RJ Writing Ink

One Piece Chapter 1174 Review/Recap

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m pretty keyed into the latest news about One Piece. Specifically, I’m keyed into the early spoilers and leaks for the next chapters. I know it takes out some of the enjoyment knowing what might happened, but it also means that when something good happens, it can brighten my mood for days. And after I read the spoilers for the next piece of One Piece on Reddit earlier this week after getting off work, let’s just say I had a massive grin on my face on my way home. If Imu, Sommers and the God’s Knights weren’t already screwed before, then they’re about to get a generational ass-kicking at the hands of N&N, AKA Luffy and Loki, AKA Nika and Nidhogg! The Drums of Liberation begin to play at last!

Recap

Thanks to Sommers epic fail in the last chapter, the Knights getaway wasn’t just destroyed. It had also destroyed the sea clouds underneath, leading to the abyss of the Underworld below. Moreover, since Gunko isn’t in control of her own body, she can’t undo the arrows, meaning the kids are headed off a cliff like lemmings. And their families can’t get rid of the thorns or save them in time. And Sommers is into it! He’s ready to watch the kids die like it’s entertainment for him since he thinks he won’t be held responsible!

All of the kids are now terrified for their lives and begging for someone to save them, with two whole pages showing them crying in fear and apologizing for everything bad they did! And then their parents, siblings (Road) and Miss Ange grab hold of them and refuse to let go even as they fall into the abyss!!!!

But they don’t die. They come to fall atop something soft and rubbery atop something…massive that was coming their way. And it’s pretty obvious who it is.

The next thing anyone in Elbaph knows, a storm of thunder and snow erupts across the island. The ground begins to sway and bounce, and a familiar beat begins to play as Jarul quotes something: “On a curious day, when thunder and snow both flurry, a giant beast shall appear to blot out the skies, the drums of liberation will boom out, and the Sun God will rise!”

Then, in the final page, we see them. Luffy in Gear Five, and Loki in his Nidhogg dragon form, fly through the sky and start wasting all of the nightmares!

Review

HOLY CRAP, YOU GUYS! You guys understand now why those spoilers had me laughing and grinning? Not only do Luffy and Loki save the kids and families by luck (or fate), but we finally got to see what Loki’s zoan form looks like. And just like how many of us were thinking, it turns him into a dragon. Not just any dragon, though; he becomes Nidhogg, AKA the dragon destined to destroy the world tree in Norse mythology and bring about Ragnarok. And he is massive! For comparison’s sake, look at the Giants and then at the Nightmares that Qillingham created. Most of the Nightmares are bigger than the adult Giants, and yet Loki in his Nidhogg form makes them look like pipsqueaks. He’s big enough to swallow them whole! Luffy is using the Giant form he gets in Gear Five that let him dwarf Kaido, and he’s still small enough to ride on Loki’s head!

It gets crazier. According to some people on Reddit, Loki in his Nidhogg form is bigger than the island of Marineford. That includes the island and the buildings on it. By default, that makes Nidhogg one of the biggest things in the entire series. And now Nidhogg and Nika have teamed up to save Elbaph from the devil that is Imu.

Thank Heavens I Read the Spoilers

I already knew how this chapter was going to end, but getting to see it take place is still mind-blowing. It’s a good thing I did know, though, because otherwise, I don’t think I could’ve handled seeing those kids almost die. They were genuinely going to die, and like most kids, they were terrified for their lives and begging for someone to save them! And the part where their loved ones were willing to die with is heartbreaking. My guess is that they were all going to use their bodies as shields to save the kids from death at the cost of their own lives, which is just as heartbreaking to think about. And Sommers was laughing at the whole thing like he’s the dang Joker! I’m not gonna lie, I think I wouldn’t mind it if Sommers dies before this arc is over. If Nika and Nidhogg or the other Giants don’t kill him, though, odds are that Imu will, since it’s his fault that their plan gets screwed up.

We have a break next week for the manga, but considering how Oda just gave us one of the best things ever, I think he’s earned a break. Nika and Nidhogg are about to royally screw over Imu!  

I Give “The Strongest Thing in the World” a 4.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Matt and Dana are Back with New Projects, Away from Hollywood!

If you’re a fan of Amphibia and The Owl House like I am, then you should be jumping for joy. Because the creators of both shows have just managed to score two major wins for themselves!

