BoJack Horseman Season Six, Part One Review: A Surpisingly Happy First Half… Until The End.

At the end of BoJack Horseman‘s fifth season many of the characters looked like they were in happier places.
BoJack (Will Arnett) was finally going to rehab to get the help he needed, Mr Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) proposed to his girlfriend Pickles (Julia Chan), and Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) had adopted a child.
However, based on what I knew about these characters, I highly doubted these instances would make the characters happy in season six.
This was because after all BoJack had been through and done I was unsure if he ever could change, and both Mr Peanutbutter and Princess Carolyn appeared to be ignoring their own problems by taking on their new responsibilities.
So, imagine my surprise when all three characters did end up happy in this season.

Despite characters like Mr Peanutbutter looking like they were heading in an unhappy direction at the end of season five, they are happy in season six.

Granted, this was probably because Netflix had decided that this sixth season would be the final one but creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and the other writers really wrote these characters emerging happiness right for the most part.
The one exception to this is definitely Mr Peanutbutter because the story they seemed to be building up for him in season five is pretty much ignored in favor of improving his relationship with Pickles, which I am not sure was the right decision.
However, this is only the first half of the final season so I cannot judge Mr Peanutbutter’s storyline too harshly because it has yet to be completed.
And, other than him, I loved the direction the sixth season took, especially with BoJack as by the end of the season it is clear that he is a changed horse.
This resulted in many heartwarming scenes like the final interaction between BoJack and Mr Peanutbutter.

crossover!.jpg — BoJack’s scene with Mr Peanutbutter pays off a scene that I never thought would be and I love it.

Then there is Diane’s (Alison Brie) sweet, growing relationship with the buffalo Guy (Lakeith Standfield) and Todd’s (Aaron Paul) relationship with his stepfather and mother, which looks set to be expanded upon in the final half.
All of this builds to put all the characters in happy positions at the end of the fist half, most of all BoJack… only for the final episode just tears that all down.
“A Quick One, While He’s Away” has to be one of the most gut wrenching episodes of the entire series.
Just as BoJack is redeeming himself and becoming a better person his past truly comes back to haunt him, with many of his darkest secrets looking to be exposed in the second half.
And, as someone who considers the final scene of season four to be the most heartwarming moment of BoJack Horseman, the last scene of the final episode made me feel like I had been sucker punched.

season 4 ending.jpg — I loved the season four finale so much that it made me cried so to see that happy ending threatened by the the last episode of the first half really worries me.

I am now genuinely scared about what is going to happen to BoJack in the final season.
One thing is for sure, though, and that is that the first half of season six has built up to whatever this finale will be nicely.
It started by building up a feeling of hope before pulling the rug out from under us with a crushing final episode that has me eagerly anticipating the final half.
I know it will crush me emotionally but I have to see it through.

Attack on Titan Chapter 123, Devils of the Island Review: Eren Equals Nightmare Fuel.

