So great. We’re back to the two parter. And this time we get to resolve the “Scientists are Assholes” story line. So last time we left our heroes, the scientists had just used the DNA from Hakumen No Mono that was on the spear and had just accidentally made a version of him that started killing everyone. Good job science.

Good job science
Hooray for science!

So how does it resolve? Well how do you THINK it resolves? Let’s just do this.

The episode starts up with the scientists wanting to run away, but bitch mcgee is like “Wait! No! We have to help Bal-chan! You know, that guy I met five minutes ago!” She then gives an impassioned speech about friendship and the female scientist changes her heart and decides to stay and help while the other two run away.

Remember this now folks
Remember this now folks

Now that Ushio and Tora are teamed up, they go after the piece of Hakumen No Mono. However, Bitch face is telling them to make sure not to destroy it, because they have to save Bal-chan.

Also at this time, poison gas is now leaking into the lab. So you know, that’s always good. The female scientist has a plan to stop Hakumen for a moment so they can free Bal-chan. Her reward for this is getting a grievous wound.

Man. you try to do ONE NICE THING.
Man. you try to do ONE NICE THING.

Through the power of her device, they do manage to trap it just long enough to free Bal-chan.

After this is done, Ushio and Tora manage to destroy the piece of Hakumen no Mono. Unfortunately it starts to do a Majin Buu and reform itself. The scientist figures the best way to get rid of it once and for all is to blow up the research facility. Bitch tries to get her to leave, but her wound is fatal and decides to go down with the ship.

My spine really really hurts right now
My spine really really hurts right now

Bal-chan is still unconscious, and Bitch and Ushio succumb the poison as well, so Tora has to carry them all out…Then the place explodes.

They’re all sad that the scientist lady died, but they’re going to use this research to further the defeat of the real Hakumen No Mono. Soon life goes back to normal. The end.

This episode….was part 2 of a pointless one. The only thing we learned from this is something we already knew. Hakumen No Mono is a badass. Also that science can’t defeat magic. (even though Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures already taught us that)

Magic must defeat magic!
Magic must defeat magic!

The biggest problem I have with this episode is that I really don’t see any sort of need for it. I’m not sure what exactly we learned from all this. It feels like filler, it acts like filler, but I don’t know if it is filler. It might be what you call “canonical filler”. Either way, I was not looking forward to this episode, as you could probably tell. I’m not sad that this little two parter is over. The only NEW lesson I learned is, if you’re an asshole and run away, you get to live, but if you do the right thing, you die. Good…moral?

Hooray! We did NOTHING redeemable and we get to live!
Hooray! We did NOTHING redeemable and we get to live!

There’s not a whole lot for me to say about this episode. I had a very strong feeling about what was going to happen in it, and I was right. I felt bad for the scientist lady, and that’s really the only emotion that was evoked from me in this episode.

All in all…meh?

Episode 4/10

-Hideki

p.s. Oh. I feel as if I need to have an addendum here. Apparently this is actually the last episode this season, as in, they’re taking a break….I did not know this. Still, that doesn’t really change everything that’s going on. I think this was a very lame episode to pause on, and since they’re doing this NOW, it’s actually giving me a bit of a lower view of the show in general. So in this case, since it’s not really the end, I’ll give a short, halfway feeling of this show.

Head: Plot was great until they started with teh Hakumen No Mono stuff. Once they did that the show got really off track and tried to be more meaningful then it is. Because of this, all of the episodes later on felt like filler in a holding pattern until we got to the final battle with Hakumen. (aka, the creation of the spear, the story of Hakumen, the scientists trying to stop Hakumen, the woman trying to fool the boy to help take away the spear) Everything is linked to this, but it doesn’t forward the story. So yeah. downhill right now. 5/10

Eye: The art didn’t get worse. The voice acting stayed just as good….not really much to say here. The visual and audio quality are some of the only things that stayed consistent. So…yeah. 7/10

Heart: Like I said, I liked what they were doing in the beginning, but I don’t like that they’re trying to use bitch more and act like she’s cool. She’s not. I think the whole “We need to save everyone!” mentality is neat…but he tends to fail at doing that a lot. So it’s kind of odd. I don’t know, this whole second season left me with a very….odd feeling. meh. 5/10

Total score 5.66

So….yeah. Not exactly excited to finish this when it picks up again. but…I guess I should finish what I started? (Shrugs)