Planting the Divine Sapling

The very beginning of Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter Episode 3 already disproved my theory from my Episode 2 review. As it turns out, Mebuki and the other Sentinels didn’t get trapped beyond the boundary while on their mission and need to be rescued.

They successfully made it back from their recon mission and were able to plant a Divine Tree sapling out in space, or whatever beyond the boundary is called. That’s great for both the Sentinels and the rest of humanity.

After all, the reason they need to plant a Divine Tree out there is so that the world can be restored — or so new portions of the world can be developed. I don’t remember what the catalyst for this was, but currently, only a portion of Japan exists.

The rest of the world outside of this portion of Japan is simply gone. The recurring shot of the bridge that’s been bent in an upward curve represents this. That’s the cutoff point for the known world, and everything beyond that has been erased by the Vertex.

Why this portion of Japan survived was because of the Divine Tree’s protection. And it was the Divine Tree that the Vertex were attempting to destroy in the previous seasons of Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

However, as we learn at the end of this week’s episode, the Divine Tree’s life is coming to an end. So even though the mission to plant a sapling beyond the boundary was successful, the Sentinels now need to go retrieve it and bring it back to prolong the Divine Tree’s life, and protection.

The Hero Club

One of the Sentinels, Suzume Kagajou, decided to check out the Hero Club to find out what made them so special. She doesn’t go to the same school as them, but the Hero Club at her own school was shut down despite being popular, which caused her to take interest.

It was during her sleuthing that she discovered the Hero Club is effectively a Taisha recruitment vehicle for Heroes. So, it’s kind of implied that the Hero Club at Suzume’s school was disbanded because the Taisha selected the girls of Yuna’s Hero Club to be the next Heroes.

(Un)fortunately for Suzume, she was caught tailing Karin and Fuu while they were out searching for a lost cat as part of their club activities. She was then taken back to their club room where she met the other Hero Club members, including Yuna, Itsuki, Togo, and Sonoko.

I liked how when Suzume was describing the activities performed by the members of the Hero Club to her Sentinel squadmates, they didn’t believe these were real club activities. I believe it was Mebuki who said they must be doing community service as a front to make their club seem legitimate.

Once again, this seems to illustrate the difference between the girls selected to be Heroes and those who have been relegated to the role of Sentinels. The Heroes are actual heroes. They don’t have that role for personal gain, such as status. They genuinely want to help people in their community.

Another part of the episode that showed this difference was when the Sentinels were out on a mission. They started talking about how their job was more important than that of the Heroes. That’s not something the actual Heroes would ever do. Do you really think Yuna and Togo ever talk about how important they are?

Taisha Stepping Stones

When it was eventually revealed that the Sentinels would have to go out and retrieve the Divine Tree sapling they worked so hard to plant, they also learned that Aya Kokudo, the Miko assigned to their squad, was to be sacrificed.

The Taisha didn’t exactly give a good explanation for why Aya was going to be sacrificed. They simply said it was necessary — implying that it has something to do with saving the Divine Tree — and that Aya herself had agreed to go through with it.

But, naturally, Aya’s friends weren’t so accepting of this sacrifice that was clearly forced onto Aya by the Taisha. For Mebuki, specifically, this was proof that the Taisha simply view the Sentinels as disposable tools. And this is exactly what her father had warned her to be careful of.

After the previous episode, I assumed that the Sentinels were just going to be side characters and that this could be the final season of Yuki Yuna is a Hero. Now, I’m not so sure. The sentinels now have their own storyline that doesn’t feel like it requires the Hero Club to get involved.

Obviously, the Hero Club members are going to be around. We saw that Togo was approached by the Taisha in connection to what the Sentinels are doing. And we know Karin has a history with Mebuki. But I don’t think the Hero Club is going to help rescue Aya from being sacrificed.

This seems like something the Sentinels are going to have to overcome on their own. And it could be that through this mission, they become qualified to be Heroes themselves, forming a second Hero squad.

Of course, at some point, the stories of the Heroes and Sentinels are going to have to come together. I’m looking forward to how that happens because I no longer think they’ll end up as mere foils of each other.

Conclusion

What do you think of Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter Episode 3? Is it too soon for me to change my mind about whether or not the Heroes are going to rescue the Sentinels? And are the Taisha going to attempt to sacrifice Togo in Aya’s place since she’s also a Miko? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Toma for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month, as well as Key Mochi~ for supporting at the Senpai tier. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 4 is available now.

