RJ Writing Ink

One Piece Chapter 1163 Review/Recap

How did Rocks D. Xebec die? When we first learned about Rocks from Sengoku, he said that he fell at the God Valley Incident at the hands of Gol D. Roger and Garp working together. Most of us, myself included, were focused on the fact that there was someone so tough that the future Pirate King and Hero of the Marines had to work together to beat him, but the context still had us shaking our heads. We know that the cover-up that they did it to save some Celestial Dragons was sus, but it turns out that Oda has already given us the answer to Rocks’ death. More importantly, it likely explains King Harald’s own death. They both died because of Imu and their technique, Domi Reversi.

Recap

With Saturn now possessed by Imu, the shadow ruler of the world wastes no time in clearing the field. They proceed to slaughter any unlucky Marines who saw them, sending most of them and the remaining pirate running for the hills. Garp, on the other hand, decides to charge straight in, not caring who Saturn is.

While the other Rocks pirates keep fighting for the treasure, Dragon almost makes it to a Marine ship with Shanks. Sadly, he gets knocked out and drops Shanks, who crawls into a treasure chest.

In the middle of everything, Rocks defiantly calls Imu the king of the bilge rats, while Imu calls him Davy Jones before the two begin fighting. Then Kaido wants a piece of the action, and Big Mom tries to attack him for stealing the fruit. The next thing we know, Rocks, Roger, Garp, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido all hit Imu with their strongest attacks at once.

It doesn’t work. Worse, Imu sees Eris and Teach trying to escape, enraging Rocks. But instead of going after them themselves, Imu decides to make Rocks end his own bloodline. Ensnared in Imu’s tentacles, Rocks is subjected to Domi Reversi, and begins to make a terrifying transformation.

Review

It’s official, you guys: One Piece is doing Rocks dirty. I don’t need to be a prophet or see the future to know how this is going to end for him. Imu is going to force Rocks to try and kill his wife and child, and then Roger and Garp will have to put him out of his misery. What an ignominious way to end the story of the man who ruled the seas before Roger came along. So, Sengoku might be right all along: Rocks falls at the hands of Garp and Roger, but not for the reasons he and others who weren’t there were told. It was a cover-up on top of a cover-up to keep the Marines from learning about the existence of Imu. More importantly, it was a way for Imu to keep the free-spirited and morally just Garp working with the Marines. Making him out as their hero would make it impossible for him to abandon them even after learning about Imu, and it would prevent anyone else from learning.

Beyond that, though, did you see how awesome that double-page spread was?!? Six of the strongest people in the world at the time hit Imu with their strongest attacks! That is something that we haven’t seen before or since! If it had been anyone else, they would likely be dead! Unfortunately, Imu isn’t anyone else. In fact, I’m not even sure if they’re human! The fact that Imu was able to take their hits and keep fighting, though, bodes ill for the Straw Hats. If the future King of the Pirates, Rocks, Garp, and three of the four future Yonko couldn’t do any damage, then the Straw Hats are in for it.

Domi Reversi is Truly Horrifying

The most terrifying aspect about this chapter, though, is what Imu does to Rocks. Rocks was someone who could fight on par with Roger and Harald, two of the strongest people in the entire series. Yet not even he was able to resist Domi Reversi. If someone like him is capable of falling to that technique, then what does that mean for Luffy and the others? It’s possible that Luffy might be an exception due to being the next Joy Boy, but I don’t want to risk seeing it.

This chapter does at least confirm something that I’ve already suspected: Imu is responsible for King Harald’s death. He must have used Dommi Reversi on Harald to turn him into a demon, forcing the Giants guarding him to kill him in self-defense. Loki would end up getting blamed for it since everyone already thought the worst about him, and the rest is history. All the more reason why Imu cannot conquer Elbaph, though.

This was a really great chapter. And I mean a really great chapter. We got to see just how terrifying Imu is thanks to scaling them against people many consider monsters. More importantly, we learn how Shanks found his way to Roger, as well as some world-building by showing the powers of the other Rocks Pirates. These next few chapters are going to be heart-breaking, though.

I Give “God Valley Battle Royale” a 4.5/5

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Solar Opposites Final Season Review

It was a fun ride while it lasted, but after five years, six seasons, and four specials, Solar Opposites has come to an end. It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that one of Hulu’s best original animated series is over, but there comes a time when things have to come to an end. Given everything that it was up against, though, it’s kind of amazing that it’s lasted as long as it has. It started out being overshadowed by Co-creator Justin Roiland’s more famous show, Rick and Morty. Then, it was marred by the controversy brought about by the allegations against Roiland himself. Either one could’ve ensured Solar Opposites suffered a premature end, but I weathered both of them. Now, it’s got its own dedicated fanbase and identity and all the better for it. But did this final season manage to land on its feet?

Honestly, yes.

