RJ Writing Ink

Edens Zero Chapter 196 & Chapter 197

So, for whatever reason, last week, the website that I usually read Edens Zero off of failed to produce the weekly chapter. As a result, I proved unable to write my normal review. Now that both last week’s and this week’s chapter is up, I’ve chosen to forgo reviewing them separately. Instead, I’ll do them both in this two-for-one special. It’s a good thing, too, because these two chapters are a doozy.

Recap

Chapter 196

After dealing a decisive blow to Killer, it looks as though Hermit’s won her battle. However, Killer proceeds to self-destruct in a final act of defiance…only to reveal he’s infected her with his consciousness to destroy her heart.

Back in Killer’s pocket dimension, Shiki, Weisz, Happy, and Pino manage to locate Rebecca and save her. They escape just before the entire place collapses. When they return to the arena, though, they find Homura lying unconscious in a giant crater.

Back aboard the ship, Sister and Clown begin their own bout in the spa, but Clown catches her off guard by claiming that the rest of the Shining Stars are no more. This buys him enough time to unleash a deadly beast to bite her from behind, seemingly winning the fight.

Chapter 197

Having bested Sister, Clown prepares to fulfill his real goal: obtaining Etherion from within Edens Zero. Then, the chapter goes into flashbacks to reveal how Homura got into her current state. 

As Homura and Brigandine began to face off in the arena, the latter insults the former by saying she doesn’t match up to her master. When Homura goes into Overdrive, Brigandine mocks her even further.

As her attacks prove unable to hurt him, he’s not wrong. However, Homura manages to outsmart the Dark Star. By waiting for the moment when he chose to attack, Homura struck at him, cutting through his defenses. When Shiki and the others arrive, Brigandine crumbles into a scrap pile. 

Review

Well, this certainly was a surprise, for a number of reasons. 

Firstly, I wasn’t expecting for Killer to pull a body-jacking attempt on Hermit, but for now, her fate’s up in the air. Given how Witch’s death proved that plot armor doesn’t last forever, it would be heartbreaking to see her die as well. As for Sister, she’s not out of the fight yet. None of that matters at the moment, though, as the big issue is what Ziggy’s after: Etherion. I actually forgot it existed, but having seen Mashima’s other works, I know it’s dangerous. 

Beyond that, I actually liked how Homura and Brigandine’s fight ended up going. Homura’s well aware she doesn’t match Valkyrie as a swordswoman, but she found another way to best her opponent. Very clever ploy, Homura. With Brigandine out, there’s only two Dark Stars remaining. Of course, none of this will matter if Ziggy gets his hands on Etherion.

I have no idea what’s going to happen, but whatever it is, it cannot be good for anyone. Good chapters overall, though.

I Give “Four Shining Stars Annihilated” and “Confidence ” a 4/5 and 3/5 Each

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero Chapter 82 Review/Recap

There comes a point in many stories or arcs where the hero hits rock bottom. Where things are at their absolute bleakest. As of this chapter, I think I can say that Edens Zero has become the rock. Rock, meet bottom.

Recap

Try as he might, Shiki finds himself completely outclassed by Drakken Joe. He can’t even land a single punch of the man. Joe, on the other hand, uses his Alchemy Ether Gear to turn Shiki into stone. The crew of Edens Zero has been utterly crushed; they’ve hit rock bottom

Upon awaking, the crew finds itself face to face with Drakken Joe and his army. The medicine for Weisz is destroyed, and Joe makes it clear he intends to put them through hell to pay off the trouble they’ve caused. However, in order to first let them know who’s in charge, he orders one of Weisz’s arms to be cut off. The others can only look on in muted horror at what’s about to happen.

Review

Firstly, I would like to go on record and remind everyone that I said them taking the fight to Joe so soon was a bad idea. However, I get no satisfaction from seeing the crew hit rock bottom like this. On top of everything, Joe claims he traded Happy and Pino to a junk dealer in Belial, so they can’t be of any help right now. As of now, the winning streak of Edens Zero has been ended.

As grim as this chapter was, I think it’s one of the best ones the manga’s had so far this year. The crew’s dealing with their first big loss, they’re trapped in a scenario where they may face weeks of torment, and Weisz may have just lost an arm. In my eyes, I’d say Mashima did a good job of hammering home how bad things are for the heroes. Having the whole thing end on a cliffhanger just makes me want to see what happens next even more!

