[Matrixbeast]

Finally finished the show. And I'm of...Very mixed feelings about it.

So to get the things that irked me off my chest, as well as maybe getting some clarity about things that I might have misunderstood.
I disliked how the Creation King was just an object. Yeah, he did some stuff, but ultimately, he was just a background item that characters argued about. Then the revelation that he has no will of his own? That just felt so odd, especially when flashbacks showed him turning a lab into a pile of body parts before he started to cry.
I dunno.

I also wasn't really feeling Kotaro. I get the Logan vibe they were going for (And I know this style of aged hero was done way before Logan. It's just the first example that came to mind ), but they didn't give him enough life. They lacked a strong reason for why he'd protect Aoi. Yeah, she had a Kingstone, but that was kind of it. He also lacked personality. I get that he's supposed to have basically given up on life and etc, but he doesn't have to be so bland.

And the biggest problem I had was the ending. Black becoming the Century King and then being milked for Heaven, despite the series hinting that someone with a strong enough will could become the Century King without becoming a glorified cow? Then dying? Uh, okay.
Then Aoi taking a page from Shadow Moon's book and training children to kill and basically becoming terrorists? Nawh, I'm not cool with that.

I get that fixing one problem won't solve everything. That's what the ending was trying to get across in that the Kaijin are still being discriminated against. It doesn't fix that it's wildly out of character for Aoi to suddenly turn into a terrorist with a literal child army.

Anyway, that off my chest, there was plenty I liked. Aoi, aside from her sudden shift at the end, was a strong protagonist. She literally lost everyone and kept on fighting, which is what I like to see.
The themes of racism and prejudice are so in your face it hurts, but I'm glad they addressed it. The show made it very clear that hatred and bigotry prevails because the common man won't stand up to stop it. They'd rather duck their head and ignore it, and hope it goes away. Shunsuke's lynching for trying to stand up to them was a strong moment, and I'm glad it served for Shadow Moon's breaking point.

I also really enjoyed the action. Very well done. Them using their torn off insect legs as swords is crazy.

Honestly, this show was alright. It's key theme is hatred, and unfortunately, it's not about overcoming hatred, but rather, fighting hatred with more hatred, if the ending is any indicator.