Usually it takes me a few listens to get used to a new anime opening theme. That was the case with Guts Guts!! by Akira Kushida. Except this time I was not only used to it by the second listen, I was in love with it. I don't know why, but it's just so catchy and fun to listen to. And if awesome opening themes are any indication of how well a series will do, then we won't be seeing the last of Toriko for a long time.
My first impression reading the manga, all four volumes in a day, was, "Huh, this is a bit of a sausage fest," (until the third and fourth one that is, but we won't get there for a while). Apparently the good folks at Toei agreed, and decided to add a filler character to the mix, a cute, feisty reporter named Tina. It's pretty hilarious watching her, because she's mostly around to pad episodes out for time, but since she is a filler character she can't actually influence the plot, so she'll be shoved off to the side in amusing fashions. The good thing though is that she does fit in. Her dialogue is nicely food centered, with her referring to stories as, "delicious helpings of news." So while she is somewhat shoe-horned in she doesn't stand out. Well, except for the fact that she is an attractive woman in a show where so far Komatsu is the most feminine. And in the manga he doesn't exactly give up that position even when the series' one female is introduced.
Komatsu and his boss run into Toriko at a food market, where the boss hires Toriko to go after the Rainbow Fruit that has been grown artificially in a biotope. The reason they can't get to the fruit themselves is because the tree has been surrounded by a colony of Troll Kongs, mutant gorillas with four arms. Just one of them is a few levels higher than even the three hundred year old Garara Gator from the first episode.
Toriko agrees and they travel to the massive biotope, where a Troll Kong is waiting for them. It tries to intimidate them, but Toriko responds by blasting a hole into the wall with his three nail punch, which is basically three punches to the same spot. This is pretty neat because we get to see Toriko's arsenal expanded a bit, though I'm surprised that he's already revealing new attacks rather than milking his knife and fork style for a bit more.
Toriko fights the Troll Kong, which is only a scout, the weakest member of its tribe, and then takes on the rest of the tribe. He tries to intimidate them, but it doesn't work because he has the scent of the weakest member all over him, so they cannot smell his threat. But when the rain washes the scent off, he is able to intimidate the leader and harvest one of the rainbow fruits. The episode ends with Toriko having a meal at Komatsu's restaurant, finishing it off with a part of the rainbow fruit for dessert. The flavor is so amazing that Toriko declares it will be his dessert on his full course menu. Now that he has one part of his menu completed, methinks that we won't see any new entry onto it for a long time now.
As far as second episodes go, this one is really good. It's another stand-alone story, that follows the same vein as the first episode, but for some reason I enjoyed it a lot more. I'm not sure exactly why, but it showcases exactly what Toriko is capable of, and gives the viewers an idea of what to expect in the future.
Oddly enough I'm not bothered by the addition of the filler character, Tina, actually I really find she fits in fairly well. She isn't exactly well developed yet, but I can see her performing the role she needs to. Though I doubt she'll have much of an impact on the plot.
By this point I think anyone watching should know what they're in for, and whether they'll enjoy it or not. Personally I'm really enjoying myself, and I can't wait to see more episodes. By which I mean I can't wait to see episode five, since I've watched the available four already.
If you liked my review, Watch the Episode Here!
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