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Invincible Fight Girl Ep 5 Review

Now that Andy’s got a team, it’s time for the hard part: convincing Quesa Poblana to train her. Sadly, the former wrestler is adamant about being the mentor who initially refuses to take on a student. And to prove that she has what it takes, she’s got to pull off a seemingly impossible task of making the perfect strike. However, that’s not the problem; Andy has determination for days! The problem is that she has to learn when to ask for help. And Mikey and Craig have to learn how to work together for the sake of Andy.

The entire episode is about knowing when to ask for help. Even the best Shonen heroes need help.

Andy’s Determination to Do an Impossible Task…

After repeatedly bothering her (and sending her to the hospital), Quesa P is officially fed up with dealing with Andy. Thus, she issues an ultimatum to get her to leave her alone: pull off ten perfect strikes in a week. What is a perfect strike?

Basically, it’s Armament Haki. And Andy has no idea how to pull it off!

This is the part of the story where we deconstruct Andy’s determinator status. On the one hand, her drive to be a wrestler has allowed Andy to become a decent fighter. Like many Shonen protagonists, when she hits a wall, she hits it until it breaks. However, her determination becomes detrimental here as she insists on figuring this out alone, despite threatening to permanently damage her hands. They’re blistered and bleeding by the time Craig and Mikey find her!

…Might Not be Enough

As for her two friends, they both have different opinions on how to help Andy. Craig, rightfully guessing that his aunt set Andy up, wants to cheat. Mikey, though, wants to help by researching Quesa Poblana. Both end up failing rather miserably.

Craig goes to an over-the-top alley full of scammers for something to hack the machine being used…only to get scammed himself.

As for Mikey, he finds that every video of Quesa Poblana is suspiciously unavailable to the public. This makes me question if there’s no deeper reason why she retired…

It’s all pretty standard for a story like this, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And once the two realize the error of their ways and team up, they scare the daylights out of the scammers

They Found a Way to Learn the Perfect Strike

Having gotten their hands on Quesa’s wrestling arc, the trio are able to analyze her techniques, and by the fourth day, Andy looks to be on the road to mastering the perfect strike. She lacks the explosive power of her would-be mentor, but the fact that she still does this in such a short time is impressive. Andy might have some hidden talent after all!

This wasn’t my favorite episode of the series thus far. I could see how the formula was written and would play out from a mile away. That being said, I do love seeing a young person proving a bitter and cynical elder wrong about them. Plus, based on the preview for next week’s episode…actually I don’t know where it’s going. All I know is that it’s going to be chaotic.

I Give “Perfect Strike” a 3.5/5

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Invincible Fight Girl Ep 4 Review

In many of the Shonen series I’ve read over the years, there comes a point where the protagonist faces some pushback from the world around them. Someone or something out there often considers their goals to be foolish and something they should give up. On the surface, this is done so that they prove their detractors wrong when they eventually win. However, there’s another reason why this is a recurring plot point. As a demographic, Shonen is aimed at young boys and teens who are starting to learn more about the world around them. More often than not, they’ll learn how unfair the world can be and that people will want to see them fail. Invincible Fight Girl has already shown this, but the fourth episode has Andy fight her most brutal battle against this unfairness yet. Not just for her, but for the sake of her new friend, Mikey.

The result? An absolute feast for the eyes that would make Dragon Ball proud.

Shonen Formulas in Action

After seeing how her new friend, Mikey, was miserable under his overbearing dad, Andy challenged his family to a wrestling match. Her goal is two-fold: prove the other Beefpunchas wrong about her being a wrestler and show Mikey he can follow his dream of being a wrestling journalist. However, her opponent is Papa Beefpuncha’s oldest and strongest son, MBrandon.

Whoever came up with that name, you get a pat on the back for how funny that is.

As expected, Andy finds herself fighting an uphill battle right from the start. Her opening move sees her trying to use the same technique she used to win against Immaculate, which doesn’t work. From there, the fight turns into a David vs. Goliath scenario, with Andy serving as David to MBrandon’s Goliath. Though unlike many cases of this scenario, the fight doesn’t turn out how you’d expect. More on that in a minute.