Honestly, it felt like it was taking forever for Chapter 123 of Attack on Titan, “The Devils of the Island” to be released.
After the best cliffhanger of the entire series in Chapter 122, I was desperate to see what would happen now that the Rumbling had been initiated.
However, in true Isayama fashion, he started the chapter not with the Rumbling but with a flashback to when Eren and his friends first went to survey Marley.
This surprisingly lead to some of the greatest jokes of the entire series.
There is the amazingly comedic moment where Hange, Sasha and Connie are amazed by a car, with Sasha and Connie mistaking it for a cow.
What makes this joke truly shine, though, is the following exchange between Levi and Onyankopon where Levi expresses his concern that they may try to feed the car a carrot.
Onyankopon thinks he is joking until he looks and cries out “they’re buying a carrot!”
But, by far the funniest gag of the entire chapter that left me in stitches came when a clown approaches Levi and offers him candy, thinking he is a little boy because of his height.
Levi’s expression during this moment is priceless and the fact that this random clown had just inadvertently insulted the strongest character in the manga who could tear him to pieces had me howling with laughter.
I know the chapter just came out but I already think this joke is my favourite out of the entire manga so far.
The flashback is not all sunshine and rainbows, however, as is quickly proven by a surprising character reveal when Levi notices a young boy trying to steal Sasha’s money and calls him out on it.
What is so surprising about the boy is that he is the one with the fez hat from the memory fragment in Chapter 120.
I had previously predicted that this boy would turn out to be a young Tom Xaver or a kid from the future that Eren was seeing with the Attack on Titan power but I was completely wrong about this.
No, instead the boy turned out to be an immigrant from the Mid-East Allied Forces, fleeing his country because of its war with Marley.
This leads to him being singled out by the crowd of Marleyans and it becomes clear that the country’s racism does not just extend to Eldians.
Thankfully, Levi using his quick thinking to save the boy, claiming he is Sasha’s brother before fleeing with him just as the crowd starts to turn violent.
Upon escaping, Levi notices that the boy has taken the money again.
However, I do not think he stole it because of the memory fragment in Chapter 120.
Because we now know that this fragment came from Eren’s perspective we can see there was a moment he made this boy smile.
I think the reason that the boy was seen smiling is because Eren secretly gave him the money.
If he did so it would most likely be because he sees a part of himself in the boy, as pointed out by the scene with him and Mikasa looking at the boy’s camp with his family.
Eren highlights their similarities and then makes a very ominous statement about the boy when Mikasa asks if something happened to him, stating “nothing yet.”
Given this, and the fact that Eren was crying before Mikasa found him, it points to the notion that Eren already knows he will cause this boy and his family’s deaths when he initiates the Rumbling.
Eren is clearly struggling with this knowledge as he asks Mikasa what he is to her.
Many people have interpreted this as a shipping moment but I do not think this is the case.
Rather, I think Eren’s questioning of Mikasa is both a blind hope that she can unknowingly convince him he does not have to destroy the world, a way to test if she only cares about him because of her Ackerman blood, and to see if the future memories of the Attack Titan are really destined to happen, all in one.
This last point seems to be proven by the arrival of Jean, Connie and Sasha to which Eren notes that it is “perfect timing”, as if he knew they would come at that moment.
Then we get the last happy moment of the chapter with the Scouts all getting drunk and partying with the young boy’s family.
This moment is also particularly sad in hindsight because it is the last time that Eren, Mikasa and Armin were happy together.
After this, Eren gets his proof that the subjects of Ymir on Paradis would always be persecuted by the outside world and leaves to plan his attack on Liberio.
From here, “The Devils of the Island” transitions into the present with the much anticipated Rumbling and this is where my one criticism of the chapter comes in.
During this moment we see that Mikasa, Armin, Gabi and Pieck are all safe, when they were in imminent danger at the end of the last chapter.
It was quite jarring to see they were safe without showing how they escaped the collapsing wall.
This problem aside, though, the panels of the Rumbling are both magnificent and terrifying.
The horrifying aspects of these panels are highlighted further by the absolute nightmare fuel that is Eren’s new Titan form.
I was pretty sure he would get a new form after finally utilizing the Founding Titan power last chapter but I was not at all expecting the dinosaur skeleton hybrid that we got.
What’s more is that this Titan puts Rod Reiss’ to shame, with it being at least three times times the size of his Titan, and that’s only when it’s on all all fours!
Eren is practically unstoppable at this point and the full force of the Rumbling is shown through how Armin and Mikasa have to shout to hear one another because of the noise.
Armin quickly realizes that Eren is using way more Titans than would be necessary to crush the Allied Forces in Marley and this leads to Eren’s announcement of what his true intentions are.
He uses the Founding Titan power to communicate with all Subjects of Ymir, seemingly temporarily transporting them to the Path Dimension.
Curiously, Mikasa is also transported there, which is strange because I though she had no Eldian blood, having an Asian mother and an Ackerman father.
However, I think the reason she is there is not because she can be turned into a Titan but because as an Ackerman the past battle experience of her predecessors was given to her through a Path.
So, even if Mikasa is not an Eldian, she is still connected to the Paths so she can hear Eren.
More important, though, is Eren announcing his intentions.
He declares that he plans to use the Rumbling, “until all life existing there has been exterminated from this world.”
And there we have it.
As many of us thought, Eren intends to enact a worldwide genocide to protect his friends.
Anyone who still thinks Eren is a hero after this really should take a good look at their morality because, although Eren is doing this for the right reasons, what he intends to do is still monstrous.
And this monstrous intent is perfectly portrayed by the final panel of the chapter where Eren announces he will kill everyone outside Paradis.
He looks absolutely demonic in this panel, only further implying that he may turn out to be the devil in Ymir’s story.
Devil or not, though, the question is if he will succeed in destroying the world or not?
He could just be trying to make himself the enemy to unite the world against him but this seems a little too similar to Code Geass’ ending.
Isayama has said that he wants to hurt the readers so I see Eren’s plan of worldwide genocide succeeding with him achieving freedom for his people, but at the worst possible cost with many beloved characters dying.
“The Devils of the Island” makes it even clearer that the story of the manga is drawing to a close.
And from the events of the chapter, that ending looks to be on such an epic scale to the extent that we have not seen in this series before.

