RJ Writing Ink

Edens Zero Chapter 247 Review/Recap

At this point, I can say with confidence that the Edens Zero Reunion Arc is over. As entertaining as it was to see how much better everyone’s lives seemed to be in Universe Zero, it got old fast. Thankfully, this chapter marks the last of the expected major reunions, and it’s a big one. Elsie and James make their return, and unlike before, their relationship is much happier.

It almost feels like Mashima regrets how bleak things were getting. 

Recap

Having met with Nadia and learned that Noah is the director of the IUA in the Sakura Cosmos, the Crew of Edens’ surprise only gets greater. In this Universe, Rachel serves as the IUA’s director in the Yukino Cosmos. Connor already found her and helped her regain her memories, too. As for the director of the Kaede Cosmos, everyone’s surprised to find that it’s none other than Elsie! She and James are alive and their relationship is better than ever. 

With the four directors of the IUA now assembled, they get down to business. The Edens One and ONE Void are a threat they can’t ignore, and it’s made it way to the Yukino Cosmos. It’s looking for Mother Ether. The EDENS Zero is the only ship that can defeat it, so they ask for the Crew’s help. The Crew of EDENS doesn’t hesitate, saying they always planned to fight ONE. With the IUA’s promise to aid them, the Crew of Edens Zero prepares to depart. Their destination: the Yukino Cosmos!

Review

Well, that was a surprise. I thought that there might be a chance that we would see Elsie and James again, but part of me hoped that we wouldn’t. I thought that what happened to them in the previous World was a satisfying, if sad, ending to their story. Perhaps Mashima chose to bring them back because their relationship was so negatively received by readers (myself included). Even more surprising is that their associates also returned, even Jesse. At least this version isn’t a little jerk!

The other big surprise that I was happier to see, though, is that Rachel’s not considered a criminal in Universe Zero. Moreover, she managed to control her church’s nonsense, so she doesn’t have to worry about Rebecca’s safety, at least not from the Church of Saintfire. The Edens One is another matter entirely, but the IUA seems to be focusing on gathering as many allies as possible to stop it and the ONE Void. 

In hindsight, while it may seem like a slogfest, I think the Edens Zero Reunion Arc’s purpose was to bring back all the previous characters to prepare us for the final battle. Shiki will need help from friends and former enemies alike if he wants to stop ONE Void from ending all life in the multiverse. From a storytelling perspective, this arc served as a means to remind readers who’s who in preparation for the final battle. If that’s the case, then good job Mashima. I only wish it hadn’t taken so long.

At least in this reality, Nadia and Andrew got their happy ending.

I Give “To the Field of Battle” a 3/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 186 Review/Recap

One of the biggest tropes found in Shonen manga is the big face-off between the heroes and the big bad’s that they’re fighting at that point. The heroes meet the antagonist’s best fighters, and they all split up to take them on individually. It’s a classic formula for Shonen Comics. This might be the first time in a while that I’ve seen a Shonen Manga use this trope by splitting the heroes up into separate dimensions, though.

Recap

Having made it to the arena near the planet core, Shiki and the others are met by the four Dark Stars of the Demon King. As the two sides face off, the heroes declare that they won’t lose to beings who will kill innocent people. To this, the Dark Stars proclaim they will set them free…from life. Then, a bright glow envelopes everyone.

The next thing that Weisz knows, he’s in another location, beset by the Brain of Edens One, Killer of the Dark Stars.

In another location, Rebecca finds herself facing off against Clown in a demented circus.

In yet another location, Shiki finds himself facing Wizard, who creates an illusion of his home of Granbell, complete with all its inhabitant’s. All this does, though, is enrage him, as he proceeds to attack Wizard in response.

Back in the arena, Homura finds herself facing off against Valkyrie’s counterpart, Brigandine of the Dark Stars. These two sword-wielders prepare to go head-to-head as their respective allies face off against one another. The battle is about to begin!

