Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 23 “The Real Attack”

It’s time for your Wednesday cartoon watchalong and we keep rolling with Netflix’s Baki. Just four episode remain and honestly, this has become a hate watch for me. Part 1 was fine. It was something that was new to me with intense action sequences and a pretty easy to follow story: a bunch of guys are brought to Tokyo and are competing in a no rules, no holds barred, anything or anywhere goes fight to be the best in the world.

Since getting to Part 2 (Episode 14), everything has gone out the window and it’s become just a bunch of bullshit thrown on screen to take up time and go nowhere. I don’t even know where some of these grudges causing new fights are coming from as characters are just thrown together and then given full episodes (or longer!) to fight or tussle, but not advance any part of the story whatsoever.

Each character pairing at this point feels like some kind of independent happening that has no consequence for anything else occurring within this universe anymore. It’s rough. But at least it’s almost over. That’s all I have to motivate me to continue this: it’s almost over. Maybe you think I’m nuts and that this show is legit. Please hit me up and tell me why. Not even being sarcastic. I want to know what you like about this show. Open my eyes to something I’m not seeing. For now, it’s Episode 23 on a Hump Day watch.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 20 “Saga”

Welcome back to another cartoon recap as we close out our fourth week of Baki on Netflix! As I’ve said, this has become a tough watch since moving into Part 2, but with just a week of episodes left to cover there’s no turning back now.

To recap, Doyle has blown up the Shinshinkai Dojo which killed nobody, but somehow, Biscuit Oliver was killed by a meteor and Retsu was killed when he fell into a crack in the ground during an earthquake that apparently claimed no other lives nor has left any damage anywhere else in Tokyo.

I’ve said it from the beginning, but this show is really the anti-tourism advertisement for Tokyo. High-powered monsters fighting in the streets and now the addition of meteors and contained earthquakes? FOH, bro. No thanks.

Counting today’s, we have seven episodes remaining and it’s amazing how my tone has shifted for this show. Where as I was once excited to get to the next episode and see what would happen next, I’m no dreading it and just pushing myself to get to the end since we’re close enough to see the finish line. Yikes.

Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a solid half-hour here to close out the week, but once again, not getting my hopes up.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 19 “Admission of Defeat”

Another day, another episode recap on your favorite blog! We’re closing our fourth week of Baki and I’m anxiously awaiting the conclusion. This show has become a tornado of mish-mash and I don’t even think the writers knew what was happening from episode to episode.

Remember Biscuit Oliver? He got a big push for a few episodes and then got completely taken off TV. Baki? It’s his fucking show and he’s like the least important person in the whole damn thing! I just don’t understand anything. Maybe I’m not supposed to.

Is this what anime is like? I’ve said that I’ve never really been into anime so maybe it’s great to the people who actually like it. I was really digging the first half of this series, but it’s just taken a turn and made it hard for me to stay invested it.

We’re dealing with the fallout of Doyle having blown up Shinshinkai so maybe that will get fun. You know Doppo Orochi ain’t gonna take this lightly so maybe that fight will be awesome. Let’s find out.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI E. 18 “Thanks”

Welcome back to another episode recap as we wind down all the available episodes of Netflix’s Baki. Season 1, Part 2 has been a major disappointment thus far and, if I’m being honest, I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

The story has just been wildly all over and it’s been very difficult to become invested in any kind of arc or character. Maybe that’s too critical for what’s just supposed to be a beat ’em up action show, but why would I care about the fight when I don’t care about the people fighting?

In addition, the show seemed to blow it’s wad on all the good action in Part 1 so while, yes, this is still nuts in most situations, it doesn’t compare to the stuff they’ve already shown us. Maybe things will get better. Who knows? Maybe all these characters that the show has forgotten have huge resurgences. I’ve lost my confidence in this. Let’s see if it can get it back.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 15 “Tremendous Muscle Power”

Welcome to your Friday cartoon recap! Coming off a subpar showing yesterday let’s hope Baki gives us something with a bit more direction today.

Just to recap: Tokyo Police has finally has enough of their city streets becoming an arena for some of the most vile criminals in the world to try to kill each other. You would think that this would have been an issue from the beginning, but no, it took a while for them to get to that point.

They’ve enlisted the help of Biscuit Oliver who is an American prisoner apparently based on Street Fighter’s Balrog. Oliver handles the biggest criminals the government can find in exchange for a luxury lifestyle in his prison.

Oliver’s brought to Tokyo to round up the remaining death row escapees and it looks like he’s already got one of the three when he appeared to kill Sikorsky at the end of yesterday’s episode. But knowing what we know about this show, Sikorsky is not dead and will never die because nobody in this show can die no matter what.

The Mr. Oliver train rolls on as we try closing the week strong. I’d like to see this show get back on some kind of track as the entire premise of it has consistently devolved as the show’s gone on.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep.14 “Ungranted Freedom”

Welcome back to another exciting cartoon recap! Today, we’ll begin Part 2 of Season 1 of Baki on Netflix which – to simplify things – I’m just calling “Episode 14” since there’s really no line of demarcation between Parts 1 and 2.

Yesterday, we met Mr. Oliver: an American convict who doubles as a mercenary for hire who is more than happy to assist the government with capturing some of their more high profile suspects so long as he is provided with certain fringe benefits. As Tokyo police are trying to find a way to stop the madness currently taking place on their streets, it is suggested to them to bring in Mr. Oliver to round up the three remaining death row escapees still on the loose: Doyle, Yanagi and Sikorsky.