The Solar Opposites Took a Lot of Attention

In the past, I have normally spent the better part of my reviews focusing on the secondary plots, AKA The Wall and the Silvercops. However, a big part of this final season is also one that surprised me the most: the episodic plots felt better than the serialized stuff this time around.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed seeing whatever it is the Solar Opposites are doing each episode. With the lion’s share of the serialized elements reserved for things like The Wall, though, most of the things the Solar Opposites do tend to be one-off. Story elements do carry over from past episodes, but everything still feels self-contained. Since this is the final season, though, it feels like the showrunners wanted to give everyone as satisfying a conclusion as possible. They requires character growth, and that requires more serialized storytelling. And the season starts off on a very strong note, with the first episode seeing most of the machines the Solar Opposites use to make money getting destroyed.

The Solar Opposites Grow as a Family

Without the ability to make diamonds and other forms of cash, the Solar Opposites are forced to buckle down and start making changes to their lifestyles. They have to sell most of their tech just to get by, meaning they can’t bail themselves out as much anymore, and have to adapt to Earth more than ever. This isn’t the first time that they’ve had to do so, but what makes this different from the Season Three finale is that this time, they really can’t fall back on their sci-fi tech. Ironically, by pushing themselves outside their safety net, the Solar Opposites are able to thrive like never before. Yumulack and Jesse have to start applying themselves at school, and they discover that they’re geniuses. So much so that they’re able to become the best students at school and co-student council presidents. Terry, after a stint loving romantasy novels (and meeting the fairies who write them), he starts writing his own, and they do so well, they become best-sellers! He even manages to get them made into blockbuster films by the end of the series!

Yet all of that pales in comparison to the character growth showcased by Korvo, and it starts with the return of their old CO, Commander Zarck.

Korvo Has Come into his Own

For those who don’t know, Zarck was the one originally supposed to be in charge of the mission, but to prove to everyone how badly they needed him, he used a machine to erase their memories of him. By the time they remember him and he returns at the start of the season, they’ve all but gone native. Yet Zarck’s return forces Korvo to step and prove once and for all that he’s the better team leader while Zarck doesn’t play much of a role afterwards. It shows just how much Korvo has come into his own as a leader and a character. Yet even that is overshadowed by what is the culmination of Korvo’s entire arc throughout the show. When the Pupa starts to prematurely terraform the Earth, Korvo makes the decision to destroy its means of doing so, making it so that they can never fulfill their mission. The Korvo of Season One wouldn’t have hesitated to let the process go through, but he’s grown to love Earth just as much as his adoptive family has. That’s some good character development.

It also turns out that Korvo made the right decision, not just for Earth, but for all Shlorpians everywhere.

What a Twist with the Silvercops!

Throughout the final season, one sub-plot that remains largely on the sidelines is that of Glen and the Silvercops. Last season, Glen joined the Goldcops to go undercover in the Silvercops to bring them down. This leads into the series finale where Glen (now called Dodge) returns to Earth with the Silvercops where we get the biggest twist in the entire series: the Silvercops created the Shlorpians!

For centuries, the Silvercops had been manufacturing Pupas and using them to create Planet Shlorps that they could then destroy. While the Shlorpians would go out and terraform other worlds, they would harvest the resources for money. It’s an intergalactic scam that’s killed countless people and made the Shlorpians the most hated beings in the galaxy!

This was a really good twist. Not only did it reveal that the Solar Opposites did the right thing by defying their mission, but it reframes everything that happens throughout the series. And in the end, Dodge and Goldcops are able to shut the Silvercops down for good, thereby freeing Shlorpians everywhere and the Solar Opposites to be a family. Even better, Korvo gets to travel the galaxy and tell other Shlorpians they can forget the mission and chill. It’s a happy ending for everyone!

At least until the Earth gets destroyed by the Wallians 90 years in the future.

The Wall Stumbled at the End there

From day one, I’ve kept saying that my favorite part of Solar Opposites has been the story of The Wall. For many fans, it was their favorite part of the series. The show took this silly idea of a bunch of shrunken down people living in a terrarium and turned it into this epic that spanned the entire show. At it’s best, The Wall felt like watching Game of Thrones at the peak of its writing. Ironically, though, I can’t help but feel that, much like Game of Thrones, The Wall stumbled on the last lap.

After the events in The Backyard from last season, Cherie decided to stop running from power and just take the reins of The Wall as its Queen. The implication was that Cherie was going to turn into the same kind of tyrant that she spent the entire show fighting against, but much to my surprise, that never really manifests. Especially since two big developments take place: Ringo, AKA the Duke, comes back, having been returned from the dead by the Solar Opposites, and the Wallians unite for the sole purpose of getting the shrink ray from Yumulack. But despite this interesting premise and getting to see Ringo come to terms with his past, none of the new characters from last season return or have any impact on what happens. Having grown to appreciate these newcomers for what they added, it feels a little jarring not to have them in this grand finale.

