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Killing Bites
Episode 10

by Theron Martin,

How would you rate episode 10 of
Killing Bites ?
Community score: 4.2

Over 25 years ago, Dragon Ball Z taught an important lesson about how to handle shonen action battles: when the hero faces an opponent too powerful to defeat, a power-up to the next level is required. Episode 10 follows this to the letter when Hitomi suddenly come back from unconsciousness by transforming into what Eruza initially assumes is her ultimate form, as seen in the screenshot. The big twist is that Eruza is actually wrong; this isn't the next stage of her Therianthrope transformation but rather a reversion to her natural state. Unlike all the other Therianthropes, Hitomi was born in half-bestial form and Shidoh (I'm guessing) used gene manipulation to change her into a fully human form.

This particular angle is shocking enough that the episode spends most of its second half detailing Hitomi's backstory – or more specifically, how Shidoh came to find her in the back alleys of Hong Kong and gradually win her trust. As might be expected, this process didn't go smoothly, as Hitomi was difficult and scrappy before she could even talk. Though Hitomi is designated a valuable special case called an Origin Beast, the extent of effort that Shidoh goes through to win her over and protect her from deadly situations suggests that he regards her as more than just a prized test subject, which hadn't been clear to this point. This side of the story also clearly establishes why Hitomi is so enamored with him, since he literally humanized her and took a beating just to protect her. Yuya has a long way to go to match that kind of impact!

Just as importantly, young Hitomi is almost ridiculously cute in her juvenile hybrid form. Those pointy teeth and more generous fur coat don't repress her charismatic appeal, though some lackluster artistry mutes the effect of the design slightly. She's just adorable in her interactions with Shidoh, which is certainly not something I can say about her older version. This surprise origin does raise some practical questions, such as how she knows to wear clothes if she's so animalistic that she can't talk, but it does reveal another interesting tidbit: Shinozaki, the obnoxious Announcer Girl, was an ally of Shidoh and quite a capable fighter herself.

The ultimate point is that if Shidoh merely enhanced what Hitomi already had rather than making something new, then she's even more of a force to be reckoned with than we thought. That's good now that Taiga has lost a hand to Brute Pangolin, and even Brute Hippo, though he has the bulk to match Brute Pangolin, can't match Pangolin's lethality while injured. Still, it's nice to see him involved again, and it's not like Taiga didn't do some damage before meeting his match. This also raises the irony that Kido is trying to return Hitomi to nature even though she's the most natural of them all. I'd also welcome Kido's defeat at this point just to shut up Yoko, who finally goes into histrionics trying to put the other players in their places. The whole business with her tongue was way too much, even by the standards of this show.

With two more episodes to go, I have to wonder what they'll do next episode to drag things out, since it feels like the climactic fight will take place next episode. Whatever happens, this has still been an entertaining enough ride.

Rating: B

Killing Bites is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.


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