Review

Well, I wish I could say that I was surprised by these turn of events, but I’m not. I have seen this kind of formula before in Shonen manga, like I said. Heck, we’ve seen this happen several times in Edens Zero up till now! It happens at least once a big arc, so it’s not that surprising. It’s how Mashima makes sure each of the main heroes can get a chance to show off what they got. And considering how the Dark Stars are supposed to be twice as strong as the Shining Stars, they will have plenty of chances to shine.

I have to admit, despite Mashima following the same formula that he always does, I still find myself interested. You never know just what he might have planned for these fights. However, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.

I Give “The Subdimension Program” a 3/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 185 Review/Recap

Now, there are times when I think that certain tropes are meant to be used in a work of fiction. When the story justifies the use of a trope beyond shock value, or if the storyteller does a good job of justifying it, then that could work out. This is not one of those times, though. This week, Hiro Mashima deus ex machina’s Elsie out of her no-win scenario, and I don’t like it.

Recap

Picking up from where we last left off, Elsie’s left reeling from the stab wound she got from Ziggy. As Ziggy derides her for being so naïve to let her guard down, the Demon King proceeds to pummel her to a bloody pulp. Right before he can deal the killing blow, though, she gets saved by, of all people, Justice. Justice isn’t doing it because he cares about Elsie, though. He just doesn’t want anyone else to kill her. Meanwhile, Ziggy decides to let Aconella finish the two former royals off.

Elsewhere, the Edens Zero begins to fight its own battle against Deadend Crow, who’s so massive, he dwarfs even the mighty battleship itself. On the ground below, Shiki and the others continue on foot to the core, but take a moment to change back into their normal attire. Weisz, though, can’t resist messing with Rebecca to get her back to her old self.

At last, the group arrives in the middle of a massive coliseum, whereupon they find themselves facing down the four Dark Stars of Demon King Ziggy. Taking this as a sign that they’re approaching the core, the entire group gets ready for their toughest battle yet.

Review

Wow, Mashima. I didn’t expect you to resort to two classic tropes to get Elsie out of her bind: the deus ex machina trope and the “I’m the only one allowed to defeat you!” trope were in full play. However, I don’t think that having Elsie be saved by Justice, of all people, was that good of an idea.

While it’s true that Justice wants to be the one to kill Elsie, and I had a feeling that he would show up at Lendard, it doesn’t seem in line with his character. He was so hellbent on killing Elsie that he was willing to attack anyone remotely associated with her. In addition, he made it clear that he blames Homura for the murder of Creed, which she didn’t do. Maybe he was able to realize that Ziggy’s that big of a threat to the universe and decided to put his issues aside for the time being. Nothing like an enemy mine trope to bring two opposing sides together.

In any case, it looks like the next chapter will see the main heroes go up against the four Dark Stars. We know nothing about what they can do, but we do know that it will be the toughest battle the heroes have gone through yet. I just hope its better than Elsie vs. Ziggy.

I Give “Corroded Coliseum” a 2/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 184 Review/Recap

You may recall that last week I said there was no way that Elsie Crimson could ever beat Ziggy? She’s powerful, and can probably fight him to a standstill, maybe even beat him under certain circumstances. However, there’s no way Elsie can beat him, for two reasons. One, she’s not the main hero, and going by the rules of most Shonen manga, the biggest bad of any series can only be beaten by the main hero. Secondly, she doesn’t have in it her to possibly kill him. And it’s because of that she falls for one of the most cliche villainous tricks: the fakeout.

I am so disappointed in Elsie, but even more so in Mashima.

Recap

After staring each other down for a brief moment, the fight between the Pirate Queen and the Demon King erupts with neither holding anything back. Even Ziggy has to compliment how strong she’s gotten, while Elsie admits that Shiki’s close to her level now. When she asks why he wants to kill him so badly, Ziggy says that he’s going to be the one to destroy the universe itself. Speaking of whom, Shiki’s team manages to reunite with Weisz and Homura as they make their way to the core.

