[DreamSword]

Episode XXIV: Chiastolite

It's the finale of the TV show proper, and while I felt it was good, it could've been more.

Let's start with the good first. As always, the action in the episode was well done, and I never thought I'd see Knight vs Punch Ghost but here we are.

The animation and effects were really good too. I really liked the entire sequence where Mandosa absorbs Anima. Yet again, the JRPG influences shine here, as it's something that wouldn't be out of place in a final boss intro.

Adding to that, even though fusing together two Makai Armors was something that was never even stated to be possible before, it's really cool, and since Leon DOES have the blood of both Garo and Zorro in him, it checks out enough for me to give it a pass.

Raphael's' cameo was nice to see too, and helped to highlight what is probably the biggest "theme" of the episode(if there is one): A Knight's' resolve. Leon being willing to seal himself in the Makai Space just to keep Mandosa from running rampant in the Human World really showed just how far he's come over the series. Also Emma and Leon broke up, so that was nice.

Unfortunately that's about where the good stops.

The main issue I have is that there's alot of questions and plot threads left unanswered. Granted, maybe the OVA and Movie will answer those questions, but I really felt like they were things that should've been addressed here in the main show itself. For example, the plot hook about finding a successor for Bernardo went absolutely nowhere, which is kinda crap considering the importance Bernardo had to German's' story.

They also never answer why Mandosa became old or how he even survived that first battle. Granted, there's a throwaway line about his illusions being super powerful, but if they really are going for the classic "It's just a hologram" then man... that's really weak, gotta say. And let's not even get into the teleporters again. It's also a damn shame that the final fight with Mandosa pretty much involves only Leon, especially considering how Alfonso was built up to be the secondary protagonist. Kinda makes Raphael's' words ring hollow.

Overall, I was pretty neutral on this episode, and I'm hoping that I can find the OVA and Movie to be more fulfilling in terms of an actual ending to the show. We'll see in the coming days.