[DreamSword]

Episode IV: Bloodville

I... I ended up really liking this episode, actually.



Starting things off, we have a decent little switch around where Alfonso's' bit is at the start of the episode, rather than the end. That's cool.

And it's a good thing they decided on that too, because putting it at the end like normal would've taken away a bit from the prime meat that is the rest of this episode. It's great.

The premise is that Herman has heard rumors of a curse befalling a forgotten village, so he puts his and Leon's' main quest on hold in order to investigate. As one can expect, forgotten villages are often forgotten for a reason, and it becomes really clear really quickly that the Knights were right to investigate.



All of the character interactions are top notch in this episode. From Leon's' very understandable reactions to everything happening during the episode, to Herman toning his usual antics down a bit once it's clear they have a job to do, and of course, the characterizations of the little boy, Alloise, and his mother, of whom the villagers accuse of being a witch.



Not to mention the appropriately spooky atmosphere and air of mystery this episode brings. While the answer to said mystery is pretty obvious, the real joy came from having the characters breaking down their thought process, doing investigative work, and the development of Leon that came therein. While I personally would've preferred the "curse" be due to an outside force, I won't complain about a Horror being the culprit in a Toku show; It just kinda comes with the territory.

Probably the main takeaway of the episode, and the aspect of it I liked the most, was Leon having to face down against someone who bore one of the same personal demons he does; Wanting revenge for the loss of a parent, and feeling of anger and sadness that come with it. You can tell that Leon himself isn't entirely sure what to say to Alloise when it comes down to it, and that the events of the night are making him seriously second guess himself.

I also really loved what Herman had to say at the end of it all: "The more you learn of the darkness of man, the harder they become to protect." Very true words, and ones that emphasize the need to see the good in others, ontop of doing your best not to let grudges or feelings of vengeance consume you, something many people(myself included) need to be reminded of all too often. Considering my experience with many Toku that often have their bad guys being some outside force, it's rather refreshing to see one that emphasizes that people are capable of just as much evil, if not moreso. Which is another aspect I really loved about Kikaider.

This episode was great. Top notch.