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Edens Zero Chapter 167 Review/Recap

Death is an unshakeable aspect of the universe, and something we must all contend with. However, that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier, even when it’s the death of a fictional character. Last week, Hiro Mashima stunned his fans with the death of one of Witch, one of the main supporting characters for his manga, Edens Zero. This week, the fans, the Crew of Edens, and the story’s universe all have to cope with what happened. Needless to say, it’s a painful chapter.

Recap

At the Temple, word gets out that Emperor Nero’s dead and Nero 66 destroyed, bringing an end to his Empire. As chaos unfolds, Elsie sneaks inside the palace, where she confronts Ziggy for the first time since he reactivated. Ziggy tiredly admits that he now has no interest in the Empire. Shiki made a different decision than he wanted, and now the wheel of fate’s broken, bringing them to World 31. Ziggy goads Elsie to try and kill him now, but she refuses out of respect for who he once was. Taking her leave, Ziggy chides her as a fool for wasting her one chance to kill him.

Aboard the Edens Zero, everyone’s mourning the loss of Witch. Homura and the rest of the bots are in various stages of grieving. The Rutherford siblings hate what happened. However, Weisz and Laguna remember what the former said right before they went off to war. Weisz takes it back, though, since Laguna lost Ijuna. Meanwhile, Rebecca goes to Shiki’s room, where Shiki’s in a complete state of depression, not having eaten anything for the last two days, wondering how he can move on from the loss of Witch. In tears, Rebecca reveals that she’s been trying to use Cat Leaper to go back to the time before Witch died, to no avail. No matter how much they want it, though, they have to accept the fact that Witch is gone. All they can do to honor her loss is to keep on living as a family.

Review

I was almost in tears when I read this chapter. A huge part of me wanted to deny what happened, that this would be undone like the first time on Belial Gore, but it can’t. It looks like the loss of Witch will be permanent, and we can’t get her back. Moreover, her death hammers home how much darker Edens Zero is. Plot Armor won’t save everyone; anyone can die, which only makes things harder.

My friend, Demon God Tadd, said in his review of this chapter that the crew was going through the five stages of grief. I think that this was the best description for this chapter possible: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance were all shown by the crewmembers. But Shiki? I can’t even imagine how hard Shiki must be feeling. He probably blames himself and his grandpa for what happened to Witch. That poor boy needs a hug right now!

Regardless of the pain of loss, all the living can do is carry on in memory of the dead. It’s all we can do to honor them. I have to respect Mashima for sticking to this, no matter how painful it can be. I just hope he doesn’t find some BS way to bring Witch back, as that would cheapen the value of her life. The only manga that can do that is Dragon Ball, and that’s because they’ve done it so many times, death is irrelevant!

I Give “Proof in Our Hearts That She Lived” a 5/5

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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

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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

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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.

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Edens Zero Chapters 70 & 71 Review/Recap

While the nightmare Rebecca had last chapter’s important, the crew of Edens Zero has bigger problems. Drakken Joe’s finally caught up with them! Shiki and most of the crew goes to confront him on his turf while Rebecca’s passed out. As a result, the crew’s divided at the worst possible time. I hope that Shiki can stay out of trouble on Joe’s ship, the Belial Goer, but I doubt that it. Mashima’s characters have a habit of causing trouble.

Also, I should note that this week gave us two chapters at once.

Recap

Belial Goer

Shiki’s team arrives onboard Joe’s ship, the Belial Goer. However, it’s actually more than a ship: it’s an entire sector of Guilst that escaped the Chronophage,. That makes it another Space Vegas, with Joe at its head. As the crew investigates Belial Goer (and enjoys themselves) they run into an old face, Sibir. This is the version from the main timeline, though, and not the cruel monster they defeated on Norma way back. He’s just as upset hearing about the alternate Sibir did to Pino.

Right when Old Sibir leaves, though, Drakken Joe appears on TV. He knows Shiki’s on Belial Goer, and he’s one step ahead of him. Using his alchemist ether, he sends his followers aboard the ship. Their mission: kill everyone aboard.

Steel Sorceress

On Belial Goer, Joe’s locked down the docks, stranding Shiki’s team while Joe’s men seize the ship. They make short work of Edens Zero’s automated defenses. Enraged at the sight of her home being ravaged, Witch steps up to fight the intruders. She proceeds to requip into her battle form, Assault Witch.

As Rebecca watches astonished, Witch makes quick work of the enemy. Her Ether Power lets her control the elements like magic. Drakken Joe’s flunkies fall easily. Hermit then confidently explains that this is how Witch earned the nickname Steel Sorceress. With communications with Belial Goer restored, Shiki won’t let Joe’s actions slide. He resolves to confront the crime lord himself, while Joe chooses to send his elite forces, the Element 4, after Shiki’s team.

