Reviews

I saw it coming. I really did see Avocato's death coming.

But those last five minutes is what CEMENTED this episode as the best in the series so far.

I'm not saying that was the only good part of this episode though. The side plot with Quinn watching Gary's video messages was short and sweet, and didn't overstay it's welcome.

And also, while I did feel that the backstory was incredibly well-done and had good pacing, I feel that they should've built it up a bit more, take more time to get to know Avocato.

But nonetheless, the last five minutes are MANDATORY VIEWING. Not only was the death handled incredibly well, it was realistic and didn't feel exaggerated. Also, the song that plays during the deaths sequence is absolutely incredible, instantly downloaded it after the episode aired.

What else can I say?

Nothing else I say can describe how incredible it was.

As a watcher of the K-Drama, in which this show was originally adapted from, I can proudly say that this was a good start. Sure, there are several differences from the original, but they manage to mesh in those differences and make it work very well. They also handled the plot very well indeed. While I would've given it a 9 due to how much I enjoyed this episode, I'll have to give it an 8 due to the pretty unnecessary sex scene. It just felt really out of place, and it kinda turned me off.

After Episode 1 ended, I was super excited for the next episode. Like, I literally watched the first episode 15 times to get every single bit of symbolism, and just to rally myself up for Episode 2.

Just like with Episode 1, I watched it live on Toonami the day it aired. Watched through Family Guy, and squealed in excitement when Toonami came on.

I am shook.

I though nothing could ever top the first episode. The first episode was just so good, I thought nothing could stand against it. But Gennedy and Adult Swim has outdone theme selves, because overall, this episode was a damn good ride.

So first off, we finally get to see Aku again this episode! In my opinion, Greg Baldwin is doing a pretty good job as Aku's new VA. It's not as awesome as Mako, but it still fits really well, and keeps the likable charm of the character.

One of the things I MUST talk about is that they keep the comedy IN TACT! They kept the lovable comedy of the first four seasons, and kept it in check in this final season! There's this one scene where Aku is sitting down talking to himself as a therapist, and I was cracking up! That was never y only hilarious, but also some pretty dark humor that's i bet wouldn't be allowed on Cartoon Network at all! But also, Aku is depressed about the fact that Jack actually ISN'T dead! He'd assumed time would weigh in on him and he would die, but now that he is unable to age, Aku just doesn't have much motivation to kill the samurai anymore, and I really hope that we'll be able to look more into Aku in later episodes.

But soon, during that first half, Jack is apparently attacked by the Daughters Of Aku (YES!!!) and they destroy most of his armor, and he is clearly vulnerable. And then, while in hiding, he start literally taking to himself.

Now, they Dive a bit more into Jack's PTSD this episode. At this moment in the first half,Jack begins talking to his Psyche. This psyche keeps telling him "You don't have the sword!" "How much longer can you keep up with this?" "There's no point to this anymore." And at one point, Jack's psyche tell him "Aren't you tired of all of this? Don't you want to join them? It's the only honorable thing you can do at this point."

JACK IS LITERALLY CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE!

No joke, that scene literally broke my heart.

Now, onto the second half!

The second half definitely outshines the first half by a landslide, even though the episode as a whole is outstanding. There's no dialogue, yet as usual, the episode manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, and this is one of those moments where it feels like Jack might actually die. There were a few episodes that were like that, but this is the first time it's truly felt intense.

There was one particular scene where Jack was laying in a tomb next to a corpse, hiding from the Daughters. The OST at that point was spectacular. It was so beautiful, yet so intense and suspenseful.

There was also some symbolism throughout the episode using a wolf attacking some other creatures, in which they were very powerful, and the wolf was left ragged at the end, just like how Jack was stabbed at the end of the episode.

Actually, Jack getting stabbed related to the final part of this review. The ending scene.

At the end of the episode, Jack finally kills his first human. Many people refer to "Jack And The Bounty Hunters" as an episode in which Jack has killed people before, but this is the first time he had REALIZED it was a human. I know he's most likely going to be damaged mentally to a great degree, due to the fact that he'd slit the daughter's throat. But, h'll also be damaged mentally, due to the fact that before her throat was slit, she's stabbed the samurai with a dagger. Then, he walks, blood dripping, and then, he falls into the river.

I swear, the cliffhanger will be one of the hardest I'll ever have to face, because it ended right there when the tomb exploded.

That's all i have for now. If you liked my review, give it a YES if you can! If you didn't like it, give it a NO, I don't mind.

See you guys in my Episode 3 review!