🦂💙🐺💜 aka Firebird aka Angstbird aka the Angst Monster Resident Secondary Rider Liker and lover of grumps in general. Also goes by the same name on AO3. A bullshit blog where I will occasionally post my bullshit writing. I have a bunch of random, unrelated interests, I would die for the sake of found family dynamics, and I REALLY love angst.Please do not feed the Angst Monster.
… Random thought that occurred to me like right after I finished that post about parallels.
We've all cottoned onto the fact that Shout and Enkaku are each respectively quite lonely, but… I feel like Zetsuenkaku might also be lonely? All the major Kakuzyu on his side in the past had the same colouring as him. We don't technically know how Berser feels about him, but circumstantial evidence indicates she at least doesn't regard him the same way she does Eval. His expression right after saying he doesn't care about Eval staring at the stone is curious.
And, honestly, it's likely for similar reasons to Enkaku? We don't know how or when he gained the ability to become human, but he's as old as the latter was also sealed in an erogear. How long did he sleep? Did he also have a human partner in the past?
Just, the more I see him I feel like he is, although he obvi expresses it differently (or doesn't really express it at all).
… And to be clear, this is entirely baseless and just me throwing paint at the wall, but…
(breaking here just in case I ramble, eheh)
I'm wondering if the different attitudes towards Enkaku and Zetsuenkaku have to do w/ the views the people in question have towards Kakuzyu as a whole? Obvi, as mentioned before, we haven't seen Berser and Gennou in battle or gotten much or even anything about their attitudes towards their personal partner Kakuzyu. What we have seen is that the twins and Giriko consider theirs to be true partners and even friends, cheering for them in battle, and trusting them implicitly (Giriko's comment about Shout not truly relying on Enkaku to fight clearly suggests she does that w/ Zankaku). While Shout's interest in Kakuzyu is mostly learning based, that's also a part, I think, of why he ultimately glosses over 'this one just turned into a human!' Bc to him it quickly becomes a learning opportunity, and that's more important than the fact that this person isn't human.
Meanwhile, while Eval doesn't seem much invested in other Kakuzyu, as he's just tossing them to Reiji like candy, they went out of their way to tell us from the start that he treats Zetsuenkaku as an equal; and he does—he cajoles him into coming w/ him to deal w/ attacking Hunters, the battle implies he exclusively calls in Zetsuenkaku in a fight. While the latter whinges a little about having to go, he's laughing during the trip and doesn't seem particularly petulant about battling, either, and might even find it fun in his own way. And he's strong; it's clear Eval's success is also thanks to his abilities.
Berser and Gennou, meanwhile, seem to attribute everything to Eval himself? Their loyalty is to Eval, they revere him as the leader, while Zetsuenkaku is viewed w/ wariness and even suspicion. I'm assuming they know he's a Kakuzyu, but it feels like they see him more as an extension of Eval's power rather than a being w/ his own strength. Obviously we don't know, but it makes me wonder if this indicates they view Kakuzyu as just that—a tool or ability of the person wielding them, a sign of strength for the one who 'tamed' them rather than a sentient partner. Berser seems to have a rigidness to her views of duty and society, and the way Gennou talks about Eval feels like he attributes what Eval has achieved exclusively to the man himself, not something he managed in concert with Zetsuenkaku's support.