If you followed my blog from 2019 to 2023, then you know that I’m a big fan of the shows Amphibia and The Owl House. Airing from 2019 to 2022 and 2020 to 2023, these fantasy western Isekai came at just the right time in my life. I was still reeling over the infamous ending to Game of Thrones in May 2019, and my latest comfort show, Star vs the Forces of Evil, had just come to an end. These two shows fulfilled my need for a story-driven cartoon, and I credit being able to watch them as having gotten me through the COVID-19 Pandemic. To make it even better, their creators, Matt Braly and Dana Terrace, were alumni of the legendary Gravity Falls, which pretty much defined how Disney did cartoons in the 2010s. Between that and how good their shows were, it was clear Matt and Dana were people to watch out for in the animation industry. But they would have to do it outside of Disney.

Matt and Dana would ultimately leave Disney after both of their shows were completed, with mixed results. To the best of my knowledge, Matt left the House of Mouse on civil terms. However, Dana was infamously burned by Disney, with the execs cutting The Owl House’s third and final season short. The thing is, though, they don’t need Disney’s support to be successful. Matt wrote his own graphic novel and started work on a movie with Sony (more on that later.) Meanwhile, Dana found the creative freedom she needed with a Mecca of indie animation, Glitch Productions. And this week, both of them have managed to score two major wins for themselves that is making their fans happy!

Matt Braly Bounces Back

Firstly, we have Matt Braly, and while he’s got good news, there’s also some bad mixed in. The bad news is that the movie he’s been working on for Sony with Rebecca Sugar was unfortunately cancelled. It was supposed to be a story about a boy who travels to the world of Thai spirits right before he gets life-saving, and altering, surgery in search for another cure. Unfortunately, Sony deemed it not commercially viable and scrapped the project. In their defense, I don’t think Thai culture is something that’s going to be widely known around the world just yet, so I get where they’re coming from. Hopefully, Matt can crowdfund the project one day.

Speaking of crowdfunding, that brings me to Matt’s first big W. Much like Dana, he’s going the indie route for his next project, dropping our first look at it on social media. Titled Clara and the Below, it’s a gothic horror series based on The Nutcracker that Matt describes as follows:

I’m a big fan of The Nutcracker, so this seems like a pretty sick idea. Amphibia may not have been the scariest show, per se, but there were moments in it that indicate that Matt can pull off horror pretty well. In addition, we’ve got Matt’s other big W: he’s using this project to start his own animation studio, Fantasy Project. The Kickstarter for it launches March 13th, and you can bet that I’ll be trying to find the spare money to support him.

Meanwhile, Dana has scored some more wins for herself.

Dana Terrace about to Score more Wins

After the way Disney treated her, it’s understandable why she chose to jump ship. Thankfully, she and a few of her team found safe harbor with Glitch Productions, an Australian-based indie studio founded by the guy who created the SMG4 series (which I’m currently binging.) Already famous for shows like Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, and helping other creators kickstart their own series, Dana has joined their ranks to give us their first 2D animated series, Knights of Guinevere. Set in a dystopian future amusement park spanning an entire planet, KoG is about two friends with differing views about about the company that runs it finding an Android based on the park’s mascot. It’s basically Dana celebrating everything that Disney did in the past while also calling them out for how they’ve done things in recent years. Personally, I don’t blame her. I grew up watching the Disney Renaissance films on VHS, and it feels like they’re a shadow of the loving company they once were.

In any case, the pilot for Knights of Guinevere came out in September 2025 and was a massive hit. And as of earlier this week, Glitch announced that it had been greenlit for a full series. That means that we can expect more KoG in the near future, making this a massive win for Dana and her fans! And it only gets better from there: The Owl House is coming back.

The Owl House is Back

Right after Glitch made the announcement, Dana went on social media to announce that we would be getting an Owl House graphic novel this September. We were actually supposed to get a graphic novel years ago, but it got canned until now. Just how Dana was able to pull this off, I don’t know, but I don’t really care. Named The Long-Lived King, the novel is set in the timeskip following the defeat of Belos and Luz moving to the Boiling Isles to attend college. According to the synopsis, King is struggling with the realization that he’ll outlive all his friends, and thus turns to the Collector for help erasing his bad memories. Unfortunately, whatever they do winds up erasing all of Luz’s memories by mistake!!

That is a genuinely horrifying thing to happen to someone like Luz. This means that she’s likely forgotten everyone and everything on the Boiling Isles as well as all the character growth she’s undergone. And while plenty of things were painful, she was able to come out of the other side a better person thanks to the family she made. And now that family has to help her regain her memories or risk losing the Luz we know and love forever!

I had always hoped that we would get more from the world of The Owl House that wasn’t fan-made, but given what happened to Dana, I had made peace with not seeing it again. So this is a massive and welcome surprise for me! And a welcome one! I don’t know how Dana pulled this off, but I hope this opens the door for more content.

