The power shifts in Universe 0 are undoubtedly concerning. Irrelevant as his character ended up becoming (I won’t ever forget how trivial Nero was to the conflic in the Aoi War), the fact he’s left the throne to Shura puts a lot into perspective. Shura was every bit as a bastard as Nero was, if not even worse. The fact he’s been handed a entire empire, a Cosmos to rule over is nothing short of concerning, and the fact Oasis still exist as a group fighting for their freedom, further proves that he remains just as every bit a scumbag as he was in Universe 2. As for Laguna, I suspect there might be a few tweaks here and there on his story, but nothing that would cause significant changes. Most likely, Oasis still has the same members, and with a twist of fate, even Ijuna might be a part of it now.
As for the other characters who have suffered significant changes, Homura might be the most curious case. From the get-go, it’s plain obvious that there’s a whole lot that is different about her life, but the fact that she was able to draw even if just a little of Soul Blade, opens up a few possibilities of this universe’s Homura has been up to. One, definitely, she must have crossed paths with Valkyrie. Valkyrie was the only character known to wield Soul Blade, and she was the one to pass it down to Homura originally. Just what kind of relationship they had is hard to imagine, but I hope that Valkyrie remains dead in this world as well. The impact she had on Homura’s life will never be forgotten, and the whole reason Sun Jewl works as well as it does is simply because of this. Their relationship was never bound by being a human being or a machine, being dead or alive. They are mother and daughter, and nothing could ever change that fact.
The bit with Sister and the Rutherford siblings is just too funny, man. And you know what? This is the Sister Ivry I enjoy seeing so much. She is a fullmouted woman, yes, but her heart of gold and devotion to her companions is just as strong as everyone else’s. I love the way she gets pissed off when Kris and Kleene disrespect her. She is their benefactor, after all. I can’t wait to see when she beats their asses because this fight right here promises to be a very funny moment. Right now, I couldn’t think of a better (or more interesting) match-up.
But obviously, the star of the show is our gunner turned b-cuber turned time machine, Rebecca Bluegarden herself. And let me just say here that beyond the difficulty to adapt to their bodies of 3 years ago, there isn’t a real reason for the crew to be losing against the Element 4. As such, just how enjoyable is to see Rebecca overcoming Daichi on her own and beating the crap out of him? Cat Leaper might not have the power to rewind time (yet – I definitely haven’t given up on this possibility), but it is still damn powerful, and she is a damn fine gunner. Daichi might have put his petty torture tricks to play, but once the cat’s out of the bag (literally), there’s no stopping Rebecca. Her speed, agility, and amazing precision when aiming grant her an astonishing victory, easily overpowering the Element of Earth from Draken’s force. It’s amazing that simply using her guns was enough to win her this victory. It’s a huge moment for Rebecca overall, and one I wish to see repeated in the future. Again, why exactly is this the final saga?
But, since everything has its flaws… if there’s anything to raise a brow over, it is the constant presence of fanservice in Rebecca’s fights. I’ve repeatedly said that I’ve grown extremely used to Mashima-sensei’s approach to his manga (though sometimes, even I can see when he crosses the line), and while this wasn’t extremely bad, I wish he would tone the horniness down for such moments. Rebecca deserves every bit of seriousness to her fights the rest of the cast gets, and even if I myself don’t mind it, I can see why some people would be torn off by it. But put that aside, this was a very enjoyable fight. It was fun and entertaining, established some important points for the power dynamics in Universe 0, saw Rebecca overcoming the handicap about their power/bodies clashing, and had a really enjoyable choreography to it. Hopefully, the rest of the fights will follow the same trend.
The next chapter will feature Wiesz vs. Fie, meaning that we’re about to be seeing Hermit next. Two of the next coming chapters should probably be offered to solve that end of the plot, and I’m already looking forward to the changes her character might suffer in this reality. Since Muller hasn’t laid a hand on the Rutherford kids, and Universe 0 is working to give the crew better lives (except Homura, I fear), are we about to see a happy Hermit contrary to the traumatized girl featured in the original Digitalis Arc? The fact Witch is the one tasked with rescuing her is the best part (she was the one who didn’t go to Digitalis originally), and I look forward to seeing how it will play out. Frankly, I wish Weisz would be more independent in his fights (why doesn’t he use Overdrive?), but his bond with Hermit is sweet enough to make me overlook that. But let’s ask the important questions here: has Happy really become completely useless now?
Best Part: Rebecca Bluegarden will kick your ass.
Worst Part: When is too much fanservice too much fanservice?
Chapter Score: 4.5/5
OTAKU SPACE 