It definitely contributes to the sort of Holmes and Watson vs Moriarty and Moran kinda vibe those two have w/ Shout and Enkaku, even already. Enkaku and Zetsuenkaku being able to speak allows for an extra layer in their partnerships that is more difficult to achieve w/ other Kakuzyu, and I think you see it, ironically, in how Shout and Enkaku sometimes butt heads, while Eval and Zetsuenkaku largely get along quite well. There's more of a balancing act going on between them, a reconciling of two personalities. I think I briefly mentioned before that it's interesting to me that Enkaku and Zetsuenkaku seemed to have partnered w/ people who are a bit more like the other one in personality? Enkaku and Eval are confident, forceful, proud, restless, expressive. They have a powerful presence and are deeply passionate. They seem to enjoy battling, and prefer worthy opponents. Shout and Zetsuenkaku, meanwhile, are both more reserved. They both don't put themselves out much, seem to prefer watching from the sidelines, and letting others do the dramatics. They're both a bit reluctant to get into battling, but do still seem to have fun when doing it, aren't completely adverse to the whole thing. They're both quietly curious, seem to be more expressive when they really get into something. Meanwhile, of course, there's still Eval and Shout's similarities and those between Enkaku and Zetsuenkaku. It's why I feel like there's going to be a lot of similarity in why each of them chose their respective partners, and a lot of parallels in their dynamics and how they work together, which is something I always love and find deeply interesting.
When the duos finally well and truly battle each other…
… I've missed this. Going into a tag and seeing someone musing about the thing you were just thinking about, and being like, yes, yesssssssssssssss!
The juxtaposition between how people react to Zetsuenkaku as opposed to Enkaku… Layered on top of how opposite on they are already. The subs I watch did not translate Gennou's line as 'it,' but I guess another one did? I don't know enough about Jpn to say if one is more correct, but I think the vibe was the same; he and Berser are wary and even suspicious of him
And I'm gonna cut this here, bc it turned into aimless rambling… ^^;
I was rambling before about how much I liked how the twins and though I didn't touch on it now Giriko seemed to not at all mind his eccentricities and were either treating him completely normally post their initial surprise or respectfully curious about him and his abilities. They don't seem afraid or put off by him even when he is being a bit strange. Shout's more irritated by his theatrics, and steadily becoming more fond of him, w/ me suspecting that next ep is gonna reenforce that.
Of course, underlying all of this is that we know where Enkaku came from. He's a Kakuzyu that was granted the ability to take human form by the 'heavens' (who I am still side-eyeing, don't trust 'em one bit), but we don't know how Zetsuenkaku came to be. Or why he's slightly shorter than Enkaku. In this kind of setting, that's the sort of thing that could have any number of possible explanations. He could be a natural Kakuzyu who somehow also got the ability to change shape, maybe from another power. He could be some sort of clone of Enkaku created by some other power. He could be a clone created by those very 'heavens.'
We also don't really know what Zetsuenkaku thinks. He may not care what other people, especially humans, think of him. He does seem very detached. But at the same time, Eval asks him if him looking at the stone makes him 'nervous' (which is interesting, bc Eval doesn't seem to care much what other people think or feel normally), and he does seem to have some sort of reaction to it right at the end, despite saying he doesn't care. And while I've gone on about the differences between him and Enkaku, there are also similarities, ways they're foils much like Shout and Eval are. While Enkaku is Interested In Everything and Zetsuenkaku doesn't really seem to be, but there's a sort of similar vibe in both of their behaviours, a sort of… Rejection of human norms? Enkaku blends in better bc he seems to have actually learned to do so at some point, but neither of them seem particularly bothered with seeming fully human? They also both seem to have a bit of… Curiosity about things? Enkaku is much more expressive about it, but we do see Zetsuenkaku sort of… Peering at things and smiling in ways that feel to me a little like interest? Like in Gennou's Flashback, he seemed kinda fascinated w/ the fight? Or I might be insane, also possible. ^^;
Also makes me wonder if this attitude of theirs is exclusive to Zetsuenkaku or towards all Kakuzyu to some degree? We haven't really seen how Berser and Gennou feel about their personal Kakuzyu, but on the other hand, their suspicions maybe due to him being a Kakuzyu who turns into a human (assuming they don't know There Is Another). Eval doesn't seem to have much interest in using any besides Zetsuenkaku, and they seem to be collecting them and handing them off pretty readily… I a little bit wonder if that's what interests him in Reiji, who had a similarly positive relationship w/ his little emogear? So he sees someone who finally regards their 'non human' partner as an equal and a person?