I’m So Happy!

If you know me, then you know by now how big a fan I am of Matt and Dana. I want to see them both thrive, and I’m glad that they’re doing so well right now. They’re both incredibly talented people and I’m going to support what they’re doing for as long as I can. And this is just one small way for me to do so, so if you wanna help, then spread the word!

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes S2 Ep 5 Review

Where is Knuckleduster? After saving his daughter from being possessed by Queen Bee, the gruff Batman expy disappeared without a word to Koichi and Kazuho. Even if you haven’t already been spoiled by the manga, the fact that he’s one of the main characters makes it obvious that Knuckleduster would come back in the future. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was for us to see him again so soon! While he doesn’t reunite with the Crawler and Pop☆Step, we do get a look at what he’s been up to while he’s been away, as well as his past. Even better, we see Koichi and Kazuho team up with another beloved hero from the main series, Midnight! And I think that this episode makes knowing her ultimate fate in the main series hit a lot harder.

Mixer Time

The episode starts with Eraser Head and Tsukauchi discussing the Villain Factory’s latest means of distributing Trigger: college mixers. They’re using attendees to spike the drinks with a weaker dose of the drug to help find candidates for Next-Level Villains. Since Eraser Head isn’t the most social person, though, they turn to someone who’s better suited to go undercover: Nemuri Kayama, aka the hero Midnight!

I never paid much attention to the popularity of various characters in My Hero Academia, but I think that Midnight was one of the more popular female characters. Not so much because she was well-written or crucial to the overall story, but for the fanservice. How Horikoshi got the go-ahead for her dominatrix theme is beyond me, but I’m worldly enough to understand why it appeals to some people. Even better, the first half of this episode does her plenty of justice by showing off how good a people person she is while undercover at a mixer with Kazuho.

How is Having Kazuho at this Allowed?

That’s the part I don’t entirely get. Somehow, Midnight got Kazuho, someone who can’t be older than a high schooler, into going undercover with her. Even if Pop’s a vigilante hero and idol, bringing a minor to an event like this with legal adults feels a tad reckless. Honestly, I think the story did that to touch on the subplot about her crush on Koichi, since he and the guys from the Mad Hatters are the ones attending the mixer! The irony is that he never even learns it’s Kazuho in disguise, and she has to watch as he gets attention from the other girls.

I will say this: the twist about the wallflower with the eyes obscured by bangs being the culprit was a nice twist. It helps that she’s doing all this because she’s a yandere for her friend and doesn’t want anyone else to have her. What others would see as messed up, though, Midnight sees as sweet…even if she knocks everyone in the place besides Pop out with her Quirk.

Again, I can see the appeal behind Midnight. This episode had her giving off major soft dom vibes. However, she’s not the main highlight of the episode: it’s Knuckleduster. HE’S BACK!!!! FOR A SHORT WHILE, ANYWAY!

KNUCKLEDUSTER IS BACK!!

Despite accomplishing his goal of saving his daughter from Queen Bee, Knuckleduster hasn’t given up his vigilantism. He just decided to go to the places where he couldn’t take Koichi or Kazuho, travelling internationally on the trail of Trigger. In his first appearance since the first season, we see he’s still being a Batman expy by getting intel on Trigger distribution from a dealer in Hong Kong. After that, he returns to give a friend on the force the intel, but not before going to see his daughter while she’s in the hospital.

This is where Knuckle proves that he’s always been a good dad. He’s more understanding of what she wants in life, doesn’t yell at her unless he has to, and both are on better terms. She still plays guitar to annoy him, but he doesn’t seem to care. Endeavor could learn a thing or two from him.

Knuckleduster Had a Quirk Once

Most importantly, though, this episode confirms what was already hinted at: Knuckleduster was once the hero known as O’Clock. And I think the anime does a good job with dropping hints about this. The fact that Knuckle doesn’t have a Quirk anymore. The Scarred Man’s scar mimicking the one Knuckleduster has on his face. Everything lines up perfectly, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. All for One stole Knuckle’s Quirk and gave it to the Scarred Man. That’s why he tells his cop friend that the only way to stop him is to shoot to kill. He knows how dangerous his own power is, and thus says that with certainty.

I do wish that Knuckleduster had decided to meet with Koichi and Pop☆Step, but again, there are things that he has to do alone. It’s nice to see him, regardless. Plus, it looks like the next episode is going to be covering something much more interesting: the school days of Eraser Head, Present Mic, and their friend who will one day become Kurogiri. That is something I’m looking forward to seeing! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!

