English Dub Review: The Gymnastics Samurai “Battling Samurai”
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)
Jotaro competes in a local competition, though Minamino sweeps it with his moves, even intimidating most of the other contestants into stumbling after he nails an impressive jump. Jotaro proves he can still stick in the running, though. Also, the guys in sunglasses catch up to Leo, who disappears with them at the end and only leaving a note.
OUR TAKE
We finally get to see some of the most promising gymnasts at their fiercest, but I have to say, it ends up being quite the bore. I’m sure gymnastics isn’t meant to be a hot blooded fight like a lot of sports are portrayed in media, never mind anime, but considering what other seemingly mundane competitions that animation has managed to turn into thrilling contests, it seems like something they could easily do here with some proper direction. Not that it can’t be visually impressive to see people doing these sorts of exercises anyway, but as it is, it just ends up feeling like we’re watching someone animate their intense fascination with the male physique. Which, hey, more power to you if you appreciate that, and I suddenly have a new empathy for people who probably grew up watching others ogle a lot of fanservice over plot, but I need some clear story to follow. And it doesn’t help that I don’t think Jotaro, the title character, gets to compete on screen at all this episode, or at least not in any way that stuck out. I guess you could say this Is about showing how Minamino is so much better, but wouldn’t it be better to compare the two and how they’ve grown a bit since their last encounter a couple of episodes ago?
Oh yeah that reminds me, this episode only came out to two weeks after the last one! That’s gotta be a record in speed! But in all honestly, my brain is so used to weekly releases that this bi-weekly at the earliest release schedule basically means my mind quickly loses the events of the last episode but when the next one rolls around, I feel like I have to reboot an old file in my mind to recall everything. As I’ve said before, I know this isn’t anyone’s fault, especially since things in Texas, where Funimation is based, aren’t going to be back to normal operations any time soon with the pandemic still raging in full force. But I also can’t help but notice the impact this is having on my attention span with this series. Then again, it doesn’t really seem to impact how I’ve been mentally keeping up with shows like Fire Force and Higurashi, so it might just be that this show is just that unremarkable. I guess we’ll find out as it goes along.