Watchmen Episode Two, Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship, Review: “Friends in High Places” Indeed.

The mystery deepens in the second episode of Watchmen “Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship”, with Angela beginning her investigation into the death of Chief Crawford.
Her prime suspect is the 105-year-old Will who claims to have “strung up your police chief”, despite looking physically incapable of doing so.
Directed again by Nicole Kassel, episode two dives head first into the interactions between Angela and Will as the costumed detective tries to learn the truth from him.
An interesting point to note is that, as far as I can remember, Will never outright says he murdered Crawford.
Again, he merely states that he “strung up your police chief.”
So, while he may have had a hand in hand in hanging Crawford, he may not be behind his murder.
Although, Looking Glass later says Crawford did die of asphyxiation, likely from being hung, so I may be wrong about that.
Or maybe he was killed elsewhere before being hung.
Either way, Crawford’s murder is not the only mystery surrounding Will because it is revealed that he is Angela’s grandfather at the end of the episode.
One thing I did find interesting was that it was mentioned that Will has two descendants.
This means, along with Angela, there is one other character who is descended from him.
Following the realization that Will is her grandfather and realizing he will not cooperate, she decides to take him in, ignoring his claim of having “friends in high places.”
This comes back to bite her when, after putting Will in her car, a magnet descends from the sky and picks up the car with Will in it, flying off.
“Friends in high places” indeed.

Will leaves.jpg — Will disappears with a smile as he is rescued from Angela’s custody.

The scenes between Angela and Will are great as they continue to build in suspense and anticipation for the reveal of the conspiracy Will claims is currently happening in Tulsa.
The only weak moment came in the aftermath of Crawford’s murder, where Angela lets out a cry of anguish that seemed kind of artificial to me.
Aside from this small moment, though, their interactions are very good.
There are already multiple theories surrounding Will, including one that he was Hooded Justice who appears on a TV show called “American Hero Story”in a brief yet interesting scene that speaks to Angela’s character.
Supporting this theory, is the opening scene where Will’s father is fighting in World War One and sees a German pamphlet that urges black soldiers to come over to their side where they will be treated fairly, and Hooded Justice was thought to be German.
Speaking of theories, I also like the one that Crawford was the Seventh Calvary member who shot Angela.
In a flashback of the White Night, Angela is shot and about to be killed by one of their members but then it cuts to her waking up in the hospital with Crawford beside her.
However, none of these scenes are my favourite of the episode.
That award goes to the scene where we get to see Ozymandias’ play.
This moment proves to be the most confusing yet interesting scene in the show so far, with his production of Dr Manhattan’s transformation being particularly disturbing and also somewhat comical.
We watch as he literally burns his assistant Mr Phillips to death to simulate Dr Manhattan’s transformation, upon which it is revealed that all of his assistants are clones.

Watching Ozymandias burn one of his clone servants to death, only for the next clone to eagerly take their place, is both disturbing and oddly comedic.

Why Ozymandias has all these clones and what exactly he intends to achieve by making this play for himself is uncertain.
One thing is clear, though, and that is that he has been deeply affected by his last meeting with Dr Manhattan, remembering his last words to him before he departed, “nothing ever ends.”
I am probably looking forwards to Ozymandias’ scenes the most in future episodes as Jeremy Irons is doing a great job.
Other notable scenes in this episode include the discovery that Crawford may have been in the Ku Klux Klan, and the touching moment where Looking Glass reveals that, despite seeming completely cold, he is actually crying under his mask.
Overall, I would say that “Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship” is another great episode of Watchmen that, while not as enjoyable as the first episode, deepens the mystery and creates more interesting questions for the show to answer.
Let’s just hope those answers will be satisfying.

Zombieland: Double Tap Review. Admittedly Fun But Unecessary.

When I first heard there was a sequel to 2009’s Zombieland coming out, I had quite a few reservations.
The first film came out ten years ago and, although it is a very enjoyable film, I thought it was very unnecessary to make a sequel now.
A few years after the first film came out, sure, but ten years later?
So, I admit I went in with a lot of skepticism.
Still, I enjoyed myself.
Zombieland: Double Tap is a fun film with a lot of great gags and zombie action.
Returning director Ruben Fleischer did a good job helming this film, which again follows the characters of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) on their bloody adventures in Zombieland.
All four of the actors do a great job portraying the characters they played ten years ago, although Breslin sadly does not have enough screen time to stand out.
That aside, the team’s banter is great and it leads to a lot of exciting action sequences, my favourite of which is a long take fight sequence following the arrival of two characters that are hilariously similar to Columbus and Tallahassee.

elvis and cowboy.jpg — The introduction of Albuquerque (Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) leads to the best action scene of the film.

