Chapter Edens Zero Chapter Reviews (Ch 114)

[Brandish μ]

The first review for each chapter will be posted on the Home Page. Preferably, reviews are to be submitted as soon as possible and before the release of the following chapter. Subsequent reviews will be linked in the published review, and are also to be completed in this thread. Your permission will be sought before your review is published.

The 24 hour spoiler rule does not apply in this thread. However this is for reviews only. Any discussion about reviews can be done in the chapter thread, or the Hangout thread.

Review standards

• Minimum 500 words
• English language. Standard spelling, grammar and punctuation apply - enough so it can be easily read.
• No emoji, slang, swearing. All forum etiquette rules apply.
• Refrain from using pictures. A picture may be incorporated should the need arise.

Spoiler: What should be included in a chapter review

A concise summary of the events within the chapter; and how said events are interconnected with the story. Aspects such as character actions/development, art, tone etc can all be subjects of the review. Any points can be appraised (was it good? was it bad), though it is expected to be reasonable and/or supported by chapter/manga content. The review should be finished with a concluding paragraph, with some forewords regarding possible future events. Feel free to add/omit any of these recommendations as you see fit, as well as adding your own perspective and character to the review.

 

[Jammin]

Greetings one all.

This will be the first of my Edens Zero chapter reviews. For those of you unfamiliar with how I do things, which should be pretty much everybody since I haven't actively written reviews in a few years, here's how it's going to work. I write a quick summary of the chapter. which is very skippable in my opinion, after that I'll break down the chapter in a two part review. The first is "Substance". Which is where I break down what actually happens in the chapter. Plot, character development, fun factor; that kind of thing. The second is "Presentation" This is where I break down the way things happen. Pacing, artwork, plot structure; that kind of thing.

After all that's done, I finalize things with a short conclusion about the chapter as a whole and rate it on a scale of 1-5.

5 = Exceptional
4 = Above Average
3 = Average
2 = Below Average
1 = Poor

Now that that's all out of the way. Let hope I'm not so rusty that I bore us all to tears.

Now onto the review!

Chapter Summary

I'll say this for Dirty Kermit. The guy's got taste.
​

Our adventure picks things up back at the guild where Rebecca, Shiki, and company are finishing up their meal while she gets increasing nervous about the prospect of meeting the guild leader; which is evidently pretty unusual. Shiki wants to come along but Rebecca turns him down and heads off with Happy to her meeting and promises to ask the guild leader about "Sister". This leaves Shiki and Pino to go in search of their own fun so they decide to go exploring.

Shiki runs around with his usual enthusiasm but quickly notices that, unlike him, Pino pretty much knows what everything. Which sort of dampens Shiki's spirits a bit but he perks up and they go in search of a Plue which is something Pino doesn't know about and, despite Pino's best efforts, they quickly get lost.

Meanwhile, Lavillia's confidence in her situation dissolves when her mysterious attacker easily disables her guards. When she asks him what he wants he reveals he's there to take her. She tries to resist but things aren't looking good when Shiki appears and grabs the attacker from behind by his forearm and, in true gentlemanly fashion, informs the strange guy that he's making the girl uncomfortable.

Things don't end that easily though because the arm detaches and rocket punches at Shiki. Pino then analyzes Mr. Rocket Arms revealing that he's a cyborg. As the cyborg retreats a bit from Shiki, Lavillia pleads for his help. Shiki tells he couldn't care less about her but doesn't like letting bad guys get away with stuff either. Adding that his grandfather told him that helping someone in need is the first step to connecting one heart to another (The words of a future Harem King!!!). Naturally, this hits Lavilla right in the love-love zone.
Pino adds her heart is connected to Shiki's too. (So cute! )

Shiki and the mysterious kidnapper exchange some classic pre-battle banter and the kidnapper activates an ether gear. Shiki does the same with his as Lavilla starts recording.

Elsewhere on a planet called Guilst. We see an ugly frog man surrounded by stone statues of beautiful girls demanding more and more girls. A weird butler looking alien tries to calm this "Master Illega" and informs him that they have begun a large scale B-cuber hunt. And that Sister's soldiers are assisting. Dirty Kermit declares that he can't wait too add more to his collection we get an ominous panel of Rebecca in the background.

Chapter Review

No edgelords allowed.​

Substance

We didn't get a lot to work with this week. Or not as much as previous weeks anyway. We identified the main villain of this arc in Kermit the Pervy Frog and that Sister is hiring her people out to him for some reason. Which will likely be a source of some conflict later. Shiki's not going to care for any part of this. Which is fine. Dirty Kermit seems like a very hate-able villain to me so I like that. The fact that he's on a whole other planet is interesting though, it suggest that Shiki is going to end up leaving Blue Garden to end this.