Cherie Continues to Make Mistakes

I will say this about the end to The Wall story, though: it’s final act shows us how much Cherie has grown as a character throughout the show, and not for the better. During their mission to get the shrink ray, in a moment of vulnerability, Cherie admits that she no longer cares about the other Wallians. All she cares about is protecting Pezlie. This leads to the saddest twist of the entire story; after blackmailing Yumyulack into restoring everyone to normal size, it’s revealed that doing so would end up killing Pezlie. Thus, her team decides to stay small and not tell anyone the truth while forcing Yumulack to make The Wall a better place.

Cherie. Good Intentions, but Doesn’t Think Things Through

This is some pretty good character development on the part of the show. After spending most of her story fighting against tyrants and deception, Cherie winds up becoming that what she fought against. She chooses to lie to everyone about being able to return to normal so that Pezlie won’t be alone in the world. It’s a selfish decision, and one that the distant epilogue shows will ultimately end in most of the world being destroyed. Yet at the same time, you can’t help but understand where Cherie is coming from. She’s just trying to be a good mom to her daughter and give her the best life she can have.

As is the case in real life, things like this can lead people to make selfish decisions that benefit no one but themselves. Yet this isn’t something that’s coming out of nowhere, either. It was shown back in Season Four that Cherie was willing to bend her ideals if it meant protecting her daughter, even if that could lead to other people getting hurt. And, as we come to see, it winds up destroying everything in the future. I don’t know about you guys, but knowing that the world winds up getting destroyed kind of makes the happy ending of the finale feel pointless. Not only do I not like downer endings, but I don’t like happy-ending overrides. In other words, Solar Opposites hit two of my pet peeves.

I’ll Miss You, Solar Opposites!

Despite all of this, though, I still think that Solar Opposites managed to end things on a high note. I think that the series was fun from start to finish, and I’ve already started rewatching some of the older episodes. It’s just that good! More importantly, though, this is the show that introduced me to the work of Mike McMahan, who helped to create my favorite Star Trek series, Lower Decks. I never would’ve gotten into that show had it not been for Solar Opposites! So for a show that started out in the shadow of Rick and Morty, I’d say that Solar Opposites has created something all its own. Not bad for a bunch of weird plant aliens.

I Give the Final Season of Solar Opposites a 4/5

One Piece Chapter 1162 Review/Recap

Despite everyone believing that there would be no new chapter this week, Oda managed to pull it off. His dedication to his story is impressive; concerning, but impressive. After reading this chapter, though, I can understand why he was so eager to want to get it out. The God Valley Incident manages to get even crazier and crazier by the minute, and it might be about to hit its climax. If we thought the Five Elders transformation on Egghead Island was scary, then what Rocks faces at God Valley is flat-out terrifying!

Recap

The chaos in God Valley continues! With Rayleigh having saved Shakky, the two lovers run for it while the other pirates start going after the remaining treasure. In the midst of the chaos, Kuma and Ivankov get their hands on the Paw-Paw Fruit, only for Big Mom to snatch the fruit that turns someone into a dragon. She wanted to give it to her son Katakuri, but Kaido grabbed and ate it first.

Garp, meanwhile, comes across the bodies of the slain citizens and slaves of God Valley and is rightfully horrified, unaware of what was happening. Kuma, meanwhile, starts helping people escape the island with his new powers.

Meanwhile, Rocks manages to save his wife and son, only for them to be pursued by Garling and the demonized members of the Davy Clan. Eris gets Rocks to let her escape on her own, telling him to meet her in Lulusia. Reluctantly, Rocks lets her go on ahead and proceeds to beat Garling and the others’ faces in.

While everything else is going on, Imu speaks to Saturn, who tells him that things are not going to plan. Deciding enough is enough, Imu takes control of Saturn and has him turn into his monstrous form, it’s Haki catching the attention of everyone on the island! And in the final page of the chapter, we see the likes of Rocks, Whitebeard, and Kaido in his dragon form standing side by side as they’re preparing to face down what Rocks calls “the world.”

Oda, you absolute madman! I can fully understand why you were so determined to get this chapter out. You just made the stocks of everyone who isn’t Garling and Big Mom shoot sky high!

Let’s start with Garp. He has officially beaten the allegations against him about supporting what the Celestial Dragons did at God Valley. His genuine horror proves that he really had no clue what they were doing. In fact, what he goes through on that island makes him question justice itself; it was truly a battle royale with things like morality flung out the window! I always thought that it was weird that Garp and Roger would team up to save the Celestial Dragons by taking down Rocks, but now I’m doubting if that even happens. For all we know, that might be a cover story the World Government came up with to hide the existence of Imu. Considering how embarrassing something like that was the only excuse they could come up with, it shows just how bad things got.

