C&C - Fena: Pirate Princess - "At Mission's End" [10/16]

[Yojimbo]

Noah's Ark? Eh, why not at this point.

Huh? So Helena was a witch but now she's a witch ghost like in the Conjuring?

I did not like Abel feeling at peace when Helena sent his soul away or whatever that was.

The Observer? The Storymaker? Uh, is Cody God from Supernatural? lol.

I guess the penultimate episode of the season did its job and left me confused.

 

[Light Lucario]

I thought that this episode was pretty bad. The action at the beginning was pretty good. There was quite a bit of blood and it was paced well. Finding Noah's Ark was really weird, but I guess it fits with the number of treasures they've already come across. I actually liked the sky changing with Abel's appearance. It made him look more imposing if his presence could change this calm area into a storm. It was pretty brutal when Yukimaru cut his arm off. I thought that would be it for Abel, but then he stabbed Yukimaru. I figured that since he already nearly died before and this is the second to last episode, Yukimaru would be safe, but that wasn't the case. Although, the injury and blood loss haven't killed him yet.

What really soured this episode for me was obviously Abel's reunion with Helena. Despite how he has killed so many people, to the point where even he said that he didn't deserve to hold Helena, and has been shown to be completely unstable, Abel still got a happy ending. He still died and I guess his body was sent to Eden, but he still ultimately got what he wanted. Helena herself didn't seem to mind that Abel killed his way to find her. The scene was obviously meant to be emotional and give closure for Abel, but I just didn't think he deserved it and the audience definitely shouldn't be feeling that sympathetic towards him. Maybe this could have worked if we had seen more of their relationship or if Abel hadn't become so obsessed with finding her, but it just fell so flat. I kept wondering why the audience should care about Abel or why he should get what he wanted after everything he did.

And I guess Helena was a witch if her spirit could show up in Eden. I guess that was kind of necessary with her message to Abel and the mysteries surrounding Fena, but it just seems so weird. I kind of prefer the idea that there wasn't anything supernatural with Fena or her mother since that would be much more fitting with how women accused of being a witch were treated. She only had a brief vague message for Fena, but Helena could spend plenty of time with Abel as he was dying. And then Cody showed up who I guess is more important than anyone thought. I guess this would explain the random shots to Cody throughout the past couple of episodes, but it just felt so random.

Overall, this was a pretty bad episode. Abel getting his happy ending is still the worst thing about the episode, as well as arguably the series at this point, but the convoluted twists to the story definitely aren't helping matters either. It almost reminded me of Dimension W where the storyline devolved into such a convoluted mess of a series. I don't think Fena is quite as bad as Dimension W in that regard, but the fact that I initially thought of that comparison really isn't a good sign. This feels like they were originally planning on making this a longer season with twenty four episodes, found out that they were only getting twelve and then crammed in all of the big reveals for the last couple of episodes. It would also explain why most of the series has felt more like setup with the last three rushing right into the payoff.

 

[marklungo]

I guess the penultimate episode of the season did its job and left me confused.

Don't worry, the last episode will explain everything... right?

 

[marklungo]

I thought that this episode was pretty bad.

Wow. This is the first time I've ever seen you use that sentence. When that happens, the creators should know they've screwed up.

What really soured this episode for me was obviously Abel's reunion with Helena. Despite how he has killed so many people, to the point where even he said that he didn't deserve to hold Helena, and has been shown to be completely unstable, Abel still got a happy ending. He still died and I guess his body was sent to Eden, but he still ultimately got what he wanted. Helena herself didn't seem to mind that Abel killed his way to find her. The scene was obviously meant to be emotional and give closure for Abel, but I just didn't think he deserved it and the audience definitely shouldn't be feeling that sympathetic towards him.

There was one point when I thought the whole sequence was Abel's dying dream, which would make more sense than what actually happened.

She only had a brief vague message for Fena, but Helena could spend plenty of time with Abel as he was dying.

I noticed that too. The scene fails on every level.

 

[zoombie]

I hope though Fena has all this power, you can right some of the wrongs of the world. Don't forget where you came from, the whole town that aas women has slave. Free them, can you at least do that, if she can't bring back the dead pirates fine, but no reason she can't free a town of enslaved women. If Angel and those girls don't see an improvement in life I am not going to be happy. if Fena just forgets about them and let status quo reign, I am going to be so mad.

 

[Daikun]

Wow. This is the first time I've ever seen you use that sentence.

She's used that sentence before in other talkback threads.
Anyway, between tonight's episode and the third act of Batman Ninja, this is definitely one of Toonami's wackier nights.

