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Edens Zero Chapter 95 Review/Recap

So, remember back in chapter 81 when we saw Drakken Joe show off what Ether Gear Overdrive is? That was already scary as it was. However, Mashima manages to take that and make Overdrive even more terrifying! Even Shiki’s going to need some help beating the Crime Lord. And as events in this chapter show, Weisz may end up being what helps them to win.

Recap

Just when it looks like the heroes (and Amira) will have to fight Jinn, Amira manages to talk him down. Revealing his real name’s Kris Rutherford, she tells everyone the true purpose of the machine standing before them. Joe’s life support is like a mechanical vampire. It drains the life force of everyone around it. Joe then uses that to cheat death. The crime lord’s been doing that on Norma, Guilst, and now Belial Goer. Even the Element 4’s being drained; eventually, the weakest die.

This revelation sends Weisz into a blind rage…

And makes Jinn turn on Joe to protect his sister. With the promise that the real Sister will save Kleene.

Elsewhere, Shiki refuses to let Drakken Joe win, no matter what, and his Ether begins to edge closer to Overdrive. Realizing that Shiki’s a threat, Joe decides to end the fight with his own Overdrive.

Like the first time, Joe’s Overdrive begins to turn Shiki to stone. Unlike the first time, though, Weisz shows up as Arsenal, furiously saying that Joe killed the person that meant more than anything to him.

Review

First off, I don’t like Jinn’s real name of Kris Rutherford. It just doesn’t sound as cool as ‘Jinn’ does. Thus, I’m going to keep call him Jinn until further notice. Secondly, this chapter just hammers home how much of a monster Drakken Joe is. He’s a parasite, leeching the life out of countless people to keep himself alive. I wholeheartedly share Jinn’s level of disgust at the monster, and can’t wait for him to get what he deserves.

Then, there’s the matter of Weisz. I can’t recall him ever being so mad before, so seeing him like that was a shock. Given his reaction to the machine, though, and what he flat out says at the end of the chapter, we know why. That machine took someone very important to Weisz away from him. As a result, he’s hellbent on taking Joe down. In past shonen manga, I’ve seen heroes get a massive power-up thanks to their anger, but it’s a double-edged sword. If Weisz can’t focus himself enough, he’s going to be a hindrance for Shiki.

The next chapter will likely shed some more light on Weisz’s past, and I honestly can’t wait. I want to know what Joe did to him. Who knows, maybe this will push Shiki and Weisz into achieving Overdrive.

I Give “Kris Rutherford” a 4/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 94 Review/Recap

Well, it’s all come down to this, people. The fight between Demon King Shiki and the Undead Crime Lord Drakken Joe. We all know Shiki will win this time. It’s how Shonen manga works, after all. What matters is how it does it, though. Let Shiki vs Drakken Joe begin at last!

Recap

Even though the others want to follow Shiki, Amira insists on letting Shiki fight Drakken Joe. They need to destroy the device that’s keeping Joe alive. Down below, the battle of Shiki vs Drakken Joe begins in earnest. Right away, Shiki pulls out all the stops, unleashing every trick his Gravity Gear can come up with. Despite showcasing an impressive level of skill, though, Drakken Joe’s own Gear matches it blow for blow. Joe can alter the properties of anything he touches, and he uses it to keep Shiki from gaining a foothold. Then, to go one step further, he creates a wall of thunder that electrocutes him and sends him falling to the ground. All the while, Joe says he’s going to send him falling straight into hell.

Elsewhere, Homura tells Labilia to get to the Edens Zero while she goes to help her friends. As for Sylph, she’s terrified that Joe will absorb her now. In Joe’s HQ, the others find the life support device at last. Before they can even touch it, though, they’re met by a familiar face: Jinn. Remembering what happened before and how Jinn is Sylph’s sister, they try to reason with him. However, he’s not in an mood to listen, even beating up Mosco out of disgust for the imposter. Weisz, though, wants to get the guy to listen to them like they planned.

Review

Sorry it took me longer than normal to get this up. I’ve just been busy with a little project that I’m working on. However, I plan to keep doing these posts for Edens Zero as long as my blog remains online. Especially now that I know we’re seeing the Shiki vs. Drakken Joe fight at last.

While I did enjoy the fight scenes when they were being shown, I don’t think the chapter spent enough time focused on it. It was seen for less than half the pages! The rest was focusing on the others. I know why Mashima does this: because the others have a role to play. That said, I’ve been waiting for this clash since the end of the Guilst Arc. Ergo, I want to see more focus on said fight.