As for Big Mom, this chapter has her straight up embarrassed by Kaido, who took his Devil Fruit right out of her hands and ate it in front of her. And the grin on his face as he did it was priceless. He trolled her! All of Big Mom’s talk of Kaido owing her for the fruit was just her coping with the embarrassment! Kaido might be a bad guy, but I can’t help but smirk at his actions. And also smile at seeing how he mastered his fruit right away.

Garling is Mid

This chapter also pretty much shattered the hype around Garling, as he outright lost against Rocks. In fact, I think the entire God Valley Incident has shattered the aura of invincibility that the God’s Knights have. Gaban already proved they can be beaten, but these last two chapters have shown how they’re no match for the Rocks or Roger Pirates in their prime. It shows how much the Straw Hats have to go to be at their level, but it gives me hope.

Speaking of hope, despite what he grows up to be, seeing Teach and his mother seemingly escape God Valley is still a heartwarming sight. Say what you want about Rocks, but he did love his family and protect them like a parent should. As someone on Twitter pointed out, this also explains why Blackbeard names his flagship the Sabre of Xebec. It was the last thing he ever saw of his father. It was also heartwarming to see Kuma save all those people. I only hope that they got to live happier lives after all this.

The OG Monster Trio

The big highlight of the chapter, though, has to be that final panel. Rocks, Kaido, and Whitebeard, three of the strongest pirates of all time, are getting ready to face off against Imu himself. This is the second time that Rocks meets Imu, but this also retroactively confirms that Kaido and Whitebeard had some idea about who was really in charge of the world. In other words, they knew way more than we thought.

I am more than happy to wait for Oda to rest for the next week until we get the next chapter. This was absolute chaos, and that is when One Piece seems to be at its best.

I Give “God Valley Battle Royale” a 4.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1157 Review/Recap

Have you ever heard the story of the Trojan War? In modern terms, the whole reason it was started was from simping. The Greeks and the Trojans started it because they were simping over Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world. Why bring this up now? Because I think that the whole reason the God Valley Incident ended up taking place was because the Celestial Dragons kidnapped the Pirates Helen of Troy.

Recap

After the Rocks Pirates were officially formed, no one on the seas was safe. Over the course of the next two years, they proceeded to rob anything that crossed their line of sight. Ports and villages were destroyed, dozens of ships sunk, and an entire nation was leveled. They committed crimes so bad that they had to be covered up! And all the while, Rocks was still trying to get Harald to join him.

For his part, Harald had kept trying to get the World Government to let Elbaph join. But because he refused to turn a blind eye to their bullying of unaligned nations, he kept hitting roadblocks. Not even giants joining the Marines helped. Eventually, the Gorosei made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: if he killed Rocks, they would let Elbaph join.

Meanwhile, the pirate world was rocked by scandal. Shakky, captain of the Kuja Pirates, had quit! Her fans were devastated…until she showed up on Hachinosu saying she wanted to hide out there and start her own business. The pirates didn’t hesitate to help her, and by the time the Rocks Pirates had returned, Shakky’s Rip-Off Bar was open for business. Thus, she became the treasure of Hachinosu.

…uh-oh.

Review

I think most of the fandom already thought this, so I’m only saying it: Shakky is the cause of the God Valley Incident.

It makes sense, when you think about it. Like Helen of Troy, Shakky was the most beautiful woman in the world in her youth. The Celestial Dragons would be arrogant and stupid enough to kidnap her. That would lead the Rocks Pirates and every other pirate to storm God Valley in search of Shakky. In a weird way, it’s funny to think that the incident that ends up bringing down Rocks D. Xebec, the man who ran roughshod over the world, happened because of a Pirate Helen of Troy. I guess simping is a constant in every reality.

Then there’s also the Five Elders’ ultimatum. I know that Rocks and Harald’s friendship is a little one-sided on Rocks’ part, but really? Are they really so cowardly that they’re resorting to this? On second thought, of course they would. There’s no level that they’re not willing to sink to. Rocks is right about one thing, though: the World Government doesn’t deserve Elbaph. They never have. This was a nice way to learn the origin of Shakky’s bar, though. I know I would visit, if only for the ambiance.

I Give “The Legendary Bar” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 10 Review

When it comes to Rick and Morty, it can be hard to predict how an episode will turn out. The previews are often made to be vague or misleading to keep audiences unsure how things will go (or at least me.) For the season eight finale of Rick and Morty, though, not only was I able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly, but it also led to another emotional moment for the series. In this case, Rick manages to find some sort of closure about the loss of his beloved wife, Diane.

Memory Rick is Back!

If the preview for the finale didn’t make it obvious, someone has been monkeying with Jerry’s memories, and it doesn’t take long for anyone to figure out who it is. The culprit is none other than Memory Rick, the sentient memory of Rick Sanchez created from Birdperson’s memories. He hitched a ride into Rick’s mind, but wound up in Jerry’s when they got scrambled together. Since then, he’s been re-writing Jerry’s memories in an effort to live the family life that Rick never got…until Rick pulls him out and traps him in a mind prison as punishment. Memory or not, though, Rick is still Rick, and Memory Rick is determined to get out.

