Rewrite Episode #09 Anime Review

It can only go downhill from here.

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

With Kagari still not quite understanding exactly who she is (Or perhaps even what she is), she and Kotarou continue her search for clues pertaining to her existence. At the same time, however, Lucia and Shizuru decide that it is important to keep an eye on Kotarou in case Gaia decides to do something about him. After all, normal humans shouldn't be involved in any of this end-of-the-world mumbo jumbo, right? Needless to say, Guardian deems it inappropriate for Lucia and Shizuru to personally spy on Kotarou, considering they've already been involved with him once before. Instead, a higher-ranking Guardian officer sets his sights on our protagonist and begins doing some recon work. However, he isn't the only one keeping an eye on Kotarou. Remember Gil and Pani from the pilot episode? Yeah, they're back too. And at Kotori's behest, they are also watching over Kotarou.

Of course, Kagari is abnormally smart, so she catches on to being tailed almost immediately. The thing is, she just sees the stalkers as her 'fans'. Oh Kagari, you're so funny. Anyway, Kotarou realizes what's actually going on and decides that the best course of action is to get away as quickly as possible. After a brief run in with Yoshino, Kotarou and Kagari come across that blonde guy with the dogs who totally tried to end the series like six episodes ago. This time around, we discover that he's an agent of Gaia and that his mission is to capture Kagari. But with some help from Chibi-Moth, the attacker is subdued and Kotarou x Kagari escape back home, only to discover that the apartment has been raided by...oh nevermind, it's just Gil and Pani.

Following a short interrogation of the fairies, Kotarou receives a phone call from none other than Kotori herself, asking him to come to the forest as quickly as possible. When he gets there, however, Kotori is nowhere to be found. That is until she emerges from a frickin' portal in the middle of nowhere and yanks him and Kagari through with her bare hands. It is at this point where we ultimately realize that Kotori isn't just a normal girl. (Just in case the whole tea party with tree monsters last week wasn't enough of a hint). It is also revealed that this 'key' that everyone has been searching for is actually Kagari. Called it. Kotori then proceeds to talk a little about how both Gaia and Guardian want to save the world, but they just have different methods of doing so. Basically, it all comes down to Kagari's 'judgement' or something like that. I don't know, man. The visuals were really nice here and they were totally distracting from whatever was actually going on.

One more thing we find out, though, is that the rainbow forest from way back when wasn't caused be environmental pollution -- it was caused by something called a "power spot." You know that tree that Kotarou keeps winding up at (The one where he was murdered by Kagari in that dream/alternate universe thing)? Well, there's a sort of mana bank underneath it which Kagari was apparently born from. In addition to that, this same power spot is what gives Kotori the ability to create monsters and maintain domain over her secret, druidic realm thing. The best part of this scene, however, is a quick flashback revealing the past for the Kotarou/Kotori relationship. It appears that several years ago, Kotarou actually confessed his love to Kotori, but was ultimately shot down. This flashback is brought on by what I assume is a trigger-word for Kotarou -- best-friends. Man, poor guy. He's still upset about being forced into the friend zone. However, maybe now he can find solace in knowing that perhaps he was only rejected as a means of not becoming involved in Kotori's secret life.

After the credits roll, we're given a parting scene -- hundreds of members of Gaia sacrificing their lives in order to create a dinosaur. Uh-oh.

In Summary:

This episode appears to serve as a sort of "calm before the storm" for the events (Or perhaps even a war) that are about to follow. With that, we're given several more Kagari comedic highlights that once again bump up the lovability of her character almost tenfold. Kotori's secret realm, once revealed, is perhaps the most visually impressive setting we've seen thus far, laden with blends of neons and vibrant greens, all spun together by a stunning centerpiece -- Rewrite's essential "World tree." Even though it was brief, the flashback to Kotarou's past with Kotori is almost essential in defining his character's motivation and will ultimately impact the way we look at him from this point on. With Gaia apparently constructing a dinosaur, things can only get more interesting from here on out.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Top 20 Cutest Anime Girls Of Summer 2016

What's up, party people? We've passed the halfway point for the season and you all know what that means -- it's time to once again rank which girl is best girl. For the first time in history, however, we're going to have a list of TWENTY girls. Honestly, this season just had too many waifus for me to water it down to a measly 'Top 10'. That being said, there is something you should know before we proceed.

