Throughout its current broadcast period, Darling in the FRANXX has received various criticisms – both good and bad. However, in its later episodes, it has sparked conversation and salt in the community on its romantic developments. Now, it went for a full-speed nosedive and it’s not showing any signs of stopping.
It feels like that I am going against the goals that I have set myself for this year as I keep ignoring every opportunity I get to make an episode reaction. To make up for it, here’s a dump of all episode reactions in compact form for the Violet Evergarden anime series.
In all of the shows coming out for this anime season, Citrus is the only one that I have actually seen the original material. The manga was popular for a time in the school where I was studying and people were lending their copies of the manga. Out of curiosity, I followed suit and it was quite an entertaining read. Just like the manga, the anime delivers the same amount of fun.
EPISODE REACTION – This animation series is the gift that keeps on giving as we get a twenty or more minutes run time for this episode. As each episode is released, more questions remained unanswered and new ones are gradually raised. It is at this point that I am starting to find the plot for RWBY treading a very “safe” path, as it were.
Other than that, we will be tackling the second episode of the series’ fifth volume. Spoilers, as usual, are still abound and thus avert your eyes if you do not take kindly to these things.
EPISODE REACTION – In the span of four volumes, Rooster Teeth has turned RWBY from a upstart dream project to a full-fledged animated series that can properly compete with present titles in the animation industry. The promotional advertising for this volume has been vastly different and larger in coverage compared to the other seasons. Rooster Teeth has definitely done a good job making RWBY famous, for old and new viewers alike.
In light of the new episodes that have been released for the fifth volume, I will discuss key events which were interesting to me as I watched the first episode. If you do not take kindly to spoilers, avert your eyes!
REACTION – We continue where we left off in the previous episode as the Colossal Titan dives headlong into the pinned down Eren from the tops of the wall. The resulting impact blew and burnt most of the Scouts such as Mikasa and Hanji.
REACTION – The episode starts off where we left off as Muramasa states that she does not will for Masamune’s dream to succeed as it goes in the way of her own dream.
Masamune works hard in producing a sixty-page short story using the same plot of his “hundred-page love letter” of a story, with the assistance of Elf Yamada. He finishes his work barely before the deadline but is visited by Muramasa in his own home.
REACTION – In this episode, we continue where we left off after Boruto’s teacher snaps and tries to attack him and his friends. Boruto and the others are under the impression that their teacher is furious of their recent behavior and asks for forgiveness – but that doesn’t really convince their teacher.
REACTION – The episode focuses on three things: Akane’s track meet, Kotaro’s publishing offer, and Chinatsu’s feelings for Kotaro.
For Kotaro’s case, he was contacted by the publishing company who received his novel manuscript. Despite strong objections from her mother in pursuing writing as a career, he goes to meet with the publisher anyways.
However, Kotaro was met with disappointment as the publisher states that he is not fit for serious literature and should try doing light novels instead. For me, it felt kind of an insult for Kotaro since I, as a writer and a person, know the feeling of expecting you are great at what you do but get shut down by other people – telling you that you’re not fit for such career, hobby or job.
As for Akane’s track meet, she lost in the race and had the worst possible time which earned her some disappointed remarks from Takumi, the president of the track and field club. Although it is clearly quite evident that Takumi wants to comfort Akane, but nuh-uh, mate, she taken.
What’s surprising though is Chinatsu’s request to confess to Kotaro after Akane just said that they were in a relationship. I understand that you need some sort of closure but isn’t the fact that your desired person is already taken enough to discourage you from going further?
Quite concerned on Chinatsu’s request since it could affect their friendship a bit if she tries anything fishy and Kotaro gets baited real good. But I’m also complacent that no such thing will happen.
Every time a similar situation happens like this, I always think about the concepts of netorare, cheating – it could be possible.
I’d also like to take note how wonderful it was to incorporate a good song in a montage of Akane’s track race and Kotaro riding a train to the publishing company. It gives off an air of uncertainty and calmness as the two embark on their separate journeys to accomplish their dreams.
Currently what I can say about the Kotaro and Akane pairing is that they are still at the stage where they prioritize their own dreams. However, I am certain that as time goes on in their relationship, it could make them open up more and realize each other’s importance to each other.
The whole relationship, at the moment, can be characterized by awkward stares, conversations which is pretty much expected from characters like Kotaro and Akane.
I hope the anime series continues on this wonderful path where they incorporate realism when writing their characters and the story as a whole.
REACTION – We return to the story as the reinforcing 104th Survey Corps clean out the titans attacking the group of Christa, Ymir, Reinhart and Berholdt. It is very evident now to everyone that Ymir was a titan and Christa is the disowned daughter of a noble family.
The entire group convenes on top of the walls and takes the now in coma, Ymir, back to Trost. Shortly, a patrol led by Hannes shows up and informs Hanji that there are no visible breaches within the walls, leaving everyone in confusion. Seeing no use of staying, the group decides to head off back to Trost.
Now this is where the most stupidest yet the most thrilling scene comes up.
Reiner and Berholdt converse with Eren as the others leave. Reiner just casually reveals that he is the Armored Titan and that Berholdt is the Colossal Titan, and tells Eren that their mission to eliminate Humanity would be avoided if he would just go with them back to their “hometown.”
When then go to a flashback where Sasha hands the scroll to Hanji containing the background information of Annie Leonhardt, the Female Titan, and points out that Annie, Reiner and Berholdt come from the same area and all of their background info were in fragments after those attacks on the walls.
Hanji asks everyone if Annie has conversed with Reiner and Berholdt at all during their training for the Survey Corps and they say that they never talk. However, they all note that at one time during a formation, the Female Titan who attacked them somehow got info on Eren’s position. Armin deduces that Reiner might have carved the position into Annie’s hand after releasing him from the Female Titan’s grip.
Hanji then tells everyone to not act suspicious when around Reiner and Berholdt.
The flashback ends and we return to the Eren dismissing that Reiner might just be tired. Reiner and Berholdt decide that they’ve been compromised and need to finish their mission now. Mikasa swoops in an attempt to kill them but the two still manage to transform into their titan forms and captures Eren.
In a feeling of betrayal, Eren shifts into a Titan as well and fights the two.
The whole Reiner and Berholdt thing was pretty much anticipated for me since I was semi-spoiled by people who read the original manga. However, even if without such spoilers, it was pretty obvious to discern the true identities of these two characters after that flashback about their background information.
However, we can safely assume that Ymir had no knowledge of the two and Annie, Reiner and Berholdt are accomplices bent on destroying humanity. It is still confusing on how they aim to achieve “destroying humanity” and how does that mission turns obsolete if they capture Eren.
Again, more and more questions pile up but it’s safe to say that this season is turning out better than its first. We’re getting more into details rather than fist-fighting, which is something I prefer much more.
On to the next episode!
Miandro's Side