Review

These two chapters gave me a lot to unpack, in a good way. I’d been curious about how Guilst’s destruction set Drakken Joe loose on the cosmos, and this chapter explains it. He used Belial Goer as his base, but had it flee Guilst before the Chronophage ate its time. If he got his hands on Edens Zero, there’s no telling what he could do.

However, Edens Zero has proven its far from defenseless. Even with Valkyrie’s armory being warmed up, Witch mopped the floor with Joe’s goons. Between her, the other Shining Stars, and Rebecca, I don’t think they have anything to worry about. What I’m worried about is the Element 4. I remember them from Fairy Tail, and they were formidable at that point in the story. This is going to push Shiki and his friends hard.

My guess is that this arc on Belial Goer’s going to cap off the adventures in the Sakura Cosmos. As such, I have high expectations for it. These two chapters have managed to do a good job of hype me up, though. I’m not worried, and I look forward to seeing what happens.

I Give “Belial Goer” and “Steel Sorceress” a 3.75/5 and 4/5, respectively

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When we last left off in Edens Zero, the gang met with the all-knowing, fourth wall breaking fortuneteller Xiaomei to find Homura’s mentor, Valkyrie. Xiaomei’s happy to tell them where she is, but first they have to fight through her champions.

She has a fighting fetish. Shiki makes short work of the first guy, but now the rest of the crew has to step up.

Recap

After Xiaomei gets down from her high, she tells the heroes that they have three more people to fight. To make things fair, she’s making each of them fight, one on one, anything goes aside from killing.

First up is everybody’s favorite blonde B-Cuber, Rebecca, and her best friend Happy! Against the Space SBA champ and B-Cuber Flanker Yotch!

It’s a gunslinging showdown as Yotch uses special bullets that spew… clothes eating slime?

Big mistake on his part, because Rebecca beats the snot out of him.

Next up is Weisz against Highway Yana, who reminds me a little of Dyspo from Dragon Ball Super. Weisz uses Pino’s EMP to shut down his speed, then curb stomps the poor guy. Another one bites the dust.

Yet Xiaomei gets even more excited, because she knows what’s coming in the final round. For the Edens Zero, Homura steps up to fight. To her shock, though, she sees her opponent is a duplicate of her teacher, Valkyrie of the Demon King’s Starshines!

Review

I would have preferred it if Mashima had decided to draw out this tournament thing over a few chapters so that we could see the heroes really cut loose. It feels like he’s rushing things at this point. That said, I found Rebecca and Weisz’s fights, while short, to be a good way to show off their skills. We also learned to never make Rebecca mad, because she will beat you senseless.

The one thing I am curious about is how Xiaomei created a replica of Valkyrie in the first place. I know that she’s up to something, but I can’t figure out what.

This chapter was short, but it seems the point was to get the fodder out of the way for the big guns. Next chapter will see Homura stack up against a copy of her mentor, and that makes for some good character development and backstory. I’m look forward to it!

I Give “Valkyrie’s Footsteps” a 2.5/5. Could have been better, could have been worse.

Also, we need to address how much fanservice Mashima’s putting into his work now. The slime thing was crossing into ecchi territory.

Edens Zero Chapter 43 Review/Recap

The manga was on break two weeks ago, so there was no new chapter for me to add. When we last left off, that loser Spider went crying to Drakken Joe about the crew of Edens Zero beat him up. That’s when we found Joe doing this:

So, yeah, let’s pick up where that left off.

Recap

So remember how Spider called Drakken Joe his “brother”? Joe has no idea who the heck he is, because Spider’s just a low-level cog in his operation. As for the man he’s torturing, he owes Joe 5 million Gree (money). But since he can’t pay up, he’s torturing the poor man. He doesn’t kill him, but he makes him work to pay off his debt with unspeakable jobs.

Joe cares, first and foremost, about money, and his big concern is the fact that with Guilst gone, most of his customers are too. And when he hears that Spider used his name when he fought the Edens Zero crew, he has his lieutenant, Seth, execute the man.

He shoots him so fast, we don’t even notice it. But now Joe sees money to be made off the Edens Zero.

Back on the ship, the Edens Zero’s almost at full strength. The only one of the Demon King’s four Star-Shines still missing is Homura’s master, Valkyrie.

As said before, though, Homura doesn’t know where she is. She had gone to Blue Garden to find some leads at the Guild, but then everything else happened. Hermit says that there’s a legendary fortune-teller who might be able to help them, though. It’s said that this person resides on Mildean, a planet said to be frozen in time.

Back at Blue Garden, the mysterious guild master of Shooting Starlight, Noah, gets a call from none other than Drakken Joe, asking about the Edens Zero.