I do suspect that Zetsuenkaku and Enkaku were each drawn to Eval and Shout respectively for kind of the same reason—strong ego. I feel like Zetsuenkaku might not be so much 'evil' as an antithesis? He's a wee bit unnerving, but he may not be able to help his nature much, especially if he manifested expressly as a balance to Enkaku in some fashion.
To make a long, nonsensical post short, a lot of it comes down to Zetsienkaku largely being a big question mark this early in the story. But it does open up a lot of interesting question and possibilities about his past and his relationship, whatever it may have been, with Enkaku (especially bc the latter doesn't seem to know that Zetsuenkaku can also take human form… So is vice versa true, too? Does Zetsuenkaku know?), and I'm really curious where it all goes.
Aka, Fire reacts to Omegahorn ep 3, bc I AM HAVING THE FUN as Knuckles would say.
And so… In no particular order:
As someone who has always concluded that the true villain of many or even all toku is rain, I stand behind Enkaku's reaction.
One of the many things that make Enkaku work and make him so endearing is the he just throws his full energy into everything. Like the actor just commits to every single thing he does, and it translates to this very striking confidence and expressiveness in the character. Also I… Think there was a translated tweet saying that the water where he lived had actually broken while they were filming this, so he had no hot water and it turned into a little bit of method acting, which I can relate to.
I love how he clarifies that he hates all water equally as if concerned Shout will think he's being petty towards the rain.
Also I'm sure there are a number of ways to translate that statement, but I respect the decision to use the phrase 'fiery hot body.' I mean, It's accurate. Not technically what I personally find attractive about him, but to slightly alter a good quote, I'm demi, not blind.
Also him calling water a 'demon.' I feel you, man, I, too, hate being wet.
Giriko to the rescue! I guess Shout just travels rain or shine and doesn't bother w/ umbrellas? Maybe he'll start now that he knows about Enkaku's aversion (which would be cute). Anyway, I a hundred percent think she planned this to some degree (obvi, she can't control the weather, but they made a point of highlighting how she likes to turn everything to her advantage).
No one is ever prepared for the full force of Enkaku's energy, though. I love that it even caught her off guard.
SHE HAS BUSINESS CARDS! I was already loving her atp. She's charmingly shifty, but like. Not in a dark way. You can tell she's not really a 'hero' and that she's cunning, but it's not like she's gonna commit a murder.
Enkaku's sarcasm is increasing, and I love that for him. That's a point, though, Shout, what IS in that backpack??
To ramble about Giriko again, the actress is excellent at making her every action seem calculated. I feel like she rehearsed what she was going to say in this situation. Love the admission of watching them but downplaying it. This is clearly an info gathering mission and she's got a plan.
On the other hand, there's that tinge of excitement when asking questions. I def think that in her own way, she's as delighted to learn as Shout is, just for different reasons and utilising it in a different way. I dunno if 'childish' is the word I'd use, bc neither of them really are, but there's def just something… Pure and joyful about their interest in discovery. When Enkaku starts explaining, they're both watching him with this slightly wide eyed delight. Giriko is a bit more calculating, whereas Shout is more interested in the knowledge for knowledge's sake, but they're both in rapt attention.
I'm sure I'll go on about this later, but I really really love the dynamic that seems to be forming between these three and how it feels like Giriko is kind of forming a friendship w/ each of them in person. There's just something a little different about the way she interacts w/ each of them (which makes sense, she's def more of a… Not a manipulator, but she's def really good at socialisation and reading people, I think). You see it a little in the way she reacts to Shout's uncontained excitement about the new info.
Ana w/ the weigh in! I love Ana, as far as I'm concerned, she's part of this little crew.