Hero Training

In case you missed it, my review of Episode 1 dropped yesterday. And although I’m reviewing Episode 2 on a Saturday, my reviews of Episode 3 and beyond will all be on Fridays.

Anyway, Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter Episode 2 was quite a bit better than the first episode was. It actually didn’t jump around between scenes as I complained the first episode (and previous seasons of the series) did.

This episode began with the scene Episode 1 ended on, then transitioned into a flashback from 2 years ago, and finally came back to the “present” timeline. It was a well-structured episode, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. Hopefully, this is what the season is going to be like for the most part.

The flashback portion of the episode focused on a newly introduced character by the name of Mebuki Kusunoki. It also featured my favorite girl, Karin Miyoshi, but she was just a supporting character for this part.

2 years ago, a new hero was needed and so the Taisha gathered the eligible girls together to decide which one of them would receive this honor. Mebuki was the favorite to become the hero, but in the end Karin was selected in her place.

Something to consider is why a new hero was necessary. I still don’t really remember how Karin came to be a member of the Hero Club, but I think she was selected in order to replace Minowa, Togo’s and Sonoko’s teammate who died.

So, if Mebuki didn’t get selected to become a hero, why does she matter? Well, she was the strongest hero candidate. Karin had some quality that made her a better fit. But that doesn’t mean Mebuki isn’t going to be important.

Karin’s Selection

I’m going to venture a guess and say that Karin being more of a team player is what made her a better fit to be a hero than Mebuki. When Karin was chosen, Mebuki lashed out and refused to accept that she wasn’t selected. To me, her actions in that moment perfectly explained why she’s not hero material.

But, I’m also a bit confused about why Mebuki wanted to be a hero in the first place. Her father had told her not to become a stepping stone for the Taisha. Isn’t that exactly what the heroes are? They’re just soldiers forced to fight on behalf of the Taisha.

Perhaps Mebuki thought that she would be able to initiate some change from within once she became a hero. Maybe her true goal was to take down the Taisha from the inside. Or, maybe she simply wants to be revered as the strongest hero whom even the Taisha respect?

I don’t know exactly what Mebuki’s goal is, but I kind of get the feeling she’s never going to achieve it. Rather than becoming a hero in the future, I think Mebuki’s role in this season is to be a foil character for the other heroes. She seems to represent everything the heroes don’t.

Moving back over to the selection itself, I think this was the best scene of the episode. The stark contrast between how Karin and Mebuki behaved when the decision was announced was very powerful. As I already mentioned, that’s the moment that really defined who Mebuki is.

But, there’s one detail that I think detracted from this scene. That, of course, is the fact that the sacred artifact that marks someone as a hero is a smartphone. I completely forgot that there were magical smartphones in this series.

Exploration Beyond the Boundary

Two years after Karin was selected over Mebuki, the Hero Club destroyed the Vertex and saved the world (or something like that). Now, all the girls who failed the hero selection trial have been brought together by the Taisha for a new mission — to explore beyond the world’s boundary.

It’s supposed to be safe-ish out there now that the Vertex are gone. And all the girls need to do is make it to a set of coordinates and attempt to plant some sort of seed. Their mission is simply to investigate the habitability on the outside.

This is where Mebuki comes back into the fold. She’s the commander of this army of hero rejects.

Unfortunately for the girls who are sent out, the Vertex apparently haven’t all been defeated and their ships are attacked. Mebuki saves the day by rallying her troops and using her own magical energy to deal decisive blows to the enemy. But, their ships are damaged in the battle.

Now, we don’t have any confirmation of this yet, but I’m betting that this scene isn’t actually the “present.” I think it’s the recent past, and that all of those girls are still stranded somewhere on the outside.

This would explain why the Taisha showed up before Togo at the start of the episode to ask for her help. They probably need her to lead a rescue mission to save the other girls.

A rescue mission like this also seems to make the most sense for incorporating Mebuki’s character into the plot further. She obviously wouldn’t want to be saved by the heroes she wasn’t selected to join. So there would be some great conflict between her and the heroes who she’s supposed to be working together with.

Conclusion

What do you think of Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter Episode 2? How did this episode compare to Episode 1? Do you think Mebuki will end up becoming a hero herself? Will she die in the end or be saved? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Toma for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 3 is available now.

