.

Overall, not the best survival themed anime out there but it is still a lot entertaining and interesting. It just needs another season to develop the story and characters more. And more blood and deaths altogether! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Oops, sorry. I hope people wise up and learn at least something after watching this anime. Don’t simply click on suspicious app links! But then again, have humans ever learnt throughout the course of evolution? Probably not. That’s why we’ll get more Darwin award recipients in the futures to come. Evolution or devolution, Charles Darwin would certainly turn in his grave. And to think that they would name a death game after him… On second thought, it couldn’t be more of an aptly honour in his name. It’s not how evolution really works, but whatever. Okay people, let’s go for Da-WIN!

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] OVA

I thought this would be it. Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] OVA would get serious. They’ll be playing a game that would put their lives on the line. A risky game in which a false misstep or calculation could mean life or death! This is how you rake up the subscriber views, right?! Well… Unfortunately it was just my wishful thinking seeing that this OVA did not even come close to that. Instead, it is an episode made up of a few short skits. Sighs… I guess the fun and games haven’t really end yet.

Mushroom or fish
Kaikoku and Zakuro are fighting… Over fish or mushroom to be added to their dinner. Yes. This fight is about that. So they decide to go search their own fish or mushroom and whoever cooks the better meal and gets the approval of the rest, wins. Also, the loser must to what the winner says for a day. Ultimately both fail to get what they want and slip off a waterfall or cliff. In the end, the dinner gets on find without both ingredients and the irony is that Kaikoku got the mushroom Zakuro wanted while Zakuro got the fish Kaikoku wanted. Yeah, you’ll find things where you search the least.

Pan-da
Paka suggests items for the sports day so Akatsuki suggests a bread eating contest using a panda face with chocolate cream. Paka notes it is hard on the budget but if they put his alpaca face, they’ll get discounts. Agreed!

Switcheroo
Karin is upset that she switched bodies with Akatsuki. While Akatsuki is cool, this poses a lot of problems for Karin. So is she the only one with problems? Though, the next day, Karin now switches with Kaikoku. It seems for the next few days, she switches bodies with everyone else. Zakuro is the only one left and he fears he will be left. We all know his fear for women, right? So to avoid this, he won’t sleep. Easier said than done. Next day, Zakuro has switched bodies… Not with Karin. Karin is still Karin. It’s with Punitsuki… Is this much worse?

Cheer danshi
Continuing the sports festival discussion, they discuss who to be on the cheerleading team. While the guys vote for the girls, they also imagine the guys doing the cheering job, especially Anya being a mean one. And then they imagine Makino doing the cheering… Can’t happen…

Panty thief
Pool episode! Oh yeah. Girls in swimsuits. And yeah, the guys too. Whatever. After done, Akatsuki realizes his underwear is gone. Time to decipher this mystery. Karin accuses Yuzu since she is obsessed with Akatsuki. She dismisses it because she already got all of Akatsuki’s underwear in her collection! Zakuro accuses Kaikoku because of his habit of stealing. But it can’t be because his usual underwear is a fundoshi. Then they all accuse Paka but he denies and gives them food for thought that what if Akatsuki’s underwear was not there in the first place? Hence everybody thinks Akatsuki tried to trick them and stole his own underwear. Here’s the real culprit: Punitsuki!

No show
Sports day is here and only Akatsuki turned up?! Zakuro came down with a flu so Himiko is nursing him. Kaikoku escaped. Makino and Anya slept in. Yuzu and Karin arguing over the cheerleading skirts. But Akatsuki is soon out since his whole body is aching from the practice and now needs to see a chiropractor. Sports day is cancelled?

Drunken spring
Everyone goes for hanami. Of course with everyone drinking sake, they soon start acting rowdy because that is what drunk people do, right? Even when Himiko uses her flash grenades to maintain order, it all amounts to nothing when she herself gets drunk. WTF she is now the God of White Rice Inaba?! When everyone passes out, Karin who has not drink and sat there quietly, finally takes a sip. It’s like everybody knew she did so and woke up just to get drunk and party altogether again. Oh yeah. Great times. Next day, everybody has a hangover and doesn’t remember what happened. Accept something about God of White Rice Inaba!

Sleeping beauty
Imagine, 3 short clips of watching Makino’s sleeping face… 3 FREAKING SHORT CLIPS…

And the award goes too…
Paka reviews all the skits and is going to award his Akapalsy Prize. Looks like he is going to award it to the underwear skit when he sees the unsatisfied players standing behind him. They beat him up. So I guess the award is cancelled? Personally, I think all are worthy of being the dumbest award!

Bro You Just Posted Cringe, You’re Going To Lose Subscribers!
Ah well, the short skits aren’t that bad and are fun in its own way. It reminds me of the final episode of the TV series whereby they’re all just playing games and having fun. Heck, that is what the entire series was about. There was no danger to them in anyway and you bet they’ll be as fine as they are as before. Also, they’ll just somehow win the game anyway. So yeah, this OVA doesn’t put much on the plate and it feels like to give some of the fans a slightly more good time as we see more antics from the usual suspects. Really nothing much at all. Since they didn’t show the view counts at the end, I’m thinking that these shenanigans might be costing Nakanohito to lose viewership! So if you’re like me hoping to see a death game starting, might as well hop on to Darwin’s Game that was currently running while this OVA was released. They may be a bunch of genius in their respective game genres so don’t expect them to jump in and get involved with the real game of death that is Darwin’s Game. They’re much smarter than that. After all, some just want to play games just to have fun, right? Me, anymore of this cringe and I’m gonna hit that dislike and unsubscribe button soon.

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]

I want to play a game. However this isn’t some typical game show whereby you spin the wheel and guess letters of a sentence to figure out the word and earn big bucks in the process. This isn’t also some reality TV series like Survivor where you just get voted off. Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] is a game whereby participants are mysteriously whisked away to a strange place and forced to play various games along with other participants if they are to return to their ordinary lives. The catch? They can die here for real if they are not too careful or fail! Gasp! What kind of game show would risk the lives of their participants?! Oh well. You do know the dog eat dog world of showbiz, right? It’s going to attract a lot of viewers so what’s a little risk, no? Like they say, no pain, no gain.

Episode 1
A few lucky people have been chosen to participate in Let’s Play game called Nakanohito Genome. Among them is Akatsuki Iride as the next thing he knows, he finds himself in a jungle along with Karin Sarayashiki. They have to run for it because a giant panda is coming their way. Kaikoku Onigasaki tells them to take out their eyes and it is easy. However Akatsuki climbs a tree and tries to befriend the panda. It worked! With this stage cleared, the host, Paka congratulates them for such an unusual solution. He lets them know a counter on their left arm known as the epidermal counter. The number represents the view count in real time. Their goal is to make that counter reach 100 million during this live stream. Paka has everyone introduce each other. All are well known streamers who are good in their respective filed like Akatsuki in escape games, Karin in horror games and Kaikoku in Japanese style and Sengoku games. The rest include Himiko Inaba (nurturing games), Anya Kudou (fighting games), Yuzu Roromori (puzzle games), Zakuro Oshigiri (stealth games) and Makino Aikawa (dating sim games). As Anya is uncooperative and wants out, Paka warns him those who are stubborn will be placed in some white room while their comrades go about achieving the goal. That person will wait and wait, not knowing any updates of the progress until he/she dies waiting… Also, death is real here. No resets or save points. In the next Ouija game, Akatsuki, Karin, Anya and Zakuro are selected. They do what the spirits ask like give water. Akatsuki volunteers to be the spirit’s friend. It gets weird when Akatsuki is suddenly pulled from behind and out of the window. Luckily the giant panda broke his fall. Akatsuki then points out somebody in the room. It’s that spirit. Now that she is visible, she thanks him for the water and wonders if he could still be her friend. Akatsuki agrees. But the spirit wants him to burn and die with her. She feels sad that he won’t and will soon be forgotten. Akatsuki confirms he wants to be her friend but cannot go with her now. Once everything is over then he will. You can count on it because he never breaks his promises. With the spirit at ease, the stage is cleared. Their viewership has risen to over 83,000 views.

Episode 2
Paka informs of floating cameras called Pakamera everywhere so that everyone will be able to view live their exploits. They can use the facilities in the city and tower as they wish but do not step into the 51st floor ever. Violators will be persecuted. In this next stage, they have to nurture an egg, raise her and make her get along well with a handsome teacher, Hikaru Genji. At least 4 people are needed for this stage so naturally simulation specialists, Himiko and Makino are in. Akatsuki volunteers and oddly Anya takes this one? With Himiko being serious in raising a character, we see them all hugging around the egg waiting for it to hatch. And the moment it hatches, woah, what this monstrosity?! Folks, meet Murasaki. She is the culmination of their thoughts. Panda face (Akatsuki) with afro (Makino) in a sailor high school uniform (Anya). As the quartet do their best to raise their ‘daughter’, meanwhile we see Yuzu and Karin taking a bath together. Yuzu trolling Karin of lesbianism and even hinting she is not a girl! But this proves that viewership is also evident outside play areas because their view counter just risen a lot! I think bath scenes are going to be a hit… Back to the panda nurturing game, now Murasaki has been enrolled in an all-girls’ high school. Genji is a very popular man among the girls so it is going to be tough. But one day Akatsuki and Makino investigate further into Genji and see him throwing away all the presents the girls gave him as he complains they should have given him better presents like wine. WTF?! Then when Murasaki comes in to give her cookies, after putting up a fake charade, he tramples on her cookies and as usual starts complaining. Murasaki catches him in the act but before he could do something about it, Makino hits him out with a bottle. Murasaki makes cupcakes for everyone while explaining how nice Genji is as a person. Cue that this stage is about to be cleared because damn, this scene of Murasaki disappearing like as though she’s been exorcised?! One last big hug from her ‘parents’. With the stage cleared, their viewership sharply rises to 3.5 million views. We see a secret behind Yuzu’s secret cabinet: Lots of posters on Akatsuki. This girl worships him?

Episode 3
Kaikoku and Zakuro report to the rest. While they were in the previous game, they did some exploring and research. This entire city is like a ghost town. There is nobody else but them. They also explored the 51st floor but the moment Paka showed up, they ran for it. But looks like now he is back to attack them. Due to this violation, he has mimicry man eating plants attacking the place and the entire is lockdown. They must defeat this monster to clear this extremely hard level. Akatsuki almost got devoured by one that mimicked Karin. But when the sun sets, it becomes inactive and even shrinks during night fall. The gang take refuge at the cellar’s storage room. Akatsuki learns Anya has some sort of sleeping problem due to his family’s inherited sleeping disorder. Kaikoku follows Yuzu to her room to take poison ampules that could literally kill the monster. He sees the posters but she hopes he can keep it a secret. They test the poison on the plants and it works like a charm. Yuzu then proposes some password test so that they could differentiate friend from foe. The guys are tasked to follow the roots and pinpoint the core. It leads them to 2 Makinos. Trying to figure out which is the real one, turns out both are imposters! That night, Karin needs to go to the toilet. So why wake up Akatsuki to accompany her? I know Yuzu might be a little cuckoo but shouldn’t she try Himiko? As Akatsuki waits, he too feels the need to use the toilet. But doing so, Yuzu approaches him and attacks him with a hammer! Though missed, Yuzu is very certain this Akatsuki is an imposter. She knows the real one is ambidextrous and this imposter used the wrong hand to protect himself! This imposter must be an intelligent and high level monster to be able to move around at night. Yuzu prides herself in observing Akatsuki her entire life. Actually she doesn’t care if he dies because she wants to dissect him and see what he is made of. He is also the reason why her research of him can never be incomplete. She is in a dilemma to kill this imposter but the moment it shows its fangs, she stabs the poison into him. The next day, Akatsuki doesn’t know why but Yuzu is clinging onto him, feeling a bit guilty but glad that he is okay. The stage is cleared and they gained 7.2 million viewers.

Episode 4
Akatsuki and Anya are fighting because the former tried to give him some sleeping pills he asked from Paka but the latter would not accept it and punched him. Kaikoku and Zakuro continue their investigation. Definitely the city is dead. The utensils are new but there is dust all over. Zakuro doesn’t want him to be reckless again and give them trouble. Because he is here for a reason and won’t quit till he achieves it. His goal is to find his lost twin sister. Paka leads the gang through a village holding some festivities. Because demons will come out to abduct their maidens, to clear the stage they must stop this and rescue all abducted maidens. Destroying all demons will give a true ending but it will be impossible for their level since the demons are on cheat code. The gang is further explained by the village elder, Kihachi and his granddaughter, Kikka. They argue about who should participate in this game (as usual, Akatsuki always volunteers) but the question in who should cross-dress as a maiden to bait the demon. Other than Akatsuki, Makino is selected since his eyes have this strange charm on others regardless of gender. As they wait for the demon to show up, turns out that Kihachi and Kikka are the demons themselves. All travellers who walk in will become their sacrifice. Kihachi doesn’t want those cross-dressing guys so Kikka picks out Karin. She wants to pick another one but Kihachi points out the dungeon is full and if they have to pick another, they must get rid of one. This is when Akatsuki volunteers himself on grounds he can get rid of him if he doesn’t like it. Also, he is doing it for Karin so she won’t be alone. Anya is very upset about this. He remembers Akatsuki talking to him about his bad physical stamina. If Anya collapsed, Akatsuki will not be able to carry him to safety. He wants to clear game this with everyone. I’m sure that struck something inside that hot tempered guy. But don’t despair. Yuzu has stuck a transmitter on Akatsuki and they can track him down.

Episode 5
Kaikoku and Zakuro are chosen to track down Akatsuki and Karen. Zakuro reminds their mission is to bring the duo back alive and not to engage any demons. Kaikoku wonders why he is telling him all this especially about his twin sister. Because the rest are earnestly playing the game and Kaikoku isn’t, it means he is most determined in getting home. The duo reach the base and stumble into Akatsuki. Somehow he managed to squeeze out of his cage. He takes them to see a bird’s eye view of the room. Kikka has turned Karin and the other prisoners into dolls so she can play them in this life sized dollhouse. They split up to find where the other girls are held. Lucky Akatsuki finds them and from the hints they say, the key to the door must be in Kikka’s room. But as he goes get them, he gets knocked out by Kihachi. Grandpa is ready to kill this kid but Paka warns him not to as he is indispensable. Doing so is equivalent to breaking the game system and if he insists, as the admin of this game he will have to reset everything. Does he not want to stay a little longer with his granddaughter? Kihachi gives in. Akatsuki believes Paka has always been alone here and hopes they can escape this place together. But Paka declines. He can’t leave because of a promise. Zakuro is in panic. He finds a tag containing his sister’s name, Sakura. It is revealed she played a beta version of Nakanohito 2 years ago and disappeared. Desperate to look for her, the only way Zakuro was ever going to trace her was to play this game himself. Meeting up with the rest, Zakuro wants the rest to leave first while he settles some unfinished business. He asks Kikka about a girl who looks like him that came here 2 years ago. She taunts him that she might have gotten rid of her. This makes Zakuro mad as he is ready to slash her but is stopped by Kaikoku. Cool his head and leave with the rest, he’ll handle things from here. Kikka was just toying with Zakuro because of his serious face as she can’t remember all her dolls. She calls grandpa to crush Kaikoku but he didn’t respond. Seems Kihachi treasures his time with her so he isn’t going to lift a finger. This leaves Kikka devastated so Kaikoku tells her not to be so selfish. Kikka can’t understand because no grandparents would hate their grandkids but Kaikoku begs to differ. Kikka might have the last laugh since she can tell Kaikoku’s family hates him. That’s why he envies her who is loved by grandpa. Kaikoku just leaves. Together they return and clear this mission. 18.7 million views now, huh?

Episode 6
Paka takes them to a desert tomb. This stage is relatively easy but only 2 can participate and must be a boy and a girl. The pair must head in and retrieve some chromosome but be warned. The only thing you can’t do is lie. Himiko and Anya are chosen from the lot. Akatsuki would have wanted to go but he broke his bones from the last time and is forced to sit out. There goes his perfect attendance record… Anya and Himiko don’t really get along well. Especially when Himiko starts asking some questions, he lies to get her off his back. Then the lights go out. Then mummies attack! Is this what happens when you lie? Eventually they fall down a chasm. We see Anya’s dream of why he cherished his helmet so much. It belonged to his eldest brother and he was killed in a motor accident. When they wake up, before them is an alpaca statue who is going to ask them 3 questions. Because Anya is short tempered and getting violent with it, the statue threatens to squash them with the ceiling. The first question relates to memories. Who was your first love. Anya has none while Himiko took a while to confess about some kid who lived across the street. Meanwhile Zakuro confronts Paka. If it is about his sister, Paka already told him he knows nothing. Zakuro wants to know what he did to Yuzu but Paka warns him about the white room. It isn’t only for those who aren’t uncooperative but who will disrupt the game balance. Don’t worry. The leading potential is Kaikoku. Zakuro wanted to attack Paka but luckily Makino brings him away. Back to the Sphinx’s question, the second question has them reveal 5 great qualities of this form this slime has taken shape. Since both of them see Akatsuki, while Himiko is quick to say them all, it took a while for Anya to drag it out from his mouth. The final confessional question has them say the greatest sin they have committed. Outside, Yuzu is ‘comforting’ Akatsuki who is worried the duo haven’t come back yet. He wonders if he should have gone in instead but Yuzu knows this game will definitely not be suitable for him. Speaking of the devil, Anya and Himiko have come out and cleared this stage. 25 million views now, huh? I am guessing because Himiko’s answer to the third question was she killed her older brother?

Episode 7
Anya and Himiko are arguing because the latter wants to keep this slime! Punitsuki?! Anya remembers Himiko explaining about killing her brother. She can’t remember her brother’s face as he put her up for adoption when she was young. This was to protect her. Soon after that he went missing. Legally if a person is missing for more than 7 years, that person is officially declared dead. Hence Himiko felt that is how she ‘killed’ her brother. Damn technicalities. Today’s game will be hide and seek. Not just your ordinary hide and seek but they’ll hide from these 3 lovely ghost ladies. Folks, meet Misery, Isabella and Carrie. The play area will be their dorm level. Every 15 minutes, the ghosts will come looking for them and they’ll play this for an hour. If the ghost comes into your hiding and finds you, that’s strike one, you’ll lose your vision. The second strike means your eyeballs will be gorged out! To clear this stage, all of them must not be cursed at the end of the game. Due to this difficulty, those who are cursed can be ‘rescued’ if being touched by those not cursed. In the first round, all the girls hiding in the same room got cursed. Also, Kaikoku and Zakuro. Losing sight means having an irremovable blindfold over your face… Akatsuki and Anya come to heal them. In the second round, Kaikoku is hiding in Yuzu’s room. He sees her secret Akatsuki worshipping area but what caught his eye is about some data on the users of this game. Akatsuki and Anya are already cursed once and it is a miracle they managed to hide from the ghost despite Akatsuki sneezing. I guess the ghost wasn’t thorough enough. For the third round, it seems all of them got cursed! Who is going to save them! Makino! He was sleeping in his room all along and somehow fell and stuck between the bed and well. Damn I tell you the ghosts aren’t even thorough! So thank goodness. In the final round, all of them hide in the same room. Akatsuki is confident the ghosts will no look in here. And in the end, all of them cleared this stage and viewership is no at 36 million.

Episode 8
Kaikoku goes through the data on each of them he found in Yuzu’s room. He notes that Yuzu and Akatsuki’s data are the only ones unavailable. With the players having their rest day, Paka suggests trying out the open bath. Akatsuki is bugging everyone to go but looks like this is on hold as they see Kaikoku having a serious talk with Yuzu. Why are they assigning colours to everybody? Curious Akatsuki asks. It’s the colour of their underwear! WTF?! The guys head to the open bath first. OMG. Paka bathing in his suit?! Will this contaminate the water? Because Akatsuki is the only one who will soak in with him, Paka tells a secret. No it’s not his weakness or how to clear this game. They are right next to the girl’s bath! As Paka leaves, he decides to play a prank. He switches the gender signs outside. So when the girls are heard coming in, the guys go into hiding behind the big rock. Then they hear Yuzu molesting Karin in the most ambiguous yuri way. With all the Pakamera lining up, Karin throws a single bucket and strikes all of them out! Woah! What kind of special move is that?! Now the guys are scared. They fear they will meet the same fate if Karin finds out so they discuss for a way to get out alive. Then they ponder some reverse psychology. The guys were here first and since the girls came in later, it’s like the girls were peeking on the guys so it’s not their fault, right? Yeah, try to make it look like an accident. The problem now is who goes first, second, etc. Since they’re arguing over it, Karin busts them. Time to run like hell! It gets even worse when Karin’s towel drops. Somehow this increases her special power. And so we have a bloodied bath and it ends with Himiko dropping her flash grenades. This is surely raking in the views. In the aftermath, Kaikoku continues to look at the data. He looks at his own and sees a note that grandpa is in critical condition. Immediately he takes the elevator to the top. Next morning, Zakuro informs the rest that Kaikoku is nowhere to be found. Indeed. It seems he is now in the white room. Viewership only at 41.8 million? Man, I thought this would have doubled and blast through 80 million!

Episode 9
It seems Kaikoku is accusing Paka of doing something to his grandpa but Paka maintains he did nothing. When Paka goes to see the other players, they aren’t pleased that their friend has been sent to the white room. Even Akatsuki is calling for a strike and won’t play the next game unless all of them are together. Wow. Paka panicking that his best player won’t play? Yuzu suggests calling off the games for the moment. Soon, Paka has everyone gathered. They are given a chance to rescue him within 72 hours. To find the 6 digit combination to enter the white room, the hint is in this 30,000 jigsaw pieces! Paka hints to Yuzu that he is doing this puzzle to remind her of her place. Yuzu being the puzzle expert relays some hints on how they can go about this like they don’t need to put together everything in order to figure out the final answer. Meanwhile Kaikoku finds a lose tile in the bathroom. It seems there is a path headed underground. As he crawls out, he stumbles into Nanami Omejima and Chihiro “Hiro” Akafuda. On pretence to make friends, Nanami tasers him out. When he wakes up, he thought he saw a female version of Zakuro. It’s Sakura! Nanami explains that they are the only people who are now underground and they are from different game editions. They might sound different but it is actually the same place and the name is updated when different people play. Nanami has been stuck here for 4 years. This place is a deserted island and from time to time, there will be helicopters bringing in the supplies. Paka makes sure they all don’t see this. Hiro panics when Sakura goes missing. Kaikoku easily finds her rummaging some stuffs so she explains her being ‘missing’ happens very often. I think Kaikoku realizes a weird love triangle going on here. Hiro -> Sakura -> Nanami. Then going through some watery parts of the underground, she mentions about some mermaid ghost. Oh, is it popping up now? Meanwhile Yuzu is under extreme stress. Based on her experience she knows this puzzle cannot be completed within the timeframe. Until Karin snaps her out from her nail biting habit. She promises to do anything she asks for so in the meantime, please hang in there. Yuzu then starts to realize something. Lots of complicated equations! Damn f*cking equations to get to the answer!!! Looks like Yuzu’s back in the groove.

Episode 10
That mermaid… Turns out to be a giant goldfish! It gets hostile but thanks to Nanami shooting at it, it backs off. Nanami recognizes creature as it was a target in one of their games then. Yuzu explains the Luhn algorithm on how to derive an answer from seemingly random numbers. In short, I don’t get it! She tells the rest to get some rest while she works on it herself. Kaikoku and the rest return to their hideout. Nanami offering Kaikoku to join them in case this is a ruse by Paka to capture them all in one fell swoop. Gee, Paka must be patient to recapture them in one go instead of one by one. Anyway, Kaikoku declines as this kind of team play isn’t his style. Though he agrees to exchange info. The strain has Yuzu collapsed. As Karin goes to get help from the rest, Paka seems to help solve a little of the puzzle and drops the important puzzle piece. This is to make her owe him one and to remember her place as his subordinate. The puzzle to the white room is solved and the rest head in. Hiro calls out to Kaikoku as there are people calling his name. Is there any merit that Nanami is trying to pretend to be Kaikoku and not letting the rest know that there are others? Anyway, Zakuro explains how Yuzu tackled this hard puzzle so hard for him that she passed out. That’s why he wants him to come back with them. Sakura then has Kaikoku promise not to reveal about her. Imagine the flood of emotions her brother will have. After the rest goes back into hiding, Kaikoku only opens the door, much to his friends’ delight. He apologizes to them for making them worry and heads home with them. Later he visits Yuzu in the infirmary and wants to know about the documents on the players he found in her room. Yuzu admits she is this game’s record keeper and on Paka’s side. Her job is to pass info to Paka and serves like a monitor inside the game. She took on this role out of curiosity but now feels she doesn’t want the game to continue on like that. Kaikoku doesn’t care for all that and only wants to know if she is friend or foe. Take your time with your answer but until then, he calls for a truce.

Episode 11
Paka trolling everyone by being afraid of them because they hate him?! Anyway, with the viewership reaching halfway point of 50 million, it’s time for the next game. In this VR game, looks like Kaikoku, Yuzu, Himiko and Makino are turned into little kids. The rest must nurture them until the plant on their head blossom. To clear the game, 3 of them must bloom. Otherwise they will be stuck as kids forever. Anya, try to be nice, okay? So we see them take care of the kids that make it look so easy. Heck, Kaikoku wants to go bath with the girls and Karin allows it because he is a kid and not the current Kaikoku?! Whatever. In the end, Kaikoku, Yuzu and Himiko bloom and the stage is cleared. However noticing that Makino has not even bloomed an inch, Paka again gives some leeway to get them clear the game before tomorrow morning. Don’t want to risk another boycott, eh? No matter how much they do fin things with him, his plant will not grow. We see Makino’s trauma. His parents are always fighting and ignoring him. He sometimes finds his solace with his neighbour onee-san, Sumire. However she only looked at him as a little brother. So leave it to Akatsuki to go have a heart to heart talk with him. Akatsuki doesn’t remember about his own past and his current mom isn’t his biological one. Sometimes the real one doesn’t see her but it’s fine because he knows he loves her. So does Makino have anybody he loves? Even if that love is not returned, can he not be happy with just that? Can he accept it and move on? Makino is about to shut himself out due to his broken heart, thinking his parents never bothered with him and Sumire loves somebody else but then his friends are here to bring him back! Wohoo! Power of friendship, no? Yeah, time to move on. With that (as well as Zakuro calling him by his first name), Makino’s plant blooms. Stage cleared with 67 over million viewers!

Episode 12
Akatsuki asks everyone if Makino has a girlfriend. Because when he and Himiko go wake him up, he accidentally hugged her and thanked Sumire. Asking the guy directly, he just blushed. They even vote on if his girlfriend is older or younger? Only Akatsuki thinks Sumire is older. As the next stage starts, so Paka saying this is where the real fun begins… You mean it’s just going to be a bonus stage?! Everyone is given a set of coins to play any games they want. They can win as many coins and at the end they can exchange it for prizes. Paka merchandises? Boring! But wait! There is one ticket that allows Paka to grant you any wish you want. The only condition is that it must be in the confines of Nakanohito. So we see them playing various (boring) games. Some try to make a killing by betting big but lost all their earnings. Heck, there is one room with suspicious green pipes in which if you drop in, brings you to a familiar underground with familiar blocks and coins… And when you come out, you sport a familiar moustache!!! Ring a bell?! Of course time for some drama as a game Akatsuki plays, he falls into a trap. Not sure what place he is but he is seeing strange visions of his family. I think. The rest are worried he hasn’t been out yet so Paka explains that although his life won’t be in danger, but if he isn’t back by the time limit, he will become a dropout. I guess the only way now is to exchange the coins for the magic ticket. But all of them have lucked out or exchanged them, right? Oh wait. There’s Makino. He’s killing it at the slots! He’s drowning in coins! But since they are only halfway, they can double that with a simple game that is all or nothing. This high-low card game has you guess your card’s value is higher or lower than the dealer’s. So what’s it going to be? Time is ticking… Then everyone remembers Akatsuki’s vote on Sumire’s age. Yup, definitely higher. And with that, Akatsuki returns! Tadaima. Meanwhile we take a detour back at Akatsuki’s household. Mom thinks it’s okay for her husband to go and off he goes with his groupies. For something. On the other hand, our players are getting ready for the next stage… Wow. The bonus stage netted them 70 million viewers?

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What a downer. Here I was expecting the final episode to be some cliff-hanger ending, it ended with somewhat a fun-like level instead. Boring. Heck, I’d be complaining if that cliff-hanger ending made the cut either. And that final scene whereby Akatsuki’s dad meeting up with a few other people, I am assuming they are parents of some of the other players. Because you know, that striking resemblance to their kids… It’s like they’re off to go rescue their kids after they’ve been missing for who knows how long. Anyway that scene feels redundant considering the way the series ‘ended’. Sure, worried parents try to go rescue their kids but I guess they’re not convinced seeing how much fun they’re having and the millions of viewers they are garnering. I wonder how many more don’t like seeing this. Hint, like yours truly! Oh heck, I must be one of those million viewers since I stayed and watched this series till the end.

I think a lot of people try to compare this with Danganronpa and because this one somewhat doesn’t live up to that standard, hence why many gave such excuses of finding this series a poor adaptation. I am guessing that why this series lacks any sort of excitement is because, wait for it, nobody dies!!! As we were told that people who participate in this game have a chance of losing their life for real, initially my perception is that the number of participants will eventually thin out towards the end as the game gets tougher and tougher and some will be risking their lives just to solve the stage and let the rest move on. I know. Blame me for being a bloodthirsty sadist but that is basically how you attract viewership, no? The basic human nature of wanting to see blood spill of others. Therefore with all of the participants here clearing the stages and being so happy in the end, it is a mind boggling matter of how their viewership count can increase dramatically by the end of each stage! Where’s the excitement in that?! Unless they are fans of the participants so it’s like they just hope and wish to see more of them in action rather than some casual viewer who is just out for blood. Too bad this isn’t a horror survival series then.

