Home of "Kingdom Duels", a fan-made variant of Yu-Gi-Oh! based on the rules of the Duelist Kingdom arc of the Anime.
Espaço dedicado à cooperação e debate de ideias, projetos e propostas do Movimento Brasil Livre.
A subreddit for discussion of Maurice Druon's Accursed Kings series.
BEFORE YOU COMMENT: If the flair didn't make it clear enough, I must state that I am a first time watcher, and that these are moreso my first impression of the episodes, not a retrospective review. I have not seen any episodes past the ones listed in this post, so I respectfully ask for no spoilers beyond episode 40 in the comments. Thanks!
41. The Ghost of 511 - 3/5 (When Petrov moved down the newspaper to reveal his face, I thought he was supposed to look shock and scared by Grimmer confronting him. But he has the same face for the entire episode, so turns out that's just what he constantly looks like. Anyway, not a lot happening in this one. It's a pretty elongated episode for something that can be summed up in one sentence: Grimmer thinks Petrov is continuing his cruel 511 experiments, but he isn't. The end. Well, that and apparently Nina shot him. Which doesn't make any sense. She would have no clue who this man is, and even if she did, she'd have no reason to kill him. Plus, she would have Dieter with her, no?)
42. The Adventures of the Magnificent Steiner - 4/5 (The inspector clipping his fingernails during an interview was... Uh, weird. I was wondering what the hell the point of it was, but it turned out to be relevant to a later scene. Although it's still a weird "setup" to the torture scene, because nothing about him cutting his nails indicates that it would be a good torture method.
Speaking of the torture, good goddamn lord is this episode cruel to Grimmer. I knew something bad was gonna happen when the taxi driver picked up another passenger and drove far off. Everything was so eerie. But when he turned around and said "they key" I got tense. And that torture scene... While the punches and the kicks obviously seem painful, it's the nail cutting that got me... AUGH. That was the worst part. I was cringing watching that. I know how much it hurts to just clip a little too far... But the inspector goes HALFWAY fucking INTO the damn nail!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention it was the inspector who did it, because he is corrupt. That was pretty obvious the moment he appeared after Grimmer had run off from the bad guys. That said, Grimmer probably could have convinced them he didn't know anything about the deposit box if, when the inspector questioned him on what the bad guys wanted from him, he said something like "They said something about a key, but I have no idea what they're talking about!". If he did say that, the inspector might have been more inclined to believe him, since he was working with them and knew what they asked of Grimmer. I know, I'm being Captain Hindsight over here. But it's just amusing to point out. But he also made the case worse for himself when he started babbling while in the chair. He's laughing and talking about some cartoon. Yeah, yeah that's totally what a person who "doesn't know anything" does. Anyway, "Nina" comes in to shoot one of the guys, I guess.
So is the cartoon he's talking about real or not? He's cleary referring to himself. He blacks out and apparently beats the shit out of people. So that's a real part of his life, and it's ALSO the concept for a cartoon from the 60's? I honestly don't think any cartoon from the 60's would depict the things he describe.
It's so weird how Johan is incredibly secretive, cautious, and manages to hide all traces of his existence so no one can track him down. And if anyone does, he gets rid of them. Yet there have now been two separate whole ass extremist organization who are well aware of his work and wants to get ahold of him for it. He's simultaneously famous and unknown. Granted, these guys seem to know less about him than the Neo-Nazis. They just know of his work from when he was a mere boy at 511 Kinderheim. But their plan seems completely asinine to me. They want to get ahold of some guy who destroyed an orphanage over a decade ago when he was only a boy, and he will apparently be able to gather some other ex-orphans of 511 to join their underground communist regime... And this will make communism prosper in the country again? How?? What?)
43. Detective Suk - 4/5 (Wow, yet another episode starring an entirely new character who's name is the title of the episode. I will say, it's quite interesting how the show just cuts off from the "main" character so many times to focus on entirely new ones. Especially THIS far into it. At first I'm always iffy because I really just want to see more of Tenma, Nina, Eva etc. But Richard and Julius grew on me when they were new, so maybe this guy will too.
Anyway, here we have a young rookie police detective who's completely incompetent at his job and just stumbles into evidence by accient. Being another detective character just makes him come off as a Richard 2.0. Though he's obviously vastly different in personalty. Regardless, this episode is mostly just him horning for "Nina", who is clearly not Nina. The first tip was obviously her strange killings in the previous two episodes. And in this one, she acts very different from how she usually does. AND she gives poison candy to Detective Patera. That's Johan's thing. This is literally Johan. You're not fooling me. And all three men on the police force who's secretly part of/aiding the underground communist police force eat it and die. So what exactly is the plan THIS time? He seems to be taking out the actual bad guys, which is... Good?