Continuing to show off it’s love of Shonen anime with pride, the fight between Andy and MBrandon is animated much like one would be in a Shonen Series. The two trade blows at high-speeds like they’re in Dragon Ball. There are a ton of exaggerated facial expressions. We even get to hear Andy and MBrandon’s inner monologues as they think about what’s happening in the fight. And despite being kept on the defensive for most of the fight, Andy demonstrates her smarts and determination. First, she uses her size and speed to gain an advantage at several points in the fight. Second, she proves she can take a punch by letting MBrandon hit her several times so she can get a feeling for his fighting style. More importantly, though, her willingness to stand her ground manages to get through to Mikey.

Mikey Steps Up!

Papa Beefpuncha is a horrible dad for his constant belittlement of his youngest son. Despite being talented enough to become a wrestling journalist, his Dad belittles him to the point where he has low self-esteem, and it shows. However, not everyone in his family is like that, as a flashback about his (likely) deceased mother shows. Seeing Andy stand up for him manages to convince Mikey to openly support Andy against his family. And with his knowledge of wrestling, the two come close to winning the fight!

This, though, is when Fight Girl subverts the expectations of David vs. Goliath by having Goliath win.

Yes, despite coming close to losing, once MBrandon starts taking Andy seriously, he ultimately wins the fight. The look on Mikey’s face as Andy lies defeated is heartbreaking. He actually started to believe what she told him, only for his father to cruelly state that that’s the way of the world. Without strength, you can’t amount to anything in life, according to Papa Beefpuncha.

This Show Gets the Shonen Formula so Well

Ironically, this is another instance of the Shonen formula coming into play. Sometimes, the protagonist is met with defeat despite how hard they try, and that leaves them with a choice. They can either give up, or they use that loss to fuel them to do better. Having the resolve to keep going is an important trait to have in life, and Shonen series can be a good way of teaching kids this lesson. In Andy’s case, not only does she refuse to let the loss get to her, but she gets through to Andy…and Craig. The former says his Dad let him go with Andy to follow his dream, but it’s implied he just ran away. The latter also offers to get his aunt to train Andy in exchange for being her manager.

It may seem premature of me, but as it stands, I think Invincible Fight Girl is a love letter to the Shonen genre. The protagonist with the lofty dream with the world trying to drag her down. The exciting animation and exaggerated fights. Not to mention the themes present found in Shonen series. If they keep this up, I’m going to be recommending this series to many people I know who like anime!

I Give “The Way of the World” a 4/5

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A Fan’s Retrospective on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 20 Years Later

New Year’s Eve, 2003. Nine-year-old me is celebrating by watching Nickelodeon count down the final hours of 2003 with their best moments throughout the year. Then, the host, Pick Boy, segues into a teaser showing off what’s to come for Nickelodeon in 2004. While I don’t remember the rest of what was included, one image shown brighter in my eyes than the sun itself:

The following day, I woke up, went on Nick.com, and found the teaser trailer for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. I then proceeded to watch it hundreds of times.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Meant Everything to Me

To say that I was a fan of SpongeBob as a kid was an understatement. Until Avatar: the Last Airbender showed up a year later, SpongeBob was my favorite cartoon of all time. Even long after I’ve stopped watching the newer episodes, SpongeBob holds a special place in my heart. That little sponge was the coolest, funniest, and friendliest guy kid-me knew, and I wanted to be just like him. Throughout 2004, I would follow news about the film with a growing obsession, all leading up to the day when it finally came out in theaters, and I got my family to take me to see it. Even though I already knew most of the plot, I was still over the moon watching the movie, thanks to playing the tie-in games ahead of time. SpongeBob, my hero, is on the big screen! It was one of those moments that stayed rent-free in my head.

Now, here we are, twenty years to the day when SpongeBob and Patrick went on their biggest adventure ever. Having rewatched the whole film for the first time in years, I felt compelled to ask myself, “Is this film still good? Does it hold up after two decades of additional SpongeBob content?”

My answer: not only does The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie still hold up, but it’s even better as an adult.

I Relate to SpongeBob’s Struggles With Maturity

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you should know the film’s plot by this point. After Plankton steals the crown of King Neptune and frames Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob and Patrick have to go on a quest to get it back from the treacherous Shell City. However, the driving force behind the whole film is SpongeBob’s emotional conflict because of how others perceive him as an immature kid. They’re not wrong. SpongeBob is a kid at heart, but getting passed over for a promotion he had more than earned because of it really got to him. As a result, he, and to a lesser extent, Patrick, spend most of the film going through this character arc. First, they ignore what everyone says about them, then they try to act like how they think an adult should act. Eventually, though, SpongeBob makes peace with his childish nature. Instead of letting it get to him, he wears his childishness like a badge of pride, giving him the power he needs to save the day. And giving us one of the most epic guitar solos in animation history.

