[Locke]

Hibiki 09.

The action is getting a lot better, or maybe my eyes are adjusting to the quality of these rips, but the monster designs are legitimately awful. Even if this was a showa rider I'd laugh at those pathetic suits. It barely looks like they're even trying to differentiate the suits and costumes any more, so it's basically the same monster over and over with a different CGI abomination to wrap it up.

Still the biggest problem for me is Asumu, I know people have gone on about the 'coming of age' story that Hibiki is "truly about" but there is no attempt to weave the a and b plots together as one cohesive unit. So while Hibiki is driving the main plot AND providing all the thrills, we have to cut away just as we're getting invested to Asumu over sleeping or getting hit in the face with a handbag. It's as frustrating as it is plain boring. Even when we cut away to Ibiki who is like the backup of the backup, he brings more than Asumu does.