[DreamSword]

Act-II: The Challenge of Iczer-Sigma

"It's for your protection."

Anyway, the title of this episode is basically clickbait before clickbait was even a thing, because Iczer-Sigma is barely in it.

Instead, there are three main focuses to this episode: Sepia seaking revenge for Cobalt's' death, Iczer-1 trying to infiltrate Big Gold's' fortress to stop the Cthuwulf, and Nagisa bonding with a little girl she meets named Sayoko.

The action in this episode is swift, but well directed with some great shots. The horror elements, while a bit more downplayed than the previous episode, still serve their purpose as a vehicle in helping Nagisa's' character development, and the personal stakes everyone gains in the conflict is a good step forward.

The thing that is probably gonna stand out to most viewers though is the creation of Iczer-2, the "sister" of Iczer-1; Created from Iczer-1's' combat data and designed to kill Iczer-1 and be Sepia's' new partner. And yeah, she certainly makes quite the impression with her great combat skills and honorable, yet sadistic personality.

Oh, and if you were wondering what Iczer-Sigma looks like, here:

And while Iczer-2 is great and all, I think the aspect I liked most in this episode was Nagisa's' development in gaining her own resolve. Going from a frightened everyday girl to someone who finds something she wishes to protect. She certainly doesn't like the situation she's in, but she realizes that she needs to work with Iczer-1 if there's to be any hope for not just herself, but the people she cares about too.

This is all highlighted really well with her giving Sayoko the bracelet that has been protecting Nagisa for the majority of the episode.

The next episode is the conclusion to the first entry in this series, but not the end of the posts. There's still a solid bit to go!