Oban Star-Racers

Showing the trio in action! I love how the teamwork between these three plays out. What happened near the end was really unexpected and honestly caught me so off guard that I had to pause and stare at my screen for a few minutes 😂. Well, I can't say I hate it, but... I guess it works! I really like the character, I just never thought he'd be the one...

At first, nothing too exciting happens to really wow me. But once the second half kicks in, we get a full-on kaiju battle! I guess the episode title kind of gives it away if you're paying attention, but just watch it for yourself. Fasten your seatbelt, it's a slow start that explodes into one of the best set-piece fights in the series so far!

This is what i'm talking about!! You can really feel the grand scale of this race. We're moving one step closer to the finale, and it's pure adrenaline fueled CGI sci-fi action! What more can I say? It's honestly hard to describe it in words.. you're better off witnessing the race for yourself!

Right off the bat, wow.. we already get an important and intense confrontation. It's weird seeing all the racers together like this. But the true motive on why this competition was held has never been clearer, and every racer seems hungrier than ever to claim the title of becoming the next Avatar!

Less racing and more worldbuilding in this one, which makes for a nice change of pace! The eerie atmosphere of the caverns and everything surrounding them does a great job creating a sense of mystery and fear of the unknown. Definitely one of the more atmospheric episodes so far.

Here we go, Don Wei is back to being his old grumpy self again~~ But he drops a very shocking reveal here that genuinely caught me off guard! Yeah... he's down bad 😂. A much more mellow episode with less high-intensity action, but you get plenty of flashbacks, and they're both good and necessary. Eva has every right to hate her father after everything that happened.

Some of these character's motive needs to be studied fr 😂. I already have a feeling this is going to turn into one of those classic stories where someone bad eventually turns good and sacrifices himself or gives the win to his friends, but we'll see~ This episode also raises a big question: why does every racer keep ganging up on the Earth Team? Very intense encounters throughout, and there's a huge reveal near the end that definitely got me interested!

Not gonna lie, Molly got on my nerves a little in this episode, and you'll have to watch it to find out why. This episode screams buildup, slowly revealing more and more pieces that will definitely set the stage for even bigger events in the episodes to come~

Warm start! We get a glimpse of the good old days and see how good of a husband Don Wei really was behind that grumpy face of his 😂. There were quite a few close calls for both Eva and Jordan during this episode's race that genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat. It follows a familiar pattern from previous episodes, but it just works and keeps me wanting more~~

Snowwwww!!! Love me some snow-covered race tracks. This one starts off with a quick recap of Don Wei talking about the family he left behind, which I found rather pathetic of him. As we all know, we're pretty far into the competition now, so the races naturally become more and more intense. It's no longer just about who's faster or stronger, but also about friendships being put to the test. Very interesting indeed. Enjoyable from start to finish! No complaints from me on this one.

Fun episode! Our party is still struggling to get accustomed to the new environment, new challenges, and everything that comes with it. But in my opinion, that's what makes it so good. The balance between satisfying outcomes and the obstacles they have to overcome is told in a simple but effective way that makes you actually care about what's happening and root for the characters you think deserve to win. The race environment in this episode is a very welcome change from before, though I don't know if it was a design choice or not.. the colors felt rather dull.

A slower episode, mostly introducing the new location. It doesn't take long before Molly and Jordan get into trouble again and meet the "locals." The race itself was solid, and the rivalry between Jordan and Prince Aikka was hilarious!

New planet! Finally we're reaching what looks like where the rest of the adventure is going to take place, Planet Oban. This place is beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. Imagine stepping foot into completely unknown territory. to be honest i'm so excited to see how everything unfolds. Oh, and it was a bit weird seeing one of the Earth crew leave the team this early, but I strongly believe he'll have an important role later on~

It's upgrade time! The Whizzing Arrow gets a new look, a new name, and definitely a new trick up its sleeve too, from the looks of it! It's super wholesome seeing a previous opponent now rooting for Molly, even though she's still as stubborn as usual 😂😂. Either way, this episode moves at a much faster pace than the previous one, with a lot more action and an especially intense race!

An aftermath of the previous race, and the Earth Team messed up big time! A chill watch, especially at the beginning, as it slows the pace down while still delivering important and unmissable story moments. It was nice to see so many characters stand up for Molly instead of blaming her. It also does a great job building toward the later half, leading to a very intense encounter at the end.

Very deep episode, this one. We get some flashbacks explaining Eva's connection to past events in her life, which I found really interesting as they give a lot of insight and further develop her character. Let's talk designs! This time around, the opponents have a really unique look. I'm a big fan of ravens, so this design really clicked with me. I love the mysterious yet minimalistic approach it brings. The race itself was super fun to watch!

Absolutely loved the rough, steampunk-y design of the Stone Crusher! This time around, the race isn't about who's the fastest, which was quite a surprise compared to the previous races. Super thrilling, and the CGI and animation quality were great. Really enjoyed this one!

We get a lighthearted training arc here, kinda like a pattern at this point, where between every race we get to slow things down a bit. It's kind of expected to have a pace switch like this, so I can't complain. The good thing is we still get some rather surprising reveals along the way.

Now that we're moving toward a major set piece, things start to get more serious, especially between the drivers, and it's cool to see how their dynamic changes. Also something worth mentioning at least from my personal opinion is, it may not be anything too crazy yet, but I love the sense of mystery, and it feels like the show is heading in a much grimmer direction, which I'm always a fan of!

Now we're entering the big league. A group of ominous-looking characters gets introduced, and they're all full of aura for sure. Kudos to the character designers, each of them has so much personality, even from their introduction alone. One in particular seems to have some connection to Eva and her father's past... the plot thickens~~