[DreamSword]

Episode XVIII: Scar Flame

That uh... that can't be good.

This episode is all about farewells, and moving forward in life. Not just for Leon, but German too.

To get German's' section out of the way, it was nice seeing how he'd at last last found a woman that he truly connected with. But just as in real life, sometimes the job comes first, and it can pull people apart.

Ximena(I think that's her name) is obviously heartbroken, but she knew it was coming eventually. I did really like how he left her a white flower as a farewell gift. A nice nod to a few episodes ago. I got a giggle at how Alfonso started learning of German's lecherous ways, too.

We also get to see that German made his own demonic pact; His with a magic bracelet named Jiruba.

Now, as for Leon...



I really loved this entire sequence. The visuals alone made for a great look into Leon's' head; His inner demons literally made manifest. And of course, we got a great resolution to his character arc out of it too. Of course he's heartbroken and angry about what happened to Lara, but he's learned how to channel the fire inside him into a desire to make sure such a thing never happens again.

This is followed up by what is hands down the best fight scene in the entire show so far.



Seriously. Huge props to whoever was behind the entire dueling scene between Leon and Alfonso. From the choreography, to the stakes it has in terms of our characters, to just the sheer coolness factor of having the two leads duke it out, everything came together in just the right way. Heck, I took that screenshot in particular just to show that they were even paying attention to tiny details; Having Leon's' sword crack under Alfonso's' sheer strength gotten from Raphael.

I also really like how we never actually see who won the duel in the end. This lets you not only deem whichever character you think deserved it more as the victor, but whether he won or lost, it doesn't matter, because Leon most definitely shows himself as being worthy of donning GARO once more. To the point that later on, his armor has evolved into being a hybrid between his old suit and Alfonso's'. Also fanservice for fans of the live-action show, as based on what pictures I looked up Leon's' new suit is almost the live-action suit point for point.

Yeah, with a new attitude comes a new outfit.



The episode ends with a big twist: That Mandosa is still alive! So I guess it was just a dub mistake that Watchdog chick called him Menduza? Regardless, I predict that it's actually Octavia masquerading as him, but we'll see. I look forward to see how this is going to shake up the group dynamic, what with German's' new job and all.

Overall, this was a fanTASTIC episode; Probably my favorite yet!