NieR: Automata Ver 1.1a – 12 – (Part 1 Fin) – 420 Seconds

That giant beam from the sky that iced Adam? That was a satellite weapon that the Council of Humanity did not authorize YoRHa to use. And yet, it was used. When 6O asked Commander White if “this is okay”, White says, cryptically, “this world needs a god, even if it doesn’t really exist.” When the Pods detect a faint ML symbol, 2B and 9S ride them down into the blast area, where Adam is still “alive” but in rough shape.

2B prepares to finish the job, but hesitates briefly, as Adam recalls his promise to Eve and grabs her leg. 9S takes hold of 2B’s sword and plunges it into Adam’s head, defeating him for good. However, moments later 9S’ eyes turn red; the result of being infected by his hacking encounter with Adam.

This means 2B has to kill him before he goes berserk (he slashes her mask off with a metal sword arm), with no chance at backing up the personality of the 9S she’s come to know and care about…again. Even so, she does her duty and eliminates the threat.

Afterwards, 2B cannot help but weep at having to say goodbye to her friend once more. Fortunately for her, it’s only a temporary farewell, as all of the ML husks’ eyes start to glow green in sequence like fireflies, not only in her vicinity but all over the planet.

A larger ML mech rises to meet 2B, who draws her sword, but lowers it when she hears 9S’ voice. Turns out his uncorrupted personality data had been backed up in the ML network. 2B smiles in joy and relief, showing a great deal of emotion despite her past insistence that they’re forbidden.

9S gives 2B a ride back up to street level, and Bob’s your uncle: the end credits roll, announcing the end of the series less than eleven minutes in. When the credits end, we’re taken back a couple of hours to the Bunker, where the recently delivered 9S is undergoing diagnostics and checks.

In the process of connecting to the Bunker server, he hears a weird, unexplained sound. He does a little digging in the virtual archive and uncovers some forbidden data protected by a firewall. He’s then chased around the construct by defense systems.

Rather than destroy him, the units corral him into a black cube, within which he is confronted by a pair of seemingly identical girls in red dresses, whom we caught a slight glimpse of during the drunken battle omake after episode 10.

These girls in red talk in a bunch of cryptic riddles, but the gist is that they’re the ones controlling and watching the war between the Machine Lifeforms and the Androids. In other words, a Big Bad beyond Adam and Eve.

The voice of the Council of Humanity eventually chimes in, and 9S is given unprecedented access to top secret information. Among this info, something is revealed I had suspected all along; humanity really is extinct, and has been so for a while. There’s nothing on the moon but a communications server maintained by other androids.

The fiction of humanity surviving, and the establishment of YoRHa, was meant to improve the moral of the androids. This is all very intriguing, and I look forward to these mysteries being explored further in NieR’s confirmed second cour. Hopefully we’ll be treated to more fun 2B/9S interactions… along with more omake puppet shows.

NieR: Automata Ver 1.1a – 11 – We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Sword

The Machine Lifeforms are wilding the fuck out. Amassing in huge numbers and filled with (I assume) Adam’s rage, they quickly surround and overwhelm the Resistance camp. Fresh off their big guest appearance in episode 10’s omake, the redhead twins perform triage as Lily ponders her unit’s next move with the enemy growing and their ammo dwindling.

2B shows up to lend a much appreciated hand, and her Pod downloads a new, even bigger ML-killin’ sword. Commander White goes to the plate for her soldiers, but the Council of Humanity (who may well be neither a council or human), refuses her request for logistical aid, citing a greater purpose. Even so, 2B and the Resistance are still able to activate an EMP that disables the advancing ML armies.

Unfortunately, after it starts to rain, all of those neutralized ML husks combine to form a colossal Adam just as 9S returns in his mech. A resistance fighter fires a bazooka that topples Big Adam, but he simply transforms into a frankly silly looking giant monster, with the newly two-toned Adam lodged in its skull.

Rather than despair at the enemy’s evolution, Lily rallies her troops, and when they respond with unswerving loyalty, she looks the happiest and most excited she ever has. She believes they can defeat that big thing, and I believe her too.

2B engages the scary-fast, scary-vicious “elite” MLs, and while 9S’s first hacking attempt on the monster ends with the destruction of his mech, he is caught in midair by Pascal, who along with his village did not go berserk since they were cut off from the main network.