There are plenty of creative moments in the film as well, including one at the start that actually made me jump in surprise.
Then there is the surprise cameo when the credits start to roll, which is also highly enjoyable.
So, if you are looking for a good time at the movies then Zombieland: Double Tap will definitely provide that.
However, the film does still have quite a lot of issues.
One of those is the lack of agency in much of the plot.
The film basically follows Columbus, Tallahassee and Wichita on a mission to save Little Rock but, honestly, I felt very little suspence in this mission for whatever reason.
On top of this, while many of the jokes do land a lot of them don’t as well.
This is mainly due to the new faces in the film, primarily Madison (Zoe Deutch) and Berkeley (Avan Jogia), who are both incredibly annoying and not at all funny.

Madison’s dumb blond, stereotype of a character provided no laughs whatsoever for me.

There is also a supreme lack of stakes.
I remember being concerned for the characters in the third act of the first film but here I felt much of the tension in that final act to be artificial and, thus, not investing.
So, in conclusion, while Zombieland: Double Tap does provide a fun experience, it has quite a few problems that make the sequel feel unnecessary.

My Hero Academia, Season Four, Episode Three, Boy Meets… Review: The Two Meetings.

“Boy Meets…” is the perfect title for My Hero Academia season four’s third episode because it is all about Deku meeting and interacting with multiple characters for the first time.
Sir Nighteye is the the most obvious meeting, with more than half the episode focusing on him and Deku’s interactions.
Their conversation and later game did a great job of emphasizing the parallels between them, with multiple similarities and differences.
Despite Nighteye not liking Deku because of how he views him as usurping Miro’s chance of inheriting One For All, they are still similar with the both of them being massive All Might fans with their own ways of showing that.
Nighteye looks past these similarities, though, still not believing Deku to be worthy of One For All and tests him by having Deku try to defeat his quirk foresight, which allows him to accurately predict his decisions for an hour.
Deku both fails and succeeds in the test, failing to grab the stamp Nighteye is holding but succeeding in making sure he does not damage all of Nighteye’s All Might merchandise.
This shows that Deku is able to multitask in his fighting, proving himself to Nighteye, even if he was planning to accept him no matter what.
However, Nighteye’s intentions in accepting Deku are not entirely pure because he hopes to convince him to give up One For All to Mirio.
This meeting sets up both Deku and Nighteye very well for their arcs in this storyline.
What is by far the most exciting scene, though, is Deku’s second meeting of the episode with Eri and Overhaul in the after credits scene.
I am overjoyed to see Eri make her appearance in the series because she is one of my favourite characters and the centerpiece of the season.
Deku’s meeting with her and Overhaul also gets the ball rolling for the big story of the arc so I cannot wait to see this first meeting truly play out next episode.
Aside from these two well done first meetings, the rest of “Boy Meets…” is more decent setup that is actually anime original.
The scene of Aizawa informing Uraraka and Tsuyu that Nejire wants to talk to them, and telling Kirishima that Amajiki wants to meet with him, is probably added to provide a starting point for where we will see these characters in subsequent episodes.
Most interesting, though, is the moment Aizawa tells Tokoyami that the Number Three Pro Hero, Hawks, has offered him an internship.
For those of you expecting to see the two working together, I would not get your hopes up.
This is because Hawks does not have a role in the arcs season four will be covering and will not get a big part in the story until the fifth season.
As a result, this mention of Hawks is most likely just fan service to hype up his future appearance.
Although, who knows?
Maybe we could get an anime only scene of Hawks and Tokoyami’s internship this season.
That would be interesting.
Overall, “Boy Meets…” is a good setup episode for My Hero Academia that both builds up Nighteye’s character arc and gets the ball rolling with Overhaul and Eri’s role in the story through them meeting Deku.
It will be great to see the first interaction Deku and Mirio have with Overhaul and Eri in the next episode.

Watchmen, Episode One, It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice Review: A Solid Start.

