[DreamSword]

Episode 5: Hakamadare

Okay so real quick something I forgot to call attention too with the previous post.

The heck are these things? They look badass! It's like horse carriages from hell! Like if Ghost Rider was in ye olde Japan! Love 'em.

Anyway, as for the episode itself, oh man, I'll say right now, I absolutely loved this one! This episode is about so many things, and yet never once does it feel rushed, and the characters it presents are all incredibly strong.

So what's the premise? Raiko runs into a character that was introduced briefly in a previous episode. Turns out his name is Yasusuke, and he's a member of a high ranking police family. He is joined by Kosode, a criminal woman on parole who helps Yasusuke take down other criminals.

And that, I think, is the biggest thing I loved about the episode. It is almost entirely about the relationship between Yasusuke and Kosode, to the point that our Main Trio are barely even in the episode! Both Yasusuke and Kosode are really well developed characters too, which great chemistry and well delivered backstories. They carry the episode flawlessly.

Not to mention that within the tale of this forbidden romance are so many different elements that helps things alot. Themes about how society creates its own monsters. About how pressure from others, even those whom you love and respect, can keep you from someone you care about. About how not everyone can be saved. About how discrimination can happen for the most petty of reasons. And all done without once ever feeling preachy or forced!

I really did feel for and get attached to the highlight characters in this, to the point that I was right there with Raiko during every scene where he was arguing with Seimei about the situation. And yet, given Seimei's' own background as we currently know it, it was clear that she knew what she was talking about regarding this entire ordeal, likely having gone through something similar in her past as an aristocrat's' daughter. And yes, I too felt that when the inevitable came, that it was a total downer, but in the good way!

If Crimson Moon really is seen by many a Garo fan as the worst that the franchise has to offer, then, well, if this episode is any indication? The rest of the franchise must be absolutely incredible, and given how much I loved The Animation, it only makes me even more excited to experience the rest of the series as a whole. This episode was great, and really upped the writing compared to the previous episodes(none of the exposition in this one felt clunky!). If anyone is thinking about giving this show a shot, I say give it until this episode atleast to cast your judgment on dropping it or not.