Spring 2021 Archives | Page 2 of 7

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song Episode 12 Impressions: Fears For The Collapse of Humanity?

Posted on June 20, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Ashley Capes sponsored Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song.
https://thereviewheap.home.blog/

Fair warning – Huge spoilers for this episode of Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song below.

There was a point during episode 12 of Vivy where my brain kind of clicked that somehow we were going to have to have yet another do-over. The first time they tried to change the future didn’t work because the Archive simply kept correcting their course but now they know who the actual enemy is and more than that, they’ve told Vivy how to beat them.

As the human extras were rapidly cut down and failure after failure plagued the mission, it became clear we were either in for an ending of mass-extermination that cautioned us against AI or this story was about to use a known plot device, time travel to give Vivy one final chance. And it was pretty clear from the pro-human-AI cooperation messaging in these final episodes which way it was going to lean.

This is not the first time I've had Lylat Wars comparisons in my head while watching Vivy.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — *^{Seems like too much effort.}*

So episode 12 has Vivy back inside the Archive and finding out why all the crazed robots are singing the song she composed. This is where Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song pulled one of those scenes that is an absolute pet-peeve of mine. Mid-conversation they just cut the sound and we see the character mouth something. Later on we’ll find out what but it is a lousy technique for building tension and it is way overused in anime.

Outside of that mood-killing moment though the rest of this episode hits pretty much all the right notes. Doctor Matsumoto doesn’t participate in the raid, probably just as well, but the rest of the TOAK guys, Vivy and Elizabeth charge over to the tower and begin their attempt at shutting things down. Of course there’s a really big clock counting down just to make it seem like they are fighting against time.

Big clocks are always scary.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song. — *^{Oh no, only 3 seconds left. What now?}*

There’s a lot of action strewn through this sequence as they fight against basic security robots and make their way up the tower. In true Vivy fashion the animation is a little messy and chaotic but it all adds to the overall feel of the scene and the movement remains very fluid.

As we lose more of the human members of the team and Elizabeth and Vivy take to the central column, the visuals get even messier and the screen is at time a riot of colour and light but it all fits with the visual aesthetic we’ve seen before in this show so you either appreciate it or find it an eye-sore.

Don't just steal the gun. Steal the whole arm and then shoot him with his own gun.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — *^{Still, this fight sequence was pretty intense.}*

I love that the struggle for these characters was real. They were desperately trying to achieve their goal and the sense of failure that landed on Vivy as the counter finished and the first of the satellites fell really had emotional weight, even if by that point it was kind of clear this isn’t where things would stand.

Vivy works really well here as a proxy for the audience. We’ve watched 100 years of time pass by now and seeing the satellites falling and realising that the project has utterly failed, and failed because of Vivy (a single person or AI having a single hesitation) the sense of despair is very real.

Then again, one has to wonder if the Archive is also having second thoughts given they’ve given Vivy a way to stop their version of the future coming to fruition.

The explosions begin.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song. — *^{Goodbye city.}*

Finally though there’s nothing left to do. Matsumoto and Vivy simply acknowledge their failures. Which is when Doctor Matsumoto contacts them. He’s back at the computer where Vivy saved his life and where the whole story started and he’s got one last chance to send her data back to where the rebellion began. It isn’t much and it still might not be enough but it does get Vivy back on her feet.

It isn’t a foregone conclusion that we’ll get a happy ending and even if Vivy stops the satellites, she’s only going back to the point the rebellion started so thousands if not hundreds of thousands of humans will still die. But, I think in some ways that is even better.

The future is in your hands.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — ^{No pressure.}

Vivy’s never been perfect. As a singing robot she struggled to understand her mission of singing from the heart. She’s constantly failed to execute her missions as instructed and ultimately lost her ability to sing altogether. None of this has ever made her give up and she’s saved people along the way even if not everyone.

Perhaps that’s how it was always meant to be, but I guess we’ll find out in episode 13.

Images used for review from: Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song. Dir. S Ezaki. Wit Studio. 2021.

Help Support 100 Word Anime This Spring Season 2000 × — _{Donate to the blog.}

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Fruits Basket: The Final Season Episode 11 Impressions – An Unforgettable Episode

Posted on June 20, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Crow's World of Anime has sponsored reviews of Fruits Basket Final Season in 2021.