Alan Moore’s Watchmen is one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, and while a lot of people did not like its 2009 adaptation, directed by Zack Snyder, I enjoyed it for what it was.
So, when it was announced that HBO would be creating a follow up series to graphic novel, under Damon Lindelof, I was pretty excited.
And, after watching the first episode, “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice”, directed by Nicole Kassel, I can say that this new show looks to be just as layered and complex as Moore’s original graphic novel, even if Moore has disowned the series just like the 2009 film.
The series takes place 34 years after the story of Watchmen in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where police now wear masks to protect themselves from a white supremacist terrorist organization, inspired by Rorschach, known as the Seventh Calvary.
Before this is revealed, though, the first episode picks up in 1921 with the Tulsa massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history where potentially hundreds of black people were brutally murdered.
I found the inclusion of this disturbing scene to be very interesting because not only does it highlight the issues the series will be dealing with but also because it is made clear that this tragedy is somehow influencing the plot of the story.
In fact, one of the child survivors of the massacres appears in the present story as an old man (Louis Gosset Jr.) who goes on to hang the chief of police, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), at the end of the episode, or at least he claims he did.
What exactly a massacre that happened nearly 100 years ago has to do with the current conspiracy in Watchmen is an interesting question and one I am anticipating to be explored in the future.

Tulsa Massacre.png — I wonder what the Tulsa massacre could have to do with a conspiracy happening close to a hundred years later?

As for the present events of the episode, it all does a solid job of building up the story and characters.
Our lead character is Angela Abar, or Sister Night, (Regina King), a police detective who joins in on the manhunt of the Seventh Calvary after they gun down one of her fellow officers.
She already seems to be a very good protagonist, with her looking to eventually be caught up in whatever conspiracy is going on.
Another interesting character is Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), a costumed detective who has learned how to tell when someone is lying.
Along with these interesting characters and the so far compelling story, the episode also raises a lot of questions.
There are the tiny alien squids that fall from the sky, which are smaller versions of the one Ozymandias sent to destroy New York in the graphic novel.
Then there is Ozymandias’ play about “the watchmaker’s son”, and his incredibly creepy servants.
Finally, there is the question of who really killed Chief Crawford.
This last one looks to be the big question of the season, with Crawford’s death being built up as a mystery just like the Comedian’s was in Watchmen.
The final shot of the episode sees a drop of blood drip onto Crawford’s badge in a clear homage to the blood that dripped onto the Comedian’s badge in the graphic novel.
“It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice” certainly does raise a lot of interesting questions and, with its good story and characters, this provides a solid start.

It's raining squids! Hallelujah!.jpg — It’s raining squids! Hallelujah!

My one big issue with the episode is how the Seventh Calvary are inspired by Rorschach.
As far as I can recall, Rorschach was not a white supremacist in the graphic novel.
Sure, he was far from a moral character and was bigoted in other ways but he interacted with black characters, like his prison psychologist, who he did not seem to hold prejudices against.
If anything, I think the Seventh Calvary is a group that Rorschach would be fighting if he was still alive.
So, the series acting like he was a white supremacist is actually problematic because anyone watching this show, without reading the graphic novel, would just assume he was one.
Because of this, I do hope the show makes it clear that the Seventh Calvary has warped Rorschach’s ideals to suit their own ends.

Seventh Calvary.jpg — The Seventh Calvary warp Rorschach’s quote from “all the whores and politicians will look up and shout save us, and I will look down and whisper, no”, to “all the whores and race traitors will shoout out, save us, and we will whisper, no.” I hope this appropriation and warping is addressed.

Other than this problem, though, I found “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice” to be a solid first entry in the Watchmen TV series and I am interested to see where it goes from here.

My Hero Academia Season Four, Episode Two, Overhaul Review: Bloody Beginning, Hilarious Ending.