HOLY CRAP, TENMA IS IN THIS EPISODE!!... With no lines whatsoever and only a cameo in the middle. Well, okay then. Looks like he found the vague "three frogs" though)
44. The Two Darkness - 3/5 (It's nice to see the orphans Petrov left behind having a good time at their new orphanage. Pretty wholesome that they meet up with Grimmer just to play football together. Obviously Grimmer arranged it to get the key back that he left one of them, but still, sweet. I also do quite enjoy how unprofessional Suk is being about his job. Also, how nice of Grimmer to give him the key to the deposit box, but, isn't that the whole reason he went through all the torture? Why would he give that up? He wanted the information.
So, yeah, uh, anyway, this episode ends with the reveal that Nina was actually Johan in disguise the whole time. Oh no, who could have guessed it... I mean, I had SOME doubts because of how convincing the diguise was, but I was still fairly certain. The disguise is definitely a bit of a cheat, though. Johan and Nina look alike, but not identical. Johan's eyes are far more narrow, so how did he manage to make them bigger to look exactly like Nina's? Even worse, how did he manage to perfectly mimic her voice? It was at least fair when they only showed the back of "her" head, or standing in the darkness. That's vague enough. But showing "her" in broad lighting looking and sounding exactly like Nina and having full fledged conversations with the voice? CHEATING! Regardless, I thought the reveal was cool. I guess this makes Suk gay)
45. The Afterimage of a Monster - 4/5 (Suk and Grimmer becoming friends is pretty amusing
. And I find their investigations engaging, but that feels so repetitive to say, because following every character in this show investigating and getting closer to the "mystery" is enagaging. The only genuine mystery seems to be 511 Kinderheim though, because Johan is just doing random crap with seemingly no real motive. Or so it seems by this point in the series, given they've completely dropped his bit with Schuwald. Suk and Grimmer listen to the tape of his 511 interview though, in which he once again mentions the "monster inside of him" which greatly confuses me, because he doesn't seem to have multiple personalities or anything. But he still said that in this interview, and wrote it in giant text for Tenma and Nina to see before. And like, now that I've seen the story of the Nameless Monster, I know it means there's like, a monster inside of him who's gonna eat him from the inside out... Which still doesn't make any sense.
So anyway, now he's framing Suk for the murders of the three men on the police force by leaving the poison candy in his apartment. I thought that was already bad, but it was so infurating when he came in and shot the two detectives who "caught" Suk too. Because now, he's obviously going to get the blame for THAT as well, which will make him even look more guilty!!! Also, Grimmer clearly recognized the "woman" walking past him, so why the fuck didn't he stop "her"? He literally ran up because he suspected "she" did something bad... Should have like, just tackled "her" on the staircase immediately)
46. The Point of Contact - 4/5 (Tenma spending all night in a news office looking through old articles by authority of the publisher? Wicked déjà vu. Well, it's more than just déjà vu, since Suk's whole situation is extremely similar to Tenma's. I've said this many times, but given it seems Johan truly had no "master plan" or purpose for his murders, he must just be trolling Suk. Which makes me wonder if he was just trolling Tenma all those years ago as well. At the time, it seemed like a genuinely nice gesture... In a fucked up way, of course. The big difference here is that Tenma's life actually worked out for him in the end. For 9 years, anyway. While Suk's life is pretty much destroyed instantly.
It's pretty neat that they hid the tape with Suk's mother in the hospital. Speaking of her, I understand that she has dementia, but is she really confusing a middle aged Asian man for her son? LOL.
Grimmer and Suk being ambushed was pretty epic and intense. It all seemed so calm, I was expecting Tenma to meet them there, and then Suk gets shot through the window... Yikes. The Magnificent Steiner makes his epic return, and I liked that we actually got to see how gradually Grimmer got more and more stressed about the situation. And then there's the reveal at the end here that he used to be an orphan at 511 Kinderheim... I can't express enough how amazed I am by the complexity of the plot in this show. Also, we actually got to see some of The Magnificent Steiner cartoon. It's pretty much just The Hulk)
47. The Door to a Nightmare - 3/5 (Once again, after having been gone for several episodes, Nina just appears at the location that the show is currently focused on without elaborating on her journey there. Like last time, I can obviously fill in the pieces myself. I just find it amusing how frequent it is for her. She did uncover a vague memory of "three frogs" which lead her to Prague, one way or another. She's had a pretty jarring character shift, though. At first she was just some innocent girl, but then she went on a badass adventure on her own and became pretty kickass. That's respectable. But since episode 39, she's just been a massive scaredy cat. I mean, yeah I get it, she has trauma from whatever happened in this home, but she struck me as a character who would manage to be more level headed despite her problems. And the ending of this episode reveals she has memories from when she was a kid of... Meeting herself as an adult? Obviously that didn't happen. My guess is she's just remembering her mom or something.