I Give “The Man Returns” a 4/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

One Piece Chapter 1173 Review/Recap

Everyone, we are in for one heck of an a**-whooping, because the Straw Hats and Giants are about to end Imu’s career! On the last piece of One Piece, we saw the free Straw Hats, New Giant Warrior Pirates, Gaban, and Jarul begin their counterattack, and it is glorious. Jarul not only cleared Loki’s name, but he got all the Giants to take up arms by effectively declaring war on the World Government. Ever since the God’s Knights showed up, we’ve had to see them run roughshod over Elbaph with little capable of stopping them. But in typical Celestial Dragon arrogance, Imu underestimated how deep their warrior spirit runs. And in this chapter alone, the Straw Hats and Giants manage to make not one, not two, but three major holes in Imu’s plan. The best part is that the blame for one of them lies squarely on the Knight Sommers.

Recap

In the West Village, we see Zoro, Hadrujin, and Stansen facing down the domi reversi’d Giant Warriors as they try to kill Jarul. Zoro asks for permission to cut the brainwashed enemies down, and Hadrujin agrees, as long as he spares their pride. Then the enemy taunts the two about their dream of uniting all Giants, and they tell Zoro to waste them.

Zoro jumps high into the air and over the Reversi’d Giants, keeping them from trapping him while he proceeds to hit them all with a Crossing of the Six Paths. Then he jumps in between Dorry and Brogy, prompting the two to aim at him. He dodges, and their attacks just hit each other, much to everyone’s surprise!

Elsewhere, Brook has somehow crawled his way to Gunko, who he starts calling Princess Shuri. He says that he knows her from his past, and that she had killed her father and his patron, calling her a “patricidal princess.” That seems to cause Gunko’s memories to return once again, as she yells at Brook to run, inadvertently undoing her arrows. However, Imu proceeds to retake control and they viciously attack Brook, demanding to know who they are. Elsewhere, Usopp, Jinbei, and Nami are freed, but Robin remains trapped in thorns and asks them to save the kids. Thankfully, Sanji seems to have gotten to their location.

Elsewhere, Sommers has almost led the captive kids to the ship, mocking Colon when he dares the Knight to fight them like a warrior. At that moment, though, Ripley and the kid’s families catch up to them, only to be blocked by the nightmare Nika. But since they’re a generation of warriors, though, they don’t hesitate to fight the monster. This gives Gerd, Goldberg, and Road enough time to unleash a joint attack that’s so powerful, it blows a hole through the monster’s torso! It begins to fall onto Sommers who bats it away to save himself. Instead, though, it lands on top of the ship and destroying it in the process!

Review

Oh, that is beautiful! That is what I call the beginning to a counterattack! I had to keep myself from laughing at the look on Sommers’ face! He just single-handedly ruined his master’s plans to abduct those kids, and without them as hostages, Imu will never be able to make the Giants do what he says! Once again, the arrogance of the Celestial Dragons is biting them in the butt. Of course, this isn’t the only thing that Imu underestimated about the Straw Hats and Giants.

Exhibit A: Zoro’s brilliant plan. When we first learned about Domi Reversi, the technique looked broken as they come. It spreads by having its victims surround anyone not controlled, infecting them like a plague. As Zoro proved, though, it doesn’t affect if you don’t let yourself get surrounded. As long as he was above them, he’s safe and able to hit them. In addition, while having Dorry and Brogy hit each other might seem bad for them, it’s about to get even worse. My theory was that Zoro’s plan was to reignite the two’s rivalry and have them start fighting each other again. While that didn’t happen this chapter, I think Oda’s set things up so that it takes place in the next few chapters. Because despite what Imu thinks, their abilities can’t take away someone’s free will altogether.

Gunko and Brook do know each other

Which brings us to exhibit b: Gunko and Brook. We’ve already seen how Imu can use their pacts with the Gorosei and God’s Knights to possess their bodies like puppets, and how they can turn people into demons under their thrall. However, this control isn’t as absolute as they think. Rocks was able to resist enough to ask Roger and Garp to stop him. Harald was able to break control for a short time. And as we’ve seen with Gunko, someone can regain their memories and free will even if Imu tries possessing them.

Most fans already figured out that Brook somehow knew Gunko when she was a kid, but this chapter confirms it. It seems like their relationship didn’t end well, though, as Brook thinks she killed her dad and his patron. However, I don’t entirely buy that she did that of her own free will. Now that we know that she wasn’t born a Celestial Dragon, but abducted by Imu, it’s safe to say that Gunko has been under Imu’s control. My guess (which is probably right) is that Gunko was forced to kill her dad by Imu. As we’ve already seen, Imu couldn’t erase everything about her past, as shown by her fondness for Brook’s music. Hopefully, if Brook can keep putting pressure on her, she could throw Imu off altogether, if only for a while.