As the fight between Ziggy and Elsie continues, Ziggy appears to gain the upper hand for a moment. Except Elsie lured him into a trap. Using her Star Drain power to tap into Lendard itself, she unleashes her strongest attack, Solar Eclipse, and manages to actually leave Ziggy on the ropes

Just when she’s about to kill him, though, Ziggy fakes her out by using her good memories of him. Then, he proceeds to stab her with her own weapon.

Review

What the heck, Elsie? I knew that you were going to end up losing due to plot, but I didn’t realize that it would end up being so bad! She actually fell for the “villain fake-out” cliché. Erza fell for the exact same thing in Fairy Tail with Jellal, so Mashima’s not even being original with this scenario. I honestly thing that it was a very poor decision for him to make.

To be fair, though, I can’t entirely blame Hiro Mashima. In hindsight, it feels like he wrote himself into a corner by having Elsie confront Ziggy like this. The only way that he could take Elsie out of the fight was through a flat-out curb-stomp or an underhanded trick like this.

This probably wasn’t one of my favorite chapters of the series, if you ask me. The fight was decent, but it did little to develop the plot or the characters involved. Hopefully, Elsie doesn’t die from this, but she will be out of commission for a while.

I Give “Elsie vs. Ziggy” a 2/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 183 Review/Recap

The battle for the fate of the four Cosmoses has begun in earnest. On one side, we have Shiki’s alliance with Holy and Elsie. On the other, Ziggy, Deadend Crow, and Aconella. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, though, they managed to break through to Lendard so they can begin the real fight. However, it turns out that Elsie has a secret connection to Lendard that she hasn’t told anyone, and it might lead her to make a terrible mistake. The truth behind Elsie’s past comes to light!

Recap

Having broken through the blockade to Lendard, the Crew of Edens prepares to head out for each of their objectives. Shiki, Rebecca, Weisz, Homura, and Elsie will head towards the core. Meanwhile, Hermit and the others will take down Deadend Crow, with Hermit even giving Holy access to their ship’s weapons to do so. However, the mission goes awry before it even has a chance to start. Rebecca’s still guilt-ridden over the Chronophage’s following her that she doesn’t even notice that her fighter’s hit until it’s almost too late. As a result, Shiki has to bail out to save her and Happy, leaving them separated from the rest of the group. As for Elsie, she doesn’t even show up.

Despite understanding Shiki’s plan, Elsie has no intentions on following through on it. She’s determined to stop Ziggy, and not just because of their former friendship. As it turns out, Lendard was once the home for her now destroyed Kingdom. When her parent’s obsession with building weapons grew out of control, she leaked its secrets to the Kaede Cosmos, leading to its destruction. Now, Ziggy’s chosen it as his base, and while she has no love for it, she won’t let Ziggy have it, either. Thus, Ziggy the Demon King and Elsie de Lendard prepare to face off in a battle for the ages.

Review

Okay, so I knew that Elsie’s former home was in the Kaede Cosmos, but I never thought that it would play any significant role in the present-day story. It’s a surprise, for sure, but like Elsie, I don’t really care that much about it. Unless we get a cool flashback about why Elsie turned on her own home to stop it from destroying the Kaede Cosmos.

As for Elsie de Lendard herself, I don’t think she’s got a chance to stop Ziggy on her own. Firstly, because it’s usually the main hero in a Shonen Manga who takes down the big bad. Secondly, while we haven’t seen either go all out, I can tell from a glance that Ziggy far outclasses Elsie. She’s either going to die or get beaten up so badly that she’ll be incapacitated for the rest of the fight.

This wasn’t that memorable of a chapter, to be honest, though not every chapter has to be mind-blowing, if you ask me. Hopefully, things will pick up more from here as the ultimate battle of Edens Zero continues.

I Give “de Lendard” a 3/5

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