OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

While Shinra and the rest continue through the Nether, Hinawa and Arthur face Arrow and Mirage of the White Clad. Hinawa must fight Arrow in a tactical chess match in order to feint and lure the other out to make the next move, though eventually, Hinawa comes out on top. As he recovers, Arthur gets a rematch against Mirage, using sense techniques taught to him by Konro in order to identify when Mirage’s real self is about to strike, then finishes Mirage in one strike.

Elsewhere, Obi and Vulcan encounter Giovanni and Lisa, AKA Feeler. She hesitates to attack Vulcan, but Giovanni yanks her chain, initiating their fight.

OUR TAKE

We continue the road to the end of the season with more showdowns against the White Clad. This week’s matchups put the two stoics of their respective groups, Hinawa and Arrow, up against each other with similar weapons and fighting styles. It’s typically assumed that people or characters with very little emotional range other than sullen silence are as they seem, just lacking in emotion or ability to connect. In this case, at least as I see it, this is only because these sorts of characters care and feel far too much to fully process. Indeed, both Hinawa and Arrow show intense allegiance to their respective factions and objectives. It’s possible this is also reflected in their projectile weapons, constantly putting them at a distance from their targets. Though the difference between the two of them seems to be that, while Arrow is loyal to the cause and their twisted view of humanity, Hinaway is loyal protecting people and those he fights with, which allows him to get the victory.

There’s also the Arthur part of the fight, which I feel was a mixed bag in comparison to Hinawa’s. I’ve never been that much of a fan of Arthur’s and I’ve said as much before, but I can definitely say I’ve never had a bad time watching him fight, which is pretty important for a series like this. There’s definitely a sense of progression in his fighting ability and training, most clearly seen in his patience in hearing the breath of an attacking enemy. Giving him some clear sign of growth is also a promising sign to me as a viewer, but I can’t help but feel like the story puts too much comedy into his techniques. I’m aware this author likes to go kind of overboard with inappropriate comedic scenes (just like last week when he implemented that along is a pension for random fanservice), but that continues to not land for me. Shouldn’t we be learning more about Arthur’s past and/or motivations at this point? I feel like we’ve missed the boat for that this time around but perhaps we can cover it in an eventual second season.

As we enter the final four parts, next week looks to bring us a fight that I felt robbed of only a few episodes ago Vulcan versus Giovanni! Although it actually looks like Obi might take over that end while Vulcan fights/saves Lisa from an abusive relationship. That part is not really something I’m super looking forward to since it smells rather distinctly of being a form of “Damsel in Distress” only you have to fight the damsel to save her. I guess we have to watch to find out, and at the very least I can expect to not be bored by the fight itself.

Score 8/10