Wow I freaking knew it. Just when I was wondering what became of Earth’s deck after merging his data with Onizuka, I had a bad feeling Crystal Heart was going to be used. I just wasn’t sure how he was going to use it. It’s rather fitting to see Crystal Heart in this corrupted edition, because that’s basically what’s happening. And it’s heart-wrenching to see Earth’s data be used in this way, and for Aqua to have to witness this ordeal as well. Flame and Ai are especially furious.
Seriously, that was so messed up.
Even though Onizuka had descended into the dark side, unfortunately every time he’s on the screen he continues to bore me. So I am hoping the circumstances which has been presented to us, is finally the opportunity to get him out of the way for the remaining of the series. While he does make an excellent villain who traded his soul for power, his character remains stale. This is the consequence of having a really weak early game, because he started out as a shallow character that was being written more as a shadow and mix of characters from previous series, than as his own. His “entertainment” duels were not even remotely exciting, except for one or two surprises that would only work the first time of its use.
The only thing that has been consistent about Onizuka’s character though, is his regressive development. Sure, he has ‘evolved’ as a duelist, but as an individual, it has been a downwards trend. He has been whining like a baby because he is a sore loser, who is jealous of Playmaker’s fame and success. In the end that’s what he has become, and was willing to even go as far as trading his soul to the devil, and look where he is now. His greed and petty grudge against Playmaker are destroying him both inside and out. I will honestly be surprised if Onizuka doesn’t collapse or fall into critical condition after this duel.
What’s going to be really interesting though, is how the preview brought up the importance of believing in yourself. I am really looking forward to this highlight, because this is exactly what Onizuka’s character lacks. Ever since Playmaker knocked him off his high horse, he pretty much lost everything that contributes to his confidence. His so-called ‘fans’, “entertainment” style and his title as “King”, everything taken a blow to his self-esteem. That’s why he treaded down this dark path. If he had faith he would be able to defeat Playmaker through his own ability, he wouldn’t have shook hands with the devil. At the very least, this is a little something I look forward to see how it plays out next week.
However there was a curious thought that had popped in my mind, and that was wondering what would happen if it were Aoi/Aqua VS Onizuka with Earth’s Data? Would Earth’s data of his feelings surface? I would suspect it would, since he felt so strongly for her. Even though Crystal Heart is corrupted and not the same as it was before, I don’t think even Onizuka’s and SOL Technology’s corruption would be enough to corrode his true feelings. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe that kind of match-up would have been a lot more interesting than Onizuka VS Playmaker, as we have seen this time and time again, and the results has always been the same.
And we sure as hell don’t want that to change in these circumstances!
But Aqua and Aoi weren’t the only ones who caught my attention, Spectre looking quite disturbed and upset about what has become of Earth’s data was also very interesting to me. Once again, it is a shame we are probably not going to be able to see these potential match-ups, so as long Onizuka falls out of commission (who knows, maybe he will prove to be hardier than he looks, despite the fact he looks like he at the verge of death at this point). There is however a realm of possibility Earth’s data will be transferred to a different lab-rat, once Onizuka can no longer function.
Although the talk during the duel pretty had me rolling my eyes the entire time, it was the events outside of that which really grasped my attention. Outside of Link VRAINS, we see Akira finally connecting the dots on the ground, becoming even more visibly disturbed by the lengths Queen is willing to go to obtain “data”. He is upset about this, and the fact she refuses to indulge him more information on the matter. (Which is an understatement considering how obvious he is about not being on the same page— you couldn’t be at least a little more subtle, Akira?) This really makes me wonder if this might be the tipping point for making Akira quitting the company altogether. No matter how I think of about it, unless Akira were to properly act like he is committed to SOL’s ambitious projects from the moment he decided he wants to secretly investigate the company, I really can’t see him making any headway whatsoever. What’s the point of claiming to serve as company’s lapdog if he can’t even behave like one, even just for show!
Anyhow, I guess we will find out soon enough what will become of both Onizuka’s and Akira’s fates!
A/N: If you haven’t already, please make sure to review the new Comment Section Policy. Thank you for understanding.
Someone should blast the the first opening of Tokyo Ghoul in the background. The lyrics strangely fit with GO’s character.
What caught my eye is the little audience when they saw Playmaker and GO dueling. Since there is a bigger audience rather than the usual SB/Flame/BM/Aqua quartet, I wonder how they would react to Go losing.
