Finally, after Literal amount months accumulation, it seems we have reached this point in this season) where things happen. Kind of. Look, we’ve gone far beyond seeing the little victories we can get as As a matter of course, I am completely willing to give Credit it is due. If nothing else, I’ll have to watch Muichiro shut up Gyokko, hopefully forever. I’m thankful for that, because Gyokko is so fucking bad. And that’s not just me being a hater either; the whole point of the episode was basically to make it clear that everyone in the universe can’t stand Gyokko, that he’s a gross weirdo and a pathetic joke. He is the worst villain ever made, I’d even go so far as to say he’s the second worst character in the series, period (behind He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named apparently). So yes, it’s satisfying to see Muichiro messing with this nasty little guy. In the grand scheme of the season, however, “Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito” encountered the same problem A matter of tempo and tone throughout the season. Compared to similar confrontations with “Little Boss” in past storylines, this can’t help but be a disappointment. For starters, the showdown barely qualifies as a “fight” in the traditional sense, with hardly any distinguishable action beats throughout. The few special moves and deliberate attacks we do see are undercut by the script’s interest in emphasizing Muichiro’s unstoppable shenanigans, rather than making Gyokko even a little compelling as a legitimate threat. This is a common trick of
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Battle comics like to pull, but you have to earn Power reversed. Even , the king of unnecessarily prolonged battle arcs, when Future Trunks fell and did not Managed to get the job done when the Robo-Frieza wasted without hesitation. The subversion of expectations worked because the show established Frieza as a worthy threat we could take seriously last season. Gyokko, on the other hand, is an absolute joke from the start, which undercuts the drama of wreaking havoc on the village. It also makes this fight with Muichiro a very lame conclusion to Gyokko’s meaningless voice and rage. This episode doesn’t make things any better or even more unnecessary flashbacks when it ruins its beat Back to the scene . I swear, this is getting to the point where we need to intervene or do something else because of The obsession with boring and repetitive flashbacks is starting to sabotage its ability to put on a decent fight. Another thread for this episode, cut back to Tanjiro and Co. and the wood of hatred Battle of Hydra, fares slightly better. Hate is a cooler antagonist than Gyokko, and no matter how you slice it, there’s at least more creativity in the arena of the choreography itself. Tanjiro being eaten by a beast is also a cool and suspenseful moment (reminds me of Jordan Peele’s scariest scene in Nope ). Lastly, it also helps to give Mitsuri some extra time, whose bladed fighting style is by far the most original and interesting must-have canon all season long. Of course, these are just settings suspense real Animated double super pinky promise will be next week Happened, like, really – this time it’s real and there are only two episodes left in this season and I have no choice but to keep believing The reality of any performance is for it. who knows? Maybe when the season is over, I’ll be the one to eat some funky crows here. At least we won’t have to wait much longer to find out either way. Rating: Currently streaming on Crunchyroll. James is a writer with a passion for anime and Other pop culture, too, can be found on Twitter, his blog and podcast.