 

[Light Lucario]

Wow. This is the first time I've ever seen you use that sentence. When that happens, the creators should know they've screwed up.

That is quite flattering. Thank you. Although, this has happened a bit more frequently when I would force myself to keep watching a series even if I didn't like it. My posts on shows like SAO, Fire Force, Jojo and Black Clover were rarely positive and I could barely stomach the first episode of Food Wars. Since I mainly stick to shows that I like and I'm invested in them, it's pretty rare for me to find an episode to be flat out bad.

In this case, there were hardly any positives to focus on and the implications with Abel were just too terrible to make this episode even okay for me. It probably doesn't help that I've found Fena to be largely just okay series, so turning right into convoluted mess territory right as they get to the finish line makes it worse in a way.

There was one point when I thought the whole sequence was Abel's dying dream, which would make more sense than what actually happened.

I noticed that too. The scene fails on every level.

I would have given the series some credit if it was just all playing out in Abel's mind. It still would have felt like he was rewarded with a happy ending, but at least Helena's spirit wouldn't have been there and they could have avoided the nonsense of Helena actually being a witch or having some kind of special powers if her spirit can connect with people in Eden.

 

[Grenzer]

With this show being almost over, I wanted to chime in again. Sadly, Fena: Pirate Princess really fell off a cliff. Nowhere near the worse anime Toonami has ever aired, but one of the most underwhelming compared to what was promised. If I want to be kind, I could say it is inoffensive and has good production values, and a cast that had the potential to be very lovable. But nothing ever came together.

Watching this show, the first word that came to mind was muted. All of the character's emotions seem to have a lid put on them even when they are brimming with anger or overflowing with joy. The color palette of the world around them also seems to be very understated at times, which along with Yuki Kajiura's typical dreamy music score gives the show a sort of emotional distance that I do not think was the production team's intention. Regardless, it never made me say 'Wow' the way certain less polished shows like Bleach or the old Fate/Stay Night series from the 2000's did. That is to say that Fena felt about as bloodless as Abel did by the end of this episode.

Despite the world-changing stakes that were established in the early episodes, there is no great sense of triumph or wonder that our heroes managed to find the greatest treasure horde in history. It was actually pretty easy other than Yukimaru getting seriously wounded on two occasions. The mighty British Empire feels like a very small change operation despite Abel supposedly being an illegitimate son of the King, and commanding advanced weapons that seem plucked out of a mecha anime. And so the Goblin Knights do not feel like big-time heroes because the stakes always felt much smaller than they were implied to be. Heck, even if Shitan's big scary brother Kei showed up next week to be the last threat, I am sure the narrative will find a way to diminish him as well.

This really reminds of one of those OVAs from a few decades back, where the story would be front loaded into the first episode because the creators had to hook the audience quickly to get enough sales to make the next episode, but as time went on the returns on each subsequent entry became smaller and everything was rushed to wrap up the narrative threads and the final battle always was less impressive than the first. It is a shame really. The Goblin Knights are a really nice group of heroes despite being typical archetypes. I think they would have held up in a much more complex and ambitious story than this, and really deserved that as well. As for Fena the character... meh. She should stand out more considering she is the title character and has mysterious powers, but she seems to be as much plot device as protagonist and it hurt her development. I feel bad for her though, her mother seem to care more about her childhood crush turned creepy stalker than her own daughter. But if we look back at Abel's backstory and how Fena was conceived... I wonder if the script writer was aware of the implication here. And Franz was a piece of work too despite being killed off in the first thirty seconds of the show.

Here's hoping something amazing happens next week to turn this around, but I really doubt it. Despite being billed as a season finale, it really feels like the end and personally I am fine with that. Which sadly for Jason Demarco and the Toonami team is not the sentiment they were aiming for when they green-lighted this show. Better luck with the next originals, they are going to need it.

 

[marklungo]

Anyway, between tonight's episode and the third act of Batman Ninja, this is definitely one of Toonami's wackier nights.

At least until the relentlessly bleak Under the Red Hood starts. See my review here if you're interested.

 

[zoombie]

Well I do like the OP and ED songs very catchy. Don't get me wrong I have heard better, Eureka Seven had the best OP and ED ever, it is no where close to that, Eureka Seven as flawed of a show, granted it had more episodes. Eureka Seven besides the music, had more thing to save it, and that is Annemone, the episodes she is in, the scene are in, they are so much better than the rest of the series. (BTW my favorite Kari Wahlgreen character of all time, yes I know about FCLU exist, on offense I saw this show first) And this show prudential side characters that could make the show better than it is, the female pirates and they killed them off. It is like Eureka Seven killed Annemone half way through.