Imu Underestimated the Warrior Spirit of Elbaph

And, of course, we have exhibit c of how Imu and the Knights screwed up: underestimating the warrior spirit of the Giants. BIG TIME. They thought that the rest of the Giants were as peaceful and compliant as Harald was, but they were wrong. Dead wrong. The warrior spirit of Elbaph is still alive. All that Imu has managed to do was to convince them to channel it into something productive: fighting evil. Once this is all over, Elbaph will declare war on the World Government.

I’m having the time of my life reading One Piece right now, and for good reason. Imu is about to watch all their plans go up in smoke, and if the rumors about the next chapter are to be believed, they’re about to lose all their leverage. It’s all downhill for Imu and the Knights from here!

I Give “The Warrior Generation” a 4.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

My Hero Academia S2 Ep 4 Review

When you’re a hero in a place full of heroes, team-ups happen pretty often. It’s what they do. When you’re a vigilante, and you have to team up with a licensed hero, though, things can get complicated. By this point, several pro heroes know about Koichi and Kazuho’s vigilante activities. However, since they’re relatively responsible with their Quirks and help cover places they can’t, the pros have let them do what they want. Until, that is, Koichi almost crosses a line to becoming a threat to public safety with his Quirk. And in front of Eraser Head, no less. He’s lucky that the newest experiment of the Villain Factory shows up, or he would be in huge trouble!

Koichi, Why?

In the last episode, Koichi discovered something cool about his Quirk: he can use it to fire repulsion blasts. Since that led him to break his own window, he and Pop agreed he shouldn’t do that again…is what Pop thought! In reality, Koichi keeps practicing this new move in secret until Kazuho busts him and gives him another scolding. And I’m with Pop on this one; he shouldn’t use his Quirk like that!

In the world of MHA, you need an actual license to fire Quirk-based projectiles. Heroes like Eraser Head, Midnight, and Ingenium have been willing to look the other way with the duo because of how helpful they’ve been, but this is a step too far. Koichi could end up in jail for this. Unfortunately for him, he’s forced into a solo situation where he has no choice but to use this new talent: another next-level villain shows up. And then Eraser Head.

Ever since Narufest, Eraser Head has been regularly patrolling Naruhata to find the source of Trigger, much to the dismay of the small-time crooks turned pharmacists known as the Hotta Brothers. I couldn’t resist letting out a giggle seeing him show up just to drink coffee. Either he’s really that inconsiderate, or he’s doing it just to annoy them, and I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. Fortunately, that means when this new villain, Octoid, shows up and sends Koichi running, Eraser Head is there to help.

The bad news? Not only does Aizawa see Koichi use that “shooty go blam” power, as Koichi puts it, but his own powers don’t stop Octoid. It’s all physical. Thus, their only option is to team up to take down this threat.

Another Team-up of Heroes

Having read a lot of comics growing up, I know for a fact that a team-up between street-level heroes is pretty common. In most cases, it helps them take down much larger and more powerful enemies. And seeing the four, plus that other mantis guy, Kirihito, team up to fight Octoid feels a lot like one of those comics. Unfortunately, their efforts almost end up being in vain when Octoid manages to escape from their trap. And as it turns out, Koichi’s new move isn’t that effective. All it did was make the villain angry and make Eraser Head want to bring him in. This should be an important lesson, Koichi: either get good and responsible with that move, or don’t use it.

In the end, it’s not even the group that stops Octoid. It’s the Scarred Man (or Scarred Speedster, as I call him.) We could already tell that this mystery man was dangerous and bloodthirsty, but he takes it up a notch in this episode. When Octoid cuts his face, he crashes out and almost beats the villain to death in response! That is the kind of behavior you see from an unhinged serial killer! Octoid is lucky that he’s alive to be taken to jail!

In the end, Koichi manages to walk away from his team-up with Eraser Head, with the hero deciding not to take him in. He even covers for him by saying he doesn’t know Koichi when they run into each other alongside Tsukauchi. Such is the life of a hero, though. I’m looking forward to seeing Koichi develop further as he continues to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “A Rational Man” a 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

My Hero Academia S2 Ep 3 Review

If there’s one benefit that Vigilantes has over My Hero Academia, it’s that its more low-stakes story enables it to focus more on the slice-of-life aspects of being a hero. Most great superheroes at least attempt to have a life outside the costume, and it’s those moments that helped to humanize them. Or, in the case of that mysterious speedster villain, show how far removed they seem to be from humanity as this episode focuses on those ups and downs of the game of heroes and villains.

