Thank you for visiting Anime Rants. Today, we’re covering the episodes that aired approximately in the week of April 12th to April 18th. I’m so far enjoying all of the series I chose. This week, my favorite episode was probably Re: Zero, of all things, because it featured screen-time for my personal favorite female character, Ram. Anyway, here are my notes.
- Re: Zero Season 4
- Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3
- Go For It! Nakamura!!
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4
- The Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4
Re: Zero Season 4
Episode 2 (AKA 68): Overcome Sand Time
This episode was relatively light-hearted in the first half as the group set off into the Auguria Dunes, which was a sandy desert. Something that caught my attention that wasn’t fully explained was Roswaal’s mention of Ram’s body. She seems to need some kind of magical upkeep in order to use her magic. Again, it wasn’t explained in this episode. As the group headed toward the tower through the sandstorms, they figured out how to escape the warped space and get past the sand dunes. This was largely thanks to Ram and her clairvoyance. Unfortunately, on the other side of the warped space, they were attacked by mabeasts and a mysterious deadly light from the tower.
Once the action picked up, the episode got pretty intense as Re: Zero installments tend to do. Subaru died to the light attack from the tower several times. One of the times, Beatrice also died, so we know that light-missile is capable of one-shotting powerful spirits. I’m not exactly sure what happened there at the end, but Subaru’s spell (EMT) somehow broke the magical space that was around the group. They all plummeted downward as the ground gave out under them and the sky crumbled above. Meanwhile, someone was watching them from the tower, saying, “I found you.” This was a fairly entertaining episode. I’m glad it featured Ram, who is still my favorite female character in the series. Also, the new opening song sounds extremely cool.
Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3
Episode 3: The Universe Is Written in the Language of Mathematics
This episode was fun, humorous, and interesting at different points. The crew of the New Persues arrived in India and Ryusui said they needed to find and awaken a man named Sai, who “had the computing power of a million men.” Once they found Sai and un-petrified him, he tried to run away from Ryusui. Kohaku brought him back. It was then explained that Sai was the elder brother of Ryusui and hated his position and forced studies in the Nanami Conglomerate. In order to escape the stifling lifestyle of his home and the immense amount of math work, he fled to a university in India. Even though Sai was extremely gifted at computing and math, what he actually loved was programming. He loved playing and designing games. So, he always denied being good at math and tried to pursue his passions instead. Ryusui was constantly in the way of that goal, always asking Sai to do math, which explained why Sai ran rather than face his bullyish little brother.
Anyway, Sai seems like an interesting character. I thought it was relatable that he was so bummed out about the lack of technology in the Stone World. As a computer screen addict, I would suffer a lot if thrown into that world. Sai was so discouraged that he cried, but rather than give up, he started writing out the machine code for Dragon Quest on the walls. Once he saw this, Senku said there would be a change in plans. The new priority was to make a computer. That was probably the only way to make sure the rocket calculations were done correctly in the future. The episode ends on that note. Like I said, Sai seems like a great character so far. He’s cute and relatable. I look forward to seeing the development of a primitive computer in the next few episodes.
Go For It! Nakamura!!
Episode 3: Wait, Could This Be Love?!
The third installment helped us get to know Hifumi Kawamura, the adorable fujoshi with the twin braids, dark hair, and glasses. She and her friends talk about “shipping” the boys in their class together. To be honest, I think that’s a disrespectful thing to do about real people, but I understand these are middle school kids with limited social intelligence. It’s realistic that they would do silly things like sexualize and ship their classmates. Hifumi is voiced by Fairouz Ai, a newer but extremely well-respected and accomplished seiyuu. I recently enjoyed hearing her play Miko in This Monster Wants to Eat Me, so it seems she’s not picky about being in BL or GL productions. In other notes, the scene where Hirose modeled for the sketching class was painful but funny. I could relate to Nakamura’s elation at having an excuse to stare at his crush.
It was so cute and wholesome to see Nakamura being such a fan of Kawamura’s art. Because of their interactions, Kawamura realized she liked Nakamura. Getting stuck in the gym closet is a trope that I’m a bit sick of, but it was more entertaining in this case because there were three people and not just two. Nakamura acted a little creepy by sneaking a smell of Hirose while he was sleeping. Hirose didn’t notice, but Kawamura saw Nakamura leaning in close to the other boy. Once they were finally freed from the locked room, the three kids rode home with their teacher driving. Looking at Nakamura, Hifumi now seemed to realize that he was crushing on Hirose. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help her own crush on Nakamura. I’m glad this anime is including female characters – though, of course, I still strongly prefer the gay ship, haha.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4
Episode 3: The Avatar Team is Formed
Though we saw a bit of Rimuru and “Team Avatar” leveling up in the Dungeon, the main focus of this episode was on the new antagonist, Maribel Rozzo. I personally wish she had an adult design, but I’m impressed with the writing for her character. Maribel of Greed is a compelling villain. We learned that she was reincarnated after her past life in our world. She was likely a member of the 1%, the billionaires that unfortunately control this world. In addition to her extreme power-hungriness, her Geass-like magical “skill” is definitely unethical. It allows her to control others. Maribel even has Yuuki under her control.
As Team Avatar, Rimuru, Ramiris, Veldora, and Milim eventually defeated team Green Fury. That included the leader, an A-rank adventurer named Ayn. Watching the group learn to work together was amusing. At the end of the episode, the failed nobleman that Souhei was watching was mysteriously murdered. It looked like he got killed by a sniper. I wonder who killed him and why? I also wonder if Yuuki is truly completely under Maribel’s control. Maybe he found a way to fool her. That’s all for my notes.
The Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4
Episode 3: Archduke’s Castle and Italian Restaurant
The first two episodes were so relatively intense and interesting that the third one seemed like a bit of a disappointment. That may be too harsh. It’s just that I felt the length of this installment and was a bit bored in the middle. Rosemyne moved into the Duchy of Ehrenfest, where she would live with Lord Sylvester and his family. The transition to the new living space was successful. We briefly met a female guard knight, Angelica, who might be an interesting character down the line, as well as the nanny for Rosemyne, an old chubby lady named Rihyarda. She had raised Sylvester, Karstedt, and Ferdinand when they were children, and she was an amusing character.
During the Star-Binding ceremony, we learned a bit more about a few of the characters, including Brigette and how she broke off her engagement to protect her family. Rosemyne gave a beautiful blessing at the ceremony. A few days later, she went with Sylvester, Ferdinand, and Karstedt to the Italian Restaurant. There, they met Benno and the Guild Master and discussed business. It was decided that a new workshop would be built in the town of Hasse. However, there was no cathedral in Hasse. Ferdinand, Sylvester, and Rosemyne went to Hasse and we then witnessed a powerful show of magic from Ferdinand. He created a new monastery building in a matter of minutes. Funds would still be needed, so Sylvester suggested to Rosemyne that she should solicit donations from nobles. The episode ends there. It may have started off a little boring, but the quick progress and impressive magic at the end was definitely worth watching.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
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