Meanwhile, our Rick is inspired by the incident to become more emotionally open, and the only way to do that is let go of the memory of his late wife, Diane. So he literally extracts the memory and puts it into another mind prison, allowing him to open up to others. That leads to its own difficulties, though, as he winds up fighting a bug prince in a gladiator fight.

What matters more, though, is how even after avenging his wife and original Beth and trying to move on, Rick is still unable to let go of Diane. What makes it even darker, though, is how Rick reveals that he can’t even fully recall what Diane was like anymore. Not because it’s been so long, but because the device Rick Prime used to erase all Dianes messed with his memories of her. Rick is loving a shadow at this point, and he can’t even let go of that.

Rick’s Biggest Flaw: He Can’t Let Go

This inability to let go is on full display with Memory Rick. Being a younger version of Rick, he comes up with a plan to reunite with Memory Diane. Unfortunately, his plan involves hijacking Beth’s memories and mentally training her to mount a rescue mission. It works, but it has disastrous consequences: Space Beth almost dies!

When I saw Beth snap her twin’s neck, I was speechless. Throughout the commercial break, I was convinced Space Beth might be permanently dead! Thankfully she wasn’t, but it only gets worse from there. Beth proceeds to have a mental breakdown as the memory versions of her rebel and try to kill Memory Rick and Diane. Because of Rick’s inability to let go, it almost gets his daughter killed. Thankfully, he’s able to reset her mind just in time.

Another Season Wrapped Up

Ultimately, the episode ends with Rick letting everyone believe that he got rid of Memory Rick and Diane for good. In reality, he didn’t; he gave them a new mindscape for them to live in for all eternity and set them free into deep space. So while he may not get his happy ending with Diane, there’s at least one version of him that does. The sad thing is, he plans to wipe his memory of the entire thing, meaning he won’t learn anything.

I had a feeling that the season finale of Rick and Morty was going to be an emotional one, and it turns out I was right. It’s not as shocking as some previous finales, but that doesn’t change the fact that it advanced Rick’s story a little. That, and we saw the return of Mr. Poopybutthole. It was a good finale, overall, for a season that feels more laid-back than the show’s been in recent years.

I Give “Hot Rick” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 9 Review

So back during the first season of Rick and Morty, Morty talked Rick into buying him a sexbot as a gift, because…Morty’s a teenage boy. Except it turned out to be an alien robot created by a race of women to help them reproduce with the hyper-violent males of their species. It wound up creating a half-alien son that Morty named Morty Jr who grew up to hate his dad so much that he wrote a best-selling novel about it. It was something so weird and out of the ordinary, even by the show’s standards, that it’s never come up again…until now. The penultimate episode of this season opts for a deep callback with the return of Morty Jr.

Morty Jr is Back

The episode starts off with Morty getting a call from his now-elderly son from the hospital. Naturally, Morty assumes that Jr is dying and, wanting to make amends, decides to pay him a visit. This is much to the protests of his family, who all vocally agree that Morty Junior sucks. The funniest part is the fact that Jerry is the most vocal about his disapproval, due to him writing a book trashing Morty. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it made him and Beth look like bad parents.

I don’t have kids yet myself, but I’m old enough to understand that parents are never going to be perfect. Even the ones that are genuinely trying to be good parents are going to screw up, but won’t want to admit it. So I found Jerry’s complaining about Junior to be funny, especially later in the episode, as it’s revealed that his assessment of Morty’s son was accurate.

Morty Junior. Just as Bad as his Old Man

Morty Junior reached out to his dad because he wanted to find closure with his “mom,” who Morty had long since thrown away. So the two jump into the pocket dimension Rick created to hold all his trash, and wind up getting trapped there. Then, it’s revealed that Morty Junior was never dying. He just wanted more material for another book about Morty because his others didn’t sell well and he has child support payments! He just let Morty assume he was dying and never corrected him!

I have to admit, I went into this episode with every expectation that Morty Junior would die by the end. However, the reveal that he was just as bad and irresponsible as Morty was way funnier! And even though they do end up bonding, the ending shows that they haven’t really learned anything. Morty bails the second Rick gets home, while Morty Junior writes that sequel bashing him. Nothing was learned, and sometimes that’s the funniest outcome!

To be honest, though, I was more interested in the B-plot with the Rick and Summer adventure.

A fun Rick and Summer Adventure

So, Summer gets reservations for her and Rick at this high-class alien restaurant. Their gimmick is that the chefs are pre-cogs who know what customers want before they do. Except they wind up giving Summer avocado toast. Incensed, Summer insists on complaining to the Cogs, only for things to escalate when she kidnaps them. And what’s worse is that, despite saying that she shouldn’t get involved, Rick does just that!