Tohru and Kyo…Fruits Basket…Words are now failing me.

Episode 11 of Fruits Basket the Final Season is an emotional watch and if the YouTube reactions I found after watching it were anything to go by I’m not alone in feeling that way. While the episode is titled ‘Goodbye’ my initial thoughts were pretty bleak but honestly this episode manages to be aww inducing cuteness followed by contemplative and cathartic. Overall there’s a sense of resolution as the banquet is finally demystified and finally we are left with a sense of relief.

As always, watching Fruits Basket is akin to going multiple rounds of emotional boxing and I’m just not all that well equipped for having my emotions rocked like that.

Incidentally, spoilers below.

Kyo gets his serious face on.
Image from Fruits Basket Final Season 2019. — *^{_{Kyo, when you look at me like that…}}*

I do know that after watching this episode I am going to have to go an rewrite my list of top 5 anime confessions. Seriously, this one has to absolutely be on that list. I’d put this one on par with the confession in Dakaichi in terms of intensity but given that confession came out of nowhere at the beginning of the story (before we knew either character) and this one between Kyo and Honda has been so long coming…

Yeah, to be honest, the emotional payoff here was just brilliant. Fruits Basket absolutely nailed this moment and honestly if this final season leaves us with nothing else in its final episode, episode 11 has already given me everything I needed to be happy. Sure there are still some unanswered questions but most of what I wanted from this season has been revealed and then some.

I am curious about whether the characters will continue to live at Shigure’s house or whether they will return to the main Soma estate. Will the main Soma estate even remain after all of this? Or are they all going to go and find their own ways. I will admit, I never read the very end in the manga. Once I found out enough about the curse and where the characters were going in Fruits Basket to satisfy my curiosity I put this story away until this rebooted anime.

This post may just be an excuse for pictures of Kyo.
Image from Fruits Basket 2021. — *_{^{Kyo, sometimes Tohru makes us all feel like that.}}*

One thing I am happy season 3 of Fruits Basket has fully resolved is the question of whether Tohru would end up with Kyo or Yuki. From the start of this season it couldn’t have been clearer and honestly, that made this moment all the sweeter. If there had still been some doubt, or if Yuki hasn’t been so clear with Kyo in episode 10, there would be that ongoing awkwardness that usually results when a love triangle resolves.

However, this episode actually had a lot more in it than Kyo and Tohru being utterly adorable. And actually, a lot of it was pretty important. The problem is, that Fruits Basket began its episode by giving me the fan moment I’ve been waiting for forever and so it was a little difficult to focus on the rest while I had my inner fan-girls dancing a conga-line through my brain for the rest of the day after watching the first part of this episode.

God and the cat.
Image from Fruits Basket 2021. — *^{Okay, onto the more serious side of things.}*

So most of the rest of this episode of Fruits Basket really looks at God’s relationship with the animals in the zodiac. We see this through Akito’s genuine pain as the bonds most definitely break. However we also go back to the original story that we were told about god holding the banquet. Only this time, we get a lot more about what happened before the first banquet and unsurprisingly it involves God’s relationship with the cat.

It isn’t at all surprising that a story passed down through generations and between incarnations had become quite distorted and details that should have been remembered were forgotten. The relationships between god and the zodiacs and the zodiacs and the cat became symbolic and chains, mimicking their original connection but the purpose being quite forgotten.

Akito cries.
Image from Fruits Basket the Final Season 2021. — *^{Akito’s finally going to be on her own.}*

Letting go of these bonds, being alone (truly alone) for the first time, is painful and not just for Akito. As we saw from Kureno and others who broke free of the bond previously, it isn’t exactly a happy moment initially. But, if any of these characters are to move forward it is a necessary step.

Honestly, I’d really have been happy with this as an ending. Sure it will be great to see next steps and have a few other questions answered, but in terms of this narrative I kind of feel like this is going to be the emotional peak for me. Fruits Basket episode 11 was incredibly satisfying viewing and will perhaps remain one of my favourite resolutions in anime (I really should do a top 5 list of those).

Images used for review from: Fruits Basket: The Final Season. Dir. Y Ibata. TMS Entertainment. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Episode 9 Impressions

Posted on June 19, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Lynn Sheridan has sponsored reviews of I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level.
https://otakuauthor.com/

The case of the transformed slime spirit in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level.