What I liked more than that, however, was Shiki's monologue about connecting hearts. It shows two things I really want from my shonen protagonists. The first is a philosophy. A hero can punch bad guys all day long but it will never mean much until we understand why he's doing it and establishing a foundation of beliefs. The second is that it doubles down on the idea of Shiki's seeking connections with people. That he's thinking about connecting hearts suggests that he's not just looking for shallow friendship but a truly deep bond. That Mashima had Shiki even considering that kind of thing is very very promising.

Presentation

Nothing amazing here. It's a pretty classic setup chapter. Pacing was on the slow side but acceptable. Probably could have moved faster but it would have lost the relaxed feeling of Shiki and Pino's exploring. It's a chapter that's written to build momentum and it does that but it's not nearly as satisfying as some of the other chapters we've had recently.

The artwork good. No big two page spreads but some very expressive facial work. Particularly, Lavillia. Her range of emotion in this chapter was pretty great. She goes through a different emotion in almost every panel she's in and they all were pretty vivid. That's pretty hard to do. Consistent background and character detail work too. Nothing outstanding but consistently good.

Overall Rating

A setup chapter that didn't have the flashiness or big revelations we've been getting from so many recent weeks. It did what it set out to and did it well enough but didn't quite do enough to stand out.

I'm giving it a 3 out of 5

 

[Jammin]

Chapter Summary

Hello, future crew member.​

This week begins with Shiki squaring up against the Mysteriously Ineffective Kidnapper and with Lavillia watching in the background with a giant pervert smile on her face. Pino recommends caution until he figures out what this cyborg can do as Shiki jumps in and the fight is on. Shiki has the upper hand at first with his gravity powers but his opponent breaks out the rocket arms again and shows off some wind control abilities. Then breaks out his big guns reveals his true powers with a "Skymech Ninjutsu" attack that causes a massive cross shaped cut on the street where they were fighting. This launches a lot of innocent drivers and their cars into the air but Shiki manages to rescue them all by centering the gravity of all the cars and stopping one from scooting off a nearby ledge.

Shiki then gives the Ninja Cyborg a firm talking to about careless collateral damage. The Ninja Cyborg doesn't care however during the pause he receives a call that tells him to retreat. As he turns to leave he reveals his name is Jinn and that if Shiki wishing to challenge him to come to Guilst. And leaves off with the line "We will settle this at a future date. Someday..when the wind howls.." (What a massive chunni douchebag...) Leaving Shiki there as irritated and confused as any person would be after that exchange. Lavillia then comes in with a flying hug and a thank you for both saving her and giving her great video material then follows that up by running off. Leaving Shiki and Pino standing here. Until Shiki can't hold it in any longer and yells that Ninjas are awesome.

They return to the guild to wait for Rebecca until Happy walks in looking beat up. Rebecca and the Guildmaster have been kidnapped! Just as Shiki learns this a news announcement appears on the veiwscreen in the guild declaring that a series of kidnappings just happened across the city and that all of the victims are B-cubers. Shiki immediately makes the connection to the ninja he fought, the kidnappings, and the Planet Guilst. And this time is well and truly pissed off, embedding the table he was resting his hand on into the floor with rampaging gravity power. He tells Pino they're heading to Guilst and that it's time to return to Edens Zero. As he runs off, a girl in a kimono watches him and seems to recognize the name of that ship.

Meanwhile Rebecca wakes up to find herself tied up in a strange ship and looks around to see that she's surrounding by prominent B-tubers. Before she can think much about it however a three man goon squad shows up, Ninja-douche Jinn among them, and announces that they all belong to Sister now.

Chapter Review

(ಠ_ಠ) ╭∩╮​

Substance

So we see this arc taking shape. A battle against slavers that puts our heroes and Edens Zero right in the middle. There are a lot of characters in play here. We've got Jinn, who I immediately hate, forming an immediate rivalry with Shiki; not that Shiki noticed or cared. We've got this new kimono wearing girl who looks like she could be a ninja herself. Then we've a got a whole ship full of B-Tuber characters and a mysterious guild master that is missing too. This whole arc is a just a massive repository of potential Edens Zero crew members. That should be fun.

In terms of opposition we've got two factions. Sister's bizarre group of slavers and Pervy Kermit's forces. How hostile this is likely going to be will likely be decided by whether or not the Sister these slavers are answering too is the same one Shiki is looking for. I tend to think it isn't. Seems to me like the guild master is a better bet to be THE Sister, with these clowns using her name, but I could be wrong. Either way I'm pretty sure Shiki is going to get some worthy opponents for the first time. And hopefully get a chance for Rebecca to do some awesome stuff with that new ether gear she may have.