I already loved seeing SpongeBob prove his naysayers wrong as a kid. I had never seen a problem with the way SpongeBob acted before, after all. However, after going back and rewatching The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as an adult (and listening to others review it for a whole day), I appreciate the themes even more as an adult. As we get older, our worldview starts to get more complicated as we see how stressful it can get. More often than not, it can become a trial to stay happy and have a positive attitude, especially when we’re going to inevitably fail. I’ve learned that all too well as I’ve become an adult and found myself working the same kinds of jobs that SpongeBob has. In addition, I’ve also been called out for my own perceived immaturity, something that bothers more than I would like to admit. Thus, I can relate to SpongeBob’s plight in this film.

And you know what? After seeing this movie again, it reminds me why I want to remain a kid at heart forever. Yeah, SpongeBob can be an immature goofball, something that’s gotten exaggerated in later seasons. But looking back on this film and seeing how happy he is with his life, a lot of people could stand to learn from it. Everyone should keep that inner child alive and well and maintain that youthful sense of optimism all their lives.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is Still Amazing

In short, I loved The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as a kid, and I love just as much as an adult. I love it more when you consider the waxing and waning of quality in the post-movie era. If anything, having the show continue up to the present day has only allowed its popularity to endure to the point that it’s more than just a show. SpongeBob is a legend on par with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. And The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie played a large part in making that happen.

Also, this movie introduced me to the likes of David Hasselhoff and Scarlett Johansson. I didn’t even know Scarlett voiced Mindy until after she hit it big as the Black Widow!!

One Piece Chapter 1131 Review/Recap

After three weeks of waiting, we are finally back with more One Piece. And, as always whenever Oda takes these breaks, he came back cooking! In the last chapter, the Straw Hats learned that they had, indeed, arrived in Elbaph, the homeland of the Giants! But while they were trying to get away from their abductor, Road, Luffy sensed an ominous presence in the nearby forest. Being the impulsive guy that he is, he immediately went to investigate, and what he found did not disappoint: Loki, the renegade Prince of Elbaph, now chained up against a massive tree. And if you know Norse Mythology, then you know that Loki usually spells trouble.

Recap

After learning that he was in Elbaph, Luffy starts gushing over this fact until Loki demands he stop talking. As the Giant explains, he was imprisoned with sea stone chains six years ago by the other giants, and wants nothing more than to escape. So he makes Luffy an offer: he lets him out, and he’ll wipe out one pirate crew of his choosing. He also points out how they’re in tje part of Elbaph known as the Underworld, a place filled with dangerous animals. They throw prisoners and the condemned down there to die.

Luffy befriends the animals in five seconds as the others watch. But when they mention Shanks recent visit to Elbaph, Loki calls the man a coward. Luffy, naturally pissed, proceeds to pummel Loki, who promises to kill him if he gets free while also taunting him about where Shanks is.

Back with the others, they find out that they’re being chased by Road, who, in turn, is being chased by his own crewmates. The Straw Hats understandably decide to book it!

Back aboard the Giant Pirates ship, everyone is gushing over Robin. Wanting for Saul to recognize her, she had Brook give her a haircut to return her to her pre-timeskip look. As their ship nears Elbaph, everyone is excited to see Saul and the others.

Little do they know, Saul has just collapsed and can’t get back up.

Review

Well, it looks like Oda took the three-week break to good use, as he often does, because this new chapter was absolute fire. In just a few panels, Oda managed to drop some pretty major pieces of lore about Elbaph while further cementing the Norse influence that will be prevalent through this arc. We even got the actual name for the nation of the Giants, Warland. Fitting, given how the Giants are said to be the strongest warriors in the world.

While the previous chapter gave us a look at the layout of Elbaph, this chapter is the one that explains it in greater detail. Firstly, the massive tree that dominates the island is the Treasure Tree Adam, aka the source of the wood used for ships like the Sunny and Oro Jackson. That’s pretty important! In addition, the tree is so massive that most of the island’s inhabitants can live on the branches that make up its lower regions. That alone is mind-boggling.