After episode 8 felt more like a disjointed series of vignettes that had been loosely connected, episode 9 of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years returned to providing us a central problem for the episode and then had the cast walk us through the events leading to its resolution.

Basically Falfa, the slime spirit, transforms from a little girl into an actual slime while sleeping and can’t change back. Thus begins a walking quest from one slime to another in an effort to find a way to restore her.

Beelzebub has an interesting examination method.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. — *^{I’m not sure this is how you examine a patient.}*

One thing remains true and that is that there are definitely too many characters in the core cast of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years now. Once again we leave the majority of the baggage (cast) behind and only Azusa, Laika, Shalza and Beelzebub head to the first stop on the quest which is pretty much just back to the demon castle to find an intelligent slime.

The thing is, these smaller groups work and usually have pretty good chemistry so the trip is pretty relaxing to watch even as the obvious gags of Beelzebub getting lost while guiding them and the slime eating the bread crumb trail eat up screen time.

It was kind of weird though that Azusa literally spent 300 years killing slimes and yet never encountered a form outside of blue monster. Now we see an intelligent slime, a magician slime, before we end up in a fighting tournament looking for a fighting slime.

Smiling Beelzebub is golden.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years.

Also, despite the cool concept of having slimes that have specialised abilities and appearances, none of the three characters really get any kind of screen time or feel like they have any purpose other than being the next NPC on a fairly generic fantasy quest from a forgettable RPG. Even fighter slime who is arguably the final hurdle just kind of happens and then we’re done.

I’m not going to nit-pick too much because it did lead to the long awaited rematch of Azusa and Beelzebub given their fight, many episodes ago, ended when Beelzebub flew into Azusa’s barrier which she’d more or less forgotten about.

Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. — *^{Why do I not think that likely?}*

Anyway, the main conflict, Falfa being a slime, ends up getting solved off screen and almost becomes a forgotten issue as the fight between Azusa and Beelzebub heats up. While it ends up being resolved more or less as easily as everything else, at least these are two characters I genuinely enjoy watching and this was kind of a fun moment for I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years.

I’d really like to see a rematch between these two because it kind of feels like Beelzebub could be even stronger. I also wonder how a match between the two would play out without the rules of the fighting tournament. Beelzebub is a demon and a strong one and Azusa is an awesomely overpowered witch. A real smack-down between them should be spectacular though I somehow doubt we’ll get it.

Episode 9 kind of feels like one of the earlier episodes of this anime. It’s just kind of fun, nicely paced so you don’t get bored, and nothing really has impact but you aren’t expecting it to either. The fight was entertaining enough and there are enough moments that make you smile along the way.

Images used for review from: I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Dir. N Kimura. Revoroot. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song Episode 11 Impressions of The Devastating AI War

Posted on June 18, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Vivy’s long journey to prevent a war has ended in failure. Does she give up?

The comparison of Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song and Terminator is more or less inevitable at this point. As it turns out is the war between AI’s and humans as despite 100 years of effort the war began at exactly the same time and more or less went through exactly the same progress as in the original timeline. The only difference is that the humans who had been working on the Singularity Project now know they already did that and it failed.

But you know, just because we’ve seen this kind of conflict before (Westworld) and with time travel (Terminator) doesn’t mean that Vivy doesn’t have something to offer us as see the war unfold before her. Even if Vivy isn’t a human protagonist, her reaction to this war, knowing she failed to stop it, makes her seem very human.

The kid is going to get it in a minute.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — *^{Trust me kid, you don’t want it.}*

For me, there’s little doubt at this point that nothing Matsumoto and Vivy could have done would have changed this outcome. It seems like the event itself is one of Doctor Who’s fixed points in time. What may change is the outcome of the war now that Vivy and Matsumoto have joined up with Matsumoto’s creator and the remnants of TOAK.

I’m really not surprised that they brought a connection back to the young terrorist that Vivy protected all those years before on her very first mission. The granddaughter trying to bring a moderate tone to TOAK and looking for ways for AI and humans to coexist fits within the narrative even if it makes little practical sense.

This is once again a situation where an anime simply acknowledging something makes little sense doesn’t make it any better. If the granddaughter wanted to walk that path she didn’t need to be inside a terrorist group and giving us a throw away explanation didn’t really help. It’s a minor point in an otherwise well done episode but it was perhaps the moment that took me out of the narrative for an instant.