Presentation

Some pretty great fight artwork this week. Mashima's pretty good at drawing his fights in a way that making the flow panel to panel interesting. This chapter was a pretty classic example of that but with added bonus of doing a kind of urban environment that I don't think he's ever worked with before. The only flaw with it was that as it flowed onto the highway it didn't fully maintain spacial awareness. For example it culminated in Shiki stopping a car from going off a ledge with a lengthy drop but before that panel it was never suggest they were above ground level. Lots of new character designs this week too, all of them looked interesting a fun.

In terms of pacing and flow, it's jumping right back to top speed. While it does seem like a mildly questionable move to skip the scene where Rebecca was kidnapped, I'm assuming that was done to hide something; and that something probably has to do with the guild master's true identity. Regardless, we are fully in this arc now and it's full speed ahead.

Overall Rating

A good fight sequence. Strong and fast paced buildup for what seems like the first big battle arc. A lot to like about this chapter.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5

 

[Jammin]

Chapter Summary

Why do you suppose the tourism industry died? It looks so nice!​

This week begins with Captain Shiki taking off in Edens Zero with Pino and Witch after the dastardly fiends that kidnapped Rebecca, along with a group of other B-Tubers, and are currently in route to Planet Guilst.

Onboard the kidnapper's ship Rebecca demands to know whats going on and who these jerks are resulting in her introduction to the two non-ninja kidnappers Ganoff (Ugly Fishman) and Mosco (Robofatso). Learning that they're members of an outlaw mercenary outfit called Rogue Out and that they're all being taken to Guilst which is apparently a den of scum of villainy. The other B-tubers take this news kind of hard and a loli B-tuber starts crying. Ugly Fishman steps in to do some loli bullying but Rebecca protects her. The Ugly Fishman takes the opportunity to show off the digital binding app that controls their digi-ropes but is taken by surprise when Rebecca seems.. kinda.. into it. At least until Jinn puts a stop to Rebecca's journey of BDSM self discovery, reminding Ugly Fishman not to damage the goods. Ugly Fishman doesn't like being told what to do and reminds Jinn of his failure to catch his target. Jinn explains he encountered a troublesome gravity gear user, whom Rebecca instantly recognizes as Shiki. Then the Ugly Fishman points out Robofatsu didn't exactly do a great job either, with his acquisition of the full figured cooking B-tuber, and threatens Rebecca again them mercifully goes away. Left alone for a bit they all make introductions, though nobody knows poor obscure Rebecca, and she tries to encourage them that if they work together they'll find a way out of this and that she's not willing to give up on her adventure just yet.

Back on Edens Zero, as they race toward Guilst, Pino asks Witch if she can fix Happy but Witch explains that unfortunately healing is Sister's thing as the "Life of Edens" and was responsible for healing and repairing. Witch is the "Shield of Edens" and is the defender of the ship. She adds that the remaining two are Valkyrie the "Sword of Edens" and Hermit the "Mind of Edens". And suggests that perhaps Pino will be the "Light of Edens".

However, as interesting as all this is Shiki is getting impatient and just want the ship to get there faster. Witch advises caution but Shiki is understandably eager to get there, save Rebecca, and kick some ninja ass. Then Weisz shows up with none other than the girl we saw in the guild last week, Homura, who is seeking the demon king.

Then we get a bit of a flashback showing that Weisz walked into the guild just in time to see Shiki take off and hear Homura mention Edens Zero because apparently she thinks out loud (which is cute). He approaches her and, once she figures out he's connected to the ship, asks to be escorted on board in exchange for assisting in the rescue. Turns out her goal is to challenge the Demon King. Weisz agrees to do it.. on one condition. (It's going to be a date.)

Back in the present, there is a little concern over the fact that she wants to fight Shiki, that Weisz is making deals on thier behalf when he isn't even crew, and what this Homura girl can actually do. But she insists that right now rescuing Rebecca is her top priority and reveals she's highly trained with her own ether gear. An ether gear that Witch seems to recognize.

Meanwhile Rebecca and her group have finally landed on Guilst which can best be described as a "post-apocalyptic hellhole". Shortly after they get walked out of the ship as chain gang, a girl staggers out of the wastes and collapses. Ugly Fishman takes the chance to tell them all they don't want to end up like her they should be subservient to Illuga (Pervy Kermit).

Chapter Review

I think she's found a new niche! *Subscribes*​

Substance

So... that got dark. Looks like Guilst is even worse than I think we were all expecting. Much worse than I was expecting for sure. Looking forward to Shiki and company doing the universe a favor and blowing that place up. Though it seems like it will offer a good chance to show off Rebecca's strong will and determination, also possibly the laser beam ether gear that was teased earlier, as I'm sure she's going to cause some trouble of her own.

