Love is in the air… apparently.
Voyager: So. Final round of this one.
EvilBob: Yep. This is gonna be great.
Voyager: …nothing about either of these is ‘great’ and you know it.
EvilBob: Weeell, there’s one thing great about it.
Voyager: And that is?
EvilBob: I’mma win this one.
Voyager: You mean like you’ve said every single time?
EvilBob: Yeah. But this one’s funnier, ’cause it’s true.
Voyager: Right. We’ll see, then.
OPINIONS
EvilBob: This was a fun episode. Wise’s mother was every bit the boss they made her out to be. It took the entire team to bring her down although she was cheating in the game, meaning she’s a terrible cheat. If this had been a real game she would’ve won for sure. Before getting banned. And the little hint about Wise’s motivation to stay after she had already met the requirements to leave was a nice touch.
Voyager: See… Arifureta just… I can tell what they were aiming for. The monster idea is really cool. The framing for this action scene was great. But the execution. Heaven help me, the execution. It just… it’s just so, so sloppy and rushed. Watching this, I get the impression the studio was just pressed for time so they’re cutting corners to crank out every episode of this show quickly, rather than ensuring its quality. That would explain the obviously cut attention to animation and all the story they’re skipping to get to the “key moments.” This episode just sort of epitomizes this sensation of going 1000mph because not one of these developments feels earned.
EvilBob: So, how are your characters doing? Mine are doing great.
Voyager: Shut. Up.
EvilBob: Huh? What was that? Oh come on, they had to do something that was interesting.
Voyager: I said shut up.
EvilBob: Does that mean you have nothing new? Meanwhile, my characters continue to have the great chemistry that’s made this show a joy to watch. And Wise’s relationship with her mother was a lot of fun too. How’s your character chemistry going?
Voyager: There’ve definitely been… reactions.
EvilBob: Care to talk about them?
Voyager: Not particularly…
EvilBob: So, do you admit defeat then?
Voyager: The only thing I “admit” is how much of an annoyance you are…
EvilBob: I win.
Voyager: Yeah. Next.
EvilBob: Oh, no no no. You’re not getting off that easy.
Voyager: …
EvilBob: I’m going to enjoy-
Voyager: Arifureta’s presentation is just god awful as a whole. And the visuals make that painfully evident. The CG is garbage. That much is obvious. But that’s not even all. The effects are boring, the lighting is bland, and even the 2D stuff is choppy as hell. So of course something with actual polish wins this category.
EvilBob: … Aw you sucked the fun out of it.
Voyager: Oops. My mistake.
EvilBob: . . .Bastard.
Voyager: oh goddammit…
EvilBob: Oh? What’s wrong? It’s not like I won the other categories or anything.
Voyager: Look here, you smug little-
EvilBob: Little?
Voyager: You know what I meant.
EvilBob: Yes, but name-calling won’t help you here.
Voyager: Sure it will. It makes me feel better. This last episode sure as hell didn’t.
EvilBob: Whaaat? But you had all that amazing character development! Like how the two leads are totally a thing now! And it was their totally organic and natural love that saw them through that battle!
Voyager: …Wise.
EvilBob: …Let’s not speak of that.
Voyager: Yeah, just take the stupid point.
EvilBob: Gladly!
CONCLUSION
EvilBob: Wait. Does this me? Aha. Ahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA! I won! I finally won a bracket! Eat that!
Voyager: Oh nooo. What ever will I do? Okaasan Online now has a chance to wind up in a bitter duel with DanMachi. Everything looks so hopeless. Aaaaaaah.
EvilBob: …You really can’t let me have anything, can you?
Voyager: Nah. Anyway, what do you lot think? Was Arifureta robbed? (The answer’s no, by the way) or did Okaasan Online genuinely earn this win (that one’s debatable. ‘earned’ is a strong word). Let us know, down below. Keep up the Awesome!
EvilBob: And Keep it Classy.
Voyager: Take Care.
I kind of dropped Okaasan online after this episode. I just find nothing particularly appealing about it. That said, the only real appeal of Arifureta is wondering just how much they’ll continue to make a mess of it as the season progresses and largely that’s the source of entertainment at this point.