While he may technically be breaking a YoRHa regulation or two, 9S dons a heavy-duty hacking connector for his second attempt to shut the monster down. 2B is initially overmatched by her three elite hyper-berserk MLs, but manages to trick them with a hologram of herself and slashes them to smithereens with her big sword. It’s a magnificent spectacle.

Pascal carries 9S to the monster’s head so he can contact it directly with his gauntlet. Once he’s hacked in, 9S quickly realizes that Adam is pretty much going mad, which explains why the ML and the monster are totally out of control. But as usual, he’s able to buy just enough time exploring the various metaphorical constructs thrown his way and stab the cyber-Adam at his flaming table.

This causes the monster to start moving in the direction the Resistance troops want: right into the line of fire of a salvaged railroad cannon. When the monster is thrown back, an ICBM launches it into the atmosphere. While it initially survives and begins to plummet towards the earth, it appears to be finished off by a giant particle beam, I assume from an orbiting satellite weapon.

The battle against Adam and his berserk ML army escalated quickly, and appears to end just as quickly with a great victory for 2B, 9S, Lily, Jackass, and the androids. The omake is a brief one, with 2B and 9S petting their Pods as if they were pet puppies, and actually doesn’t result in a Game (or World) Over. With the Big Bad vanquished, I wonder what’s in store for the final episode, knowing a second cour has been confirmed.

NieR: Automata Ver 1.1a – 10 – Missing Eve

In the aftermath of the big Adam & Eve battle, 9S is shuttled back up to the Bunker for repairs (whether his memories are wiped again isn’t mentioned). Commander White orders 2B to finish the job solo and destroy Adam. Adam, as you’d imagine, is extremely blue, and has no patience for a ML dressed as a priest taking Eve’s place at the brothers’ table.

From the moment 2B arrives at a huge derelict factory festooned with religious banners, seething with proselytizing ML zealouts spouting boilerplate dogma. There’s some light comedic moments surrounding the fact 2B now temporarily has two Pods; they talk over each other and 9S’ wants 2B to converse more. Meanwhile the religious MLs get more and more fired up, while half of Adam becomes covered in tattoos.

You get the feeling 2B just stepped into the middle of a tinderbox, and while I’m not certain Adam’s change in body art triggers it, suddenly the yellow eyes of every ML in the joint turn red, and 2B and her Pods find themselves locked in a fight with a swarm of them. She does manage to escape to the elevator, whereupon she meets a still yellow-eyed ML, remotely controlled by 9S from the Bunker.

The happy semi-reunion vibes don’t last, as 2B jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire: specifically, an arena for a boss fight with a giant spherical ML with several legs. 9S uses the ML to hack into the factory in order to shut off the power so the boss’ shields drop, sacrificing the ML unit in the process. 2B manages to defeat the boss with a cool coup de grace. Unfortunately, she’s surrounded all over again by the hordes of red-eyed MLs. Back at the Bunker, alarms are going off all over the place.

It comes as no surprise that even in when White approves sending backup to 2B, comms are jammed. She’s on her own, and when she releases the Pods’ limiters, they barely make a dent in the ML numbers before going into low-power mode to recover. Fortunately, these Matrix Sentinal-like hordes of MLs aren’t interested in 2B, and pass right by her as they dive en masse into the tank of lava below, with the intention of becoming like Eve.

As for Adam, he’s destroyed his table, and looks ready to jump to his death…or do something else.I gotta be honest, while cool-looking and sounding, he’s simply not the most compelling villain. He has no one to blame but himself for Eve’s demise, as he’s the one who captured and tortured 9S and provoked 2B.

Could it be Eve, and his singular control over the network, was actually keeping the MLs from going berserk? Whatever the cause, that is the situation as the episode ends, with even the Resistance Camp threatened by escalating enemy action on all sides.

We close with a longer than usual puppet omake, involving the soft-spoken Popola and more rowdy Devola (both voiced by Shiraishi Ryouko, a fave of mine), 9S, and some desert rose wine. Hijinx ensue. I particularly liked the touch of using human hands to draw on the chalkboard and raise glasses for a toast.

NieR: Automata Ver 1.1a – 09 – Into the Lion’s Den

It took four months, but we finally learn where 9S ended up: right in Adam’s clutches, as expected. The trap takes the form of an endless matrix of hallways and doors, and Adam has all the keys. He stalks 9S, then sidles right up to him and mocks 9S’ fondness for 2B. Meanwhile 2B knows something is up, so she follows the Pods to the art room, where she finds specific coordinates.