REM IS NOT ON THIS LIST. SHE'S CUTE AND WHATEVER BUT NOPE. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE.

Well, now that that's out in the open, let's begin. Shall we?

20) Ram

Anime: Re:Zero ~ Starting Life In Another World

CV: Rie Murakawa

THAT'S RIGHT. I WENT THERE. Listen, there are a plethora of reasons that make Ram the better sister in Re:Zero. The funny thing is, Rem knows it too. While Ram might not be as well-versed in everything as she was when she was a child, it's clear that her cuteness carried over and far surpasses that of her sister. Rem is basically a robot who's sole function is to unconditionally love Subaru while Ram, on the other hand, is the upgraded version with added tsundere capabilities. Plus her hair is pink and Rem's hair is blue. 

19) Kagari

Anime: Rewrite

CV: Kana Hanazawa

Initially, I had Lucia at this spot in the countdown. But following the sheer hilarity that Kagari was able to showcase when she finally had an episode to herself, she easily became my favorite girl from the series. Hell, I didn't even know Hanazawa was the one voiced her until I was putting together this article. Kagari, feel free to sneak into my room any night. I'm not some jerk that will put up paper charms to repel you. In fact, I'll even save some room for you in bed.

18) An Onoya

Anime: ReLIFE

CV: Reina Ueda

Even though An sort of lost some of her charm halfway through the series (When we find out that one thing about her), she still easily nabbed a spot in here. I'm not normally into the overly-bubbly, approachable girls in anime, but An's Kansai charm made her super lovable right off the bat. Oh, and she totally rocks the glasses. Like, just look at her. Who can do that? Arata should have hit that when he had the chance.

17) Mahiru Koizumi

Anime: Danganronpa 3 ~ The End of Hope's Peak High School

CV: Yuu Kobayashi

Mahiru is the first of several Danganronpa girls to make an appearance on this countdown, which is surprising because I really didn't care for her initially. But as the series has progressed, she's become more endearing and just all-around huggable. Maybe it's the freckles. I don't really know. The point is, Mahiru is totally girlfriend material and I'd love to like...go to a coffee shop or do whatever hipster photographer couples do with her.

16) Alice Nakiri

Anime: Food Wars! The Second Plate

CV: Chinatsu Akasaki

I've always liked Alice, but I've never really thought of her being a 'top girl of the season' for me. However, having more time in the spotlight in season two of Food Wars, she's definitely proven that she has what it takes to hang with the big girls. Plus, she could cook [weird] food for me and I'd never have to order pizza again. I mean, I still probably would, but I wouldn't have to. Oh, and look at those eyes. How can they appear so demonic, yet so damn adorable? Alice, you should totally ditch Kurokiba and let me stand next to you all the time instead of him. Please.

15) Alisha Diphda

Anime: Tales Of Zestiria The X

CV: Ai Kayano

Alisha definitely has a better fashion sense than most of the girls on this countdown. (Though someone else much further down has the best fashion sense). For a princess and the leader of a nation, she just seems so damn chill. Like, if we were going to hang out, she'd be the kind of girl that would say, "I'm cool with anything," and actually MEAN it. She also has really nice legs. Like, REALLY nice legs. Just look, yo. Aren't they great?

14) Kyouko Kirigiri

Anime: Danganronpa 3 ~ The End of Hope's Peak High School

CV: Yoko Hikasa

Even though Kirigiri has aged since we last saw her back in the original Danganronpa animation, she's definitely kept her charm. She's still insanely mysterious and straight-up wife material. Not many people can rock a legitimate suit the way she does. Maybe it's the whole purple eyes and hair combo that does it, or maybe she's just straight up beautiful. The fact of the matter is that, even with her little screen time in the new Danganronpa Future arc, she's still absolutely stunning.

