Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: March 2, 2021
Monkey-like creatures giving teeth, an old lady collecting them, and a good old fist fight. Nothing ordinary here!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Summary
Kozakura calls Sorao and Toriko for a meeting at her place. To their surprise, Akari Seto joins the meeting to discuss another job for the duo: another damsel in distress! The trio heads out to solve a new mystery!
New Friend and New Trouble
Akari Seto introduces Sorao and Toriko to her longtime friend Natsumi Ichikawa (Nattsun) who has been experiencing some paranormal trouble recently; another urban legend that becomes real. Natsumi was recently visited by a monkey-like creature that gave her some human teeth. Strange, right? It gets even stranger. An old lady, known as Kano Sannuki, will arrive to collect the teeth. Almost like an ominous tooth fairy Afterward, she will give the person more teeth to bury. Doing so should prevent strange/unfortunate events from happening and the return of the old lady.
Sadly, Nattsun throws the teeth away and tragic events haunt her family. Actually, the things that happen to Nattsun are dark and creepy enough to freak any regular human out. Good thing she’s a tough cookie! On top of being physically and mentally strong, she has a soft spot for Akari Seto*winks in Yuri*. Further, Nattsun found Satsuki Uruma (tutor of Akari) incredibly creepy and strange back when she was still around. Was the feeling merely young love’s jealousy? Or genuine suspicion of a strange person?
When in Doubt, Punch it Out!
Sannuki shows up while Sorao, Toriko, and Akari help Nattsun out. The old lady is not just any regular oldie! She has the power to take teeth straight from a person’s mouth without so much as a touch. Omega creepy! Apart from the evidently evil aura, the old lady’s design is nothing outlandish. Sorao uses her special eye to ascertain the true nature of Sannuki which turns out to be some grotesque creature posing as a human. Instead of shooting, Akari attempts to combat the mysterious supernatural being with karate. Yes, that’s right. Good old punching and kicking. To aid the karateka, Sorao gazes at Akari and buffs her up while also commanding fearlessness (reminiscent of Lelouch’s geass). The karateka ends up going berserk and beats the creature to nothingness. This is incredibly interesting since Sorao seems to have a new ability with her eye but the details are despicably vague.
Sorao's Sorrows
The episode opens up with the dynamic duo discussing Sorao’s hair growth. Toriko suggests growing it out because she’d look cute with long black hair. However, Sorao thinks the long black hair would be “nice” because it resembles Satsuki’s own hair. And so, the question arises in her mind: does Toriko simply want her to look like Satsuki? Ouch. On top of this hair issue, Akari mentions that Sorao actually resembles Satsuki! Double ouch. Or perhaps, is there something more to this resemblance?
VERDICT
Author's Rating: 6.5/10
This episode opened with such a wonderful premise! The horrific urban legend coming to life was a fantastic source of conflict but the excitement was lost as everything felt condensed and shallow. Kano Sannuki’s story promised more horror than it delivered. The trouble from the old lady felt lacking and the resolution was rushed. Sorao’s surprise ability was bizarre but it also seemed like she knew what she was doing (perhaps she’s a Code Geass fan). Unfortunately, the build-up of the episode was more entertaining the climax. On a more positive note, the events (especially the little bits about Sorao’s resembling Satsuki) that transpired also brought up more thrilling questions! With only 3 episodes left, viewers hope to have at least some of these queries answered.
What will the ladies face next? How do they intend on finding Satsuki at this point? Will they have enough time for a picnic? Find out next week!
How do you find the series so far? Let us know in the comments!
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