Rick and Summer are among my favorite pairings throughout the show’s run, and for good reason. While Morty has grown into being Rick’s partner and equal in adventuring, Summer arguably did that first. She’s more confident, self-assured, and more ready to stand up to her grandpa and call him out on his BS…most of the time. But it was nice to see the two have another adventure. Especially since this turned out to be a plot by the Cogs to start their own food truck due to being burnt out from the restaurant thing. I don’t know why, but it reminded me of the backstory behind The Menu.

There’s only one episode left in this season of Rick and Morty, and I doubt I will remember this adventure with Morty Junior for long. But I don’t have to; it was just a fun callback to the early days of the series.

I Give “Morty Daddy” a 3/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 8 Review

The Citadel of Ricks might be gone, but the concept of multiversal variants of the Smith-Sanchez family interacting lives on. I’ve actually been wanting to see different versions of the family follow in Rick’s footsteps and build their own organizations and alliances. Imagine my surprise when this season’s eighth episode not only granted my wish, but it did it with the main cast’s most normal character: Jerry Smith. This entire episode is a Jerry episode, and I loved it!

Jerry and…Another Jerry

The episode seemingly starts off on a normal morning in the Smith-Sanchez home. Everyone’s going about their day while Jerry’s eating some cereal. The only difference is that he has some stubble, but that could be chalked up to him not shaving yet. As the teaser reveals, though, this isn’t our Jerry.

After cornering this other Jerry, our Jerry learns that this variant of himself, nicknamed “Mooch,” is a Jerry who left his home dimension to travel the multiverse. As it turns out, other Jerries have learned how to use cracks and ratlines that they’ve dubbed “The Road” to travel across the multiverse. Since Jerry is usually beneath notice, their families have remained none the wiser! And at the encouragement of Mooch, Jerry decides to join him on The Road for a while.

Jerry on the Road

It wasn’t until I read a review on Bubbleblabber that I realized that this was the third episode of the season that didn’t focus on our main Rick and Morty. Instead, it focused on the supporting cast; in this case, Jerry, a character that wasn’t even present until the season’s fourth episode. As a result, this episode feels like a culmination of what Jerry’s capable of doing because he can fly under the radar.

His counterparts have figured out their own clever way of traveling the multiverse without attracting Rick’s attention, and his family remains none the wiser. It gets to the point where Jerry’s like Mooch opt to never return home, choosing to live a life on The Road. There’s always been a bit of romanticism about living life as a wanderer, and this episode feels like an attempt to tap into that. In the end, though, Jerry is still Jerry, and that means the universe is going to throw him a curveball.

After missing their main stop back, Jerry and Mooch have to travel to Grand Central, a dimension that acts as a hub for Jerries traveling on The Road. Unfortunately, our Jerry, emboldened by his experiences, mouths off to Boss Jerry, and he blacklists them from The Road altogether. Then to top it off, Jerry reveals the reason why he’s living on The Road: he got lost and by the time he got back, he thought his family hadn’t noticed or cared. His Beth had even remarried some random guy from the Jerryboree Day-Care!

Jerry Might be the Best Jerry

This is where our Jerry steps up and starts to show his character growth, calling Mooch out for being a spineless wuss. His experiences since joining his current Smith family have helped him grow a spine. Case in point, he forces Mooch to return home and reconcile with his family, who, as it turns out, had been worried about him. As an aside, the reveal that everyone in Mooch’s home dimension has five o’clock shadow was funny.

In the end, Jerry and Mooch make it back to Grand Central and lead Boss Jerry and his flunkies on a chase across The Road that ends with Boss Jerry either dead or trapped between dimensions. Mooch seems ready to return to his family while The Road is now free for all Jerries, and Jerry returns to his family. And much like with Mooch, the Smith-Sanchez family was worried about him, showing how they truly value him.

However, it looks like Rick now knows about The Road, but likely won’t do anything about it. And we got to see more of the show’s potential to use the multiverse for having characters interact with each other. And Jerry got to see who he could’ve been like if he hadn’t gotten his character growth. I guess him and Beth getting divorced for a while was the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

I Give “Nomortland” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 7 Review

Sometimes, the stars just seem to align for a TV show, enabling it to be incredibly relevant to current events. South Park is notorious for covering events as recent as the last few days thanks to its six-day turnaround, but they’re not the only ones to do that. With James Gunn’s Superman film set to release later this week (I have my tickets), the world is focused on the return of the Man of Steel. So what does Rick and Morty do? They have a laugh at the expense of the Gunn, AI scripts, and toxic fans all at once.

It’s no secret that Rick Sanchez can be a pretty toxic person, but now we can say that toxicity extends to being a fan of long-running franchises. After hating the latest entry in the fictional Velocitree film franchise, Rick gets so mad he decides to take matters up with the director, James Gunn himself. Then, because he thinks he can do better, he swipes the script for the next film so he can do things his way. That way, of course, involving him building a machine that can help him come up with the perfect film. This inevitably backfires on him when he and Morty get sucked into the film before they come up with an ending, forcing them to take part in the film itself.