Fortunately, it's not all dark and depressing. We met Homura who is almost certainly a future crew member. Judging from her personality she's probably a martial arts type. The gimmick of her thinking out loud seems funny and endearing too, especially combined with her serious personality. The fact that Witch recognized her Ether Gear makes me think she knows her master too.

Then possibly the biggest and coolest revelation of the names and roles of the Demon Lords Shining Stars. Witch is the Shield (Guardian). Sister is the Life (Healer). Valkyrie is the Sword (attacker?). Hermit is the Mind (advisor?). And something about Pino being the next generation and the Light. No idea what that means but it sounds cool to me.

Something I'm a little lukewarm on is Weisz continuing role as a selfish ass. It makes me wonder what exactly Mashima has planned for that character. He should be a crew member but strangely I feel like nobody actually likes him nor do they have any reason to. It seems to be an intentional choice but it's one that puzzles me a bit. He feels so out of place on Eden Zero right now. So hopefully this arc can help him find a better place on the crew than he's got right now. He'd make a good lovable pervert, if he could only get the "lovable" part figured out.

Presentation

I really appreciated the color opening and spread. Seeing the Eden Zero in all it's black and gold dragon/spaceship glory makes me love it even more than I did before and the spread with Shiki on a throne-like chair was pretty awesome as well. Just a lot to like there. The rest of the chapter was solid for the most part. Mashima continues doing great work with dynamic expressions and brings so much life into his characters with them but on the negative side I thought there was a bit too much of defaulting to a blank while background. You lose a lot of atmosphere when you do that. Still, I have to credit the good background artwork of Guilst. Which came across and convincingly grim and menacing.

The pacing was fast and really packed a lot in there even considering how relatively long the chapter is at around 25 pages. All of it was fairly important too. The only real knock I have on it was the way the flashback flowed. For a flashback it went on too long for what it was. It was meant to establish a lot of things about Homura but I feel like all if would have landed better if it was done as a chronological scene. Especially the comedy bits. It made it seem bloated and unfocused to me. The only reason for it was to so she could suddenly appear on the ship. But that moment really surprised nobody so I just don't see the point.

Overall Rating

Jam packed chapter with some sweet color pages and a lot of meat to dig into. A few imperfections aside, it was a very good read.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5

 

[Jammin]

Chapter Summary

I'm starting to suspect this is what Homura smiling actually looks like.
​

This week resumes our adventure with Rebecca and the rest of the B-Tubers trapped in Illega Tower where they are introduced to the fiend behind everything Pervy Kermit himself, Illega. Where, much to their shock and dismay, he reveals his insidious plan to..to.. turn pretty girls into uncomfortable looking furniture (Wut??) He then proceed to show off his petrifying raygun to turn some superstar into a bench. Then triggers a rain of some soap-like substance to melt the B-tuber's clothes off (This part of his plan's alright.). And as Rebecca crouches down to protect her dignity she focuses her rage on the beating she intends to give this toad.

Meanwhile, in space, Eden Zero has arrived at Planet Guilst and the crew begun there search for Rebecca by trying to find Jinn of Rogue Out. As they disembark Weinz does some quick repairs to happy which Pino thanks him for. But being thanked by the worlds cutest being seems to unsettle him a little. As they are heading to their destination Shiki gets a quick rundown of Guilst. A planet with strong wood ether whose towns are built on a giant tree called Mechdrasil. But Shiki finds he can't fully enjoy his tourism without Rebecca and redoubles his resolve to get her back quickly.

Before long they find themselves standing in front of a large church with Rogue Out written on the front (Very subtle..). Weisz chickens out and decides to wait outside while Homura, Shiki, and Pino head inside. Once they enter they are greeting by a huge ominous statue of an angel. The statue asks why they have come but amends it's question to say it already knows their fate. As it says this, it splits in two to reveal an mildly evil looking Robo-Nun that introduces herself as Sister the leader of Rogue out.

Chapter Review

How dare he...use this technology for non-perverted purposes!​

Substance

So Pervy Kermit is doing all this for tacky furniture. What a classic Trollshima move. Get us all imagining some kind of shockingly evil motive only to discover the real motive is actually more stupid than evil. Don't get me wrong it's still evil. But as someone with relatives that have a fondness for "artisitic" furniture there is nothing sexy about blinding lower back pain. Just unpadded stone furniture by itself is bad enough. Stone furniture with an irregular shape? I think that's the kind of furniture they have in hell. Though I think I actually hate him even more than before now, which is good. I mean, someone this stupid really should not be allowed to live. Hopefully, Rebecca can end him with a beam blast at some point.