As w/ the above, there's something… I'm trying not to call everything family vibes, bc it's not entirely accurate, but there is something a little big sistery about how Giriko interacts w/ Shout a little, specifically in regards to the Hunter and Battling thing. Is some of this her probing for info?? Yes, totally, but I do think in her own way she is genuinely trying to be supportive. We've seen how Giriko talks to people she has no respect for, and she never behaves that way towards Shout. For an inside joke… The actor can act. She's doing a great job of balancing sincerity with analysis.
Enkaku is SO HAPPY to battle! So cute.
Shout whinges (which I do understand, I mean, he did get this kinda dumped on him), but goes along w/ it, bless him.
Giriko gives a very polite tutorial on Battling etiquette! Very nice of her.
But of course, not pulling any punches, either. I mentioned before I felt like in that first fight she was studying her opponent's abilities before going in for a counter, and I feel like this fight and def her line about 'now I see how your powers work!' reenforce that. Also I love the juxtaposition between those two fights—in that first one, she was on the defensive, blocking and dodging, but against Shout, she's more aggressive, attacking first and and going in for hits right off the bat. It goes to show her adaptability, and def both are methods of gathering info. For the first guy she just needed to find his weak point, but w/ Shout and Enkaku, they're clearly a cut above. She's using this battle to get a sense of their powers and how they work, so she's on the offensive to draw those powers out. But the one thing that's consistent in both fights, is that she looks like she's having fun, and I think that's part of the point of this.
And ah, we have our first stumble! I may go into it more when I talk about the preview, but I def think these eps are gonna be about solidifying the bond between Shout and Enkaku. They spend the first two eps getting more used to each other, but here we see a bit of friction from their slightly different views/motivations. I suspect the threat of potentially being separated next week is going to cause an 'oh no wait I don't want that!' reaction, esp from Shout. As mentioned, Enkaku is the sort to just throw his entirely self into things, whereas Shout is still holding back a bit… But when they synchronise, they synchronise. I think next ep we're gonna get some development in them finding a balance between Shout's self sufficiency and Enkaku's 'all in' style.
Given Giriko's reaction (and that she was about to win), I don't think this was part of the plan… She could prove me wrong, of course, but at the moment, I don't think she deliberately got them caught. Shout def doesn't seem like he'd pay attention to who 'rules' what, and Enkaku's new, so he's got no idea.
Again, credit to those mooks in the long robes. They recover quite well for people who just saw a man appear out of a burst of flame!
And immediately these three start ignoring them, bless.
This is another example of her having a slightly different dynamic w/ each of them. Unlike Shout, Giriko is a veteran Hunter and Battler (she has business cards!), quite familiar with how the bond between a Hunter and Kakuzyu work; and king or not, Enkaku is still a Kakuzyu. I loved the way she zeroed in immediately on the issue, and the little nod Enkaku gives her before turning back to Shout. There's just something kind of… Bantering and bickering between her and Shout (you see it esp after their tag team fight, I think), whereas she and Enkaku seem to be… Not exactly similar, but on the same wavelength in many ways? You see that more, later on, too. I feel like I'm not explaining this well, but I feel like it has something to do w/ Shout being so new to the whole thing, while both she and Enkaku are old hands at this stuff (albeit one significantly older than the other, technically). And I really like that, I like she has her own kinds of friendly rival dynamic w/ each of them.
The variation in their reactions as they turn to look at the guy, lol. Enkaku's just confused, Shout looks a little bewildered, but I feel like he's probably heard of the Alliance before, maybe, and his expression a little more reads as 'I didn't want to do this in the first place,' whereas Giriko is like 'oh, yeah, you' before immediately trying to turn on the charm.
THE EYELASH FLUTTER. I bet she could break into crocodile tears if she wanted to. I love this cunning swordfish lady!
Unfortunately, eyelash flutter was not very effective.
Speaking of Enkaku and just committing to everything… There's something so honest about his confidence and personality that I knew, I knew, even before subs, that he was being like 'oh ho! this is so new and interesting!' and Shout was like 'wait are you enjoying this?' I KNEW.