It's funny how much I talked about that, considering it isn't even the main focus of this episode. That'd be Tenma and Grimmer being taken in by the leader of the secret communist police... Who's actually kind of a nice guy? I mean, he IS a communist. But he's pretty nice to the main duo, and claims their organization doesn't take lives. He lets them go, and even accepts the deal Grimmer gave to him. Oh yeah, and I do like how they revealed that Grimmer knew his nephew at 511 Kinderheim, and that all the kids there tried to remember each other in case they forgot who they were themselves. Makes me wonder if they're gonna find this nephew who can then tell Grimmer as much about himself as Grimmer could about him)
48. The Most Frightening Thing - 3/5 (Wow, thanks for showing the same clip of Nina opening the door to her old home that I already saw at the end of the last episode, even though I wasn't gonna see the result of it for the rest of this episode anyway because Nina isn't in it. Anyway, Johan's one step ahead as usual, records over the tape before Grimmer and Tenma can get to it... All typical cat & mouse stuff. Suk's reunion with his mom was pretty sweet, though. It actually made me a little teary eyed.
Obviously the highlight of this episode is Lunge's return. It sure is a massive coincidence that he specifically went on vacation in the exact same city in the exact same country at the exact same time that Tenma and Johan happened to be there, though. No vacation for Lunge, I suppose. Also, it was revealed last episode that the author of The Nameless Monster book was involved with the Secret Police, and now, Lunge finds some old sketches the author drew, which feature Johan and Nina as babies, toddlers, and their mother while pregnant... The mystery is getting larger, but also more clear? There's probably far more layers to this than I'm realizing, but so far I'm getting the impression that the book made both Johan and Nina freak out because it had a massive relevance in their childhood. Possibly, it may even have been written while the author had them in their custody. In fact, I'd bet the book was specifically written ABOUT them. Or for them. Or something like that. They did say the author could seemingly do ANYTHING within the Secret Police, so he was probably the one who took away the family... For what reason? That remains a complete mystery to me)
49. The Cruelest Thing - 4/5 (Well, THIS sure was some massive insight into Grimmer. It was pretty jarring though, considering before this, they only made one single reference to the fact that he had to "learn to smile". But in all episodes he's been in, he's never come off as some emotionless husk, so the fact that he's only NOW suddenly asking if he's expressing the right emotions during bad situations was strange. You could excuse it by saying that the situation is just so horrible. But then again, so was the ordeal he went through with Suk. Regardless, I'm not hating on it, because I actually loved it. It made him really interesting and so much more complex. And as a result, the emotional payoff in the end where he's genuinely crying, not because he thinks he's supposed to, but because he actually feels like it, very sweet. His relationship with Petrov's orphans alone is pretty sweet. It's wholesome how hard they work to prove his innocence. From writing notes for the police at the crime scene, to looking for the culprit themselves.
Giving the focus on one of the orphans was also pretty interesting, and I do find his journey around the red light district engaging, in a fucked up way. But I don't really understand like, the "message" or "emotion" behind it. Maybe I just think too logically, but firstly, he's pretty stupid for believing the woman he thinks KILLED Petrov when "she" tells him where his mother is. But then he has this epiphany that no one wants him, all because he sees some hookers fighting or begging him for money. Well, AND one getting raped. Obviously that's pretty traumatizing to see, but I still don't understand how that makes him think no one wanted him to be born. And even if that were true (which it is, in a way, since no one can "want" you as an individual to be born since they don't even know you as an individual until you are) that doesn't mean there won't be anyone down the road who WILL want you.
Then again, he is a kid, and "Anna" literally told him that if he doesn't find his mom, no one wants him. I can't get in the mind of a kid, so to him, whatever conclusion he came to probably made sense. I'm just glad Grimmer was there to tell him otherwise)
50. The Rose Mansion - 3/5 (I feel like I'm missing something here, because Lunge's whole adventure in Prague feels incredibly convoluted. He went there to find a copy of the Nameless Monster, which he previously only read and translated one passage of, because some businessman at the Kadofuku company had brought it for Schuwald's secretrary (Johan). And, sure, I'M well aware that the book has a deep connection to Johan, but Lunge isn't. In fact, he's had no evidence to prove it's related to the Tenma/Johan case at all, so what's his motive for going on a hunt to get the book translated and find the author? Not that I don't find it interesting, since, duh, I always find Lunge closing in on Tenma great. But this is a bit vague. Regardless, I'm still interested in the author, so Lunge discovering his old Rose Mansion and tearing down a wall to a secret room is great stuff. I mean, it got me REALLY intrigued when the Secret Police leader said he's worried that Lunge will be in danger just from seeing the room... Even though there was nothing bad inside. Only interesting thing being a painting of a woman who looks like Nina. Her and Johan's mother, likely. Could the author of The Nameless Monster be Johan and Nina's father, then?