LOL, All Might is So Adorkable

The episode opens up in what has to be both the most fantastic yet silliest way possible: All Might stopping three giant Kaiju in Okinawa, before leaping back into the sky on his way. Keep in mind, Vigilantes either takes place around or just before the time he and All for One have the fight that almost kills them both, so this is when the hero is still in his relative prime. And he’s as good as we think he was…and just as adorkable when he’s not on duty.

I really liked seeing the meetups between All Might in his civilian guise and Officer Tsukauchi. They have a relationship like Batman and Commissioner Gordon, with Tsukauchi being one of the few who knows who All Might really is. Seeing the hero panic when he sees Tsukauchi’s injuries and sheepishly giving him gifts from grateful citizens is incredibly heartwarming. They are as close as friends can hope to be, and it’s clear it goes both ways. After all, Tsukauchi gives All Might his own gifts and, while not seen in the anime, it’s shown that he handles all the paperwork for the spontaneous acts of heroism that he does. Tsukauchi is a good friend to have in the force.

Or, if you’re Makoto, a big pain. Naomasa knows that his sister knows the real identities of PopStep and the Crawler, and he disapproves of their vigilantism. But Makoto refuses to sell them out. Even worse for him, she’s so smart that if he says the wrong thing, she’ll learn things that are meant to be kept private. For example, using the gift bag he got from All Might, she figures out he knows someone at his agency. That’s incredibly close to the truth, and he can’t afford her getting in over her head!

It still makes what he does next funny, though. He uses the bath salts All Might got for Makoto for himself, and is embarrassed by how nice everyone thinks he smells.

Who is this Guy?

As all this is happening, we see the mysterious speedster who attacked the idol event training and talking to All for One. At the same time, the cops are busy looking for more info on this attacker, and they come to a surprising revelation. As it stands, this attacker’s Quirk is very similar in nature to a hero that hasn’t been heard from in a while: O’Clock. They were also a speedster and part of the last generation of heroes, but they dropped off the face of the earth years ago. This new O’Clock is too young to be the original, and there is the potential for a Quirk to appear twice in different people. However, given how this villain is working for All for One, it’s more likely the Quirk was stolen and given to him. Either way, that’s not good.

Koichi’s New Move

Meanwhile, Koichi and Kazuho resume their vigilante activities as Koichi continues to experiment with his Quirk some more. He already learned he could use Slide and Glide to stick to objects like Spider-Man, but in this episode, he learns a power that not even Spidey has. He can use his Quirk to fire propulsion blasts from his palms like he’s Iron Man! At first, he’s happy to find something that can help fight offensively, and is eager to show off to Kazuho. As soon as he does, though, he breaks one of his windows. Which is something that Knuckleduster would do, not him.

They both agree that the power is too great.

Don’t Be Like Knuckleduster

It’s nice to see how even though they both miss Knuckleduster, they haven’t forgotten about his faults. Well-meaning as he might have been, Knuckleduster was still a very uncouth, violent, and inconsiderate guy who roped them into this life against their will. Neither of them wants to be like him, and so they use him as an image of what not to be. As Koichi puts it, he’s still teaching them something even after leaving. It’s funny, but still sweet.

There wasn’t a lot of action going on in this episode, but I don’t think that that’s necessarily a bad thing. Like I said, the lowkey stakes means that the show can focus more on the everyday lives of the characters. And one thing I’ve learned about writing a good Shonen manga is that the supporting cast needs time to grow. That way, they can support the main protagonist so they don’t have to carry the story. The next episode, though, looks to be focusing more on one of the coolest characters in the franchise, Eraser Head. Considering how he’s like another Batman for MHA, I’m looking forward to learning more about him. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “Public and Private” a 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes S2 Ep 2 Review

Even when they’re not trying to find it, it seems like trouble seems to find Koichi and Kazuho. All they wanted was to have a nice day trip to do some idol stuff to promote Kazuho as Pop☆Step. Instead, this crab girl cop managed to drag right into the middle of a sting op looking for Trigger being sold using the venue as cover! But since they were just caught up in everything for once, this episode doesn’t really focus on our two vigilantes. Instead, our attention lies firmly with the heroes and cops sting op, and the member of the organization that’s distributing Trigger.

