[DreamSword]

Episode 20: Life

A Mado Tank was not something I expected, that's for sure.

This episode is all about obtaining Varnacas Fruit in order to purify Kaoru, with Koga having to go it alone since all of the Alchemists he knows are gone.

If I might get my one minor critique out of the way for this episode, it's that there really wasn't any sort of smooth transition between the previous episode and this one. We're just kinda thrown right into the thick of things.

I don't really mind it too much though given that I still rather enjoyed this episode all around. Especially since, and maybe it's just me, but this episode felt the most videogame-like out of every episode so far? Am I out of line in thinking that the GARO franchise draws alot of inspiration from JRPGs?

And with that being said, it also doesn't leave me with a whole lot to say. The episode didn't come across as anything profound or "deep" to me, but then, I also didn't really expect it to. I'm just here for a good time and, hey, straightforward episode or not, that's what I got. It's Koga's' quest to set right everything he did wrong, and in the end, he makes a giant step towards it.

Rei also acknowledges that like it or not, he's gonna need Garo's' help in order to bring down Kiba. It's a small thing, but necessary in order to help establish how the two will interact going forward. And it also makes me wonder how, now that she's cured, Kaoru is gonna factor into the story at hand? Given that she's my favorite character in the show so far, I'm really hoping they don't just write her out of it or put her in the background from here on out.

Again, nothing I really feel I gotta go into detail about, but just a solidly put together episode all around. The piano and orchestral version of Savior in the Dark were nice too!