The other major highlight is obviously Sister showing up. The whole setup with the church and the nun-outfit suggests a lot. It very much presents the concept that Rogue Out is some kind of corrupted orphanage. The visual theme is strongly hinting at that. Which means either Sister has turned evil. Or this isn't the real Sister. Either way I doubt this will end with Shiki saying he's the Demon King and her kneeling. Something else is going on here.

Which brings me to Weisz. Him choosing to stay outside suggests to me that Shiki, Homura, and Pino will get captured or neutralized and he'll save the day. Proving that he's not the douchebag he seems to be. Which was sort of foreshadowed by him trying to fix Happy. You can pretty clearly see a crisis of conscience coming with him.


Presentation

Art was solid but not outstanding. First class ecchi work early on. Character were generally quite expressive; the exception being Homura but that's kind of part of her gimmick. The background work was a little below average compared to normal. With a lot more blank backgrounds than usual. The aesthetic of the dark church looked quite good though.

Pacing was moderately fast. Despite not packing nearly as much in as last week, it didn't actually slow down much it was just more focused on moving the characters around and setting up the various conflicts. With a dash of ecchi fan service to try and make it all more fun. Certainly nothing that dragged. The only issue I had was the abruptness of the ending. The reveal of Sister at the end of the chapter makes perfectly fine stopping point but it's not written or drawn like it's a stopping point. It feels like there should be another page. Or a text scrawl that says "To be continued..". The way it is, it lacked a sense of finality.

Overall Rating

Decent, if not overly memorable, chapter whose centerpiece was an expertly executed troll by Mashima. With some bonus first class ecchi offsetting a rather abrupt ending.

I'm giving it a 3 out of 5

 

[Jammin]

Chapter 22 Summary

I love this panel because of the teamwork it represents. Why are you looking at me like that?​

This week picks up with Homura standing in the wreckage that was once Rogue Out, littered with the beaten unconscious bodies of the forces Sister thought would capture both her and Shiki, remarking that she's a little disappointed that was the best they could do. Meanwhile outside Weisz looks with a healthy amount of fear of the battle maniac Homura.

Meanwhile, the Rogue Out kidnapping crew are arguing with Illegua's people who refuse to pay up because they were a B-Cuber short. Sister's ship arrives and she informs her people that she will handle this and goes to speak to Pervy Kermit directly. Shiki, having hitched a ride on her ship sneaks off to rescue Rebecca, resisting the urge to go down and beat the crap out of a certain ninja. As he does Sister sends Bosco back to base to handle cleanup and he flies off using the power of sumo slaps because.. why the hell not, I guess?

Then the scene switches to the B-Cubers who are all naked in the clothes melting bubble bath. But together they overcome this sexy dangerous situation. They form a plan. Using the bubbles materiel and jewelry melting abilities to melt a glass window near the ceiling and getting to that window by forming a the worlds sexiest pyramid and having Rebecca climb to the top. The plan works. She sneaks around the air vents trying to find clothes or some way for everybody to escape. But as she discovers the pantry. Pervy Kermi discovers her and grabs her with his freaky tongue. But, just as he is about to use some weird tongue power on her, Shiki bursts through he floor with a kick of justice!

Chapter 22 Review

What? How? I don't even....​

Substance

So Homura is pretty awesome. Looks like Sister really underestimated her and Shiki big time. Now we move toward Homura's confrontation with Bosco and Sister's impending confrontation with Shiki. I still think Rebecca will find a chance to beat Pervy Kermit as I feel like that's important to have her character do. She's already established herself as something special among B-Cubers even if she's not the most famous. Beating frogman would put a good exclamation mark on that as she moves on to be a B-Cubing space adventurer.

This is going to leave her and Shiki in a pretty tense situation though. Fighting Pervy Kermit in his own base with Sister heading their way. Which means all kinds of trouble. When you add to that their are 28 more naked girls he's going to need to get out of there. This is definitely going to be a challenge.

Now we get to the real thing this chapter was about. The shameless fan service (my favorite kind). Leave it to Mashima to decide to make an escape scene featuring 29 characters all wearing nothing but soap bubbles. It really is an impressive scene in a lot of ways. A soaped up naked pyramid. That's an ecchi moment for the history books. Stuff of legends.

Presentation

Art was good. Most of the impressive stuff was in the ecchi scenes this time but it was impressive just the same. I'm sure when Mashima was drawing the sexy naked pyramid at around girl 20 of 29 he must have just hated himself for dreaming up this idea. I've read manga that didn't have 29 characters in the whole series but he did it. I counted them. He made 29 mostly distinct characters for that one gag. I applaud his insanity.

