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WARNING: rant and spoilers ahead
The writing upsetted me to the point of writing something about it.
story: 5 super weak follow through off the cliff hanger
animation: 7 very good art probably, but not really used in a meaningful way.
sound: 8 I don't judge harshly on sound but even I could tell some scenes just didn't need the climactic ost (like the one with the ticking clock) as much in the first season.
Openings and endings are bangers if you give em enough time, with the opening being especially unique.
tl;dr season one vibes were stronger.


It is kinda confusing that the villain of the first ... season were siblings with different motives.
I don't understand how they functioned as a pair from the beginning when the sister is established to be running away by the time officer Chen is about to be murdered. Sudden self awareness much? In general the villains are very weak characters which I will elaborate on, and I pity that their victims were ended without so much greater reasoning or twisted ambition.

The tone of season 2 is very melodramatic and angers me to an extent. The waterworks were strong on some scenes. It's hard to get as emotional as them when you blink and suddenly there's a flood of water covering their face. There's no catharsis of the dam being broken, its that the dam is already broken. I don't like the miserable jealous douche bag males. They were extremely shallow and poorly written in my opinion. Like how can an officer with a supposed strong sense of justice be so fucking stupid it hurts my head. Guys playing 5d chess mind games while being as one dimensional as possible. Every character had a story in season one, these possessive simpletons were cartoon villains through and through. Shoulda known episode 10 depicting the villain in a black and white set was a literal representation of their character.

Pink haired siblings were today's supernatural villains. It felt like an experiment on how to combine abilities to create interesting effects, which I am a fan of. Sadly these siblings aren't given enough time to do anything more significant than being tools. This was particularly sad for the sister who is intellectually disabled, who could have been explored in a better sequence of events than what was depicted in this show.
As mentioned, she starts running away from her brother trying to commit unalive as officer Chen. My interpretation of the final episode is that she subconsciously imposed her memory of her mother onto officer Chen, who both wanted to care for their children, where she is guilt tripped into running from the murder crew. My question is how the fuck she committed every previous murder with her bro. By using her ability, she feels what others are thinking and shares their memories. Did she forget how Emma was separated from her parents and in a toxic work environment? I didn't realize it was so easy to turn off your empathy when the circumstances aren't the exact same as yours. Or is the author suggesting that she has that ability due to her condition? If the audience is supposed to feel connected to its characters in its emotional scenes, then why do the characters randomly decide to feel differently about what they experienced? It's especially grinding when the sister's whole character is summarized by a sudden exposition dump from a sudden ability awakening from Qiao. Her character deserves more than being pity bait, given context from season one.

Though I liked the visual representations it is confusing to try and interpret them and probably a fruitless effort. It's very clear when the authors want to convey something they will do it without any visual metaphors, particularly with Lu Guang's memory of Cheng being shot. We are shown "hints" of the whole scene before Lu Guang blatantly expositions to viewers.

The action was decently good but I don't watch this show for action. Honorable mention to the brown coat detective who is involved in every piece of the action and takes as many L's as possible, like give this man a break.
There were some well done moments that reminded me of season one, such as the funeral. It was funny seeing the absolute dichotomy of the rich parents arguing about their sons death and blatantly disrespecting him, while officer chens funeral was fairly emotional and sad.
I also liked how each perspective was hidden before revealing the whole scenario, keeping the viewer in the dark. They didn't necessarily have to explain everything because keeping track of each scene is a headache. The viewer could probably understand on second viewing or just think about it after the show finishes. These episodes were dragged out by long fight scenes and unnecessary explanations when I feel it is more of a 8 - 10 episode viewing.

Overall, going into a potential next season there's hope that the show will break away from excessive melodrama, due to surviving characters (other than the main trio) not having a strong enough foundation to justify screen time.

This manga is a combination of SAO and MHA, where for the first few chapters, what stood out was good character writing and well written shounen themes of withstanding adversity and a desire for growth. Unfortunately, the good graces of these chapters will be its primary selling point, in what is otherwise a manga plagued by its generic main character and reliance on tropes.

To start with, the first chapter has many likable points which contributes to the pace which story elements are introduced.
- The first chapter generates a good dynamic between the three female characters with exposition & backstory, who relate to each ... other by standing at the top of their respective expertise and being branded as criminals by the world.
- The story actively avoids pushing out the main character until his pivotal moment, such as when the guild master rejects his application in haste without giving him the time of day. This continues the story more satisfyingly as we get to see more of the unique cast and less of the "first chapter rough times" most protagonists encounter.
- The role of its characters in the story. The way the characters are positioned, the panels, the full shot, lends to the characters feeling of either overwhelming power, in the case of its female protagonists, or that of cascading despair for its main character.
- Shounen tropes of persisting in adversity. When combined with previously mentioned points, the story creates a snappy, daring moment where Cross is suddenly thrust into the limelight and his bravery shines to the powerful trio and us readers.
This manga has one of the stronger starts I've read to a shounen battle series, comparing most to My Hero Academia's first chapter. While the climax remains the same, instead of the typical "weak main character is bullied" present throughout the first chapter of MHA, this manga fleshes out the starting cast and soon to be mentors of the main character, not to mention seeing a bit of the world through the eyes of its persecuted S rank adventurers. This is leaving out a few wholesome character traits, such as mentorship qualities within the trio.

For the rest of the review, I'd like to cover my feelings towards the main character and reliance on tropes. As many anime fans may know, Sword Art Online has one of the least interesting main characters in Kirito, which compares to Cross's role in this manga. Whether its overcoming every plot problem with a hidden skill that makes them better than others or having them save every girl the writers wanted in their fiction, Cross really nails the generic main character goal. When Cross starts to call himself the black swordsman and has an infinite number of quirks, you'll know the direction of this story is generally heading downwards. On top of the original character, there are a few underdeveloped aspects of the story which I found an issue with.
- Characters suddenly explaining what the story is.
- The mean spirited antagonist who changes their tune after being saved in a moment of crisis / are defeated by the main character.
- Harem.
Overall, these tropes undermine the excitement and importance of story elements within the first chapters, as it feels like a foregone conclusion that what continues is more of the same things seen in SAO, MHA, and a mix of other shounens, rather than what this series offered in its core cast. Personally, what was really needed from exiting its first chapters was a story element which provided a stronger narrative, such as exploring the mystery behind the protagonists skill, the voice who vaguely intervened in some way, the motivations of the trio other than grooming their husband candidate, or introducing a twist to one of those members.

If a few of the first chapters are enough for you to get through the majority of a story, than I'd recommend this to you. If you'd prefer consistency and longevity in your series, than I'd recommend seeing if more chapters will make this manga a stronger pick, or just skipping it entirely.