The other big problem of this series is the games that they play. I believe they do not want to focus on the games and instead of the interaction and bonding of the players. Many of the games that we see them play are just borderline boring. Like raising a child? WTF?! Go to a demon village and rescue captured maidens? Boring! No plot twist whatsoever after the stage is cleared. I know it is to appease to fans of different genres since we have participants from different abilities in the game. But really, the games are somewhat a tool and stepping for the characters to grow closer and bond. But they fail in that too. More on that later. So in terms of the games, I could basically sum it up as boring as f*ck. The closest a game was the most interesting was the hide and seek one with the ghost ladies. I admit it was interesting and as well suspenseful because you know, ghost ladies trying to hunt you down! But the biggest disappointment comes in that final round how all of them managed to win the game without being caught at all! They put all their eggs in the same basket! The worst part was they never explained it to us how Akatsuki deduced that this was the safe room! Yeah people, use your imagination on how they survived that. By that time I was downright losing it and from then on, I wasn’t just interested in whatever games they played anymore. Whatever. Just get it on and clear the stage.

On to the characters, I believe they are also a big miss and unfortunately as much as they try to keep the intrigue and mystery with some of them, ultimately I think that a dozen episodes weren’t enough to properly flesh all 8 of them out. Maybe they could have run for another cour but who knows if it would still be interesting. The biggest gripe I have is have the characters’ backgrounds feel superficial. They are just shown snippets of their past or whatever and then nothing else. You move on. I mean, all of the players I believe have some sort of past and a reason why they participate in this game, willingly or unwillingly. But to skim over them just to ‘alert’ us that hey, this is their past. Note that? Okay. Let’s move on. It just doesn’t make us feel we want to put our support behind them. Ironically we have players who are pros in their related fields. But where is one who is skilled in third person shooters? I guess Japanese people don’t play Overwatch, Fornite, PUBG or even Call Of Duty or Counter Strike.

Like Himiko, when she said she killed somebody, it sure hell made me interested to know more about it. And then it was just briefly explained about how she technically ‘killed’ somebody figuratively and not physically. It was really a disappointment. So that’s it for this shy chick, huh? The only reason why order is kept and the guys not fighting each other because of her flash grenades. It’s her only prominent point we’d mostly remember. Every group needs an angry guy. That’s you Anya. What about why he carries a helmet around to honour his dead brother? Then there is Makino who is always sleeping wherever and whenever he can. Yes, this guy can even sleep upside down on rock like as though he is defying the laws of nature and physics! They try to make this Makino guy having this enigmatic ambience. It makes us want to know who this guy. Every time you look into his eyes, you wanna fall in love with this hunk. And then a convenient episode just to give us his flashback… Uhm… I guess it’s okay? Once you know about that, it’s like, whatever.

The biggest mysterious players are Akatsuki and Yuzu themselves. It is hinted that they are more than just players and while Yuzu is revealed to be on Paka’s side, it didn’t really send any shockwaves. If this is supposed to be the biggest twist, then I guess it failed. Of course Akatsuki as the main character, how much do we know about him? He seems like an eager beaver wanting to join in every game. He is like the glue that sticks all the players together because otherwise nobody would be wanting to cooperate in the first place. His eternal smile and positivism I am guessing is hiding something even tragic. That is why he acts like an airhead to try and cover up whatever background he has. I may be wrong and Akatsuki might just be some natural airhead who loves to play games. That’s all. Last episode tries to hint something but it just didn’t really matter because once again you’d expect the power of friendship to get him out of whatever problem. That’s what friends are for, right? Another unanswered question is how the genome fits into all this. Every time they clear a stage, they receive some chromosome thingy. Are they taking samples of the players’ DNA to build a secret army? Or at least clone their gaming skills?

As you might have guessed, there are a few mind boggling questions that pop up in your head while watching this series. At least mine did. The mind boggling one goes to those secret underground kids. Don’t tell me Paka is that dumb and lets them run around and do as they wish? Nanami I assume is the ‘oldest’ because he has been stuck underground for 4 years! FOUR DAMN YEARS!!! So what is he planning to do? I’m sure it is to bust out and waiting for the right time. Keep waiting… So long those kids do not interfere with the current games, I guess Paka is willing to close an eye. I mean, Paka could have captured all of them as and when he likes and as the game master, he has the power and authority to do it. I know we see him kowtowing to Akatsuki’s demands but I’m sure he is just trolling for the sake of the game.

What about the viewership of the game? Are the rising numbers due to the same people watching (because some of us own multiple devices and online accounts) or are they truly unique viewers? Because it feels strange that the counter actually goes up by a few million after every stage is cleared. I mean, are there no viral cute cat videos out there?! Are people so bored or the marketing team of this game is so good that they attract others to get glued to their screen? Heck, even there are not many fanservice scenes and the numbers still increase proportionately. As the numbers do not go down, I am assuming once they start watching the stream, they’ll forever watch it till it finishes. No wonder at this rate they look like they have potential to hit a million viewers. It is just going to take a while… I mean, there’s no time limit to achieve that, right?

Of course Paka himself being the biggest mystery of all, you wonder what his intentions are in hosting these games. Conspiracy theories and speculations are rife from my side because one of mind is that he would need to achieve a certain number of viewership before he can leave the island. Or maybe he needs to host a number of editions before he can get his wish granted. Something like that. Or maybe he is the last of his Alpacan alien race and the only way to save his tribe is to extract the DNA of the best players? A bit of a stretch there… Paka doesn’t sound or look very threatening and quite accommodating to the players as most of the time you see him give some freedom to complete things. Like how he helped Yuzu complete her puzzle and give others a chance to save Makino. I’m sure those aren’t part of the rules but as the game master and host, he controls everything. I don’t think he even wants to kill them at all. Seeing how he prepared events for them to relax and have fun, this guy probably wants people to enjoy his giant amusement park. What’s a big Disneyland when you have no visitors to enjoy, huh?

Art and animation I think it tries to be as edgy as Danganronpa but overall it comes off as a bit bland, the visuals and the colour hues. The characters have this cute and kawaii looks to it like as though they are one step away from being a chibi version of themselves. Even Anya as the angsty character doesn’t look menacing. A lot of crude talk perhaps made us think he is so. This series is animated by Silver Link who has done Non Non Biyori, Strike The Blood, Masamune-kun No Revenge, Kokoro Connect and Imouto Sae Ireba Ii just to name a few.

For the voice acting, I only recognized Kenjiro Tsuda as Paka. Why do I have a feeling that this guy is going to be the Johnny Depp of voice acting since his eccentric low voice makes him suitable to voice weird characters like that pervy erotic novelist dad in Midara Na Ao-chan Wa Benkyou Ga Dekinai and Ogata in Golden Kamuy. The other casts are Daiki Yamashita as Akatsuki (Midoriya in Boku No Hero Academia), Akari Kitou as Karin (Kaho in Blend S), Kaori Nazuka as Yuzu (Tsukasa in Amagami SS), Tasuku Hatanaka as Anya (Kaminari in Boku No Hero Academia), Takuya Satou as Kaikoku (Sasajima in Nana Maru San Batsu), Kouki Uchiyama as Zakuro (Ichika in Infinite Stratos), Manaka Iwami as Himiko (Chiaki in Gamers) and Takuma Terashima as Makino (Stone River in Tantei Opera Milky Holmes). Bonus point: Mamiko Noto making her short cameo is Akatsuki’s mother!!! Or aunt. Whoever. I don’t care. Phew. So glad hearing her voice just made my day after finishing watching this series.

Not Game by Tasuku Tatanaka as the opening theme, uhm, feels a bit weird. I has this hip tune to it and although it is not bad, somehow I just feel it doesn’t fit the series. Because it gives off this feeling that everybody is having fun and that there is no danger at all to the players! Which is what it is actually. Then the ending theme, Boku Wo Mitsukete by Fhana feels equally weird at least in terms of the tune of the song. Not really to my liking. I don’t know if the ending credits animation is trying to do homage or copied after the first season of Durarara’s ending theme. It looks strikingly similar…

Overall, I wanted to like this series but unfortunately the boring games and weak character development, it only makes me dream if there was an alternate version whereby it was truly a horror survival game where the participants truly dies! But I guess I have to accept that this is a team game whereby everyone pitches in and helps each other out. Yeah, this feels like one big elaborated team building camp with the characters coming out nicely and happy. Everybody wins! Everybody gets a participation trophy! You’re a winner! He’s a winner! She’s a winner! Everybody’s a winner! Certainly, this isn’t the next Gangnam Style material that would break the counter of YouTube. What next after achieving a million views? I guess we are going back to watch those viral cute cat videos. That will surely rake up hundreds of millions of views in a short period of time.

Tsuujou Kougeki Ga Zentai Kougeki De Nikai Kougeki No Okaasan Wa Suki Desu Ka

Mamma Mia! Mothers to the fore! I guess it is time for mothers to take the lead instead of having hot teenage chicks, be it your sister or childhood friend. Hey. Moms can be equally cool too, you know?! If Tsuujou Kougeki Ga Zentai Kougeki De Nikai Kougeki No Okaasan Wa Suki Desu Ka is too freaking long and a mouthful for you to pronounce, Okaa-san Online should be good enough. So what is ‘worse’ than having your mom tell you to stop playing video games and go outside? Why, mom following you around and playing a video game with you! Yes, people. Who is this unlucky kid who has got his mom following him in his party to slay monsters and raid dungeons in this VR RPG game? I’m sure he’ll never want to remember this ‘dark’ period in his childhood. Imagine trying to be the cool hero and then mom shows up to say or do something. Sighs… But mom!!!!! “Sonny, do you like mummy’s normal full powered double multiple attacks?”. MOOOOM!!!!!

Episode 1
Masato Oosuki is answering a questionnaire about his relationship about his mom. Nothing special, really. WTF kind of questionnaire is that? Despite Mamako treating him nicely, he is that typical so who is embarrassed by her. Next day, Masumi Shirase comes by to inform him of some big news. Due to the government’s survey of online players, they would love to enter the video game world. Since Masato agrees, immediately Shirase keys in some secret passcode and has him enter the video game world! Awesome technology?! Masato is happy to start his adventuring days. Only, Mamako is also here to adventure with him! WTF?! Before they king, they are given their roles. Masato as a normal hero and Mamako, uhm, is hero’s mother a real role? A little briefing how this is just a beta testing game but since Mamako is very alien to all the terms, she is given a manual to read up. Don’t embarrass your son… The king lets them choose some weapons. Usually reserved for those clearing hard quests but young punks these days have no patience and won’t play your game if you don’t give them cool items… After Masato chooses one, Mamako chooses the remaining 2! It would be sad just to leave one alone, right? During the battle tutorial, Mamako owns the monsters! Masato hardly brings down a little bird. Can’t believe mom is doing better than him! Don’t worry, mom still loves you a lot. Masato starts complaining and even pinpointing it is all because she tagged along. Don’t make mom mad. Why, he even runs his mouth to spill the secret deal with Shirase or else he will disown her! OMFG! Ungrateful son you just made your mom cry!!! WTF???!!! She feels so hurt and sad with that statement and doesn’t really know what is going on. At least he has a conscious to apologize for saying too much. Masato agrees to let mom tag along and in the kingdom of Mommalia (really?), they need to join a guild first. Mamako makes a flashy destructive move so as others won’t look down upon them? Hey, it’s written here in the manual. Masato is worried about PK (player killing) but luckily the only damage done is to an NPC desk woman (Shirase?). She helps selects the best players for Masato. Why, aren’t they all hot chicks? Are these his type? And of course, the question that every mom will ask her son: Which one he likes best. Long story short, she sees this girl as his potential life partner whom he will share his life with. See where this is going? Yup, she is going to interview the girls!

Episode 2
As expected, Mamako rejects them all! Next is a timid girl, Porta. She is a merchant and non-combatant. Because Mamako thinks she is good in making deals and getting freebies, looks like she promotes her right away from party member to Masato’s wife! Woah! One step at a time, mom! Next is a poster of a sage named Wise. Her stats aren’t that good and she smells like trouble. Masato gets rid of the poster but it always returns. Until he steps on it that the poster screams in pain. Turns out she is disguising as one and as punishment, teleports him away so as to step back on his face. I suppose the reason he isn’t complaining is because he gets to see he pantsu… Wise is also a beta tester. She reveals the true intention of this game is for the parents to make up with their child. This is why his mom tagged along. The only way to clear the game is for them to improve their relationship. Apparently Wise and her mom were also in this game but they had a fight and split. She has been adventuring alone since and trapped. She hopes to become Mamako’s child and get out. Soon, Mamako finds them but not after Wise is put into prison because her dangerous teleporting could be seen as PK. Although Mamako cannot accept Wise as her child, she will allow her to travel with them in hopes she could find her mom. But Wise remains stubborn and would rather have the world destroyed than reconcile with mom. But with Masato claiming he needs her magic, that’s the deal that got her to join them. Their first travel has them fall into some pit that leads to an underground dungeon. Attack of the slimes! When Wise tries to use her magic, she freezes. Looks like her magic is sealed. Mamako destroys it and levels up but the slimes return and combine into a larger monster. When it attacks, Masato saves mom and despite both ended up getting slimed, only Mamako’s clothes disintegrate! So slippery that Masato can’t get up and has his face planted in mama’s boobs! Rejoice, viewers! Your MILF fanservice is here!!! Porta helps Wise disables some bad stats of her to able her to use magic. This allows Mamako to get her vengeance back on the slime. More fanservice with Mamako in naked apron. Is this our reward? After the slime defeat, a nun (Shirase?) rises from a coffin. In recognition of defeating the monster, she has them go on a special quest at a small farming village, Maman.

Episode 3
As they go buy equipment, Masato dreads this bikini armour. The last person he wants to see them on, yup, Mamako puts it on. But for the rest of us, itadakimasu! I guess the shop is having cheap sale so she bought a few more. This has Masato reprimanding her for being carefree. Damn, you trying to make mama cry again?! With the girls calming him down, he realizes he was only taking out his frustrations on her. This time they manage to make up with Mamako letting her son lie on her lap while she digs his ears while talking things out. Nothing beats this mom and son bonding. In Maman, they meet the mayor who tells them of their grave situation. A powerful with named Night Empress is forcing the town to hand over their most handsome and macho men or else. Hearing him describe her other qualities, Wise knows who this b*tch is. We take a detour as we see Masato’s party soak in a hotspring. No gender segregation? I guess with (naked) mom around, no funny business. Almost the cliché scene whereby Masato sees Wise’s naked body and is expecting a Team Rocket blast off into the sky treatment but reverse psychology! She won’t do it thinking he is a pervert who is expecting one! Meanwhile we see Shirase confronting Night Empress using her macho men as furniture. As she is an irregular, Shirase tries to purge her but Night Empress has a more powerful programming and purges Shirase instead. Before she is ejected, Shirase warns her daughter is nearby and if she has any plans to reconcile with her. None. She doesn’t need that girl. Masato can tell something is wrong when Wise is talking strangely and knows a lot about Night Empress. The only way to end this stubborn scene is a highly suggestive and ambiguous position of Masato slipping and falling onto her, making it look like he is taking her from the back! Serious business, Wise admits Night Empress is her mom. In the real world, mom loves to spend money on host clubs. Wise’s real name is Genya and is named after one of her favourite hosts. This habit led to her parents being divorced. Though Wise lives with her father, one day mom marches back in with a pretence to get back together with this game. Everything happened so fast and they ended up here. But since mom discovered she was so powerful, she decided to stay here and do things her way. This caused them to argue and split up. Wise envies Masato’s family so Mamako has her hug her. Feels like the warm mama’s hug she needs but not quite her mom’s. With that, they vow to make Night Empress remember her motherly bond with her child.

Episode 4
Wise revives Shirase who in turn tells them about Night Empress. Her real name is Kazuno and she is a sage like Wise. Like them who receive bonuses before they start their mission, Kazuno receives all the magic spells. But her greed led her to pursue her own disgusting hobbies and for some reason she has some invincibility that isn’t part of the game. Hence she might have brought in some cheat code. Cheaters like her will be heavily penalized. A huge fine, that is. The conclusion of the quest is when they can bring Wise and Kazuno closer. Shirase uses her admin privileges to summon Kazuno. Not in the mood to talk, she quickly attacks with her range of spells. She has also used her cheat code to move objects in the game to trap Mamako and Porta. Then in this room where she claims she can make any of her wish come true, she claims she can rule both the online and offline world. When Wise tells her to stop this nonsense, Kazuno reminds her this is all her fault. Initially when Kazuno got this game, she earnestly wanted to reconcile with her but Wise rejected her. Kazuno says the worst thing a child could hear: She regrets giving birth to her. Masato is somewhat the same too because he too isn’t all that fond of his mom. He too has his selfishness as a child. He hopes she can forgive Wise and not abandon her. His advice falls on deaf ears. Mamako breaks out from her entrapment. Illuminating like a goddess, Mamako remembers all the joy Masato brings including all his firsts. If Kazuno will not remember those feelings as a mother, she’ll make her. Masato’s party do a combo to take Kazuno down as Mamako lectures her about children despite being burdensome, they are irreplaceable treasures. Kazuno is losing and she hates it. Now she is throwing a tantrum like a kid until she finally loses. Wise admits despite saying hurtful things, she still loves her because she is her mom. After that it descends into a full blown mother-daughter argument. Uhm, I guess this is normal and how the family talks? In the aftermath, despite Kazuno already logged out, why is still Wise following Masato’s party? Oh, she wants to stay with them thinking the party needs her? You mean to say she needs somebody? I think Mamako can pick up what she means… We’ll see. Shirase informs them of another quest to do. Heck, she wants them to complete all the quests. So you mean to say they’re like cleaning up whatever mess the government makes?

Episode 5
With Mamako again taking the spotlight, this demoralizes Masato and Wise that they should be stronger. But don’t fear. Pamphlets about a school in Maternia where they can get stronger. With Mamako’s blessings, off they go. Masato is happy to meet this pretty chick, Medhi. Unfortunately she has an overbearing mom who keeps praising her daughter and everybody else as second class. Is this the obstacle in Masato’s love life? In class, Masato fears the other new transfer student is his mom but it turns out to be Medhi. Hence everyone teases him he sees mom in every other girl! Embarrassing! Worse, Medhi introduces herself that she is NOT Masato’s mom! Don’t you just want to die? But it won’t get worse than this since Medhi’s mom is also sitting in as an observer. Can they do that? As the teacher asks questions, the first to answer will be awarded points. It seems Medhi’s mom is using a trick to make everyone except her daughter answer. To the point in putting them to sleep. Yeah, she’s bragging about how she wants the best for her daughter, blah, blah, blah. Later Masato receives a note that a heroine is waiting for him. No surprise. Not even him. It’s Mamako. Saw this coming. So why is she here? Shirase will explain. As this school was quickly constructed to ward off overbearing parents, it has lots of bugs. Since Shirase lured them here, it is their mission to handle problems between parents and children that the game master can’t. Next class starts and Mamako is a student?! Masato manages to intervene to make mom an observer. Medhi’s mom tries to throw her weight and authority around but Mamako isn’t fazed and this throws Medhi’s mom off. During Q&A, Medhi’s mom is up to her usual tricks but thanks to Mamako’s equipment, it nullifies all negative effects. Mamako then answers the questions with equally ridiculous motherly love answers and gets extra points! This goes on for a few times and Masato is so embarrassed because his name is somewhat dragged into those questions. Please stop. At the end of the day, Mamako scores the most points. Medhi’s mom is not pleased and wants to have a strict talk with Medhi. Everybody else got zero and Masato dreads his mom stealing the spotlight again.

Episode 6
Masato’s lovely walk to school with Medhi is ruined when Mamako joins in. Even more so when Medhi’s mom has now get herself the school uniform. During cooking class, once more she puts a spell to make everybody’s food taste bad while her daughter’s to appear and look good. But with Mamako blowing her special mom’s breath of love, you bet this nullifies the effects. With Masato’s party getting top points, Medhi is refrained by her mom to even praise them. If you’re wondering why Shirase is sexily molesting Mamako, it’s to take her measurements. Because Masato saw this worst nightmare come true. It’s swimming class! Masato literally wants to die… Which son would love to see his mom in a swimsuit? But what’s worse than a mother in a swimsuit? Why, 2 mothers! Too bad all the NPC guys are all over Mamako’s traditional school swimsuit over Medhi’s mom’s sexy one. You lost, bad mama. In this class, students earn points by killing monsters in the pool. Until the ultimate fish turns up that Masato and Medhi are in competition to take it down. While Mamako doesn’t care about standings and is only worried if her boy will get injured, Medhi’s mom is pressuring her daughter to be number one. The last straw as Medhi snaps when mom tells her she must become number one or else she is worthless. Medhi just stops. Suddenly a giant sea anemone pops up. Only Mamako gets tentacle raped?! Damn anemone has MILF fetish… Porta throws Mamako her sword to cut herself loose before Masato finishing it off. This earns Masato big points. The happy celebration is cut short when Medhi’s mom slaps her daughter for being worthless. Back to more training for you girl. This is for your sake. Tearful Medhi runs away. Time for the hero to go after the girl. Make that, the hero and his mom. Both have noted Medhi sometimes acting strangely and saying strange stuffs behind her mom’s back. It couldn’t be truer when they see a frustrated Medhi kicking the wall and cursing mama to death.

Episode 7
Group meeting. Masato wants to help Medhi and her mom since he knows how it feels to have problems with a mother and not know what to do. It is the school’s cultural festival so they are free to do what they want. When Masato’s side wants to do a café, Medhi’s mom also wants to do the same and challenges who could do better. Obviously we see a long queue outside Mamako’s café. Everyone is waiting for Mamako’s cooking! None for Medhi’s mom. Hence she forces Medhi to switch from a maid to a swimsuit (WTF???!!! WHY???!!!) to attract more customers. Masato happened to pass by so Medhi’s mom ‘kills’ him. He turns into a ghost and he is able to hear her evil scheme to force Medhi to seduce him so that she could control and then ruin Mamako’s café. After Masato revives, Medhi is in seductive mode but Masato knows what’s going on and isn’t taking the bait. Medhi drops the act but before she could badmouth her mom, yeah mom pops up. Masato pleads for her to stop this but she thinks she can still win. Yeah, this beauty contest! Medhi ranks first since all the guys love this cute clumsy girl. Wise tries to be clumsy but nobody likes it. Then Mamako comes up on stage to promote her café and since all the guys love girls who cook, her ratings shoot through the roof! Literally, it’s over 999!!! As Mamako is being crowned, Masato takes Medhi to talk. With the other girls, they ask her what she really wants to do. She wants to enjoy her school life but is afraid she has no friends. On the contrary, Masato and co confirm they are her friends. Enough to break Medhi down in tears while she screams out her heart’s desire to have fun with her friends. You can bet on her mom to cut short that as she strangles her daughter! Before she could beat her, Mamako gets in the way. She understands mothers want the best for their child. But is it right to push Medhi so hard that it makes her suffer? According to Medhi’s mom, yes. She has to be number one so that she can say she is the best mom. So it’s basically all for herself. This is the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Medhi has truly had it. She thought of putting up with all the tormenting thinking mom as doing it for her. Now it’s all about herself, well screw it all! This betrayal has Medhi unleash all her magic that it turns her into a monster.

Episode 8
Even when Medhi is mad, mama calls her disgusting and ugly. She blames Masato and co for ruining everything. The kids head off to handle Medhi while the mothers settle things. Their ideals clash on how to raise a child. But of course you know Mamako will have the edge when she starts illuminating like a goddess and saying how parents should raise their kids to become wonderful adults! This causes Medhi’s mom to feel guilty over what she has done. She realizes she has always loved Medhi and now she is in danger. She tries to talk some sense into Medhi but obviously her girl doesn’t believe her lies anymore. Too late to play nice. Mom praises her for doing all she has asked despite never liking it. Masato feels Medhi’s mom’s sincerity so he too steps in to protect her from Medhi’s attack. Wise has finally finished drinking bottles after bottles of MPs as she blasts Medhi into the air. When the sceptre tries to protect Medhi, Mamako unleashes her powerful attack to break it. This frees Medhi as both mother and daughter emotionally reunite and reconcile. It is believed the sceptre has been causing Medhi’s mom to act strangely. Because she wanted to become a good mom, the sceptre enhanced that wish to the extreme. When she signed up for this game, all she wanted was to get back on good terms with Medhi because she knew she was putting a lot of stress on her. She just wanted her daughter to grow up to be a good person but she ended up being the worst mother. As the class graduates, Masato offers the pair to join their party but Medhi’s mom decides to log out and erase her dark legacy, a blog she wrote on how to raise children. After today’s lesson, she’s going to take it down. As for Medhi, she gives her a choice to stay and she definitely wants to continue adventuring with Masato. But can a parent and child log out separately? Well, Shirase says Wise already set a precedent. I guess it’s not yet for Masato, huh? Shirase rewards them with many bonuses in which they can spin to get special items. Unfortunately Masato got lots of HPs and Wise lots of MPs. Medhi will be keeping hers to boost her stats later and Porta might be the only winner getting what she wanted (a teddy bear). Masato gets an extra spin for solving this mother-daughter issue. Will he get a super rare item? Nope. Just a mother’s apron! Hey, at least not naked apron Mamako! Hey, has Masato succumbed to liking seeing mom in this?!

Episode 9
Mamako answering survey questions about her relationship with Masato. All is well! I’m sure Masato never felt that way… He tries to take out his frustrations by destroying a wave of monsters but Mamako takes it out as usual. Then there is a poster about a dungeon tower whereby anyone who clears it will get whatever wish they want. Sounds like a scam but whatever, let’s check it out. But outside the tower, there are lots of disgruntled moms complaining about their lost kids. They try to ask Shirase but she too has no clue what is going on. They head into the tower to investigate. Looks like an easy tower with Mamako being friends with the monsters and stepping on plates give you certain power ups. Oddly, there seems to be a weird rivalry going on between Wise and Medhi because Medhi wants to take out Wise so she can be the party’s only caster. Reaching a certain level, they stumble into Amante. She claims she is one of the leaders of the group called Ribele. They are made up of kids who have rebelled against their mothers. Noticing Mamako is in this group, Amante feels scared and retreats to form a plan. Though, she believes a small party like them can’t clear this tower. Mamako’s group returns outside and with Amante’s info, Shirase has a gist of what is happening. As there is no in-game event like this, she believes somebody is trying to cause a rift between parents and children. Ribele could be behind this and Shirase recognized some of the kids in the group from the database who joined Ribele. The plan now is the increase their party size and it is suggested they form a guild and recruit members. So this rundown building will be their guild’s base? Yeah, Mamako took the liberty to name it Mommy Guild! And now she’s the guild master? Yes, Momaster! What a mouthful to pronounce! Shirase also left them with presents while she goes to investigate. Maid outfits!!! I APPROVE!!! While Mamako and Wise clean up their guild, Medhi and Porta go shopping and Masato is left why he is forced to carry the bags when they have Porta’s infinite bag. They stumble into Amante shopping too. But Medhi mocks her slip ups so badly that Amante starts crying!!! Enough for her to reveal she sent an assassin to their guild. The rest doesn’t think this would be any trouble since Mamako is there. Yeah, it’s the Mamako we’re talking about. Suddenly Wise teleports in to request for help because Mamako is losing. Say what?! No way?! Mamako losing?! Oh sh*t! This must be real serious trouble!

Episode 10
It seems Mamako is losing to… A salesman?! She can’t help with all the good offers and gives in whenever Masato’s name is mentioned. Although she is stopped, the salesman quickly flees and the crystal ball he left behind is a bomb. It’s going to explode! But wait! Mamako calms it down like a baby! Can it work? You bet! Come to think of it, crying babies and bombs are like the same! Later Amante shows up just to complain how they foiled her assassination plans. Yup, she even admits she was the one behind it and even sent another one. Oh, the guild just exploded. Returning, Amante’s men are the one behind this, they claim they have also placed bombs all over town and they must do their bidding to avoid casualties. So they want maid service, huh? Mamako in maid outfit? I APPROVE!!!! Damn she looks hot! And when she serves them fried rice, it makes them nostalgic about their mom’s cooking. Eat up, boys. Next they want ‘bed service’. Mamako pulls a blanket over them and sings a lullaby till they sleep! What were you expecting? More nostalgic mama moments for them. In the end, the guys feel bad for everything they did and will go disarm the bombs around town. Power of mother’s love! And even later, Amante drops by to complain about yet another failed attempt. Care to reveal more stuffs? Not only they get to tease her but she bloopers and embarrassed herself on the exit. Next day, it seems the other mothers are grateful for what they did for their kids. They intend to join their guild to help clear the tower. Though, their kids won’t be joining as they will be doing something else. You could say this is the mother of all guilds! As they arrive outside the tower, the mothers realize they left their windows open and worry about the recent robberies in the area. They want to be sent home otherwise will Masato take responsibility? And so he leaves Wise to teleport them all back. Meanwhile Amante has been waiting inside the tower for them to show up. Yeah, she’s ready to bomb the hell out of them but as expected, she bloopers and accidentally presses the detonator. Boom! And Masato is still waiting for all the moms to finish their stuff outside… This is going to take a while before the mission can even start…

Episode 11
Finally. Can we get this tower climbing started? Amante has set a trap for the entourage but because they never came, she clumsily sets off the trap herself. Then she goes down to see what’s taking them so long and they’re having a picnic?! Just done. Time to wash the dishes. Chotto matte! Amante challenges Mamako to see who can wash the dishes faster. While Amante is good, Mamako uses her magic! Instant cleaning! Hey, nobody say how you’re supposed to get them cleaned, right? Next challenge? Wash clothes. Masato’s clothes. Again, Mamako wins because of her magic. Maybe next time, huh? As the gang make their way up, they step on plates that make their body feel lighter. That’s because their clothes are gone and only left in their underwear! Oh dear… Masato has to see his mom in her undies! Ironically, Masato is the only one who is embarrassed for being semi-naked while all the other girls and moms are cool. But this also means they have no defence against the enemies. And before them now is… Oh, just stupid Amante. However she unleashes monsters to fight them. However they recognize the monsters are Amante’s ex-men. She reveals while Mamako and the rest were fooling around, they were climbing the tower to fight her so she changed them into monsters. Oh no. Can mothers raise their hands against their sons? Good thing is that the monsters drop their weapons and won’t fight. But Amante unleashes another spell to turn them into vicious savages while she goes up to make her wish. While Medhi and Wise put some temporary confusing spell on them, Mamako tells the other moms how to tackle this issue. Yup. Just go do what mothers do best. And Saint Mamako shines so greatly that all the moms now don full armour. Full Mom-our?! With this, they are able to withstand the strongest attacks and also give the biggest hug that turn their sons back to normal. Behold the power of moms! Yeah, the most embarrassing moment that all kids don’t want their mom do. Even Masato gets this ‘hell’ himself. Can’t leave him out of the fun, can we? Once that embarrassing moment is done, the adventurers warn them about Amante’s wish: To erase all mothers from this world.