Pacing was typical. Very quick but it was clearly another set up chapter. Moving characters around setting up battles. The ecchi was the mechanism used to disguise that and inject some fun and entertainment; and it worked. So no complaints there.

Overall Rating

This was an above average set up chapter. Using some ecchi and entertaining situations to help mask that it's mostly just moving characters around in order to set up what's coming next.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5

 

[Jammin]

Chapter 23 Summary

NOOOOOOO! Now we'll never know what happens when someone pushes his belly button!​

This week's adventure starts with Shiki looking cool and heroically tenderizing the Illuga's face with his fist while Pino and Rebecca catch up on recent events. After hearing, with great relief, the news that Happy is ok and that the guild master is still mysterious, missing, and likely unharmed they decide to stop Shiki before the Pervy Toad goes from probably dead to DEFINITELY dead. Pino, uses her EMP to shut down his ether gear. As Shiki comes out of rampage mode Becky thanks him and, because her legs are still paralyzed, flashes him a pretty open view of her privates; which he seems to quite enjoy. (Your the best Mashima)

They are interrupted by the rest of the B-Cube idols who have escaped when their cell was mysteriously unlocked and found some Halloween/fetish costumes laying around to wear. (Your the best Mashima.) Shortly after making introductions though Jinn drops in but Shiki sees him coming, tells Pino to get everybody out of here, and gets ready to kick some space ninja ass. Some of the B-cubers are worried about Shiki but Becky assures them when it comes to a fight Shiki's got it covered. And they leave as Shiki and Jinn get ready to go all out.

Meanwhile back at the Rogue Out base, Homura is standing there as one of the the half dead android soldiers tries to shoot her in the back and is finished off by Weinz which she assures him was unneeded. Then she goes to investigate a strange ether flow beneath the floor that she notices but is interrupted by Weisz who points a gun at her and demands to know what she's hiding. She repeats her desire to challenge the demon king but Wiesz isn't buying it. He's convinced there is another secret and now that he knows how strong she is, he's not willing to let it go. She shrugs off the threat of the gun but Wiesz shows her why she shouldn't when Bosco comes flying and in he uses his ether gear to activating machine gun traps he remodeled into floor and destroys the flying weirdo without even turning around.

Then the scene switches to the Edens Zero where Happy awakens on the bridge alongside Witch who informs him the mission has been successful. So all seems well for about 2 seconds. Right up until the emergency sensors go off. Notifying them of a huge ether energy spike and planets disappearing. The Chronophage is heading to Guilist! (Couldn't happen to a nicer planet.)

Chapter 23 Review

Well...that guy's dead.​

Substance

I was expecting Pervy toad to put up more of a fight but I have to hand it to Shiki when he's pissed off he doesn't hold back. Whether it's a berserker thing or just him having a temper, I find it interesting that he seemed completely willing to beat Illuga to death and beyond. Which in this single case I'm going to call 100% morally "ok". It's going to be interesting to see how he fights against Jinn. Will it be more controlled or will he go full rampage mode again?

Another very interesting moment was when the girls showed up the moment the fight was over having got out of their cell and had found those costumes. That's interesting because it seemed like it happened too soon after Pino used her EMP for Becky's assumption that it was responsible to be true. There just wasn't time for them to have escaped and gotten the costumes. Seems to me that the most likely explanation for this is the mysterious Guildmaster is being sneaky.

The showdown between Homura and Weisz was a bit strange to me. If he's protective of Shiki and Rebecca and thinks she's up to no good, that's fine. But deciding try and fight her seems reckless and a little stupid unless he's 100% sure. After all, the girl can't even think silently. How is she supposed to lie? So him suspecting her seems weird. The way the whole thing went down makes him seem like a traitor trying to keep her from discovering whatever is under that statue but I don't think that makes sense considering he's not even from this time period. So that whole scene was pretty puzzling to me.

Finally we get to the Chronophage. Why is that thing here? It can't be a confidence that Shiki and friends just so happen to be on this planet and now the monster is making a B-line to it. It's coming for something. It's gotta be. The question to me is what? It could be Shiki. It could be alternate universe Weisz. It could be whatever Sister's got going on in the basement. No matter what the answer is though it's going to be a pretty interesting wrinkle thrown into the end of this arc.

Presentation

Artwork was really good across the board. Good action panels. Solid background work. Many fewer blank background shots than we've had recently. Be it an actual background or an action effect, something was usually there. And I appreciate that. Also need to hand it to Mashima for the really impressively pervy comedy artwork where Shiki is staring at Becky's.. *ahem*. That panel is truly impressive, in a way.

Pacing was fast. The set up of the last few chapters started to pay dividends this week as it's just flying into the good stuff. It's got a lot going on now and has managed to connect it all into one engaging story. So I'm pleased with everything on that front. In addition the Chronophage revelation made an excellent finale for the chapter.

