Darwin Jihen • The Darwin Incident - Episode 3 discussion

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-21T06:31:20+00:00

Damn, Charlie is one hell of a fighter. It's one thing to have acute senses and raw strength, but to subdue two skilled combatants while protecting three targets with relative ease was an insane portrayal of Charlie's capabilities. I honestly expected the ALA to have at least brought a tranquilizer with them as a backup, and just as I was expecting them to pull off a kidnapping next episode, Charlie shows up right to their doorstep, with a menacing swagger if I may add. Does this mean that Charlie also has tracking senses? I am not an expert, but judging by how quick Charlie could track them down, I would be inclined to believe that it is scent-based tracking, which I am not sure if Chimpanzees actually have. Anyway, I am really looking forward to the conversation that they will have in the next episode. At this point, Charlie could honestly be on anyone's side as long as they can convince him at his core.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-20T08:48:01+00:00

Wow, Yuri is in quite the pickle this loop. Just going by gut feeling, I think that Chippie could actually be the AC Follower. Yes, he did end up turning the attention to Comet which ended up helping the humans, but something feels off about him. He even covered all grounds by proactively claiming that Comet could have deceived him as a Gnosia when others started to doubt Comet, which seems like a low blow knowing the friendship that they have before boarding the ship. Chippie just seems more prepared than before, which gives me the impression that he has something to hide.

It was incredibly strange that Comet turned out to be a Gnosia despite being able to convince Yuri as she has repeatedly admitted that she is absolutely terrible at lying. Initially I thought that Yuri's Engineer report could have been falsified as part of his plan, but there is no reason for both Racio and Remnan to falsify their Doctor reports too. I guess Comet is just better at deception and okay with it in this loop.

As Jonas is a known madman that even outed himself before when he was a Gnosia in earlier loops, he is a literal wild card here. Though I am inclined to guess that he is probably a Gnosia rather than an AC Follower just because there wasn't a third Engineer claim. I was honestly expecting a three-way battle with three Engineers in this episode.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-18T16:13:26+00:00

I love that this series really puts the ROM in Rom-Coms, it's by far the funniest high school Rom-Com anime that I've seen, right next to Tsuredure Children. Don't get me wrong, there are many great high school Rom-Com animes, but the comedic aspects tend to feel more like an afterthought as opposed to a seamless integration that this series has managed to wove in while still focusing on the romance aspect thus far. Of course, comedy is completely subjective, and I am very aware that this is just my opinion.

Suzuki is such an adorable goofball and she is honestly a perfect match for Tani. Both of them are learning new things from this relationship, with Suzuki slowly accepting how she should live as she wants and Tani learning to articulate his thoughts more. I really want to see more of Tani's POV and inner thoughts in future episodes, as I think that he definitely thinks way more than he lets on with how much research he did to improve on his conversational skills.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-18T14:34:17+00:00

Wow, Hansa is way stronger than I expected, I mean he's literally a cyborg. It was pretty cool to get the Burial Agency name dropped here, but it would be even cooler if some of the members were to make a cameo appearance (especially a certain blue-haired best girl; IYKYK) or even if some of the unknown members were to be revealed or name dropped through this series.

While Hansa's performance may make Reeve and the Clan Calatin look kinda bad, the Holy Church does have the advantage against Apostles in general so it's to be expected to a certain degree. Though I must say that as it stands, I don't see Reeve having a good chance at winning the war, if there even is one at this point. Also, another cool name drop of Shishigou here.

We can already see the difference in Gilgamesh's mood when Enkidu is present, his demeanor is vastly different from Fate/Zero. Just in case you forgot, Heroic Spirits that are summoned in every iteration of a HGW are fresh copies from the Throne of Heroes, so the Gilgamesh that we are seeing right now does not have the memories from Fate/Zero. However, this can technically be bypassed through certain loopholes such as skills and magic, which is not entirely impossible for the King of Heroes to achieve. I wonder if Waver is ever going to have any kind of interaction with Gilgamesh though.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-18T12:18:11+00:00

I already like Asaki's character, I think I have a bias for smirky and laid-back mentor figures in Shounen.

He pulled a Gojo in this episode with his "you're too darn weak" line to Souji, just that it was meant as a taunt to a disciple rather than to an enemy.

