English Dub Review: Battle Game in 5 Seconds: “Hunter”

 

Overview: Akira (Robbie Daymond) and Yuri (Laura Stahl) team up once again to meet Kastuya Saito (Ryan Colt Levy) and discover the nature of the challenge that awaits them.  

Our Take: Every genre of anime has one or more quintessential flavor profile that is a universal trademark that, for better or worse, is a part of the meal as a whole. Whether it’s tentacles, fanservice, clumsy girls, or edgelords, these types of quirks spread far and wide. And one cannot truly call itself a Shonen, if you don’t have an off-brand Ginyu Force. They can generally range from unbearably annoying or a charming diversion and, in this case, they thankfully fall into the latter with the Red Dragon Team. Acting as a reunion for Akira and Yuri, they bring all the goofy poses and even feature the classical nerdy dude who creeps on girls, with Yuri being the series optimal victim.  However, they and Green Team’s Katusya Saito, who comes to our young protagonist’s aid, also introduce the expansive scale of the trial that Akira and Yuri must undergo. 

With differing factions that house three basic moral perspectives in that of good, bad and neutral represented through teams green, red and blue, respectively and it keeps it simple while clearly and quickly defining their objective. However, it is nice that the Blue team’s objectives and philosophies are still somewhat of a mystery, making them an unknown quantity in how they will affect the war between the Red and Green sides and interact with them. These three ways conflict also express the longevity and scale of this storyline with their currency system and in-depth base building, along with the varying established powers that be of each faction. 

When Akira and Yuri finally have a chance to catch their breath at Green Team’s camp, their budding friendship/romance is emphasized as endearing. It’s also clever how they poke fun at their emotional farewell at the end of last episode only to be undercut with their quick reunion highlighting their cute and awkward adolescence that is ever present, despite their harrowing circumstances. When the leader of Green Team, Yuuto, is finally introduced, he’s shown to be just as discerning and perceptive as Akira himself and is smartly written in understanding Akira to be the very same. Someone who can match Akira’s wits creates an equally strong ally as well as potential for a genuinely threatening antagonist. Especially if Akira goes through with blasting him. The real question is: Did Yuuto figure out Akira’s ability or did Akira genuinely consider him his enemy? Either way it’ll be fascinating to see how their relationship unfolds, even if Akira sides with the Green team, and how they try to figure each other out.