Crab Girl Almost Ruins Everything

As we learned at the end of the last episode, Monika Kaniyashiki, the idol that Koichi and Pop met at the idol event, is actually an undercover cop. And honestly, I can totally understand why she was chosen for the job. Being an undercover cop requires a fair amount of acting skills and charisma to pull off, and Monika’s goofy nature makes it easy for her to win the confidence of strangers. She was able to talk the seafood workers into letting her inspect their goods with no effort. On top of that, she’s a good detective. She was able to figure out that the Villain Factory was using cooling packs in the packages to smuggle Trigger. Unfortunately, it seems her goofiness is genuine, as it ends up putting Pop in danger once she blows the cover on the Villain Factory’s agent.

Who is this Guy?

The scarred man that Fat and the police face is someone we’ve seen before. He was the one who retrieved that last bee from Queen Bee’s hive after Knuckleduster killed them. At the time, it looked like he was some kind of speedster, which seems pretty rare in the MHA-verse. As this episode shows, however, it’s not actually a speedster power. Instead of providing raw speed, the man’s Quirk lets him speed up his brain and perception of time to the point where they can think and react faster than everyone around him, to the point where everyone else is moving in slow-motion. In other words, he just thinks and acts faster than everyone else than actually being faster.

As if to emphasize this, Tsukauchi manages to get a shot off on the Scarred Man that someone like Flash or Quicksilver could avoid. They don’t need a cooldown, which means it’s not a true speedster power. But even so, this guy was able to get away with a classic villain move: distraction. He makes the crab robots the workers were using go berserk and self-destruct, destroying all the evidence of the Villain Factory’s ops. More importantly, it puts Pop☆Step in danger since she’s piloting one of them due to Monika bailing to do her actual job.

Koichi Saves the Day

Good going, crab girl! You almost got an innocent bystander killed! Thankfully, she, Fat Gum, and Koichi were able to prevent a tragedy from unfolding.

As a lover of superheroes, I have to give the anime props for having Fat Gum and Monika perform a fastball special. However, they wouldn’t have been able to save Pop in time if Koichi hadn’t used his new ability to get to her in time. Granted, Monika the crab girl was the one who saved her, and Fat was able to tank the damage. But Crawler was able to get Pop clear of the blast. So, I’d say it was a team effort. And Kazuho did thank him afterwards.

So, the heroes and police didn’t get anything useful, and the villain got away, but no lives were lost. Koichi and Kazuho were able to fly under the radar once again, but their luck might not last much longer. Tsukauchi learned that his sister is acting as their agent/manager. And given how she’s knowingly aiding two vigilantes, that puts him in a bit of a bind. The next episode is going to be plenty awkward.

I Give “Crabtastic Rampage!” a 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

One Piece Chapter 1172 Review/Recap

The God’s Knights are so screwed. If I could have the displeasure of talking to them right now, I couldn’t begin to tell them how screened they are. Now that Luffy and Hadrujin know the real reasons behind King Harald’s death and the flashback is over, now comes the part of the story where the Straw Hats start hitting back. It’s a very formulaic type of storytelling, but Oda makes it so spectacular that I can’t even complain. And the best part is that it’s not just the Straw Hats Imu has to worry about. They’ve managed to awaken not just one sleeping giant, but an entire nation of them.

Recap

As the group minus Luffy and Loki makes their way up to the sunland, Scopper explains the situation. There are three enemies in the form of the God’s Knights trying to kidnap the Giant children. If they get to the ship, it’s over. Gunko’s guiding them with her arrows, Sommers is guarding them with his thorns, and Qillingham’s nightmares are preventing anyone from getting near them. When they get up there, though, it’s even worse than they thought: it’s chaos. The school and library are on fire, Dorry and Brogy are possessed, Nami and half the crew are captured, and Brook’s up and disappeared!

The group decides to divide and conquer. Part of them heads to rescue the Straw Hats, others to protect Jarul, and the rest to save the kids. And that is when Jarul decides to make a speech to all of Elbaph. A speech so epic that I have to explain it in my own words.

Harald’s Speech in Jay’s own Words

“Listen up, young’guns, because I’ve got some things to say before I die. King Harald was a great man who wanted us to join the World Government and show everyone that us Giants of Elbaph aren’t so scary. But he was betrayed by monsters who only sought to use him and our country as weapons. And on a fateful day fourteen years ago, I saw those monsters send a demon to make him bend the knee and slaughtered all his guards when he refused. Harald gave his life to protect Elbaph, but not before he gave Loki the chance to strike down this evil before it could enslave us all!