Yui Kakitani
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021 — ^O^{f course you are because everything has to come full circle in this story.}

Basically, everything seems pretty much lost here with the AI wiping out all humans. Things get worse when the AI Archive announces it is dropping a satellite and essentially dooms the few humans left in the region because if they tried to evacuate they’d be killed by robots and if they stay where they are they’ll be destroyed once the satellite crashes.

But, by being so extreme and also by announcing their intention, the AI have essentially given Vivy a clue as to how to stop things. It is one of those moments that needed to happen so the story could continue but also made the AI overall seem less unstoppable.

Vivy taking care of the robots.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021 — *^{I love how these Robots all explode – why are they filled with materials that explode now?}*

The Archive isn’t a human villain that needs to be seen as smart. There’s no reason to announce its plans. We already know the AI can receive message without broadcasting them so it seems really suspicious that we’ve had this large scale announcement to humans and AI’s. I wonder if this is deliberate (as in is the AI trying to scare humans out of hiding) or is it just a weak plot point to keep us driving forward?

Regardless of whether that question gets answered next episode, Vivy has really done a great job in building up this final conflict. Given we’ve been heading toward it since episode one, seeing it unfold now and seeing the characters react to events is giving a great sense that this story has held itself together. Now we just need to see the characters somehow overcome all of this.

Vivy Episode 11 5 — *^{Human on human violence never helps.}*

Or maybe not. Maybe humans don’t win? Is there any winning? If they shut down the AI I’m pretty sure the world doesn’t work anymore for these humans. Coexistence sounds good but the only robots not on a rampage are those that haven’t updated. And of course, Vivy herself for reasons yet to be explained.

I’m pretty sure Vivy can stick its landing at this point which means I can comfortably wait for the final two episodes to bring this all to a close. Please don’t let me be wrong on that point.

Images used for review from: Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song. Dir. S Ezaki. Wit Studio. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Mars Red Episode 11 – The Amazing Flying Kurusu

Posted on June 18, 2021June 18, 2021 by Karandi

Hi Irina, here we are with Mars Red episode 11 and while I liked the episode overall as I’m thinking back on it I kind of realised not a lot happened. So I’m kind of struggling to figure out how I want to approach this episode.

But they flew!!! It was, as we both guessed more of an action oriented episode than a plot driven one. The action was sort of ridiculous though, in a gleeful way, so I’m pretty happy with it. This said, if they end up going for a tragic ending, I may just retract all of that. I want a happy ending for Mars Red.

Kurusu breaks through the glass ceiling (wait that isn't how that is supposed to work).
Image from Mars Red. — ^{Kurusu comes to the rescue.}

I think my biggest disappointment with this episode came from Maeda’s very brief appearance. It was like we were poised for a confrontation between Defrott and Rufus at the end of episode 10 and then Maeda’s shown up only to have a brief and somewhat disjointed fight with Defrott before just kind of leaving the scene. And I get the whole part where he saw Aoi as Misaki but honestly the whole scene just didn’t feel like it served any purpose because once Maeda left, other than Aoi now bleeding to death, nothing much had changed.

And why did Rufus just kind of leave Defrott? Rufus’ character probably makes the least sense out of anyone in Mars Red.

I completely agree, although I understand it’s setup. I’m thinking we’ll get Maeda’s actual development next week. Still, there was something hollow in showing us such an ultimately inconsequential encounter after all the build up we’ve had to Meada’s return.

Maeda fights Defrott.
Image from Mars Red. — ^{Prepare for the fight scene.}

However, I liked the fight scene. More specifically, I liked the animation of it. It’s the first time this specific animation style has been used in the entire series and I hope they don’t use it again in the last episode. Having it isolated to this singular fight would be perfect. It was similar to the other blinking vampire fights we have seen but there was more lingering on the actual movements and the shadow and dust effects of the impacts were really nice. It gave the action more depth than anything in Mars Red so far.

In line with the stage play feel, I found that the visuals often gave a certain paper puppet quality to the action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I like that and I think it’s very fitting. And I think having just one encounter that breaks the mould a little, makes it more interesting on a production level.

Fruits Basket: The Final Season Episode 10 Impressions – Yay!

Posted on June 16, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Will Kyo admit it? Fruits Basket Final Season Episode 10 asks the question.

