Release the Spyce Episode 11 Review
For all that this anime hasn’t really gone as well as expected from its premise, I do have to compliment its sound design this week. That was actually a thing of beauty and the whole series has actually had remarkably good sound effects and a pretty awesome soundtrack. However when I’m reviewing the penultimate episode and my major compliment goes to sound design that probably spells trouble for the rest of the episode.
Firstly, Hanzomon isn’t dead. Which I guess we all knew. And given Goe hasn’t accepted her mentor as being dead either I’m guessing she’s going to make an appearance soon. So all the dire outcomes of last week are more or less swept away. Particularly if we consider the apprentices escape in about three minutes without all that much effort because the villains are dumb enough to try torturing and breaking their spirits rather than just killing them (and they don’t even hang around to do it themselves but leave it to an underling taking any potential suspense right out of the scene).
About the only thing that stuck from episode 10 to this one is that Mei is still working for the bad guys. Only I’m still not convinced it isn’t some kind of ruse or that she won’t change her mind again. Given they backed out of every other major plot point I’m pretty sure this isn’t the kind of story where she’s actually going to betray them and that is going to stick.
And therein lies the problem. Release the Spyce isn’t exciting enough or cute enough or anything enough to be the kind of story that doesn’t commit to its plot on top of that. What we’re ending up with is a fairly watered down affair that has zero tension or stakes and I’m not attached enough to the characters to just buckle in for the ride. While it isn’t bad, not even close, it has become one of the least interesting stories I followed this Autumn.
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NENDOROID NO. 1028 RELEASE THE SPYCE: MOMO MINAMOTO
- Episode 1 – Is Eating the Spyces the Same as Releasing the Spyces
- Episode 2 – Preparation is Key
- Episode 3 – It’s All About the Team
- Episode 4 – It’s All About Mei and Fu
- Episode 5 – My Mentor Is Amazing
- Episodes 6 + 7 – Victory for Power of Friendship, Complete Loss For Originality
- Episode 8 – Snakes, Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
- Episode 9 – The Disastrous Day The Mentor Character Died
- Episode 10 – This Week They Really Spyced Things Up
- Episode 11 – Things are Getting Spycy As Time Runs Out
- Episode 12 – Sugar and Spyce and All Things Nice