Review

I had known for a while now that Shiki and Drakken Joe were going to cross paths, but I didn’t think that it would happen so soon. Now that Shiki’s in Joe’s line of sight, there’s no way that he’s going to get out of this fight.

What I liked most about this chapter, though, was the reveal that the Shooting Starlight guildmaster can’t be trusted. I thought it was suspicious that he managed to escape from fake-Sister’s men, but I was distracted by the fact that Rebecca got kidnapped.

Then there’s what Sister says: she got the mission that led to her imprisonment on Guilst from Noah himself. And the fact that of the B-Cubers kidnapped, Rebecca and Labilia were the only ones targeted. Did Noah sell them out to Guilst? It’s highly likely.

Regardless, the ship will need to be at full strength soon, because it may be headed into a full-scale war with the biggest criminal organization in the Sakura Cosmos. I can’t wait!

The plot behind this manga is doing great at connecting everything together, if you ask me. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I give “The Smell of Money” a 4/5

Edens Zero Chapters 41 & 42 Review/Recap

Hello and welcome to another week’s installment of my Edens Zero review/recap. This week, we’re in for a real treat, because we got not one, but two chapters!! And they are good ones. Plus, they each come with their own handy charts and maps to help clarify about what’s happening in the manga.

Now then, let’s dive right in!

Recap

“Fireworks”

At the end of the last chapter, we saw how Hermit was tricked into building a giant ether gun to destroy a planet full of machines. Then those scientists captured her and started experimenting on her.

They broke her into pieces, rebuilt her, and then broke her already broken spirit even more. It was hell, until the day that the Star Federation Army put a stop to their vile research. But the damage was already done, and Hermit retreated into Digitalis

Back in the present, Hermit refuses to help the crew fend off Spider due to her hatred of humans. None of them can understand why she hates them so much, but Rebecca and Shiki do everything they can to get her to open her heart back up. All the emotions she had bottled up start pouring out, and she finally, tearfully, admits that she still wants to be friends with humans.

With her resolve rekindled, Hermit gets to work and shows everyone her true power.

Not only is she able to force Spider out like it’s nothing, but then she taunts him by finding his location and preparing to use the ship’s long-range weapons to blast him from the cosmos.

Turns out it was just fireworks, though. But Spider freaked out so badly that he passed out and wet himself.

As the crew celebrates and Hermit finally joins them, Weisz and Witch stand in the distance, with Witch remarking about how much it suits Hermit to smile.

“Pino’s Dream”

With Hermit now aboard as a member, she gives Rebecca and Happy a tour of the ship; or at least the parts of the ship that can be shown. And the Eden’s Zero is amazing!

Too bad the ship will take some time to fix after Spider almost wrecked it. Something that Sister is keen to remind Hermit that she could have prevented. Apparently, they teased each other a lot back in the day.

With Sister, Witch, and Hermit accounted for, the only one left to find is Valkyrie. According to Homura, her master up and vanished one day about five years ago. She’s been searching for her ever since then. As she tells Rebecca in the baths, she wants to show her how much stronger she’s gotten since then.

Meanwhile, Shiki, Weisz, and Pino are hanging out in the Eden’s Kitchen on the ship, eating burgers that make me want to drool.

Pino, meanwhile, hasn’t forgotten how she became human in Digitalis, and so she has developed a goal for herself in the future.

Shiki thinks she can do it, but Weisz is convinced its impossible, but doesn’t say anything.

On another planet made of desserts, that agent from the Galactic Intelligence hasn’t given up on her mission to infiltrate Drakken Joe’s group, while revealing to the readers how she got into the Eden’s Zero network: One of Elsie’s crew members handed her the info on the ship and used it to hack into their network.

Elsewhere, Spider’s left humiliated and fuming at Shiki and his friends, and tries to get Drakken Joe to do something about it. Joe’s… not in the mood to be talked to.

Review

I will admit, I thought that Hermit’s heel-face turn in “Fireworks” seemed a little bit rushed. I get that they want to move the plot forward and that the situation meant that time was limited, but I didn’t expect her to change her mind so quickly. Sometimes it takes several chapters for a Shonen hero to do that.

My concerns were shoved to one side as soon as I saw how amazing Hermit was, and how she made Spider wet himself.

The next chapter, though, was amazing. I never even considered looking at a map of the ship, but now that I’ve seen it, I’m glad! The best part is that there’s going to be even more of the ship that has yet to be revealed as it gets back to full strength.

I also enjoyed the crew dynamics in “Pino’s Dream” as well. Sister and Hermit may tease each other a lot, but I can tell that they really care about each other, even though they’d deny it. I found Homura’s bathside chats with Rebecca and Happy as nice as always; I can’t believe she asked Rebecca to fight her in the middle of the bath. And I loved Pino’s dream to be a real girl.