 

[marklungo]

And this show prudential side characters that could make the show better than it is, the female pirates and they killed them off. It is like Eureka Seven killed Annemone half way through.

Gotta rant about the title again. Fena: Pirate Princess implies that Fena will evolve into a female pirate by the end of the series. It hasn't happened yet, and with one episode to go I don't expect it to happen next week either. It's as if the creators were going for a slightly darker version of something like Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, only not nearly as good.

 

[Light Lucario]

I hope though Fena has all this power, you can right some of the wrongs of the world. Don't forget where you came from, the whole town that aas women has slave. Free them, can you at least do that, if she can't bring back the dead pirates fine, but no reason she can't free a town of enslaved women. If Angel and those girls don't see an improvement in life I am not going to be happy. if Fena just forgets about them and let status quo reign, I am going to be so mad.

I'd honestly genuinely be surprised if they even remember where Fena came from or any of the characters there. I don't know what Fena could really do to help them with her vague plot powers. I fully suspect that after whatever crazy twists happen next week, Fena will just finally accept Yukimaru's confession, possibly kiss him and then the crew just keep on traveling the world for off-screen adventures.

Gotta rant about the title again. Fena: Pirate Princess implies that Fena will evolve into a female pirate by the end of the series. It hasn't happened yet, and with one episode to go I don't expect it to happen next week either. It's as if the creators were going for a slightly darker version of something like Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, only not nearly as good.

To be honest, I never really had that problem. I can totally understand it when the title gives this impression of what Fena will be and she has been largely too passive to become a great pirate leader. Given the pacing of the series and what Fena has been put through, I think it would be too unbelievable for her to become this pirate princess. I could just easily see people calling her a Mary Sue if she had quickly filled the role of a pirate princess. That isn't to negate the problems people have with her character now. I just think that the creators would be in a tight spot regardless of what they did with Fena.

That being said, the only ways I could see the title being accurate now would be if there's a flash forward epilogue at the end of the finale or we get a season two. After this episode and especially the development for Abel, I really don't want this series to get a season two. It definitely hasn't been structured like there would be more seasons to come either when the big mystery they've been building up to since the beginning will supposedly be answered next week.

 

[PicardMan]

The thing is that Fena is basically Toonami's attempt to regain relevance to the American anime landscape in the streaming era. That's what makes this episode's belly flop such a big sting. There might actually be higher hopes for Blade Runner as their only hit original was an American cartoon in Samurai Jack season 5 (Blade Runner I think is half anime as it's animated in Japan but scripted by Americans). If Blade Runner turns out well and Demon Slayer season 2's dub remains a Toonami exclusive, Toonami avoid irrelevancy.

 

[marklungo]

The thing is that Fena is basically Toonami's attempt to regain relevance to the American anime landscape in the streaming era.... If Blade Runner turns out well and Demon Slayer season 2's dub remains a Toonami exclusive, Toonami avoid irrelevancy.

IMHO, the best way Toonami can stay relevant is to choose better shows.

 

[Light Lucario]

The thing is that Fena is basically Toonami's attempt to regain relevance to the American anime landscape in the streaming era. That's what makes this episode's belly flop such a big sting. There might actually be higher hopes for Blade Runner as their only hit original was an American cartoon in Samurai Jack season 5 (Blade Runner I think is half anime as it's animated in Japan but scripted by Americans). If Blade Runner turns out well and Demon Slayer season 2's dub remains a Toonami exclusive, Toonami avoid irrelevancy.

Even before this episode, I don't think that this would be a successful attempt at regaining relevance. If it wasn't for being a co production between Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, this series would be far more forgettable. Generally speaking, I don't think that Fena was making any huge waves or attracting much attention, so if the goal was to make Toonami more relevant with this original series, I don't think it worked.

 

[PicardMan]

IMHO, the best way Toonami can stay relevant is to choose better shows.

Originals are a whole different animal than acquisitions and choosing just based on the studio's pitch is always a risky move. I'm sure that the studio's pitch was the exciting swashbuckling adventure everyone hoped for. It did seem like the early episodes broke the Crunchyroll originals curse, but then this episode happened. I'm starting to wonder if these Western companies should just stick to acquisitions and not bother with originals as none of the Crunchyroll/Netflix/Toonami originals have become the next MHA or Demon Slayer, or even reached Black Clover level popularity. Demon Slayer seems to be Toonami's trump card as possibly their last exclusive dub. If we have a Yashahime situation where a dub that seemed destined to become a Toonami exclusive ends up debuting on streaming instead, then Toonami's in serious trouble.

