REVIEW: ‘Onyx Equinox,’ Episode 5 – “Mended and Broken”

Crunchyroll Original anime Onyx Equinox has been taking viewers into Mesoamerica. In the series, Izel (Olivia Brown) is humanity’s only hope, chosen to represent “the lowest of the low” by the god Quetzalcoatl (Zeus Mendoza) to help win a bet against Tezcatlipoca (Arin Hanson). Quested to close the four gates of the underworld, Izel is no longer alone, joined by twins Yun (Patrick Pedraza) and K’in (Juan Arturo Maldonado). Last episode, the trio picked up a new comrade, Zyanya (Carolina Ravassa), a warrior-girl from Danibaan who has a secret she’s hiding from her new companions. Now, in Onyx Equinox Episode 5, “Mended and Broken,” the group is heading towards Danibaan but their clashing personalities get the better of them.

The tension between Izel and the twins, Yun and K’in, hasn’t subsided since their fates twisted together with the ulama ball. While they have to rely on each other, Izel’s bitterness towards the two for taking what he sees as his family especially after losing his sister is at a peak. That said, the twins have different ways of approaching Izel. For Yun, the more mature of the group, he lets Izel take out his frustration and gives the boy the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, K’in isn’t open to allowing Izel to blame them for things they didn’t do.

On the way to Danibaan, Yun is injured, suffering a horrifying and life-threatening injury, in what can be seen as Izel’s fault. With nowhere left to turn, they seek help from a mysterious healer who pushes them to work together to find an axolotl named Meque. While this episode does feature some action and shows that Zyanya doesn’t have the group’s best interest in mind, the larger purpose of this Onyx Equinox Episode 5 is focussed on showcasing more of Mesoamerican mythology and gods and building connections between the characters on the screen.

While Zyana isn’t building a connection to anyone in the group, our main trio is beginning to understand each other and that’s where the strength of the episode lies. While I still have issues with some of the voice acting, the writers of the series are putting a lot of work into building relationships and it’s executed well.

Overall, this episode is gorgeously animated and heartfelt. For the first time, I feel like I really understand the characters of the series. Izel is scared, and the twins that act cocky all the time? Well, they’re scared too. Onyx Equinox Episode 5 is a strong episode filled with heart that sets up relationships for us to connect to and by into for the rest of the series. But more importantly, this episode reminds the viewers that these are kids tasked with a quest against all odds and that’s this episode’s strength.

Onyx Equinox is available for streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll.