Build Divide -#000000- Code Black – 05

「ケーキと釣り針」 (Kēki to Tsuribari)
“Cake and Fishhook”

That’s right boys and girls, Build Divide finally did it, an episode with no battles. Following Teruto after his big loss with the King, AKA his little sister. He decides it’s time to sulk and push everyone around him away. Because he wants to be alone with his thoughts, he wants to pout. Let him be I say! Just don’t let him close to me. Sulking is the one trait I hate on people and in people on/in general. Believe me, if you’re going to sulk in front of me, it’s a quick way for me to boot you into the highway. And so petty as well, he wants to sulk over losing a battle. Build Divide does try to justify it and the keyword here is does. It tries to give Teruto a reason why he wants to sulk, as in one moment a flash-back into both Kikka and Teruto’s childhood proves that Kikka was a ruthless killer. She stopped at nothing to win against Teruto and apparently that left him some trauma scars. I mean, really? She asked for one more game knowing that she’s gonna win either way. She’s belittling Teruto and is enjoying the heck out of it.

I’m not buying it, Teruto’s sulking is petty AF! Get over it! Thankfully Build Divide doesn’t spend too much time on this petty change to Teruto’s character and makes him get out of his rut, specially provided by Sakura, as she publishes his location online and brings in the small fry. Privacy concerns aside, Teruto was able to defeat all of those that came in front of him and got even more chips, so now he’s even closer to being able to go against Kikka. I forget how exactly the rules work in this anime, but if I’m not misremembering, the gang needs 12 chips in order to defy the gods or something like that. At this point, I feel those that are still watching this show, are keeping up with it religiously and those that have lost interest have promptly dropped it. Don’t worry I don’t judge you or anything. There are many flaws with Build Divide, but I don’t think it’s interested in showing you a good time. It’s all about selling those TCG cards! Who are you gonna play the game with, who knows right!? Japan is still riding that tabletop card game-high, meanwhile here on the west, you’d be luckier to find someone that plays Magic, besides it has simpler rules. Anyway, for a TCG anime, there sure weren’t any battles. At least not on the surface, Teruto did apparently fight some low-class mobs, but we didn’t get to see that because the episode decided to spend more time with Hiyori eating a strawberry shortcake.

It’s okay, I forgive it, as long as it comes back around the next episode, I really don’t care about these characters and a sulking Teruto is pretty unlikeable, at least in my narrow view of the world. Look, it’s not like I’m gonna be an asshole and tell you not to sulk over say something like the death of a relative, I would be there for you, make your favorite tea, and generally be there if you need a shoulder to cry on. But I mean sulking over losing a TCG battle. However, I do give it points because it’s traumatic for Teruto to lose (once again) his sister, and it might bring some bad memories. Okay, I get that. But I mean come on, it’s basically the same as throwing a tantrum over say, losing a Pokemon Unite (I’ve been playing it a lot recently) match. Thankfully he gets quickly over it, but spending a whole episode seems excessive and a waste of runtime. This definitely felt like a filler episode in some parts. I just don’t care enough about the characters to see them having a good time eating cakes and enjoy it. I’m not living vicariously through them, I want to see them fight in a TCG battle!

“I did not sign up for this,” me either Sakura. All the sulking could have been avoided and Sakura could have come up with her plan earlier in the episode and so we would see Teruto fight a random dude and all would be well. You could say that the fight Kikka had against the bot was the battle in this episode. But I’m not counting it, it was just there to show how she’s just obsessed over winning afresh Teruto. Hopefully, her fascination is explained in later episodes. It’s almost kinda creepy, the subversion of a trope maybe? Build Divide already has very little going for it, so taking away the core aspect is sure to push some away.

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