 

[marklungo]

Originals are a whole different animal than acquisitions and choosing just based on the studio's pitch is always a risky move. I'm sure that the studio's pitch was the exciting swashbuckling adventure everyone hoped for. It did seem like the early episodes broke the Crunchyroll originals curse, but then this episode happened. I'm starting to wonder if these Western companies should just stick to acquisitions and not bother with originals as none of the Crunchyroll/Netflix/Toonami originals have become the next MHA or Demon Slayer, or even reached Black Clover level popularity. Demon Slayer seems to be Toonami's trump card as possibly their last exclusive dub. If we have a Yashahime situation where a dub that seemed destined to become a Toonami exclusive ends up debuting on streaming instead, then Toonami's in serious trouble.

After how how hard people worked to bring Toonami back, I'd hate to lose it again, especially since a lot of people can't afford streaming services.

 

[PicardMan]

After how how hard people worked to bring Toonami back, I'd hate to lose it again, especially sincce a lot of people can't afford streaming services.

It's got a few originals and a few years left, but most people who choose between cable and streaming seem to go with streaming's vaster library of shows than cable's smaller selection. The problem is that there are so many anime streaming services (Funimation, Hi Dive, Netflix, Amazon) that paying for them all breaks the bank. Toonami seems to have slipped hard in terms of fan appreciation after Dragonball Super ended and with it the Toonami Renaissance. Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu seem to be the preferred destination for MHA nowadays. I'm sure a lot of people were hoping that Fena could have been the 2020s equivalent of Deadman Wonderland as the show that made Toonami cool again. I'm wondering if any of these originals can be hits in the anime community and bring Toonami's popularity back. Toonami seems to be in a state of surviving but not thriving. We have no idea how money Fena's making or losing, but it does seem to be relatively ignored by the anime fandom that doesn't watch Toonami. The question is if Blade Runner can be the 2020s Deadman Wonderland and revive interest in the block.

 

[Light Lucario]

Originals are a whole different animal than acquisitions and choosing just based on the studio's pitch is always a risky move. I'm sure that the studio's pitch was the exciting swashbuckling adventure everyone hoped for. It did seem like the early episodes broke the Crunchyroll originals curse, but then this episode happened. I'm starting to wonder if these Western companies should just stick to acquisitions and not bother with originals as none of the Crunchyroll/Netflix/Toonami originals have become the next MHA or Demon Slayer, or even reached Black Clover level popularity. Demon Slayer seems to be Toonami's trump card as possibly their last exclusive dub. If we have a Yashahime situation where a dub that seemed destined to become a Toonami exclusive ends up debuting on streaming instead, then Toonami's in serious trouble.

To be fair, it might be a bit too much to expect original series to be the next big hit. Most of the popular Shonen series already had an established fanbase with their respective manga, while there isn't something like that for these original series to get off the ground. Plus, I'm sure that companies would still prefer to make original series whenever they can, if only so that they could potentially get more money out of them.

 

[PicardMan]

To be fair, it might be a bit too much to expect original series to be the next big hit. Most of the popular Shonen series already had an established fanbase with their respective manga, while there isn't something like that for these original series to get off the ground. Plus, I'm sure that companies would still prefer to make original series whenever they can, if only so that they could potentially get more money out of them.

Isn't that why Fena is the only Adult Swim original that's not a preexisting adaptation? They'd probably strike gold if they funded Chainsaw Man or any upcoming hyped battle shonen, but I wonder if that's hard to do as no battle shonen has been a true Crunchyroll/Adult Swim/Netflix original (stuff labeled "Netflix originals" but not funded by Netflix, like Seven Deadly Sins or Edens Zero don't count). I am wondering if the source materials chosen for adaptions, like decades old video game Shenmue or Blade Runner after Blade Runner 2049 crashed in theaters are good choices or not. Uzamaki probably would have been a big hit in the mid 2010s when Toonami had lots more horror seinen content like Parasyte, Hellsing Ultimate, and Tokyo Ghoul but horror seinen seems to have fallen out of favor. Plus the gimmick of being black and white would probably turn off casuals. The thing is that originals can bring in or lose money and every anime original before (Big O season 2, IGPX, FLCL sequels) were major flops that lost money. We still don't know Fena's status, but the Toonami original track record, with the sole exception of Samurai Jack, has been that of financial loss.