Dr Stone: Now I’m even more convinced they are going to turn some things back. But still, HOLY SHIT. Even with how badly prepared they were, this is way more grave than anything I was expecting (and the first time Senku dropped the ball like this). I liked the development geo-girl got, they managed to add a layer of complexity to her character that wasn’t really seen before.
Ball Parade: Kinda underhanded, but if they can convince him that way I’m all for it. I like the guy. I’m one of those people who is more interested in the characters than in the sport though, so I wouldn’t mind them going back to talking next time. (Also, girl, you want to become a manager.
Learn the fucking rules.)
Mashle: This didn’t really do much for me. The thing was already falling apart last time, dragging it out didn’t make it better. Making a tennis racket out of cold metal was unrealistic even to this series’ standards, that hit looked like it should’ve killed him, and the modesty doesn’t feel very sincere (even if it is) when you just wow’ed the entire audience with your sick battle skills. This kind of stuff wouldn’t normally bother me in a better chapter, but all of it together got a bit much.
Build King: Well… things are speeding up, finally. They even retroactively gave the previous two exam rounds some importance, which is good storytelling. Unfortunately we are still dealing with hordes of underdeveloped characters, exposition dumps and a general lack of direction (not to mention NO BUILDING). Renga especially annoyed me this chapter; first he literally throws himself into harm’s way, then he just sits there in his bubble looking scared and whimpering for his brother. Why aren’t you trying to break out yourself? You’re a master carpenter, you must have something sharp on you (in fact, I can see the giant knife on your back from here). Don’t try and play the hero if you’re going to turn into a damsel in distress at the first trouble.
ES: This one left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s probably as good as a chapter from this series is going to get. It has action, something resembling a plot, a bit of character development, jokes and tension. On the other hand, I’m still not invested in any of the characters, there isn’t much of a larger story, the ‘scary’ drawings are ugly, the humour fails to make me laugh and I hate how they keep kissing up to the boy for basically no reason. In other words, even a good chapter leaves me pretty cold… which probably means the series is just never going to work for me.
WW: Sweety, he HAS to be so calm about crazy stuff or else he wouldn’t survive you. Another rather cute chapter, though utterly inconsequential.
Magu: Uneras is the best character in this series, no contest.
Sakamoto: See, this is how you make people care about exposition. It looks like the search will take a while, but I don’t mind. Their laid-back attitude in the latter half made me laugh.
BC: In case anyone was wondering:
Gallus is the Latin name for chicken or fowl,
Equus for horse, Nacht is German/Dutch for night and Morgen means morning (or tomorrow, but morning makes more sense in context). I kinda saw the twist coming, but the reveal still took me by surprise. This flashback should be interesting.
AT: Great costume design. I had pegged her as a Russian Santa Clara right from the start. (And despite her extremely covering clothing, they managed to work in a panty shot of her anyway. Points for effort, I guess.) The rest of the chapter was,
er… open-minded about female sexuality? I’m not a fan of ecchi, but it is nice to see a girl who shows an active interest without being portrayed as a slut.
OP: Very predictable first half, but it works. Then we go jumping again (with some foreshadowing) to end in a twist that, quite honestly, cheapens the dramatic backstory quite a bit (and makes me feel sorry for the daughter who was apparently the only one who got left out of the fun).
MHA: Nice! People talk about how compassionate Tanjiro is all the time, but I felt it stronger in this moment than I ever did in Demon Slayer. Too bad he reverted back to being a cloud.
I tell c: This went off the rails real quick (also, are you
sure you guys are cops? You’re making one professional mistake after the other). I enjoyed seeing saviour complex guy get called out for his bullshit. And I gotta say, crazy as it is, this series is a lot more entertaining now.
PS: A bit slow, though the backstory was good. Sister really likes to order the boy around, doesn’t she? I mean, she could’ve just called the people still waiting outside.
C&D: I’m getting Dragon Ball vibes here. Every new person is stronger than the last. It’s great to see guru guy lose his composure for half a second. I was disappointed with the city though, the design makes no sense underwater but I guess it was too hard to think of anything new.
Yozakura: Can’t they just not go into the water? Or take off the headphones? Or destroy the power supply? Either way, if you can look past the logic fails, great chapter! We get a clear goal and battle plan, two characters we haven’t seen much yet fighting and even some sibling love. I liked it a lot.
UU: I thought the beginning of the chapter was wild. Then it got worse. But is it me or does it feel like we’re nearing endgame territory already? Not that I’m expecting the series to end soon, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing a few more missions before going after God.
TES: Ok, the part about worrying about the animal abuse was actually funny considering plagiarism was the deathblow to forgot its name and i tell c is trying hard to make Aioi's love for criminals not something criminal. How does a Japanese Official know what eye conducts are though? And how can you talk through them?
Not eye conducts, eyeball conduction. Like bone conduction, but through the eyeball. (I have no idea if this is actually possible, or if the ancient Japanese would know about it. I don't think the writer knows either.)
Bone conduction - Wikipedia