Also yes, Shout, I think he is having fun, bc another thing that's so endearing about Enkaku is his optimism. He's not holding grudges about being sealed, he's so purely delighted by something as simple as battling or pickled ginger… Enkaku has been taking the whole slept for a thousand or so years thing incredibly in stride, and has been treating the majority of the new things around him as something new and exciting to learn about and experience. It's one of the things he does have in common w/ Shout (and human nature in general, tbh). For so much of this, he's just excited to be here. He's curious, and there's an innocence to it, in a way. Shout expresses it in a different way, bc he's a more reclusive personality, but you see it when he lights up about learning about the past. And I love it.
I dunno if I said it in writing, but the Ibaru Alliance is way more… Techno than I thought they'd be, lol. Or maybe that's bc Enkaku's theme (?) sounds like the Ukrainian Bell Carol to me.
Berser and the kids! Very sweet! I mentioned in my tired rambles, but if they wanted her to come off as indifferent or extremely villainous, they'd have had her ignore them or dismiss them, or if she's meant to be particularly manipulative, they'd likely have shown her disposing of the drawing later. While it's not impossible for twists down the line, atm the impression I have of Berser is that she really believes in the for the greater good aspect of Ibaru's goals. She's def not soft or getting personal, she's clearly a competent professional, but she seems more into the duty aspect than, say, Gennou.
Oh, Gennou. I could listen to him talk all day.
I know Gennou says Reiji's staring, but I'm not convinced… Okay, you know what I'm going to say.
I'm still going back and forth as to what's going on w/ Reiji. This interaction here seems like he's probing for info, but at the same time I don't feel like he's on an assignment. I kinda feel like he maybe ended up here accidentally and encountered the Alliance naturally, causing old habits to kick in and make him want to find out if the Alliance was really all they're chalked up to be. He also seems specifically interested in Zetsuenkaku… Who I may go on a ramble about at the end here, bc I have questions about him, too.
It's not your fault, Gennou, he just misses his android samurai, wall obsessed ninja, science lesbians, peculiar shape shifting computer assistant, and pilot. Once they all find him I'm sure he'll liven up.
Politely ignore the green screen bits.
Obvi we know little about Zetsuenkaku and how he and Eval met, but it's pretty clear to me that Eval is meant to be a very particular foil to Shout. After all, they both clearly posses a deeply powerful ego, it's entirely possible Zetsuenkaku was drawn to him for the exact same reasons Enkaku was drawn to Shout. But Eval has a ruthlessness that Shout doesn't.
Meanwhile, like Berser, Gennou is quite personable and sensible. He seems to be one of those characters who values strength above most things, but not just physical strength. He and her I think are loyal to Eval in different ways—Berser seems more invested in the ideals and the act of running things and maintaining their brand of peace, while Gennou is more there out of awe/respect for Eval's actual abilities rather than his goals, per se.
Reiji remains an enigma. Who I suspect can't see.
Gennou seems… Vaguely unnerved by Zetsuenkaku. Which is valid. I, too, am unnerved by Zetsuenkaku.
The way he holds the umbrella… It reminds me of Amatsu holding his w/ his pinky sticking out, but significantly less ridiculous.
See, this feels to me like Reiji knows something about Zetsuenkaku???
Me, picking up Zetsuenkaku and shaking him: WHAT ARE YOUR SECRETS?????
And here we see a side of things I feel like the people in the 'city' don't get to see… This feels like we might be setting up for things about balance and the cost of things, bc it seems like at least some of the peace the Alliance has achieved is at the expense of certain groups and areas. How is that decided, though? How deeply involved are the core leaders in how things are handled outside the city? We see Eval go fight some Hunters, but that is treated as odd, it's usually Berser who deals w/ threats to the area, while Gennou makes Kits… Do they know how lower level agents like these guys are behaving, how towns like this are being treated?? Do they care? Will we ever get clarification? Am I over thinking it? Anything is possible.
