Yep, within one week of each other, we have another beach episode. But this time it isn’t a fun slice of life series. It actually IS an action show. Huh. Go figure. What wacky beach adventures await our heroes? Well let’s start it up and i’ll tell you.
So the episode begins with Ushio and the gang going to the beach because Bitch McGee’s grandparents happen to own a beach store. They make the best of it until they see a little kid throwing sand into their supplies.
Ushio tells the little fucker to cut that shit out, but Bitch McGee is more caring and understanding and tells him that it’s just a little kid and not to be too mad at him.
Wanting to go do his own thing, Tora heads out into the ocean where he meets a spirit who is supposedly in control over the people who die at sea as well as the yokai. He tells Tora that he needs some help as this giant monster formed from the spirits of the dead and are basically causing havoc in the ocean. Tora agrees to help destroy it and they go off together.
“eh, no prob, i was bored anyway.”
Meanwhile back with the annoying kid, we see that he’s still doing this crap to other people (they find out it’s because his mom died and he’s being an ass because of that) Ushio finally punches the little jerk in the head but Bitch McGee follows him to see he’s getting picked on by generic beach bullies.
Bitch McGee saves him and he breaks down and cries.
Anyway, as this episode seems to LOVE switching back and forth between the two plots, we go back to Tora who is trying to fight the thing, but to no avail. he tells the old spirit to go get Ushio and he’ll be waiting inside the giant monster.
Anywho back to the little boy storyline where he and Bitch Mcgee go on a boat ride together and get eaten by the giant monster.
Ushio is then approached by the ghost who tells him he has to help Tora. At that same moment the blonde girl tells him that Bitch Mcgee’s on the phone telling him they got eaten by a snake. (good reception)
There’s a short scene where Bitch McGee tells the boy about how to be brave and not worry and how Ushio was a jerk when he lost his mom too and blah blah blah I don’t care and i’ll explain why later.
Tora meets up with the two and saves them from random spirits from within the monster.
Ushio rushes over to save them at the last second from a giant inhaling mouth inside the monster (yeah…it’s weird)
Unfortunately the spear doesn’t seem to do that much good until he accidentally pulls the cloth off the spear and then it goes ape shit and stabs a hole in the thing’s…mouth..eye…face…thing.
After it is weakened thanks to that, they are easily able to destroy it, and all the souls that comprised it are now free to go to the afterlife.
In the aftermath of this, bitch mcgee of course had fallen unconscious during the whole time Ushio was there and only remembers Tora being there. The little boy learns a lesson about being brave and they head home.
Then after the credits we learn something interesting. The spirit thanks them for their help, but tells Tora to stay away from Ushio….because of his deceitful mother, who in fact, is still alive.
And that’s where the episode ends.
This episode… taught us two important things. 1. That Ushio’s mother is alive, and 2. That when the cloth is taken off the beast spear, weird shit happens. These are two things that are definitely the most interesting facets of this episode. These are the things I want to know more about, and why they are so. The thing I DON’T want to hear about, is Bitch McGee trying to have “Character Development”. I said I would explain later, and this is now later.
First off, I do not like this kind of character. I will flat out say it. I have never liked Akane from Ranma, Naru from Love Hina, or characters like that. I do not like violent Tsunderes. I do not care about their reason, I do not care if they have hearts of gold for puppies or kittens or whatever. I do not like them.
When you have a character like this, who is overtly violent to one character and nobody else, it is not enjoyable to watch, it is stupid and painful. It’s like you’re watching the playground when you’re 5 and a girl like’s a boy so she picks on him. It’s childish and any “oh, she’s an adult” message they’re trying to show in this episode is lost as she acts like this.
Bitch McGee likes Ushio. There is absolutely not doubt about this. It’s obvious. But of course she’s a prideful dumb fuck who just won’t admit it. There is no internal quarrel over whether she likes him or not, she KNOWS she does, she just won’t say it. This is why, even though the blonde girl isn’t the strongest character, she has already said in the past “yeah, i’d ask him out.” But only doesn’t because she’s waiting for Dumb Bitch fuck to say something to him.
They spent so long in this episode trying to show development for this chick. But all it did was make me more irritated at her. This is an irritatingly dichotomous character. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde. Except around Ushio, it’s always Hyde. If he pisses you off so much, don’t hang around him. If you like him, tell him. Stop with all this bullshit.
If they were trying to get me to understand that she’s “deeper” than just a bitch fuck, then they failed. I know what they’re trying to say is “Oh, well Ushio can be an ass so she acts that way in return. and that’s the only way she knows to communicate with him.” And I understand that. that doesn’t mean that she’s a good character or written well. This is a personal opinion of mine so if anyone disagrees, fine, but I do not care what they’re trying to do with her as it does not hit home with me as it seems to be a vain attempt to get me to not despise her….and it failed.
Overall though, I would say this episode was fun for the action parts, but annoying for the bitch mcgee parts. I am extremely interested to know about Ushio’s mom, but I don’t care about the side thing with the kid. It was far too cheesy for a show about monsters that bite people’s heads off.
All in all…the episode was….okay.
Episode 5.5/10
-Hideki
Here’s a question:
Has a violent tsundere ever been redeemed in your eyes, Hideki? If so, what did it take?