Episode 16:
This will be an unpopular opinion, but I think this season is worse than previous ones. I originally thought that it is because it's more actino-oriented, but after thinking a little bit more about it - it is, but not directly.
Previous seasons also had their fair share of action, after all, but they felt different. They were more... "Personal", I guess? More smart? From what I remember it was always a fight of weaker opponent against a stronger one, and there was a need to outsmart the enemy, if not to defeat, then at least to stall for time.
While this season had elements of that, the fights did not deliver the same sense of desperation. I do not think any character felt "Oops, I'm dead". Maybe Garf, at a certain point, but even his moment was, somewhat spoiled by how he suddenly "acknowledged". I think the only time when I could see true despair in this season was the very beginning, when Wrath appeared, and that's it.
Switching between fights did not help either. Of course there was not as much switching as in some other shows (BHA anyone?) it still was present, and further reduced the feeling of weight from the fights. Let alone that most of them were resolve ("kind of") by some "overpowered" skill or item. So, again, not that much "smarts" was used.
All of the above is cause by... Sheer scale. Which makes some sense at least from narrative perspective, but I do not think it's the author's strong suit. I think he is better at more localized and more personal stories or those that span across time rather than space. Which was kind of confirmed by the ending.