Well, it’s fair to say that season four of My Hero Academia has officially begun with its second episode, “Overhaul.”
The first episode of the season, “The Scoop on U.A Class 1-A”, was little more than filler designed to catch viewers up on the story so far.
“Overhaul” continues that story, delivering a great episode that has an intense beginning and a gut-bustingly funny ending.
After reading the events of the beginning in the manga, I could not wait to see it animated and it did not disappoint.
The new villain Overhaul’s meeting with the League of Villains sets him up magnificently as the big bad of this arc, with his charismatic personality, intelligence, and threat level.
Both the sub and dub voice actors, Kenjirô Tsuda and Kellen Goff, do an amazing job at voicing the character.
Instead of joining the League like Shigaraki expects, Overhaul instead criticizes him, pointing out all the mistakes he has made, and suggests he becomes their new leader because he has an actual plan.
However, this does not go over well for the rest of the League with Magne (or Big Sis Mag) attacking him.
This ends poorly for her, with Overhaul revealing his quirk by blowing her upper torso to bloody pieces.
Overhaul then obliterates Mr Compress’ arm as well, after he attempts to compress him only to be stopped by some kind of quirk removing bullet.
Following this, Shigaraki makes a move to kill Overhaul who is shielded by one of his men.
With a death on both sides, Overhaul leaves with his men to let the League cool off, stating he owes them an arm, something that will pay off spectacularly later.
This scene is over in a few minutes but really sets up how big of a threat Overhaul is with his destructive quirk and troops at his disposal.
Probably the worst thing about him, though, is his cruelty which will be expanded on in the next few episodes.
I also liked what this scene did for Shigarakai as well.
You can see the slow progression he has from the beginning of his meeting with Overhaul to the end.
Overhaul’s criticisms get to him and it will be interesting to see how he continues to grow in his villainy.
After this dark beginning, the episode then compensates for some stellar humor as Deku attempts to get an internship with All Might’s former sidekick Sir Nighteye.
There are numerous great gags in these scenes, from Bakugo’s gloating, to All Might’s reluctance to talk to Sir Nighteye, to Miro’s bad jokes.
By far the best joke, though, comes at the ending with Deku’s first meeting with Nighteye.
Deku walking in on him tickling Bubble Girl for not making him laugh is pretty hilarious but what follows is even better.
Realizing he has to make Sir Nighteye laugh to be accepted, Deku imitates All Might in a comical moment that is definitely a bad idea, proven by Mirio’s hilarious reaction and Nighteye believing him to be ridiculing All Might.
This ending to the episode, left me in stitches.
It honestly made me laugh harder than it did in the manga.
“Overhaul” is a great episode of My Hero Academia.
The one criticism I have is that Magne’s story with her friend before her death felt a little oddly paced.
I think it would have been better for her to reveal this before she tried to attack Overhaul as opposed to during because there it disrupts the pacing a little.
Otherwise, “Overhaul” is the episode where the story of the fourth season really picks up, delivering both a bloody and hilarious episode.

Attack on Titan Chapter 123 Predictions.

Attack on Titan Chapter 122 had the best cliffhanger of the entire series so far.
With the Rumbling having been initiated, the endgame of the story has truly begun.
I can only see the series go on for at least eight more chapters before it ends but, before that, there is going to plenty of bloodshed and plenty of reveals.
So, now I will predict what will happen.
Crazy theories incoming!

Now that Eren has activated the Rumbling how will he use it?

Eren’s goal has been one of the biggest mysteries of Attack on Titan‘s final arc.
It was clear right from the moment Zeke’s euthanasia plan was revealed that Eren would not go along with it because he is all about freedom.
So, now that Eren has successfully activated the Rumbling by appealing to Ymir, the question is how will he free his people with it?
The most obvious, and most sinister, theory is that he will use it to devastate the rest of the world, leaving only those on Paradis alive to begin anew.
This theory seems particularly likely considering Eren’s comments in Chapter 90.
Another big sign that he will do this is his statement that he might end up destroying the world in Chapter 100.
And, given that Chapter 121 revealed Eren knows what is going to happen, him saying this seems to support that he will use the Rumbling to crush Marley and the other nations.
However, one point I have heard that contradicts this idea is the fact the all of the Wall Titans are facing inwards, towards Paradis, rather than outwards.
Some have speculated that Karl Fritz built in a safety precaution where anyone who activates the Rumbling will cause the Wall Titans to crush Paradis instead of the world.
But, given that Eren has apparently been given complete control of the Founding Titan, he would easily be able to stop this from happening.
Another thing to consider, though, is that we do not know if this is a full scale Rumbling yet.
We have only seen the Wall Titans in Shiganshina being freed, we have yet to see the millions of other ones being released.
Still, I think Eren initiating a complete Rumbling to destroy the world is the most likely outcome of him gaining control of the Founding Titan.

Will Eren have Ymir’s Founding Titan form?

When Chapter 122 ends, Eren is in the process of transforming into his Titan form and is currently at the skeleton stage of that transformation.
Because of this, we do not know what Eren will look like when his Titan is fully formed.
From the perspective we get, he looks pretty big, which makes me wonder if he could have obtained Ymir’s Titan form when she gave him control of the Founding Titan.
One thing that supports this idea is that when Eren initiates the Rumbling, the source of all living matter, which gave Ymir her powers, is the thing that attaches Eren’s head back to his body, showing that Ymir may have passed it on to him.
Eren now having the Founding Titan power would make him the size of the Colossal Titan, bringing his destructive capabilities up another level.
It could also add a lot to the final battle as well, with a potential fight between Armin’s Colossal Titan and Eren’s new Titan form.
Although, I should say that when we see Eren at the end of Chapter 122 it is from Gabi’s point of view so he may just look bigger than he actually is.
Personally, though, I think the stakes would be risen by a considerable margin if Eren took on Ymir’s Founding Titan form.