Tenma looks more into the author as well, and he seemingly told his editor that the door was never to be opened. So I guess Franz Bonaparta is gonna get pissed if someone enters that room, and that's the danger? Mystery upon mystery. One is answered, more are created. GAH. Regardless, I was really excited to see Tenma go to the mansion and possibly run into Lunge inside. Too bad he is surrounded by police in the end. It's just cruel to end an episode on such a thrilling cliffhanger. Oh, and we say goodbye to Grimmer in this episode. For now. Pretty wholesome departure. I hope he and Tenma do meed again for a picnic)
Nice night last. 2-1 Posted and 2-0 on the live bets...
159-141-9 +$621.81
MIAMI +2.5 $100.00/$92.59 (NBA's Worst Nightmare! Trying To Push The Gun Control Narrative. Florida Passed A Concealed Carry Gun Law Yesterday But Texas Is Still The King Of Guns. Also, Wade And Nowitzki Are HOFamers. Who Do You Believe The League Thinks Is More Important?...
L.A. CLIPPERS +3.5 $100.00/$92.59 (The Clippers Can't Afford To Lose Any More Games And New Orleans Really Is A .500 Team...)
Final Scores:
https://preview.redd.it/s1n7m9grycra1.png?width=1101&format=png&auto=webp&s=6776b8a9f29b69b7764ecf606edb57426fd7c285 https://preview.redd.it/lssvna5xycra1.png?width=1074&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9446a984e6ff5eb31b81a436e14039eb55a94ca Legend Bans & Scores:
Round 1 Bans: Seer + Valk
MACDOWN 2 --- SAUCE 20, WATTSON 19, AJNASSUDAH 13, DEZIGN 13, TEQ 7, GENT 7, RAMBEAU 5, CLANE 4, LOU 4, SHINY 3, STOMPEZ 3, MONSOON 3, SWEET 3, ENEMY 2, VERHULST 2, REPTAR 1, FUN 1, YANYA 0, KNOQD 0, AVEXYS 0 --- GAME 2 of 6 IN PROGRESS (SP then WE)
Round 2 Bans: Wraith + Bloodhound
MACDOWN 2 --- RamBeau 27, Dezign 26, Wattson 22, Sauce 20, Verhulst 19, gent 16, Ajnassudah 13, Monsoon 13, Enemy 12, TeQ 12, lou 9, Fun 7, Clane 7, Shiny 5, Stompez 5, sweet 5, Avexys 3, Reptar 1, YanYa 1, knoqd 0 --- GAME 3 of 6 IN PROGRESS (SP then WE)
Round 3 Bans: Bang + Cat
MACDOWN 2 --- Wattson 42, RamBeau 38, Verhulst 31, Sauce 30, Dezign 28, Enemy 23, gent 22, Shiny 18, Ajnassudah 14, Monsoon 13, Fun 13, TeQ 12, lou 12, Clane 8, Stompez 8, sweet 7, Avexys 6, knoqd 5, YanYa 3, Reptar 2 --- GAME 4 of 6 IN PROGRESS
Round 4 Bans: Maggie + Caustic
MACDOWN 2 --- Sauce 47, Wattson 46, RamBeau 42, Verhulst 34, Dezign 34, Monsoon 33, TeQ 29, Enemy 23, Shiny 22, gent 22, Ajnassudah 20, lou 20, Fun 19, Clane 18, knoqd 10, Stompez 9, sweet 7, Avexys 6, YanYa 5, Reptar 3 --- GAME 5 of 6 IN PROGRESS
Round 5 Bans: Ash + Crypto
MACDOWN 2 --- RamBeau 53, Sauce 50, Wattson 47, Verhulst 40, Monsoon 39, Dezign 37, Clane 33, TeQ 30, Ajnassudah 30, Fun 30, sweet 29, Enemy 28, lou 25, Shiny 23, gent 22, knoqd 13, Avexys 12, Stompez 9, YanYa 5, Reptar 5 --- GAME 6 of 6 IN PROGRESS
Banned characters stay banned till the end.
Scores & Info Teams:
https://preview.redd.it/3rnlawiiycra1.png?width=855&format=png&auto=webp&s=1198a7dc263e1b84147d78e4f6601371eb5e2378