The other big takeaway from this chapter is Jinn is now on the field. And he’s got a new outfit.

To be honest, I can’t remember what the group’s plan was in case they saw Jinn. All I recall is that they should try and talk him down and say they can help his sister. Now that he’s present, though, I’m not sure if they can actually do that. At least, not as long as he thinks Joe can help his sister (which may be what’s happening.)

Hopefully, the next chapter will see some more developments regarding Jinn and Shiki vs Drakken Joe. I can’t wait.

I Give “Shiki vs Drakken” a 3/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 93 Review/Recap

We all remember what happened the first time that Shiki tried to stand up to Drakken Joe. We saw him get brutally murdered by the crime lord, traumatizing poor Rebecca and leaving her with PTSD. Even with the reset button Mashima gave the manga, the fact remains that Shiki’s outmatched against Joe. However, this is a Shonen manga. In Shonen manga, when the hero faces a villain stronger than them, they have to get stronger. In other words, unless we want a repeat of the execution site, Shiki has to get tougher.

Recap

Having decided to help out Shiki’s group, “Labilia” reveals herself to be Amira. AKA that shapeshifter the group met back in Digitalis who pretended to be Homura. As it turns out, Labilia was captured by Drakken Joe, but Amira freed her and told her to hide in the club that Homura’s at. Then she took her place to learn Joe’s weakness. Now that she knows it, though, she wants to help Shiki. Depsite all evidence saying otherwise, Shiki agrees.

Before they can get anything done, though, Joe shows up, triggering Rebecca’s PTSD. Joe immediately tries to take Rebecca’s Cat Leaper, but Shiki uses his Gravity power to send everyone else away from Joe. Despite knowing full well what happened in the original timeline, Shiki intends to protect Rebecca. As the battle between the Zombie and the Demon King begins, the two arrive at the execution site. The spot where Joe killed Shiki the first time. However, Shiki vows that he won’t let anyone make Rebecca cry in this timeline.

Review

So the Belial Goer now reaches its climax. How appropriate that it occurs in the execution site where we first saw Shiki die and things fall apart. This time, though, I think that things are going to go differently.

Do I think that Shiki has a chance to win? Not in his current state, no. But if the Shonen genre has taught me anything, it’s this: when the hero fights a villain stronger than they are, then they get a power-up that helps them win. It happened all the time with Goku in Dragon Ball. It’s got to happen for Shiki.

What concerns me the most, though, is Amira. She tried to kill the people in Digitalis and was going to leave Homura to take the rap. So, yeah, I don’t trust her. In fact, I suspect she’ll abandon the others first chance she gets. However, there’s no denying that they could use her help.

Next issue, the fight between Joe Shiki and Joe begins at last. Kick his butt, Shiki!

I Give “The Execution Site” a 4/5. Good twist.

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Edens Zero Chapter 90 Review/Recap

So, Mashima’s made it no secret that Sister is a sadist in the past. She’s brash, crude, and has a domineering personality. Plus she has all that S&M stuff in her room. It’s mainly been played for laughs and background gags (thank heavens). However, this chapter sees Sister Ivry’s on full display as she gives Daichi of the Element 4 a taste of his own medicine. I almost pity the guy. Key word, almost.

Recap

Sister continues her domination of Daichi as she unleashes ten years worth of repressed sadism on the man. Who, suprisingly, seems to enjoy it for a while. Once the euphoria wears off, though, Daichi subjects Sister to the same technique he used on Rebecca in the 29th world. At first, Sister seems to be helpless and in incredible pain from Daichi’s Ether Gear, Pain’s Tree.

However, Sister uses her Dispel Driver to reverse her bound status. Apparently, the Shining Stars don’t use Ether Gear; what they use is something called Ether Optimization. She only did it because she wanted to know what it’s like being the bottom. She doesn’t like it. So she proceeds to use her healing powers to heal Daichi until he overloads from stamina, just so she can torture him some more.

Inside of the base, Shiki, Rebecca, and the others arrive where Labilia is being held. However, unlike last time, she hasn’t been torture or hurt in any way. As a result, Rebecca thinks something’s up, even more so when Old Man Sibir appears inside the base.

Review

Well, it’s official now: Sister manages to both impress and scare me. It has less to do with the fact that she’s letting her sadism loose on Daichi, even if he does deserve it. It’s more to do with the fact that she can turn her healing powers into an offensive weapon that can hurt people. Overloading their bodies with too much energy is a terrifying prospect to face in an enemy.