How will the other characters react to the Rumbling?

One thing I am certain of is that Chapter 123 will be absolute chaos.
The Rumbling will create a lot of confusion among the surviving characters as they struggle to deal with this new colossal threat (pun intended).
A theory I have had for a few chapters now is that Eren activating the Rumbling to destroy the world will motivate those of Paradis island to team up with the Marleyeans and Warriors to stop him.
This could be a great way to end the cycle of hatred between the two groups as they find a common enemy to defeat in Eren.
I can just picture Armin and Jean negotiating with Magath and Pieck for a temporary alliance to deal with the threat of the Rumbling.
And, if Eren eventually makes it so that Eldians can no longer turn into Titans, like I think he will, then this could turn this temporary peace into something more long term.
Although, given that this idea of peace is too happy for Attack on Titan‘s dark tone, I expect that in order to compensate for such a happy ending, Isayama would have Eren succeed in his plan to destroy the world first.
As for specific characters, It is almost certain that Yelena and the rest of Zeke’s followers will try to stop Eren as well because they want to save the world not destroy it.
Honestly, the only characters who will probably be on Eren’s side during the Rumbling is Floch and the other Yeagerists.
Sure, Mikasa and Armin may be conflicted fighting against Eren but I still believe they will do so in the end.
Speaking of Mikasa, I think we will get a reveal of what Eren was thinking when he said he hated her soon, which will most likely be because he wanted to free her from being enslaved to him as an Ackerman.
Another character that I think will contribute to Mikasa’s arc is Louise, who may have taken her scarf when Mikasa left it behind and whose death may motivate Mikasa to take some drastic measures.
Then there is Armin, who will have to go Colossal Titan now, which could lead to some great fight moments.
Even if Eren does not gain Ymir’s Founding Titan form, Armin will still have a fight on his hands as he will have the Wall Titans to face.
It would be amazing to see some Colossal Titan vs Colossal Titan combat.

Death Predictions.

This is a very tricky thing to consider because it is hard to predict which character will live and die at this stage.
Honestly, I see every single one of them as capable of biting the dust before the story ends.
Does that mean I think all of the characters will die?
No, but we are certainly in for a high body count.
The only characters I am pretty sure will die before the story ends are Zeke, Yelena and Floch.
I just honestly do not see them surviving to the end of the story.
I see more than just them dying but they are the only ones I am currently sure will not make it.
As for the other characters, it is all 50/50 for me.
Personally, though, I just hope that, no matter which characters die, they will do so with a fitting conclusion to their arc.

Is Kyomi the one saying, “see you later Eren” in the first chapter?

We are going to end this prediction post with a pretty wild theory.
Before I get into it, though, I have to say this theory is not mine.
I heard it from the YouTube channel Manga Horse in his video, “The Mysterious Hidden Memory.”
In the video, Manga Horse states his belief that the person who says “see you later Eren” in the very first chapter of Attack on Titan is actually not Mikasa but a younger version of Kyomi.
As evidence he points out that this scene was not included in the anime, possibly so audiences would not notice the change in Mikasa’s voice actor, and that Kyomi herself wears a scarf.
But if this is a young Kyomi how can she be talking to Eren who would not have even been born yet?
Well, that is because she is actually talking to Eren Kruger, Eren Jaeger’s namesake and previous Attack Titan holder.
Manga Horse provides more evidence but it is too much detail to get into here so I will include the link to his video and suggest you watch it because it is a really good theory video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Hi2wcQ0ME&t=818s.
Now, if Manga Horse’s theory is correct, then Kyomi knowing Kruger could have big ramifications for the story as the “see you later” moment is in the very first chapter, which sets it up as important.
Not only this, but when you factor in the hints that Kruger knew Tom Xaver as well it seems to point that he would know Kyomi as well.
So, Kruger, Kyomi and Xaver could have been involved in some super secret conspiracy the entire time!
Or maybe I just need to take off my tin foil hat and reconsider my life.
In any case, I am excited to see what the “see you later” moment could really mean and hope it will be explained later.
And, whether or not any of my predictions about Attack on Titan Chapter 123 turn out to be correct or not, I know that the chapter will be just as insane as the previous ones, if not more so.

My Hero Academia, Season Four, Episode One Review: The first episode is here!… And it’s filler.

