This week’s theme was “cliffhangers”. What secrets will Ryuko learn? Will Sinon’s bullet hit Death Gun? Why did the zombies suddenly disappear? What explosion hit Sniper King? While cliffhangers are pretty common on Toonami, these were especially profound and made more so since we have to wait two weeks before they’re resolved! On to the reviews:
Dragon Ball Z: Kai - The first half of this episode was mostly exposition done via King Kai radio. Yamacha and the gang are back and ready to train with jokes. One thing I don’t get is that if King Kai is basically a god, why doesn’t he ever leave his little planet to help? If I had to rename this show it would be “Overconfidence: The show”. Every character thinks they are the most powerful only to immediately bet shut down at the start of each fight. Not that I’m complaining but it’s a recurring theme for sure. I also liked how Zarbon turned into Killer Croc. It was a good episode.
Rating: I AM THE KING KAI!
Kill la Kill - The animation in this episode was all over the place. It starts out in a very Loony Toons style, which is fun, then gets kind of sloppy in the middle before ending on some pretty amazing CG, high action animation during the big battle on the tower. As for the bit with the glove, I’ve given this some thought. In the first episode, Ryuko does transform Senketsu however that wasn’t true Life Fiber Synchronization. It’s just sort of a stronger mode. She isn’t able to actually preform LFS until after she has the glove in episode 3. So maybe that’s why Senketsu thought she needed the glove? Anyway, Nudist Beach’s ridiculous mechs (called Dotonbori Robos) make their first appearance in this episode along with the new three star uniforms. In two weeks, we get a recap episode that also has some big answers. Until then, it’s a marathon of Nonon and Nui battles next week!
Rating: Skeet Skeet Skeet!
Sword Art Online II - I swear that 99% of Kirito’s problems stem from his stupid desire to keep secrets. Why hide his mission, ptsd, feelings, gender, and everything else from Sinon? It makes no sense. Maybe Sinon could, you know, actually HELP you find out who Death Gun is? If peoples’ lives are really at risk then why allow Death Gun to even play the game in the first place? Are there any admins in GGO? Ban his ass. That EVA elevator scene and that partially nude Kirito shot were both rather cringe inducing. Lastly, for such an experienced player Sinon seems constantly surprised by how things work. All this aside, the episode was at least watchable. The production values continue to be very high even if I spend most of my time scratching my head and asking “why? Why? WHY?!”. Meh.
Rating: Random Catgirl
InuYasha: The Final Act - I’m completely floored that Sango actually made the choice that would have killed Rin. Floored. Like… wow. How can the show possibly redeem her now? I expect it to try but damn, Rin is an innocent child while Moroku is an adult monk who was willing to die. Her selfish decision to murder a child so as to save her boyfriend was pretty inexcusable. As expected, the F team show up and are completely useless. They instantly run like cowards except for Kohaku who should be dead already. As for the rest, it was pretty good although I'm ready fo Kagome’s arrow to finally kill Naraku. His trolling powers are weakened anyway. This episode was decent even if it made me hate Sango.
I'm looking more to the end of the series and to see how everyone's stories end.
Rating: Blah, blah, light, blah blah
Naruto: Shippuden - So, along with VHS it seems force fields are now a thing now in Naruto-world. Sora sure is an idiot. Considering he’s practically pulled from fan fiction, I would expect him to be smarter than this. Is every female character who is sightly older than Naruto considered to be an “old lady” to him or is that just a bad translation? I mean, granted this woman is evil but she’s also kinda hot. Has Naruto ever shown interest in any adult woman? He even considers the smoking hot hokage a “grandma”. WTF?! I actually liked the fake Naruto who was attacking Sakura more. Wait… did Sakura actually win a fight all by herself using only her wits and ninja skills?! Oh right, we’re in filler. I did like that (albeit brief) final zombie battle with everyone using their unique jutsu. The animation wasn’t half bad at times. Overall, it was an okay episode.
Rating: Fudō = Kaori *squish*
One Piece - Recap Piece was extremely long this week but it was worth it for that ending. Spandine is actually Spandam’s father!? GASP! Hehe, just kidding. Everyone saw that coming. Those slaps…. Mmmmmmm. Soooo good. Sniper King was godlike in this episode. Just amazing and stoic. Franky too. The payoff of seeing Spandam’s beaten face and those heros saving a crying Robin was just fantastic. An almost boring episode saved by an incredible ending. I’m hyped for more!
Rating: SHEEEEEEN!