13) Sonia Nevermind

Anime: Danganronpa 3 ~ The End of Hope's Peak High School

CV: Miho Arakawa

Jeez, these Danganronpa girls are really starting to dominate this countdown. Sonia is another girl who has had little screen time, yet still managed to break into here. From the get-go, she comes across as that "Accepting of everyone, model student type" but becomes a sort of comedic break somewhere down the line. Oh, and those thigh-highs. UGH. I totally get why that one dude with the pink hair is obsessed with her. She's a gosh darn princess, for crying out loud. #NeedMoreSonia

12) Taki Tsunozaki

Anime: Food Wars! The Second Plate

CV: Mikako Komatsu

Yeah, this is probably one that no one saw coming. But honestly, Taki might be my favorite girl in Food Wars as a whole now. The eye-bags, the adorable ribbon/scarf, the overly-long ponytail...she's got everything. Plus, she has the attitude to back it all up. Those moments where she lets her guard down and the food sends her into cute-mode just bump up her lovable factor more each and every time. I really hope that she becomes more of a recurring character. She's gorgeous.

11) Kou Yagami

Anime: New Game!

CV: Yoko Hikasa

So many blondes on this countdown, right? That's really weird for me, to be honest. But if there's anything better than an adorable girl who's extremely great at her job, it's an adorable girl who's extremely great at her job and is also in her underwear. UGH. I'd also like to have an honorable mention for Rin in here because when she and Kou are together, New Game's sexual tension gets boosted to all-time thighs. Uh, I mean highs. Yeah, all-time highs. Um, I'll be going now.

10) Ruby Kurosawa

Anime: Love Live! Sunshine!!

CV: Ai Furihata

Ayyy, here she is. No matter who you are, you have to give props to Ruby. I mean, just look at her. If Ruby's character designer was here right now, I'd shake his hand for creating one of the most adorable little bundles of love in the entire idol world. However, her overly-shy personality (While it might work wonders for some) actually counts against her for me seeing as it's just a tad bit over the top. Luckily, her affinity for her sister and her overall drive to become a school idol gives her enough points to land her a spot in the top ten. Here's to pooling up love gems for a Ruby UR.

9) Aoi Asahina

Anime: Danganronpa 3 ~ The End of Hope's Peak High School

CV: Chiwa Saito

Woah, since when did Asahina become such a bombshell? Time has definitely been on her side and the whole ageing thing has done nothing but work in her favor to accentuate her curv...I mean beauty. No, but really, Asahina has a straight up 20/10 body AND she could probably kick my ass if she wanted to. Oh, and now that she's traded in her stupid original haircut for a well-groomed ponytail and her tracksuit for a real suit, she's better than ever before. Marry me.

8) Chizuru Hishiro

Anime: ReLIFE

CV: Ai Kayano

The fact that a girl with zero personality was able to make it onto this countdown is definitely saying something about her cuteness level. Hishiro, whether you like it or not, is the comedic factor that keeps ReLIFE going each and every episode. And while she might have the worst smile in all of history (If you've watched the series, you'll know what I'm talking about), she makes up for it with the effort she puts in to be seen as a normal girl. Being a super genius and having adorable twintails only adds to her beauty-factor. Man, I miss ReLIFE.

7) Illyasviel Von Einzbern

Anime: Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 3rei!!

CV: Mai Kadowaki

And here we have a returning character to the list of cute girls. As you may have seen in the past, Illya normally lands a spot on here whenever there is a new season of Fate/Kaleid Liner (Which is basically every other season at this point). This time around, though, I feel like she's cuter than ever. There's just something alluring about being sucked into a parallel universe and having no one there to comfort you. If only I was sucked into that universe as well...Oh, and she totally gets her iconic purple coat back in this series and, come on, we all love that coat.

6) Felt

Anime: Re:Zero ~ Starting Life In Another World

CV: Chinatsu Akasaki

Yo, Felt is adorable. You know it, I know it, we all know it. She's like a feisty little kitten that you still want to pet because, you know, kitten. The thing is, no one ever wants to label her as one of the best girls considering she's only been in like 25% of Re:Zero so far. Regardless, all the time she has spent on screen is easily some of the best the show has had to offer up to this point. While I definitely wouldn't elect her as the next ruler of Lugnica, I would easily elect her as the ruler of my heart.

