What They Say:
We Are Family and Black and White and Gray
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Vulcan was introduced in the last episode and these episodes go further upon his character. He is a mad genius who wants to improve the world with his inventions but is prevented by doing so by the major corporation. There is a reason for his mad genius status. He constantly tries to break his inventions but does so because he wants to make sure they don’t break when people are relying on them. He has a heart of gold and has sparkling respect for his family as he brings his dad and grandpa’s favorite sodas to their graves.
Dr. Giovanni is another genius character introduced in these episodes. I found his manner of speaking hilarious and a fitting tone for his role as a villain. He would say the same word repetitiously and then move on to another word with a similar meaning as he smashes the objects in Vulcan’s lab.
Authur’s knight obsession comes into play heavily in episode 16. He gets a power boost when he is dressed as a knight, so he asks Vulcan to build him a knight themed suit. He has a donkey attached to his lower body as if though he is on a horse. Authur would be the only character who takes pride in being called dumb as he stands there with a smile as Vulcan insults him. Authur is powerful while he is dressed as a knight and is able to temporarily subdue his enemies but is brought down as he is shown how he really looks. I understand that Authur is meant to be the dumb comedic character but I don’t really get any sense of comedy coming from him. May the donkey rest in peace.
Episode 17 touches upon every aspect that the show has built upon so far. The Adolla Burst is said to be a power that enables the holder to connect to the thoughts of other Fire users. Information about the Adolla Burst is being revealed at a moderate pace and that works well mixed in with everything else happening. Shinra’s long lost brother, Sho, finally makes a full appearance and is part of the Evangelist’s group.
Another element that this series has been doing lately is having Sister Iris tell the history of how the current world came to be in little chunks at the beginning of each episode. I like this approach because you get information and it’s not being fed all at once.
Episode 15 had Iris pressing every button she could find in an attempt to have comedy and this episode touches upon her quirk again but this time manages to make it actually hilarious in a serious moment. She manages to save everyone and hit Hibana at the perfect moment.
One thing that I have been noticing is people’s eyes. Hibana’s eyes changed from crosses to hearts when she was thinking about her crush Shinra. I used to think that it meant that the person with special eyes had some special power but it seems it’s just a window into their souls and their emotions. This tactic with the eyes has underutilized and it would be better used if it was applied to every character.
In Summary:
Obi says it best when he says “Tamaki Lucky Lecher Lure isn’t acting up at the moment. So I guess it’s a little better than usual.” This series is being self-aware of what it’s doing and is learning what works and what doesn’t. It does more of what works but still insists on doing what doesn’t work at a less occurrent rate. These two episodes gather all the pieces that the show has placed and put them all on the board to reveal everyone’s roles in this series.
Grade: A
Streamed by: Crunchyroll, Funimation