Now, I’m worried about the aftermath of the duel. Will Queen use a new test subject if Go were to lose or will she realize that she has no more use for him and then leave him in his ragged state and take out the AI chip? The villains have been very unpredictable, so it’s making me antsy on what happens next.
There is one thing that worries me a bit about the crowd watching it this time, and that’s using a cheesy trope of the users of the network suddenly begging for the old onizuka to come back. OTL||||| Obviously they are worried about him, but I’m really not interested in seeing such cheese.
I think the biggest question that comes to mind, does Queen and SOL even know about the Ignis war on Humanity? Right now all she is talking about profits profits profits, the war doesn’t seem to be in her mind at all. O-o;;;
I think Queen may be aware of it but doesn’t believe it’a happening. Look how they treated the Ignis: like a joke, not a human being. They only see humans as threat with the action against Akira last year.
So of course hubris is gonna be their downfall again. And plus, they are blinded by greed to see the truth.
If that’s the case, I can’t wait to see Lightning exploit them. They are gravely underestimating who they are messing with.
Go Onizuka sounds gross, menacing and dead inside at the same time. Props to his voice actor.
But Go Onizuka is intentionally being a fucking asshole, and not even in a funny way. Vector was a glorious bastard because he enjoyed being a glorious bastard, but Go Onizuka is just being an asshole cuz he’s salty that he lost to Playmaker SO LONG AGO. Even Kaiba’s grudge towards Atem wasn’t this overboard. Ai’s “Hey. Lets definitely crush him.” line was really well delivered. I don’t think we’ve ever heard Ai be so genuinely, hatefully angry. Revolver tried to destroy his world and killed him and he still attempted to reason with him. With Go Onizuka however he’s ready to watch his brain melt. Bonus points for Spector feeling conflicted about Crystal Heart being used for Go’s selfish reasons.
Roll him over Playmaker, you’re forgiven for once and just take him out for good already!
Kaiba still has obsession with dueling and defeating Atem, but he at least still has his pride, respect and most importantly, humanity.
Not forgetting that Go has becoming so conceited by saying he will take control over Ignis. I would love to see the spectators booing him for his change. Maybe that’ll help him realize how low he has fallen. He thinks defeating Playmaker will make people look at him again ? Yeah, maybe…in negative way that is. If after this he still hasn’t set his mind right, then Go can die for all I care.
I think the spectators booing him would only provoke him even more to crush PM. In his mind, if he defeats PM, he is the one at top. It’s hard to say whether or not he even cares about the audience’s recognition anymore. I think he’s only in it for himself.
I don’t think he’s in it for the fans anymore. Remember in his duel against Spectre, he learned that it was okay to duel selfishly. I think all of this is just for him and no one else.
ok this was the last nail in the coffin I don’t care if playmaker is the one who defeat him I only want him out of the picture for long time
I’ve been thinking for a while, but would it be possible for PM and Ai becoming one like Go? ButBof course, not by putting a chip into Yusaku’s brain like Go did, but more like complete synchronization between the two of them. This thought came to me after remembering Full Synchro in Rockman EXE series. They’ll get significant power up and solidify their bond.
Go’s Anti-Skill would negate PM’s Storm Access even though the preview showed PM seemingly performing Storm Access, so I wonder how PM will win if his Skill that he usually used in a pinch is negated.
If Earth’s data is still there…please let that means there’s still hope for Earth to recover! I wanna see him interact with Specter! Speaking about Specter, he doesn’t hate the Ignis like Ryoken does, but hunt them down because of his loyalty for Ryoken. But assuming that Earth’s fate affected him, I’m seeing a possibility that he’ll develop a new feeling regarding the Ignis and may feel conflicted between that new feeling and his loyalty for Ryoken. That would make a good character development for him!
That damn wretched Queen! She would be willing to go this far only for the sake of money?! Not only this one, she and the other higher ups also covered up the Lost Incident, letting the children suffer from trauma and won’t give them closure just for the sake of making profits from the Ignis as well 10 years ago! Urgh, right now I hate SOL more than Windy and Lightning! Somebody, please just destroy SOL already!
Hm… I’m wondering if maybe that might have been a part of Dr. Kogami’s goal all long. Perhaps he thought if they Ignis and Human partner were to be be in sync, they could lead Humanity to a brighter future. Sure he spoke about the Ignis leading Humanity, but to do so, they needed a Human to develop such free will, which is their origin.