Episode 12
As they enter the next level, Masato realizes that he is separated from the rest. But he soon hears Mamako beckoning him. Knowing something is strange, he soon realizes it is a trap. There are other Mamako clones too but he ignores them. I can see why if 1 Mamako is already bad enough, how about hundreds of them! Of course being the true son he is, he can tell when his real mom comes to the rescue. That’s right. Mamako is going to scold them for scaring her precious. What if Masato comes to hate her?! Yeah, every mom’s worst nightmare. And with her beam of light, the clones are blasted away and they are reunited with the rest who also faced similar trials. In the final floor, they see Amante trying to break through the door. Amante starts fighting them. Because of her magic spell, she is able to repel any attack back at them. Amante then explains her reason of hating Mamako. As Masato is supposed to be on his own exciting adventure including gaining friends and even fall in love. He would have gotten all of that had Mamako not joined him. Thus she blames Mamako for stealing all that possibility and future. Uhm, still doesn’t explain why she hates her. Of course Masato doesn’t accept that explanation. Despite all the crazy and embarrassing things that have happened, he thought maybe that is what an adventure is. There are times when he was lost but mom was there to help him overcome it. Considering it all, it isn’t all that bad. With Amante still refusing to admit, it’s time for Mamako to do her specialty scolding. Yup, with this beam of light is made up of her motherly love. So it’s not an explosion but scolding? Yeah, doesn’t matter to the one being hit, right? Amante takes a direct hit but survives. With the door open, she hurries to make her wish. Not if Masato can wish faster. I can’t believe despite thinking on what to wish and then Mamako hinting about what Wise said before climbing the tower, Masato is still fast enough to wish for fresh eggs for everybody than Amante’s mother existence erasure?! Amante is in despair and fumbles away in tears. And now everybody gets to have fresh eggs! Shirase informs she found a dark jewel Amante was using. As it is unbroken, she will investigate it. But for now, she will have Mamako’s team on a new quest to defeat Ribele. Remember, there are 3 other members, right? I guess Masato can’t be more impatient to leave this town because everyone built a giant statue of Mamako to honour her for saving them! Masato might be irritated that mommy continues to cling to him but I guess she’s shining so brightly and it’s not that all bad.

Always Forever Momma’s Boy!
Aren’t mothers the best?! Uh huh. Despite the mind boggling wish of Amante wanting to erase mothers, I wonder if this will only translate inside the video game. Forgot that we’re still inside one big MMORPG? So if Amante really had her wish come true, would Mamako and other moms be kicked out of the game? I’m glad we won’t have to find that out because it would suck if Masato’s party continues to adventure without Mamako. He might be happy at first but I’m guessing he’ll soon be lamenting he wishes mommy was here adventuring with him! Nah! Maybe. Therefore for all you kids out there, appreciate your mom better today!

The story itself isn’t all that interesting nor is it original. They’re just using this virtual world video game so that we can see lots of ‘fantastical nonsense’ when mothers do their unbelievable motherly power to overcome ‘evil’. This series is supposed to see how Masato get back on good terms with Mamako but instead we get side-tracked and do other side missions like helping other kids and their moms. Better to do all this stuff inside a video game than in reality, which is so much harder. From the looks of it, they’re going to be playing this game for quite a while. Momma is away from reality at the moment, come back some time later!

As we can see, because of Mamako’s hot stunning looks, at first glance she looks more like a big sister than mother to Masato. Any ordinary person would have come to this sort of conclusion. Hey Masato, this your big sister? No, it’s my mom. Say what???!!! Sure, Mamako does motherly stuffs and cares a lot for her son but because of her youthful looks, she still passes off a lot more like a big sister than anything else. Worse still, I wonder if her parents who named her Mamako must be damn confident that she’ll grow up to be a mother. I know it’s a pun and but it just feels weird the more you think about it. You know, like calling your dog, Dog. Hence, my mom’s name is Mama. Strange… On a side note, I wonder if their father is called Papasuke or Papatarou… That would be just so bizarre!

Therefore you think that Masato could be the star of this series and leader of his party? Nope. Mamako. Masato feels a lot more like a follower and oddly plays the ‘straight man’ whenever mom does something ‘embarrassing’. But don’t worry. Even if Masato doesn’t look like the main protagonist of this anime, Mamako will always consider you as her number one! Everything she does, she puts her tender loving care and heart into it, all for the sake of her boy. Sometimes Masato doesn’t appreciate it because of the overwhelming embarrassment. I understand it’s natural and at most times he just wants ‘to die’. Remember that time that forced cliché moment of the slime disintegrating Mamako’s clothes that leads to that mother-son naked body rubbing fanservice? Are you freaking out now?! It might be easy for that scene to be fapping material for anybody but imagine if that was you mom… Not so fanservice-y now, huh? I wonder if this beta version is live stream. If so, Masato’s death by embarrassment will be compounded hundreds of times over.

I feel like this virtual game gives mothers extra powers and abilities because you see Mamako swinging her weapon’s powers so easily. And you thought your moms aren’t the kind who are good in video games. Noobs in video games. And then we see Mamako just swinging with ease, legendary weapons that probably needs seasoned players to grind and level up like hell but she does it with ease. All because of the power of being a mom! And that’s not just all. Whenever Mamako gives off some of her motherly love, it’s like it has some sort of God-like powers and Mamako is elevated to a saint because she starts shining and once again the mother of all powers has defeated and overcome evil! Don’t laugh. Mothers know best. That’s why no child no matter how bad he/she is, if they are a reasonable child, a mother’s love will surely bring them back to the right path. For once, it isn’t the power of friendship that saved the day but the power of, wait for it, motherly love! Mothers are never wrong! This series might look absurd putting Mamako as some awesome accidental gamer. But it won’t be in a few decades time when many mothers would also make great gamers. Yup. Once a gamer girl, now a gamer mom! Don’t you wish your mom is like Mamako? Uhm… On second thought, maybe not.

Though, Mamako isn’t always perfect herself as she has some flaws. Sometimes she could be a bit imposing on Masato but that is only because she wants the best for him. I mean, which mother doesn’t want the best for her child? Thus there are still lots of work in progress to be done between them. Ironically they could solve the issues of other mothers and their child but they can’t solve their own. I mean, it is proceeding fairly well but it is not at the rate like Wise and Medhi’s mom’s case. Their relationship at a point where they can log out of the game together. I suppose this is an excuse for the government to keep them adventuring together. Masato still complaining about this and that about mom, I guess he hasn’t fully accepted her yet. But you can tell he is slowly appreciating his mama better than before. Of course there are other cases whereby mothers abandon their child (Wise) or being over protective (Medhi) but at the end of the day, Mamako’s greatest motherhood guidance will bring even the worst of mothers back to the right path.

If Mamako really wields the power of motherly love that heals all (yes people, not her twin swords are her offensive weapons but her motherly love that also acts as the best defensive weapon), I wonder if this could help heal the toxic behaviour in online games. You know, those other games especially first person shooters? Imagine Mamako tagging along with Masato to play Call Of Duty, Overwatch, Fortnite, PUBG, etc. Who this f*cking whore???!!! Watch it, that’s my mom. Your mom? HAHAHAHAHA!!! And then sprinkle a little dust of motherly love and suddenly everybody loses their aggression and starts becoming more compassionate! Holy cow! The government might be using this game as an experiment to heal the rift between parent and child but if it has the positive effect to heal toxic online behaviours too, I’m all for it!

Not much to be said for the other characters. Masato, the loving son whom is Mamako’s greatest motivation to keep going. Just try not to embarrass him too much, okay? Then there is Wise and Medhi whom I thought at first would become love rivals for Masato but I guess they don’t want to ruin this motherly themed series with some cheesy romcom harem antic so that’s the end of that. Yeah, with Masato’s mom tagging along, I guess Mamako is in some ways old fashioned. No forbidden relationships while she is around. Hence Wise from a tsundere becomes some sort of a joker character thanks to Medhi being some dark sarcastic character ever since she joins the party. It’s like Medhi gets her kicks by mocking and teasing Wise. But towards the end I noticed Wise has wised up and even talks back to Medhi on the same level of sarcasm. Even if Wise isn’t the butt of those mockery, recently I notice this running joke of her drinking bottles after bottles of MP just to power up her ability. Is there no other way to level up her MP permanently? I wonder if Porta is an NPC because she doesn’t seem to have any mama issues since joining the party (it is hinted that she couldn’t say about her own mama, like as though she never existed). I guess with the party having hot chicks and hot mama chicks, we need a loli character. Her bag is supposedly like Doraemon’s 4D pocket and can pack anything into it but I hardly see this being used. At least she’s the only character who isn’t really sexualized.

Wise could have been the series’ only comic relief character had Amante not pop up in the final arc. They really write up her character to be a silly bumbling b*tch. No siree, we can’t have another young cute teenage girl becoming a badass antagonist. Hence to counter her evil wish of eliminating all mothers, they turn her into a clumsy fool who has a penchant of revealing all her intentions without even asking. It’s like you want to ask her if she really knows how to be a villain. She could have been a lot formidable had she been half as serious as seen in the final episode but I suppose her character is programmed written that way. Let’s just hope that the other 3 Ribele members aren’t as bungling a fool as her. Last but not least, Shirase as the game’s guide feels like she wants to live up to her namesake to just inform. As also the game admin, there’s this running joke to be killed off and revived in a coffin. This game’s bug is just freaking buggy and weird.

Art and animation aren’t the best there is that J.C. Staff has to offer. I guess when you have multiple series to do in the same season (particularly To Aru Kagaku No Accelerator, DanMachi S2 and Machikado Mazoku), you try you best with all the resources you can get. J.C. Staff being a huge company and a veteran in producing so many animes over the years, I guess they have the resources. Sometimes I see a drop in quality in certain scenes but with everything in this fantasy MMORPG so bright and colourful, they definitely want mothers to have a swell time here. And of course, you could have guessed the design of Mamako, she looks so young and pretty enough to be even Masato’s girlfriend. She isn’t the first anime mom to be designed in such a ‘misleading’ way. Uh huh. You have loli mothers too. So I guess Mamako looking like a teen isn’t all that bad especially when compared to other typical looking moms in here. You know, fat and wrinkles? The kind of look that makes you go, “Oh, she is surely a mom” stereotypic look. Now we can glee as we see Mamako’s various reactions from cutely pouting to heart-breaking cry. Best of all, Mamako’s lovely motherly smile, no?! And of course with Mamako being so hot and stunning and having a body that is to die for moms her age, this gives rise to the typical fanservice department in which we get to see Mamako in her lingerie in some scenes. Hence, giving us the greatest dilemma if we are going to fap to MILF material. I guess it’s okay if it is other people’s mom. NOT!

In the voice acting department, Ai Kayano perfectly takes on the role of Mamako. Her sweet voice makes her a perfect fit for the character. However, I think there is one other seiyuu whom I think would have been even fitting to take on Mamako: Kikuko Inoue! I believe she would have been perfect too and there will be a lot of reference to her famous line of forever being 17 years old. Yeah, it would’ve been so epic. I guess Ai Kayano would do. The other seiyuus I recognize is Satomi Arai as Shirase and Mai Nakahara as Medhi’s mom. At first I was so damn cocksure that Ayana Taketatsu was behind Porta’s voice. I mean, she is capable of doing that squeaky high pitched voice mode. Never was I in doubt. And then it came as a big shock. WTF?! Who the heck is Sayaka Harada?! I was in disbelief. I had to go look at numerous sources just to make sure that I didn’t make the mistake. Yup. It was my mistake. This is the same girl who is the voice of Chiya in Urara Meirocho, Mimika in Uchi No Maid Ga Uzasugiru and Chitose in Yuuragi-sou No Yuuna-san. Come to think of it, yeah it’s really her voice… I’m so ashamed…

The rest of the other casts are Haruki Ishiya as Masato (Tamotsu in Akiba’s Trip: The Animation), Sayumi Suzushiro as Wise (Oono in High Score Girl), Lynn as Medhi (titular character in Fuuka), Natsumi Fujiwara as Amante (Eddie in Satsuriku No Tenshi) and Ryouko Yuzuki as Kazuno (Sastsuki in Kill La Kill). The opening theme is Iyayo Iyayo Suki no Uchi by Spira Spica, a lively and upbeat anime pop rock. Generic but I guess it’s okay. But I love the ending theme better, Tsuujou Kougeki Ga Zentai Kougeki De Ni-kai Kougeki Mama by Ai Kayano. It has this retro tune to it, making it quite catchy overall. It is one of those songs that I would love to sing along. And perhaps moms too.

Overall, this anime might not sit well with some who don’t appreciate the crappy mom jokes and puns that permeate throughout this series. Are they saying that mother’s love is everywhere and you can’t escape them?! With some having mixed reviews of this anime, honestly though, I just purely enjoyed them because it’s funny (I wish the characters could forever keep dressing up as the maid). It’s not the best parenting anime out there because if you’re looking for a parent-child bonding, I still believe that series like Usagi Drop does it way better. I also doubt that this series would make you love your mom even more. I’m not saying this series would make you love your mom less because one might find it mediocre (or in extreme cases turn you into a fanatic MILF obsessed lover), just be a good child and that’s the best gift that you can give mom. So don’t get mad when mom calls you to put down that video game controller and come right down now for dinner. What do you mean you can’t pause an online game?! I’m on a freaking kill streak right now! You get your ass right down here now, young man! Don’t make me come up there, young man! But… MOOOOM!!!!! Yeah, aren’t moms great?

Hyperdimension Neptunia Summer Vacation OVA

Wait. What?! WHAT?! There’s still some more? Oh heck. I guess they really want to play into our nostalgia and introduce newbies to it. Because it has been more than 5 years since Hyperdimension Neptunia The Animation graced the airwaves and then all of a sudden… Boom! Hyperdimension Neptunia Summer Vacation OVA! Like I have said, this single OVA is to make old veterans like yours truly feel nostalgic and sentimental and perhaps go back and watch everything again, or expose this ‘old’ series to newcomers in hopes that they will be attracted and start buying some of the merchandise. Yeah, the bottom line. I don’t know how popular this series is but I suppose it does has its followers in Japan. Enough to make this single OVA that doesn’t has no relation or continuation with the TV plot whatsoever. So like even yours truly who has forgotten almost everything can just jump in and watch it without losing much.

Summer haze & dreams…
WTF is this dramatic start?! Neptune is dying?! Oh the horror! Nepgear tries to tell her to hold on because help is on the way. Yeah, as you would come to expect this dramatic exaggeration, IF and Compa finally bring out the shaved ice treats… Yeah, we’re all dying for that for summer! Histoire reminds Neptune that she has a lot of work to be done but apparently she doesn’t want to waste her summer so she continues playing more video games… We see our lovely sisters take a summer trip to the pristine mountains. Nothing like some outdoor activity to relax, huh? Later as Nepgear and Uni try to find Ram and Rom, they see them being attacked by a giant beetle. Bad news: They cannot transform. Good news: Neptune comes to save the day with her kickass kung fu kick. Hiya! As quickly noted, this is not the Neptune we know and she is from another dimension. When the young ones try to bring Neptune back to their villa, it is not there. This is when Neptune realizes they have crossed over to another dimension. They must have passed through a giant shrine. But don’t despair, as explained by her own mini Historia, Croire says that the gate opens briefly every half a day. So while they are being stuck here for the time being, Neptune offers to take care of them. Nepgear observes Neptune to be very reliable as she can’t help make comparisons to her other carefree sister. Speaking of the other sisters, they are seemingly locked in some video game battle! Is this more fun than nature? But it isn’t that they don’t care. You see, time flows differently in this other dimension and much faster. Hence in their original dimension, it is still noon compared to night time here. This Neptune also wishes she had a nice and cute sister like Nepgear. They know they can’t stay like this forever so they are glad they met each other and spend whatever time they have together.

In the original world, it evening and the sisters are worried their young ones haven’t returned. They start looking for them. Meanwhile in the other dimension, it is morning and it is about time the young ones depart back. Apparently there are monsters on both sides of the dimension so it’s some excuse for the girls to transform and kick some butt. To show the focus on Neptune and Nepgear, they hear each other’s voice resonating from the other side of the gate. Uhm, their hands touch and voila! Your sexy transformation scene to blow away all those negligible monsters. The sisters are reunited and when Nepgear wants to introduce Neptune to her other counterpart, luck has it that the portal is closing so the other mature Neptune has enough time to say her goodbye. Yeah. We’ll always remember you. From that confident and charming voice, our Neptune can tell she is a cool person. It’s good she thinks highly of herself… And the sisters return to the villa and continue to have their usual (Japanese) summer fun of baths and fireworks till IF and Compa arrive to pick them up. Definitely the best and weirdest summer vacation ever.

The Sister You Have Always Dreamt Of…
Oh well, I guess that’s it. But it is hinted there might be more because you know how ambiguous ‘mata ne’ (see you again) sounds, right? I’ll probably watch it when that happens because, no harm, right? Gotta have more dopamine of nostalgia! Anyway, as far as this OVA is concerned, it’s relatively simple and straightforward. The focus is on Nepgear who has experienced the mature and reliable big sister should her actual Neptune be this cool and steadfast. Thankfully because of all the cuteness and adorability of this series’ pace, nothing twisted or dark is going to happen like Nepgear suddenly wanting to be this alternate Neptune’s sister and ditching her real one. Or telling her Neptune to buck up. No siree. Can’t have that here because we can see all the sisters love each other so much that they might as well be married to each other. Oops. Gone too far there. Alas, this experience only has Nepgear appreciating her own Neptune even more because you know, Neptune is Neptune. There are some things you can’t change. Even all the more so, this Neptune is her Neptune. You just accept it as it is.

The other motivation for me to watch this series as well as the other factor that increases my nostalgia points is that I get to hear the voices of veteran seiyuus. Rie Tanaka, Yui Horie, Eri Kitamura and Kana Asumi are great to hear again since the more seasons of new animes pass, the lesser I get to hear them as they are already in semi-retirement and with the competition of the voice acting industry heating up with new ones coming out, I guess old ones like them have to take a back seat and let the newer generation take the spotlight. Hey, don’t want to do this for your entire life, right? Well, maybe. Some like Rina Satou and Yui Ogura are still in the industry but it is sad to note and come to realization that there will be a time that the seiyuus I recognized will completely stop and retire. Will there be another dimension where they will always do voice acting forever? Only in your dreams. So yeah, probably this OVA has invoked a lot of these kind of thoughts and the lesson learnt is to appreciate what you’re doing now. Because it won’t last forever. Even one day the annual summers will stop coming… :’(. Better go get some shaved ice while I still can.

Overlord III

It sure really felt like an eternity. Although it only took a cour break. Alas, like so many other anticipated and interesting animes that I have seen, Overlord III came and go just like that. There must be some sort of devious scheme trying to split a double cour series like that. Because recently I noticed that a few of the other interesting anime sequels that I have watched are also using this trick. From the third season of Shokugeki No Souma and to the third season of Shingeki No Kyojin. Does absence really make the heart grow fonder even if it is only a single cour? Maybe it is that gap that makes us want to worship Ains even more and see how far he can achieve his exploits.

Episode 1
Ains summons all the floor guardians as he rewards them for their work well done. Like allowing Sebas to go on a date with Tuare. Cixous as a maid in charge of taking care of Ains today. Ains has prepared some leisure activities for his male and female guardians. On the females’ side, they summon some demonic horse, Bicorn. They agree to let it be Albedo’s pet. As she rides it, it kicks her off. Her weight isn’t the issue and further discovery shows pure maidens are not allowed to ride on its back. Does this give Albedo an excuse to f*ck Ains?! Ains is practising trying to pose coolly when Mare comes to see him. He is even admiring the way Ains sits?! Ains praises him so much that it makes Mare cry?! This awakens Albedo’s horniness as she tries to rape Ains. Not even some spider assassins could defeat a succubus who is in heat. Later as Ains and the male guardians take a bath, the unruly side comes from the females’ side as Albedo is turning into a pervert and trying to peep. And with some golem activated on their side and attacking, I guess Ains has to order the guys to enter the women’s side to fight it.

Episode 2
Ains actually has no clue on what is happening so he uses Demiurge to explain and update the rest what is happening. I suppose Ains himself is so shocked that he never knew his guardians take all his actions as part of world domination! Demiurge also further suggests that as part of their world conquest, they must turn Nazarick into an independent country instead of being part of another country. We know go back to Carne as we see the humans coexisting peacefully with the goblins. Although all the goblins have a crush on Enri and shamelessly declare their love for her, they all know Nphirea is the guy for her. But he is too obsessed in making potions so Jugem offers to teach him how to be manly. The goblins also teach the villagers how to fight and be archers. A goblin returns with report that something strange is happening in the forest. Enri is worried as she plans to go to the forest to collect rare herbs that only appears at this time of the year. Jugem picks his goblins to guard Enri and Nphirea as they go harvest the herbs. They stumble into an injured goblin kid, Agu running away from a barghest. They manage to kill the wolf beast and then tend to Agu’s injuries. He explains he was attacked by minions of the Giant of the East who has allied with the Demon Snake of the West.

Episode 3
As Agu is brought back to the village, looks like Lupusregina decides to pay a visit. Agu further explains after the Great Beast of the South went missing (that’s Hamusuke), the forest went out of balance and a terrifying guy appeared. He controls the undead and is known as the King of Ruin. That is why the Giant of the East and Demon Snake of the West are cooperating to fight him and they want to use goblins as foot soldiers. Some refused and ran. The ones chasing him may come to Carne. Lupusregina offers to tell Ains about this but they would rather fight themselves. Nphirea gives her a potion to be handed to Ains. That night, a few ogres defected so the goblins use Enri and prop her up as the strongest in the village to instil some fear in them. She agrees to take them in but in exchange they will work for them. Nphirea is supposed to accompany Enri to E-Rantel to seek help from the adventurers’ guild but he has to stay back and heal Agu so it’s all up to Enri. Too bad she got stopped at the gates as the mage suspects her of possessing a high magic item (the horn given by Ains). She is to be arrested when luckily Momon drops in. He sees the situation and whispers something and the mage drops her case and allow the guards to let her in. Enri finds it hard to request for help because of the lack of money. Yup, this case requires very highly skilled adventurers and the cost is just unbelievable. Later as she waits and laments her fate, suddenly the receptionist is very interested to know all the details about the help she requested. When they return, more woes for Enri. She wants time to think alone so Lupusregina hears her out. When she was away, everyone decided to make her the head village. Lupusregina doesn’t have an answer. Hey, she was only listening. But she advises that whoever is helming the post, they will make mistakes so it is foolish to worry about it. Enri gets her morale boosted when Nphirea talks to her how she fits the job because she cares about the villagers and the goblins. Enri is ready to accept her new job. When Lupusregina returns to Yuri, she explains how she is delighted with the new leader of Carne. She cannot wait to see their devastated face of despair once she violently crushes them like insects. How she can’t wait for the village to perish!

Episode 4
Ains summons Lupusregina and chastises her for not reporting about the ally between the Giant and Snake, thinking she is keeping it to herself (although it is to teach her about communication). Tremble with fear! But upon learning she thinks the village is just a toy and experiment to him, he somewhat forgives her. He explains Nphirea is creating potions for him that doesn’t spoil or dependent on ingredients from Yggdrasil. He lets him be at Carne so as to chain him down with this gratitude. The other important people in Carne are Enri and Lizzy (as they further chain him down to his dedication). Everyone else is disposable. She must protect the trio with her life and now that she knows of his plan, failure is not allowed. Ains and Aura go visit the Giant, Guu (who is actually more of a troll) and the Snake, Ryraryus Spenia Ai Inadarun (who is actually more of a naga). Guu looks down on Ains as weak because he thinks those with long names are so. Ains wants to negotiate and have them serve him. Guu of course refuses and further mocks him. Ains then suggests a duel between them. Guu strikes as many times but none of his attacks seem to connect. Ains is just effortless. Like swiping a brush to inflict heavy damage on Guu. Thanks to the troll’s ability to heal, he cannot die but the pain is real. Ains ends it by putting them all to sleep. Ryraryus immediately pledges his loyalty to him and his first order is to bring all his subordinates. Ains receives a report from Lupusregina and gives her permission to engage in battle as well as to protect the most valued trio.

Episode 5
Ogres and barghests attack Carne. Thanks to the training and some military tactic, they manage to kill a lot of the creatures. Then here comes the big boss, Guu. Meanwhile Nphirea and Enri are confirming the villagers have evacuated when a troll creeps in. To avoid their side being sandwiched at the battlefront and this troll from the back (you mean 1 stinking troll is enough to derail their plan?), they take turns buying time by confusing the troll and giving it the run around. The troll eventually picks up their human scent (they were camouflaging themselves with ogre scent) and Nphirea wants Enri to go request for backup while he holds off the troll. I guess it’s time for him to confess he wants to look cool before the eyes of the girl he loves. Nphirea takes a lethal blow from the troll while trying to buy time. Just when he is about to be finished, here comes Lupusregina to save him. It’s about time. Where the hell were you? Weren’t you supposed to protect him with your life? Enri is so relieved that she doesn’t hesitate to hug Nphirea. Lupusregina tells Nphirea that Ains has invited him to Nazarick as reward for creating the potion. With Carne winning the battle, now they can breathe easy with Nphirea and Enri get to ascertain their love for each other. Next morning, Jugem tells Nphirea the strange thing when they fought Guu. He did not heal and it was as though he was already dead. Like fighting a corpse. At Nazarick, Nemu is so thrilled at how superb this place is, she praises Ains and makes him happy, so much so he decides to give her a house tour. Ah, the age of innocence. And there is this extravagant menu that Ains will have them dine. Yeah, the menu sounds like chanting magic spells. With everything so great, Nphirea feels small that as a man he is no match for Ains. But don’t worry. Enri assures him that he is the one she loves. Is marriage on the cards next?

Episode 6
Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, the current ruler of Baharuth talks about the recent incident whereby Momon defeated Demiurge pretending to be a demon. And since that kingdom is using all its resources to look for that missing demon, he views there is no need to wage their annual war against them this year. He orders his imperial court wizard, Fluder Paradyne to continue his investigations on Momon and Ains. As Zanac speaks to his father of the information regarding that demon, his older brother, Barbro (as in, barbaric brother? Certainly suits his nature) barges in to demand attacking Baharuth since those blokes have led their guard down by not attacking them this time of the year so now it’s the time to strike. Foresight is a group of workers consisting of Roberdyck Goltron, Imina, Arche Eeb Rile Furt and is led by Hekkeran Termite. They talk about a request of Count Femel who wants them to explore a certain ancient tomb. They have been paid highly upfront and there will be more rewards depending on what they find so you bet they want to take this job no matter how dangerous it is. As he has hired other worker teams, the competition is tough. Foresight is also taking this job to help Arche who is struggling with her family debts. She goes home only to see her dumb father used up their meagre savings to buy something useless as he thinks this is what nobles should do. Yeah, they WERE nobles. Arche has had it and will take her sisters and leave this place. Foresight arrives and true enough, they see other hired worker teams. The servant gathers them and tells them what they need to know. He assures them that Femel has even hired adamantite class adventurers to guard their belongings. They are Momon and Narberal. First, Momon asks why they are doing this. It’s the money. More than enough to even risk their lives for. Momon apologizes asking a worthless question.

Episode 7
The worker teams raid the tomb. The first tomb looks easy with lots of treasures and an unknown crest. They prepare to raid the next tomb and unknown to them this is the tomb of Nazarick. One group decides to let the rest head in first as guinea pig and will return to raid tomorrow. As the rest enter, they laugh at the low level skeleton guards defending the place and easily destroy them. Meanwhile Ains will return to Nazarick and will have Pandora take his place. He is going to slaughter all who have intrude into Nazarick. A welcoming party for them is already prepared. Like the group who left early, they stumble into Pleiades. However they will not kill them directly and use the undead with magic weapons to massacre them all. The other worker teams inside are all running for their lives. One team has the bad luck of being eaten alive by the roaches of Kyouhukou and the other one has got it much worst, being sexually probed by this gay ugly monster, Neuronist!!! And there is one who fought Hamusuke and lost. Don’t look down on this hamster. Finally Foresight. They are transported to an arena where they will face off with Ains!