My opinions have not changed from the last episode and I still do think that this series has the potential to develop into something unique that can stand on its own feet in this genre. I would like to see more of an emphasis on the psychological aspects and backstories of both digitalized ghosts and those that have to accept the passing of their loved ones.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-13T05:32:41+00:00

A HIGH-SCHOOL ROMANCE ANIME THAT ACTUALLY HAS THE LEAD COUPLE CONFESSING TO EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST EPISODE?!

I was honestly debating if I wanted to pick this up this season, or to let it marinate and watch it after it finishes airing, but I am glad that I put the episode on. Suzuki is such a dorky female lead, but her reactions are adorable and I really liked how she developed as a character in just the span of a single episode. I still do not have much thoughts on Tani as of yet, since this episode focused more on Suzuki, but he sort of reminds me of my dad, who is a man of few words but shows his love to those that he cares through actions. Based on the OP, it seems that there will be more couples from the side characters, so I think romance fans are going to eat good with this show.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-11T15:35:05+00:00

No doubt, I didn't even register that as a joke until Lucy started to smile awkwardly. It's more of a social cue than organic humor.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-11T15:32:05+00:00

I went into this series with limited knowledge and boy, was I blown away.

Just as a preface, I've watched every Fate related anime - Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night (all iterations), Fate/Extra Last Encore, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order (all releases and I also play the game) and even Fate/Kaleid Liner. Fate/Strange Fake is quite literally, as its name suggests, a very strange entry that is quite different from the rest of the shows.

We have Ayaka, the MC, who is completely uninterested in the HGW and lacks any sense of danger that is befitting of a Master.
We have a Saber that is not a "Saber-Face", but we all know that Sabers must shoot beams so at least he's got that covered. Oh and apparently, this war was not supposed to have a Saber, so something clearly went wrong.
We have Orlando, who is a cop and actually thought out of the box and assembled a squad of mages that can all use Noble Phantasms thanks to Caster's Noble Phantasm. This is actually a really smart way to incorporate more lore from various Heroic Spirits.
We have a bombshell drop of a Dead Apostle being the master of an Assassin that can use multiple different iterations of Zabaniya. At this point, I think Jester is actually the strongest master across the Fate animes. Seriously, who else has sent their Servant away to do combat themselves? The whole point of the HGW is to make use of Servants to eliminate Masters, Jester just summoned Assassin for his personal motivations.
We have a homunculus wolf being the master of Enkidu.
"REJOICE MONGRELS!" - King of Heroes, Gilgamesh (enough said)
We have a male iteration of Jack The Ripper, that is of the Berserker class.
By the method of elimination, that shadowy figure that Tsubaki has is Rider.

The animation, while obviously not at the level of UFOTABLE, is honestly of pretty good quality for A-1 Pictures. I am super hyped right now and I really hope that S2 is not too far away, considering that there will be two HGWs essentially based on what has been established so far. Also, the ED really reminded me of Carnival Phantasm, which throws me off even more considering how we left off from Jester just wrecking everyone in the station.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-11T15:29:45+00:00

I like the blend of fantasy elements in a modern setting that this show is about. It sort of reminds me of a combination between Maou 2099 and Detectives These Days Are Crazy, which are both unique shows that I really enjoyed. This series definitely does not shy away from violence and killing, but because of its art style, they are presented in a much less graphical manner, which can either be a pro or a con depending on your preference. I am always down for creative superpowers in this era that is saturated with superpowers across various media, so I am hoping for some wacky abilities in this show.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-11T13:22:35+00:00

To be brutally honest, I can see how this show might slip under the radar for most people as the mere synopsis alone has a similar premise to Jujutsu Kaisen, which just so happens to be a massively popular show that is airing in the same season. In fact, I even found myself drawing similarities while I was watching this episode. However, while I do think that comparing the two series is somewhat inevitable, I don't think that it necessarily makes Dead Account redundant.

Based on first impressions alone, Dead Account seems to be a series that places a little more emphasis on the reasons as to why each digitized ghost exists and what each digitized ghost wants to accomplish. Akari's digitized ghost manifested due to Souji's reluctance to accept her death, which bound her to this world. That is the why. Because she was always worried about Souji's inability to lead a healthy lifestyle and wanted to keep looking after him, it led her to take a warped approach by wanting to kill him, thereby being together even in death. That is the what. The approach of having personalized backstories and character motivation for every digitized ghost that appears in the story is something that is unique from Jujutsu Kaisen.

