English Dub Review: Black Torch “Black or White”

Overview

Amagi’s dark ambitions have come to light, but Jiro is determined to save Rago and settle the score!

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Black Torch has a somewhat unusual opening, with more dialogue and exposition than action. Thankfully, things pick up as Jiro reunites with the team and we finally get to see everyone working together. The episode also gives us a flashback sequence that gives some much-needed context surrounding Amagi and his motivations, adding more depth to a character who has remained fairly mysterious throughout the series.

That said, the pacing continues to feel rushed, which is understandable given how quickly the story is approaching its conclusion. The animation and 3D work also don’t feel quite as strong as they did in earlier episodes, although there are still some nice moments throughout. There’s plenty of setup for the conclusion, and while some of it works better than others, the episode does a good job making it clear that we’re firmly in the endgame now.

Overall, this was a solid setup for the finale, even if it wasn’t the strongest episode of the series. I enjoyed seeing the characters come together, and the additional context surrounding Amagi helped strengthen his character without overshadowing everything else. With next week being the final episode, all that’s left is to see whether Black Torch can stick the landing.