There’s a change in the air this week with Fruits Basket. Tohru is absent for most of the episode given she’s still in the hospital but her presence and her actions hang over everything. That said, there’s almost a sense of release occurring and while emotions for the characters are still running high as a viewer I felt that this week’s anime episode was almost a breath of fresh air. Definitely spoilers below.

Admittedly we are closing in on the end of the road now with MAL giving this season of Fruits Basket 13 episodes. I’m not sure I’m ready for it to end even as it seems the journey is definitely coming to a close. I mean, having watched the original anime and then investing in the remake since 2019, Fruits Basket and the characters have been a part of my viewing life for a very long time now.

Yuki in the student council office.
Image from Fruits Basket Final Season episode 10 (2021). — *^{Not even the student council can believe this is going to come to an end.}*

But I digress. Episode 10 has Yuki trying to sort through his emotions, as many of the characters seem to be. They are coming to terms with what has transpired and trying to figure out where they now stand. Whether it is Hiro and Kisa, Kureno and Arisa, or even Akito, there’s a definite sense that they want to move to somewhere, they feel they can move, but they are all kind of hesitating and unsure about what is coming next.

The level of uncertainty makes sense given most of these characters have felt, long before the events in the anime started, that their lives were predetermined and they had no other options. Forging a new path sounds exciting but it’s pretty terrifying when the moment finally comes. That said, there’s one character in Fruits Basket who still seems very much locked in place.

Yuki is going to have some words with Kyo.
Image from Fruits Basket Final Season anime (2021). — *^{And Yuki has had enough.}*

Yuki and Kyo’s relationship has never been good (understatement). The two have violently clashed again and again and about the only point they’ve ever agreed on is that they needed to look out for Honda Tohru. However, Yuki now has some clear advice for Kyo and he rams it home with both fists and a few violent kicks to Shigure’s long suffering house.

I think Kyo received the message.
Image from Fruits Basket Final Season Episode 10 (2021). — *^{This was definitely advice giving. Not a fight.}*

I have to admire this moment. Even as angry as Yuki was he still made it clear to Kyo. The two finally communicated and realised, probably for the first time, that the envy they feel for the other is reflected right back. That said, Yuki told Kyo what he needed to hear and that was that he made Honda happy simply by being near her. The power of Tohru’s smile should not be underestimated.

The upshot of all this advice is that Kyo leave Shigure’s house however he doesn’t head straight to the hospital and Honda. At first I thought this was a foolish move but then we realised who he went to see. Kyo was seeking some closure of his own as we near the end of this final season of Fruits Basket and had decided it was high time he spoke with his father.

Honestly, it doesn’t go well but I don’t think the viewers of Kyo expected it to. But it did give Kyo what he needed. The chance to stop running from his feelings of guilt and to face the past that he had always shut away. Despite how dark this scene became it didn’t change the feeling that somehow shackles were being released and everything was moving once again.

All of that alone would have made for a solid episode of Fruits Basket. However, they had one more treat for us. Kyo confessed (at least in his own head) that he loved Honda Tohru. As he approaches the hospital the words resound in his mind again and again and if you are anything like me you are cheering like a crazy idiot at your laptop and anyone else in your house is wondering just what happened.

Kyo sees Honda.
Image from Fruits Basket Final Season anime 2021. — *^{And then the moment arrives…}*

In true Fruits Basket fashion the tone then shifts as Honda sees Kyo and then flees. He chases after her screaming that she shouldn’t run right after leaving the hospital and the episode ends while I’m left with a ridiculously cheesy smile on my face. So yeah, perfect. Plus the most perfect final shot of Arisa and Hanajima. Love those two.

Anyway, Fruits Basket is almost at its end. I am going to miss it.

Images used for review from: Fruits Basket: The Final Season. Dir. Y Ibata. TMS Entertainment. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song Episode 10 Impressions of an Amazing Character Journey

Posted on June 15, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Losing Diva has meant Vivy has lost her purpose. Now what?

It is going to be really hard to discuss this episode of Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song without wanting to discuss the sequence that occurs after the end credits. So I’m just going to say that while it feels like we’ve been waiting for something along those lines to occur, it was still a great way to end the episode, leave us wanting more, but not feeling like a cheap cliff-hanger.