In addition, this chapter did reveal a few vague things about Shiki. His Ether Gear is known as Satan Gravity, appropriate for the Demon King. Joe also mentions something about it being key to unlocking the “cat’s powers”. I have no clue what that means.

So, unless Edens Zero pulls off a crazy miracle in the next chapter or two, Shiki and the others may spend the next few weeks in captivity before escaping. Either way, they need to get way stronger to take down Joe. He’s gonna regret not killing them. When you hit rock bottom, only way out is up

I Give “Scolding” a 4.8/5. Good Chapter that raises the stakes

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero Chapter 81 Review/Recap

Well, if they weren’t before, then they certainly are now. The crew of Edens Zero has been backed into a corner.

Recap

So, Daichi proceeds to give into his torture fetish and uses his Ether Gear to make this tree painfully sprout from inside Rebecca. As a result, she cries in pain until Laguna shows up and turns her into water to stop her suffering. He then proceeds to chatsise Daichi for harming Rebecca. Meanwhile, Homura finds herself cornered by Sylph, who proceeds to capture her and the medicine for Weisz. At Sibir’s hideout, Fie arrives to capture Weisz and appears to shoot Sibir.

Meanwhile, Shiki’s battered and bruised from his fight with Jinn, yet he won’t give in. Right when he appears to have activated his own Overdrive, Drakken Joe himself shows up and ends their battle. Then, just to show how far above the two of them he is, he shows them a true Overdrive. By pushing one’s past its critical point, a person can change the ether in their body. As a result, Joe can convert his body into all sorts of elements! When Shiki demands to know where Rebecca is, Joe sadistically declares that she belongs to him.

Well…. they’re all screwed.

Review

Like I said before, Edens Zero has been backed into a corner. After all this time of dominating their opponents, the heroes seemed to have been beaten by the power of Joe and his Element 4. Even Laguna, whom Weisz beat earlier, is back up and running! Worse still, the whole team’s separated and injured.

This chapter was meant to drive the point home: Edens Zero can’t win against Drakken Joe in their current state. Unless they can get stronger, they won’t have a chance; though they may not even have a chance to do that! Despite how dire things may be, though, I’m not counting the heroes out yet. We never see Fie kill Sibir; that gunshot could have been Weisz somehow pulling an ace up his sleeve. The team may be backed into a corner, but all it needs is one member to slip away to help them win.

This chapter was a major improvement over what we got last time, as it raised the stakes to new levels. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next week.

I Give “Intercession” a 3.8/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero Chapter 77 Review/Recap

Normally I have some sort of introduction for these manga chapter reviews. Today, however, I have nothing. The reason why I have nothing is because I’m stumped at the name of the latest chapter of Edens Zero: “60-Day Commemorative Coin”. What kind of title is that, Mashima?

Lame title aside, the Edens Zero team’s still in a huge bind with the Element 4.

Recap

Having been stripped down to her panties by Sylph’s wind gear, Homura chooses to make a break for it under the cover of smoke. She stumbles into the first building she sees, where she changes into some swimwear she finds. As a result, though, she’s mistaken for an employee of a pole dancer’s club.

A club that’s then ambushed by Sylph, who sucks up everyone in her wind so she can fight Homura unimpeded.

Meanwhile, Rebecca finds herself being faced down by Daichi of the Element 4, who’s also really into torture. He even shows off the coin he got from his group therapy for torture addicts.

When Rebecca tries to stop him from hurting Labilia, though, he sets his sights on her. Using his ether gear to make branches grow out of her arms, he binds her to the wall.

Meanwhile, Shiki still can’t lay a hand on Jinn, putting him in a desperate bind.

Review

Well, aside from this excellent panel showing the extent of Sylph’s powers, I’d say that this was one of my least favorite chapters of Edens Zero. It added little to nothing to the plot, it answered nothing about what “No. 29” is, and fell back on Mashima’s love of fan service. He uses fan service too much for his own good, and it gets to the point where I think it detracts from the story.

So, the takeaway from this chapter is that Rebecca’s somehow super important, and that her guild master Noah seems to know more about her. However, it’s anyone’s guess what the next chapter will be about. With Rebecca, Homura, and Shiki all in dire straits, Mashima could focus on any one of them.