Speaking of Sikorsky, he’s started some static with Baki and even took Kozue, Baki’s love interest, as a hostage to spur Baki to come get some. Good plan in theory, but something tells me Sikorsky will look back one day and chalk this up as an egregious error in judgment.

With that said, we begin Part 2.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI E.13 “Mr. Oliva”

Welcome back to another Baki recap! Today we launch into the final episode of Season 1, Part 1 and I’m sure it’ll be a doozy because, I mean, every episode thus far has definitely been something.

I’ve stopped trying to follow along with the idea that there’s some kind of fighting tournament going on right now because, well, the show seems to have abandoned that concept as well in favor of just having people get attacked and then needing to settle scores without anyone really getting killed off or eliminated.

I mean, there was Spec getting beat up and then his body breaking down into a frail 90 year-old man and yesterday it appeared as if Dorian had lost his mental capacity to continue to be a threat in this battle, but with the way people keep returning in this series, I’m not going to be able to count out anyone until the show has completed and I’ve been forcefully told otherwise.

So where does that bring us? Glad you asked! After becoming the focus of this show, Dorian has finally tasted defeat and his mind has reverted to that of a small child who wants candy. Baki and Kozue are keeping their flirtations going, but – following a date – Kozue was captured by Sikorsky in what I’m sure is an attempt to draw Baki into a fight.

There’s a lot going on and even though this is the Part 1 finale, I’m not expecting some kind of definitive conclusion on anything simply because it doesn’t feel as if the show has been built that way. Sure, anything can happen, but coming into today, it feels as if we’re more approaching halftime than full time. Only one way to find out. Let’s hit play.

Daily Cartoon: BAKI E.12 “Candy”

Welcome back to another Baki recap! This is the penultimate episode of Part 1 and, to be honest, I have no idea where this show is going or how they’re going to leave this off. It appears as if there was about six months in between drops of Part 1 and Part 2 so I’m assuming there has to be some kind of cliffhanger consistent with each episode, but I don’t know whether or not it’s going to be something “huge” to leave you with that “ohhhhh dip” feeling or just another fighting moment that leaves you with bug eyes over what just happened which is basically par for the course in these chapters.

Twelve episodes in, I can truly state that I’m happy I went out of my comfort zone a bit and started checking this out. Anime has never really been my thing even though it has definitely influenced some of the shows I’ve been into over the years, but this series has a nice frantic pace and the fight scenes are unlike anything I’ve ever been accustomed to.

Yesterday left us with Doppo Orochi challenging Kaioh Dorian with Doppo having been able to break Dorian’s hypnosis power enough to be able to keep focus and continue fighting the actual person rather than the illusion that Dorian is able to project as we’ve seen in other fights (most notably against Kato in Dorian’s underground lair). For the first time, Dorian is being pushed to the point where he starts to think he may be in a fight he can’t win.

We did actually get a check-in on Baki who was again on a date with his maybe-not-quite-yet-official girlfriend Kozue, and though they are not interrupted, they are being watched, this time by Baki’s own father Yujiro Hanma who is supposedly one of the stronger characters in this universe.

All this and more as Part 1 winds down! Let’s get to it!

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 11 “Tiger Slayer”

Welcome to Week 3 of Baki recaps! With all the chicanery that went into Friday’s episode, I’m pretty sure you can’t wait to dive back in with me today.

Dorian is still a hunted man by everybody who’s ever heard of Shinshinkai for his savage beating of Koto, but after being – for all intents and purposes – kidnapped and brought to an amusement park to face the wrath of the Shinshinkai, he (I think) kills strongman Atsushi Suedo by throwing him out of a moving roller coaster. I say “I think” because I’ve thought a lot of people have been killed thus far and, honestly, I don’t think a single one has wound up dead. Maybe Spec, but he’s also 97 years old and had a good run.

We were left with Dorian coming face to face with Katsumi Orochi and Kaioh Retsu where Retsu connects some pieces of his past and realizes that Dorian is a legendary Kaioh from his old dojo. He immediately drops the need for vengeance and shows respect to Dorian by telling him that it’s a pleasure to finally meet him.

This has basically become Kaioh Dorian’s show – especially since HE DRYHEAVED OUT A GRENADE AND PULLED THE PIN BEFORE ANYONE COULD EVEN REALIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING – and this new development cements that he’ll play a major role in today’s episode as well.

Still waiting on anything having to do with the guy the show is named after…

Daily Cartoon: BAKI Ep. 10 “Air Duel”

Welcome back to another Baki episode recap! Two weeks have come and gone now with this show and it has definitely been something. As I’ve said throughout, this is not a show I would have found on my own or that was in my wheelhouse, but it was recommended by a chum and I’ve been enjoying it.

When we left off, Dorian had killed Kato, slit his throat with that crazy technologically advanced wire he carries and left his body zipped in a heavy bag at the Shinshinkai Dojo. Except for one thing: Kato wasn’t dead. Yeahhhhhh, I have to let that go. Because, trust me, I watched it, that dude was fucking dead.

But he’s not.

So now over a million Shinshinkai members worldwide have it out for Dorian, but let’s be honest, how many of them have a legitimate shot against him? Probably just the two or three we already know about: Kaioh Retsu, Doppo and Katsumi Orochi. Maybe there’s another guy somewhere too. There’s always another guy.

I don’t even know if this tournament thing is still going on since this seems to be just about settling scores rather than becoming the best fighter in the world. At least that one I’m more comfortable with leaving to the writers seeing as how I don’t have much Kumite experience.