RJ Writing Ink

The Owl House, Episode 17 Review

I know it’s only been seven months since The Owl House first premiered on Disney Channel, but thanks to how the world is, it feels longer. Now that we’re almost at the end of the first season, I keep looking back on the main characters and realize how much they’ve changed since we first met them. While Luz has gone through some major growth as a witch (with card glyphs being her motif), the characters who I think have grown the most would be Amity and Willow. In this breather episode that we get before the big finale, we get to see just how much they’ve grown in the short time they’ve known Luz, and it’s very touching to look at.

Also, now that we know that Amity has a crush on Luz, it only makes their interactions even more adorable!

Boscha the New Alpha Girl

Do you guys remember Boscha: the girl with three eyes that I joked looked like if Tom and Janna from Star vs. had a kid? Well, ever since the events of Grom night, Amity’s started to spend more time with Luz and patch things up with Willow, and all but broken off things with Boscha. As a result, she’s taken Amity’s place as the new Alpha Girl of Hexside.

Which sucks for her, as Willow’s become way more confident from hanging out with Luz and reconciling with Amity. When Willow continues to show her up in school (and Amity roasts her for her immaturity), Boscha spends the entire day making Luz, Gus, and Willow’s lives miserable. How does Luz resolve this? By challenging Boscha to a game of Grudgby Ball. If they win, Boscha has to leave Willow alone. If Boscha wins, they get to use them as water gofers and target practice.

How Many Times Do We Have to Teach You This Lesson, Luz?

Trivia time: why do you think Luz would make such a risky bet in the first place? If you the answer is “because she got the idea from a work of fiction,” then you are correct. She’s basing this on a “Good Witch Azura” Sports Movie and the fact that her side’s the underdogs, and underdogs always win.

The big problem is that every time Luz has tried to use what she learns from her Azura stuff to fix her problems, it always backfires on her. Yet the lesson never fully sticks and she just gets in more trouble. This doesn’t mean she’s not learning, though. She’s caught on that the Boiling Isles aren’t like the PG fantasy story she imagined, and has adapted to it.

In addition, she’s not as reckless as she was at the start of the season, which helps her out. In the end, Luz realizes she messed up and tries to take all the punishment in Willow’s stead, surprising everyone. Even Boscha admits that Luz is a good friend….that doesn’t stop her from using Luz as target practice, though. Fortunately, she gets help in from Amity.

Amity’s Crush is So Adorable

When we first met Amity, she couldn’t stand Luz or Willow. Now she can’t seem to get two sentences around her without blushing or babbling like an idiot. It’s absolutely adorable to watch, especially since she tries to deny it in front of everyone else. Unfortunately for shippers out there, Luz seems to be the kind of hero who’s oblivious to love. She doesn’t seem to pick up on Amity’s obvious feelings for her, which most people would be able to.

Shipping frustration aside, this episode does show how much Amity’s grown as a character over the course of the season. She went from being condescending jerk to a misunderstood perfectionist who just wants real friends to a true friend of Luz and Willow. When Boscha says that by helping Luz and Willow, she killed her social life, Amity merely says that she just improved it. You go, girl! Shake off that toxic influence!!

In the end, Boscha wins due to some “Golden Snitch” nonsense that calls out how that trope in Harry Potter, but it doesn’t matter in the end. The Grudgby team loses all respect for her and transfers it to Willow, thus nullifying any of Boscha’s attempts to humiliate her and Luz. Karma’s a pain, huh Boscha?

What Does Emperor Belos Have Planned?

We now only have two episodes left in the season, and from the sound of things, something big is going to happen in these next two episodes. And I think that it has something to do with Emperor Belos.

In the episode’s B-Plot, Lilith tries once more to get Eda to join the Emperor’s Coven, apparently at Belos’ own behest. According to Lilith, Belos has big plans for the Boiling Isles. Given what we know about the Emperor right now, I doubt that any of those plans are good.

I have no idea what’s going to happen in the last two episodes, but I hope that it blows everyone’s minds in the process. The Owl House needs to finish its first season strong if it wants to be one of Disney’s top cartoons for the 2020’s.

Luz Makes History as Disney’s First Bisexual Main

Before I ended this post, I wanted to let you guys know that The Owl House just made headlines, with Dana Terrace confirming that Luz is bisexual.

While she isn’t the first LGBTQ+ character Disney’s done, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a first for Disney. It even made CNN’s website!