AI, TOXIC FANS, and A Gunn, Oh My!

There is a lot about this episode that makes it incredibly relevant to the times that we are living in, and thus making it brilliant. Firstly, there’s how the episode represents the fans of long-running franchises. On the one hand, we have Jerry, the casual fan who will enjoy whatever is put in front of him. On the other hand, we have Rick and Morty representing the long-term fans who have been with a franchise for years, even decades. These days, more and more hardcore fans of franchises like Star Wars and the MCU are growing disillusioned with the way the IPs are being run. They can’t stand to see that which they love be turned into something they hate. This isn’t a recent phenomenon either. When the Star Wars Prequels released, the OG fans hated them, especially for characters such as Jar Jar. In this case, the Velocitree has their own Jar Jar in the form of the comic relief robo-tree Tannebaum, who Rick initially despises.

Secondly, there is the way the episode addresses the toxic fans themselves. Many fans are like Rick: when they see their favorite franchise in the toilet, they think that they can do better. I myself have often wondered if I could’ve done the Star Wars Sequels better than what Abrams and Johnson did. However, the events of the episode force Rick to acknowledge that just because you think you can do better doesn’t mean you can do better. His and Morty’s attempts to get the film back on track only make things worse, and by the time they hit the climax, they’ve got both heroes and villains out to get them. The only reason they manage to make it out at all is because they have to rely on Jerry’s help. Rick had previously disparaged Jerry for not being “a real fan,” and thinking he’d do a terrible job. Yet for all his talk, it’s Jerry’s slapped-together ideas that bring the film to a successful conclusion.

Lastly, there is the fact that this episode makes a jab at the concept of AI-scripts. AI like ChatGPT has gone mainstream lately, and people think that by using it, they can become great writers. As this episode proves, though, AI writing isn’t going to be any better than what humans come up with. If you want my opinion, the best option we’ve got is to find a way to work in tandem with AI rather than let it do everything for us. Otherwise, storytellers like James Gunn will be out of a job.

James Gunn Played Himself!

Speaking of James Gunn, this episode is especially noteworthy for the two guest appearances: James Gunn and Zach Snyder. The staff of Rick and Morty managed to talk both directors into guest-starring as themselves in the episodes. Granted, Snyder’s only in one scene that has him poke fun at the differences between his version of Superman and Gunn’s, but it’s all in good humor. Gunn, on the other hand, winds up serving as the overarching villain of the episode, as he doesn’t want Rick and Morty to succeed, since that will put him out of a job. Yet, in the end, they managed to do just that, though Gunn thinks he got the last laugh by getting the completed script. Unfortunately, it just puts him out of a job…and out of life.

I’ve been a big fan of James Gunn since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and I think that his decision to reboot the DC films is a good one. So much so that I’ve already bought my tickets to see Superman later this week. Needless to say, I think the timing on this episode couldn’t have been better. Here’s hoping that when I get back, I will have something worthwhile to write about, as well as a cool popcorn bucket to sell.

I Give “Ricker than Fiction” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Ep 13 Review

Queen Bee has been defeated, and Naruhata is supposed to be safe. Pop is starting to gain traction as an idol. And Koichi is starting to get the hang of being a vigilante, even if he still needs help. It seems like life is going well for everyone in Naruhata! Except Knuckleduster suddenly goes missing. Where did he go?

Life Goes On…

Ever since Narufest, POP☆STEP has been doing better than ever. Her performance has been going viral on social media, and she is loving it! She’s gotten plenty of fan mail (actual mail!) And the festival was so successful that the department store has decided to make it a regular event, with POP☆STEP and the others recurring performers!

As for Koichi, he has been continuing his work as a vigilante. Given how what he’s doing is technically illegal, it can seem weird that he’s now doing it so openly in the public eye. However, it feels like the Pro Heroes give him leeway because he’s proven capable in situations, and they know he means well. It also helps that he knows when to leave things to the professionals. Case in point, when a certain bat-villain returns to get revenge on him, Koichi lets himself be saved by Captain Celebrity. It just so happens that this helps Pop keep a promise to bring a Pro Hero to the next Narufest. Needless to say, this helps the performance remain a success.

At the same time, though, the fact that the bat villian reappeared is a worrying sign. One would think that the fall of Queen Bee would help make Naruhata safer. Instead, things are only getting worse.

But Knuckleduster is Nowhere to Be Found

Despite Queen Bee no longer able to distribute Trigger, the Instant Villains aren’t going away. In fact, they’re only getting stronger. In the aftermath of Pop’s Eel fan, Teruo, going on another rampage, he didn’t turn back to normal. He’s stuck in his more monstrous form, meaning the change is permanent. The authorities are already calling these new Villains “Next-Level Villains,” and they are on a wholly different level from what the Naruhata Vigilantes have been facing. So it would seem that All for One’s experiments with Trigger haven’t been slowed down at all.

