Beyblade Burst

I am very much approaching this with the attitude that this is a kids show, and I will thus not take it completely seriously for that reason. I mean, the first episode is as generic and introductory as a first episode can actually get. It introduces a couple of main characters with the general concept of what we're watching; the outcome of this episode feels unearned, unfortunately, but I understand it's likely a set up for future so I won't hate everything based off of just this small snippet of what's to come. I think this has potential to just be silly, but I just hope that letting Beyblades rip isn't the only thing that ever happens - what I mean by that is, I hope we get some character and overarching plots on top of the main concept of what's happening.

A lot of action went on this episode, and I'm not mad about it. It's as dramatic as ever and I will never hate dramatics, so that's by no means a negative. I'm still not exactly invested in what's happening - we're just doing a bunch of world building as of current so there's not a lot to be excited about - but it's still nice seeing the world expand upon itself piece by piece. Next episode is being set up a little to be rather intense (I feel), so I hope it can kind of keep this vibe up since it's not an entirely abhorrent watch.

Okay, I'm starting to get used to the pacing and general structure of this series right now and, I will admit, the cliff-hanger is annoyingly compelling. I wouldn't say that I'm invested in anything right now, but the characters are starting to develop their own personalities and quirks bit by bit, so I hope that they develop further in episodes to come. Overall, I enjoyed this more than the pilot just because the overarching episode arc felt more rounded and coherent so, if the further episodes follow a similar structure to this, I won't be criticising everything too much.

The start to the episode was rather annoying, frankly speaking, but the second battle sort of carried the vibes. I love when we have some intensity and conflict, and the second half most definitely brought that. There was even a moment where I felt genuinely invested for a second, which I never would have expected given the general repetitiveness of the battles thus far. While the comedy is still slightly lacking, the action makes up for it this episode. I also don't know what's going to happen to Shu; it would be unsatisfying for his arm to break (which it surely, inevitably will) during the finals, but I refuse to believe he'll lose to Beethoven (Headphone Man), so I truly have no idea. I guess I just have to keep watching to see the outcome of that storyline.

Feels like a little bit of unnecessary nonsense in some ways went on this episode. I mean, I guess it was a little needed to see Valt reconnecting with why he liked Beyblading, but I still feel like this character arc should have realistically happened way, way further in the series after he becomes obsessed with winning or something - just my opinion though. The comedy wasn't enough to carry this to a top score, either, so it remains at a relatively unimpressive score for me. I know we got some new developments with Shu, but that's not the most relevant thing as of current and the fallout will only happen in the next little while, so, again, it's not enough to carry the episode. Here's to hoping the next will be better.

I know we're probably supposed to take this episode very, very seriously, but, I'm sorry, the whole of the last sequence is one of the funniest things this series has offered to me. Additionally, the whole of the interaction with Wakiya didn't need to happen at this point in time; it would have been in Wakiya's benefit to leave it all to later but, alas, my boy had to be a menace for the sake of it. It kind of goes without saying that this was very entertaining, and Valt crashing out is forever burned into my mind (in a good way). Overall, small stakes in this episode, but huge hilarity.

Just a cute episode about character motivations and evolving one's skills. I'm not sure how much I trust Wakiya's motivations (the ones he states at the end of the episode, I mean) but, aside from that, everyone else felt fluffy and rather earnest. I'm glad we kind of had less of an action-packed episode this time since it builds up character profiles for the next episode, especially with Dungaree Boy because I would have just called him an NPC in the next episode. Nonetheless, things are falling into a steady rhythm with the series, and I am rather enjoying the time I spend with it.

So far, the episodes are gradually getting better one by one. The outcome of the main battle felt earned and I wasn't expecting the judging to go in the way it did. A new "antagonist" (skull man gives off that vibe) gets a little bit of time to shine which helps to establish his ability just a little bit before we inevitably have to see him in the future. They're doing a fine job keeping the series from feeling redundant right now, but my only wonder is if it ever gets repetitive because, with such few/limited rounds to be played, I wonder just how many combinations of tricks and whatnot there can actually be. This will all of course come out in future, but it's not an issue right now so, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter currently.

A good start to the final match-up between our two rivals. Clearly, there's a lot happening between these characters which needs to be bashed out between them, and this final gives the perfect time for them to do so. Overall, I think Shu's probably going to be okay for the whole of the final, but then the consequences of his actions will happen afterwards. My prediction is that our main character wins (it's a shounen and it's a first competition), but at least he's had a bit of character development given what he discovered about Shu in the episode prior and the emotional weight of that. Good luck with your arm, Shu, you're gonna need it.

Rather all right an episode, but nothing to write home about. Generally speaking, nothing really came as much of a surprise this episode, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just makes an episode like this less interesting. The main match felt like it was over semi-quickly, but I did enjoy the way the two were kind of put on a similar pedestal of skill rather than having Shu be better just because. Nonetheless, the Shu injury storyline is sort of coming to ahead, so I'm curious to see how it impacts on the next episode's events and what the overall conclusion to this arc is going to be.

Wow, so, very mixed bag of emotions to dissect here. Thankfully, the main thing that happened this episode (while predictable) did feel a little earned, but not fully. Wakiya should never have ragebaited Valt all those episodes ago - I forever stand by that, and it was arguably the stupidest thing he did in the lead up to the competition. That half was very much enjoyable - maybe a little frustrating - but I have to take points off for Orochi's existence, both while he was watching the Valt vs Wakiya match, and for the start of his own. I genuinely hate him, he's so pretentious, and I don't care that he's a child; bro annoys me every time he and his blaccent appears on screen. Because of this reason, I doubt next episode will be enjoyable for me, but I won't immediately hate it just because he'll be present; I promise I can separate bias, so I shall do my best.

I was laughing very much during this episode, very entertaining. I think that the overall structure of the Beyblade matches can feel slightly repetitive (in the way that there can only be so much innovation and combinations when someone wins as soon as they get two points) but, even if that's true, there's usually small details that make it seem not as repetitive. There was the playing around with different launches this episode, which was appreciated, and I hope they keep doing things like that. Overall, I think the egotistical, arrogant characters carried this episode - it was just funny, and I thank them for that.

So, against my will and better judgement, I'm starting to vibe with the silliness of what's going on. We keep the energy of last episode up, which is a pleasant surprise, and I can't help but have a soft spot for these characters acting completely irrationally and being funny while doing so. Fortunately for me, that seems to be the vibe for this series and it's getting better at doing what it does with every episode, so I'll be enjoying it. Characters are getting a little more fleshed out too and we keep world building while Valt unlocks new achievements. Solid, and just fun.

Okay, this is the kind of silly comedy I like to see in children's shows. I love people that speak so dramatically even though the situation doesn't demand anywhere near that level of intensity from them, and Skull Man very much took up that role this episode. Other than the funnies, we only dealt with one (real) match this episode, and that was one where I don't understand how everyone involved didn't somehow get frustrated while watching. Regardless, even though the outcome was obvious, I'm not mad at it. Also, the new character dynamics are rather sweet.