[Fish Sandwich]

I'll just come right out and say I actually thought this was a really good episode. It's held back by the things Ryusoulger has already messed up prior, but on its own merits, it's a very exciting first half of a two-parter.

The thing that most amazed me was seeing multiple characters all getting good development at once. I've complained over and over about how shallow everyone is so far (to the point the "main" trio are almost nonentities), but they actually did a great job here. We get to see Bamba being protective of Towa, Koh lets his anger get to him when confronting the guy who killed his mentor (which is the kind of classic drama you can't go wrong with), and, most surprisingly of all, the show actually tackled the whole murder thing head on, showing Towa gradually come around to a different point of view after experiencing events that give him cause to rethink things. It would work better if the beginning of him softening up last episode had been more fleshed out, but I'm willing to meet Ryusoulger halfway.

Like I said at the start, this episode is strong taken by itself, and if the characterization going forward is consistently this up to snuff, I'll shut my mouth about how bad it is real fast. Combine the stronger writing with action that was still visually interesting in parts, despite the lack of Kamihoriuchi, and I really don't have anything but positives for this one. I'm finally beginning to feel some investment in the heroes, and consequently, I'm genuinely excited to see how this wraps up next week.