This also feels a little bit to me like the whole universal wages question. I think it's likely these people don't necessarily object to searching for erogear, more to the circumstances and the fact that they're being forced to do so. If it was a regular job option rather than exploitive servitude and there was proper care and supports for those doing it, I'd bet there'd be people willing to do so. Which I think is well exemplified by Shout's reaction of insisting that excavation is meant to be more fun, and then later Ana saying digging for erogear would be a reward for him. And while we don't know how directly involved Eval is in these proceedings, it seems to be a massive indication of his more ruthless brand of self centred-ness compared to Shout's dedication to his goals. They both want what they want at any cost… But one is willing to let other people pay the cost whether they want to or not, whereas Shout doesn't force anyone to do anything for him. He even asked Enkaku to help him try to track down the rest of the lithograph, gets consent when they battle (even though it's very clear Enkaku is super happy to battle). When he greatly upset Enkaku by trying to sell the Megahorn, he listened and then apologised when he knew more. In the first ep, he's shown being quite reckless in regards to himself, but he's also shown multiple times now that despite his reclusiveness and personal interests, he'll step up to defend others if he sees them in danger or if he sees bad people doing bad things. Shout wants to achieve his dream, but not at the expense of others, not really. And I love that about him. In fact, I think it may be why he's been so determined to be on his own? He's going after something no matter the consequences, and that's easier to do w/out someone else to look out for—bc although I suspect he'd complain, he would look out for them. Fortunately, his new partner is extraordinarily durable, amongst other things. ^^
Yet again, we have villains of the week seeming like they are having a great time, and I support that.
There doesn't, however, come a point where one should look at one's logo and ask… Are we the baddies?
The twins! I like this little check in on them, they're sweet.
Absolute crackpot theory of the post—THE SHOPKEEPER IS THE REAL VILLAIN! I have no basis for this, I just think it'd be funny.
How did Shout get off the lead? Eh, he's a resourceful person, and they hit his berserk button. (looking at them, I think they were just clipped to their chains, so maybe he just unclipped it, lol)
How did Enkaku get—I mean. That's obvious. He broke it. Gods, I am a sucker for the 'I just let you chain me bc I was being polite' trope. Like just the casual establishment that a character allowed themselves to be restrained, the person doing the restraining was never in charge in the first place.
Ohhh, Enkaku genuinely upset as well. Boys being serious for once. Also love the casual tossing the chains aside.
Of course, I assume this will all be being reported to Eval… And I feel like Zetsuenkaku will have to know? Unless he doesn't? Like… Do these two know the other assumes human form??
That being said… 'Man with horns capable of inhuman feats who appeared out of a burst of flame' doesn't have many other potential explanations…
And then just the double take when realising Shout said he's use a different Kakuzyu… But also I feel like Enkaku's proud of him for committing to his ideals, so he's just gonna glower.
Shout gets carried away (I just wanna preemptively say, I loved Ana being like 'take responsibility for what you say' like she's his mom later… I love Ana and I dream of her and Enkaku bonding more).
Ana coming w/ the sass. Get 'em all, queen.
The Flutists commitment to continuing to play his little tune like a freaking bard even while Shout and the other guy are still talking… Bless you, sir.
How did Giriko get—you know what, I don't think we need to ask that question, either. Once again, we have her confidence and poise beside Shout's self consciousness, and it's a really nice juxtaposition.
THE LITTLE CANDLE!
I feel like Giriko is genuinely concerned there. Like yeah, she doesn't want to lose, but she doesn't seem like the type to want this nice young man to get seriously hurt in this, either.