After a futile call to the Bunker for backup (there’s no backup to spare), she uses her Pod like a Mary Poppins umbrella, arresting her descent into the coordinates. A pure white “Copied City” coalesces around her.

She walks down streets, through a church-like structure filled with reliefs of humans and a grotesque construction made from captured YoRHa soldiers, and in a library similar to the one in Beauty and the Beast, Adam finally reveals himself with panache.

Adam reminds 2B that they met when he and his brother were first born, but that there “wasn’t time” to get to know each other, what with 2B trying to kill them on the spot. Now he’s in complete control, and like a cat with a mouse is content to simply mess with 2B in an attempt to get her to express emotions.

2B takes the bait when Adam shows her a crucified 9S at his mercy, and seems to feed off of her surge of anger and hatred. The two spar, but it becomes clear that physical attacks are pointless; Adam can regenerate his body instantly.

With 2B seemingly out of options, Adam produces a pure white copy of 9S. Though Adam is disconnected from the network and thus mortal, a group of 9S clones spring forth from the ground and restrain and choke 2B. But before she passes out, her Pod tells her “the appointed time has come.”

2B wasn’t really trying to defeat Adam; she was only buying time for 9S’ Pod to hack into Adam’s system. Once it does, the white city turns charcoal grey, the clones disappear, and 2B is free to impale Adam with her sword. And she would have, too, if Eve hadn’t stepped in her path.

Eve protects his big brother, but as I assume he is also disconnected from the Network, when he dies, he seems to die for good. 2B gets off relatively easy; her sword is destroyed, but Eve’s blow merely blasts her out of the library. 9S is secured, and 2B is 100% emoting when she says “let’s go home.”

Any day’s a good day when you and your partner are able to walk away in one piece. But while Adam was once merely very curious and pushy in his desire to learn everything he can about Androids and 9S and 2B in particular, now that they’ve killed his brother I imagine they’ve made a mortal enemy of him. In other words, they might’ve taught him how to be vengeful, and thus even more dangerous.

After a production-related hiatus, the final four episodes of Nier:Automata have surfaced, and a second cour has been confirmed. I’ll be watching and writing about both. And no, I still haven’t played the game!

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 12 (Fin) – Eyes On You

After their big eventful date, Kubo’s finale strikes a quieter, more laid back tone. When Shiraishi is back at school, he notes that the day doesn’t seem any different. And yet after spending the day with Kubo and promising to hang out more, it feels different.

Kubo tries to get Shiraishi into psychological tests to learn more about him—and also to tease him a little—but ends up playing herself. He answers a question in a way that suggests he’ll only date one person. She ends up answering a question in a way that indicates she wants “oodles” of kids! She has to make a tactical retreat to blush.

The next segment is a curtain call for Akina, who is surprised to learn that Kubo has tried coffee. When she pinpoints when it happened, it’s the same time Kubo was fussing over her outfit and also graciously accepted Akina’s help putting her hair in a ponytail.

Akina may be a drunk, but she’s quick on the uptake: Kubo drank coffee for the first time while on her date with someone she liked. Akina has bittersweet feelings about her kid sister growing up to the point there are some things she doesn’t know about her, but she’s also excited and proud of her. Kubo even manages to tease Akina!

Back at school, it’s Shiraishi’s birthday, and perhaps in preparation for an evening feast, his stomach growls so loud during quiet study session that he attracts the attention of the whole school. Kubo snickers, but also offers a Kit-Kat with a message of Happy Birthday.

A second Kit-Kat tells him to look in his desk, where a little axolotl plushie is waiting for him. At first Kubo worries she got a gift too cutesy for a boy, but Shiraishi is clearly happy and promises to take good care of it. When Kubo feeds him a Kit-Kat, it’s Shiraishi’s turn to hide his face so Kubo can’t see how wide he’s smiling.

The finale closes with Kubo telling the tale of how she met Shiraishi from her perspective. She was interested in the guy ever since she saw a class photo where his photo was added in even though he was already in the photo, a gag that’s doubly hilarious thanks to Hanazawa Kana delivering it straigt.

Basically, Kubo immediately became intrigued by this kid no one else noticed. When they ended up in the class, she was surprised how quickly she spotted him, and amazed by how no one else could. She hoped to become his seat neighbor so she could casually strike up a conversation, and lady luck was on her side.