5) Chiaki Nanami

Anime: Danganronpa 3 ~ The End of Hope's Peak High School

CV: Kana Hanazawa

Okay, final Danganronpa girl. I promise. Also, second Kana Hanazawa girl. Chiaki is straight up overwhelmingly cute. She even has a Galaga hairpin. What could be better than that? I think one of the things that makes Chiaki so desirable would have to be how her character is actually developing as the series goes on and, surprisingly, becoming cuter each episode. If this continues to happen, Chiaki might eventually become so cute that the world explodes. Wait...maybe that's what the whole "Inevitable despair event" thing is that everyone keeps talking about.

4) Rena Kariu

Anime: ReLIFE

CV: Haruka Tomatsu

From the moment I saw Kariu, I knew she'd be in the top five. I mean, personally, she caters exactly to my tastes. Like, to the T. In all honesty, I'd probably say that she's the most 'realistic' out of all the girls on this countdown. Seeing her painstaking struggle to confess and come to terms with her feelings as the series goes on was a truly intimate, unforgettable experience. When it finally becomes too much and explodes, the result is almost too adorable to miss. Even though the series isn't by any means about her, I'd consider her romantic subplot to be essential in shaping the true high school experience of ReLIFE. Honestly, the only thing counting against her is how mean she initially is to one of the other girls on this countdown.

3) Emilia

Anime: Re:Zero ~ Starting Life In Another World

CV: Rie Takahashi

Emilia-tan is best girl. Deal with it. She's the driving force that keeps Subaru going in Re:Zero. Want to know why? She's perfect. Don't give me any of that "Oh, she's so bland" nonsense. She's the only girl up until now that hasn't come across as one-dimensional and it feels like she actually has opinions of her own at times. From the moment we're introduced to Emilia, she's this picturesque image of complete and utter beauty that only becomes amplified once we're exposed to her kindhearted, affectionate personality. The fact that Rie Takahashi voices her also adds three-thousand points to her cuteness score because, honestly, Takahashi has one of the cutest voices in anime. Emilia also has more style than all of the other Re:Zero girls combined AND she's the daughter of a spirit thingy. You really just can't compete with her. Unless you're one of the next two girls.

2) You Watanabe

Anime: Love Live! Sunshine!!

CV: Shuka Saitou

Remember when I was talking about how someone later on in this countdown has the best fashion sense? Well, I was talking about You Watanabe. Not only is You the cutest girl in Love Live Sunshine, she's the cutest girl in the entire Love Live franchise. If you have a hat for every day of the week, you're the greatest. If half of those hats have your first name on it, I love you. Combine her flawless fashion with utterly breathtaking singing voice, and you have a perfect ten. And as if being the leader in vocals and style wasn't enough, You also beats all of the LL girls in personality. She's just such a good, realistic best friend that everything about her seems like it could parallel someone from real life. While Chika might be the leader of Aqours on paper, we all know You is the real driving force of the group. Unfortunately, she has to come in at second place overall due to the sheer, unavoidable perfection of this season's champion.

Summer 2016 Champion: 1) Yun Iijima

Anime: New Game!

CV: Ayumi Takeo

Oh man, where do I even begin? Yun is like the physical manifestation of the word 'cute' in every aspect. In fact, she's so cute that it's cringeworthy sometimes. I have never wanted to hug someone so hard in my life. Episode after episode of New Game, the fact that she is the undisputable champion of the season is literally forced in my face to the point where I can't even take it anymore. Yun is taking control over my life. Everything I know is Yun. Everything that matters in life is Yun. No, but really, though, this girl does not receive enough props. Hell, she's even a dedicated sister that's willing to spend what LITTLE time she has away from work treating her siblings to the movies. If Yun isn't wife material, I don't know what is. I will literally buy every piece of character merchandise pertaining to this character because the world must know that she is the ideal image of beauty. If you don't agree with this choice, you are blind.

