EPISODE 9
Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for. The start of the Division Rap Battle! While I am pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to hear War War War, this was more in the sense of an actual rap battle with each member going at it against each other. I’m also so impressed that the battle went non-stop for ten minutes! I was wondering just how long the battle would go on for but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be this long and I’m pleasantly surprised. The battle was also so entertaining that it didn’t even feel like ten minutes~
This was a fun episode, but I will say that it was a little weird, probably because I ended up listening to some of the drama tracks while the anime has been airing. I find it so strange that Jyuto in the anime is surprised that Samatoki doesn’t like Ichiro when in the first MTC CD drama Jyuto almost pissed his pants and crashed his car because Samatoki flew into a rage at just the mention of Ichiro’s name. “Oh, you don’t like Ichiro, Samatoki?” YEAH, HE REALLY DOESN’T.
It was great seeing at least some of the other guys interact with the others, but it was mostly the leaders talking shit and picking a fight with the one they hate and almost starting a fight. There’s been some good build-up to Ichiro and Samatoki’s hatred, though the anime hasn’t really done anything to show why Ramuda and Jakurai hate each other. It just sort of happens here so I bet most people were surprised at the animosity between them and I can’t blame them. As of the time I’m writing this, I don’t really know why they hate each other either, though if I had to guess it would be because Jakurai can see through Ramuda’s two-faced nature and it annoys the shit out of him. Of course, something also could have happened between them in their Dirty Dawg days and we just don’t know it yet. I mean, we do know that Ramuda was behind TDD breaking up and he has ties with the government so Jakurai may have caught onto that seeing how perceptive he is. I’m looking forward to their history getting fleshed out.
We knew why Ichiro has resentment for Samatoki, but it got more serious when they mentioned that Jiro and Saburo were kidnapped and they could have been killed. That’s pretty surprising to hear but obviously that had to be because the government/Ramuda was behind it. As for Samatoki, we finally learned why he hates Ichiro’s guts and it has to do with Nemu. I’m not too sure what either of them meant, with the “smooth talkin'” and whatever it was that Ichiro told her. Were they dating for them to be that close that his words would influence her? Or is it something else? With knowing where Nemu is thanks to me spoiling myself like a dummy, I really have to wonder what it was he said. There’s still so much we don’t know, but I can understand why Samatoki would resent Ichiro since he’s all about family and yet supposedly because of him, Samatoki’s own family left him. But again, there’s still so much we don’t know and things still don’t add up so it’s hard to say who’s right or wrong.
So far all the music segments in the anime have all been done in 2D and they’ve looked gorgeous, but I wasn’t surprised that the rap battle would be done in CG since the battle was so long. We hadn’t seen the CG since episode one when there was a lot of performances, so I knew it would show up again. Thankfully the CG isn’t too shabby, and the show continues to have fun visuals to go along with the rap that it was all still so engaging. Though I won’t lie, there was a little too much happening on screen that it was really hard to appreciate the visuals and pay attention to the lyrics at the same time. It’s quick so you might have to watch the battle again to really appreciate it. For people that have delved into Hypmic for even a bit probably knows how the DRB is going to go, so Mad Trigger Crew winning wasn’t a surprise. But man I felt so bad for Jiro and Saburo since they got beat up pretty badly so quickly. I will say, I always thought it was a little mean that baby Saburo has to go up against big Navy man Rio, but I love that this little brat isn’t afraid of him and his lyrics were probably my favorite. Imagine going up to an ex-military man and shit talking him and calling him a NEET, that’s hilarious. Props to the voice actors as well, they’re all so talented but I always thought that from listening to the music. The personal battle between Ichiro and Samatoki was great, but I really wish they explained the rap abilities. I actually had no idea there were abilities, and Samatoki’s kind of sounds OP with him getting stronger the angrier he gets. Bro, the dude is always angry that’s not fair. They also said that Ichiro has one as well but they didn’t explain it? So while the whole battle was great to watch, it’s these little things that kind of took me out of it.
And while I know that the reason MTC won was because of RL fans voting for them, there really is a bit of a power imbalance between the two groups when you really think about it. Jiro and Saburo are just kids with Saburo being a 14 year old baby and they’re not as experienced as Ichiro. Samatoki is strong in many ways, and he’s also got a cop and ex-military by his side, all of which are much older than the Yamada bros. They fought a good battle though, so props to them, especially Ichiro for not giving up.
Next, Fling Posse vs. Matenro!
EPISODE 10
Even knowing which group was going to win, the anime did a pretty good fake-out for existing fans. It really looked like Fling Posse was going to take it, until Doppo completely lost his mind. In one way I like it simply because it’s absurd, but in another way I wish the victory was more of a team effort from Matenro than Doppo winning it all out of nowhere.
Haha Nemu what you doin here c:
I was surprised to see Buster Bros looking okay after their battle since they got such a bad beating, but hey at least they’re fine. They’re taking the loss pretty well and while they know their weaknesses, they’re still brothers and they’ve got each others’ backs. But man Jiro and Saburo really need to stop arguing with each other…
This rap battle felt a lot shorter than BB vs MTC, probably because there were a lot more speaking moments this time but this battle was still really high stakes compared to the previous one. I’m not even sure what’s going on with Ramuda now. It sounds like with that “true” hypnosis microphone that if he had used it to brainwash Jakurai, he also would have given up his life since they mentioned “paying the price”. And yet it sounds like Ramuda is going to die either way since he kept mentioning death, and why he says it doesn’t matter what he does. I’m really not sure what’s going on here but hearing those words from Ichijiku really messed him up. It sounded like he could have stuck around longer but instead they want Jakurai’s healing ability, the one rap ability I actually know of because of MTR’s first CD drama. There’s still so much about Ramuda we don’t know about and while I feel like I should hate this guy, I can’t help but find him so fascinating. His dual personality, him being the reason that TDD broke up, him continuing to work for the government secretly, and him actually being the reason why Jakurai’s assistant is in a coma.