This answered a question I was wondering about before, if there are multiple erogear of one Kakuzyu! The answer is yes, especially if there are 'mutations' (and once again, Giriko explains, very nice of her)
Aw, her commending him and his goofy little reaction. I don't want to beleaguer my rambling, but they def give me a more 'bickering peers' vibe, while she and Enkaku are more the sort of, experienced confident ones. And again, the actor can act, but she's balancing in the middle of that very well, that it's not weird to see either side of her persona.
Enkaku lecturing about the Kakuzyu's abilities, that's kinda sweet. Maybe the twins should so him that guide they have. Come to think… Is he in there?
Aw, look at those obvious computer effects. Good ol' toku.
And this, kids, is how house fires start!
Meanwhile, Enkaku once again showing us that just bc he's in human form doesn't mean he stops being literal fire. I love his little growls.
Fortunately, Shout complies. ^^
SURPRISE UKRAINIAN BELL CAROL!
I dunno why, but I like how Giriko's yell rises in pitch.
TEAM ROCKET BLASTING OFF AGAIN!
And then immediately the bickering again, I love them. I think the reason my head went to siblings is it kinda reminds me of Houka and Kai from Magiranger? But def her interrupting him to insist about the erogears, and then him trying to say she sent then flying, too, while she denies it… There's just this fun, friendly, snarky, rival banter about them that I really like. I think it's kinda nice to have someone who's a little bit more of a mentor to Shout (not really, she's not mentor type, but she has more experience w/ this than him, and is generally more 'put together' in many ways—I mean, she has business cards!), juxtaposing the way the twins look up to him. It makes for a fun dynamic, and I'd like to see Giriko meet up w/ the twins, as well, now.
There it is, Ana w/ 'take responsibility.' I think she cares about him, though.
Shout w/ kids is deeply sweet. He's def a little uncertain, but he's good w/ them.
Nice little moment w/ Giriko and Enkaku, too, that again highlights how they have a slightly different dynamic than she does w/ Shout. I know from next ep preview and summary she's trying to 'steal' him, but also I do think they're fostering a legit friendship here as well. Giriko has a confidence and battling experience similar to his, and is a little more… Sort of 'mature' in a similar way that he is compared to Shout (yes, I did just use the word mature in regards to Enkaku, but he is, he's just very cheerful, too, but I could talk about him for hours). They def come across as the older and more responsible of the 'group' in several ways. Giriko's the clever, competent, practical one, while Enkaku's the very solid (not just literally), dependable, protective one. They just mesh?
Enkaku sounding like a proud sports mom again.
I'm not super surprised that Eval has another piece of the stone? Like, I didn't exactly expect him to have it, but the fact that he has it makes sense? It ties in to him being a foil to Shout, raises the possibility that they were technically motivated by the same or similar things initially.
Also raises some questions about Zetsuenkaku, bc WHAT ARE YOU MY DUDE??? Are you a natural Kakuzyu??? Or are you a chaos clone of Enkaku created when he was given the ability to assume human form bc ying and yang and balance?? Why is Eval asking if him looking at the stone bothers you??? Why did you hesitate before answering, why did your smile falter????? AM I OVERTHINKING??? (I mean… Probably, but I like to do that so)
To the preview!
As mentioned before, I think this whole 'ends if you lose' thing is a fake out. It's too early, even w/ a shorter season, for them to be losing. However, I think it is gonna be the first time they really get on the ropes in a fight, as Giriko is the first opponent they're facing w/ proper a tactical advantage over Enkaku, who has otherwise largely steamrolled all other opponents. As mentioned earlier, I think that this is going to be them almost losing, but Shout has a second wind or inspiration bc of that. Probably some combination of straight up not want to lose and also not wanting to lose Enkaku. Bc while I'm convinced they'll win, it's def gonna be the first time I think Shout will be properly forced to confront the possibility of losing and what it would mean, and his resolutions to prevent that from happening; as a result, if he does ever lose (which I think if it happens, it'll happen against Eval), it will be all the more painful for everyone involved, bc they'll have already realised that's something they don't want to happen. More like a dress rehearsal, to make the actual potential loss hit even harder.