There you have it, guys! Can't get any cuter than this. I will be reverting back to the good ol' 'Top 10' next season, so keep an eye out. Until then, feel free to browse the rest of the site or check me out on Twitter @DJNOSTYLE.

Oh, yeah, and sorry about Rem. Things will get better.

Rewrite Episode #08 Anime Review

My name is Kagari-chan.

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Three days have passed since the incident in the forest and none of the Occult Research club members have found it in themselves to return to school (Apart from Kotarou, that is). Of course, Kotarou understands the reasoning for this, but that doesn't stop him from being distraught nonetheless. Instead, he decides to look towards the bright side -- he has a cool cyber hand blade thing that he can make with his fist all of a sudden. I mean, who wouldn't try it out on everything they see? One night, when Kotarou is doing just that, the ribbon girl shows up in his room once again. This time, however, she is able to utter a few words about 'an emergency situation' before collapsing on top of our protagonist, leaving him in a much-expected state of confusion.

When the girl (Who we come to know as Kagari) awakes, Kotarou obviously has a few questions for her. As it turns out, she isn't exactly a ghost. At the same time, though, she definitely isn't a human. Regardless of what she is, she is stricken with amnesia and is incapable of remembering why she is here and what she is doing. According to her, she must 'find herself' before doing anything else. And of course, Kotarou, the master of finding things out, is going to help her in her search. I mean, it's not like his other friends are doing anything important, right? Oh wait, yeah, they're trying to save the world. Whatever, this is more important right now.

After Kagari's introduction comes to a close, the inevitable "I'm going to follow Kotarou to school and enroll as well" ensues and ultimately ends with Yoshino being sent to the nurse's office after being beaten up by a magical ribbon. Kotarou then proceeds to lecture Kagari about how she is not allowed to attack his acquaintances and the two make their way to a nearby park for whatever reason. At the park, we run into yet another familiar face -- Inoue.

According to the homeroom teacher (In an earlier excerpt of the episode), Inoue was discovered and admitted to a nearby hospital several days ago. The thing is, she was [also] stricken with amnesia and was incapable of remembering even her identity. But I guess that's all better now considering she's walking around alone in a park. Unfortunately for Kotarou, his persona is one thing to be left off Inoue's "Things I remember" list. This isn't all bad, though, as she does hand something that appears to be very important over to our MC -- a hefty 32gb memory stick. Kotarou and Kagari then part ways with Inoue (Who I doubt we will ever see again, seeing as she just served her purpose) and head back home to inspect their memory stick. What they find is essentially what we'd expect -- a detailed account of Inoue's trip to the forest, complete with pictures of monsters and those weird hooded people from a few episodes ago.

While the episode does not technically end here, it does divulge into several smaller bits that wind up detailing what our other 'main' characters are doing at this point in time. Shizuru and Lucia are off fighting more monsters with Esaka, Akane and Chihaya are holed up in Akane's huge mafia mansion thing or whatever, and Kotori is off somewhere drinking tea with giant tree monsters. Wait, what?

In Summary:

The finalized addition of Kagari to the roster of heroines winds up working wonders for Rewrite as she's an immensely interesting (And consistently hilarious) 'new' character. Her seiyuu, while sounding literally nothing like I expected her to, is fantastic and does an exemplary job of making Kagari more lovable than probably any other girl in the show. We also receive a batch of new opening and ending songs that far surpass the earlier two. It's like in just two episodes, Rewrite has turned into an entirely different show and just decided to bring the character roster along with it. In a way, this episode felt more immersive than any other one yet (Which is weird considering there were no dramatic set changes or anything of that sort). Maybe it's just the soundtrack working wonders again -- or maybe it's the feeling that this series is finally starting to go somewhere. That being said, I'm beginning to worry about how the next five episodes are going to play out and just how much is going to have to be omitted from the final product.

Grade: A-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Rewrite Episode #07 Anime Review

I want to enjoy my youth with all of you! Is that so wrong?