Episode 8
Hekkeran tries to talk his way out and even claims he had permission to raid Nazarick. But Ains will not believe his lies as he shows us his rage! No use talking. Time to fight. It might seem that Foresight is fighting on par with Ains but that is only because Ains is stooping low to their level. I guess he is done with their teamwork since this is going nowhere. The moment he takes off his ring, Arche starts vomiting from the immense power she sensed from him. Death is imminent. Hekkeran saves Imina from death but as a result he got some paralysis spell on him. The rest force Arche to flee since she has her sisters. Ains is impressed with their honour but will still show no mercy for them thieves. He orders Shalltear to show her despair before killing her painlessly. Imina and Roberdyck fall into the paralysis spell. Ains orders Hekkeran and Imina to some nesting room while he will use Roberdyck as experiment since he is a magic caster. He wants to see if there are other gods and to find new ways to make himself stronger. He believes he isn’t the only chosen one in this world. When Arche realizes she cannot escape this tomb, Shalltear kills her. A sad fate as Arche’s young sisters continue to wait hopefully for their sister’s return. Word reaches Jircniv that all the capable workers have died. He now has an idea of Ains’ strength and needs to make proper preparations. Suddenly a dragon lands in the courtyard. Aura and Mare alight from it and announce that since this kingdom have sent workers to raid Nazarick, Ains is displeased. If no one comes to apologize, they’ll massacre everyone in the kingdom. For starters, they kill everyone here.

Episode 9
Jircniv decides to head to Nazarick and make peace. Heading there with his entourage, Jircniv discusses about his future but seems reluctant about finding an official queen. Renner and the queen of the Dragon Kingdom might be the greatest prospects but he knows of their twisted behaviour. Upon arrival, they are greeted with great hospitality by Yuri and Lupusregina. As display of power, they change the weather from gloomy to clear! Legendary Death Knights are even used as mere servants as the Baharuth side is treated to some great juice while Ains readies himself. Fluder is so awed and fearful by it all that he suggests Jircniv to escape. Not that he can at this point. Meeting Ains face to face, Demiurge doesn’t deem them suitable to talk on the same level with Ains and puts a subservient spell on them. But Ains will not have his guests mistreated so the spell is retracted. Jircniv presents a corpse’s head as apology in which Ains easily turns it into a Death Knight. Considering Demiurge’s rudeness, Ains considers them on equal footing and they don’t have to apologize anymore. Ains hints that trouble will be coming for them so Jircniv suggests an alliance and even suggesting ruling this land as their king. Jircniv is further stunned that Ains does not demand subservience from them and just merely looks forward to working with them. Both sides exchange an aide for better contact. Jircniv leaves his secretary, Loune Vermillion while Ains gives Demiurge.

After they leave, Shalltear wonders why Ains is making an alliance with them. Ains reason it is easy to rule over others with fear and power but that will only lead to more enemies. Demiurge further elaborates on Ains’ true plan (something which Ains himself doesn’t know) in which is what Jircniv will have come to realize. It seems Jircniv has realized Fluder has betrayed them. As a magic caster, he would have stayed back and wanted to learn everything but he did nothing. This means he knew of Ains’ power from the start. After all, he was the one who discovered the tomb and suggested sending workers there. Jircniv proposes of killing him in some ways but his aides warn there are considerable consequences from the public and other nations. Jircniv comes to a conclusion they need to form an alliance with other nations while pretending to join forces with Nazarick. But they cannot be the one to suggest to other nations for an alliance otherwise if this gets out, they will be crushed first. They also need to find someone capable of defeating Ains and he is under impression that one of his subordinates will betray him. As suggested by Demiurge, all the floor guardians suggest a title for Ains to be used. Ains decides to go with Cocytus of Sorcerer King as he will be ruling over many via magic. Flashback shows Fluder was told that Momon wanted to see him. Fluder instantly became awed by his immense magic aura. He begged to become his student and will offer everything that he has.

Episode 10
A message is sent from Baharuth to Re-Estize to promptly return the land of E-Rantel to its rightful owner (Ains) or risk war. Many of the nobles laugh at this idea and even more so at Gazef who suggests doing so to avoid war at all costs. But the king disagrees with him. As a ruler, he cannot hand over his land without a fight. Hence it is decided they will go to war. Barbro wants to be in the frontlines and his father allows it. Back home, Raeven is having a headache over that meeting. He noticed the nobles were merely quarrelling over power and land, not realizing the kingdom is in real danger. Plus, he knows Marquis Blumrush is the one secretly providing info to Baharuth for money. This is why he wants Zanac to inherit the throne quickly to crush all power struggle. Now we see Raeven in his most unlikely fatherly act as he really dotes on his young son, Lee. A few days later in another strategy meeting, Raeven reveals the declaration of their battle place: the foggy Katze Plains. His scout has seen the enemy units all bearing different coats of arms and it is most likely Ains will be down there to fight. Marquis Boullope suggests gathering info from Carne and would like Barbro to do it. Barbro opposes it but his father allows it. The secret fact is that since he is the next in line to the throne, they don’t want to see him killed in battle. Boullope suggests himself to head all the different units into war but the king appoints Raeven instead. Later Gazef meets up with Brain and Climb. I guess these men need some sort of bonding before the battlefield. Gazef suggests Climb change his armour colour because he stands out but he has to decline as this was the colour Renner suggested he wear and if he is victorious, Renner’s reputation would increase. Gazef knows Brain can fight against the Imperial Knights of Baharuth but warns if he fights Ains first, he is finished. Meanwhile Ains meets General Carvain of Baharuth’s Imperial Army as well as Nimble Arc Dale Anoch who will be his guide. Ains summons his army that will fight alongside theirs. Is victory assured with these Death Knights?

Episode 11
Barbro thinks of recruiting the Carne villagers as his army. If Ains kills them as betrayal, it would only look bad on him. A thousand apologies for Jugem as he has to interrupt Nphirea and Enri’s flirting time because Barbro’s army is at the gates. Lupusregina reports to Ains that Enri is trying to buy time by not letting them in to hide the ogres and goblins. Barbro becomes impatient and orders his men to burn down the watch tower as declaration of war. As the villagers will not betray Ains, they decide to fight back but only the men. Jugem strategizes to concentrate fighting here so that the army will bring all their units to attack here while they let the women and children flee to the forest at the back. He requests Enri and Nphirea to guide them. Enri wanted to stay but everything is already decided. First, the ogres pummel the soldiers at the gates. This has Barbro summon all his units back to the front. But as the women and children escape, there are some units remaining. Desperate, Enri blows the horn. Suddenly appearing out of nowhere is a strong goblin army! Woah! It’s like they have everything! From foot soldiers to beast riders to magic casters to assassins and even a marching band! Even Ains is surprised at the capability of this horn. Barbro will not allow his men to retreat and continue to fight. Too bad they continue to lose so he is forced to give the retreat order. It is by only Enri’s grace that they are left off with their life because there won’t be much room for negotiation if they’re dead. However just when Barbro’s men are licking their wounds, Lupusregina pops up. She is here to massacre all of them since they are not important to Ains’ plans.

Episode 12
Part of Jircniv’s plan for this allied attack with Ains’ army is to show how fearsome they are to others. It is also their chance to see how others will fight Ains and find out his weakness. The Re-Estize army laughs at the paltry numbers of Baharuth. Victory is assured, right? Well, not if they take into account Ains who now enters the battlefield. Some like Raeven could sense his immense power and realize the need for them to run. Ains begins by instantly collapsing the 70,000 strong troops of Re-Estize! They just drop dead like that! If Nimble thinks that was just fearsome, he hasn’t even begun yet. The next phase has Ains cover the dead with some dark goo. This materializes a few mouth monsters that Ains calls, uhm, goats? These goats then start to trample the fleeing Re-Estize army. Damn, those poor souls don’t stand a chance! Can you even outrun such behemoths?! And the final touch to this spell is for Ains to have everyone applaud! What? APPLAUD! Applaud his supremacy! Yeah. You better praise and hail Ains if you know what is good for you! Part of the battle plan was for Baharuth’s army to enter the fray and attack after Ains initiates his magic. But they’re all too scared and run away. Ains doesn’t blame them and will do the cleaning up himself. Meanwhile the king of Re-Estize is told to run away. Yeah, why the long chatter with Climb and Brain if time is of essence? Is it so that they could struck a deal that Climb will marry Renner when they return? Ah, the excuse needed so that Climb won’t die. You think Gazef can even scratch those goats? Yeah, it’s amazing he didn’t get killed after being flung like that. With Climb and Brain joining him, they come face to face with Ains. They realize he is not human and the undead. Ains wants Gazef to be his subordinate. First he makes the goats pause their rampage. If Gazef refuses, the massacre will continue. Gazef refuses his offer. As he is the king’s sword, he cannot turn his back on the one who saved his life. Even if it means many other lives will be lost. Ains finds it ironic as he was the one who put his life on the line to save Carne and now he has no qualms to let many die. Gazef has but one request of Ains: Fight him in a duel.

Episode 13
Even if death is imminent, Gazef still wants to fight him. Brain wants to fight with him but Gazef refuses his warrior pride to be tainted. He wants both of them to witness this. Duel. First, Ains requests to look at Gazef’s sword. He finds it very weak in power but it can still physically harm and kill him. He wishes to have it should Gazef dies but he declines seeing this is the kingdom’s treasure. As soon as Climb gives the signal to start, Ains stops time and then chants a death spell on Gazef. Gazef instantly dies when time resumes and the duo have no clue what just happened. Ains leaves a message to hand over E-Rantel to him in a few days and he will stop his rampaging goats. He will also show mercy to those obedient to him. Jircniv is in shock when he learns Ains decimated the entire army of Re-Estize. Better come up with another plan. With Re-Estize’s king undergoing depression (it’s amazing he didn’t die from the depression), the panicky nobles and royals have unanimously voted to give E-Rantel to Ains. Small price to pay, right? Meanwhile, Brain is sad that Gazef died by himself. He wanted to fight alongside him and die with him but was denied that. Climb deduces Gazef chose death and wanted them to watch was so that they could witness Ains’ power and return with this info to plan their defence. It was for their future. Brain changes his mind on his promise to Gazef and will become stronger to surpass him. Ains’ undead troops march into E-Rantel as the people watch in fear behind closed doors. A ‘brave’ kid starts throwing rocks, howling at Ains to give back his father. Albedo would have killed him had not Momon dropping in. We think this is Ains in disguise but look! The real Ains pops up! Oh no! We can’t say it’s fake, can we?! As requested by Ains, Albedo proposes Momon to join them and watch the humans. Ains claims he doesn’t want to rule by fear and oppression but if Momon is like his head police, isn’t that the same? If Momon refuses, he will be killed right now. Momon accepts but warns them if they hurt the innocent people, he will come for their heads. Of course this is all part of the bigger act to keep the humans’ fear at bay. This will also have them unite under him and collect info for him. All the guardians bow before Ains as he declares today as the founding of the Sorcerer Kingdom Ains Ooal Gown!

Over?! Lord, No!!!
What do you mean the story continues?! Aren’t you contradicting yourself?! Because if the story is supposed to carry on, then why does it end here???!!!! It makes no sense!!! Give me more of my Overlord!!! ARGH!!!! Ahem. Just like last season, the final episode leaves us hanging and wanting more but the only difference is that the next season is announced yet so it isn’t certain yet if this series would really continue. It would be tad sad if this series just ends like that forever since one of the biggest characters, Gazef is dead. I suspect he might be revived in the future but notwithstanding all the other supporting characters, Gazef is one of the important characters and to have him die like that just feels sad. And that Momon-Ains appearance at the same time just to confuse and troll us? My guts tells me it was Pandora acting as Ains. Otherwise why would Albedo need to speak on Ains’ behalf since the Overlord himself is capable and would be much more comfortable dealing with the human himself.

While this season is still as interesting as its predecessors, once again it is that conflicted feeling that nothing has really been resolved yet that is stopping me from putting this season on a high pedestal. Yes, it is still great but with so much more developments going on and even more potential ones, it seems that by the time if we get our future sequels and have some sort of conclusion and closure, I fear that the high expectations and waiting would have diminished the excitement. I am sure that a series so great such as this one will manage to blow away those kind of blues that simpletons like yours truly often worry with no basis. But it’s that sceptical feeling inside me that fears the possibility that it could happen. After all, I have watched so many animes and some with such great potential only to fizzle out not only in the sequel (if they ever get one) but at the end of that very same season. It is great that this series has built up a lot of developments and potentials from the 3 seasons the anime has adapted but there is this danger that with so many on one’s plate, there is a potential to also fail big. Too big to fail? We better believe Ains is too big to even let failure happen!

One of the biggest highlights of this season that has many viewers divided is when Ains mercilessly slaughtered the workers. I guess this part was too hot for some to handle. I too was shocked but not to the point that I disliked it. After all, I always knew that Ains was the villain. The big bad guy. Just because we show him doing un-bad-guy-like things like saving this village or saving this certain group of people, we start thinking he is the good guy and throw out support behind him. Even if Ains isn’t aware of this entire plan for world domination and is just playing along with Demiurge’s plan, it still doesn’t hide the fact that he and his subordinates have this evil aura, don’t you think? You can tell me about not judging a book by its cover but remember, this is supposed to be a DMMORPG game and hence it is pretty cliché to have Ains and his floor guardians designed to look like baddies. Which of course they are. This isn’t the first series to have its main character as the villain and for majority of viewers to support him. From the highly acclaimed Death Note to the comical Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku No Zvezda, I suppose people didn’t see this coming when Ains decided to finally do what true villains are supposed to do. After all, from time to time, Ains do remind us that despite being stuck in this world, he feels less and less affinity for humans and only cares for those who can further his goals. And for those who still continue to support Ains (like yours truly), is this what you really call Stockholm Syndrome?!

It is only a pity that I initially wondered why they gave that Foresight worker group some sort of personality if they are all going to be killed off in the first place. Okay, all of them being dead is inaccurate since Arche is the only one dead and the rest enslaved for experimental purposes. But still, why the need to give these soon-to-be-finished-off characters some background of their own? It might not be in very much detail but at least they aren’t some nameless extras. I suppose by giving these characters some sort of personality, it only serves to enhance Ains’ reputation and goal. You see, if we weren’t introduced to Foresight and instead some random nameless group of workers, the impact wouldn’t be there and we wouldn’t really care or give much thought to the workers he slaughtered. Case in point like the other workers who were slaughtered by the other creatures in Nazarick. We don’t really care about them, right? Now that you know Foresight, their names and even their goals, this serves to makes us feel conflicted of who is truly the bad guy here. That is why some flipped during this workers massacre episode. I mean, Ains couldn’t be really doing this in cold blooded fashion, right? It really paints Ains in a bad light but then again, remember that Ains’ character is supposed to be the villain all along.

My other beef with this season is similar to last season. Too many characters and with the limited number of episodes, many are forgotten. I still remember at the start of the second season where they introduced a flurry of new characters. Many of them never appeared again. Even more so, just a forgettable short cameo or not at all in this season. That is why it is so frustrating for this series to have so many seasons and while it is great trying to build up the plot, scenario, setting and characters, the only way all this will work out if this adaption gets seen through all the way to the end. Don’t leave us hanging for the next few years and decades or even never as we fans ponder in the back of our heads if we are going to see the end of this series. Heh. For those who have been watching One Piece since its inception, you know what I mean. I believe this series won’t turn into such long running drag like that pirate anime but as far as this third season is concerned, the unsatisfactory of being introduced to so many characters and then for many to be forgotten is just heinous.

For example, those lizardmen who were prominent in the first half of the second season are now reduced to just freaking minor roles. If they do not appear, that is also fine because they don’t make an impact to this season’s story anyway. Hence this season we are going back to the first season to Carne Village as they are now the prominent focus of this season. I am just wondering about Nphirea’s case because I clearly remember that due to the events at the end of the first season, this guy has been rendered blind. Clearly Ains could have saved him but he did not so as not to let his identity slip. Did I miss something or did somebody forgot about this? Sure, we can say Ains probably changed his mind behind the scenes and healed this dude but it feels a bit disjointed because it is as though Nphirea’s case was restarted more for plot convenience. I thought Jircniv would be this season’s antagonist but I guess it is better than suffering the fate of Eight Fingers last season. Yeah, that was a disappointment. But still, rather than being foolish and go up against Ains head on, for now Jircniv will have to bow his head and lay low until he gets that remote chance.

And those are just the characters outside Nazarick. What about those who serve underneath Ains? Well, I am glad that Pleiades maids still get some share of the screen time albeit a short one. Though, Lupusregina got the bulk for this season (Narberal for the first, Solution and Entoma for the second). Sebas and Tuare got their limelight last season so they are fully rested and side-lined here. I guess one of the most disappointing for the Nazarick floor guardians would be Victim. We were finally introduced to this little blob last season and I thought it will be a mainstay for this season like the rest of the other floor guardians but it is sorely missing like as though it never existed in the first place. I suppose this means there is no show for Gargantua either. Sorry, no room for the smallest and largest floor guardians to even hold an audience with Ains. And to think that there are even more weird creatures that is worthy to be their own floor guardians in Nazarick. Man, this place is getting creepier and scarier by the moment. I bet many would rethink again of raiding Nazarick if they knew what they are facing up with. With Demiurge behind this plan and Ains just playing along, it increases my suspicions that Demiurge could be the real bad guy and manipulating Ains after all. I won’t be shocked if this twist comes true! Did Jircniv foreshadow this?!

The action scenes are still entertaining and mostly we see Ains this time unleashing his magic and show everyone the true meaning of fear. It is both good and bad thing to have a protagonist this overpowered. While we are in awe of this invincibility spectacle, it also raises the question if there is anyone else out there who could beat him. Most likely there are but at this point nobody knows yet. After all, Ains has just begun to move. The danger of seeing Ains and his floor guardians being overpowered is nice partly because we support them and thankfully they are likeable enough in our books. But if this carries on, it will look like so effortless and too easy. Where is the fun in that? I know puny humans cannot stand up to those non-humans. That is why the final arc of having Ains unleashing his goats and trample thousands of hapless soldiers feel like we can only get our kicks if we see death in large numbers. Because seeing Ains use his super level tiered magic against one or two human warriors won’t be enough anymore. Yeah, we’ve come to expect even much greater things for Ains.

I want to comment on this season’s art and animation, more accurately the CGI used. Although the past few seasons have also employed this and even though obviously obvious but not as obvious as this season that I need to point it out (as they used more CGI this season). Because you see, somehow I feel that when they employ this style especially on the platoon or armies, they look lifeless. They feel more like marionettes and automata if you ask me. I’m not saying that the CGI is bad but it isn’t good either. Because like in those soldiers’ cases, it feels like since there are too many of them to draw in a single scene and they only appear for a while (although repeated and recycled in many other scenes because, who the hell cares if you can tell one foot soldier from another), it looks easier and faster just to copy and paste them. And what better way than to do it via CGI. The undead soldiers are already undead and that befits them. But still, having them with CGI sometimes makes them look weirdly animated. And for the past 2 seasons, I have been mentioning the He-man factor. I didn’t find any but since Arche reminds me of Clementine (just less crazy) and her hairstyle almost resembles Prince Adam, I guess there is my He-man reference for this season. And also, why is it that I can’t help think Boullope as Man-At-Arms despite both looking so different?

OxT and MYTH&ROID once again do the opening and ending theme this season but now they switch places. MYTH&ROID now sings the opener, Voracity and it maintains that devilishly naughty rock music that suits the series as well as Ains himself very well. Maybe this should be Ains’ personal theme song. OxT now does the ending theme, Silent Solitude. More of a slow rock but still edgy in its own right. Though, Clattanoia still tops my list as the best song in this series.

Overall, the Overlord series is still going strong and one of the very few anime series that continues to maintain its interesting allure despite the flaw of slow build-up of too many developments and too many characters introduced and underutilized. I hope this series really gets another season and many more seeing that one more wouldn’t be enough. It would be ironic and rare to see a villain finally achieving the happy ending (bad ending to the rest) of obtaining what he wants. Because you know, bad guys never achieve their goals because of plot conveniences of heroes taking them down and the cliché of good triumphs over evil. Can we finally have an evil protagonist whom we can bow down to and proclaim as our true Overlord? For the Sorcerer King, it’s not impossible. All he needs is just another season.

Shichisei No Subaru

Oh dear. It’s that time again. Time for another MMORPG themed anime. What else is new? Are we running out of ideas? Really, Japan running out of ideas? Or is it just me who keep watching such sh*tty shows despite knowing very well how it will turn out? Anyway, this season we have Shichisei No Subaru. Uhm… Let’s see… Legendary group as in the title… Yada, yada, yada… Group made out of elementary school kids. Wow. But hardly shocking because 5 year olds these days can operate the internet before even properly talking or walking. What else… Blah, blah, blah… Suddenly one of them dies in real life and caused the breakup of the friendship. Yawn… ZzzZzzzZZzzz… But then that supposed dead friend now pops up inside the game. Digital ghost or something? F*ck. Did they try to rip off from that Fate/Extra thingy?

Episode 1
In the immensely popular game of Union, there are rumours of a very tough quest and equally tough boss. However a group known as Subaru easily completed it. Yeah, it’s like they have all the power ups and everything. Guess what? They’re all supposed to be elementary school kids in real life! At Subaru’s base we see the team made out of Haruto Amou, Asahi Kuga, Takanori Mikado, Nozomi Kusaka, Satsuki Usui and Clive Beverly. They talk about their next big mission and other stuffs. Before their next quest, Asahi talks to Haruto personally as Satsuki eavesdropped. Something shocking she must have said and left to our imagination what it is. Subaru finally reaches the undefeatable boss, Purgatorio. They have a tough fight until Nozomi is almost killed. Haruto saves her but Asahi saves him. Too bad she got killed. What’s so bad about that? In this game, there is perma-death. You die, your account gets deleted right away. But this is the bizarre thing. Right after the game, Asahi dies in real life!!! HOLY SH*T!!!! The friends are in shock she died of heart failure and even the game company had to release a statement that the game didn’t cause the death albeit Union got suspended after that. Wow. So much coincidence. This incident left the friends badly scarred as Takanori blames Haruto for killing Asahi as it was his idea to rush in. 6 years have passed. Haruto sounds like a pessimistic grumpy teen. A friend tries to bug him to help in but Haruto is clearly in no mood to play another online game. Coincidentally today on TV a news is giving coverage to the sequel of Union, Re’Union. What’s so great about this game is that players who do well here will be rewarded by the developing company, Pleroma Industry. You get job offers and even scholarships! But it’s not open to anyone as those with this Sense trait are able to participate. So a chance comes knocking for Haruto as that friend bugs him again. Reluctantly he puts on his VR headset and goes into Re’Union using his old Union account. They meet up, go on a quest, his friends are total noobs and cowards so Haruto has to show them the way. Once he defeats the monsters, suddenly they are teleported to another room, something that has never happened in Union before. A game bug? Haruto opens a suspicious chest only to find Asahi inside! OMG! She still remembers him too?!

Episode 2
Haruto finds it hard to believe her and thinks she is an imposter. Apparently Asahi still thinks it was yesterday. When Haruto tells her today’s date and how she is already dead in real life, she doesn’t believe. When she tries to log out, she can’t. Mails can’t be sent to her email too as her account is not registered. Funny prank, no? News of Asahi soon spread. Hence this loser rival, Leonovitch who used to pick on Subaru once more tries to get his hands on Asahi for her abilities. Haruto isn’t as strong as before but with Asahi’s sixth sense awakening, she helps Haruto dodge his attacks. But thank heavens for Takanori. He is from the powerful guild, Illuminati (seriously?) and turns that loser into a retreating loser. Takanori has no qualms accepting Asahi as the real one. He hopes she would join his guild so he could protect her. Because he and Haruto are still not talking, he tells her he is weak but Asahi refuses to believe. Despite being told Subaru ended after their failed quest 6 years ago, Asahi maintains her positivism that everyone will come back. Haruto returns to reality and is visited by Satsuki in person. Yeow! Did her bust level up tremendously?! It seems she is also playing Re’Union but didn’t have the courage to talk to him then. She saw what happened with Asahi but Haruto insists he won’t go back to that world and let Takanori handle things. He is bent on deleting his account and stay away from the game forever. Satsuki lashes out about running away from his past and their memories. It won’t do him any good either. So I guess he has to log in again so as to have Satsuki meet with Asahi. Asahi also thinks Satsuki is joking when she talks about her death. They are interrupted by people who are after Asahi. Not pleased with this interruption, all of them face Satsuki’s wrath. At the same time, Takanori and his Illuminati round up people who plan to attack Asahi. He is worried that somebody is spreading the news quickly. Asahi and co return to their Subaru base. Still as it is. Only, Asahi’s stuffs are missing. As Haruto wanders by himself, he is met with this strange girl, Elicia. She can also read his mind and tells him of Asahi’s Sense that is not found in this world. She warns there are people planning to attack her and that he must awaken her Sense. And yeah, all of them must remember. Could she be more specific before going back to the shadows?

Episode 3
Satsuki thinks Asahi is some bug or data residual whatever in which Asahi denies. Satsuki tells her everything has changed years ago with Haruto being affected the most. He went into depression after her death. Haruto won’t stand the girls arguing over him and logs out. In reality when Satsuki shows him the Subaru ring that they all once bought to signify them as a group, Haruto then remembers. So he rushes all the way to Asahi’s grave to dig out the ring he gave to her? Man, he must have buried it shallow. One of their promises was to exchange the ring in real life but they never got to it. Haruto remembers another important thing: To help each other solve problems. Hence he is going back to Re’Union to help Asahi. So a little Haruto-Asahi time as they hunt for magic tree sap. Fanservice when Asahi strips naked to dry her clothes and isn’t shy being around Haruto because that’s what they usually do? Ah, lost innocence as kids… Eventually Asahi uses the sap to make a ring. Feeling like part of Subaru again, huh? She shows it to Satsuki who isn’t pleased that the way Haruto put the ring on Asahi’s left ring finger… I don’t know. Tell me what the heck is that supposed to mean?! Jealous Satsuki also goes to collect the same sap to make the same ring. Too bad she puts it on herself. They return to the site of their failed quest to look for clues on what happened to Asahi that day. You mean it wasn’t just death and gone for good? Asahi senses somebody around when the rest can’t. Haruto then sees Elicia who then activates a portal. Guess who’s back? Purgatorio! All escape routes have been cut off. No choice but to fight. With only 3 of them, of course it is tough but they don’t give up. With them in a pinch especially Asahi, their past trauma is sure threatening to start up. Desperate Haruto sees his own dropped ring and remembers the promise he made to Asahi then. It was to protect each other. That’s it? That was the shocking promise? Anyway, this allows Haruto to power up and cut down Purgatorio like a pro! He makes it look so easy now! Also, thanks to Asahi’s Sense that transmits her thoughts to their minds so they know what to do. With Haruto regaining his Sense and Satsuki now believing Asahi is not dead, they are going to find a way to help log her out. I don’t want to speculate, but won’t that kill her? Also, they renew their pledge for the revival of Subaru.

Episode 4
Asahi notices a broken crystal in her possession. When she looks through it, something strange happens. Blurry visions of, uhm, stuffs happening. She thinks it might be memories that happened in her 6 years of absence. Back at the inn, the trio discuss how rumours of them beating Purgatorio spread fast. It has only been 2 hours. They think of asking an informant but then they hear news of Southern Cross coming. This big guild led by Letos surround the trio but only to be usurp by Brill Society led by Angelus. The latter wants to talk to the trio so Letos is forced to withdraw. Angelus wants Asahi to come under their protection as they view her existence is causing distortions. So it’s to stave off greedy people who wants her powers? So does that make them the same? Asahi rejects since she doesn’t want to be confined to orders of another guild. Angelus will not force them since it will be a form of distortion. Huh? In reality, Satsuki accompanies Haruto to buy a new console. Looks like he is getting invested in Re’Union. But when they talk over matters about telling Asahi’s family about this, their disagreement has Satsuki storming off. Oops. Now their relationship is a bit strained. Back in Re’Union, the trio go on a dungeon raiding quest. At the end of it, Asahi notices a broken crystal in her inventory she didn’t put. It’s not the same as the earlier one as she left that back at the inn and this shape is different. Suddenly Takanori snatches it away. He believes that thing will kill her. Yeah, so he sneakily observed her once (stalker?!) and he came to that conclusion? Takanori feels Haruto has no right to protect Asahi. So both guys transport to another dimension to fight it over. Why does this feel like they’re fighting over a girl?

