RJ Writing Ink

Edens Zero Chapter 270 Review/Recap

Last time on Edens Zero, things finally seemed to be looking up for the Crew of Edens. Aconella’s down, three of the four Dark Stars are down (a little too fast, if you ask me), and they’ve managed to stop the self-destruct. Or so they think. Killer’s still on the loose in the ship’s servers, and now he’s ready to enact his ultimate plan! Thankfully, the genius hacking duo of Hermit and Weisz manage to outplay him, proving why so many fans seem to ship them.

Of which I am one.

Recap

Thanks to getting the shut-down codes from the others, Hermit’s able to shut-down the Edens Zero. However, it fails to stop the self-destruct program. Killer wanted Hermit to shut off the ship, leaving it immobile and defenseless. All the better for him to ram the One into the Zero. Hermit tries to reboot the computer, but it’s too late: the One is seconds from impact!

Except it doesn’t, thanks to Weisz. Having figured out that Killer was up to something, Weisz digitally dived into the One’s digital space using a custom pod he built on the Zero. Having not forgotten his defeat in the previous world, Weisz is itching for some payback. Donning his Arsenal gear and working in conjunction with Hermit, the two give Killer a well-deserved beatdown and kicking him out of cyberspace. 

Not one to be deterred, Killer tries to restart the program. However, he was so distracted that he failed to notice the ship’s already been boarded. Laguna easily takes him out. 

Review

And just like that, all of the Dark Stars are down for the count, and the Edens Zero is saved. 

It was pretty obvious at the end of the last chapter that stopping the self-destruct wasn’t going to be as easy as they made it out to be. That said, I don’t think any of us expected Killer to try and ram the One into the Zero. Had he done so, everyone aboard either ship would’ve likely died! Given how most of his allies had been taken down by this point, though, that might have seemed like the best choice for him.

The big highlight about this chapter, though, was that epic tag-team takedown, courtesy of Weisz and Hermit. There’s a good reason why there’s a lot of ship tease between the two: their powers and skills complement each other, and when they work together, they’re pretty much unstoppable. Given how Weisz pretty much confessed to Hermit before everything went down, it’s likely the series will end with the two of them becoming an item. Given everything they’ve gone through, together, I wholeheartedly support that. 

With the four Dark Stars out of the way, though, that can only mean two things: one, the final battle is soon at hand, or two, Mashima’s going to have some new challengers appear. Either way, I don’t expect this to be over soon.

I Give “Hermit Special” a 3.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero Chapter 74 Review/Recap

So in the last chapter, we saw Laguna of the Element 4 use his power, Tears Lover, to capture most of Shiki’s group. However, Weisz was able to outsmart the man and avoid. Having seen all of his moves, Weisz transforms into Arsenal and prepares to do battle with the villain. He takes being a superhero very seriously.

Recap

Laguna quickly gets over his shock at the fact that Weisz managed to outwit him and goes on the defensive. Even with the power of the Arsenal suit, Weisz finds each of his attacks countered by Laguna’s water. As a result of the furious melee, Arsenal’s ether supply begins to rapidly deplete.

Forced into a corner, Weisz reroutes power to the cooling system, which freezes the water solid. This gives him enough time to deliver a knockout blow, returning his friends to normal. However, before any of them can catch their breath, Weisz gets hit by a sniper round and collapses. The culprit is the second of the Element 4, Fie the flame sniper, and he has Shiki squarely in his sights.

Review

In keeping with what I said in my last post, the JoJo is strong with this chapter. In other words, instead of the normal shonen formula, it felt more like a technical battle. Considering how Weisz isn’t as strong as Shiki, I think that’s for the best. Weisz uses his brains to win his fights, and that’s how he beat Laguna.

That said, I wasn’t expecting the next Element 4 member to be a sniper, let alone someone able to shoot from that distance. If there was ever a time for Rebecca and Happy to shine, then I think it’s going to be in the next few chapters. They’re marksman, so it makes sense to pit them against this Fie.

Regarding the fight itself, I think this is an example of something that would work better in anime format. The manga feels constricting for a fight between an Iron Man/Power Ranger mashup and an elemental. It was a good fight, but not as cool as I’d hope.

I Give “Weisz vs. Laguna” 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero Chapter 67 Review/Recap

After witnessing her callous reign over Sun Jewel, Kurenai’s been defeated by Shiki. Instead of killing her, Shiki brings her to her daughter, Homura, like he said he would. Having lost so much because of her mother, Homura realizes that she never needed her mother. What she needed was someone to love.

Recap

With Kurenai defeated, the residents of the slums of Sun Jewel want to make her pay. However, Shiki asks the people to let Homura cast judgement on her. As the Scarlet Woman’s daughter and Valkyrie’s student, she’s got the right to do so.

