[DreamSword]

Episode 1: Prelude to Despair

"Blassreiter" translates to "White Zephyer" in German.

Let me start off by saying, wow, even if the opening credits hadn't started by proudly proclaiming that this show was a joint venture between Gonzo Animation and some racing company I've never heard of, I would've been able to tell right off the bat.

The art style, the CGI, the way characters move... all of it is peak Gonzo animation from the early 2000s. Not saying it's bad, but like, anyone who's at all familiar with any of their works from that timeframe(Final Fantasy Unlimited, Linebarrels of Iron, Vandread, etc) would probably be able to tell it was them right away.

With that out of the way... this show isn't really what I was expecting, and that's good, because it definitely makes me interested in seeing more of it.

From what I can tell, the show takes place in Germany, where creatures known as Demoniacs roam and prey on humans. These creatures' origins are unknown, but they come about via the reanimation of corpses, which then amalgamate the materials around them into their new bodies. Hence them sometimes being called "Amalgams" or "Amalgamates."

One day, a Demoniac appears at a racetrack, wherein our main character, Gerd Frentzen, is competing. Things go south quick, as despite efforts from the local specialized military unit known as the XAT, ontop of a second Demoniac both swooping in to deal with the threat, Gerd still ends up injured and losing motor functions in both of his legs.

Be honest, how many of you thought the main hero was the dude with red hair?

I actually rather liked this about the setup here. It's not often that the older, plainer-looking man is the main focus, and it's something I really appreciate whenever it actually happens. One such example would be in "Zone of the Enders: Dolores, i" a different anime I'm rather fond of.

The young man with red hair is actually Hermann Saltza, an old friend of Gerd's who's there to try and give Gerd hope again. He recalls a time when Hermann was fired from being a pro racer, and Gerd was there to reassure him that despite setbacks like these, life goes on, and sometimes your initial passion isn't what ends up being what's best for you in the end. This is what lead Hermann to joining XAT, and helping lead the fight against the Demoniacs.

Gerd takes the words to heart, only for life to immediately start kicking him back down again. And yeah, all the stuff he goes through would be enough to break most of us, I feel.

As such it also makes sense that when a mysterious woman with an incredibly wild hairdo shows up to offer a way for Gerd to turn his life around, he's pretty eager to go for it. Her name is Beatrice Grese, and her offer is an experimental knew drug that will restore Gerd's' legs, but is untested, and could have dangerous side-effects as a result.

Meanwhile, the XAT are hunting another Demoniac who's appeared recently. The operation seems to go well enough, until the Demoniac ends up amalgamating the very explosive that the XAT wanted to use to kill it. The operatives are saved though, when a different Demoniac arrives on the scene.

And sure enough, it's Gerd. The drug having both restored his legs as well as giving him the ability to transform into a Kamen Rider-rrr-Demoniac himself. I like the simplistic use a symbolism here too, with the helicopter light representing Gerd's' rebirth.

Overall, this episode did a nice job setting everything up. From the tone, to the pacing, to the type of story this will be, it was pulled off pretty solidly, and definitely did its job in making me want to see where this goes.

And it turns out that Kobayashi is involved! I know this will be a pleasent surprise to atleast a few of you.