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

So, it appears as if we have reached the inevitable point of this year's main KEY series in which things can finally be labeled as 'serious'. Following the disappearance of the newspaper club's Inoue, the Occult Research Academy has had their activities put on hold, ultimately leaning toward their unavoidable disbanding. However, Kotarou believes the group has come too far to give up this easily. Instead of biting the bullet and letting the club fall to pieces, Kotarou comes up with a plan oh his own -- finding Inoue. At first, the other club members sort of laugh this off and dismiss it as a childish fantasy. But after a heartwrenching speech from Kotarou about how no two members of the club are alike and they've still managed to accomplish so much, they can't possibly give up just like that. So, just as we all expected them to do, the Occult Research club heads back out to the forest to find Inoue.

Of course, finding her isn't going to be easy. In fact, the search has even been called off by the local police force as she's already been missing for over five days. But, just minutes after their arrival, Kotarou and the others start to uncover her tracks. The only bad thing about this is that those tracks just straight up vanish in the middle of one of the pathways. While Shizuru states that she could have just tied her feet in leaves to avoid pursuers, something still seems amiss. I mean, we've already witnessed a number of paranormal beings and scenarios in Rewrite -- what if something like that was responsible for Inoue's vanishing track marks?

Just when things begin to look hopeless, Kotarou spots a mysterious, cloaked man wandering around in the forest. Being split up from the group at this time, he decides to follow him. I mean, who wouldn't follow an apparent sorcerer walking around alone in a forest? Instead of finding this man, however, Kotarou runs into more of those dogs that tried to kill him several episodes back. But this time, he chops one of their damn heads off with a cool light blade thing that randomly shows up on one of his hands. Of course, Kotarou has no idea how this happened but immediately embraces it because who wouldn't? Desperate to reunite with his friends, Kotarou breaks off from the remaining two evil dog monsters and winds up finding Lucia and Shizuru, surrounded by...dinosaurs?

Just as he's about to lend a hand-blade, Lucia and Shizuru show off some combat skills of their own, utilizing what we find are called "frequency blades." Understanding that they can fend for themselves, Kotarou heads back to find the other group members. When he does, though, a colossal plant monster appears out of nowhere and impales one of his arms. In a moment of heroism, he asks that the girls go reunite with Lucia and Shizuru (Which they do, reluctantly) before continuing to get his ass kicked by the plant dragon. Eventually, he's able to harness the power of his hand blade to fight it off for a short period of time and is ultimately saved by Kagari (The ribbon girl) once again. Before Kagari can do more weird stuff to Kotarou, Kotori shows back up and demands that he come with her.

There's no point in going over what happens in the last scene because it's some serious spoiler stuff and I don't want you to hate me.

In Summary:

This episode is going to serve as the breaking point for Rewrite. Remember an episode or two ago when Akane was all like "...the point of no return..."? Well, each KEY series has something a little like that. We're done with all of the lighthearted stuff and it's time to move on to the immense, overall concept of the Rewrite series -- the destruction (or unification) of the universe. We have a clear path set out with both the good and the bad sides of everything already highlighted for us. But...what if the bad guys actually wind up being the good ones? This is a question that I assume will be proposed to us in the following episodes of the series. Regardless of content, however, Rewrite continues to be a well-orchestrated compilation of both new and old KEY tactics backed by an incredibly impressive and emotional OST.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story Vol. #4 Manga Review

Some things are more important than the champions' mission

Creative Staff:

Art: Takatoshi Shiozawa

Supervision/Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura

Translation: Alethea and Athena Nibley

Lettering: Katie Blakeslee and Lys Blakeslee

What They Say:

From the ashes of tragedy rises unbridled strength. Those four, wrought by suffering and burdened with despair, will overcome insurmountable odds to become known as the Four Champions of Rubrum.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Phew. Following a relatively underwhelming and confused third volume, this fourth installment of the Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story picks back up and brings us the same enjoyable, character-driven story we grew accustomed to in the first two volumes. Picking up right where volume three left off, we remain locked in the intense battle between Kurasame and the Milites army. After chopping off the opposing commander's arm (Evil glove and all), Kurasame proceeds to shut down the entire enemy force and get back to Takatsugu. However, things aren't faring well for him. Kurasame winds up throwing his commanding officer over his shoulder only to have him pass away on the way back to the rendezvous point. Though, that isn't until after Takatsugu has a brief, albeit touching monologue about the future for Kurasame.