Overall Rating

A well above average chapter due to good artwork and a wealth of interesting plot elements. The only thing holding it back from going higher is that the Weisz character still seems to be struggling to find a natural fit in the series. Hopefully that will get ironed out soon.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5

 

[CrZFullb]

As this thread is "dead", maybe we should do an "Arc review" instead of "chapter review"?

 

[Brandish μ]

As this thread is "dead", maybe we should do an "Arc review" instead of "chapter review"?

Feel free to do this.

 

[Acnologia2415]

As this thread is "dead", maybe we should do an "Arc review" instead of "chapter review"?

Sounds like a much better idea lol

 

[Ramen]

Well, @Jammin I'll be taking over your template. Hopefully I can make you proud! Joining the review squad so let's see how I do.

And let's kick off my first review:

​

Chapter Summary​

This chapter opens up with the crew examining the relic they acquired from the Red Cave and discussing the next plan of action as they hold a clue to finding the next relic. While this is happening, Weisz is not happy with allowing ex-Drakken members along the ship and can't believe his eyes as he sees Laguna on the ship and not only does he not agree with the alliance, he loses it once he sees the element 4 member's fashion style. The four shining stars then decide to permanently call Shiki "Demon King" (Shiki thinks it stands for something evil) which they reveal is a moniker for the King of Magimech. Someone who rules Magimech and distributes ether with the machines.

Cut to the Skull Fairy Elsie seems nervous about the thought of Nero and Shiggy going at it whether they have peaceful or destructive intentions. Nonetheless, she refuses to get involved and wants to go to a planet with great cuisine and chill over there. Then it happened, the distress call signaling that the union army has arrived and Elsie immediately knows that she is being followed by Justice. However, Elsie knows that one of her crewmates (Jesse) is a government spy to the shock of all the other members but she is willing to hear him out and seemingly forgive him if he can help them escape. We are introduced to some of Elsie's guards Hyoga and Gowen as they appear and explain that Jesse was not successful in leaking any information on them. Gowen seems to be the wild one as he gets into an argument right away with Hyoga. This ultimately ends with Jesse being removed from the ship via an escape pod. Elsie says that they will continue to accept anyone because when she was a kid, the Edens Zero and four shining stars treated her like family. They end off with setting course towards the neutral sector planet called Foresta.

Now, a little of part of the chapter shows Laguna, Kleene and Jinn all eating together discussing their history together back when they used to be apart of Drakken's crew.


Ironically, Shiki and the Edens Zero, using the power of the ether radiating from the relic, have also been led towards the planet of Forestra. A planet may I add, is known for having the best food in the A01 cosmos. This makes Rebecca drool and makes Pino very very happy. Hermit tells everyone that in the ships' log, it says they've been to this planet 15 years ago. This planet is also home to Master Xenolith who is the instructor of the Magimech arts. He's also the founder of gravity ether gear tactics. Unfortunately for Shiki, he can't be friends with him because he died a thousand years ago.

This chapter ends with Forestra and three individuals talking with one another and complaining about Shiki making a comeback. It turns out these 3 work under Nero as Commandos on the Beast Team. The names of these 3 (from left to right) are Britney, Orc, and Mora.

It all seems like there will be a giant showdown as the army is going to follow Elsie to Forestra where Shiki has arrived and Nero currently has his (or some of his) crew there investigating. Exciting times are coming in the near future.

Presentation​

Like always, Mashima did not disappoint with artwork as it is phenomenal with the smallest details being drawn accurately and with great style. Pino was cute as always and everytime she blushes, I want to rip her off my screen and make her my best friend. I feel like the pacing for this chapter was pretty normal as we were introduced to 5 new (and seemingly pivotal) characters and have arrived at the new chapter. Overall the story is going at a good pace, with what seems like a juicy arc coming up.

Overall Rating
​

This chapter was average in my eyes but what gives the extra boost to be above were the flashbacks of Elsie, and the new characters shown.

I'll give this chapter an overall score of 7/10.


Well there it is, my first review. How was it? @Hermit @Belserion @Seraph

 

[Ramen]

Edens Zero Chapter 113 Review brought to you by Ramen:
Chapter Summary

This chapter continues on from the last one as Shiki and the crew finally manage to land on Forestra. We learn that as the name indicates, it's a planet that seems to be one giant forest with so much greenery, that Pino says it has made it's way over the ocean. The crew already picks up things that seem fishy as Rebecca can't connect to the internet. The first thing they see when they're on the ground is fishes swimming in the air. Eventually when they make it to the town and Rebecca is ready to indulge in the very hyped cuisine, Weisz stops them as he immediately picks up something horrific; the robots are controlling the humans and treating them like pets by putting them on leashes and keeping them prisoner in cages. Two bots (Kevin and Willem) start talking about the etiquette of taking care of a human but Willem is having none of it and kills Kevin claiming, "Bots are meant to be free." Ironically enough, the two humans on a leash were once engaged and their names are Allen and Audrey.

