[TF RyuShin]

A bit late to join ep 34 and 35. I refrain to base my opinion solely on ep 34 because there's a bigger picture that you can only see after watching ep 35. Those two episodes might not be the best in terms of the plot and, at the of the day, those episodes don't add much beside preparing the Ark's appearance.

Still, it's such a nice breath of fresh air to see Horobi finally taking up the stage. By this point, I kinda miss Horobi's MO and actions in motion as hypocrite it could be. I enjoy seeing Gai for the past few episodes but we're at the point where Gai is basically just a chump villain. If ep 34 - 35 centered around Gai again, I think the reception would have been even more terrible. Seeing Horobi taking the spotlight here was the best direction the show could have taken in this point of story. In addition, if anyone deserved to kick Gai's ass again, Horobi was the best choice to do that.

I also find it funny about how they handle Aruto and Jin's relationship here. I usually dislike the way most characters in this series rarely maximize their interactions with people outside their faction. You know Aruto still bonds with Fuwa and Jin, but I doubt it was as close as between Aruto and Izu. So it's very funny to see Aruto questioned why Jin was on Horobi's side. Yeah, Jin helps Aruto here and there during this arc but that's only because they have mutual conclusion or enemy. Jin might believe in Aruto's vision but his loyalty is still with Metsubojinrai, especially Horobi. I'm glad Takahashi used this style of writing so Jin didn't become a carbon copy of Parado. If he wanted, he could just write Jin the same way like he wrote Parado. Thank God we didn't get Parado 2.0 here.

Regarding Horobi, I think most people dislike Horobi because of his hypocrite. While I certainly agree with that, how they handled it was quite nice. Not the best but serviceable. In short, human is always a hypocritical creature like it or not. We as humans are not perfect. So the way how Horobi was doing those hypocritical actions and being dazed by his own contractions really humanized him a bit. Horobi needs to realize he's more than just a mindless machine who must do something to the letter. If you see ep 34 - 35 as a story of Horobi's wrongdoings again, you might disappoint yourself. However, if you see these episodes as a prelude for Horobi's journey to finally acknowledge his own heart, maybe it would give a better side of perspective.

I certainly agree these two episodes might not be the best offer Zero One have. If I can, I could make a huge criticism for how they handled Horobi. In spite of that, I still these two episodes are still serviceable for what they are. Could it have been better? Yes. Are you content with this episode? I firmly can say yes. After going through huge misstep in the Job Arc, a single fluke in this episode was nothing. Mistakes are bound to happen, just make sure you are not bounded by those mistakes. Better write this one, you would need it later.