The first thing Homura does is show Kurenai the stuffed animal she gave her, and she does not recognize it. Realizing that any care her mother had for her is gone, Homura thanks her for giving her life, but disowns her and tells her to never return. As she flees, a man she disfigured earlier ambushes her along with a group of thugs. They declare that she’ll be their pet for all eternity.

At Valkyrie’s resting place, Homura places the stuffed animal beside her, her real mother.

Review

A couple of things about this chapter. Firstly, I enjoyed seeing Homura disown her birth mother in the most bad ass way possible. It showed how she’s grown since childhood, and how she never needed her mom. What she needed was someone to love, and Valkyrie fulfilled that role. Like I’ve been saying, Valkyrie was Homura’s real mother.

Secondly, I thought that Homura’s ultimate fate was a fitting punishment. Having spent so long depriving people of their freedom, she’s going to spend the rest of her life as a slave. It’s karma at its finest, and I enjoy seeing people get their just desserts.

With Kurenai gone and Sun Jewel free, the next chapter will probably deal with the bigger threat: Drakken Joe. We don’t know if Edens Zero was able to repel him or if he captured the ship. Either way, this will Shiki’s toughest fight yet.

I give “Someone to Love” a 4.5/5. Karmic Retribution indeed.

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero chapter 61 Review/Recap

So, last chapter saw Shiki move against Homura’s evil mom in order to avenge the death of Valkyrie. Right when Shiki starts to back her into a corner, a new player emerges. Drakken Joe’s come to collect on a debt the Scarlet Woman owes. The chaotic fight continues, and it is getting crazier than I thought possible.

Recap

Livid that Drakken Joe is attacking her, Kurenai decides to crush him, kill Shiki, and wipe out the Labor District At once. While she unleashes a giant mech to do battle with Shiki in, Joe sets his sights on a bigger prize. He’s located the Edens Zero, and he aims to take it.

Meanwhile, the Labor Districts under attack from Kurenai’s army. With Homura still in a state of shock, Rebecca leads the charge against the Scarlet Woman’s robots. Her luck goes south, though, when she ones across one of Kurenai’s lieutenants, Fuzaiten Baku. Right when Rebecca looks to be in trouble, she’s saved by Weisz, who’s clad in a cross between a Power Rangers costume and Iron Man called Arsenal.

Review

I stand by my previous statement of this arc getting overly complicated. It feels like Mashima’s rushing towards a clash between Shiki and Drakken Joe. I thought that would be conclusion of the Sakura Cosmos portion of the manga, but I hoped that it would be a little ways off.

On the plus side, though, we see Weisz go “Great Saiyaman” as a Sentai Hero! If this is what he’s been up to, then I looking forward to seeing what “Arsenal” can do. I hope that the arc doesn’t end up collapsing in on itself, though. It could go either way at this point.

I give “Enter: Arsenal” a 2.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero, Chapter 60 Review and Recap

After learning of Valkyrie’s death, Homura was completely broken by the fact that never see her mentor again. Outraged, Shiki decides to take matters into his own hands. He launches a one man assault on Kurenai’s headquarters, determined to bring the woman to her daughter.

Recap

Despite the level of security the Crimson Woman has in her palace, Shiki makes short work of her robots and subordinates before baring his fangs on Kurenai herself. Kurenai once again mocks her daughter, this time calling her weak for crying, saying those who smile win. Shiki proclaims that if cryings a weakness, then his friends will carry it until it’s a strength.

In the Slums Valkyrie’s followers are flabbergasted that Shiki went to fight Kurenai on his own, and rush to help. Rebecca, on the other hand, tries to help Homura overcome her sorrow at the loss of Valkyrie, telling her that the warrior knew how much she (Homura) cared about her. Back with Shiki, Kurenai’s orbits weapon’s suddenly hacked. The one responsible is none other than Drakken Joe, whose come to collect a debt from the Scarlet Woman. Infuriated, Kurenai decides to go to war with Drakken Joe.

Review

This is getting stupid now. So instead of a war between Edens Zero and the Scarlet Woman, now we have a three way brawl between them and Drakken Joe. This whole plot’s becoming very convoluted in my eyes.

Given what I know, Drakken Joe’s the one who helped put Kurenai in power, and now he’s trying to collect on it. At this point, though, I don’t care what happens to her. Now that Joe’s here, he’ll be after the Edens Zero, and that means Shiki has to face his entire organization. I know Shiki will win, but it’s going to be his toughest battle yet. My problem is that I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I only hope this doesn’t reflect on the rest of the manga.

As much as I enjoyed Shiki’s remarks about weakness becoming a strength, I was unimpressed. I’ve heard much of the same thing from a bunch of other Shonen manga. Mashima’s not being original here. This may be one of the weaker chapters of the manga so far, and I think it’s rushing events.

I give “Until It Becomes Strength” a 2/5. Unoriginal speech and rushed plot.

Click here to see more animanga stuff