I Give “Wing it Like Witches” A 4/5

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Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Episode 42 Review/Recap

Okay, I’ll admit it. At first, it was fun seeing Sword Art Online not revolve around Kirito. War of Underworld gave the rest of the cast a chance to shine and grow as characters. But eventually, you’ve got to have your main hero take center-stage. Otherwise, the story’s going to get real dull. This week, though, our prayers are finally answered. Kirito the Black Swordsman not only makes his return, but we also see just how scarred he’s been by the events of the series.

No, seriously, that guy needs some therapy after this. He’s got some serious PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt.

LINK START!

Recap

In Underworld, PoH continues his sadistic killing spree, with his sheer malice corrupting almost all of the foreign players. As Asuna desperately tries to defeat him, PoH explains that the only reason he’s doing this is to wake Kirito up. Ever since he failed to kill him, PoH’s seen him as the incorruptible Batman to his Joker, and wants nothing more than to break him. Despite being at her limit, though, Asuna is spurred on by the memory of her friend Yuki. Gaining a second wind, Asuna unleashes her strongest attack, Mother’s Rosario, that comes close to defeating PoH.

Unfortunately, PoH’s weapon hasn’t the ability to get stronger when it attacks other players. As a result, it absorbs all the death that’s gone on around it, making PoH more powerful than ever, and leaving most of the foreign players under his thrall.

Inside Kirito’s mind, the young man relives every traumatic experience he’s had since he played SAO. From the deaths of the Moonlit Black Cats to Eugeo’s death, the pain nearly overwhelms him. Even with the support of Asuna, Sugu, and Sinon, he comes close to killing himself. However, a miracle occurs. A fragment of Eugeo’s fluctlight appears in his mind and reminds him that he’s not alone. He’s got the memories of those he lost in his heart, and so many left who are waiting for him. Remembering his will to fight, Kirito heals the damage done to his mind. As a result, he awakens from his coma, and uses Eugeo’s Secret Art to freeze all the enemy players save for PoH. PoH, he saves for himself to face.

PoH is so screwed.

Review

To paraphrase General Pepper from the Star Fox series, “It’s about time you showed up, Kirito! You’re the only hope for our world!” That was basically how I reacted when I finally saw Kirito stand up and fight after all this time. It can be fun to give the other heroes and secondary characters time in the spotlight, but there are threats that only the hero can defeat. That’s why they’re the hero.

Beautiful animation

Having said that, there are two things I think need to be discussed: the animation and what we saw in Kirito’s mind. The level of detail they put into the fight sequence between Asuna and PoH and Kirito’s return is high-tier levels of animation. The kind of things that anime fans drool about being able to see. I don’t exactly get why Asuna suddenly sprouted angel wings, but who cares? It looks awesome!

With the series so close to the end, I hope that the remaining episodes keep up this top-tier animation. It’s part of why I enjoyed SAO in the first place.

Kirito’s Mental Scars

The second noteworthy thing about this episode is how puts all the trauma Kirito’s gone through front and center. A lot of people tend to see him as this cool, level-headed guy who doesn’t let things faze him…on the outside. On the inside, we see just how badly his time in SAO messed him up.

First, there’s the memory of the Moonlit Black Cats’ death, and how he blames himself for keeping his level a secret. Then the fact that he had to kill three people, even if it was in self-defense. Everyone else may have forgiven him, but he hasn’t forgiven himself for it. Furthermore, it’s revealed that even after leaving SAO, he still felt guilty for killing other players in-game. Even if they didn’t die in real life or if they deserved it like Sugou and Death Gun. In other words, he never truly left the death game, and watching Eugeo die finally broke him mentally.

I just felt so bad seeing Kirito go through that, thinking that he didn’t deserve to live after everything. The worst part, though, is that this stuff happens to people in real life. Fortunately, Kirito had loved ones to remind him that he can forgive himself and move on. Not everyone has that fortune in real life.

The Real Fight Begins

Now that Kirito is back in the game, I think we know what’s going to happen to PoH and Gabriel. They are going to get their butts kicked all the way to hell where they belong. And with Kirito having reached a new level of power, it’s going to look amazing to watch. The Black Swordsman is about to join the fight!

I Give “Memories” a 4.5/5

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Amphibia Season 2, Episode 6 Review

We’ve known since the start that when Anne got zapped to Amphibia, her friends Sasha and Marcy went along with her. We learned almost at the start that Sasha was with the Toads, but Marcy? Her whereabouts remained unknown, and led to a lot of fan theories and ideas. Then the Season Two trailer rolled along, confirming that the two would meet. Now, at last, that moment is here: Anne and the Plantars are in Newtopia!