Episode 5
Their different approach to Asahi is what’s making them harder to listen to each other. Before we have a lion vs dragon fight, they are brought back by Satsuki. Takanori is disappointed because he thought they had a ‘common interest’. Oh, I see this love triangle is getting clearer. Later Takanori talks about the higher guilds of Gnosis and Hyades standing in their way for supremacy. Taking one of them alone would be suicidal. But if Illuminati, Southern Cross and Brill Society unite, there might be a chance. Haruto and Asahi try to find out if Nozomi and Clive are around. At least not in this continent’s server. After meeting up with Satsuki, soon the trio find themselves enveloped in a fog. They realize it is a trap but they have been separated. Worse, it seems Illuminati, Southern Cross and Brill Society have formed an alliance. Satsuki is faced with Angelus as he throws her a message from Takanori. He points out that Re’Union is meaningless to her since she reunited with Haruto in reality. It is the opposite for Takanori. Reality became useless to him since he reunited with Asahi. Hence he thinks a world without Asahi is better for Satsuki and a world without Haruto is better for him. Of course Satsuki isn’t buying that crap and fights her way out. Meanwhile Haruto fights Letos and declines his offer to join Southern Cross. Thanks to Elicia’s help in sealing their Senses, Haruto is able to escape. Takanori confronts Asahi who is not pleased he kept reminding her about that 6 year thingy. Yeah, it was just like yesterday for her. No choice, he puts Asahi to sleep. Suddenly some of his Illuminati members turn on him. Takanori realizes Angelus has betrayed him and brainwashed some of his members. Takanori sounds devastated when Asahi is taken from him. Yeah, he should be. Soon, Angelus and Letos make a public announcement that their guilds are now combined into one known as Divine. And they have Asahi’s power. So join us! Yup, Takanori definitely got betrayed. So Haruto is going to play the lone hero to go save her? He doesn’t want Satsuki to come because if he fails, she should get Takanori’s help to rescue Asahi. He thinks that guy would listen if he isn’t around. And so Haruto prepares to fight off the 3000 strong forces of Divine! Damn. Hope he has got his cheat codes ready.

Episode 6
Flashback shows when Subaru was fighting a tough enemy, Satsuki fell into a useless state. Asahi was the one who guide Subaru to victory with her power. Because of that mind reading power, she was able to read Satsuki’s heart on who she likes and vowed to work hard so they can tell him someday. Gee, you mean like a harem? Now Satsuki goes talk to Takanori who is still stubborn. Ultimately it is her friendship with Asahi that is her real dream instead of being with Haruto. Speaking of which, that guy eliminated half the enemies! Wow! I really think he had some cheat code despite taking a beating. But fear not. Just like when he is about to lose, here comes Takanori and Satsuki to his rescue. The guys somewhat reconcile so they could fight together and rescue Asahi. In the final arena, fighting Letos and Angelus is tough because they are using Asahi’s power to see the future. Hence, predicting their moves. It’s déjà vu for Satsuki again as she goes into that useless state. But wait. She remembers Asahi’s promise. Thus she is able to power up and summon some divine beings to aid her by sucking and purging those small fries. Desperate Angelus turns Letos into a rampaging berserker with a spell that has all the negative emotions and fear of the fallen. Don’t worry too. With Asahi awaken now, the broken crystals now activate as our Subaru members somewhat remember their ultimate Subaru move to pull off another great feat and defeat the big bosses. Hope Takanori has got a good punch at Angelus’ face before for touching his Asahi before purging him. When Asahi touches the crystal, all of them see that strange vision. Something about some failed experiment. Asahi invites Takanori to rejoin Subaru but he won’t. He has did some shameful things and feels he doesn’t deserve to be with her. So he still doesn’t want to befriend Haruto again? Talk about pride. In the aftermath, we see Clive and Elicia cooperating with each other to help Subaru out of sticky situations. Clive hints that he has got a new name, the reason why his pals weren’t able to find him.

Episode 7
Alvida takes Subaru and co to Lost Pentagon where an unbreakable sword lies at the bottom of the ocean. Yup, players who tried to get it all failed. So as they look around, finally they find it. The catch? They have face this huge sea monster king boss, Aegir. Yeah, it reeks high boss levelness like Purgatorio. They have a tough time facing it until Clive shows up to help them escape. But back on the ship, Clive has left and only left a message behind. Flashback shows when Subaru stole something from another guild’s boss, of course they came baying for their blood. That was when Clive told he wanted to quit Subaru as he felt it was better to surrender than lose forever. Also, he wanted to challenge Subaru one day. In reality, Takanori calls Haruto and Satsuki to meet up. He tells them that Gnosis was probably behind why the rumours of Asahi spread so fast. They could be also behind Southern Cross and Brill Society’s merging and betrayal. A group once tried to find out more about them but was completely erased. He thinks Gnosis also holds some influence in reality. After being told about bumping into Clive, Takanori has this weird theory that Asahi’s body might still exist in this world. This is assuming the weird vision they had is reality instead of the virtual world. Takanori’s butler comes to relay the good news that Nozomi has been found. So he’s been secretly trying to find her? Well, don’t have to look far. She has returned to this city. Subaru and co decide to try for the sword again. This time Clive drops in to say hi and join them. This time they make suppressing Aegir look so easy. When Haruto is about to pull the sword embedded on its back, suddenly Clive betrays and stabs him! OMFG!!!! Asahi goes into shock that she, uhm, powers up?!

Episode 8
Mind f*ck time. Suddenly Haruto wakes up in hospital. It has been 6 years! So what we have all seen has just been a dream?! With Asahi glad that he is back, she explains he saved Nozomi and got game over. However Haruto remembers it was Asahi who took the blow. Besides, there is no Re’Union here and only Union. That night Elicia visits Haruto. Damn, is she a ghost from the game? Long story short from her explanation, this is a future in which Asahi created to save him. Because her power isn’t just about predicting the future but to choose one. More revelations as Union isn’t an online game but an experiment to hone one’s Senses. So if you can use Sense in Union, you can definitely use it in the real world?! Hence, Union was made to awaken this said ability and the group behind this is Gnosis. Too bad time has run out for Elicia. You’re on your own. Next time Asahi visits, he tells her he isn’t part of this world. That’s why he is going back and reconnect Subaru’s bond. Asahi believes him and sends him back. Wow. Just like that? So we arrive moments before Haruto gets stabbed by Clive as he manages to dodge his attack. He realizes this is not the real Clive but an imposter. He is Simon from Gnosis as he merges with Aegir to defeat them. He takes Satsuki hostage and forces Asahi to awaken her ability since her friend is in danger. But thankfully somebody interrupts that. Alvida? Nope. It’s the real Clive who has been impersonating as this avatar. Haruto knows that’s the real Clive because of his signature pose. And they didn’t figure this out before if he often poses like that?! Long story short, the quartet combine their skills to defeat Simon and for Haruto to pull out the legendary sword. In the aftermath, Clive gives Asahi a crystal from Aegir. What does she see now? Hmmm… Lots of cult members. Attacked by Elicia. She trying to seal Asahi’s Sense. Failed. Crystal shatters and scatters. So are we going to do an Inu Yasha and find the Shikon Shards?

Episode 9
Takanori and Clive meet for the first time since. Clive explains how he and Elicia were watching and protecting them from the shadows. Wait. The girls are jealous that Haruto knows another girl without their knowledge? With Gnosis truly targeting Asahi, Elicia told him the only way is to awaken all the Senses in Subaru. So in reality, Haruto and Satsuki meet up with Nozomi. Did her kawaii level up tremendously? Apparently Nozomi is now an amateur model. Gee, none of her friends heard about this? Nozomi claims she hasn’t logged in the game and is trying to stay away and thinks Asahi is still alive is a joke. But she’ll do whatever she can. They hope Takanori can go meet the real Nozomi to convince her and with Asahi pleading to him, I guess he can’t say no. We take a detour because there is this upcoming dance party. Satsuki sums up her courage to ask Haruto to invite her. I hope he understands what she’s trying to say. Back in reality, Takanori wants Haruto to meet up at Asahi’s grave. Long story short, the guys start punching each other over Asahi. Yeah, really fighting over her dead body. Takanori confesses he loves Asahi (why is Haruto surprised?) and wants to protect her this time. Is he implying Haruto should’ve died in Asahi’s place 6 years ago? Haruto won’t tolerate this crap and punches him back while finally confessing he loves Asahi. And it seems this meeting was just for that. To get Haruto to finally say those words. Takanori then buries Asahi’s ring that he got from Haruto’s mom. He doesn’t need it anymore. At the dance party, Haruto apologizes to Satsuki. Better hurry along before she changes her mind. Or if you want to see her cry. Now the rejects get to be together because Takanori claims Asahi rejected to dance with him. And so Haruto invites Asahi to dance. Meanwhile Nozomi decides to drop in unannounced to surprise her friends but what does she see? Takanori dancing with Satsuki. Damn heartbreak. Oh dear. Like we need another unnecessary love drama. Can’t blame her as she is unaware of all that drama that was happening since. She runs away and I’m not sure if her sadness unlocked some other dimension because a couple of Gnosis clowns are here to get her.

Episode 10
Satsuki cried her heart out after that. Good thing in reality you can cry as much and loud as you want. So she has to cheek to later tell Haruto that if Asahi dumps him, he could run back into her arms. So funny that he isn’t laughing… They meet up with Takanori because they receive the news that Nozomi is missing. With Clive hacking through her whereabouts, it is confirmed she went to the party but left shortly. Curiously, she is still logged in Re’Union and her coordinates are above the clouds, the Dragons’ Fortress. They can’t determine if she has logged in from another IP address. On this Dragons’ Fortress, they see a replica of Nozomi’s castle. Inside, they are attacked by her familiars. Nozomi pops out like a dark evil enchantress as she mocks them all. Also appearing are the Gnosis counterparts, Cerinthus (who helped made this castle for her) and Marcion. Nozomi claims she has joined Gnosis. Nozomi obviously sounds jealous about that incident regarding Takanori and Satsuki but the guy is too dense to get it. She puts a curse on Asahi. The snake bites cause her to scream in pain, blame Haruto and then collapse. That’s all for today. Everybody escapes before the entire floating island is destroyed. Later Asahi wakes up and she seems normal. They talk about that not being the real Nozomi and need to get her back. In real life, Takanori tells Haruto and Satsuki he has hired 10 special detectives to search for Nozomi. Yeah, that really helps. Even in Re’Union he mobilized Illuminati for that. Since our guys are still too dumb to guess the reason for Nozomi’s strange acting, Satsuki tells them how she saw them dancing at the party and thus Nozomi actually likes Takanori. You mean to look this shocked? Just realized you’re the worst, Takanori? Suddenly they feel something strange. They realize something has happened to the time flow.

Episode 11
This strange dude supposedly from Gnosis hints about using their powers to shape their ideal world before returning time back to normal. The rest fear something may happen to Asahi. They log back in and find her alright. After explaining about this, their base is under attack but luckily they got out just in time. With their base destroyed, before them is a mighty tower that they once conquered. They know only Nozomi can create this. As they make their way into the tower, Asahi abilities start to act a little off. Finally they reach the room Nozomi is in. I guess trying to talk to her via the feelings of the heart isn’t going to work. Nozomi then transforms herself into a beast woman. She is not impressed Takanori wants to save her. I think she feels more cringe. The other Gnosis comrades join in the party. Nozomi gets further jealous thinking Takanori and Satsuki are still together. This time Takanori is going to solve this by himself. So he takes the fight with Nozomi to another area where they can be alone. More memories who the duo were exclusively lost together and they talked about change and how Takanori now blames himself for everything and even confessing his one-sided love for Asahi. Do we need to hear this? Does Nozomi need to hear this? So now this dude understands what it is like to feel the pain in the heart. The misunderstanding he caused that hurt everyone else around him. Nozomi will not be swayed as she attacks him but he takes in all her attacks without retaliating. Probably Takanori has earned some brownie points so he is glowing like a God! So is this a sign that he has reached Nozomi’s inner feelings? Or is she guilty for attacking him? So with Takanori hinting he will take responsibility and wants to be with her from now on, that is the clincher for Nozomi now ridden with selfish guilt to break out of her spell. Phew. Glad the drama is over between them. But Nozomi remembers the curse she put on Asahi. Too late. Asahi kills Haruto. NOOO!!!!!

Episode 12
While Subaru was fighting the Gnosis duo, suddenly Asahi fell into a trance and gave weird instructions. When Haruto tried to stop her, this invoked one of her negative memories about them. There was a mission they disagreed so much they started fighting each other. Haruto was going to kill her? So in response now, Asahi kills Haruto. With Asahi in shock, Cerinthus uses his barrier to capture her. Gnosis is about to own everyone too when Elicia drops in to save the day. Meanwhile Haruto and Asahi are in another dimension. Gee, already in VR and in another dimension? Calm heads rule the day as they remember their promise to be stronger. Oh, remember that flashback when Haruto tried to kill Asahi? Apparently there was an enemy behind her. There. Taken care of. Miraculously Haruto revives from the dead and Asahi breaks free from the barrier and returns to her normal self. With all Subaru members reunited, it is payback time. However Haruto will do this alone. His lion army decimated the Gnosis duo! I guess we can’t interrogate them. In the aftermath, Nozomi reconciles with everyone. Then they thank Elicia for saving them. Elicia notes they have not changed and the reason she is here is to hand Haruto his sword’s sheath she found at Lost Pentagon. Then some legendary folklore with many different versions why the Subaru and Pleiades star cluster has either 6 or 7 stars. In reality, Takanori finds Nozomi alive in an internet café. So that’s where she went? Yeah, it sounded like a big deal when she went missing and couldn’t trace her. Not even 10 detectives. And isn’t Satsuki a little too old to be falling asleep at her desktop? Must be one tiring day, huh? Subaru reunite together as one for the first time in 6 years as they prepare to head for another mission. All of them thank Asahi for bringing them back. It is hinted that Elicia was part of Subaru in an old photo?!

One Star Subaru, Non-Senses of Re’Union
The biggest question still remains: Is Asahi alive or really dead?! Is she really just existing in digital format?! I guess with the so called ‘happy ending’, it serves as a distraction because now that Subaru is back as a whole and on good terms again, we would overlook this greatest question of all time. Not. I guess we can forget about that shard thingy and those weird cult visions Asahi had too. Maybe next time. I’m sure with Cerinthus and Marcion gone (perhaps perma-death?), that doesn’t mean the end for Gnosis. They’ll strike back again. Whoever that guy stopped time was. And did they forget about the other big guild, Hyades? Damn, too many questions. But for now looks like we have to content that Subaru is back in business. That’s the reward we get for sticking by this crappy show. Thank a lot.

This series might have borrowed many elements from similar virtual online game series like Overlord, Log Horizon, Death March Kara Hajimeru Isekai Kyousoukyoku and Sword Art Online. But a big ‘refreshing’ difference is that the characters are not trapped and are able to log out of their own. Hence no need for them to explore the new world and start to adapt to it for the rest of their lives like as though they are never coming back in worst case scenario. Well, almost at one point for Takanori when he was so obsessed to be with digital Asahi.

A lot of people who have seen Ano Hana have started comparing how this series feels like a rip-off from that aforementioned anime. I watched that anime years ago too and although I can’t remember much from it, now that they have mentioned it, it does feel pretty similar. A group of young friends who were very close together suddenly started to drift apart for years when one of them unexpectedly dies young. Then that dead girl comes back ‘alive’ a few years later. They try to resolve the mystery but the biggest one to unravel their unrequited hidden crush during all this time. It is pretty much Ano Hana of the new age with online video gaming and swapping ghosts for, uhm, digital ghosts? But unlike Menma who found peace in the end to move on to the next world, Asahi continues to stick with her pals as they go on having great online adventures together. No tear-jerking for this series. Maybe only tears after laughing too much.

Having said that, the main story itself feels mediocre and now that we have made comparisons to the tearjerker Ano Hana, it is hard to move away from its shadow. The only intrigue we all are interested to know is if Asahi is real or not. If she is actually dead or alive in the real world. Otherwise the bland story of Subaru regrouping again to their former glory feels boring. It is part of the excuse to unravel the mystery of Asahi. I mean, what else could they possibly do? If they became the legendary group they were famous for, maybe the truth will reveal itself? You know, like as in a game. You have reached a certain level and thus your reward is a few answers to your questions other than levelling up your skills.

And now that they are teens, they should have the guts to be honest with their feelings, right? Yeah, all those teen hormones are starting to blur the line between friendship and romance. Ironically kids are supposed to be honest and yet when they were together, they didn’t let out their feelings. I thought kids weren’t that complicated. Because now it gets even more complicated as they grow into their teens. Oh, how we love the age of innocence. I guess back then when they were all such good friends, they don’t differentiate between friendship and romance. As long as you are my friend, that’s cool.

Oddly if Subaru has been such an awesome and legendary group, this means they have been playing Union at a very young age and became experts in no time. Such MMORPGs are games that you can’t master or level up in just days (assuming no cheating was done). So for the Subaru members to be this good and kicking everyone’s ass then, this just shows how much time they spent online honing their skills and having the best combos and techniques to back each other up. Don’t really know how well they do in their real life school grades but as long as they were in Union, they are basically unbeatable. So it is true that many online games are dominated by kids who aren’t even old enough to drink liquor or get a driving licence, let alone walk, talk, read or write properly.

And the other odd thing is how their avatar in Union resembles closely to their real life counterparts when they are in their teens. I’m not saying a child would grow up looking very differently (some will, thanks to puberty) but with the Subaru members having not changed their avatars much, does it show they know how they will look like when they grow older? Sure, it is so that not to confuse us fans but why the heck would people use their avatars that resemble closely to their real life face? It is amazing no jealous dude targeted them. Like that Leonovitch loser. Does the game not allow any other race to be registered as avatars? Because I don’t remember seeing any cat girls here or some hulking orcs. All just the human race…

It is interesting to note that in the context of this series, an online game is hinted to hone those with special abilities that are possible to do in the real world. While this sneaky and shady move is morally questioning, this had me wonder if this entire world is just a simulation! Yes, my conspiracy theory rearing its dumb head again. Because as we have seen at one point how Asahi tried to become God and give Haruto a safe future. And then that Gnosis guy stopping time or something as warning. This possible in reality? Not if you are in a simulation. How can Asahi ‘time warp’ from Union and Re’Union? Where was she during the 6 years of absence? Not if you’re in a simulation. And with the possibility of using your Senses in real life, isn’t this like a simulation too? Hence the mind f*ck of people who are actually dreaming living in a simulation and for those who play games like Re’Union to be in another simulation. That’s like being in a simulation in a simulation! It’s going to be the biggest surprise ever if this whole real world thing turned out into something like The Matrix. Then we can all blame this anime for ripping off another series.

Character wise… I believe everyone is motivated and revolved around Asahi. Otherwise why would our generic team leader Haruto return to online gaming when he has abandoned it so long ago and almost look like on his way to become a NEET only to suddenly find his fighting touch again. And then you need to have that very angry rich dude Takanori to fuel some drama between the guys because nothing says manly drama when you have 2 guys fighting over their girl. Oh Takanori, even all the money in the world couldn’t let you clone Asahi. Just saying… And since he is such an intelligent guy, I suppose love is left out on that matter because he is smart and sharp in everything else except when it comes to the topic of love. That’s what happens when you set your sights obsessively only on one certain girl and pay no heed to the rest.

Then you have Satsuki who is just ‘patiently’ watching from the side lines. What are friends for if you don’t give up your happiness just so your crush could be happy with someone else? That is what happened to Nozomi when she is unable to do that. More jealousy to notch up the drama. Just when shy girl Nozomi as the last member finally makes her appearance, she turned to the dark side (online). Imagine what jealousy can do to you. At least her shyness was blown away. What a way to return. Now we’ve got the pairs settled, Haruto x Asahi and Takanori x Nozomi, all that’s left for Satsuki is Clive. The foreigner guy who is conveniently a foreigner so as to provide necessary backup and assistance when the plot commands it. Yeah, basically Satsuki bust up all for nothing because Haruto’s heart is somewhere and being temporary lover losers with Takanori created a bigger mess. Maybe she should try Clive and then she can have the record of trying every man in Subaru. Haha! Oops.

I guess at this point it is valid for me to ask, who the f*ck is Elicia? Is she like the secret member of Subaru? Because otherwise why tell us that 6 or 7 star folklore thingy if it wasn’t going to be relevant? Does Elicia have this memory erasing ability? Because the rest sure do not remember about her but she knows all about them. So if Asahi is dead in real life but a ghost in Re’Union, Elicia is like the opposite. Alive in the real world but technically a ghost to the members of Subaru. Hence she is like one who watches over her comrades and the convenience needed if ever the plot demands it.

You know how Asahi is always smiling and happy and it is because she has never changed since the last time? Well, I thought that would make lolicons squeal in happiness because on a very unfortunate note, during the airing of this series, a director of this show was arrested for trying to kidnap a 10 year old girl! No joke! Damn, I thought this guy wanted his own Asahi. Like as though the 2D Asahi wasn’t already enough and then he had to pull this sh*t. Well folks, that is Japan being Japan for you. If it wasn’t bad enough, even inside the anime story itself with Asahi’s sudden appearance, there are so many parties who are interested in taking her. Yeah, not only anime characters want her but a real life director too. Damn Asahi is so popular and in demand. And I’m not talking about that beer brand!

Action sequences are just enough since Re’Union is an MMORPG and what is one without its fair share of fighting. Even though each member of Subaru possesses their own unique set of Sense, I just can’t seem to find them memorable. Haruto using his sword skills (I suppose there were some parts that were copied from Sword Art Online’s Kirito), Asahi using her psychic powers and gun, Satsuki the master of elements and Clive throwing his daggers around. To show how legendary Subaru is, not only they have the stats to make up for their power but also the unmeasurable power of determination. Because it was definitely BS when Haruto went up against the thousand forces of Divine! If you love beat’em ups, you would want to switch places with Haruto for that very ‘special event’. Oh, Haruto and Asahi busting out from their impossible predicament in the final episode? Power of friendship in your face! On a trivial note, I find the name of the level boss, Purgatorio to be funny. Because the image that kept popping in my mind: Purgatory + Mario! Damn! It would have been so bizarre had this boss looked like an evil version of an Italian plumber.

Art and animation feel bright and clean. The character designs make them look cute and kawaii. Even as teens, they look as young as ever. As I have said the Subaru members have their avatars looking closely to their real life counterparts so sometimes I get a bit confused if this is the online game or reality. CGI is also used but usually for monster bosses like Purgatorio and Aegir. Luckily the scenes are too dark to see clearly whether the CGI sucks or not. This anime is produced by Lerche who did Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, the Danganronpa series, Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, the rebooted Kino No Tabi, Kuzu No Honkai and also in the same season, Asobi Asobase (which is the better series than this one).

Voice acting feels average with Nichika Omori (Yurine in Jashin-chan Dropkick) trying to make Asahi sound as cute as a loli as can be while Kaito Ishikawa (Iida in Boku No Hero Academia) tries to make Takanori sound as much as an angst stubborn dick. The other casts are Kengo Takanashi as Haruto (Hajime in Gin No Saji), Akari Kitou as Satsuki (Kaho in Blend S), Takuma Terashima as Clive (Shiroe in Log Horizon), Yumiri Hanamori as Nozomi (Nadeshiko in Yuru Camp) and Chika Anzai as Elicia (Reina in Hibike! Euphonium). The opening theme is 360 Degree Hoshi No Orchestra by Petit Milady. Your typical generic lively anime pop for such genres. I prefer the ending theme, Starlight by Erii Yamazaki which is more of a slow-moderate pop. If you can’t get enough of your Asahi fix, the ending credits animation is your ideal place to ‘stalk’ and ‘peep’ at Asahi bumming around and doing nothing as she waits. Wait for Haruto to come home. Is this some kind of metaphor of what she is doing when the rest are logged out? Man, it has got to be one long boring wait sitting in her room all day.

Overall, this isn’t actually such a bad series but it just lacks an overall interesting story and the main characters themselves lack any sort of character development (even their romance development feels a bit cheesy and forced just to make up some of the drama). But at least this series is still much better than the ones having overpowered characters using their Smartphones. This anime feels like many of other online games these days. Get some attention at the start but starts to wane as time passes. Eventually like when the servers go offline, this one will also be forgotten when better (and much more) crappy future anime series pop up. I mean, would you like to return and rewatch this series? Yeah… A very unfortunate case of perma-death forever.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Hmm… I guess with the recent popularity and success of online multiplayer battle royale games like PUBG and Fortnite that took the gaming world by storm, I began to wonder if this was Japan’s answer to that (seeing shooting games are not that popular in Japan). Hence it was a bit suspicious when they decided to use and go under the Sword Art Online’s name and franchise. Yeah, they had that gun shooting Gun Gale Online (GGO) variety too but now they totally made it into a shooting spinoff of its own, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online. However don’t expect to see the usual Kirito-sama and Asuna-chan here. Totally a new bunch of characters and story in this spinoff but in the same universe of SAO, or more accurately GGO. So if PUBG is too dead serious while Fortnite is too cartoonish for you, perhaps watching kawaii little anime girls run and shoot around should be more ideal for you. I guess we’re getting tired of magical girls already…

Episode 1
LLENN and M get ready to enter the battle royale of Squad Jam (SJ). Both are randomly dropped in the forest area of the map. Though this might give them disadvantage, we hear M’s strategy in dealing with the situation. They hear gunshots near the city area and M can identify the kind of guns used. He lets LLENN be the bait to identify some of their current enemies before them. They start firing at her but thanks to her petite size, she is able to hide from the hail of bullets. M is waiting for the right moment for other teams to sniff out those enemies and take them out. True enough, it happened. M guesses that the way these pros fight, they could be veterans or part of the army. They could be using this game to train and test their skills. LLENN considers herself a lucky girl so M is going to bet on that luck. As that gunfire would have attracted other teams, he plans to hide in the central residential area than the edge of the forest. They will use 3 other teams to buy them some time as LLENN sprints across. During this period, all other 3 teams got eliminated by the pros. At this point, many teams are already eliminated and those remaining continue to stay put in a futile standoff that might never end. M has a strategy to take out the pros and this would rely heavily on LLENN’s agility. The pros are trying to smoke out the duo. Based on the tracker, they should be ahead of them but no target in visual sight. Could they be under the sewer? But no manhole either. As they slowly look around, they realize too late that LLENN is hiding in the suitcase. She jumps out in perfect timing to shoot most of them. Thanks to her quick speed, she is able to not give them enough time to aim. With most the team members out, the team leader is satisfied with the training exercise and resigns. This entire match and epic victory is watched by the awed friends of Karen Kohiruimaki.

Episode 2
Karen is a very tall girl and because of her height, she believes this is the reason she hasn’t made any new friends since moving to Tokyo. That’s why she loves things small and cute. She heard about that VR scandal involving NerveGear and despite that, that was when she became interested in trying out VR games. With the help of her nerdy friend, Miyu Shinohara she tries out ALO first. I don’t know why you aren’t allowed customization of your characters since it is a basic in games today. Anyway, Karen’s avatars are tall ones. The shock and increased heart rate has her being ejected from the game. She tries various games but all the same tall types. Finally after the 37th game, she has got a cute and small little girl avatar in GGO. Ecstatic with her desired looks, she takes an online tutorial to learn more about handling guns. Hey, if training isn’t this Spartan, it would have given you a false impression of how tough this game is going to be, right? LLENN starts small by hunting monsters and levels up slowly. She finds a hunting ground she likes since other players rarely converge here. But one day a human team decides to enter her playground. Fearing they would kill her, she decides to strike and kills them first! With that agility, they don’t even know what hit them! Soon, LLENN becomes a legend as rumour spreads about a little pink munchkin sneaking up and killing you suddenly. LLENN meets her match in Pitohui AKA Pito. She is only interested to know LLENN’s identity after hearing the rumours. They soon become friends as LLENN often hang out with her and hear her stories and advices. She even takes LLENN shopping to buy a mini submachine gun that suits her size and style. She names it P-chan and is told to rack up more kills with it because a gun will never betray you. They both team up for missions. Pito believes they will have to fight each other one day and suggests should she win, they will meet in real life. Soon SJ is introduced.

Episode 3
Pito once participated in BoB but lost in one of the early rounds. SJ came about when some Japanese guy watching BoB got inspired to make a team battle royale out of it. With Zaskar approving, he became SJ’s sponsor. LLENN has low self-confidence, thinking she wouldn’t fit in PvP games. Pito knows LLENN is here to escape reality. Pito is the same. That’s why they should go all out to the extreme here. With some basic explanations on SJ, it seems Pito cannot join LLENN in SJ since she has to attend her friend’s wedding. She’ll die in real life if her friend found out she went playing a game instead of attending her wedding! Don’t worry, Pito has the perfect guy to cover for her. It’s awkward at first when LLENN meets this criminal-looking M. To test her proficiency, he has her undergo several shooting tests. He notes the kind of guns suitable for her and himself and will be the one in charge of creating strategies. Karen writes a fan letter to a pop idol, Elsa Kanzaki. She talks about her tall complex and recent problems, even to her LLENN avatar. Uhm, is this what you’re supposed to write to your idol? Oh well, her songs are what she listens to when she fights in the virtual battlefield. Her hope is to change herself and also request holding her next concert in a larger venue. Before SJ begins, M teaches LLENN how to efficiently use knives and kill off her opponents. It seems the reason LLENN is here in SJ is because she couldn’t get a ticket to Elsa’s concert. With that kind of letter that sounded like a nerdy lunatic, maybe that’s the reason.