My Hero Academia season four is finally here but off to a less than stellar start.
That is not to say that the first episode “The Scoop on U.A Class 1-A” is bad but it is a filler episode that is mainly used as a recap.
Now, for viewers who do not keep up with the story of My Hero Academia and need to be reminded of what has happened, episodes like this are necessary.
However, for those of us who keep up with the story and remember what happened at the end of season three, like me, recap episodes like “The Scoop on U.A Class 1-A” can be a bit annoying.
While there is a some enjoyment in the story of reporter Tokuda Taneo looking for All Might’s successor, it is clear that he will probably never reappear in the story again and, even if he does, it will likely not be in any meaningful way.
Although, I will say the filler of “The Scoop on U.A Class 1-A” is at least entertaining because of the humor.
I burst out into laughter twice when watching this episode, with the anime original jokes really hitting a home run.
These comedic moments, along with more set up for Deku eventually taking All Might’s place as the new Symbol of Peace, were enough to keep me engaged in this mostly filler episode.
As for the new intro and outro, I thought they were both very good.
The intro, “Polaris,” is a great song with a lot of very good visuals, my favourite of which being when we see Deku and Eri falling from the sky trying to reach one another.
There is also a lot of symbolism for what is going to happen later in the Overhaul Arc, which I enjoyed.
One aspect that I did not like about the new intro, though, is its lack of emphasis on Mirio, Kirishima, and even the main villain of this arc, Overhaul.
These characters only appeared in group or fighting shots, and very briefly, so you would not guess from looking at the opening that they have a big role in this storyline.
Aside from that, though, “Polaris” is an enjoyable opening.
The same can also be said for the outro, “Koukai no Uta,” which is a really good song with great visuals and symbolism.
More than anything, the outro highlights the importance of Eri in this arc, with her being a character I am looking forward to seeing very much because she will be the center of many emotional scenes.
Overall, though, the first episode of My Hero Academia‘s fourth season, “The Scoop on U.A Class 1-A” is a decent filler episode.
There is enjoyment to be had but if you don’t watch it and just skip to the next episode you will not miss anything.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Review. The Fitting Conclusion we didn’t Know we Needed.

Breaking Bad is one of the greatest television series of all time.
The story of chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) deciding to break bad by selling Meth, after he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, is a thrilling one of crime, betrayal, and amazing moments.
It also has an incredibly well done ending.
Unfortunately, when it comes to many other great TV shows, they fizzle out during the final seasons, resulting in many less than stellar finales.
This is, thankfully, not the case with the Breaking Bad finale, which tied up all of its loose ends perfectly.
Such can be seen with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), who rode off into the night, towards an ambiguous but optimistic future.

Jesse driving off laughing and crying hysterically is the last we saw of him until *El Camino.*

No follow up was required.
And then the Netflix movie was announced.
Honestly, when I first heard of El Camino and how it would finish Jesse’s story, I was concerned.
Even though it is directed by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad‘s creator, to me, Jesse’s story had already been told and I was worried that adding anything could ruin the stellar ending he had.
But, a few days ago, I watched El Camino and found it to be a great follow up to that ending.
It also preserved the ambiguous but fitting conclusion for Jesse, which I really appreciated.
El Camino follows Jesse after being freed from Jack’s white supremacist gang in a final, sacrificial act from Walter, leading to him trying to find the money he needs to start a new life.

Aaron Paul Jesse Pinkman.jpg — Aaron Paul is great as Jessie, struggling through trial after trial to hopefully get somewhere better.

From there, Jesse experiences interference after hectic interference with him being helped and stalled by familiar characters from the series.
It was good to see these characters again, like Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), Badger (Matt Jones), and Ed the disappearer, whose actor Robert Forster tragically died from cancer recently.
However, while it was great to see old characters return, some of them look very different to how they did in the show, which can be quite distracting.
This is especially the case for the shilling sociopathic Todd Alquist, whose actor Jesse Plemons does not match how he looked in the series.

As you can see Todd looks quite different from how he appeared in “Felina” the final episode of *Breaking Bad.*

Despite this distracting detail, though, Plemons scenes with Aaron Paul are some of the best in the film.
There is also a mini action scene toward the end that I found quite surprising because of the direction it took, making it highly entertaining.
This said, not everyone will find El Camino to be so enjoyable, like I did, because of its slow pace.
Still, for fans of Breaking Bad it is a must watch.
El Camino wraps up the story of Jessie Pinkman in a fitting way that does not ruin the original series’ ending, giving us the conclusion for Jessie we did not know we needed.