I don’t know why I didn’t see it at first, but that statement made me realize that Pino’s nickname is short for Pinocchio. If you guys figured it out before me, give yourself a pat on the back. I don’t care what Weisz says, though: she’ll find a way to become human.

There’s still trouble brewing though. Ever since Guilst was rewound by the Chronophage, Drakken Joe has been on the loose, and it looks like Shiki and him are on a collision course in the future. Plus that psychopathic spy girl is going to be a recurring problem. In short, they need to find Valkyrie fast if they want to be ready.

I Give “Fireworks” and “Pino’s Dream” a 3/5 and 4/5, respectively

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Eden’s Zero Chapter 38 Review/Recap

I didn’t think that the Digitalis Arc would rap up so quickly, but it looks like Hiro Mashima is steaming forward at full speed. Hermit shows off the true extent of her power in this new chapter of Eden’s Zero

Recap

Furious that someone is able to manipulate Digitalis on the same level as him, Jamilov does everything in his power to keep Hermit from helping Shiki. What follows is a battle of speed as Hermit equips armor onto Shiki while Jamilov tries to get rid of it.

And then, for some reason, Jamilov puts Rebecca in a bikini.

Realizing that he can’t beat Hermit, Jamilov decides to resort to:

Basically, he’s pressing ctrl+alt+delete on the entire town and everything in it.

I do mean everything, include the NPC’s. Worse, Hermit says that there’s no way for her to stop; in 3 minutes, everything will be destroyed.

Shiki then solves it like any other Shonen protagonist would: by beating the crap out of Jamilov. It works, despite Jamilov being overpowered in Digitalis because Hermit says Shiki is just that strong. Every hit he dishes out takes away 4,500 of his health points. Meaning, Shiki beats him out of the game in just 22 hits

And in true Shonen logic, this fixes everything. The town goes back to normal. As for Weisz, he ends up being banned from Digitalis since Hermit had to use his account to beat Jamilov. Not that he minds, though.

Meanwhile, Homura manages to return to her friends after beating that GIA woman. As for the monster, it turns out he’s alright, too. With the villain defeated, Shiki then asks Hermit once more to come back with him, to Eden’s Zero.

Review

I have to say, this is the first time that I have been flat-out disappointed by Eden’s Zero. The way they resolved the fight was too quick, and Shiki’s logic has been used by too many other heroes to stick anymore. What’s more, the terror of the Final Code is negated by how quick Shiki was able to beat Jamilov. Everyone was having such a hard time fighting him, and then Shiki just beats him so easily. He had Hermit’s help, but it still seemed to fast.

This chapter was a letdown for me, and I honestly hope that we do not see anymore like that in the future of this series. It still has a lot of potential, but I don’t want this to be a full repeat of Fairy Tail.

I Give Chapter 38 a 2/5

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Eden’s Zero Chapter 37 Review/Recap

There’s an old saying: sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire. When people are going to play dirty and cheat, there may be no other recourse but to cheat back. And in this chapter of Eden’s Zero, the crew decides to beat Jamilov at his own game.

Recap

As Amira said at the end of the last chapter, she’s a government agent whose mission was to go after Drakken Joe. She had planned on doing it by getting into Jamilov’s good graces, but she made one mistake: she put innocent people in harm’s way.

Homura demonstrates how great she is with a sword, though, and proceeds to send Amira running with her tail between her legs. Actually, if Amira didn’t log out fast enough, Homura could have ended up killing her. Also, this is Amira’s real face:

Back in town, the crew’s processing Hermit’s suggestion of beating Jamilov by using cheats. Rebecca’s dead set against it.

Weisz, though, doesn’t mind stooping to that level.

Sadly, Weisz has no real knowledge about coding, something that Hermit points out. She also points out that the reason that Jamilov hasn’t been banned is because he has other players banned by using their accounts. And just when I thought this guy wouldn’t sink any lower.

Compared to Jamilov, though, Hermit’s a programming goddess.

She then proceeds to take away all of Jamilov’s cheats, and then, just for the heck of it, turns Shiki into a giant monster.

Holy cow, she’s good.

Review

This chapter did not do much in the way of revealing the plot, other than what Amira told Homura. The government is making an active attempt to apprehend Drakken Joe. While we only have Amira to use as a lens, it’s possible that the GIA is using morally dubious means to accomplishing that. I.E. letting innocent people be killed in order to get in the graces of Joe’s men.

The big takeaway for this chapter is that we get a glimpse of what Hermit’s capable of. She’s a programming goddess who can rewrite data at her leisure. I can see why she was part of Ziggy’s crew back in the day. If they can convince her to join, then the Eden’s Zero would be even stronger. One thing’s for sure: I am looking forward to the next chapter

I Give Chapter 37 a 4.5/5

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