Episode 4
Continuing from LLENN and M’s victory over the pros, there are 3 teams left. But one team seems closing in fast on them as M realizes they have got a vehicle. A hovercraft. M uses his shield barrier and has LLENN be the bait. Drop and roll over whenever she is targeted. In the end, M snipes all of them except for the last one he bombs him out and lets LLENN overkill him by spraying bullets. LLENN wonders how M could shoot without any bullet line assistance. She remembers Pito’s guidance how in games, such assistances makes the game easier for players to go in and have fun. It won’t be fun if it’s all realistic. However with this, player’s skill will get rusty as they rely on the assistances too much. Hence M has some real skills in using a gun without relying on them. With one more team left for them to defeat to win SJ, the next scan suddenly reveals them to be very close. Before they can react, LLENN takes a hit (but not lethal) and M gets injured too while taking LLENN to run. They manage to escape in a hovercraft. As they heal and use medkits, they talk about their remaining opponent being pros at sniping and hiding. He claims LLENN to really be a lucky girl since she didn’t die from that shot. They head to shore and make the next hill as their sniping base. M is supposed to read a certain letter at a certain time. That time is now. As LLENN stays on guard, suddenly M points his gun at her! What gives?! He fires but thanks to her agility and his limited rounds, she has him at point blank. Now she demands answers. If he cannot say, she’ll go on by herself. Suddenly M stars crying like a baby and begging for his life! Shocking…

Episode 5
It seems M will be killed in real life by Pito if he loses! You don’t know how scary that woman is. Well, the letter did warn him about losing or he is dead meat. So she wasn’t speaking figuratively? LLENN tells him to hide and she’ll go on by herself. LLENN stumbles into one of the enemies and her agility once more plays a crucial hand in evading bullets and even eliminating her. The rest of the members go all out to avenge their comrade’s death. LLENN remembers Pito’s lessons about not firing randomly to give away your location. So she thought the enemy is doing so but realizes too late when she takes a great damage as it was just a decoy to lure her out. More running and hiding until she realizes what is she going to achieve by running away. All her kills have been up close and personal. Suddenly P-chan talks to motivate her! Is she going crazy?! Anyway, LLENN confronts the enemy but this time putting a little mischief in her play. Although she has a tough time, thankfully M has decided to come back to the game and help her via sniping. LLENN confronts the enemy leader, Eva AKA Boss. LLENN must be so lucky that several shots to her chest cannot kill her despite being pinned down! Oh, something in her pocket. LLENN’s head moves faster than her bullets?! Out of bullets. Her comrade throws her a chamber before being taken out by M. Unbelievable timing of reloading her gun while the chamber is still in the air… Boss fires away but LLENN STILL LIVES!!! Apparently P-chan became her shield. LLENN is so mad that P-chan is destroyed she is faster and deadlier in her angry state! She whips out her knife and slashes Boss’ vitals! M takes out the final sniper and lives. Yeah, LLENN and M win SJ!!! In the aftermath if you’re wondering why Karen is meeting up with petite Saki Nitobe and her group of equally petite rhythm gymnastic club members, it is because Saki is Boss! Damn, she was that bloodthirsty violent Amazon woman? Indeed still waters run deep…

Episode 6
LLENN finally buys her P-chan replacement. Karen entertains Saki and her friends who are here to celebrate her SJ victory. We see their avatars and damn they look so different than their real life counterpart. The girls hope they can train together but it seems Karen has other plans, disappointing the lolis. That plan is to go karaoke with Miyu? There is an announcement that there will be another Squad Jam, SJ2. There are some tweaks to the rules so those interested can register before the deadline. A strange suddenly creeps up to Karen. He is Goushi Asougi and knows she is LLENN. She is forced to listen to his story otherwise 2 people will die! This guy is of course M and he wants her help to participate in SJ2 or people will die. One of them is him and the other is Pito. Apparently Pito is obsessed with death and if she doesn’t win, she will commit suicide! Oh, Goushi will die first, then she’ll kill herself. She was one of the beta players for SAO. During that scandal where players got locked in and some died, Pito was away doing other things. She regretted she couldn’t join in that ‘fun’. She also heard of PK players and also lament that had she been in that game, she would have kicked their asses serving justice or be killed by them. Goushi doesn’t report this madness to the police because he respects her decision. Also, he is in love with her. Yes, this guy is also that twisted. So twisted that he is not afraid of dying after Pito but before her since he is afraid of leaving her alone. He hopes Karen can face her and kill her without mercy so she doesn’t have to commit suicide (and spare him too). Karen agrees to participate after remembering some of Pito’s words. But Goushi won’t help her since that would be like cheating? Hence Karen enlists the help of her friend, Miyu.

Episode 7
Miyu’s avatar is also a cute loli! She goes by the name Fukaziroh or Fuka for short. Because M previously agreed to lend some financial support, Fuka goes on a gun buying spree. She buys the most expensive and powerful grenade guns. Two of them! Wow, she really thinks she has a sugar daddy. She practises with it to get a feel of them. The duo register as a team, LF. It sounds like a big deal that they have registered because Saki and co cannot wait to get their revenge. We hear among the new rules include the scan will now display the team’s name, making it easier to know which team is where. Hence LF has got to look out for PM4, Pito and M’s team. LLENN’s strategy is to fight them first before focusing on SHINC (Saki’s team). On the day of SJ2, Miyu has a bad case of stomach ache and hence the nerve wrecking wait for LLENN as she waits for her to finish her business. It is amazing Miyu could update so fast. Can she wipe her ass with one hand and text about it at the same time? Yeah, that’s really an awesome skill. Meanwhile in the waiting lounge, SHINC and Memento Mori (MMTM) are the favourite teams. Both sides exchange ‘pleasantries’. Also the team to watch is PM4. The leader of MMTM once teamed up with Pito and although she is a strong woman, she doesn’t views her comrades as comrades. She uses them as shields and laughs at their deaths, even her own. He cannot deal with anyone with a death wish and left. He believes her name is taken from a poisonous bird found only in New Guinea. So lethal its poison that a mere touch from it could kill a human. Like all heroes making their late entrance, the crowd cheers when LF enters. Looks like Miyu did her business in time. Everyone prepares to be teleported to the battlefield. Don’t overthink. Just kill!

Episode 8
With the first scan, it looks like all the favourite teams are placed far apart from each other. I guess there’s an excuse to go do some killing in between. Fuka got careless and stepped on a wire trap and blew both her legs off! She survives, though. LLENN shows why she is a champion of the first SJ by singlehandedly massacring the entire team! Meanwhile PM4 continues to not engage and wait around. As M is the leader, this is part of his plan and not engage in meaningless skirmishes. For the next ambush, Fuka wants to try using her grenades via angle attacks. She has practised a hell lot and can do so with her eyes close. All she needs is LLENN to relay accurate info of the enemies’ whereabouts. Once more we see LF as the top favourite team as Fuka bombs the hell out of her hapless opponents who can’t even see where their enemies are. In the next scan, PM4 is still camping. However a group of teams have gathered near them. It is easily deduced that these teams have agreed a ceasefire and to band together to take out PM4. No surprises to guess how the massacre is going to turn out. But LLENN rushes her way there. I guess nobody gets to kill Pito except her.

Episode 9
M hides behind a waterfall as a distraction for the enemy to take pot shots at him. Because they’re so busy doing that, they didn’t realize Pito ambushing them from the back with the rest of PM4 backing her up. Yeah, she massacred the hell out of them! She even toyed around with the last couple of guys. When they ask if she enjoyed tormenting the defenceless like them, she throws it back to them if they enjoyed ganging up on a few. And yes, she enjoys it and would do it to if she was in their shoes. Then she bombs the hell out of them! As for the leaders of the group, Pito snipes them from afar. They have no time to react! Could have been perfect if not for the last dude quickly resigning. Now we shift to LF. They are in the savannah dome and notice 3 other teams are in. They thought they are fighting each other but LLENN from experience can tell something is strange from their gunshots. She knows it is a distraction and all those teams are cooperating to take them out. With Fuka shooting pink smokescreen, LLENN is able to run around and shoot everybody! How can she see? Everyone is using the bullet line. Then there’s a guy who stumbled into Fuka but Fuka unloads all her bullets on him. Guess what? SHE MISSED!!! HOW THE F*CK CAN SHE MISS AT THIS RANGE???!!! Because we see his rape face, Fuka bludgeons him to death with her rifle! ALO experience? The duo do a body count and realize a body short. They smoke out a guy, Clarence who is trying to play dead. He surrenders but the girls continue to be vigilant. He did try to pull a fast one by reaching his gun but LLENN is faster to shoot a hole in his hand. Because he is a sick lolicon, Fuka would have blown his brains out but LLENN is running low on ammo so she wants him to unload all his magazines. He agrees but in exchange wants a kiss from LLENN. A small price to pay for their survival and victory? LLENN sums up her courage and gives him a peck on the cheek. But hey, she’s got all his ammo. He goes on to reveal that he is actually a girl in real life and is a bi. Uhm, I don’t think we want to hear such stories. Suddenly they are ambushed. Too much time talking, huh? Clarence is shot dead and LLENN realizes it is team MMTM.

Episode 10
Thanks to SHINC interfering, MMTM withdraws. It’s not like Boss is helping LLENN but she viewed it as a good opportunity to take out MMTM. Boss wants to square off with LLENN but it looks like she needs to attend to business. Boss wants to hear the story. Meanwhile, a team tries to team up with PM4 but Pito rejects. As they part, Pito breaks the promise of not shooting each other till the next scan by shooting them in the back. The team is annihilated, leaving only the lone female to run for her life. She vows to exterminate that vermin. SHINC is inching closer to PM4 as M prepares to fire at them. When they enter their firing range, SHINC is able to dodge their bullets. Part of the strategy is for one of SHINC’s members to die on purpose so that she could become a pedestal for another member to fire her powerful anti-tank gun! OMG! M’s shield is destroyed in no time! Thanks to this method, M is more vulnerable although his sniping is still tops. As SHINC charges, looks like it’s time. Flashback shows Boss discussing with LLENN about their pincher attack. SHINC will be the bait to distract and take out M’s shields. Fuka then fires her smokescreen so that LLENN could rush in to pincher them. However LLENN spots somebody sniping at Pito. It’s that lone female survivor. She hit a direct shot in her head before LLENN sprayed bullets into her. Pito is on the verge of dying as M desperately tries to save her. The more damage she takes, the more insane Pito becomes. It’s like she loves the idea of dying but is too scared to die. Eventually she survives. Like 0.0001% of her health. She is so crazy that she passes out. However her avatar doesn’t log out and this has the rest suspect she is using NerveGear. As PM4 retreat into the cabin, LLENN is unsure what to do. But since she has to decide, she remembers her mission. Everybody go in for the kill! Except for Pito. That’s her kill. Too bad MMTM arrive into the cabin first. While the other PM4 members sacrifice their lives in vain to stop MMTM’s onslaught, does M have time to even kiss Sleeping Beauty Pito?! Finally MMTM is just a room away when they are all shot and killed. Yeah, Pito is back and she is wielding a lightsaber?!

Episode 11
Pito mercilessly slaughters what’s left of MMTM. So LLENN, are you glad now that MMTM became guinea pigs and died so you could so how crazy this woman is? Now that she is hesitating and thinking of a plan to kill her, SHINC won’t wait and charges straight. Fuka also has the same idea. LLENN would have stopped her had not Fuka tied her laces to her gun! I know this is silly but SHINC taking pot shots at the cabin seems futile because ultimately M snipes them all out. Pito doesn’t kill Fuka and just shoots off her limbs in order to lure out LLENN but the pipsqueak isn’t coming out. So when LLENN has untied herself and decides to not do anything but vow to somehow kill Pito, she comes out of her hiding. But wait. LLENN is running away! And so Pito and M drive a vehicle to chase after her. LLENN uses her petite size to her advantage like ducking under the vehicle and even jumping over to spray bullets from the top (although amazingly she missed them all). It makes those crazy duo look like imbeciles. When LLENN takes a near fatal shot, she seems like about to quit but here comes Fuka to the rescue. I guess that is what happens when you don’t take somebody out. Enough time to recover. And so begins a mad vehicle chase with both sides trying to outdo each other. Eventually when both vehicles run out of gas, it is showdown between LLENN and Pito. Run out of bullets? Time for close quarter combat.

Episode 12
When LLENN badmouths SAO, this riles up Pito. This allows LLENN to get up close and do some damage although Pito fights back. Pito picks up P-chan and readies to kill her with it. However LLENN hears P-chan’s voice to believe and guess what? The moment Pito pulls the trigger, P-chan explodes! WTF?! Does her gun have this feature? Pito still has enough energy to grab LLENN, though. M has captured Fuka. Why didn’t he just shoot her? So Pito tells him to hand over his gun. Gonna shoot Fuka? Nope. She shoots him! She calls him a traitor and knows he has been secretly helping these girls and eliminated SHINC to let them be the only ones left. Any last words? I love you. She knows but you can’t bring love into this game. Bang! Right between the eyes. As Pito starts singing, Fuka frees herself and charges straight. Pito thought of using LLENN as a shield but Fuka cuts off LLENN’s hands. In shock, LLENN then bites Pito’s neck! Wow. This feature is also available?! So they reconcile and remember their fulfilled promise. LLENN bites her to death. Yeah, it’s really possible. Before you can say LF wins SJ2, suddenly both of them are shot to death! Ah, I see that’s why previously they reminded us there was another team left. But who the heck are these cyborg guys?! Team T-S?! Total Savage? This Sucks? The Sh*t? Who the f*ck are they?! Oh well, I guess this takes the focus off our heroines so they could tie up some loose strings.

In reality, Saki and her friends give Karen a necklace as a birthday gift. Perhaps it’s also to celebrate what a great game they had. Next, Karen and Miyu meet up with Goushi as he brings them to a secret live concert of Elsa. On the way, he lets them know how he fell in love with Pito. He shows his old photo. Damn, he’s a fat guy! He saw the real Pito and fell in love with her at first sight. He followed her around. Basically, a stalker. One day she turned around and invited him to her apartment. Dream come true? Actually, she tied and beat him up! She knew about his stalking and she was also a violent sadist who loves destroying things. If he doesn’t want to be handed to the police, he became her servant. He did all her whims and fancies and loved it. Karen realizes M stands for masochist. Also, because he is her slave, he lost weight. Yeah, not because he wanted to be attractive to her. They live their own happily twisted life until the day SAO launched. Pito felt frustrated on missing out on that ‘death game’ and sought a variety of games to die. They finally arrive at a mini club to watch Elsa perform. They are allowed to meet her at the backstage. At first it seemed that the club owner, Rei Satou is Pito. But Karen goes up to Elsa and congratulates. Not for her performance on stage but in SJ2! Elsa is Pito! Elsa laughs like mad and wants to know how she knew. She explains about Goushi bringing them here right when her concert starts so as not to expose this ruse. Also, having Rei stand in as Pito would be amusing for Elsa to watch. Another reason is that when M first met LLENN, he knew her very well. The only person who knew about it is Elsa as she wrote it in her fan letters. Elsa might not have read them but Goushi did. With the revelation exposed, Karen hugs Elsa and is glad she didn’t die. Payback time because Elsa takes a look at Karen’s face and finds her cute. So? She kisses her on the lips!!! And then on the cheek! Now she wants to come visit her place. Better get out while you can. LLENN and Pito continue to play GGO as Pito assures she won’t pull such stunt again and will enjoy life.

Trigger Happy Havoc
So I guess we’re done having our side dish, huh? Because now we can go on to watch the third season of SAO!!!! But let’s not get ahead for ourselves yet. So uhm, I guess I’m glad that all the deaths that happened were only confined to the game. Nobody died in real life and thus stirring up another hornet’s nest of another tragedy like SAO. Therefore the moral of the story is that it is better to be alive because you can then log on to your online games like GGO and die as many times you want. Better to die in games than in real life. Because hey, it’s just a game. But dying too many times online, you might want to start contemplating if you really suck. But for our main girls who aren’t even hardcore online gamers especially in the battle royale shooting category, they’re really killing it. Good for them.

While the gun fights are rather okay (more on that later), thanks to that, I find that the plot is somewhat close to non-existent. I mean, what kind of plot do you need for an online game? You play a game just to have fun, right? Hence with LLENN being a newbie in this shooting game, the first half concentrates on her being a rising star while the second half’s plot of trying to save Pito from suicide feels ridiculous and bizarre. It felt like a strange way to serve as a motivation for LLENN to somewhat ‘rescue’ Pito. A strange way for Pito to be ‘saved’ and find ‘salvation’ if she gets ‘killed’ by LLENN. Sounds like nonsense to me. Sure, the thrill of life and death may be something that Pito is looking for but even if they didn’t incorporate this into the plot, the story will work out fine. Because I bet that viewers who watched the series will not think much about why LLENN or any other players in SJ would be fighting so hard to win. I mean, the whole goal of the game is to be the last one standing and win the damn thing, right?!

That is why we don’t really question LLENN why and what the heck she is doing all this for because essentially this is just a game and the ultimate goal of SJ or SJ2 or whatever other events in GGO or other online multiplayer battle royale is to be the last one left standing. That’s it. No complicated plot needed. That’s why in a way this spinoff feels a lot lacking in this department and that you are just watching an anime version of a shooting game instead of watching it on Twitch. To say it brings down the name and reputation of the SAO franchise isn’t accurate either since this spinoff can actually stand on its own without being compared to any of the original SAO elements. Then you might ask why not create a new world with new themes and terms instead of relying on GGO. Sure, some terms can be slightly tweaked to make it look different but then we’ll eventually see some sort of familiarity and blame it was trying to copy GGO. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

As for the gunfights, well, personally they are okay and just averagely satisfying. I’m not saying it is boring but it isn’t anything exciting that it gets your adrenaline pumping too. At least it did not for me. Watching real people play PUBG or Fortnite seems more ‘exciting’ because of the unknown and unpredictable factor. Because this is a series, you’ll have an idea how gunfights would turn out especially LLENN as the main character. And yeah, it’s like that movie logic cliché too when hundreds of bullets are fired but none really hit the intended target unless the plot commands it. Like LLENN’s P-chan who seems to be lacking firepower but is able to spray much more bullets, it feels like she can fire away trigger happy without having to worry about reloading. For her character to be amazingly this fast and skilled despite being a noob, in reality many would have called her a cheat. I mean, nobody else in this game could run as fast as her? Did nobody try to branch into this unique skillset? The odd thing about LLENN’s hallucination of P-chan, I wonder if this is some sort of reference to a cliché trope of a magical girl. You know, talking sidekick. Yeah, it seems only LLENN’s gun is able to talk to her. Not even gun crazy maniacs talk to their guns like that. Is LLENN on drugs?

Sniping action is also okay but with certain characters being such pros in sniping, it hardly feels exciting because again you get to expect and predict the outcome. Fuka’s grenade curve looks interesting although the more she does it, the more unbelievable you think it is because it’s like she has 100% accuracy on where she wants to hit. It’s like she has her homing device on them. While the series is mainly shooting action, they mix in a few others like close quarter combats, inclusion of vehicles and some incredulous dodging moments just to spice up the action. You won’t feel bored but it’s not anything that would even surpass the few action anime series like Shingeki No Kyojin, Dragonball or Naruto. Ultimately, this spinoff at least provided what it is supposed to do and that is lots of gun shooting action and no convoluted storyline.

There are some explanations about some of the guns if you are interested but I feel that if you are a gun enthusiasts, you would have known such guns and their traits. What is explained here are just probably the basics to get casual viewers like me to be awed. Because we know nothing about guns and to hear them spew such specifications is of course indeed sound amazing.

Having said all that, the characters themselves aren’t exciting and possibly one of the worst elements. They have their intrigue but nothing interesting. Avatars are avatars but their real life counterparts feel so different that it is as good as thinking that all this could happen in some fantasy world instead of a VR world. What I’m saying is that if you’re looking for good character development in this spinoff, don’t get your hopes up. After all, Karen who just moved to Tokyo somewhat found a game to blow off some steam to quell her loneliness. That’s it. But now that she has made friends with SHINC, will they be able to hang out more often in real life? Or maybe they’ll play more shooting games online and bond there.

As mentioned, Pito is a crazy woman but her suicidal thinking not only feels twisted but also incomprehensible. Unless you’re a sadist or a person who doesn’t care, it is of course only naturally that one would try and help the suicidal person out of suicide. But with Pito having so much crazy fun killing people in GGO and SJ2, it just doesn’t feel that she is going to end her life soon whether win or lose. If she really wanted to feel the thrill of life and death in a game, maybe she should have tried Russian roulette! Damn. But get what I mean? Also, if Pito really wanted to die, she would have done so by playing the first SJ and missed her friend’s wedding. Now that would have killed her! Oh right. Newly wedded bride don’t want to be a killer so maybe they will just end up breaking their friendship and not talking forever. However Goushi may have just exaggerated the story because of his twisted crush on Pito. Afraid of dying before her and not after her, huh? Well, we have seen her crazy skills. I think it’s safe to say that she would be fine on her own. At least in the online gaming world. It doesn’t make sense thinking about Pito would kill him in real life if he fails to live up to certain standards. Assuming he didn’t and she killed him. So what? She’s now a real life murderer. That’s all. And I seriously don’t think Pito would even if she sounds serious and threatening that she would. Because she knows Goushi’s crush on her so she’s just taking advantage of him. Like I said, if she did kill him, she’ll just be a murderer and she’ll be sent to prison. Just to check, prisoners aren’t entitled to play online games, right?

Some of the other minor characters also feel a bit disappointing but that could be just me over thinking that they might play some sort of role later. For example those very skilled military pros in SJ whom LLENN faced off and defeated never returned at all. From the way they said things, they are a force to be reckon with but eventually disappeared after that single ‘practice’. I believe they are not that T-S team. Too convenient had that happen. Clarence feels more like a distraction as well as that lone female survivor of a team that Pito betrayed and slaughtered. It looked like she had some potential but it ultimately fizzled out and was there just as a stepping stone for Pito to turn into psycho Pito in rage mode. I also wonder about Elsa. At first I was thinking if she was just a red herring. You know, somebody’s name being associated with the main character being brought up early. May or may not have some sort of relation. I didn’t read any spoilers while watching the show but in the penultimate episode my guts suddenly were telling me that Elsa could be Pito. I mean, who else is there, right? I guess it’s for the shock factor for those who didn’t read the light novels. True enough it turned out like that.

While the issue of avatars being vastly different from their real life counterparts is not anything shocking or new these days, the mind boggling thing is why Karen was unable to choose her own avatar when she first played her first online game. I mean, to customize your own avatar is the basic of the most basic of basic things, right? I know this gives a silly reason for her to jump games until she finds the right one and for some reason GGO was it because perhaps the online servers were probably tired of watching her switch so many games and just decided to give her what she wants. But still, to no to have that option to be able to customize your own avatar for a game is rather silly. Especially in today’s modern times. If that is the case, there will be so many unused avatars that are dumped and there will be so many unused accounts (assuming 1 avatar per account) lying dormant around. Just plain silly. So it must be real lucky for SHINC for many of them to get that Amazon avatar, huh?

Hence the one with the biggest difference has got to be Elsa as Pito. It makes you wonder if she has time to spend playing such online games, does she have enough time to even perform on stage? If she somehow manages to do both, she must be greatly talented. She has to be. Look at how successful she is in both vastly different fields. It is safe to say that fans of Elsa does not know this dark side of hers and I can only imagine if they do. Unless they are all masochists like Goushi but this guy was the one who got lucky. Oh well, perhaps some idols seem nice on the outside until you really get close to them. I mean, being an idol is still a job, right? Therefore it is also mind boggling to think that she could put up such a cute innocent face but behind the scenes especially online, she is a cold blooded sadistic killer. Like as though she has split personalities. So if Elsa really wanted to die, why be an idol? Need money to buy those VR games to play? But Elsa and Pito is a very good example of what most of us are offline and online thanks to online anonymity. But I still can’t imagine that an idol really has so much time on her hands to play online games. Like as though if her idol career fell through, this could be her backup career. It’s not far-fetched at all.

I sometimes wonder that if this anime is targeted for male audiences because the main characters are all females except for M. This had me wonder if GGO should have been called Gamer Girls Online. Haha. But it is not surprising in this era because even though men are still majority of video gamers, women’s gaming community is rising and is almost half of the male’s gaming population. But somehow in GGO the females fare much better than the males, many who are of course nameless and just there for the body count. And on the topic of avatars being vastly different from your real life counterpart, it goes to show you not to believe everything you see at face value on the internet. Tall busty girl Karen becomes a short cute LLENN, cutie Miyu also equally becomes a short cute Fuka. Lolicon harem and paradise. SHINC members who are tough Amazon women are cute lolicons from the rhythm gymnastics. How can such cute little girls turn into blood thirsty killers online?! True meaning of still waters run deep. I bet boys who don’t know about them would really have a way off perception of them doing very harmless girly things like knitting. Heh. Who knits these days? And Goushi looks like a wuss instead of his stout M. And look at cute little Elsa who is just a slender sexy Pito. Talk about really being opposites from your real self. And so the stereotype misconception that expert online shooters are 12 year olds…

Art and animation feel okay and a few CGI were employed too but nothing that jarring. Thankfully action scenes like shooting between players are still in 2D because if it was obviously in 3D, might as well go watch PUBG or Fortnite. I know it is done for differentiation but many other characters especially those expandable players look almost the same. Just put them in different outfits to signify they are from a different team. Yeah, the other ‘unimportant’ members of PM4 look the same, don’t you think? Just slap on those headgear and mask, don’t have to show us their faces. Problem solved. Lucky for LLENN and Fuka, they stand out so much because they are the smallest avatars while Pito is such smoking hot and curvaceous at the hips in that catsuit. This series wasn’t done by A-1 Pictures who did the Sword Art Online series. Instead it was Studio 3Hz who did Dimension W, Flip Flappers and Princess Principal.

For the voice acting, I want to point out about Youko Hikasa as Pito. She really sounds crazy in her part to perfectly portray her character. But sometimes I feel that she went to some crazy lengths to sound this crazy. Like say, she went out drinking and recorded her lines while she was almost drunk? Hope not. Although I could be wrong and that she is just a great voice actress who can act and sound to this extent. Because she really sounds different and crazy when Pito does her trademark crazy laugh. Truly different. Other casts are Tomori Kusunoki as LLENN/Karen (Hazuki in Marchen Madchen), Kazuyuki Akasaki as M/Goushi (Hisui in K), Chinatsu Akasaki as Fuka/Miyu (Alice in Shokugeki No Souma), Ayaka Asai as Boss/Saki (Hazuki in Hibike! Euphonium) and Mikako Komatsu as Clarence (Rose in Tales Of Zestiria The X).

I have a feeling that the opening theme, Ryuusei by Eir Aoi tries to sound similar to the openings in the other SAO series but it feels generic. The ending theme is To See The Future by Tomori Kusunoki. Sounds okay as a generic anime pop. There are also a few insert songs although they are sung by Elsa (her singing voice is credited to Reona) but they aren’t really my type. Maybe it’s just me since I find her voice to sound a little bit raw.

Overall, this spinoff itself is fairly decent and entertaining even though it is most likely not to cause any big stir in the online multiplayer battle royale category for now. Basically it is mainly lolis with guns (SHINC might be Amazon women avatars but their real life counterparts are still lolis so it still somewhat counts). The opinions are split if this series gave SAO a bad name but I feel that it is still much better than the second half arcs of both the SAO seasons. Maybe that is why this spinoff has only 1 cour and a dozen episodes. Because the curse of the SAO series is that the first starting story arc is interesting but then starts to falter and definitely not so good. I’m having the same fearful sentiments for the third season… But one having not watch the original SAO seasons can still watch this without fear of missing out on any details. Unless they decide to do a crossover sequel in the future, that would be another story. Otherwise it is your choice to join the online community and be slaughtered by 12 year olds or watch a pink munchkin mow down others like nobody’s business. Or we can just go back to watch more magical girls stuffs if you’re tired of bullets already.

Overlord II

Ah, finally. The much awaited sequel is here. So it is with glee that I am able to watch the great exploits and epic greatness of our main character who is supposedly trapped in a game world but became a master of his own force and a rising one in this world. After all, everything was just so great that I am expecting nothing less from Overlord II. I know there is this danger of putting hopes too high but when you’re a master of everything, do you settle for second best?

Episode 1
OMG. They’re spamming us with so many new characters that I’m not sure what the f*ck is going on! First off, Zesshi Zetsumei talking to her aide about the recent events regarding Ains and that vampire incident. She views herself as the strongest and wishes for a man strong enough to beat her so she could bore a very strong child. Next we have this very old woman, Rigrit Bers Caurau talking to a long time dragon lord friend about her successor taking over her position as an adventurer as well as some corrupted world that may be taking over the world again after 100 years. He has a request of her to gather information on items that rival guild weapons or rather, special items from Yggdrasil. Next up, Gazef and the king talking about possible attacks from other empires especially from Baharuth and hence the need to remain vigilante and united. We are also introduced to the king’s granddaughter, Princess Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself and her childhood friend-cum-bodyguard, Climb. Before we forget about Ains and his team, we take a detour back to them. Ains returns to Nazarick with Albedo welcoming him in her usual slutty fashion. They discuss the other nations around their area. The perpetrator who mind controlled Shalltear is still not caught. Speaking of her, she is drowning herself in alcohol for that unforgivable act last season. Vampire and alcohol? Whatever. Cocytus sees Ains before he sets off on a mission in the woods. Oh yeah, more characters introduced from their side. Like Bukubukuchagama, the dog faced maid of Aura and this penguin assistant butler, Éclair Ecleir Eicler (say what again?) and the Metroid-alien-head of Nazarick’s bar and restaurant, Sous-chef. Finally, we head to the bogs and swamps of a lizardmen tribe, the Green Claw led by chieftain Shasuryu Shasha and his exiled brother but great warrior, Zaryusu Shasha who possesses a great weapon known as Frost Pain. Suddenly the sky turns dark and an ominous blob of faces appear before the village. It declares death upon them.