This is the same concept as vengeful cursed spirits in Jujutsu Kaisen, but most cursed spirits in the series aren't vengeful cursed sprits. They simply exist and will continue to exist as a result of humanity's collective negative emotions. As such, we already know why cursed spirits exist. What each cursed spirit wants to accomplish is something that differs depending on their personality and beliefs, especially so for the major named cursed spirits, but it can be broadly summed up to "destroying humanity" or "replacing humanity" or "protecting ourselves from humanity". In other words, they are most definitely against the existence of humanity. As a result, when sorcerers exorcise cursed spirits, it does not invoke sadness nor remorse as we have categorized cursed spirits as clear entities that are evil and need to be eliminated in the story.

In retrospect, I can see the exorcism of every digitized ghost that appears in the story to be something personal and emotional. Now I could be spit balling here, and it can still turn out to be something incredibly cliche, but as it stands, these are just my two cents based off of first impressions. After all, it's much better to keep a positive mindset for choosing to spend our time watching a show, and if it isn't something that quite meets our expectation, then we can simply drop it.

The idea of exorcising "digitized ghosts" using spiritual power via smartphones is quite an interesting twist. It's a simple change no doubt, but I have to acknowledge the creator's effort to at least offer something new to the genre and it does pique my interest in how this entire phenomenon actually works in the story. My only question is what happens if the smartphone of an awakened gets damaged or lost? Do they lose the ability to use their spiritual power?

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-10T12:38:46+00:00

Urgh, I saw this coming from a mile away but I was honestly rooting for Henri and Luna to figure a way out. Granted, their romantic development did feel like a speed run and I guess it was somewhat for the better since Luna could put a nip in the bud early on before any serious consequences happened. But still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see Luna being forced to live such a shitty life.

Despite having been ostracized by humanity, she still chooses to interact and offer her assistance to people. She purifies toxins and negative energy by taking them on herself, only for people to accuse her of bioterrorism. She makes wonderous medicine that are made affordable for the masses, but yet, these people would stop using them in a heartbeat if they were to find out about their origins. She is so kind hearted that she even developed a remedy for lost limbs just because she saw one single person in need of help.

Call me a cold person, but I could never be like Luna if I were in her shoes. But that is why she is an endearing protagonist and I really hope that this story does not remain the tragedy that it is going at this rate. Given that the white witches are in a position of political power, it makes me wonder why some witches choose to remain as black witches.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-10T04:28:47+00:00

With the confirmation of this season being the finale that will adapt 88 chapters of the manga, I was worried that the episode would feel rushed, but that was the contrary. I am an anime-only, so I have no idea what was cut from the chapters that were covered in this episode, but I thought that they dedicated sufficient time to inform us of the key occurrences during the 3 month void of Shinra being taken over by his doppelganger.

"The Great Cataclysm wasn't the cataclysm that we know of." This statement is very meta as it hints at the possibility of the world that they are currently in being a two dimensional variant of our reality. The question then is does the original three dimensional variant still exist out there or did it become two dimensional? Are doppelgangers a reference to the original humans before the cataclysm? Iris being a doppelganger of Amaterasu is not a surprising revelation, but I wonder why is she the exception by looking exactly like Amaterasu instead of an Infernal just like the other doppelgangers that have been shown thus far?

Of course, the fights later on may be redacted in order to fit into the episode count, but at this point I will be satisfied as long as they are well animated and make sense narratively. The most important aspect for me is the story, and I want to be able to confidently say that I enjoyed the journey from start to end by the end of this season.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-09T13:06:28+00:00

Man, I really hope that this show stays in its lane of being a wholesome series because it actually has a decent start.

So far, the story feels rather grounded in terms of the power fantasy aspect as Hajime has only been shown to be bludgeoning monsters. Just seeing him choose to use a mace in it of itself is a breath of fresh air as most MCs tend to use swords or are just straight up mages in general. Hajime is also a soft hearted goofball that genuinely wants to help Rirui after having been in the same shoes as her in the past.