When she does first introduce herself, Shiraishi is so shocked to be noticed, he ends up showing her a side she’d never seen before. From that point on she was hooked, always keeping an eye trained on the inexpressive yet easy-to-read Shiraishi.

Little by little it seems he’s becoming more noticeable to everyone else, thanks to Kubo leading the way. But I’ve no doubt that no one’s attention is more welcome to or sought out by Shiraishi than Kubo’s. And for her part, she’ll be keeping an eye on him for the foreseeable future, eager to learn more about him.

Vinland Saga S2 – 24 (Fin) – Prodigal Son

This week is nothing more or less than Thorfinn’s return to his home village in Iceland, an occurance for which multiple miracles had to take place. When he sees the frozen shores, Thorfinn is scared: What if no one recognizes or remembers him? He left when he was six, after all.

Sure enough, the first people to meet him at the shore don’t know who he is, and he doesn’t know their names. When he encounters his big sis Ylva, she’s already hot from arguing with a Norwegian merchant, and kicks Thorfinn in the face, as she assumes this is some kind of scam.

His less than warm reception has Thorfinn feeling down, but however those on this island feel about him, the fact of the matter is he is Thorfinn, Son of Thors, and he is home. Bug Eyes reminds him just how frikkin’ lucky he is that he was able to return to his family, and his family is still alive.

Buoyed by Bug Eyes’ words, Thorfinn meets with his mother Helga. Unlike Ylva, she can immediately tell that this is her son, because she remembers a young Thors, and Thorfinn looks just like him. In the family home, he reunites with Ari and meets his nephews and nieces.

When Ylva comes home, Helga assures him that this is indeed her little brother. So rather than punch him for being an impostor after inheritance, she punches him for having fucked off somewhere for so long without a word, only to return with a ponytail and beard.

Because there’s no Netflix in the 11th Century, Thorfinn regales his family with the tale of his life from when he left the island to when he left Ketil’s farm. It’s a story of hatred and strife, death and destruction, despair and regret, sadness and rebirth.

At the end of it everyone is speechless but no one is unmoved. Then Thorfinn tells his family what he must do to atone for the sins that weigh so heavy upon him: create a peaceful land in Vinland. His mother gives him her blessing, while even Ylva comes around and bonds with her brother over what a strong, kind weirdo their dad was.

That night, Einar joins Thorfinn on a promontory overlooking the roiling sea below and the undulating aurorae above…until it gets too cold and he heads back to Helga’s, where he’s welcomed as a son. Once alone, Thorfinn is confronted by his younger self, who asks him where people go when they leave the island.

Thors also appears, saying Thorfinn knows the answer, and all of a sudden the two of them are in the middle of a vast pasture, on Vinland, land of plenty and peace. Leif promises to help him get that nation started, while Ylva and Helga lament that they must part ways with their brother and son, respectively, so soon, while understanding why.

The morning of his and Einar’s departure, Thorfinn ditches the ponytail and beard, and ends up looking a lot more regal. As the prospective founder of his warless nation, he will be its leader, after all; at least at first. Like last season, this feels like the end of another beginning.

Now that he is free of the bonds of both war and slavery, Best Boy Thorfinn can set to work making his and his father’s dream a reality. Here’s hoping there’s a third season of Vinland Saga to cover that.

But for now, this final episode proved that after achieving a great victory—one that required neither a single swing of a dagger nor a single thrown punch—the greatest reward is simply to be able to return to a warm home, where the people who loved you still live and thrive. But that warmth and comfort is fleeting, for Thorfinn has much yet to do.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 11 – So Bitter, So Sweet

The long-awaited movie adaptation of Shiraishi’s favorite manga is finally out. When Kubo learns this, she doesn’t hesitate. She liked the manga when he lent it to her. She bought the other volumes, and she’s excited to see the movie too…so they’ll go together, and that’s that!

Shiraishi may not be fully aware that this constitutes a classic date scenario, but it doesn’t matter, ’cause that’s what it is. As with most things Kubo-related, he goes with the flow and stays resolutely himself, which is very considerate, so things go well.

Kubo makes sure she’s looking her absolute cutest, with a ponytail and carefully selected outfit for their date. I feel bad for her that Shiraishi’s outward reaction is so meh, but she does end up getting wall-slammed on the crowded train. Shiraishi tries his hardest to avoid physical contact, but Kubo doesn’t mind. She’s exactly where she wants to be.