Things are going to get more dangerous for Koichi and Pop from here on out, and if they want to continue being vigilantes, then they’ll have to step up their game. However, they’re going to have to do it without relying on their mentor, because Knuckleduster is nowhere to be found.

After saving his daughter’s life, Knuckleduster rushed her to the hospital where his wife was being treated. During his earlier pursuit, he had gotten a call saying that his wife’s condition had gotten worse, but he had managed to keep that out of his mind long enough to save Tamao. Tragically, by the time he makes it to the hospital, his wife is already at death’s door. He only has enough time to let her know that Tamao is safe before she…goes.

This is a genuinely sad moment for the story. Knuckleduster had fought so hard to try and put his family back together, and now he’ll never have the chance. His daughter will never have the chance to say goodbye to her mom. He doesn’t even have the heart to directly tell her that her mom is Dad, yet you can tell that she already knows.

Time to Go it Alone

Not long afterwards, Knuckleduster disappears altogether. He leaves behind his mask and knuckles at Koichi’s place. Presumably, he’s gone off to continue fighting the people behind the Instant and Next-Level Villains on his own. As for Koichi and Pop, they plan on continuing to live their lives.

Thus, the first season of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes comes to an end. I’m sorry that it took so long for me to watch the season, but once I got started, I was reminded why I fell in love with MHA in the first place. No matter how old I get, I love superheroes and what they represent. And while the main series is ending this fall, I can rest easy knowing that Vigilantes will return next year to keep the fire going. Going Beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “What a Man Takes With Him” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty Season 8, Ep 6 Review

Back in the season three episode, “The ABCs of Beth” we learned from Rick that when she was a kid, Beth was kind of nuts. Besides leaving her friend in the imaginary world her dad made for her, she apparently had a penchant for violence and a desire to hurt people. Since we’ve never met a kid version of Beth, we had to take Rick’s word for it…until now. Not only do we seethe Beths become kids again, but they’re every bit as psycho as Rick claims.

At least, most versions of Beth were like that. We don’t know what Rick’s original Beth was like.

Beths Become Kids Again

The Smith family is going on a day trip to this alien-made amusement park that Rick claims is a hilariously bad version of Earth. However, Beth and Space Beth are in too foul a mood to want to go and stay behind. That leads them to discussing when they were last genuinely happy, and that leads them both to turn themselves back into kids using a device on Space Beth’s ship. Unfortunately, the device also reverts them mentally as well as physically. As a result, both Beths become psychotic, bloodthirsty kids who terrorize anyone they come across, like their neighbor, Gene.

I’m a kid at heart myself, so I understand the appeal of wanting to return to being a child. After all, life was simpler when most of us were kids; ergo, it was happier. However, I’m also smart enough to understand that nostalgia has a tendency to blind us to what the past was really like. I loved being a kid, but that also meant dealing with my growing body, going to school every weekday, and the stress of homework. In Beth’s case, we see that Rick was not exaggerating when he said his daughter was nuts as a kid. Rick’s aren’t always the best dads, but at least they had the common sense to make sure their daughter couldn’t hurt anyone…most of the time.

Aww, Rick Really Does Love Beth!

Meanwhile, Rick is also dealing with his nostalgia crisis when he discovers that the theme park he loved, Earth World, has become cleaner and more gentrified. It’s more like how Earth is, at least in America, and it irritates him to no end. He’s the kind of person who thinks a park of inaccurate rides and rusty nails everywhere is hilarious. That leads him to seek out the park’s creator, voiced by Danny DeVito, which leads him to what’s left of the original park. In keeping with the warning about nostalgia filters, it’s not as cool as Rick remembers, and he opts to bail on it to fix the crisis the Beths have started. They end up turning the tables on him, though, and age him up to 360 years old! Those implants of his mean he’s going to live for a long time.

As messed up as the entire thing is, it does lead to a heartfelt moment between Rick and his daughters. The Beths vent their anger at how they were abandoned by Rick (their Rick), and Rick admits he’s proud of both his daughters. It’s another small example of how their relationship has become healthier as the series has progressed, and it’s nice to see.

Another Disastrous Theme Park

Meanwhile, things go downhill for the rest of the Smiths. Morty almost gets it on with an alien, only to realize she’s only into him because he’s human. Summer and Jerry discover that the park owner is insane and sics its mascots (humans with giant heads) on the park to kill everyone. Why? Because that’s what happens in movies involving amusement parks. The trio are barely able to escape with their lives, and in the end, they all agree that the place sucked.

This was a fun episode of Rick and Morty. It’s not one of its better episodes, but it was still entertaining enough to watch. Plus, I really liked how it satirized all those horrible amusement parks we see in movies. The fact that it overtly references Jurassic Park is funny.

“The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button” a 3.5/5

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