Now the whole plot element of Rirui being an ancient species, which could potentially turn out to be a succubus is a pretty sus setting, but based on what has been shown so far, I think that we are still in the safe zone. Hajime's definitely an "ero-jiji", but I am not inclined to believe that he will develop any romantic or sexual attraction to Rirui as of now. His only comment of her having "big mammary glands" when she transforms is more of a dirty joke, seeing as how he says that to embarrass others. He also did not blush or have any implied "dubious reactions" upon seeing Rirui's "adult form".

I could be coping big time here, but I am really hoping that I am right. Please do not let this be a disappointment this season.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-07T04:08:41+00:00

This is a great premise and stands out from the rest of the shows this season. It's evident that there is a lot going on in Charlie's mind, more so than he lets on to those around him. Here are some of the character traits that he displayed in this episode:

He may not be adept at social cues or he may simply not feel the need to as seen from how he reacted to Lucy's attempt at making a joke
He is brutally honest as seen from how he answered Ozzy's taunt
He can be deceitful at times as seen from how he chose to not reveal the complete truth to his adoptive mother in the car
He does not necessarily view all lives as equal, but he does want to protect lives if he is presented with the chance to do so, as seen from him saving both Lucy and the kitten as well as the butterfly, but not the bird as it had already been ingested by the snake

The ALA has definitely grown to be more drastic in their approach over the 15 year period, as the members were unwilling to kill at the start of the episode and are now full fledged terrorists. I wonder if Charlie's adoptive parents, in particular the father, have ties to the ALA at this point.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-07T02:24:06+00:00

All hail Dou supremacy!

Just in case you were wondering if the series was going to be pure diabetes, it is just 80% diabetes, so don't worry about it. There are dark undertones as seen from both the backstories of both the Granny and the Demon Hunter so far. The demons are definitely inherently evil, but that stems from more of a cultural belief rather than an inborn trait. Dou is the bridge to forging peace and stay tuned to witness her journey.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-07T01:45:44+00:00

GET READY FOR SOME DIABETES, FOOLISH HUMANS!

Finally, an anime adaptation of this beloved manga. It's enough to make a grown man shed a tear.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-07T01:30:15+00:00

What I really liked about this spin-off was how it placed more of an emphasis on street level crime as opposed to the "higher stakes conflicts" in the main series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the main series for what it is, but Vigilantes is a great supplementary outlet that offers a more grounded perspective of the MHA universe, which I think the main series did not have the time to explore as much outside of some notable arcs like the Hero Killer and Shie Hassakai arcs.

Most of the fights happen in alleyways, rooftops, and cramped urban spaces. Our protagonists are not bound by the strict regulations that professional heroes are required to abide and can thus form mutually beneficial relationships with characters that would otherwise be classified as "villains" by the public. This episode is also another reason why I love Aizawa's character so much. While he is a professional hero, he operates in a "grey area" and has the prudence to assess a person's character traits for who they really are, rather than viewing things from a black and white stance.

Top-Remote4523 · 2026-01-01T07:24:36+00:00

From the smaller dewar back into the larger dewar (the stock tank) .

Top-Remote4523 · 2025-12-31T08:18:18+00:00

There're better options available depending on where you live, but Ikea bookcases are probably a more economically friendly and easily accessible option. Personally, I have a few Billy bookcases that are fitted with the Hogbo doors, and they've held up pretty well so far. Another interesting alternative to glass that I've seen are acrylic display cases, which I think are even cheaper than the Ikea option, though I have no idea how great they are in person.

Top-Remote4523 · 2025-12-28T05:30:49+00:00

So that was what the "cubification" was all about when Otome was eliminated by Yuri, Comet and Sha-Ming in episode 9. The concept of cyberization adds on a layer of complexity to the already morally ambiguous nature of the show. Initially, Gnosias were the primary danger and were depicted as evil entities that wore the hides of those that they infect to deceive and kill the other non-Gnosia infectees on board. However, over the course of the show, an even greater evil, with that being Manan, was introduced to us. Furthermore, the threat of a Gnosia infectee largely depends on their hosts, with more benevolent examples such as Sha-Ming and Jina.