It did leave plenty of room for discussion but honestly if you don’t want any spoilers you’d be better off just watching the show yourself and staying out of discussion boards and avoiding anything on YouTube to do with Vivy at this point.

Vivy - The singularity project is all I have.
Image from Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — ^{What happens when you lose your mission?}

So avoiding discussion of the ending, this episode is very much Vivy focused. Diva has well and truly left in that touching farewell sequence we watched at the end of episode 9 and now we are left with Vivy in a museum awaiting Matsumoto so that she can continue her work on the Singularity Project.

Why is she so keen?

Becuase she can no longer sing and that means her mission to make people through singing is officially dead in the water leaving Vivy at a loss.

Where this could have been quite the slow and dull episode with Vivy sitting in her case and moping at the museum, instead Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song demonstrated its strength in developing this character throughout the series. Sure she is moping to a point but she continues to interact with those visiting the museum and when left alone she’s hard to at work internally trying to find a new path.

Vivy composes.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Song 2021. — *^{Matsumoto might tell her it is the long way around but at least Vivy’s trying to move forward.}*

In this Matsumoto’s presence is interesting. He appears after 5 years only to tell Vivy that there will be no more missions for the singularity project. It makes sense given so much has changed and he couldn’t possibly know the future anymore however it seems strange he waited 5 years before telling her this.

It only begins to make sense when you realise Matsumoto is in his own way fulfilling his promise to Diva. He’s trying to force Vivy to find her own answer rather than waiting for another mission that isn’t coming.

Though it does raise another question of why Matsumoto is even still functioning if his purpose of fulfilling the project is complete. Maybe he also has doubts about the outcome of their changes? It is a curious thought.

Matsumoto eye's Vivy.
Image from Vivy Fluorite Eye's Songe 2021. — *^{Matsumoto isn’t exactly nice.}*

However, the other element that holds this episode together as we traverse nearly twenty years, is in Osamu. Originally visiting Diva in the museum as part of a school trip, this young boy continues to come back and visit Vivy at intervals throughout the episode, aging to show the passage of time.

It is no surprise that it is through her interactions with Osamu and his family, tragedy, and birth, that Vivy finds the connection she needs. While we still don’t know if she can sing or not, she’s finally made progress after hitting a wall for so incredibly long.

Vivy Ep10 6 — ^{Humans age – Vivy does not.}

Vivy Ep10 7 — ^{Humans age – Vivy does not.}

All and all, this is a lovely bit of interaction between humans and AI’s and a beautiful throw back to the girl in episode one who also believed in Diva.

When we finally learn Osamu’s real connection with the overall story it isn’t overly surprising. It is more an ‘oh’ moment as everything kind of clicks into place for Vivy. Sure there are story holes if you go looking for them but there’s a real effort at cohesion and as we move toward the finale they really have made a genuine effort to connect us back to the events of episode one.

So ten episodes along, three to go, and Vivy still hasn’t really had a major misstep even if there have been a few moments that have been less than amazing. After seeing that after credits scene I am very keen to jump into the next episode.

Images used for review from: Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song. Dir. S Ezaki. Wit Studio. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Episode 8 Impressions

Posted on June 13, 2021August 29, 2021 by Karandi

Lynn Sheridan sponsored reviews for I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed out My Level anime.
https://otakuauthor.com/

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years goes in search of (boars / verbal abuse / fake witches / fame).

To say that episode 8 of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Our My Level felt a little disjointed and more like a rambling series of vaguely connected vignettes than a single episode wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Sure we have the cookie rivalry between the dragons very thinly holding the plot together as it starts the episode and then returns during the resolution, but basically our characters move through a series of quests and objectives this week and each set piece kind of feels like its own thing before we move to the next.

Cookie contest.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years — ^{This is more or less what I expected when they added the blue dragon to the group.}

One thing that seems clear, is even the writers know that the group is now so large that the dynamic don’t work when all the characters are together. So instead we have small groups breaking off with the dragons, ghost girl and Azusa going on the boar quest, red dragon and Azusa heading to the town in the west and then north, before we catch up with small groups of characters at the market at the end.

This adds to the overall disjointed feel of the story because characters just kind of come and go and at times there seems little purpose (like when the demons just randomly show up while the characters are boar hunting and then we’re suddenly having a meat picnic).