Yeah I thought it was weird to see Storm Access seemingly being used, so I’m seriously wondering how the hell they are going to work around that, unless they make it so Onizuka can’t use his skill? I can’t remember if the conditions still applied to him or not.
I hope if/when Earth is recovered, I really want to see him interact with Specter. It will be quite poetic if he ends up being the one to save and restore him.
I suspect that Revolver know who is Earth’s partner which is Spectre given that Ryoken is remaining silent and keeps secrets about stuff such as in season 1, hiding the fact that he knew who is Playmaker.
Of course he would know the Ignis and their respective partners. He is the son of the man behind Lost Incident after all. It would be weird if he doesn’t know. In Season 1, he knew that Playmaker is a victim, but didn’t know which one of them. Only until he finally found out Yusaku that he knew Ai is not just a random Ignis end up in Playmaker’s possession, but the Ignis based on Playmaker himself.
You know, I also had a bad feeling Earth’s data was gonna be assimilated into Go’s AI chip and we were both right. But that corrupted Crystal Heart was what really shocked me! I felt really bad for Aqua, as that was her card before she gave it to Earth, and it is a symbol of how much he romantically loves her. Ai’s right though, Go is truly acting like a child. He just refuses to believe it or even listen to anyone. I don’t think Go can ever return to his previous self even if defeats Playmaker. Even the public was quite shocked to see Go look so different than before. Go is truly beyond saving right now, but Playmaker still wants to save him despite everything. I guess it shows that Playmaker has a hidden kind side and is truly grateful for Go’s help in giving him information to defeat Revolver. Yusaku has softened up quite a bit since the beginning of the series when he refused to work with anyone and now sees the value of comrades and wishes to have more allies to help in the fight against Lightning’s faction.
You’re right about Spectre. I noticed it too when I was watching the live stream of this episode this morning. For someone quite cold-hearted and sadistic, he seemed quite upset by what he was seeing. Ryoken noticed it too. After all, Earth is the Ignis based off of him and I bet he was horrified to see him used for a terrible purpose like that. I do remember he did shed a tear for Earth’s death even though he didn’t know what it was he felt. Spectre now probably understands what he was feeling back then, despite never having met his Ignis partner before.
Queen is truly a greedy and corrupted businesswoman. Her ways of gaining more a profit for SOL are quite shady, especially after she openly admitted that she ordered her SOL subordinates to put Earth’s data into the AI chip. The way she openly admitted it was quite casually too as if nothing she did was wrong. No, I wouldn’t even say it’s shady anymore. It’s completely wrong! And she doesn’t even care if Go could die from this experiment as long as he fulfills her purpose of making her company wealthier than before. She’s definitely crossed the line! And she says she utilizes all data effectively!? What she ordered was completely unethical and illegal, especially if Go gets hurt. Not to mention the subordinates at SOL but Akira were completely ignorant about what’s going on and just did what Queen said. But I guess that’s also the reality of business as well. I’ll bet Akira will probably be the whistleblower at this rate. He was getting increasingly uncomfortable with Queen’s questionable actions and eventually lost his cool. I guess Akira has proven despite being on SOL’s side, he’s actually acting as a double agent for Team Playmaker and is working to gather intel for them. I have a prediction, and I’ll bet that Queen knows Blue Maiden’s true identity as Aoi Zaizen despite not being Blue Angel anymore. I hope she doesn’t blackmail Akira into turning Aoi knowing that his younger sister has the WATER Ignis Aqua.
Yeah there’s no saving him. He completely lost himself. I really do wonder if they will go as far as killing his character off. While it would make sense, considering his health in deteriorating at an alarming pace, I wouldn’t be surprised if the worse of it trapping him in a comatose and suffers from brain damage which will then probably result an amnesia of sorts. Either way, it’s way too late into the show to ‘redeem’ his character, and I’d much rather them not waste anytime trying to do so.
Oh good point about Akira potentially being a whistleblower, I forgot about that possibility! That would be one way to shut them down. But at the same time, that will put a target on his back, much like the mysterious deaths of his parents and others. If I recall correctly, it’s impossible to trace down certain individuals SOL had gotten rid of.
Wow it’s been a long time since they actually mentioned that. I wonder if we are about to see this play out in the present time O_o;;; Akira better watch his back…