Well, that certainly explains a bit of their personal feud. Whether it was a personal decision or again because of the government (and that’s very likely), Ramuda put Jakurai’s assistant into a coma. I don’t think Jakurai witnessed it, but from the very quick flashback we got he at least caught a bit of the suspicious act as he ran off before attacking him. There was also a note so it seemed like a very elaborate plan from the start. Again, Ramuda just keeps being intriguing to me and I’m dying to learn more. I’m hoping that we could at least get an episode of TDD once the DRB ends, to see how they were before everything started going wrong for all of them. I’m not sure what the anime is going to do after the DRB finishes but I’d at least like to see TDD in action.
Just like last episode, each guy went up against their respective opponent but I like that this battle wasn’t as one-sided as the previous one. Matenro started off pretty badly because of Doppo screwing up his words, causing Dice to attack both him and Hifumi. I love that they did this since it prevented the battles from following the same formula and making it too same-y. And again, I like that they weren’t afraid of making the battle end in a huge upset of Fling Posse being disqualified from being outside the ring. It’s always good to have variety so it’s appreciated.
The visuals were just as fun, and actually made me laugh this time. It’s a little hard to take this battle seriously when you have Fling Posse attacking Matenro with teddy bears and locking them in boxes with cute doggies that look like them (which I loved). Again, the visuals go by quick so it’s hard to look at the screen and the lyrics back and forth so watching it again is a good idea. In the end, Fling Posse definitely could have won if Ramuda used the microphone Ichijiku gave him, but I like that he followed what he and FP wanted to do as a group. Funny enough, Matenro didn’t feel as close as them and Doppo stole the show at the end, though there was just a lot of focus on FP. Now I have to wonder, what’s going to happen to Ramuda now? He had a pretty big job to do and he decided not to do it, and with all the talk of death it sounds like they could just get rid of him. I have no clue but I’m looking forward to it.
These battles have been pretty fun and entertaining, and it’s also great finally looking into the personal feuds with each guy. It also feels kinda crappy seeing Ichiro smile and be proud of Ramuda for assembling himself a good team when he has no idea the reason everything sucks among them is because of Ramuda. Oh honey…
It’s also been real great to finally see Chuoku. The inside is so sleek and clean, with nothing but women in the inside of course, even the audience. I’d love to learn more about them and how everything works and how it came to be, and more about Ichijiku and Otome themselves but we really don’t have the time for that I think.
We move on to the final battle next time, Matenro vs Mad Trigger Crew. Jakurai and Samatoki seem to get along just fine, so it’ll be interesting to see how this battle will go.
Jakurai being able to see through Ramuda’s animosity is some of it, but not all of it. For the short version, Jakurai blames Ramuda for what happened to Yotsutsuji (which did indeed happen during the downfall of TDD), while Ramuda believes Jakurai is why he’s destined to do what he does…More on that in my spoiler below.
Rap abilities have always been pretty vague and the manga does a better job of illustrating exactly who does what, while the guidebook gives them names like Pokemon moves (Critical Blow etc.). I ended up caving for ebook versions of FP & M yesterday (as of this comment, while previously I’ve been using point systems in official apps to read series for free – I don’t know if FP & M+ is going to be on those apps because it’s managed by a different publishing company to TDD/Dawn of Divisions and BB & MTC (+), but I’ll have to wait until at least January and the official start of that series to see if I need to shell out more). It’ll be interesting to observe everything FP & M all over again, plus examine the booklet that came with vol. 2 (if it’s anything like the booklet that comes with the limited edition of DH & BAT 2 on Dec. 17th, then there will be exclusive content).
Ramuda’s characterisation somewhat differs in episode 10 vs. the manga, especially now that we know.
Click to Read Spoiler: (MASSIVE SPOILERS)
Ramuda is destined to die because he didn’t do his job of disposing of Jakurai, but the True Hypnosis Mic kills people if used properly. The Ramuda we know’s one of many clones, hence the reason Chuohku can dispose of him so freely, and because Yotsutsuji told Jakurai Ramuda is a clone…that’s why Jakurai “likes humans”…so either way Ramuda was doomed from the get-go
So you’re pretty much on the money there.
The FP vs. MTR battle was more balanced in the manga, although Doppo still knocked out Gentaro and Dice with his ability. Notably, this time they made Doppo cower for most of the battle and then be unconscious of knocking out the opposition while he was doing it, like Zenitsu from Demon Slayer…which is a trope I love, so I fell hook, line and sinker for it. Also, FP waited out their countdown gossiping to each other, which isn’t that cool in a battle sense, but it does increase FP’s camaraderie.
I still have no idea what’s going on with Tom, Rex and Iris…so I’ve been wondering if they’ll contribute to the final episodes, beyond MTC vs. MTR. Also/Alternatively, I’m still waiting to see if certain members of DH & BAT appear like they do in the manga.
I’ll skip out on reading the spoiler since I’ll read the manga eventually. >_< Nice to know I’m somewhat there with my guesses.
Haha it’s true that FP had enough time to get up back onto stage but I do like that they were happy with what they did and their bond grew a bit more. And I also have no clue what Tom and his buddies are there for. They did their part with each division but it wasn’t like they’re super important, they’re just there for some commentary occasionally. I’m not too hopeful they’ll play a bigger part at this point but we’ll see.
And yeah it’d be cool if we got a sneak peek of the other two divisions at the end.