We could have told everyone the truth of what happened, but Loki knew that this would make us cry out for blood and become the warmongering nation we once were. So I kept silent while Loki bore the rage of our nation on his back as he set out to sea to avenge his father. He may be tactless and has given us a lot of grief over the years, but he ain’t no patricidal punk!

We thought that it was all over that day, but on this day, fourteen years later, the World Government has sent three more demons to our home to enslave us by taking our children hostage. And they did all of this because they thought Harald being a reasonable guy meant that we would roll over like B*****! But they ****** up, because they have no idea who they’re messing with!

Listen up, Demons! You can make us burn our schools, our libraries, and try to erase who we are, but if you think that we’re going to submit and be patient like Harald, you’re wrong. If you think that your thorns, arrows, demons, and nightmare illusions would be enough to break us, then you bastards have no idea who you’re messing with! If the ancient prophecies say that the world will one day be split in two, then so be it! We will never bow or bend to their authority, and we will protect the peaceful world that Harald dreamed of. From this day forth, the World Government is the enemy of ALL ELBAPH! WHAT SAY YOU, WARRIORS OF ELBAPH?”

Elbaph Declares War

All of Elbaph erupts into cheers and cries of defiance as the Giants begin to take up their weapons. The warrior spirit of Elbaph has reawakened, leaving everyone fired up (and Usopp in tears!) At that moment, Dorry and Brogy reach Jarul, but so do Hadrujin and Zoro’s group…and Zoro has a plan!

Review

The following basically sums up my reaction to this chapter:

Haven’t I been saying it since the Knights appeared in Elbaph? They came to do some BS to make the Giants of Elbaph submit and become their warrior slaves for the final war that’s fast approaching. Not only was it not going to work, but I said that it was going to reignite the Giants warrior spirit and make them take up arms once more. Of course, I think people who have come to understand Oda’s writing style by now likely thought the same thing, so I can’t be smug about it. And while I’ve heard that some people are saying this chapter sucks, I want to explain why I think it’s the opposite.

Firstly, there’s the map Oda drew showing the current situation. As this person on Twitter pointed out, having a map drawn means that Oda is taking us on a long ride. This is going to be a battle fought on multiple fronts, which means that the Straw Hats and New Giant Warrior Pirates ha E to divide and conquer. Which, of course, means we can expect a lot of big fights going forward. We’ve got Zoro and Hadrujin’s group fighting Dorry and Brogy, Road and Gerd are going to try and rescue the kids, and the rest are likely going to save the others and the school and library. And that’s not even getting into Luffy and Loki’s inevitable arrival.

Speaking of Loki, I’m so glad that Jarul decided to clear his name. He may be a trouble-making delinquent, but he does love Elbaph in his own way, and genuinely regrets having to kill his own father. Even better, Jarul was able to keep Harald’s good name intact with the way that he phrased the truth of the massacre. As much as I think the whole truth should be known by all, now is not the right time to reveal that. It would just confuse everyone, and that is not what Elbaph needs. It needs to be focused on going to war.

This is the best of What Harald and Ida wanted for Elbaph

Having gotten to know Harald and what he stood for, you would think that the Giants taking up arms again would spit in his memory. However, it’s the opposite. Before Harald changed his ways, the Giants of Elbaph ran around picking fights with everyone for the love of the game. Thanks to Ida, Harald saw how messed up that was and how there was more his people could offer the world than violence. At the end of her life, though, Ida had realized that the warrior ways of Elbaph were not inherently evil, and could be used for good. Say, some jerkwads come barging into your home, kidnap your kids, and try to make you do what they say.

What we’re seeing is the fusion of the ideals of Harald and Ida in the best way possible. Instead of fighting each other or fighting a war for tyranny, the Giants are fighting to defend themselves from it. And once the Knights are dealt with, they’re undoubtedly going to throw their support behind Luffy in the final war. Loki will get his wish to destroy the world. Or rather, the World Government, which needs to go!

Speaking of Loki, I can’t wait to see what he and Luffy can do teamed up. Between them both, I dont think the God’s Knights stand a chance. In addition, I think Zoro’s plan is to have Dorry and Brogy restart their rivalry and get them to fight each other. As for Brook, it’s looking more and more like the theory that Gunko knew him when he was alive is right. Maybe they were friends before Gunko became Imu’s servant. If that’s true, then even the Covenant with Imu can’t fully break someone.

I dont care what anyone says about this chapter. It was meant to set us up for the rollercoaster ride we’re about to ride. And that epic speech (which I urge you to read) made it all worthwhile. The Giants are about to bring Ragnarok down on Imu, and it’s gonna be epic!!!

I Give “The Elbaph I dreamed of” a 4/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.