On a more immediate front, I’m now concerned with Labilia’s state and Sibir’s appearance in Joe’s base. In the previous timeline, Sibir helped the group before Fie murdered him. However, in this new timeline, he could end up selling out the heroes. Heck, the fact that Labilia’s not in such a horrorific state could mean something’s up.

Regardless, I doubt that next chapter will answer much. Instead, it looks like we’re going to see Witch square off against Laguna. Two of the Element 4 are down, two to go.

I give “Sister vs. Daichi” a 3/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 88 Review/Recap

Sometimes, a storyteller manages to find the perfect title for their work. A title that sums up everything they’re trying to say. In Hiro Mashima’s case, he manages to do just that in this week’s chapter of Edens Zero. Not only does “The Eye of God” reference something in the story, but also alludes to the fact that we, the readers, are watching over the story with an omnipotent status.

Or I’m overthinking it.

Recap

Upon seeing Master Noah appear before them, Shiki tries to clobber him. He did sell Rebecca out to Guilst, after. Unfortunately for him, it’s just a hologram so that they may talk. As it turns out, Noah also has an Ether Gear, the Eye of God. It lets him observe people’s locations in the universe, even beyond time itself. In other words, he’s well aware of Rebecca’s Cat Leaper.

Ten years ago, Noah’s Eye of God let him realize that Rebecca should have died in the car crash that led to Happy becoming a cyborg. However, she manifested Cat Leaper without knowing it. Whenever she faced something where she would die, Cat Leaper saved her without remembering it. The last time she did it was her 30th time, but now she remembers it. Noah manipulated events and sold Rebecca out for a reason: to beat Drakken Joe.

Meanwhile, the fight between the Shining Stars and the Element 4 continues. Thanks to Rebecca’s knowledge, the heroes kick the Element 4’s butts. Witch fights Laguna, Hermit rains fire on Fie, Sister puts Daichi in his place. As for Homura, she turns the tables on Sylph at last. The fight is now in Edens Zero favor at last!

Review

Well, I have seen a lot of exposition dumps in manga in my time; Mashima’s no stranger to it. However, I think “Eye of God” may be one of the most interesting he’s done yet.

Way back in the second chapter, I saw how Happy got killed by a drunk driver. That was one of the worst moment’s of Rebecca’s life. However, knowing that her Cat Leaper saved her when she should have died? That’s got to be really traumatizing! In addition, think of the implications this has: Rebecca could have died several times in the manga already only for Cat Leaper to reset everything. Way to freak us out, Mashima!

I honestly don’t trust Master Noah, despite him saying he wants Drakken Joe defeated. He made Rebecca go through so much pain, and he knew about it thanks to Eye of God. That’s messed up! That said, I agree with his fears about Joe. If he got his hands on Cat Leaper, the ability to reset time, there’s no telling how much damage he could do. He needs to be stopped.

I have no idea what will happen next in Edens Zero, but if this keeps up, the Belial Goer Arc may be one of Mashima’s best stories as a mangaka. And getting to see the Element 4 put in their place is so cathartic!

I Give “Eye of God” A 4/5

Also, I laughed my butt off when I saw Sister show Daichi her coin:

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Edens Zero Chapter 75 Review/Recap

So I was told that Edens Zero would be off last week. Thus, I didn’t realize that there was a chapter that came out. My bad!

At any rate, last chapter saw Weisz defeat one of the Element 4, only to get shot by another member. With Weisz in critical condition and no way to get to the ship, what will Shiki do?

Recap

Before Fie can take another shot, Pino uses its programming to trace his shot. This let’s Shiki intercept his next shot and use his Ether Gear to send it back to him. However, they’re then engulfed in a smokescreen, courtesy of Old Sibir, who takes them back to his bar.

They stabilize Weisz, but the only way they’ll be able to save him is with Sister’s abilities. However, Sister’s busy interrogating a prisoner from Joe’s attack. Thus, she sends Rebecca to sneak onto the ship and give them an Ether Drink. No sooner does her ship launch, though, than the girl’s intercepted by another one of the Element 4, Sylph.

Review

Well, I was expecting the fight against the Element 4 to go in sequential order. This was something that I wasn’t expecting; especially considering how this now feels a bit like Star Wars.

That said, though, I am looking forward to seeing how this dogfight will turn out. Rebecca’s a good pilot and even better shot. However, this Sylph girl’s Ether Gear will be a problem. I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

I Give “A Wind Blows Through the Sakura Cosmos” a 3.5/5. A slow, transitional chapter, but a good one.

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