After this initial start to their trip they realize a robot is approaching them so Pino and Happy have to pretend that they are the owners of Shiki and co. but a robot wants to take Rebecca for his own use. Right when he put his hands on her Weisz immediately takes action and shorted him out, making the clear distinction that he did not kill him. Then someone from the past appears...….COUCHPO!!!! She starts telling her story and how she came to this planet in order to do a restaurant review and things were going well up until a week ago. It turns out that Ziggy continued his plan of having robots rule over humans and decided to start with Forestra. He somehow managed to hack or convince the robots to attack and enslave the humans they were living with.

Right as Couchpo's story comes to a close, the wall inside her house get's obliterated and a giant robot is here to kill them. Shiki understands that he's most likely doing this because he's being controlled and doesn't actually want to however since he wants to hurt his friends, he must take him down.


Presentation

This was decent chapter for what I expected of it. Obviously there needs to be a transition chapter or 2 before we can dive in to the next arc which seems like it will the best one yet with the most set of diversity within it's characters and it will help us get closer to not only mother but Ziggy and Emperor Nero as well. We did get a new perspective on the role of humans and robots as this time, it was the robots in control and the humans have been forced to go onto the defensive. Though I have a feeling things might change since some of Nero's team is here as well.


Overall Rating
As I mentioned earlier, for a transition and early starter chapter, it was good. Nothing too crazy but looking forward to the future.

My rating:

7/10

 

[Ramen]

Eden's Zero Chapter 114 (Named Glue) brought by Ramen:

Summary: ​

Chapter finally gave us some action on the ground in this neutral planet that we have come to know as Forestra. Continuing from the surprise assault by the machines, Shiki and friends have gotten ready to fight and take on not only the giant robot that initially ambushed them, but also a wave of robots that have surrounded them on all sides. This time they have everyone's favourite mukbanger Couchpo as she tries to eat the robots which seems very effective.

Next panel cuts to Sister treating Kleene but the latter doesn't want to be treated since she's started to enjoy her time on the Edens Zero. She believes that if she get's better, she will be forced to leave but Sister confirms to her that no matter what happens, she does not have to leave and will be welcomed immediately by everyone. The only thing standing in her way is Jinn because we come to realize in a dialogue between Sister and Jinn that Kleene has a emotions disorder. If she shows any emotion, she will have a mental breakdown which is why she wears an emotion-suppressing device. After a rough back and forth between the two, Jinn pleads not to ask Kleene what happened in the past because she will not be able to contain her feelings.

Right after, the telecoms come on and announce an emergency and that the ship is being approached by multiple (116 to be exact) attack drones. However it's up to Laguna, Jinn, Kleene, and the remaining shining stars to protect the ship while Team Shiki is out and about.

As Team Shiki is running away after what seems to be their victory against the robots, they are approached by the cutest robot and character in this series after Pino. This robot is not an enemy and it pleads to Shiki for help. It tells them that though Ziggy corrupted most of em, some are still fine and are friendly but a group of outsiders came and started killing all the bots. It turns out these group of outsiders are actually Emperor Nero's crew. Shiki tells the cutebot that they will keep it safe and not let it die but then here comes Mashima and pisses me off by having a character immedaitely kill it off.

Who is this mystery person? It is Emperor Nero's beast team commando Mora and we know we know he/she can lasers and use a sticky substance against enemies which relates back to the chapter's name "Glue." Chapter ends with the mystery person using the the sticky substance to stick them to trees and getting all serious demanding they thank him/her for killing the cutebot.

My Thoughts​

I thought this was a good chapter with a lot of action, and some really good character development especially for Kleene. It was also nice to see Jinn have a softer side for his sister and he's not just a hard-headed random with a sister complex. Rather, he truly does care for the safety for his sister. However, this chapter made me angry, sad, and very very salty because they killed the cutebot. Such an adorable character that Shiki wanted to keep safe but no, Mashima had to go and kill it. I really hope this mystery person suffers......badly.

So we do know that this person is apart of Nero's squad so I'm anticipating a fight very soon and a big fight this arc with Elsie who's being followed by the Galactic Union Army. Combine this with Nero's squad and Shiki? Yea.....something big is happening soon.

Rating:​

Like I said, I really liked this chapter but the killing of cutebot made me very salty which brought it down.

7.5/10