I can't believe they just dropped the last seven episodes all in one go! Probably better to just talk about all seven here in giant sum up than go back to the previous threads.
Well, what a ride. That's all that can be said about the last seven episodes.
I dislike that it finally took Bell so long to finally start actively upgrading and changing his game. I mean, after what Xander did to him (where he assumed there were actual stakes involved) THAT should have been the wake up call for him. I guess it was still paced pretty fairly despite it all and oh look, he was back to DB levels for that tournament. He really was slacking off wasn't he?
If this was why Hanako was being such an carp this season a quick nod there would have been great.
Ranzo's hype days ended humiliatingly. Poor guy can't catch a break.
Pax, now that's an antagonist I can get behind. He's got skills and tactics, but his TRUE edge over Valt and Aiga was the fact he had been researching Elemental Power for years and knew their ins and outs against opponents whose battles he's also been bitterly watching for the longest while and they knew nothing about him or this power. Quite the look though.
And yes, that man was bitter and petty. He let Aiga's words live rent free in his head all this time. He can show as much bluster as he wants Aiga nearly got him twice.
Of course, they do my boy Hikaru dirty and feed him to Valt. But once again, they gave the boy a plastic knife and sent him to the lion's den and despite still being obviously mauled in the end, he fought admirably. Love how they made the perspective about him and not Valt because man, that boy needed this. The anime just treats this kid so unfairly. Not understanding their playing up his liking of heroes either.
I'm also not pleased about making Drum and Dragon Pri's food. At all.
Oh and can we talk about Pri? That whole "be your own person" stichk they were playing up from the getgo? Yet here she is, chasing after Pax the whole event, pretty much following her brother's blueprint for Pandemonium for Flame Pandora. For as much as a jerk Pax was being, he was right. Oh, and while it WAS for his own good there, Shu calling HIM on the mask but Pri gets a (another) pass? Pfft. Apparently, her proving herself to Pax meant nothing since they start the last ep with her already being beaten.
You know, for what it's worth I understand and LIKE Bell's angle in all of this drama. Pri wanted big brother to notice her, the Legends wanted to help and stop him before he crossed lines he couldn't come back from.
Bell? The Dark Prince don't care he just wants to be a showy little punk and there were too many extras on the stage. But from Pax's perspective.... While Aiga was clearly the boogieman, Bell was the sock stealing gnome. The damn wrench in his plans from the very beginning.
Making things worse for Pax, as noted by poster in another thread, Bell gained a full grasp of Elemental Power due to his constant battles with Pri watching her battles, begrudgingly battling alongside her and even make snap combinations alongside her battle (showing he already had a better grasp of EP than she did hence why Pax decided to attack his overblown ego to slow him down). Adding to Bell's battles against other powerful bladers and finally incorporated all that into the finale...Yeah.
Speaking of finale. SO much better than how DB ended it! Feels like a true send-off much akin to how the Burst manga did it.
Also, while that kid watching the battle could be incorporated as a lot of things, Hasbro, Burst is over. Deal with it.