[Nokination]

I really didn't like how they handled the two major plots of this episode. First, the Rintaro plot, I like the idea of Rintaro feeling the need to get stronger to the point of endangering his well-being, but I really dislike how all his training is just glossed over and not shown to us. We're told that this room is dangerous, but we never see why, and the only scene we get of the room itself is Rintaro having a flashback to his master, which I like, but I'd appreciate more substance to the plot.

The shows main issue for me is mainly its breakneck pacing, for a show with 47 episodes (and one special 48th episode), you'd think that the writers would let the show rest a bit more, but instead the show likes to just rush things through, there's a reason that the principle of 'show, don't tell' exists.

But aside from that, onto my issues with the second/main plot of this episode, the search for Avalon I don't dislike it as much as the Rintaro stuff, but I still don't exactly like it. I don't exactly have a problem with its pacing, but I dislike the execution. The "rift between worlds" thing is okay, but once Touma enters Avalon itself is where my issues start, I just really don't like the clich? of "you have to not want the power to get it" and I'd have preferred if it was just Touma entering, getting the Wonder Ride Book and then doing the trial. Instead of there being some strange person telling him some cryptic advice to be able to get the book.

As I already said, the search for Avalon plot is only a minor gripe for me, and I probably wouldn't have written as much as I did on it, if it weren't for me already disliking the Rintaro plot in this episode, And even though, I've written a lot about my dislikes of this episode, I still consider it at least okay, and it's not like it would make me drop the series, I just really didn't like how the writers handled those two plots.