Episode 2
It adds that they are given time to prepare to fight for their futile existence. Green Claw members gather to discuss their next move. Zaryusu is side-lined because of his status but Shasuryu allows him to speak because of his great experience. As of now, they stand no chance to win. A little history on the bloody war between the 7 tribes. Due to lack of food, an all-out war occurred. Green Claw aligned with Small Fang and Razor Tail to wipe out Yellow Speckle and Sharp Edge. Survivors of the losing group was absorbed into Dragon Tusk. Zaryusu suggests forming an alliance among all tribes to fight against the menace. It may be easy to get Small Fang and Razor Tail on their side but Dragon Tusk contains survivors of the last war and the animosity is still there. Zaryusu offers to go negotiate and if they are unwilling, he will deem them not worthy and eliminate them. Meanwhile we take a detour as we see Éclair possibly colluding with Demiurge to take over Nazarick?! Zaryusu sets off on his giant multi-headed beast, Rororo to the Red Eye tribe first. He is taken to the acting chief, Crusch Lulu. She hides herself because of her albino skin. However Zaryusu immediately falls in love with her and wants to marry her! Oh dear. Mission side-lined? So we have a bit of weird lizardmen romance-cum-flirting before they get down to business. Zaryusu adds that with the alliance and in the even they lose, their reduced numbers mean a low chance of inter-tribal war. He is curious how Red Eye survived as it was not involved in last war. Crusch ashamedly mentions they did cannibalism. They fed on their fallen comrades. Back then the tribe was split if into pro-cannibalisation or anti-cannibalisation. The chief then was the former. In the end, Crusch led the latter group and defeated them. Before she became the new chief, the former chief smiled the sweetest smile she had ever seen before passing on. With their reduced numbers of course the food shortage was solved. Crusch still feels guilty till this day but Zaryusu comforts her and would have done exactly the same in her shoes. She agrees to form an alliance with him as she prepares to follow him on his trip to Dragon Tusk’s village. Upon arriving, the chief, Zenberu Gugu knows what he is going to say but will only trust those who are strong. In short, prove your strength to him.

Episode 3
Both lizardmen fight as Zenberu is tempting Zaryusu to use his Frost Pain to have a chance in defeating him but he won’t. In the end, Zenberu admits his loss since he got tired from this drawn out fight. So the heads discuss their plan. Crusch has a different viewpoint as she prefers to hang on to life even if it is chains. But the guys are not. Will they be able to do this if they are imprisoned? The beings doing this would enjoy seeing their deaths and doubts they would have mercy. What Crusch meant was not for them to get killed. Zaryusu won’t. Not until he gets her answer. Argh. Slipping in a quite a few weird lizardmen romance feels weird… With Zenberu agreeing to the alliance, all the tribes now gather back at Green Claw to discuss their action. It is believed the enemy outnumbers them so Zaryusu suggests forming a small elite team to take out the enemy head. The army of the undead arrives. They are being controlled by Cocytus. The lizardmen grunts fight off the variety of undead skeletons and beasts. This has Cocytus contacting Demiurge for advice to overturn this defeat. Demiurge has Cocytus think if Ains did specifically mention for him to win because why raise such low level armies then? Was it just something to help Cocytus think and gather some intelligence? Cocytus then summons one of his undead commander, Iguva into the battlefield. His fireballs burn through everything! This is where Zaryusu initiates his small elite team plan. Rororo charges through the field and endures multiple burns before it could no longer go on. This allows Zaryusu, Zenberu and Crusch to get up close to Iguva. Zaryusu’s Frost Pain douses the flames while Zenberu’s armour absorbs the lightning attacks. And if they’re wounded, there is Crusch to heal them. But even at such close distance, Zaryusu is unable to best Iguva. With other comrades down, Zaryusu is forced to use a seemingly sacrificial move but it is a trap to stab Frost Pain into Iguva’s face and defeat him once and for all. The lizardmen rejoice over their victory. Oh Cocytus, there is a call from Ains waiting on line 1 for you…

Episode 4
The lizardmen are celebrating over their victory. We could have witness some weird lizardmen sex had not Zenberu drop in to see what is going on. Meanwhile Ains summons his guardians. We are first introduced to Victim. Uhm, this small little floating reindeer brain is cute or scary? Now he turns to Cocytus on his failure. He is made to think why he lost and what should have been done to achieve victory. Ains is impressed with his thinking and growth. However a loss is still a loss as he orders Cocytus to destroy the lizardmen by himself. However Cocytus has a request and wants to use the corpses of the lizardmen as his army. Ains rejects this idea because it doesn’t benefit Nazarick. Demiurge then suggests doing an experiment to govern the lizardmen. Ains is impressed with this suggestion and approves it. He changes Cocytus’ punishment to governing the lizardmen. Ains retires to his room and is impressed with the Cocytus’ growth as this is not possible in the game. However he realizes this gives the potential of betrayal. Ains returns with a grand army of darkness. The lizardmen are sure f*cked. This is an elaborate grand show of might to scare the lizardmen to show who is boss. A messenger from the lizardmen is required so Shasuryu and Zaryusu step forth. In another show of might, he forces them to bow before him if they want to speak. Ains wants to govern them but knowing they will not accept it. So he will return in 4 hours to attack them. If they can best Cocytus, he will leave them alone. Shasuryu wants to surrender but Ains shoots that idea down and doesn’t want them to do something so pathetic even before they try. After Ain and his team leave, the lizardmen discuss on their next move. They know Ains’ goal is to demonstrate their overwhelming power. They believe Ains will kill them all and hence they want to organize a group of survivors. The guys suggest Crusch be the central figure but she denies and want to fight with them. They leave it to Zaryusu to convince her. In short, he doesn’t want the woman he loves to die. Some lizard hug for some little romance before the most ‘shocking’ favour she asks of him: Please impregnate me! WTF?!

Episode 5
In the mission control room prepared by Aura, it seems they also prepared a throne for Ains to sit. Though they claim it is made of various animal bones, he knows there are human bones too. He can’t sit on that so he decides to exact Shalltear’s punishment and humiliation now. He sits on her! I’m sure she is enjoying it while Albedo is freaking jealous to the max! On to business, they peek at what the lizardmen are doing. Preparing for battle. Normal. Noticing Zaryusu and Crusch aren’t among them, they peek inside their tent. OMFG! THEY’RE F*CKING EACH OTHER!!! Oh my. So awkward. The battle is here. Cocytus is kind enough to give them some warnings. The tribe leaders and older lizardmen charge into battle. To cut this futile battle short, all their attacks did no damage to Cocytus as he kills them all. Ains congratulates Cocytus and assigns him to rule the lizardmen villages. Cocytus requests the resurrection of Zaryusu and Shasuryu because they are great warriors. Ains will consider it and summons Crusch who now represents the lizardmen. He gives her a role to secretly watch over the lizardmen so they won’t betray him (Crusch thought she would have to offer her body but this would just anger Albedo and Shalltear). In exchange for that, he will bring Zaryusu back to life. Fail and he will kill him immediately and bring her despair. Only Ains know there is no spell for that. With Crusch decided, Zaryusu is brought back to life. Immediately he pledges his allegiance to Ains as with the entire lizardmen tribe. Zaryusu wonders why he didn’t resurrect Shasuryu or Zenberu as they would be of more use to him. He doesn’t think that would benefit him but will reconsider it.

Episode 6
Sebas sees an employer throw out his abused female employee. Not sure why he doesn’t allow Sebas to take her if he was going to rid of her. Plus, was he dumb to just throw her out in the middle of the streets instead of somewhere less obvious? Sebas takes her as that guy worries he will be targeted. Again, if this woman is somebody’s property, why chuck her out like that? He tells him about Eight Fingers, the largest underworld organization who controls the kingdom behind the scenes. Sebas gives him some money to get a head start to flee. Back at his place, Sebas has Solution heal her and treat all her wounds and diseases. She can easily do all that but is puzzled why Sebas would do all this for a human and not even let Ains know about this. Once that is done, Sebas feeds her and she is overcome with emotion for being treated so nice. She says her name is Tuare. Solution remains sceptical but Sebas assures if there is any trouble, he will take proper measures to deal with it. Meanwhile Brain is reeling from his nightmare of his encounter with Shalltear. The one where he failed to scratch her and ran away like a coward. He is at Gazef’s place as he talks to him how weak they are. Well, if you compare humans with other races… They might be strong with their swords but their true strength is still weak and there are heights they will never reach. Brain hints he wants to die so Gazef tells him to sit down and eat first. Somewhere, a group of assailants destroy a field that grows the Black Dust drug. This is one of many fields owned by Eight Fingers. Of course Eight Fingers are in a meeting discussing about the destruction of their production facility and the measures to take. Not sure what’s going on. Slave trade, funding, a certain woman who was scheduled to be disposed and the need to use an excessive amount of force.

Episode 7
Ains having money woes? Oh right. Last season he used it all up. Now he’s got to pay enough for the iron ores he got from different sources as part of his experiment. Gazef practises sword fighting with Climb and dispenses some good pointers for the greenhorn. His vice reminds him that if word of this gets out, the nobles will have a field day calling him out. The nobles hate Climb for being a commoner although Renner personally picked him. They spot Prince Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself and Marquis Elias Brandt Dale Raeven. They wonder if they are switching to the royal faction nit Gazef knows Raeven is an opportunist. Climb goes to join Renner in a discussion with Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra and Tina of Blue Rose. They are the ones who burnt down the drug field. Tina found a note left behind. Renner cracks it in no time to reveal names of places and most of them within the capital. She believes this is a trap because why leave some sort of important note at the site? She adds that the places could be bases of the Eight Fingers’ organizations (like drugs, slave, smuggling, etc) and their goal is to draw attention away from themselves by using their own partners as their bait. Although the slave trade is abolished, there is still an underground brothel owned by them. Lakyus suggests raiding the place to swiftly bring them down. She hopes to borrow Climb to tell Gagaran that they are moving out. Meanwhile we take a little detour to see a weird ‘romance’ going on between Sebas and Tuare. More like she is very grateful for his kind treatment. They are visited by Staffan Havish and Succulent. They claim Sebas has committed a crime by taking away an employee of the establishment. This amounts to slave trafficking. They are willing to give clemency if he pays up. Yeah, it’s going to cost a lot. Sebas notes that girl would have died had he not taken her in for recuperation. In that case, they suggest he loan Solution until she gets better. They will return for his answer so Sebas goes out to take a walk to think about it. Solution finally contacts Ains and tells him that Sebas is going to betray them. Shocked at first, he wants proof. She has.

Episode 8
Climb meets Gagaran and Evileye. He wants to learn from them but Evileye deems him as no talent. They then talk about the demonic sword, Kilineiram wielded by Lakyus which has the power to swallow up the entire nation. It might be eating her life away. They also talk about an adamantite class adventurer, Momon (Ains) and all his unbelievable exploits. Sebas sees a group of men beating up a poor kid. He swiftly beats up one of them and the rest of the cowards are left running. Climb is impressed and wants to learn from him. After asking him a few questions and looking at his backup sword, he deems he is talentless although he is a trustworthy person. Since Climb insists, he will give his training now. Climb prepares himself but finds himself overwhelmed by his killing intent. Climb is prepared to die but thinking about Renner, he avoids his death punch by the skin of his teeth. Sebas congratulates him for overcoming fear. The talk is interrupted by Brain who has been watching them. He is curious to know how Climb could avoid that because for him he was scared sh*t in his pants! More talk of respect and inner strength but is cut short when assassins show up. Looks like they could need some training. While Sebas could handle 3 guys himself and with no effort, the rest handle 1 each. Heck, Sebas has time to even coach Climb on how to fight better. After defeating him, Sebas does some mind interrogation to find out more about the Eight Fingers. Knowing Succulent’s whereabouts, Climb and Brain want to help him to protect this town. Sebas agrees to let them assist.

Episode 9
The trio raid the nearby brothel. Sebas catches Staffan beating up a prostitute in this sick torture sex. Fatty tries to bribe and beg for his life but Sebas blows his guts out. After Brain enters to investigate a room, Climb keeps watch outside. Out comes Succulent and Cocco Doll. The latter wants him taken alive as he will be a crucial card against Renner. However, Climb starts calling for help! This has Succulent change his mind seeing he has comrades around and will have reinforcement. He will kill him. After taking a few slashes, Climb realizes his illusion and magic play. His attacking arm is fake and his real one is invisible. He can even clone himself. Just when Climb thought he dealt a lethal strike, Succulent stabs him from the back. He should have died but Climb gets back up. The power of boners is what I want to say because of his loyalty to Renner. So much so, Succulent is this shocked to a point he is panicking and losing his sh*t? Now Brain returns. Sure took a long time, pal. The duo are scared of him because of his past reputations. Succulent tries to coax him to join Eight Fingers but Brain isn’t motivated by that anymore. Succulent is going to finish him with his clones but Brain cuts them all even the real invisible one with a strike. His field of vision can detect everything including all those invisible. However he couldn’t detect Sebas knocking out Cocco Doll. With the brothel raided, the trio part ways. Sebas returns home with Solution telling him Ains is waiting for him. Climb returns to worried Renner and tells what happened. She informs they were supposed to raid Eight Fingers’ facilities in a few days but with this, it only serves to enhance their security. But she is proud of him and wants him to continue his effort to destroy Eight Fingers. Brain tells Gazef of Climb’s heroics. But Gazef is more interested in Shalltear. If her target is the king, he will lay down his life for it. Renner calls the maid who always bullies Climb. She puts on her usual cutesy princess face but deep inside she is a monster who can’t wait to kill this b*tch! With Succulent arrested, Zero the boss of Six Arms (the security department for Eight Fingers) are going to go after those who took down the brothel to make an example of them. Their reputation is at stake.

Episode 10
Sebas’ interrogation from Ains begins. Is he sweating? Sebas explains himself and although Ains forgives him, he must make amends. He will kill her. Sebas tries to object but is reminded of his place. His whatever answer is not needed and shall demonstrate his loyalty via his actions. Tuare accepts her death as Sebas prepares to punch her, only to be stopped by Cocytus. As instructed by Ains, Cocytus gauged Sebas’ punch and the blow was enough to kill her. This proves he was loyal to him. Ains announces they have enough information they need and to evacuate this place. Sebas takes Tuare back to her room. Sebas suggests they have their memories erased so she could live normally but she insists her happiness is with him. If she is to be killed, let it be him. She kisses him. When he returns, they discuss what to do with Tuare. As Ains would like to avoid killing, Demiurge and Sebas start arguing in which department she should work. Ains finds their bickering amusing so he summons Tuare again and asks if she would like to live at Nazarick. Since she wants to work with Sebas, he announces Tuare under his protection. At the same time he removes Sebas as Pleiades’ leader, installs Aureole Omega as the leader with Yuri as her deputy. Demiurge wants some feed for his monster so Ains instructs Sebas to get it. Demiurge asks about him knowing Tuare. He mentions about a diary of a girl that allows him to know about this world and in a way is indebted to her.

With Climb dealing a blow to Eight Fingers’ operations, Renner calls Raevan and Zanac for advice. She wants him to mobilize his soldiers to strike simultaneously at their facilities. She shocks them by knowing all the secret underhanded moves they make within the royal and noble factions. Not a dumb girl after all. Raevan would like to deal with the real Renner so she puts on her crazy yandere face! She mentions about her obsession with Climb that she wants to lock him away and make him stay forever. Zanac suggests marrying them once he ascends the throne. But Renner asks about Raevan’s son who is only 5 now. She wants him betrothed to her and instantly he rejects having his son marrying an insane woman. It seems on the outlook she will marry his son but bear Climb’s children. His son would bear children with any women he loves in which she could claim them as her successors. As for the operation to strike the different facilities, the problem is that all of them are in areas of different nobles. Zanac remembers their older brother, Barbro is taking bribes from Eight Fingers so they could use this evidence to depose him. Raevan adds they might now have enough manpower but they still have Six Arms to deal with. Don’t worry. Renner has called help in the form of Gazef. When Sebas returns, he realizes Tuare is missing. A note stating she is kidnapped with the exact location as well. As Solution suggests, seek Ains’ help. Ains interrupts Albedo’s perverted private time playing with his dolls to go form a team to rescue Tuare. Albedo is not amused he took in a lowly human but he snaps back that he promised to protect her under his name. Even if they did not know, this cannot be allowed to stand. Although Albedo will do as told, she is still dissatisfied.

Episode 11
Demiurge explains his plan to his selected task force. At the same time, Lakyus briefs her divisions in taking down the facilities. Brain and Climb’s group must be the ‘luckiest’. They stumble upon a facility where the remaining Six Arms are and their scout reports they are holding a woman hostage. The best solution is to escape but since Climb spots Sebas, they agree to work together. Sebas will go through the front and draw their attention while the rest sneak in to rescue Tuare. Sebas meets with only 4 of the Six Arms and notes Zero is missing. As usual, baddies talk big and before they could get on with the action, Sebas decapitates and punches off their heads!!! OMFG!!! So fast???!!! I don’t know whether to be disappointed or awed. Solution reports that Zero is not around. Meanwhile after Mare forcefully takes away a woman who is the master of the mansion, Entoma finishes things up. However Gagaran attacks her thinking she is one of the beasts of Six Arms. Of course she is no match for bug master and would have been done for had not Tia come to her aid. Even she is not enough to scratch her. Until Evileye comes to their rescue, they have a fighting chance. Evileye is more powerful than Entoma. Why? Because she has a magic which in layman terms is insecticide!!! Not kidding! If you want to see what is behind that face of hers, be prepared to see Entoma’s true bug form. With their combined attacks, Entoma finally falls. But they won’t get to finish her off since Demiurge is here to continue on her behalf. Evileye knows he is bad news and wants her comrades to run while she buys enough time to stall him. But Demiurge cuts off all escape routes and Evileye is forced to face him head on in a losing magic battle. So who is going to interrupt their fight now? It’s Ains (as Momon the adventurer).

Episode 12
Evileye immediately seeks Ains’ help although she didn’t think he would accept so quickly. Ains interrogates Demiurge of his intention before they begin their fight. So epic that Evileye is moved. Hey. Isn’t she falling for Ains?! After Climb and Brain secure Tuare, they are confronted with Zero. Brain will take on him and wants Climb to take care of the enemy behind. He knows this Tuare is fake due to the movements made and is Succulent in disguise. With the help of Brain’s friend, Climb defeats him by kicking his balls! Ouch! Zero gets serious with Brain but before that can happen, here comes Sebas. Don’t worry. The real Tuare is with him. Zero cannot believe he is unscathed after facing the other Six Arms. Yeah, he should have seen it. Zero might call all his animal power to punch him but nothing happens. You believe now? Just one high kick on his head is enough for Sebas to knock Zero out. Ains’ battle with Demiurge ends as the latter is here to get some item and warns he will burn half the capital down. He flees but Ains doesn’t pursue him as Evileye suggests seeing he might fight seriously. Ains and Narberal talk to Evileye and almost lose their cool when they hear her taking down Entoma. However they cool down after hearing Demiurge’s appearance prevented her death. Ains offers to carry Evileye’s dead comrades but she declines. She mentions Lakyus has this resurrection power but uses a lot of life force that lower ones will be reduced to ash. Ains would like to talk to Lakyus and this has Evileye on alert. A fire wall engulfs half of the capital. Lakyus has tested it to be just an illusion however behind it are demons from Demiurge. Renner formulates her plan to deal with this menace. Everyone is sceptical about their victory chances as Evileye explains Demiurge’s might that she herself cannot defeat and took the life of Gagaran and Tia in just a blow. But don’t worry. We have Ains on our side! Yeah, victory almost assured. In the aftermath, we see Zanac and Raevan going through Renner’s plan. It is a risky one that may cost Climb’s life. If this happens (which she is hoping for), she will have Lakyus cast her resurrection spell on him. Because he will be weak like a zombie, who else will be there to take responsibility and care? Especially one who ordered him to his death. Sneaky… And there’s that evil face she’s making! Creepy…

Episode 13
You know, they should just send Ains as a one-man army to kill all the demons but apparently he has to go fight the big bad boss and thus Lakyus and the soldiers will handle them. They get more boost when Gazef joins them and for some reason, Gagaran and Tia are resurrected to fight alongside. So while Ains goes off to fight Demiurge, he leaves Narberal and Evileye to fight the Pleiades maids. Meanwhile Brain senses Shalltear as he faces his fears to confront her (although she is wearing a mask). She doesn’t remember an insignificant human like him so he prepares to fight her. He only manages to scratch off a puny fingernail but this makes him happy! It’s like he achieved the most minimal of achievement and is so glad his sword life wasn’t a waste. Wow. Did he set his standards low? He might be a madman but that beats being a coward. In a secure spot, Ains talks to Demiurge about his plan. It seems he has 4 merits for this (none of which Ains knows). First, they are claiming materials in the storehouses so they don’t have to worry about funding for a while. Second, this covers up their part to strike Eight Fingers as per his instruction. Part of this has him needing to look for some item. It’s some statue that summons a great number of demons. Ains gives him a replica made by his friend and should work equally well. This charity delights Demiurge as he further pledges his loyalty. Third, humans behind the wall of fire have been transported to Nazarick in which he has plans to put them to good use. Fourth, he will pin all this evilness on his evil alter ego to enhance Ains’ reputation.

Narberal isn’t fighting with the other maids and is hiding and watching with them as Evileye takes on Yuri and CZ2128. So when it is cue for Ains to come back and defeat Demiurge, get back to your roles. More epic showdown to show how much the duo are powerhouse as Demiurge becomes a bundle of flames but Ains defrosts it all with Frost Pain (I guess we mustn’t forget where this came from). Demiurge calls this a draw and withdraws. Look at Evileye so happy that Ains won. He announces victory to rally the humans. Ains part ways with Blue Rose and returns to E-Rantel. Since Blue Rose has a few adamantite class warriors, he hopes to seek their help next time. Evileye unmasks herself for the first time. Doesn’t she look like Shalltear? Aura and Mare seem to have subjugated Eight Fingers under their command. Blue Rose drink together as they tease Evileye being rejected by Ains. They bring up the topic that she has teleportation ability and could have teleported herself to E-Rantel. Evileye regrets not having thought so. Tuare is officially a maid of Nazarick. Lastly, an evil young king and his old mage advisor are interested in getting more information about Ains and Momon.

Poser Lord
If the ‘ending’ feels somewhat unsatisfying and thus before jumping to conclusions that this season is disappointing, please note that there is a third season coming soon! Damn they should have just continued this and making it 2 cours instead of taking a season’s break. Maybe by the grace of our great overlord that he is giving us time to catch our breath while we wait for the next instalment? All hail Ains Ooal Gown then! It is with mixed feelings that I have after watching this sequel. Although it is still great, but it is not as great as the first season. Hence, could I consider this a disappointment since I had put my hopes and expectations so high up for the sequel? Perhaps in a way. Firstly, there were too many new characters spammed and introduced in the first episode itself. Heck, I think some of them are not heard from after that. Because it feels like they just want to plant the seeds for future plots and stories and hence such characters are introduced via their cameo. They have no screen time and role in this season whatsoever. Therefore it feels wasted for them to just appear and then conveniently forgotten as the season presses on. Those characters feel unnecessary now and more questions are raised than answered. But like I said, it is for future plots as I believe this series is rich in its characters as well as its story so this could be just a long-sighted plan of the overall story.

The other thing is the plot and mini arc of this season. When it first starts off with the subjugation of the lizardmen, it feels like I was watching a whole different series. I mean, I thought I was watching the wrong anime. At one point I thought it was worthy of having its own spin-off. Then those lizard guys are quickly forgotten and we move on to the next arc that is a tri-part of Sebastian-gets-a-maid + Brain-redeems-himself + Climb-making-a-name-for-himself. I suppose those becomes the main characters in focus because I felt that Ains was lacking in both these mini arcs. Except the action parts, I noticed that scenes that do not involve Ains are quite boring. Perhaps this is the reason why I figured this season wasn’t as good. It goes to show that Ains is the greatest factor that makes this series interesting!

Speaking of the characters, I guess one of the problems about having a short series with too many characters is that some of them lack the necessary screen time. Adding more new ones adds to this problem. So for the old ones especially the guardians of Nazarick like Albedo and Shalltear, they do make their little appearances but they have no roles of significance whatsoever in this season. So we have more of Cocytus and to an extent Demiurge in place of them. I don’t even know why Shalltear had to appear in the final episode. She doesn’t seem integral to the plan except to help redeem Brain’s pride. That is all. It is good that Victim is introduced but this little brain blob doesn’t do much too. Just to show us that here is another guardian, hope you’re satisfied. I believe Gargantua also appeared once (throwing that ice block for Ains’ grand audience with the lizardmen) but that is about it. Yeah, I almost forgot about that hamster pet… Doesn’t even matter this season. Last season, the Pleiades maids didn’t make much of an impact and it feels the same here too (last episode small action scenes don’t really make up for it). Narberal was missing for most of this season and we have got more on Solution (although she was more of assisting than doing anything else) as well as throwing in bug maid Entoma in the last arc of the season. It was really weird to see Sebas getting into a weird romance with a human maid and I thought he would be going for the betrayal kill. Maybe it is too early to call. Just like my suspicions on Demiurge and that comical penguin.

Unless Ains has his own inner thoughts monologue, it seems to be like a forgotten thing that everything that has happened so far is because of a game bug. It feels less and less like he is stuck in a game and that this virtual game was actually a real thing all along. It feels like as though that when there are parts like these, it is just a subtle hint to remind us that this could be a game. Or not. Ains is still a great overlord and all but I feel that he makes lesser of an appearance this sequel. Namely because as I have pointed out, too many characters. Not even the main character gets spared from reduced screen time. Also, he feels like a different person altogether whenever he dons his armour and plays that Momon adventure persona instead of his evil skeleton in an oversized robe that we are more accustomed with. In that sense, that is why it feels Ains doesn’t appear much. But for a great overlord like him, not having much screen time does not translate into not having great influence as you can see he still makes his marks around the land. His name is now ringing throughout the land far and wide. With that comes more allies and more enemies.

Outside the Nazarick tomb, we have Renner who is more than meets the eye because she might look like a fairly decent princess but is twisted and rotten to the core when it comes to Climb. She could be the true antagonist and main boss at the end. Brain restores the pride of his character by helping Climb out a lot. Climb feels so much like a greenhorn that he could have been killed in all situations had he not had some sort of assistance. Yeah, thank goodness for Sebas, Climb and to a certain degree, Gazef. One of the most disappointing characters are those in the Eight Fingers organization. Last season we have Slane Theocracy as the antagonists. After getting their asses kicked by awesome Ains, I guess they need to have time to recover. In place of this season’s baddies, we have the late introduction of Eight Fingers and their Six Finger security. For the latter, they are a bunch of disappointment seeing they all went out so fast and easily to Sebas. I know it is to show the superb might of that old guy and I don’t expect all the combined fights to last an episode. But having their brains splattered in just a second after being introduced over how fearsome they are, it’s like there will be no more antagonists to fear about in this series as long as Ains is around. Yeah, that guy is also a lady killer and might be accumulating his harem outside his Nazarick tomb. Crusch and Evileye anyone? More rivalries for Albedo and Shalltear is the last thing they need. And with Eight Fingers now under their thumb (bad pun intended), this must be one of the fastest introduction and fall of a group of main antagonists. Considering who they were up against with, I suppose it reflects just how awesome the Nazarick team is. So okay, your quick demise is acceptable.

The action parts are still entertaining like the lizardmen’s futile fight against Cocytus. It was exciting as well as it was tragic. Sebas’ single punch to kill the enemy now reminds me of One Punch Man. Yeah, he shall now be nicknamed as One Punch Old Man. Haha. Sometimes I am in a dilemma as to call this awesome trump card move as cheap because it is no doubt he isn’t what he seems to be, I thought that Ains is the only one who should wield such absolute power. I mean, his subordinates too should have some sort of awesome power that makes them stand above the rest but this single punch of his is too much. It is like he could rival Ains if ever the plot calls for him to betray. And lastly, all those magic spells, sounds like a load of bull but still fun to watch because of the special effects. Not a masterpiece but still enjoyable.

Art and drawing remains consistent as the first season. With new characters come with some pretty decent designs and some are pretty outrageous. For the latter one, let me just say that I don’t know if Victim was designed lazily or they wanted to make it look like some sort of horror thingy and send shiver down your spines. However this flying brain blob also has this kawaii looks and in a way it makes it creepy in its own way. Remember last season we had that crazy killer b*tch, Clementine? Yeah, her hairstyle reminded me of He-man. Heck, I thought Ains was supposed to be a rip-off of Skeletor. This season Clementine didn’t come back from the dead but looks like we are forced to remember more of He-man in the form of Gagaran. Yup, I thought she was a man but is one of those muscle bound ladies. It felt like He-man turned into a tranny… Is it me but doesn’t Zanac look like an evil version of 3-gatsu No Lion’s Harunobu? Must be just me because chubby characters look the same. And finally a decent maid outfit, Tuare! Sebas was right to keep her!

As last season’s casts are retained, a heap more join the line-up. The recognizable ones include Yukari Tamura as Zesshi, Nao Touyama as Victim, Ami Koshimizu as Lakyus, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Éclair and Yuko Goto making a surprise as Bukubukuchagama. Other new casts are Hirouki Touchi as Zaryusu (Pantherlily in Fairy Tail), Naomi Kusumi as Shasuryu (Tadakatsu Honda in Kyoukai Senjou No Horizon), Kouji Ishii as Zenberu (Garterbelt in Panty And Stocking With Garterbelt), Sora Amamiya as Crusch (titular character in Akame Ga Kill), Ryota Ohsaka as Climb (Marco in Shingeki No Kyojin), Kiyono Yasuno as Renner (Megumi in Saenai Heroine No Sodatekata), Yu Shimamura as Tuare (Annie in Shingeki No Kyojin), Yumiri Hanamori as Evileye (Zero in Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou No Sho), Kimiko Saitou as Gagaran (Chieko in Kuragehime), Shizuka Ishigami as Tia (Mito in Shokugeki No Souma), Rintarou Nishi as Zero (Jason in Tokyo Ghoul), Atsushi Imaruoka as Succulent (Rudolf in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure), Kouji Fujiyoshi as Zanac and Takuya Kirimoto as Raevan (Cracker in One Piece).