Though, all things considered, it works in the sense that we’re just kind of following along with these characters. While I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years is an isekai, it is also a slice of life and it very much has opposed giving Azusa any kind of overall goal. This sense of drifting through her day to day as she kind of just moves from one thing to the next fits that perfectly.

What fits less is that we’ve kind of lost the sense of calm nothingness that was kind of permeating the earlier episodes because we move from sequence to sequence here and it always feels like we’re pushing forward but not getting anywhere. I’m not entirely sure they’ve nailed either slice of life of adventure comedy in the execution here.

Azusa, Laika and Rosalie go boar hunting.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. — *^{The boars never stood a chance.}*

Anyway, after the dragon cookie fiasco and then the boar fighting and subsequent food binge, Azusa hears about a fake highland witch and decides to investigate. I’m not sure why she cares if someone else wants to call themselves the witch of the highlands, but apparently she does, and she sends her family out in all directions to search, conveniently leaving her with Laika and the original duo of this story head off to the west.

Somehow this results in them needing to verbally abuse some patrons at a bar in order to be told the witch is actually in the north and they are off again. I’m guessing someone thought the bar sequence was funny but for me it just felt very much like a square peg hammered into a round hole with brute force. It just didn’t fit and looked out of place in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years.

Azusa dishes out some disrespect.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. — *^{How do any of the patrons end up with booze if the waitresses never actually deliver it?}*

Finally we catch up with the witch, realise yes she’s been using a fake name but she’s actually pretty talented, help her out and everything is cool. About the only unexpected part of the resolution is that she doesn’t end up moving in with Azusa as she’s got her own thing going and by the end has a thriving business selling pills.

I’m not sure if we were supposed to get attached to the girl or not but honestly she was in the episode for such a brief period and her character was so all over-the-place it was kind of difficult to care about this segment of the story even though it ended up being the final mission of the episode.

New witch character.
Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. — *^{I suspect she’d get on well with the elf-girl.}*

All and all, this episode of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years was perfectly watchable. The boar killing and picnic was probably the high point as it was kind of just silly fun. The bar sequence felt out of place and didn’t land for me and while the fake witch segment worked it didn’t exactly stand out and the character wasn’t given enough time to feel consequential. So pretty average episode in an average anime.

Images used for review from: I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Dir. N Kimura. Revoroot. 2021.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Mars Red Episode 10 – Hope

Posted on June 13, 2021August 1, 2021 by Karandi

Check out our full review on Irina’s blog.

Hello all, hi Karandi. I read on Twitter that you were a little too sick to post over the weekend, I hope you’re doing better. Your health is the most important. Also hope it didn’t make all the anime you watched seem more sucky because you were feeling under the weather. You were already pretty […]
Mars Red Episode 10 – Hope

Thanks for Reading From
Irina and Karandi

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω Ep 10

Posted on June 12, 2021August 1, 2021 by Karandi

I don’t know that I really had any expectations left going into this final episode. Do I suppose this season was called omega because they weren’t planning another? Though the end of this episode seemed to indicate the adventures continue. Anyway, I’m a little stuck with how to talk about this given the fight seemed to descend into lots of coloured lights and shouting with a miracle light thrown in. Anyway, how are you doing Irina?

I’m doing good. I hate to say but I am a little happy I get to spend my Thursday evenings doing something other than watching How Not To Summon a Demon Lord Ω. I don’t want to get too down on the show, it was by no means the worst thing I have ever seen but I wanted it to be better. I’m having a Tyra Banks moment.

I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!

Demon Lord S2 Ep10 1 — *^{Wow, judgemental much.}*

I’m not going to say this episode was actually bad, because realistically it is on par with everything that came before it this season. It also more or less rounded out the adventure of Diablo helping Lumachima and restoring the church so even though the villain never got any kind of presence or a sense that he even mattered as anything more than an excuse for a fight sequence and Lumachima’s growth, while specifically mentioned by the characters, seems pretty minimal (though at least she’s acknowledging not everyone is sweet and honest now) the story did get resolved.

We got closure. That’s something. There’s tons of blatantly abandoned plot threads just lying around and it seems as they started the main plot in episode 7 of a 10 episode season so structurally it’s not the best, but at the same time lost of shows just don’t get any proper conclusion so I’ll give it that.

It’s too bad that it wasn’t all that interesting.