This scene is extremely impactful and once again brutally forces the overwhelming despair and the meaning of death in the Type-0 universe.

When Kurasame returns to Akademia, he meets up with Aoi and the two terminate their relationship because "their paths are too different." Jeez, you don't say? Like I said in my last review, this romance served literally no purpose whatsoever and shouldn't have even been incorporated into the series. Aoi's entire character was nothing but a momentary distraction from the underlying meaning of Type-0 altogether. Now that she's finally out of the way, we can get back to the task at hand -- the extermination of Milites and Cid Ausltyne.

On their next mission, the four champions of Rubrum once again branch off in different directions. Kurasame, being the newly-proclaimed "Ice Reaper" goes off by himself while the other three champions remain elsewhere, fighting the bulk of the army. In the midst of Kurasame's defense mission, he comes across a brand new [Effing awesome] enemy, Morse (Or, the 'Wonder Boy' of Milites). Obsessed with the idea of being a hero, Morse puts up a hell of a mental fight with Kurasame before claiming that he will serve as his new mentor because the two are essentially the same person. Morse then vanishes and leaves Kurasame on his own.

Meanwhile, things aren't going all that well for the remaining champions. Somehow or another, a Milites soldier managed to trap Kotetsu's leg in ice, prompting Guren to divert his attention to protecting his comrade. Being a hero and understanding what will happen should Guren continue to focus on him, Kotetsu literally casts firaga on his own damn leg in a totally unprecedented act of manliness suitable only to how badass his character is. Unable to walk, Kotetsu gives up on life. Just as he is about to be executed, Kurasame shows back up and saves the day once again. Everyone goes home happy.

In the middle of the night, while Kotetsu is still locked away in the infirmary, Guren wanders off to bring his ally some food (Considering Miwa ate his lunch earlier on). However, before he can reach him, he stumbles across a mysterious, open door.

The next day, we receive news that Guren has 'betrayed the dominion'. But...something still seems amiss. We never saw what was behind that door but, according to the cadet master, Guren stole classified documents and just straight up vanished. Of course, this mission (At least for the champions) becomes searching for Guren to figure out exactly what the hell is going on.

After receiving a cryptic message from Emina about 'catching the Cactuar should he ever lose his cape,' Kurasame sets out in search of his friend while, at the same time, conducting an assassination attempt on the leader of the Milites Empire. When Guren is eventually uncovered, it isn't all rainbows and butterflies for the three champions. Apparently, Guren has no intentions on going back to Akademia because he 'has something more important to do'. Of course, this shocks us just as much as it shocks his comrades. Just what exactly did Guren find in that room?

As if this wasn't enough, Guren vanishes once again and...oh, here comes Morse. Just as it always has to be with him, Kurasame verbally bashes Morse and his obsession with heroism before bringing him to his knees and defeating him. However, Kurasame never finishes Morse off. Instead, he just walks away like the badass ice reaper he is, leaving the antagonist in tears and questioning his ideals as a whole. This type of verbal defeat is actually even more powerful than a physical one, considering the type of person Morse is. The only thing is, this leaves him room to come back once more, should he find the moral resolve to do so.

In Summary:

This extremely eventful installment of the Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story is the most impressive one since the debut volume -- which is exactly what was needed to repair the marks left from the previous one. Aoi is finally gone and, in her place, we have received the most interesting antagonist yet - Morse. Being somewhat of an anti-Kurasame, Morse allows for a rapid increase in development for our protagonist while remaining terrifying and pure evil all throughout the book. In addition to these two, Miwa has a few character-defining moments that go on to reshape our opinion of her as well. Guren's disappearance and 'betrayal of the dominion' creates an entirely new conflict that is both internal and external for everyone involved. In just several chapters, Type-0 has completely turned around and become significantly more enjoyable and interesting than ever before. With just one volume left to go, I'm incredibly excited to see how this all ties up.

Content Grade: A-

Art Grade: B+

Packaging Grade: B-

Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 16+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: April 26, 2016

MSRP: $12.99