I Give “60-Day Commemorative Coin” a 2/5. Bonus Point for another Fairy Tail cameo

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero, Chapter 72 Review/Recap

One of the trademarks of Hiro Mashima’s work is his tendency to reuse the things he likes. Whether its a character design, a name, or concept, if he likes it, he’ll reuse it. The reason I’m discussing this is because the latest chapter of Edens Zero brings a certain group from Fairy Tail: the Element 4.

Recap

Having lost the chance to capture the Edens Zero, Drakken Joe shifts his focus onto Shiki’s group. First, he reveals what Shiki’s team looks like to everyone in Belial Goer, and commands the people capture them alive. In addition, he tells everyone that the person who brings the team to him will have all their debt erased. As a result, Shiki’s team has to go on the run from everyone.

After catching a break, the group decides that the best thing to do is to confront Joe directly. Using an app Weisz designed to disguise themselves, the quartet plan to meet with Joe and take him out. However, before they can put their plan into action, they’re ambushed by one of the Element 4. Calling himself the Spirit of Water, Laguna, he uses his ether gear to turn Shiki into water. As everyone stands in shock, Laguna vows to make the group cry.

Review

I remember the Element 4 from their incarnation in Fairy Tail, and they were a tough group to beat. Unfortunately for them, they’re the kind of mooks who are eventually forgotten as the heroes face stronger foes. The sole exception to this is Juvia, who Laguna serves as a counterpart to. She joined Fairy Tail as a main supporting character, and was one of my favorite members of the cast.

However, I think this Laguna of Joe’s Element 4 may be even stronger than Juvia. She could turn herself into water, but I don’t remember being able to do the same to others. I took that as a sign that the new Element 4 will be stronger than the ones in Fairy Tail.

With Shiki out of commission, Pino, Weisz, and Homura are at a serious disadvantage; and I’m fine with that. I’ve kept saying that a lot of the fights in Edens Zero seem a little two one-sided. A good shonen manga has the heroes face progressively stronger enemies so that they themselves become stronger. It makes me hopeful that Joe and the Element 4 will make the Edens Zero crew stronger before this is out. In addition, I think Laguna’s introduction was pretty good.

I Give “The Element 4” a 3.75/5. Good Setup for the conflict.

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero Chapter 68 Review/Recap

The battle for Sun Jewel’s over, and the Scarlet Women’s been sent to a fate worse than death. Even though Sun Jewel’s free, victory’s soured by the knowledge of Valkyrie’s death. Now Shiki must break the news of Valkyrie’s death. If anyone still doubts it now, I think this chapter proves for good that machines have hearts.

Recap

As Xiao Mei explains, with the fall of Kurenai, Sun Jewel will prosper by exporting its valuable ore. Combined with being a popular destination for treasure hunters, and the planet’s future remains bright. However, in the immediate time, Shiki and the others return to Edens Zero and inform the the machines of Valkyrie’s death.

Sister’s furious that Homura chose to leave Valkyrie’s body on Sun Jewel. With her powers, combined with the backup data of the Shining Stars, could restore her to life. Witch argues that this wouldn’t restore the feelings she felt for Homura, but Sister doesn’t budge. Ultimately, Shiki tells her of something Ziggy said once: that machines grow old and die like other beings. Therefore, machines have hearts. In other words, they have to accept Valkyrie’s passing, with Homura vowing to become the new Valkyrie.

Sister ends up storming off on her own to cope with her friend’s death. Witch meets up with her on the ship’s observation deck, and the two of them tearfully break down over the loss of their friend, comforting each other.

Review

I might be reading a little too deeply into it, but I think I understand the main theme of Edens Zero. At least, I think I understand what Mashima’s trying to say. In a world that’s rapidly developing advanced robots and AI, there are going to be questions of morality and rights. Can an AI learn to care about people and feel emotions? In other words, can machines have hearts? I think that Mashima’s answer is yes. It may seem silly to some, but if we develop super-advanced robots one day, they can learn how to have feelings. It’s either that or let them be run on cold-logic, and that can lead to Skynet or HAL.

Philosophy aside, I thought that this was a touching chapter. As I predicted, Homura has stepped up to become the new Valkyrie for Edens Zero. It’s not a moment too soon, either. Witch and the others were able to fool him using a holographic decoy, but Drakken Joe’s on the hunt for the ship. The confrontation between the Demon King Shiki and Drakken Joe is inevitable. I’m looking forward to how it turns out in the end, as this will likely be the crew’s biggest test yet. With Shiki and the Four Shining Stars in the fight, though, I don’t think Edens Zero has anything to worry about.