As exciting as Elbaph is, though, this chapter makes it clear how big a threat Loki is. Even chained up as he is, he’s able to control the beasts that call the Underworld home as well as anyone unfortunate enough to wind up there. If Luffy manages to accidentally free him, the Giant Prince could be a serious threat. Knowing Oda, though, it’s not a matter of if, but when Loki gets free.

Saul Better Not be Dead!

As far as what the main highlight of the chapter was, though, most fans seem to be in agreement: Robin getting her old hairstyle back. Not only is it a welcome blast from the past, but it shows just how excited she is to get to reunite with the first friend she ever made. That only makes the news about Saul’s collapse harder to bear, though. There’s a very real possibility that Saul could die before Robin can see him again, and that prospect is heartbreaking to consider. The man is not afraid to make us cry, but this might be too much to bear.

Regardless of Saul’s status, this chapter gives us a lot to look forward to going forward. We have a potential antagonist in the form of Loki, and we’ve learned more about how the people of Elbaph live. This truly is going to be an adventure the likes of which the Straw Hats have probably never faced before. All I hope for is that Saul pulls through whatever he’s facing.

I Give “Loki of the Realm of the Dead” a 4.5/5

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Invincible Fight Girl Eps. 1-3 Review

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. Since dawn, men and women have grappled, pinned, and sparred in the arena for fame, glory, and bragging rights. In the modern day, professional wrestling is more theater than actual wrestling, but no one seems to care. Not when we see people in colorful costumes and cool names fighting each other! I’ve never been that tuned into the world of wrestling, but I am tuned into the world of animation, especially when it takes cues from anime. And that’s what led me to the newest show out of Cartoon Network on Toonami, Invincible Fight Girl.

The show’s only three episodes in, but it’s already got a good feel to it. Rendy Jones from the Den of Geek describes it as My Hero Academia meets the WWE. Other people have pointed out that it follows the traditional formula to many hit Shonen series. And the animation has been compared to Kill La Kill, which is a massive compliment! After seeing the first three episodes, I can confirm all these are true. Invincible Fight Girl is a western-made Shonen series, and after I’m done talking about it, you might think so, too.

In a World of Wrestlers…

In Fight Girl, there are two kinds of people: wrestlers and accountants. The masses worship the wrestlers as celebrities and demigods, with the greatest known worldwide! And ever since her parents took her to see a wrestling match, Andy Smith has wanted to become a wrestler. There’s just one problem: she’s from a family of accountants. Who live on an island of accountants.

Fight Girl is wearing its Shonen inspiration on its sleeve from the start. Like Luffy, Naruto, Deku and Asta, she wants to become something great and is willing to work hard to achieve it. Unfortunately, circumstances leave her in a position that makes it hard at best, and gets her laughed at at worst. She’s essentially a female version of Deku. It’s not like she can fall back on being an accountant, though, as she proves to have no talent for it. The way she types is so slow, it reminds me of how I was before I took a keyboarding class in high school.

The conflict on the first episode has her screwing up the taxes of a group of angry wrestlers when they show up for tax day. As a result, the gang proceeds to terrorize her hometown until she steps up and challenges them to a match to get them to back off. In keep with the comparisons to Deku, she is outmatched and out of her depth despite her determination. But just when she’s on the ropes, she shows the fruits of her secret training and pins the man to the floor. It’s a moment that would make Naruto proud.

Too bad for her, her parents saw the whole thing, ending the first episode on an awkward note!

…One Girl Seeks to Become the Very Best

Picking up right where the pilot ended, Andy has to deal with a new problem: her rightfully concerned parents. Her opponent tries to continue the fight despite losing, but this old woman who gave Andy advice unleashes Conquerer’s Haki that makes him back down/pass out.

Afterwards, Andy decides to come clean to her parents about everything, and the episode does a great job of handling this moment. Being a teenager, Andy is understandably frightened to tell her folks that she doesn’t want to be like them. And her parents initially think she’s confused because they don’t realize she’s lied to them about liking accounting for years. It’s not until she shows them her secret, homemade gym that they realize how serious she is about this. At this point, the show could have them try to stomp down on her dreams, but since they’re good parents, they understand how important this is to her and fully support her choices. So, with their blessing and the support of the entire island, Andy boards a ship to the mainland to follow her dreams!