When Shiraishi’s invisibility to others results in three guys hitting on Kubo, he makes sure the guys know he’s there. When Kubo grabs his arm and says they’re dating, and Shiraishi looks hesitant, the bittersweet vibes lead them to leave in peace and with good wishes to the couple.

When the 2:30 PM show doesn’t have any open pairs of seats, they buy tix for the 4:00 PM show instead. Kubo doesn’t mind, because it means she gets to do more stuff with Shiraishi, starting with getting a pick-me-up at the cafe. At this point Kubo is feeling confident she can get whatever she wants, but Shiraishi draws the line at at drink for two with a heart-shaped straw.

When Shiraishi reports he’ll be ordering coffee, Kubo is impressed with such an “adult” choice. She’s determined to get the same thing he gets, but black coffee proves too bitter (Hanazawa Kana is an absolute delight throughout this episode, giving Kubo at least 10 different voice “modes”).

While Kubo is determined to drink what Shiraishi’s drinking, he goes and gets cream and sugar…for both of them. That thoughtfulness and attention to detail is a big reason why Kubo likes Shiraishi. Also, he’s a cool big brother, and she uses her Gatcha luck to score the toy Seita wanted.

The two are having so much fun on their date that they almost miss the start of the movie, but they make it before the lights go out. More than watching the much anticipated movie adaptation, it means so much more to be watching it right beside the boy she likes. And that boy makes what, for him, are pretty expressive faces during the move.

As was the plan all along, Shiraishi walks Kubo home. She asks him if he had fun. He did. She says she had fun too, and so they should hang out again. For Kubo, this was just the beginning: there are so many things she wants to see and do with Shiraishi. He’s game, and they seal it with a pinky promise.

Before bidding each other goodnight, Kubo says Shiraishi’s face was a lot more animated by his standards. She also mentions that despite usually having the same neutral expression, she finds him “easy to read.” While walking home, he worries about all the times during the date she might have read him, and then he just turns red.

Look, I don’t ask much of my date episodes, except that the couple have fun, don’t run into too much bullshit conflict, and end up a little closer than they were before the date. This episode didn’t break any new ground, but checked all those boxes with solid execution. It was also a nice culmination of all the little interactions and steps Kubo took in order to get the boy nobody ever notices to notice her. It seems like he’s finally catching on.

Vinland Saga S2 – 23 – Someplace Not Here

Sweyn’s head tells Canute that Thorfinn is dangerous and should be killed. But when the king asks him what he’ll do, Thorfinn says he’ll simply run. He’ll run to somewhere he can’t tell Canute about, a place for people like the two of them, who won’t belong in the paradise he’s building.

Thorfinn intends to “fill the hole” Canute leaves with his methods, and warns him not to “make too much work” for him. To this Canute laughs, and not to mock Thorfinn. Rather, he’s laughing at the sheer absurdity of what Thorfinn did today: take a hundred punches without throwing a single one, all so that he could speak to him.

Canute is struck by how eloquently Thorfinn speaks now, and what a “beautiful man” he’s become, for all his scars and bruises. And you know what? Thorfinn wins. Canute decides to withdraw from the farm, ditch plans to requisition all the other farms, and even disbands his armies in England, trusting the nobles to maintain the peace.

Not only does he do these things that are seemingly in complete opposition to “the Viking way”, but it works. The English nobles acknowledge the trust he’s put in them, and the uprising that was feared never occurs. With no threat of an uprising, there was no need for an expensive army.

Floki and his Jomsvikings are disappointed, but fuck ’em. Their way only leads to ruin. Canute isn’t about that. He admires Thorfinn, and accepts that the two of them can independently peruse their paths to paradise. In the long run, Canute strengthens his reign with these peaceful moves that respect the people’s right to live.

The visual of Thorfinn, who turned a king and his vicious Viking army away with nothing but words, waking up in the same straw bed in a smelly stable as every other morning of his last few years, is a powerful one that speaks volumes. He slowly limps through the peaceful farm and joins Canute, who still tends to Arnheid’s grave.

Thorfinn tells Einar he regrets not being able to tell Arnheid that there was something more appealing than the release of death she sought after so much suffering. But now he knows what he must do: find that place that he can tell others in her situation about. And if he can’t find it, he’ll make it. He embraces Einar as a brother, and they resolve to travel to Vinland.