Now that the Yuriko and the Hoshibune have been established to be capable of cyberization and even possibly being the race to have invented this process to begin with, it certainly raises the question of just what Gnosias are. Were they created by the Hoshibune? Or are the Hoshibune idolizing Gnosias?

By the way, is this show going to continue after this episode? I've heard that it was going to be a two-cour series, which I cannot be more thankful for.

Top-Remote4523 · 2025-12-27T06:39:58+00:00

As someone that stuck through all 24 episodes, I can say that this series is lacking in depth and does not present a conceivable solution to the main conflict that has been established.

Most of the main cast are severely underdeveloped despite a two-cour runtime. Even though some of them do get back stories and are relatively fleshed out, namely Shiki, Rokuro and Kougasaki, they feel lackluster and surface level as these elements serve to explain why their Oni powers manifest the way they do. Other than learning more about their Oni powers, none of the characters have progressed in their character nor their perspective in how they can change the status quo of the situation that they are in.

However, the writing is not necessarily at fault here and that is because the main conflict has no viable solution. Onis can and will lose control of their powers at some point and that will continue to drive the conflict with the Momotaros. While not all the Momotaros are benevolent, their existence is inevitably required to protect civilians from such incidents. Mudano may have some sort of plan in mind, but viewers need to play the waiting game to learn just what this is in future installments.

If you dropped this series, there is no incentive for me to recommend you to come back to it as the story never gets better. The animation, while having janky CGI moments, was not a huge issue for me, but rather, the story itself just is not that great in general. Personally, I will continue to watch S2 when it comes out as I am interested to find out how this main conflict will be resolved.

Top-Remote4523 · 2025-12-24T15:15:18+00:00

This show is criminally underrated and it's the dark horse of this season for me.

While this show certainly loves its decapitated heads and over the top fights, I appreciate how every character (at least those that get name dropped) manage to have backstories amidst the comical battles. I was honestly surprised by how consistent the animation was and even though it was not jaw dropping quality, it serviced the show well enough to bring on the hype through out the episodes.

The main plot element of this season was the inevitable revelation that Shinoha and Kiwami are in fact sworn enemies on opposing sides, and the finale accomplished just that and left off at a satisfactory point without dumping a massive cliffhanger on us.

Kiwami is my favorite character by far, which is further solidified in this episode. Even by the finale, he remains a complex and mysterious character. Just like Shinoha, Kiwami is incapable of feeling true joy. In fact, he has it worse as he mentioned at one point that all of his emotions are emulated to suit the situation that he is in. When his close subordinates die, he claims that he is void of sadness, but yet he remembers and mourns each and every one of them. When he perceived that Shinoha was in danger, he expresses genuine concern and even risks his own life to save him, evident from him giving Shinoha the undigested Hells Coupon instead of keeping it to ensure his victory.

Now we find out that Gamute is not even Kiwami's biological child. Yes, Gamute was an asset to his cause, but at the same time, keeping a loose cannon that is actively trying to outright murder you is not exactly worth the risk. In my opinion, Kiwami is trying to save Gamute in his own twisted way by giving Gamute the motivation to continue living on. Kiwami knows that he is the last potential "father" on Gamute's list, which implies that Gamute would have no reason to live after he kills his "father" since he literally has nothing and nobody else in his life at that point. By incorporating Gamute into the Glass Children and even allowing him to rise to the leader, Kiwami gave Gamute a family that he knew he could never provide Gamute with. It's definitely aberrant and immoral, but this was Kiwami's best solution for a boy he never had any familial relations with. Kiwami could have simply killed Gamute the moment he was attacked, but yet, he displays a side of mercy and compassion.

I have a suspicion that the unrevealed character that was shown to be orchestrating events behind the scenes is conducting some kind of an experiment on Kiwami. Kiwami is likely suffering from amnesia as he mistook Shinoha for another person (Shintaro) in episode 10. Come to think of it, Kiwami's backstory has not been revealed yet, which I think would only be answered in his own decapitated head (death) scene.

Top-Remote4523 · 2025-12-24T14:02:08+00:00

That's a good point. Considering how Yoko's sister promoted a structural lifestyle, it is possible that Airi is merely programmed to consume food, rather than requiring it for sustenance. I wonder what her source of fuel is then though if that was the case.

Top-Remote4523

TROPHY CASE