Why is Reiji beating up the poor team rocket guys? I mean. They were jerks, but.
Also, potential moment of truth could be happening in regards to how much Zetsuenkaku knows about Enkaku… I feel like most people wouldn't believe 'guy appeared out of fire and broke chains with his bare hands' claims… But if they know…
I wonder if Shout's gonna jump in to help deal w/ the water?
I hope Shout got him the towel. That'd be so sweet!
Conclusions: Still loving this show! I am still absolutely insane about Enkaku, Shout's my son now, and Giriko is positively delightful. Berser and Gennou made great showings, while Eval remains as mysterious as expected. I want to shake Zetsuenkaku until all his little secrets com out. I still suspect the shop keeper for absolutely no reason other than why not.
Enkaku is absolutely incapable of being endearing in some way, shape, or form, him being frightened of water is adorable and def gonna come into play next ep (obvi).
Giriko has colourful business cards?? I love her. That's all I've got, I love her. She's already hitting extremely good fremeny vibes that contrast well w/ the twins, I love how she flips from bantering/arguing w/ the duo to batting her eyelashes at the authorities to try and get out of being arrested. She's clever, she's cunning, she might steal my wallet under specific circumstances, but she wouldn't do it maliciously, if that makes any sense. She's got just the right amount of levity that she's charming and you're not wondering why they put up w/ her (which can happen w/ kinda fremeny characters in any work). I love the way her social acumen contrasts w/ Shout's more slightly awkward/blunt personality. I love her, she's perfect. But not too perfect. Which is what I like.
Speaking of the ladies, that Baasaa interaction w/ the kids was excellent, it's a really good showcase of how the Alliance isn't really 'evil' in the way many toku antagonists of the past have been, and in general seem to have largely noble intentions in many ways. If they wanted to present her as a cold manipulative villain they'd have had her brush them off, or showed her dispose of the drawing later; but they didn't, which lends credence to the idea that this isn't some kind of act, it's completely genuine. Honestly atp, I'd guess despite his 'man who will conquer the world' thing, Ibaru himself is probably largely of noble intent. Just… Maybe a little extreme. We'll have to see more, though—and know more about Zetsuenkaku, honestly.
Shout and Enkaku continue to be wonderful. They're my boys now. I love them.
I liked checking in w/ the twins, too, still really like them and their dynamic. I fully expect them to come in clutch later on.
I could listen to Goumman… Listen, I'm tired and I can't spell, blacksmith guy, I could listen to him talk for hours. Still not convinced Reiji can see, but he seemed to be poking around a bit? Seems like we might get more about what he's up to next week (aside from beating up those poor guys who just got their butts kicked by Giriko and Shout).
TINY CANDLE! So cute.
Even more confirmation that Enkaku has his fire powers even in humanoid form! Which I love, tell me more?? Like doesn't this mean that Zetsuenkaku has his????
Speaking of… They've… Gotta get found out by this point, right? Even if the lackeys had no idea what they were looking at, reporting a large loud guy w/ horns appearing out of a burst of flame and breaking chains w/ his bare hands… That's… Gotta be obvious? Like… If they report that to Ibaru, he's… Gotta know? Surely at least Zetsuenkaku will know? So interested to see how that's gonna go over.
As far as next week, I suspect a fake out. I think they're gonna win, or at least achieve a win condition, although I don't really see Giriko giving up Zankaku like that twins did (obvi, though, we shall see). I think there's gonna be some dramatics of being on the ropes, but I feel like they're gonna save an actual loss for later (possibly against Ibaru himself?) for maximum effect. I think that last shot of them watching Zankaku swim is post battle, bc Enkaku has a towel (which is, you know, adorbs), so it's likely after the battle and they're gonna deal w/ his water aversion somehow.
Oh, yes, also… TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAAAAAAIN!
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