Easier said than done, though. Once Andy arrives in the big city, she’s conned out of her phone by a guy named Craig and loses all her money and belongings. It’s only thanks to a group of nice wrestling washouts who run a dive bar that she finds a place to stay for the night. Considering the alternatives that could happen to a teen on her own in the big city, she’s very lucky!

Take a Shot for Every Shonen Jump Trope

So far this is the best scene in Invincible Fight Girl but I honestly don't see this happening to Andy. Even though Hajime No Ippo serves as an influence, which can go dreary, I just don't see that occurring as a season finale for this 10 ep show. I wouldn't mind being wrong. pic.twitter.com/L4gepThpPB

— THE AnimeHERO (@THEAnimeHERO) November 5, 2024

This is another moment where Fight Girl shows off its Shonen influences. Series like Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia and more often have moments where the protagonist is given a seemingly insurmountable obstacle they have to face. It’s the story’s way of testing them to see if they have the resolve to keep going, no matter how hard things may get. And while Andy does consider throwing in the towel, her determination wins out. And as fate would have it, the wrestlers at Buster’s (the name of the place) know where to find Quesa Poblana, the famed former wrestler that is Andy’s idol. With stars in her eyes, Andy becomes convinced this is destiny at work and jumps at the chance to meet and train under her hero.

Two things happen. Firstly, she discovers that Quesa Poblana is the old woman who advised about not letting anyone decide her future for her. Secondly, she refuses to train Andy.

Dark Underbelly of Wrestling

The third episode starts with Andy trying, and failing, to get Quesa P to train her. She doesn’t directly explain why she refuses to train Andy, but it’s what she doesn’t say that should be concerning.

Andy’s already seen firsthand that not everyone who’s a wrestler is going to be good people. And judging by the bitter look on Quesa P’s face, something happened that forced her to retire. Andy may not realize it yet, but the world she idolizes is likely one rife with corruption and cutthroat practices. That is further corroborated by what Craig, revealed to be Quesa P’s nephew, says about wrestlers. Most people are doing it for the money and fame, and he considers anyone who isn’t to be a sucker. In other words, Andy is going to be in for an uphill battle.

The Buffest 8-Year-Old Ever

While Andy may not have gotten a mentor in Quesa P, she does manage to find another way to train. After befriending Mikey, an eight year-old whose already built like a full-grown adult, Andy discovers how wrestlers use tenderizing as a training method. Here, we really get to see Andy show what she’s capable of, and she proves to have some latent potential in her. More importantly, she bonds with Mikey over their shared desire to buck their elders expectations of them. In Mikey’s case, despite being built like a tank, he wants to become a wrestling journalist. As a writer myself, I give props to him!

Unlike Andy’s supportive parents, though, Mikey’s dad is determined to make all his boys become wrestlers and regularly demeans Mikey for being soft. Outraged, Andy challenges his family to a match to get them back off, forcing her to face the oldest and strongest of Mikey’s brothers, Mbrandon.

No, really. That’s his name. The dad wanted all his kids names to start with “M” and ran out of ideas.

And that’s where the third episode ends.

Invincible Fight Girl is Worth a Watch

So, what’s the verdict? Is Invincible Fight Girl going to me worth my time? Let’s review:

It’s animation style evokes that of surreal anime like Kill La Kill, Gurren Lagann, and anything made by Studio Trigger.

The plot, characters, and world all seem to run on the rules of Shonen series.

The show seems to draw from all aspects of wrestling, from its humble roots as an actual sport to the majestic nature of the professional wrestling ring. That includes both the good and the bad aspects of the latter.

It may follow the typical Shonen formula a little too closely for some people, but as far as I’m concerned, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If anything, the series feels like a love letter to the genre of anime that inspired a generation. I don’t know how long this series can last since it’s under Warner Bros control, and Zaslav dislikes cartoons. However, I’m willing to enjoy the ride for as long as I can. With its animation style and Shonen leanings, Invincible Fight Girl looks to be a fun new series. I look forward to reviewing it on here.

I Give “I am”, “Dreamers and Busters,” and “Friends” a 4/5, 3.5/5, and 4.5/5 Each

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