Next to last week’s pseudo-crossover with Gravity Falls, this was the episode fans looked forward to the most. Does it live up to the hype, though, and is Marcy as good a character as we hoped? The short answer is: yes and yes.

Marcy Wu Is On The Job

Going into this, we knew almost nothing about what kind of person Marcy Wu was. Thus, this episode had to establish her personality in a short span of time, which isn’t exactly ideal. Plus, given how Sasha turned out, there were some fears that Marcy may end up being the same. Fortunately, those fears seemed to have been put to rest. Not only does the episode establish Marcy’s personality, but got me to like her with very little effort.

To sum up Marcy as a character, she’s an adorkable, ditzy genius. She’s super smart, so she could focus less on her school work and more on her own interests. Most of which involve video games and tabletop RPGs. Unfortunately, she’s also excitable, easily distracted and tends to get sucked into her own world. Which means Anne had to spend a lot of time back home keeping her safe.

That was the Marcy that Anne knew back home, though, so how does it compare to the Marcy we’re introduced to? Simply put, Marcy’s not only survived, but thrived. She got warped straight into Newtopia when she arrived, and, using her brains and knowledge of RPGs, became Newtopia’s chief knight ranger and a badass fighter.

At the same time, though Marcy retains many of the quirks she had on Earth. As soon as sees Anne and the Plantars, she starts gushing over them and talking a mile a minute. Some may see it as annoying, but I found it endearing. Going from being a kickass, isekai-esque heroine one moment to a lovable dork freaking out because her cape’s on fire is genuinely funny. And the way she does it seems so natural, too. So, yeah, I like Marcy Wu.

Old Friends Playing Catch Up

The main plot of the episode is straight-forward enough. Newtopia’s shut its gates due to the giant ants advancing on the city, so Anne, Marcy, and the Plantar’s have to work together to get rid of them. The real meat of the episode, though, comes through the interactions between Anne and Marcy.

While we still don’t know how much of a negative influence Marcy was on Anne, at the moment, it doesn’t like she is at all. Anne and Marcy’s reunion lacks any of the toxic friendship implications we got with Sasha. So, it feels more like a genuine friendship. However, Anne still sees Marcy as someone that she needs to look out for, leading to some noticeable tension as Anne tries to keep Marcy safe. At the climax of the episode, Anne finally admits that she doesn’t want to lose Marcy after just getting her back.

The evidence is clear: Anne’s pretty traumatized from the events at Toad Tower and losing Sasha as a friend, so she doesn’t want to lose Marcy. Marcy gets it, but proves to Anne that she doesn’t need to be babysat anymore by taking down the giant Ant Queen and saving Sprig.

Speaking of Sprig, he spends the entire episode suspicious of Marcy and her intentions. After seeing how mean Sasha was, he’s not taking any chances. I don’t blame him, either. Marcy did help talk Anne into stealing the Calamity Box; or at the very least, didn’t try to stop Sasha from making Anne do it. All things considered, though, I think that Marcy can be trusted by Anne and the Plantars. For now, at least.

A New Game?

So, Anne and the Plantar’s have made it to Newtopia and found Marcy Wu in the process. Yet Anne and Marcy remain no closer to getting home, nor do they have any clue where Sasha is. Still, that doesn’t stop them from vowing to find Sasha and get back to Earth. As Anne regales about all her adventures in Wartwood, though, the two girls are being watched by someone: King Andrias of Newtopia, voiced by Keith David.

Little is known about the King of Amphibia. It’s possible that he might be an ally for our heroes, but the ending to this episode gave me some bad vibes. As he walks away from where he was viewing the two, we see him look at a board with several figures carved onto it, including Anne and Marcy.

Seeing this got the gears in my head turning, and made me realize something. If Anne, Sasha, and Marcy all got transported to Amphibia, why did they get separated? Furthermore, isn’t it odd that each of them ended up with one of the three sentient species in Amphibia? Anne found the Frogs, Sasha the Toads, and Marcy the Newts. What if there’s a reason behind that? What if they were brought over to act as representatives for each of the three people’s of Amphibia? And what if King Andrias has something to do with it? Or at least knows something about it?

Whatever the case, it’s clear that there are more mysteries to be solved in Amphibia, and that whatever brought Anne and her friends there had a reason for doing so. For now, though, I wanna see more of Marcy. She’s a great character, and this was a great first episode for her.

I Give “Marcy at the Gates” a 5/5. Perfect blend of plot, character intros and arcs, and humor.

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