It was hard for me to write something for this episode. I enjoyed it but I didn’t want to keep on showering with praises everyone’s heard before.
How can I not commend it though? This show certainly knows what it’s doing so far. Even when things take a darker turn, Tiger & Bunny knows that it doesn’t have to take itself too seriously and still finds the time to throw in a couple of quality jokes here and there.
I expected this to be a Fire Emblem episode following the pattern Blue Rose’s episode had. It turns out that Fire Emblem being accused of murder is just a precursor. This kind of disappointed me a bit but there was enough Fire Emblem in this episode to make up for it.
Barnaby’s got nothing on Kotetsu, this single dad’s got too much swag for him to handle.
The episode continues to divulge more about Barnaby’s past. While it’s not surprising a secret organization by the name of Ouroboros may be behind his parents’ murder, one has to wonder why Barnaby was kept alive and why is it that he can’t remember anything else. Then there’s the mysterious crossbow wielding NEXT, whose murderous rampage seem like acts of vigilantism more than anything else. Each have their own agendas, but both of them are obviously targeting our offbeat heroes. With 25 episodes, it’s likely Tiger & Bunny intends to give these two ‘antagonists’ arcs but it’s too early to say.
I enjoyed getting to see Kotetsu and Fire Emblem (or Nathan if you prefer) use their abilities without the powered up suits. It just goes to show that they’re already pretty capable on their own. The fight might not have been a spectacular visual fest as usual but the thrown-in banters between Fire Emblem and Kotetsu made it even more fun to watch. The way Fire Emblem’s voice changes when his car gets thrashed was a nice subtle touch. He’s as flamboyant as fuck but you wouldn’t want to mess with him.
Just because he’s fabulous doesn’t mean he can’t kick your ass.
DAT PINKY.
The music for this show is pretty good too. I just noticed it while they played the dramatic music as Barnaby inquired about Ouroboros. It’s a great score, very fitting for your tragic superhero. In the end, I keep on finding great things about Tiger & Bunny to rant about and that’s a sign that we have something truly remarkable in our hands.
Hachimitsu 