REVIEW: ‘Platinum End,’ Episode 16 – “World’s Greatest Assassin”

Platinum End is a dark fantasy shonen anime produced by Signal.MD. The word is out. Having held a press conference, grade school God Candidate Susumu has revealed to the world the existence of the God Candidates. And between the recent televised battle with Metropliman and the demonstrations of his abilities Susumu gives on the air, many people are willing to believe in the God Candidates. This includes world leaders who see individuals with the capacity to fly at the speed of light and kill anyone with a single shot as a dire threat, or a potential asset to be controlled in Platinum End Episode 16.

I’ve seen a couple of Battle Royale anime and one of the things that inevitably passes through my mind is “What would happen if the whole world knew this was going on?” If people were given undeniable proof that a secret event to determine the fate of the world was going on all around them and they had not even realized it, how would they react? Much to my delight, Platinum End Episode 16 is diving into this very question with its latest plot twist and so far, I am thrilled.

From the direct repercussions for our protagonists to ancillary elements like a God Candidates hashtag trending with people claiming others may be the candidates, the series does a great job of diving into the many ways society responds to the revelation of these individuals.

With new threats, new allies, and new dangers all around, Mirai and Sake quickly find themselves having to reacclimate to a whole new situation again. Combine all this with the fact that they are still recovering from their physical wounds, as well as the loss of Nanato, and it’s understandable why both of our main characters are feeling more than a bit overwhelmed.

But despite everything that Platinum End Episode 16 throws at our protagonists, I loved the subtle ways the show highlights how much the characters have grown. Mirai picks up on little details about Susumu’s interview that show how much more perceptive he has become since the show’s beginning. Similarly, Sake shows a significant amount of initiative when tackling the issues the episode presents. Whether or not this more assertive Sake is due to the influence of Mirai’s red arrow can’t be known for sure, but I hope she gets to keep this trait once the effects wear off.

The visual side of this episode maintains the strong delivery of the show’s characters and moments. As a calmer episode without any significant new visual elements, the animation has little to do but to continue giving us what it has already built. And it does this just as well as I would expect.

So, when all is said and done, Platinum End Episode 16 begins to elaborate on the changes brought to the narrative through the last episode’s revelations. I’m looking forward to seeing how the plot continues to change as the situation develops from here.

Platinum End Episode 16 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.