I Give “Valkyrie” a 4.5/5. Slow but emotional chapter

Click here to see more animanga stuff.

Edens Zero Chapter 57 Review/Recap

Every now and then, something will happen in a story that leaves me genuinely surprised. Mashima’s done a few things that could be called a big reveal in the past, but I pick up on his hints a lot, so it ruins the surprise. The chapter of Edens Zero that came out this week, though, felt like a genuine bombshell.

Recap

As stated before, that cube had a message from Valkyrie telling Homura why she left her and can’t come back. We don’t see it, but we learn through flashbacks what happened.

After Valkyrie took Homura in as her student, she did everything she could to take care of her. Despite her efforts, she and the young Homura faced prejudice from the town they lived in because Valkyrie’s a machine. It didn’t help that Homura said she was waiting on her mother, who left before the village was destroyed to earn money.

Despite trying her best, Valkyrie became convinced that she could never raise Homura like a real mom, so she leaves her behind to find the girl’s birth mother. After seeking out Xiao Mei, she learns that the note she left for Homura got stolen by a cat. Even so, she’s determined to find Homura’s mother. Xiao Mei then reveals she’ll find Homura’s mom on Sun Jewel, and that her name is…Kurenai Kotetsu

Review

Dang, folks. I’m almost at a loss for words; I wasn’t expecting this. So Homura’s mother is the sadistic despot that rules Sun Jewel, and Valkyrie’s leading a rebellion against her. What a bombshell.

My mind’s been racing with ideas about Kurenai, but so far I’ve come up with two theories about why she left Homura. The first is that she did intend to come back, but once she got wealthy enough, she got drunk on it and turned into the monster we see today. The second, and more likely, is that she ditched Homura like a deadbeat mom. Either way, this is not the kind of person Homura should associate with.

After getting over the bombshell that Homura is the daughter of the Scarlet Woman, though, my mind came to one conclusion. They may not be related by blood, but Valkyrie raised Homura, protected her, and taught her everything she knows. That sounds like a mom to me.

It doesn’t matter to me if Kurenai’s is Homura’s mom: she’s still a sadistic monster that’s about kill hundreds of people. She needs to be stopped, and now she’s on the Edens Zero’s radar.

I liked this chapter as a whole, as it gives us an unexpected connection to the villain of this arc. That personal connection between Homura, her mother, and her mentor are going to make for some emotional scenes. I think the Sun Jewel Arc’s going to get really crazy from here on out, and I can’t wait.

I Give “My Mother’s A Machine” a 4/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero Chapter 54 Review/Recap

In the last chapter of Edens Zero, Rebecca was subjected to a humiliating prank by Labilia with the false promise of getting her to the slums to save Shiki and Homura. In the end, they did get the help of fellow B-Cuber, Nino. Meanwhile, Shiki fires the opening shots on a war against the Scarlet Woman’s rule when he defies her enforcer Garret to rescue Homura.

Recap

The fight between Garret and Shiki ends up being as one-sided as usual: Shiki wastes Garret and rescues Homura. Despite everything, the woman insists on staying in the slums to find Valkyrie. Garret then shocks them both by revealing that he knows Valkyrie.

Meanwhile, Nino leads Rebecca’s group to the entrance of the slums, telling them that he works for the Scarlet Woman. He had orders to bring in anyone who mentioned “Edens Zero,” but he can’t bring himself to do it after seeing Rebecca’s cosplay. So, he’s going to say he never found them.

Once in the slums, the trio encounters an extraordinary man in possession of an Ether Gear. His gear lets him move things a few inches, or teleport to his hands, which is why its called “Steal Hand.” The man’s name is Paul, and he’s Valkyrie’s student in the slums, and he knows about them and why they’re looking for Valkyrie. He has a message for Homura that explains why Valkyrie left her behind, and why she can’t come back.

Review

Two things happened in this chapter. First, we met another character who I have a feeling could become a potential member of the Edens Zero, and then we saw Mashima display his trademark love of fanservice. I get wanting to tease the audience, Mashima, but Paul stealing Rebecca’s panties seems too ecchi for a shonen manga. Have some standards.

Fanservice aside, I think that this chapter serves as an excellent way to set up a potentially big reveal about Valkyrie in the coming chapters. Whether it will deliver on that promise, though, is another thing entirely. I think Edens Zero should be doing more to make it stand out as its manga and not just a sci-fi version of Fairy Tail. Speaking of which, that girl that Nino mentioned was Angel from Fairy Tail.