In another example of his selfless goodness, Thorfinn has Olmar take the credit for negotiating Canute’s withdrawal. He bids farewell to Olmar, who now wants to be strong and kind like Thorfinn, to Sverkel, who maintains he needs no thanks as he was only honoring a deal they struck; Pater, who promises to care for Arnheid’s grave, and Snake, who tells them his real name: Roald, Son of Grim, before wishing them Godspeed.

Life at Ketil’s farm continues as it had, with Olmar embracing the philosophy of tilling the land and carving one’s feelings, one’s love into it. Of building something rather than destroying. Even Snake and his men take up farm work at Sverkel’s, with no imminent enemies to fight.

Pater remains amazed that after such a long life of enduring pain and anguish, that he should come upon men like Thorfinn and Einar: strong, yet dedicated to peace. And so they go forth, a nation of just two, in search of a place without slavery and war that scarred them and so many others. They surely won’t be alone for long.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 10 – Fear of Heights

While Junta remains stubbornly, irritatingly oblivious to what’s going on, that doesn’t stop Nagisa from having fun wherever she can get. She wins a staring contest, then snuggles up to Junta when he gets dusted chalk powder.

She gently brushes the chalk out of his hair, which she notes is thicker than she thought. Nagisa, in turn, invites Junta to run his fingers through her hair, which is must silkier. She then asks him what his favorite haristyle for a girl is, and gets him to admit it might be a ponytail.

With class physicals coming up, both Junta and Nagisa wonder if they got taller (why they couldn’t just measure themselves at home, I don’t know). Nagisa then proposes they compare heights, and in the process, she creates a situation where it looks like Junta has her in a wall slam situation.

On the day of the physicals, Nagisa sports pigtails, and causally borrows Junta’s P.E. jacket and runs off with it. There’s apparently a practice of girls wearing their boyfriends’ jackets, and when she hears that it makes them smell different, she takes a moment to take in Junta’s musk.

With all the romantic momentum built up between Junta and Nagisa to this point, it’s a bit of a letdown that they don’t appear together in the final sequence. Instead, her sister watches along with Junta as Seita goes on his first errand. Assuming Seita is six at most, my folks would probably call social services on Junta, but I’ll allow (and indeed admire) that this is a culture where children are encouraged to be independent from a young age.

Watching Seita successfully buy eggs at the store down the road reminds Akina of Nagisa’s first errand, which was also buying eggs. Unfortunately, on her way home she tripped and fell and the eggs broke. She bawled at her failure, but Akina stroked her head and she calmed down.

Akina lets Junta know that it still works, and she’s counting on him to stroke Nagisa’s head if she’s ever upset or hurt. Like me, she’s hoping Junta will soon wake up and realize Nagisa’s huge crush on him. With only two episodes left, I’m not holding my breath for that, but as is so often the case in shows like this, it’s all about the journey.

Vinland Saga S2 – 22 – The Man With No Enemies

The punches begin, and even after twenty of Drott’s best, Thorfinn is still standing. Among the warriors watching, only Wulf realizes that Thorfinn is subtly positioning himself so that the punches don’t impact his core. Einar believes this to be madness and wants to stop it, but won’t interfere; he owes that to his friend.

When Snake arrives with Olmar, Thorfinn is distracted enough not to make the right move, and the thirty-second punch lands true, sending him flying to the ground. Snake tells Thorfinn there’s no need for this; if talking could have solved this conflict, they would have done so. Thorfinn disagrees: Did they really exhaust all avenues of conversation?

The answer, of course, is no. When Canute’s men raised their swords, Ketil’s men raised them in turn. But what follows is one of Thorfinn’s best and most noble and badass moments to date.

He stands back up, points at Drott, tells him his punches hurt less than bug bites, and tells him to hurry up with the remaining sixty-eight, as he’s a busy man with things to do.

Drott isn’t angry. Instead, he regards his indomitable opponent with the respect he deserves, and gets back to the punching. Snake moves to intervene, but Einar grabs his arm and tightens his grip. Thorfinn must be allowed to see this through.

The sun is low by the time Drott reaches one hundred punches, and by then, he is so exhausted they have no power at all. The hundredth is merely a gentle tap against the grostesquely swollen but still-standing Thorfinn’s chest. Drott falls to one knee and apologizes to Thorfinn for doubting him. He is a true warrior.

