Kismet is most commonly defined as “fate” or “destiny.” I thought it was an interesting choice of title for this episode. Whose fate is the result of manipulation? Who is following their path as a result of free will?
The first third of episode three contains a lot of discussion amongst some of the top members of JUNGLE. We see Yukari Mishakuji, Kuroh’s rival, the parrot which acts like a conduit for the Green King’s words, and the J-Rank boy named Sukuna Gojou. There is also the housekeeper/caretaker, Iwahune Tenkei (called Mr. Iwa by his clansmen), and tucked away in the corner we finally meet the Green King himself, Nagare Hisui, face-to-face. I don’t know what anyone was expecting, but I didn’t think I’d see a young man straight-jacketed into some kind of restraint chair. Is this because of his tenuous grasp on sanity, or perhaps his power is so great that he can’t be allowed to move around freely?
… Is it like the floating chairs from Wall-E? >_>
Yukari, Sukuna and Nagare discuss the Silver King’s return, and Sukuna enthusiastically declares that he’d be interested in any new game that Nagare creates. We see that Nagare is very focused on the Silver King and what is happening with the First King’s clansmen, leading to his new mission for Yukari and Sukuna – to kill Kuroh but bring Neko to him unharmed. Apparently this is because he and Neko are “similar.” So Nagare is a Strain too? And Neko has a human name?! I definitely didn’t see that coming.
I really liked some of the creative product placements easter eggs tucked away into the opening scene with JUNGLE. For example if you look closely, Mr. Iwa is using a Dyson- sorry, a BISON vacuum. (¬‿¬) Even the beer Mr. Iwa is drinking looks like product placement, but I can’t read the kanji so I don’t know if this is the case or not. ^^;; Lastly, the video game that Sukuna plays on the TV looks like a game version of the animation JUNGLE broadcasted all over the city in the previous episode, which I thought was a nice tie-in/throwback.
I also enjoyed the scene with HOMRA, and was glad to see Yata trying to step up and prove himself as a responsible person to Anna. Great, he’s going to take Neko’s missing item to her, that’s nice– wait they’re what? Panties?!? *facepalm* Exactly as Yata said, how the hell does someone forget their freaking underwear?? ಠ╭╮ಠ Every time I think this show is taking a step forward in terms of their female characters, it pulls something like this and I feel like we’re back to square one.
His blush is cute, but really could they not have picked any other item??
The last scenes of this episode take place on the school island, and while a couple of incidents don’t seem to be that important, they demonstrate that the Green clan’s infiltration of the school has already begun. As Yukari points out during his fight with Kuroh at the end of the episode, JUNGLE is growing everywhere, and as hard as Kuroh is trying to protect his home territory, JUNGLE is still sneaking through. Just how many students are already on the JUNGLE network completing missions?
The fight between Kuroh and Yukari at the very end of the episode heralds the return of Shiro, and his arrival halts Kuroh’s impending execution at the hands of his former sempai. Huzzah, welcome back Shiro!
My thoughts: I think the only thing I really disliked about this episode was the panty mission. Everything else was pretty stellar. Bonus points go to Yata and Fushimi, who bump into each other at the high school and end up teaming together to try to defeat Sukuna (he was given his own mission, to defeat Yata & Fushimi for the points). Yay for continual character growth! And if you’re a fan of the music in this series like I am, you’ll probably like the theme during the Yukari x Kuroh fight scene – as far as I can tell, it’s a slightly remixed version of the song which plays at the beginning of episode one! That’s a very pretty piece of music right there, especially with the new emphasis on strings ~ <3
Overall I’m very happy with how this series is continually adding in new plot details, as they keep me interested and wanting to watch more. Now that Shiro has returned, I am even more excited for future episodes. Yukari wants to see the “beautiful world” that Nagare is trying to create, but with the Silver King back and in top form, will Yukari live long enough to see it?
“Every time I think this show is taking a step forward in terms of their female characters, it pulls something like this and I feel like we’re back to square one.”
You’re right. I think K trying really hard to win everyone. Bishonen for (straight) ladies and fanservice for straight male. I know woman that get turned off by fanservice on K, and dropped it. There’s also men that get turned off by bishounen. It came across weird to me. Idk ma.n Maybe K should made up their mind. Either went full fanservice by put more women or cut off female fanservice completely.
I don’t mind fanservice for guys, but I just wish that it were tasteful. Cleavage is ok; slicing a woman’s clothes from her neckline to her panties is not. Having big boobs is ok; having them jiggle all over the place with the slightest movement is not. But I agree, it seems like they’re trying to give fanservice to everyone and it comes off a little flat.
Don’t even get me started on how fanservice differs between genders either. ;P
Yep. Shiemi from Ao no Exorcist is an example that you can have a character with big breast and not overly sexualized them, but then again Ao no Exorcist is written by woman, so *shrug*
“Don’t even get me started on how fanservice differs between genders either. ;P”
Yeah. In promo art, you can see Kukuri panties. I’m glad there’s no panty shot involving Anna. I am a woman myself. I like K, but if someone were to tell me that K is a great representation for female character, I will roll my eyes.