REVIEW: ‘Platinum End,’ Episode 13 – “World Peace”

Platinum End is a dark fantasy shonen anime produced by Signal.MD. As the confrontation with Metropoliman continues, Mirai prepares to duel the villain one-on-one. Red arrow versus white arrow. But as the duel progresses Metropoliman reveals much of his motivations and what he intends to do with divinity if he should win the prize of Godhood in Platinum End Episode 13.

I have no qualms with calling Platinum End‘s Metropoliman one of the more loathsome characters I’ve seen in television. He is one of those rare characters that never fails to prove to me he can always become even worse than I thought he could. While this was already true, Platinum End Episode 13 takes numerous opportunities to continue to showcase just how abhorrent the character can truly be.

Perhaps the biggest revelation about Metropoliman that this story brings is the exploration of his relationship with his little sister Rea. The episode provides an extended flashback that dives into his feelings toward his sister, how they play into his incredibly warped ideals concerning the worth of people, and what pushed him to nearly taking his own life. This exploration of the character and his ultimate treatment of his sister is delivered in an engrossing way that grabs the viewer’s attention, even as it turns their stomach.

Meanwhile, in the present day, the duel between Mirai and Metropoliman takes center stage. Much like many of the preceding episodes, Platinum End Episode 13 struggles to balance the philosophical aspects of its characters with its attempts to build a suspenseful moment for the story. The exchange of arrows between the two combatants is paused so often and for so long that it frequently destroys the tension the show tries to build around the duel itself. This becomes even worse as Nanato and Saki further hamper the proceedings with repetitive statements about how untrustworthy and dangerous Metropoliman is.

While the core story struggles in some spots, Platinum End Episode 13 does deliver a surprising twist that I never saw coming and seems poised to have a sizeable impact on the plot going forward. There are far too many possible ways the story could utilize this surprise development and the very breadth of possibility makes it extremely intriguing.

The visual side of this episode does a good job of capturing the moments the story presents to the viewer. Despite the show’s frequent failure to properly maintain the desired tension in the narrative, the show’s visual design does all it can to keep the viewer invested in the episode’s confrontation.

When all is said and done, Platinum End Episode 13 delivers a solid episode that further builds up its antagonist, as well as giving the viewer even more cause to loathe him. While it manages this at the expense of some of the immediate tension in the story, the delivery of the villain’s motivations and worldview make this episode well worth watching for series fans.

Platinum End Episode 13 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.