Drott then begs Wulf to let Thorfinn have an audience with the king. Under the cirsumstances, Wulf cannot refuse this request, and has the other solders make way for Thorfinn and Einar. Whatever else happens from here, Thorfinn and his “first method” has prevailed. He has shown everyone present that 100 punches from their strongest man aren’t enough to break his will.

Canute hears Wulf’s plea and grudgingly allows Thorfinn to approach, respecting his men’s feelings. Canute begins their talk by remarking that Thorfinn must hate him for enslaving him. However, Thorfinn offers the king his gratitude for sparing his life after he struck Danish royalty.

He also apologizes for giving Canute the scar on his face, and Wulf puts the remaining pieces together: despite being so young and tiny, this is the Thorfinn who is a match for that man-beast Thorkell himself. Canute acknowledges Thorfinn’s words as commendable, but when asked to leave the farm, he must refuse.

He explains that Ketil began this dispute, while his son killed ten of his men, and then Ketil refused demands to surrender and grossly overestimated his ragtag army’s strength.

All these things are true, but they are also excuses. We know that because we were in Canute’s private chambers when he decided he needed to make an example of the landowners and requisition farmland to feed his armies. Despite not having been privy to that context, Einar still calls Canute out for what he is: nothing but a thief, no better than a Viking chiefs who raized his village and killed his family.

Canute admits that is true; he’s not only a Viking Chief, but Chief of Chiefs. Thorfinn asks him if he still intends to build a paradise for those who suffer. But just as Thorfinn changed in the last four years into someone like his father who rejects war as nothing but a waste, the past four years have hardened Canute into someone who embraces war as a tool.

Like a farmer tills a land with a hoe, he shall till the very world itself with his vast armies of Vikings. Only then, when he has the power to defeat a God who has denied happiness to all who walk the earth, will he truly be able to build the paradise he envisions.

As Canute gestures for his men to menacingly surround Thorfinn and Einar, it is clear these two men, once boys, share the same dream of paradise but hold diametrically opposed philosophies for achieving it.

Having spoken his piece (and letting Einar speak his as well), the only two options remaining for Thorinn are to die right there on that beach, or flee and live until such a time as his arguments are persuasive enough to convince Canute, or some other king, that war solves and achieves nothing.

RABUJOI WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 09 – The Flavor of Fulfillment

It may be a new year, but for Shiraishi, not much has changed. Most people still fail to notice his existence. But when he arrives at his new class, he finds that some things that haven’t changed are in his favor: Kubo is not only still in his class, but still sitting beside him, this time near the windows.

Kubo has celebratory soft drinks with her two besties, and with the next day comes the school committee assignments. Shiraishi notes that he usually just ends up with the leftovers since the teacher doesn’t notice him raising his hand, so Kubo gives him an assist by volunteering for the environmental committee and telling the teacher Shiraishi raised his hand too.

Kubo knows Shiraishi enjoyed the environmental committee because he was able to make the flowers bloom, even if everyone thought they were blooming without being tended to. The other member of the committee last year was Sudou, who happens to remember Shiraishi because of his green thumb.

When he and Kubo end up in the same lab group as Sudou and Sudou needs an eraser, Kubo mentions that Shiraishi has five, and Sudou strikes up a little convo with Shiraishi. Later, Shiraishi thanks Kubo, as it’s the first time he’s been able to enjoy talking with someone other than her. Kubo has to temporarily retreat to blush, as him saying he enjoys talking with her catches her off guard.

When Shiraishi is trying to buy a new “youthful lemon” flavored Fanta, Kubo surprises him and he accidentally buys water. She then wonders why youth tastes like lemon. Shiraishi thinks his youth would probably be more like water—often overlooked or ignored for its lack of flavor.

When Kubo talks about all the ways he could have a fulfilling youth—making friends, having his first kiss—Shiraishi is overwhelmed, as he claims not to even have any friends to begin with. This miffs Kubo, who asks what about her?

That’s when, now nine episodes in, Shiraishi finally realizes that he and Kubo are friends. I guess I can cut him a little slack as she’s his first friend, and realizing she is his friend greatly improves his mood. So he’s slow on the uptake as usual, but thankfully no longer totally clueless thanks to Kubo.

Vinland Saga S2 – 21 – Repaying the Kindness

As Canute inspects the dead “soldiers” who fought for Ketil, Floki asks if his men can use some of the houses on the farm. Canute forbids any soldiers from setting foot on the farm, as he knows they’ll want to pillage if they do.

Floki points out that pillaging is the right of a victorious warrior, but Canute holds firm; he’ll reward the Jomsvikings another way. His father’s head laughs at Canute for showing mercy, especially after all of the lives he’s taken. He urges his son to keep paving a road of corpses until he reaches “paradise.”

With Ketil unconscious, the choice of whether to surrender is not up to Thorgil, Sverkel, or Ketil’s wife. It is up to Olmar, whom Ketil named his rightful successor under the assumption Thorgil would remain a king’s guard. Olmar, who just got back from the medieval equivalent of a field hospital, is done pretending that courage means puffing out one’s chest and starting fights.

He decides that they’ll surrender. He doesn’t care what happens to him, as long as the killing stops. Snake has his back, but I wonder if Thorgil will really head his “coward” brother’s wishes. As for Sverkel, he’s proud that his grandson has become a man. The cost—Ketil’s farm—was steep to be sure, but he considers it a good deal.

Speaking of grown men, Thorfinn approaches Canute’s camp and is confronted and repeatedly mocked by one of the biggest of the warriors: Drott the Bear Killer. Thorfinn doesn’t rise to the provocations but keeps his cool, even apologizing for any offense after he’s punched.

The thing is, he’s not going anywhere until he gets to speak to the king. Drott takes several dozen more swings, but is only able to hit air, and the other soldiers start mocking Drott and praising Thorfinn’s moves. Wulf informs Canute that a young man named Thorfinn wishes to speak to him, but Canute says that won’t be necessary.

When Einar finally catches up to Thorfinn after hearing where he went from Leif, he urges Thorfinn to come with him. No one man can stop a war. But Thorfinn didn’t necessarily come to Canute’s camp expecting to succeed. Instead, he’s simply repaying the kindness Ketil, Sverkel, Pater, and all the other people on the farm showed to him.

Considering the past he’d lived, Thorfinn didn’t think he deserved that kindness or the redemption it wrought. But that kindness was shown to him all the same, so he’s going to do everything he can to stop the fighting, even if it gets him killed.

Einar respects his wishes, and when Thorfinn hears that the soldiers are placing bets on how many punches he can take, he decides to bet on himself. Specifically, if he takes one hundred blows and is still conscious and able to stand, he’ll get his audience with Canute.

f he can’t, the men will kill him. Drott is pissed off, but Thorfinn knows how to take a punch or two or twenty. But a hundred? From the “bear killer”? That’s a tall order for our diminutive protagonist.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 08 – Learning from Hamburger Mistakes

When Nagisa, Akina and Saki go shopping for their cherry blossom picnic, Nagisa spots Junta with his little brother Seita and greets him warmly. Saki, possessive of Nagi-chan, is then utterly disarmed by the adorable-as-hell Seita, who regards her as a big sister.

That’s when Akina decides to invite Junta and Seita to their picnic. This means Nagisa, who was originally going to leave the cooking to her cousin and sister, wants to cook something for Junta.

That something turns out to be hamburger steak, which she knows he likes. But when even peeling an onion is a baffling ordeal, it’s clear she needs a lot of help. Saki is happy to guide her, but when Nagi nicks her finger with the knife, Saki asks Nagi to leave the cooking to her.

That’s when Akina comes in, sees Nagi sulking on the couch, and tells Saki to give her one more try. Nagi was careless and made a mistake, but she says her sister isn’t someone prone to repeating them, and in any case, mistakes are crucial to learning.

Nagi and Saki end up making a successful steak, and the next day the cherry trees are resplendent. Junta eyes the steak, but it’s a little far away, so he prepares to eat something closer until Nagisa serves him.

When he says it’s delicious, Nagi is on Cloud Nine-gi. But then Akina gets drunk on beer and starts hitting on a guileless Junta. This pisses Nagisa off, and she storms away to buy some yakitori at the stalls.

Seita urges Junta to make up with Nagisa at once, but when he walks up to her and apologizes, she says it wasn’t his fault and keeps walking away. That’s when Seita grabs her hem and directs her attention to Junta sulking on the ground, and asks again with his childish innocence if they can make up.

They do, and while Junta isn’t sure why Nagi got mad and apologizes for being dense, the fact he thought about her so much makes her happy. Seita suggests they hold hands, with the lil’ peacemaker as the conduit between Junta and Seita from blushing brighter than the blossoms.