OxT who sang last season’s opener does the honours again this season. However, Go Cry Go isn’t as epic as Clattanoia although it tries to sound as close as it can for that hard rock crazy epic that suits the series as well to go with Ains’ greatness. This song isn’t bad in its own right but I can’t help compare it to the latter always and each time I do so, I end up preferring to hum to Clattanoia’s tune instead. MYTH&ROID is also retained to do the ending theme as they did for the first season. However Hydra is a far cry from L.L.L. It ditches that devilishly cheeky hard rock beat for some slow dramatic rock. Not to say it is much worse but personally it didn’t attract me that much. Because I keep thinking this song reflects Albedo’s one-sided feelings for Ains.

Overall, this season is still exciting enough and though like I said it did not live up to the expectations as in the first season, it did not dip in its quality or worth drastically. Just a little bit of dent and setback that doesn’t affect the overall greatness of the series. Too many characters, some getting the decent spotlight while others take a backseat for now and the action is nonetheless a great watch. It is still an epic and interesting series and I’m glad there will be another season to carry on this legacy. Yeah, otherwise my disappointment level would be higher. Like as though they read my mind and would appease my raging soul with the simple fact of announcing another season. I guess that is why simpletons like me ought to be under the rule of Ains and forever be in awe of his supreme legacy even though we hear his inner thoughts it might be just fluke sometimes. All hail the great Ains Ooal Gown! Perhaps third time’s the charm?

Net-juu No Susume

The internet these days have sure come a long way. It is both a blessing and curse since we are allowed to do so many wonderful and yet heinous things. With net neutrality and anonymity, it gives rise to even more social issues like online net addiction. Unfortunately Net-juu No Susume doesn’t actually examine that problem. It is just that the protagonist of this series recently got unemployed and decided to spend the rest of her idle time playing online game where she meets a nice character not knowing that character is closer and someone she knows in real life.

Episode 1
Moriko Morioka looks like she just quit her corporate job. Now that she is so free, what is she to do? Why, return to her online games! Too bad the one on her desktop has its service terminated as she hasn’t been touching it for half a year. So she goes online to search the next game. Well, first on the list, try it out. After downloading, installing and creating her male avatar character (whom she somewhat named Hayashi), she goes fight some monsters but gets owned. Every time. Till she meets this cute and kind healer, Lily who offers to help her out. A friendship blossoms between the duo as Hayashi levels up under her guidance and manages to defeat that monster whom he could not have defeated before. Hayashi joins the guild that Lily is in, @Home Party. He fits in very nicely. But one day, Lily talks her troubles to fellow guild member, Himeralda who in turn tells Kanbe the guild’s master about Hayashi avoiding Lily lately and it is making her depressed. So Kanbe talks to him to remind him their guild’s policy that prohibits romance. Just be like normal friends like he has always been with her. After all, Lily just like many plays online games to escape reality of work. Hayashi feels the need to thank Lily by giving her a token that no in-game currency can be and is a rare drop item, hence he was trying to get it by himself. Hayashi manages to talk to Lily to ask if she is free on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile in reality, Morioka’s fridge is empty. Time to hit the convenience store. All those lovely couples on Christmas Eve must be pissing her off. Can she be mad on a hungry stomach? Well, it wouldn’t be so embarrassing had it not growl the entire way while queuing. More embarrassing when she ordered the same food at the exact same moment as the guy in the next line, Yuuta Sakurai. After she makes her purchase, she dashes home. Back to her game, Hayashi meets up with Lily and they exchange gifts. Hayashi wanted to give her a Crystal Rose but a mini rose brooch is all he can muster up for now. But it made Lily very happy and appreciative.

Episode 2
Hayashi adventures with Lilac. She is suspicious that Hayashi is always online and especially at this time of the day. Could it be Hayashi is the same age as her, 21 years old and looking for a job? Morioka is actually in her thirties and can’t reveal it so she lies by agreeing to her. Later he gets depressed to learn that the guild members were actually betting among themselves to guess Hayashi’s age! Talking to Lily about this, accidentally Hayashi asks her age and fears the point of no return. Probably spamming the crying emoticon somewhat ‘saves’ Hayashi (and Morioka) in this case after Lily ‘warns’ her about certain things in life are better off not knowing. Though, Lily admits that she is curious to know more about Hayashi and they can talk and divulge more about each other once they are closer. She also lets him know how @Home Party almost got dissolved as the previous guild master got a new job assignment overseas. But Kanbe forced the transfer of the leadership to him. Because it would be a waste for a guild with max stats to be disbanded. The talk has Morioka realize it is 5 in the morning. She might not be working but what about Lily? Fearing she couldn’t get up, Hayashi would accompany her to stay online till it is time to go to work. Because of that, Morioka now gets a bit of a flu. Time to head to the pharmacy. Unfortunately along the way, Sakurai is rushing to work and bumps into her. More accurately, elbows her face! She has this strange dream of, uhm, robotic corporate suicide?! She wakes up in the hospital. On IV drops. Sakurai feels guilty of what happened. He takes care of her medical bills and leaves his contact in case she needs to contact him whatsoever. Back in her game, since she is worried about not replying Sakurai, her guild members give some encouragement for her to do so. But Morioka will soon regret it because she didn’t expect Sakurai to quickly reply. He is asking to meet and go out to eat sometimes, something she doesn’t want. While she views Sakurai as a handsome hunk, she views herself as an ugly b*tch. Too bad, no filters in real life. Then she just stops thinking and returns to her game. I guess the pressure got to her. Hayashi talks to Lily since she is also having a rough day. They find they have something in common and it’s like their very own secret. This gives Morioka the motivation to properly reply Sakurai. When she did, she realizes it is 2 in the morning. Well luckily he is already asleep.

Episode 3
Sakurai gets a shock when he reads the message when he wakes up. Is this considered a wakeup call? Sakurai talks to his friend, Homare Koiwai to ask more about Morioka because it seems she worked at a company he was at previously. He did liaise with her before in place of her superior whom he was supposed to be contacting. He considers her good at her job though it sounded like she was trying too hard and she cried?! He has a picture of her and she looks quite decent in a business attire. Sakurai later ponders about Morioka’s reply in which she rejected his invitation. Morioka is feeling pretty good about her reply to Sakurai. So much so her appearance in public tells a lot. No more that zombie look. This really boosts her confidence to play her online game. When Hayashi receives a gift from Lily, he talks to fellow guild member, Pokotarou. This vest seems expensive and it makes him feel the need to give something in return big time. Pokotarou also relates something similar that happened to him. Long ago, another guild member, Nico gave to him an amazing weapon and fretted about it. Since she told him it was prior investment, he ended up accepting it. It all boils down to Nico just wanting to cheer for him and he believes it is the same for Lily. But the mere mention of Lily’s ulterior motives makes Morioka worried. Now she can’t stop thinking about it. So Hayashi talks to Lily and again accidentally he asks her straight. Lily tells a bit of herself. When she first started playing, she used to get requests from all sorts of people and slowly this turned her into a famous healer whom everybody wants in their party. One day she was suspected of having a relationship with the guild’s leader and it broke her heart. It would have been easy to quit it all but she wanted to continue playing. Also, she met someone precious to her in a game she used to play. Morioka could also relate something really similar too. But still, being popular has made her cautious with others. Till she met Hayashi. It made her enjoy the game even more. Then she asks him if he would like to be her partner as she enjoys going on quests with him. Do you think he would decline? Of course not. This also excites Morioka as she’s acting like a teenager in love. The other spying guild members are happy with this development. Lastly as seen, we should have guessed by now that it is no surprise that Lily is Sakurai.

Episode 4
Morioka isn’t really into loot boxes but since things are looking up (in the game at least), she thought of splurging a little. So as she heads to her usual convenience store to make her purchase, the cashier, Kazuomi Fujimoto tells her it is currently down for maintenance but she can wait a little while more before it goes back up. As she does, Fujimoto shockingly strikes up a conversation with her. It seems he too plays the same online game and apparently they are the only ones who buy the electronic money in this store. Their vibe is getting good till a rude customer cuts her off so Morioka quietly takes her goods and leave. In the game, Lilac shows off her super cute and expensive prizes. It must really cost a lot. Because Hayashi also notes he wants top prizes like that, the rest throw caution to him about once that happens, the greed sensor sets in. It’s time to buy those loot boxes and sadly, Hayashi only got ordinary potions. A few more tries, he finally lands a few top prizes. It might be the world for Hayashi to get those but people like Lily who spend money until she gets what she wants won’t understand that feeling. In fact, she’s got her entire full collection of her top gear. Lilac gets disappointed when Kanbe didn’t like how her new outfit makes her barely unrecognizable. So she throws a fit and returns to wearing her old gear whenever they go on quests. Kanbe’s logic is that he is used to that old outfit and is what makes Lilac who she is. Koiwai can tell Sakurai has fallen for Morioka since he is acting particularly like a stalker. I mean, going to the convenience store at different times in hopes of trying to catch her? One night when Koiwai is at the convenience store, he so happens to bump into Morioka. Not that he recognizes her at first. But her boobs somehow made the connection. Morioka is freaked out when he tries to talk to her. After learning she quit her job and is currently unemployed, he wants to treat her. Morioka is disheartened there is no way for her to worm her way out of this one since all ‘exits’ have been blocked. Next day, Koiwai brags to Sakurai about Morioka’s contacts in his handphone. At first he thought he stole it from his but that turn into shock when Koiwai tells him he is going on a ‘date’ with Morioka. When Hayashi rants about all the recent real life events to Lily, Sakurai fears he has a hunch the player behind Hayashi.

Episode 5
Despite the hints pointing Hayashi is Morioka, Sakurai in the end believes it is just coincidence. Koiwai continues to tease Sakurai of his ‘date’ with Morioka and since she accepted him but rejected Sakurai, you know what this means, right? But with Sakurai visibly depressed, he brushes it off as a joke and says he is the reason why he set up all this to begin with. Meanwhile Morioka shops at the convenience store for some makeup. Looks like she has got a lot of levelling up to do. At the counter, Fujimoto continues their talk since the last time they were interrupted. When he finds out they play on the same server, Morioka is shocked to realize Fujimoto’s avatar. Lilac talks to depressed Hayashi about people often using a different gender online than their real life. Kanbe joins in the conversation and from the way his condescending tone towards Hayashi, it’s safe to say that Kanbe is Fujimoto. They talk about this issue and promise to keep this a secret among themselves. Kanbe also warns not to ask too much real life advice from Lily. Later when Hayashi asks Lily for advice on how to dress when one goes to drink, Kanbe also joins in on this. Ironically despite his earlier warning, Kanbe asks Lily directly for that advice. It seems that Kanbe and Lily know each other’s real identity too. Because of that, the duo enter into an argument of how a girl should look best. Long hair or short hair? Now Morioka as at the salon thinking if she should cut her hair. She should probably take some online lessons for applying makeup too. Sakurai discovers that the outing Koiwai is supposed to have with Morioka today isn’t actually today as he is scheduled for a business trip. So when Sakurai logs online and notices Hayashi not online, he still thinks it is coincidence. Meanwhile Morioka is all dressed up and waiting at the appointed location. As Koiwai didn’t turn up, she wonders if he had stood her up. On the other hand, Lily is too distressed thinking about the coincidence so she quickly logs off just when the party is about to start their crucial mission. Sakurai goes to look for Morioka and finds a stunning her in semi-long hair waiting. But she is just leaving alone when he calls out to her.

Episode 6
Morioka at this point gets a call from Koiwai. She is shocked to learn he is on a business trip and their meet-up was supposed to be tomorrow. Who on earth did she mess this up? Koiwai knows Sakurai is around and requests to speak to him. It’s just to tease him how cute Morioka looks. With Morioka embarrassed and being pessimistic about herself, Sakurai tells her to have more confidence in herself because he does find her cute. With nothing else for the night, so as not to waste it, the duo go out drinking. She wonders how he knew she would turn up today. Although he knows it was from a hint during the online game, he says he heard Koiwai telling him about it and coincidentally saw her when he got off work and decided to talk to her if she got it mixed up. She gets a bit tipsy from the drinking so he helps walk her home. She notes that if only her workplace had more employees like them, she would have enjoyed her job more. Next night, Morioka goes out with Koiwai. He is as lively and a teaser as ever. They talk about their age, the online game she is playing as well as Sakurai. She mentions about her new hairstyle was because of an argument between her online teammates so she went for something in between. Koiwai becomes the usual teaser again because he snaps a picture of Morioka sleeping (after having a little too much of a drink) and sending it to Sakurai. Because of that, he had to instantly log off his game and ran all the way to Koiwai’s house (he said he might bring her back to his place). I wonder if for that moment Sakurai became Japan’s fastest sprinter… Of course she isn’t here and has gone back home. Koiwai takes this chance to chide Sakurai because he lied about knowing how Morioka messed up the meeting date. Sakurai couldn’t answer but Koiwai lets bygones be bygones. Morioka feels great to be back home especially that feeling she used up her entire life’s luck on going out with men. It couldn’t be better for her to log back on to her game. Hayashi meets up with Lily and tells of the great outing she had. Lily couldn’t be happier since Sakurai now knows Hayashi is definitely Morioka.

Episode 7
Sakurai looks back at the coincidences of meeting Morioka as well as the fun times playing with Hayashi. The more he plays, the more he can’t help feel conscious that Morioka is Hayashi. Had he not find that out, he could have continued playing the game as they always have. The next time Lily logs in, she allows her party members to see the items in her inventory she has accumulated. Many of which are dresses. Later Hayashi talks to Lily about the coincidences in real life but Lily knows she has to realize this great coincidence before him. This makes Sakurai happy even though he feels bad Morioka doesn’t know about it. During the weekend, Koiwai calls Morioka to ask for guidance to download and setup this online game! Morioka creates another avatar, a female named Molly. She goes to meet the character that Koiwai is playing as: A large female with muscles named Harumi! Being a noob in the online gaming world, Harumi almost gave away Molly’s real identity since he is on public chat and Kanbe and Nico are watching them. Harumi becomes friends with them as Molly notes how friendly Kanbe has become. When she first met him, he was like a very cold and unfriendly person, treating newbies like strangers. They agree to go on a small adventure together. Koiwai then messages Sakurai that he has download and is playing an online game with Morioka. Sakurai gets worried as Koiwai sends him a picture of Molly. Sakurai finds it familiar like as though he has seen her somewhere before. He thinks back of the previous game he played whom he had a very close friend who looked like this. She wanted to quit her job since the company keeps getting new employees and she found it hard to put it in words to tell the HR manager. Harumi then announces his friend will also be joining them. Immediately Morioka wonders if that will be Sakurai.

Episode 8
Sakurai narrates the previous online game he played. Playing as a character named Harth, he met this girl Yuki. They quickly become friends and enjoy the limited time they have adventuring since Yuki was often busy with her job and can only play on weekends. She told him about her job and her intention to quit. She often sounded positive. But the last time he saw her (in the game) was after she quit her job. Now Sakurai creates a new character also under the name of Harth. Meeting up with the rest, it seems he gets disappointed when Molly didn’t show the reaction he wanted. Did he really think Molly was Yuki? Actually, Molly’s reaction was because she doesn’t know how to pronounce his name. So after finding out, we see that shock reaction on Morioka’s face. We see the story from her side and indeed Morioka is Yuki. This brings back old memories of that game. Later when she calls him, she confirms as he admits he is Harth from that old game. They talk about the good memories they shared then. Morioka starts to feel bad for deceiving him because she was so different in the game than in real life. This prompts Sakurai to say he is the one being dishonest. He reveals he is Lily. No reply. Is the shock too much for her to handle? Turns out his handphone battery is dead. It always ends up like this… Later she texts him to meet up and from the way she said things, she definitely didn’t hear that confession. Morioka talks about the 2 kind people to her: Sakurai and Lily. She thinks Sakurai reminds her a lot about the latter because when she talks to him, Lily comes to mind. She hopes the next time they log in, she can introduce him to her. He declines and she thinks it is because he is busy and this is way too sudden. She didn’t see this coming as he admits he is Lily.

Episode 9
Morioka’s first reaction to that is of course disbelief before exploding into confusion. Then she asks how long he has known her as Hayashi. He wasn’t sure at first but the more he talked to her online, the more certain he was. Sakurai says he will quit playing the game from now on as it will only further damage their relationship. Quickly Morioka apologizes too. He has helped her a lot and it was also her fault for hiding her gender online. Thankfully they didn’t take all night to apologize to each other… After he sends her home, she hopes they can still be good online friends. However this causes Morioka to not be able to focus in her game. Her party almost lost and it is obvious that Hayashi has been dragging the party down. Kanbe hints he can talk to him about anything and even if Hayashi declines, he can probably tell the problem has something to do with Lily. Sakurai too is depressed. Koiwai teases him like hell until Sakurai mentions he got rejected. Hence Koiwai has Sakurai meet up with him at the park at the certain time. To his shock he sees Morioka there! You know Koiwai has set them up together and the amateurs took the bait. It gets awkward as they just sit there. Like déjà vu and even more awkward because the ice breaker again is Morioka’s growling stomach. So they head to the convenience store to buy some food. Morioka is glad Fujimoto isn’t here yet. However the old lady store manager, Yashiro recognizes them as frequent patrons. When she wonders if they are dating, they quickly bolt out in embarrassment. Fujimoto shortly comes in for his shift as Yashiro tries to cheekily hint that Sakurai is with Morioka. It confuses him since in that case it couldn’t be Hayashi behaving strangely because of Lily. But we all know it is… Morioka feels ‘ugly’. She regrets she should have dressed up more. Oh dear. Now the tears are coming. Cue cliché for it to rain. Without thinking, Sakurai brings her to his apartment so she could take a shower. Too late to realize what the heck they’re doing.

Episode 10
I dub this the awkward-cum-apologizing episode. We start off with Sakurai wondering what to do but thinking can only get him so far. Morioka then requests to use the dryer herself because she doesn’t want him to see what kind of underwear she is wearing. Though she borrows his clothes to wear, it is a bit loose and hence Sakurai can’t help feel awkward staring at her and give his thanks for that loose size. Yeah… More awkwardness as she ponders if she should sit on the floor before noticing his PC. He has her take a look at it and for the first time she gets to see from Lily’s perspective. Of course more awkwardness because he has to be this close to her as he guides her around with his character. The awkwardness continues as they make dinner, eat it and cleaning up. When Sakurai is grateful how the online game allows them to meet, she starts crying. I am sure those are tears of joy. Just when the mood is good (after taking soooooo long) and we are expecting them to confess, the stupid dryer beeps! Too cliché! She goes home and he changes her mind he wants to walk her home. At least they both manage to eke out that they want to know each other more in real life. Here’s a beautiful rainbow as distraction. As they continue to play online, Hayashi and Lily have this very good vibe between them. Kanbe/Fujimoto is confused. They then get to see the great view of the moon. Online and in reality. Eventually one evening, Sakurai and Morioka meet up to date. Somehow Koiwai knows about it and teases them (though they obviously won’t admit their outing is looking very much like a date). Morioka hopes she would try to do stuffs that would not embarrass herself or him. She almost slipped on her high heels but luckily he catches her hand. It got super awkward and embarrassing at first but after getting used to it, see, they’re like a real couple now.

Episode 11 (Special)
Morioka’s motherboard crashed so she calls Sakurai to go shop for a new PC for her. Without skipping a beat he agrees and sets a time to meet. This makes her realize her place is in a mess. Time to go into overdrive and clean up. Will you stop overthinking about the bathroom and bed?! Once everything is done and they’ve done their shopping, Sakurai helps bring the PC to her place. While he is setting up, somehow she is spacing out and overspills the tea. This causes Sakurai to somehow trip over her. Something steamy going to happen but… Saved by the bell? Because weird ‘aliens’ at the door. After setting up the necessary, she logs in online to test. Sakurai has brought his laptop so he too could play the online game with her. It’s odd that they are still conversing online because they are so used to it despite being just inches away from each other. Because in the game they are in a hotspring, Sakurai accidentally invites her for one. This causes a lot of awkwardness and flustering. The day is ‘saved’ when he suggests that he will bring Koiwai along so it will not be so awkward. Oh, you don’t know how much worse and awkward it will be under this guy…

Morioka suddenly finds herself inside the online game. She receives a quest to save Princess Sakura (obviously Sakurai in drag – Princess Peach?!) from the evil demon king who is no other than Koiwai. Better save him quick because Koiwai has no qualms doing gay stuffs to him! Morioka is not levelled up and could have been defeated by a low level monster had not Hayashi and Lily come to her aid. They agree to join her quest but need to get some gear first. At a store owned by Kanbe, Fujimoto is oddly his staff. They have to play some lottery to win the gear in which the first prize is a bikini armour said to be able to defeat the demon king! Thankfully Morioka just won some ordinary armour. After defeating a few of the demon king’s lacklustre army, they face the demon king himself. Koiwai is disappointed Morioka isn’t in the bikini armour. He purposely rigged it so she could wear it and defeat him! Well, Fujimoto brought it just in case. Sakurai will not allow this so he breaks out from his chains and wears the bikini armour! Koiwai should have been more specific on who can wear it. With Koiwai defeated, there is now a new problem: Sakurai cannot take off the bikini armour! Then he wakes up from this nightmare. Phew. Lesson: It isn’t healthy to spend too much time playing online games!

Second Life, Second Chance
Even though it is all predictable and boring, you have got to agree with me that if you are looking for an anime series about love online and offline, this series is still way much better than Sword Art Online! Very true! At least this one in a way is more ‘believable’ with down to earth and modern day technology. Sword Art Online was just about the adventure and they try to boost the main characters by having some romance in between them (not even counting Kirito’s waiting harem, mind you) and that nearly virtual sex scene was the cringiest. I don’t think we could ever recover from that. Yeah, the chance of recovering as an MMO junkie seems more probable. Haha!

Honestly, the overall plot and pace of the story feels boring. This series is just one romance (waiting to happen) genre but using online games as its connection and theme. Right from the start when Morioka quit her job and decided to dedicate the rest of her idle life playing the online game, you would have this feeling that the friends she meets online would be someone we will be very familiar with. After all, it wouldn’t make sense if she had an online life that doesn’t connect to her real world life. At least not in the context of this anime’s story. True enough, the person she is close to playing with online is as close in the real world. Then it becomes the question of when they will know each other’s identity. Perhaps this was the only ‘exciting’ moment of the series because you will get to see their reactions and all. Otherwise, the story is pretty much bland.

If you have been following my blog for many years, you would probably guess what I am going to say because it is only a matter of time. And that time is now. Because despite this series being just normal and boring, the one and only factor that made me happy and look forward to watching it every week is, wait for it, THE ONE AND ONLY MAMIKO NOTO!!!!!!!!! YAHOO!!!!!! VIVA NOTO-SAMA!!!! How long has it been since I heard her in a leading role? Even the recent fourth season of Jigoku Shoujo as the titular character is pretty much taciturn. So with this series having Mamiko Noto in the lead and more lines than supporting roles in other anime series, it was like my ears were having orgasms listening to her voice. Don’t let the lines stop! It is fun to hear her in different moods and feelings of Morioka. From the monotonous internet junkie to when her character is flabbergasted and shocked (in a funny way). Though I won’t go so far as to say she is having a lot of fun in her character role (because that still goes to her character Liszt in ClassicaLoid), but nevertheless it is still very much fun to hear her breathing in some life to a ‘dead’ character.

As for the other voice casting members, I only recognize Takahiro Sakurai as Sakurai as well as Yuuichi Nakamura as Kanbe. For some reason, I thought it was Ami Koshimizu behind Lily’s voice but it turned out to be Reina Ueda instead (Mira in Dimension W). The other casts are Ryouta Suzuki as Hayashi (Teruaki in Ousama Game The Animation), Tomoaki Maeno as Homare (Junichi in Amagami SS), Takuma Terashima as Fujimoto (Stone River in Tantei Opera Milky Holmes), Yuka Aisaka as Lilac (Muse in Amagi Brilliant Park), Kazuhiro Sunseki is Pokotarou, Takanori Yagi as Himeralda and Taya Fujimori as Nico.

As for the characters, they aren’t anything impressive. They are just young adults playing online games. It might be a growing trend because teenagers of the last decade playing games would have grown up into adults and still playing them assuming they have not left the gaming scene. The one thing that bugs me about Morioka’s lifestyle is how she could continue playing the online game like normal like as though she does not run into any financial obstacles. Although she quit her job and in her 30’s, it is not like she was working in a job where you’ll be a millionaire by then. Does she have tons of savings? Does she inherit some wealth from her parents? Not too sure. But looking at how she lives her NEET life comfortably is pretty much mind boggling. Not sure about the internet subscription in Japan if it would really kill the wallets of those who spend a lot of time online especially playing games. Heck, Morioka even has the extra cash to buy online transactions. Maybe she doesn’t use much electricity other than her PC and she eats mostly cheap junk from the convenience store. So I can see why she isn’t facing so much financial trouble because she would have been trying to look for another job or maybe settle down as someone’s wife… Just saying…

The romance between Sakurai and Morioka was just waiting to happen and explode. But we all know it will happen anyway. Because why not? The online game could be a blessing in disguise for them since it allowed them to meet and of course fall in love with each other. Of course they like each other ever since the first time they bump into each other. Their sluggish depressed behaviour whenever not behind the keyboard while thinking about the other person is so obvious. It could have been more straightforward had not this online anonymity thingy come between them. Or maybe not. It allowed them to slowly build up their relationship albeit mostly online and through their characters. So in a way, it does make things less awkward when they meet in real life. But then again, it is still awkward for them nevertheless. Not too sure that if they will be spending more them in real life or online. Won’t be too surprised if it is the latter since that is where their relationship started and was built upon. Like they say, the couple that plays together, stays together. Hopefully their relationship will bloom and not break down later just because they spend too much time online together (ironically) and back to square one.

Their romance mainly happens thanks to busybody and interfering people like Koiwai. A big chance that it would never have happened had not this guy made the push. He is the kind of friend who is the annoying type and loves teasing you just because he is more hyperactive than you. Everything he does might seem irritating but he does it for the greater good of his friend-cum-colleague. After all, it isn’t that Koiwai can read minds or an expert in relationship, it just that Sakurai is such an easy person to read and from his body reactions to his words. A person like Koiwai can literally tell what is going just at one glance. Koiwai should be his best man at his wedding. If they ever go that far. I’m assuming they would.

I swore I guessed Fujimoto as Kanbe correctly because again in the context of this show, why bother introducing a character or at least make him have this ‘important’ impression when he isn’t going to be in the story in the first place? Unless it is for red herring but this series isn’t of that kind. Even though the internet is such a wide place, the irony is that many of the people you play with are closer to you than you think. And I’m not talking about inviting your friends to play as a group. When you randomly join a group and hook up with certain members, sometimes it is surprising that person could turn out to be someone you know and close to home. Therefore the irony of the endless internet but still a small world after all. But then again, the online game they are playing is on a local server. I thought they would reveal the real personas other characters in their party too like Lilac, Nico and Pokotarou but I guess they aren’t that important. Even if they do, it serves no purpose and a distraction to the main characters.

Animation and artwork looks decent. The characters look a bit simple but not surprising the avatar characters look better than their real life persona because to show their online adventure is much more colourful and exciting than their usual mundane life. Contrary to all the memes and the touch up of Photoshop pictures online of gamers, Morioka doesn’t typically look like one of those sexy female gamers you see all over the internet. Her appearance isn’t too shabby but anybody would have looked like her state if they did not intend to go out and meet others and spend the rest of their lives facing the internet. Proof that the power of makeup can actually do some good in making one more presentable and decent.

The pop rock opening theme is Saturday Night Question by Megumi Nakajima while the rock ending theme is Hikari, Hikari by Yuka Aisaka. Interestingly, the ending credits animation is mostly watching Morioka stare through her monitor. In other words, through the ‘eyes’ of the monitor. It is like telling us this is how we look like when we engage the PC. In the sense that we stare in wonder, amazement, surprise, astonishment, shock and everything else that probably our monitors might be one of those view objects who have ‘seen’ us making a variety of faces. Including the zombie face. Yeah, I can imagine it as I am typing this blog myself! Oh, why am I now so conscious about my monitor looking at me?! Sadly, it’s the only thing that you will often face if you’re an otaku loner. :’(.

Overall, I find this series slow and boring and my only reprieve is the one and only Mamiko Noto. Even though she too cannot save this series from its dull pace, at least I still enjoyed listening to her voice. Yeah, that heavenly angelic voice… The slow and budding romance feels pretty normal and only relevant to a few who have found love in this manner. I mean, it is better than going on Tinder only to find perverts and sexual predators, right? At least while playing online, the act of falling in love with each other in reality feels like an added bonus and reward. Hmm… Is this series saying that the recovery for an MMO junkie and the recommendation of the wonderful virtual life is to fall in love in real life? I guess kicking the online addiction and getting on with the real life would be the greatest achievement and victory ever. Level: Real, unlocked! Welcome back to the real world.