The stage is set for a conflict between the Scarlet Woman and Edens Zero, and I only hope that we finally get to see Shiki sweat a little. In my opinion, most of his fights have been a little too easy to be entertaining.

I give “The Truth Is In the Cube” A 3.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero Chapter 52 Review/Recap

The last chapter we saw Shiki and Homura get arrested by the Scarlet Woman and her enforcers and sent to the slums to work off a ludicrous debt. It doesn’t take them long to pick trouble with one of her enforcers, Whip Punisher Garret. Let’s see how this goes.

Recap

Despite the other prisoners warning them not to, Shiki and Homura refuse to back down against Garret, so he uses his paralysis whip to force them to kneel. Taken by Homura’s beauty, he drags her off on her own to have his cruel fun with her. Shiki’s not going to take that lying down and prepares to go to war.

Elsewhere, after showing how evil she is, the Scarlet Woman reveals why she wants the Edens Zero. The ship’s ether drive can power the whole planet for the next ten years. Ergo, she plans on double-crossing Drakken Joe for it.

Back at the Casino, Rebecca, Happy, and Pino are unable to contact the ship, leaving them at a loss about what to do. Just then, a familiar face appears in the form of Labilia. She saw everything that happened and wants to help in exchange for a favor.

Review

I knew from the moment Shiki and Homura got arrested that Edens Zero was going to go to war with the Scarlet Woman. Now, thanks to Garret, Shiki’s about to go on a rampage. I didn’t see him trying to get out of jail by paying off that unfair debt.

More importantly, though, it appears that the SW (Scarlet Woman) has no clue that the Edens Zero’s already on her planet, or that its captain is her prisoner. If she did, she’d stop at nothing to get her hands on Shiki and the ship. Let’s hope it stays that way for a while.

Now, do I think Labilia can be trusted? No, I don’t. She’s still a selfish brat. She does, however, owe Shiki for saving her from being kidnapped and turned into Illega’s naked furniture. More likely, she’s trying to get in good with Rebecca now that she’s famous from the Guilst Incident. Either way, I don’t trust her.

This chapter was about average for me, and I was left wanting more than what we got — looking forward to the next chapter more.

I give “The Scarlet Gauntlet” a 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Edens Zero Chapter 47 Review/Recap

Beyond the fact that she was trained by Valkyrie, we know little about Homura or her past. Aside from her inability to keep her thoughts to herself, that is. If she wants to find her master, Homura needs to get past Xiaomei’s duplicate of her. A psychological battle as well as a physical one awaits us in this chapter of Edens Zero.

Recap

Homura’s visibly unnerved by the fact that she must find a replica of her master. So unnerved that she throws caution to the wind and goes on the attack. The replica, though, has all the original’s memories, and uses Homura’s weaknesses against her, pinning her to the ground.

Try as she might, Homura is too frazzled as the memories of Valkyrie come flooding back.

In a flashback, we see Homura was an orphan from a village that was destroyed. Before slaver’s could capture her, Valkyrie saved her. After hesitating, Homura follows Valkyrie, remembering her first lesson: ‘words gives us strength’.

In the present, Homura hardens her resolve, vowing to find her mentor, no matter what she has to go through. Ultimately, her resolve wins her the day, beating the replica Valkyrie, giving the crew of Edens Zero a perfect victory.

Review

It’s important to a good story to establish its side characters. They need to be able to help hold the weight of the story. In a shonen manga, that also means being able to have their moments to shine.

Homura manages to do both of these in this chapter, albeit it’s only a brief moment. I had a feeling that Homura was an orphan, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that her village was destroyed. This happens more in Mashima’s works than one would think.

Like the previous chapter, though, I felt like the whole thing was too rushed. I hope that this could play out over a few more chapters to push Homura so that she would grow stronger.

There’s also the whole “replica” thing. For some reason, I don’t buy it. Call it a hunch, but something tells me that that’s the real Valkyrie and she lost so that Homura woul surpass her. We won’t learn for sure until next week, though, so it’s up in the air.

In the meantime, I hope that the manga learns not to rush with the pacing. Edens Zero has the potential to be good, but if this keeps up, I fear it won’t end up living up to my expectations.

I give “Words Give Strength” a 3/5. And I’m being generous with this one.