Episode 12 – Tribe Nine

It’s time to get ready to play ball, which happens to be the title of tribe nineGrand Slam of an ending (ie “PLAY BALL” in all caps) to what I can only assume will be one court project like, spoiler alert: it has very little baseball, actually. But there are many, many feelings.

Ojiro completely takes off his mask (ie literally takes off his mask) this week and takes on the Minato Tribe in a head-to-head battle that’s full of twists and turns, including its fair share of betrayal. I love a last minute twist (with GUNS!), even if it’s packed with twenty-four minutes of script that isn’t the best. But hey: that banger soundtrack, right?

There is so much stuff crammed into this episode: there are flashbacks and XB fights (and even more near-XB fights) and character growth and deconstruction. It’s a lot and it’s not necessarily well structured. That is quite interesting, but maybe, in another series it would be well executed and it wouldn’t feel like tribe nine I was trying to tie up a lot of loose ends. Ultimately, he feels messed up, and when the resolution comes, he waits, which is really all I can say.

And while we’re here, let’s talk about resolutions.

I can easily say that I will be leaving the series with a solid sense of closure and a bit of optimism, which is good, but unexpected. I really thought I’d go with a “now go play the mobile game” kind of hook, but instead we get an ending that feels about as good as you can expect from a show that’s been through very high and extremely low lows. minimum as tribe nine it has, cliffs included.

And my God, this program has passed it in the last few weeks.

But where the show lands – and indeed hits the landing – is in the notion of fun. Part of why XB is so attractive to the late Shun Kamiya, and now to Haru, is because he is a game. XB thrives when that’s at the core: when it becomes a drawn-out battle, the game loses its fun. And it’s actually this return to fun by Haru, who literally throws her hands in this episode, that made me smile at the end because, say what you will, this show stays the course with its overall message, disrupting the world. from XB and Neo. Tokyo by Game Over-ing some characters. (Or are they alive? Here’s the thing, I really don’t know.)

tribe nine It is a series that I do not regret spending time with, if only because of my insatiable desire to devour everything Kazutaka Kodaka puts his hands on it. I just can’t help it: ever since I played danganronpa in grad school, I’ve been very in everything he does. tribe nine It’s anime fast food. It’s the 7-11 slice of pizza in the animation world. Will it work in a pinch? Yes, of course, but is it exactly what you wanted?

Not at all.

There were a lot of mixed feelings as the credits rolled – I tried to reflect on what drew me to this show outside of my desire to relate my personality to each one of them. danganronpa character. Thinking back, it was a desire to see a sports anime that was fun and, to some extent, tribe nine It was, at least initially. That said, I know there was an audience for this series, and I really hope that if you’re that audience, you enjoyed it. To tell you the truth, that’s always my wish for the shows I’m reviewing, whether I like them or not in the end: I hope they amuse as many people as possible. I’m a bit on both sides of the fence with my enjoyment, but I can honestly safely conclude this review by saying that this anime is perfectly fine, and that’s fine in and of itself. Every season needs its C-minus grade anime, and tribe nine?

Well, it’s a grand slam in that category.

Classification:



because this was so close to four stars but it never got there

tribe nine It is currently streaming on Funimation.

Mercedez is a JP-EN translation and localization light novel editor and proofreader/QA, pop culture critic, and journalist who, when not writing for ANN, writes for Anime Feminist, where she is a staff editor. She is also a frequent co-host on the Anime Feminist podcast Chatty AF. This season, they reflect on her youth with Akebi sailor uniform. When they’re not writing and reviewing, you can find them on their Twitter or on his Instagram where he is always up to something.