The Joy of Youth

The last time I watched or wrote about Yuki Yuna was in April of 2018, so it’s safe to say it’s been a while. As such, I don’t really remember all that much of what happened before this season. But, I do remember that Karin was my favorite girl.

However, right at the start of this episode, we’re reminded that the girls of the Hero Club are no longer actual heroes. They won their final battle and are now able to live out their lives as regular middle school students.

I appreciated that reminder, but it lead into something I had forgotten I disliked about the Yuki Yuna series. Despite it being over three years ago, I definitely remember complaining in one of my reviews about how Yuki Yuna rapidly jumps between different scenes.

Originally, that complaint had to do with the series jumping back and forth between slice of life and action content. We’d be watching the girls doing stuff for their club, and then suddenly there would be a battle against whatever the monster things are called.

What happened in this episode wasn’t quite as jarring, but it still bothered me a bit. This time, the episode jumps between scenes of the girls doing various activities with their newfound free time.

They start a band (and quickly break up), they go to karaoke, they play airsoft, and they go camping. I don’t think I would have minded seeing all of this if it was in a quick montage. But because of the length of these scenes, they felt more like skits.

Unfortunately, if this first episode is anything to go by, that complaint of mine isn’t going to be addressed.

Laid-Back Camping

Let’s focus on the camping portion of the “montage” for a bit. This portion of the episode reminded me of a few other things, most notably that Sonoko Nogi wasn’t originally part of this group of heroes.

From what I remember, the Hero Club started off as just including Fuu Inubouzaki, who then recruited her sister Itsuki, Yuki Yuna, and Mimori Togo. I’m pretty sure Karin Miyoshi then joined later. If I’m wrong, sorry.

Sonoko was the girl who we were first introduced to when she was wheelchair-bound and wrapped in bandages. She’s the one who explained to the other girls that being a hero isn’t all sunshine and rainbows — they’re doing some serious damage to their bodies without realizing it.

I don’t exactly remember what the twist of Yuki Yuna was. I know it wasn’t as extreme as the twist in Madoka Magica. Instead, it was something like the more the girls use their hero powers, the more damage they do to their bodies. And at some point, that damage becomes too much.

It was also revealed that Sonoko used to form a hero trio with Togo (also known as Wasshi) and Minowa (who I don’t remember at all). Minowa died somehow and Togo lost her memories of both Minowa and Sonoko until fairly recently.

Basically, the entire camping scene was included just to remind us of these previous events, for which I’m grateful. I think doing a recap like this is way better than having an episode fully dedicated to recapping or a recap flashback within an episode.

Sure, there are still plenty of things I don’t remember. But, I was reminded of all the major events that have taken place, which is all I really need for now.

Recalling the Heroes

At the end of Episode 1 was another scene that reminded me of something I forgot — I know, there’s a lot of that. The heroes in this series are selected by “God” or something, and they’re forced into their hero duties by the followers of this God.

Yes, I think Yuna, Togo, and Itsuki all voluntarily became heroes, but it had something to do with their predisposition to become heroes. And once they become heroes, they’re not able to change their minds.

Additionally, the fact that these girls are heroes isn’t a secret like it is in a lot of other magical girl shows. The heroes are effectively state-sponsored militants who fight to protect everyone else living in this world. I think that was one of the big issues they had when they found out the truth of their positions; they’re child soldiers by force.

Anyway, the scene at the end of the episode shows some followers of the God coming to Togo’s house, implying that she’s being called upon to fight once again. At this point, I don’t know what the enemy they’re going to be fighting is.

I thought the enemy was defeated. So is this a brand new enemy? Are there more of the same type of enemy that have shown up? I don’t know. But, what I’m hoping is that this season will be less about the girls fighting against these enemies and more about them fighting the institution that forces them to be soldiers.

If all they’re doing is fighting against the same enemies, then how would this season be any different from the previous ones? I’m guessing this is going to be the season in which they finally do end their fate of being heroes. Which is to say, I’m assuming this is the final season.

Conclusion

What do you think of Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Great Mankai Chapter Episode 1? Do you remember much from the previous seasons? Do you mind the anime jumping between scenes as much as I do? Let me know in the comments.

Also, you may have noticed that I’m writing this review on the day Episode 2 aired. I didn’t watch this episode when it aired last week. So to make up for that, my review of Episode 2 is going to be tomorrow. And then the reviews of Episode 3 onward are going to be on the Fridays when they air.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Toma for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month, as well as Key Mochi~ for supporting at the Senpai tier. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 2 is available now.