[DreamSword]

Episode #4: Freeze

Confusing title aside, I rather liked this one.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely a few contrivances along the way in order to make the whole thing work, but I considered them minor.

Nagumo and Tanake showing some hidden depths in the way they get revenge on those who wronged them was very satisfying. And really, isn't that part of the appeal of these kinds of shows? Seeing some people get what they deserve?

I'm sure someone somewhere would call that reaction problematic or something, but whatever. This is a TV show and you'd better believe I take great pleasure in unlikable or douchebag characters getting pasted. And it's not like this show hasn't exactly looked at the flip side either.

Case in point, a big part of the drama in this one is how Kuon and Hoshiai's' friendship is tested when the timer on the game comes down to its final few minutes. Hoshiai is forced to make the selfish choice, one I'm sure many wouldn't blame him for. But Kuon sticks to his convictions and in the end is rewarded for it. Both paths are valid, even if it might leave Hoshiai feeling awful in the end.

Speaking of Kuon, I liked the little scene we get where it's revealed that the sword he summons is based off of a keychain he used to treasure when he was younger. While I'm sure we'll get more context later on, the scene in and of itself was nice, and helped to establish Kuon as probably the most pure hearted person here. Plus, you know. Swords. GARO.

Lastly, speaking of swords. Man, the fights in this show really are great stuff. The sword fight at the start was great, and hopefully the show can manage to keep this level of quality fight choreography going. If it does, I might just go down saying that Versus Road is worth it just for the fight scenes alone.