[DreamSword]

Episode 3: Clock

Ya know I said we'd be going into unfamiliar territory, and technically we are, but...

This episode is the one that establishes the GARO formula that I've become familiar with thanks to the various anime.

It's also an episode that wouldn't be out of place as an episode of Kamen Rider Kuuga or Agito, and by that I'm referring not only to the style and tone, but also in how I rather dug it overall.

For those unaware, to me, the average GARO episode typically deals in balancing character work with investigation into Horror attacks and ending in a stylish fight scene at the end. Heck, the burning of the letters serves as a perfect visual metaphor in that I equate these shows to Fantasy Spy Movies.

So what's the target this time? A Horror who can possess and transform itself into different kinds of clocks. From wall clocks, to wrist watches, to pockets watches... if it can tell time, this thing can disguise itself as it. All of this being used in a very blatant(they practically say it right to you) metaphor for how we all live on borrowed time, technically.

But more directly it's to talk about Kaoru, and not only the reveal of why her being splashed with a Horror's' blood is so significant, but also in how she feels she's running behind in life despite how she's still only 22. Turns out that anyone splashed with a Horror's' blood not only attracts more Horrors, but also from then on only has 100 days before something terrible happens to them(heavily implied to be them dying in agony).

Despite it not going exactly as planned, Kaoru is still going full force toward her dream of being a famous artist but uh, she also has bills to pay, so she also works as a freelance delivery person. And unfortunately for her, Koga hires her and begins to demand alot out of her. But worse than that, we get a scene revealing that the ring Koga gave her is actually a piece of Zaruba... that Zaruba threw up. I wish I could unsee that, honestly. But hey I mean, atleast Koga actually pays her this time. Small victories, right?

Speaking of Koga, he's not a slouch in terms of character development either. Turns out the Garo name has quite the legacy, and despite how skilled he is, he still seems to be relatively new to this? This episode marks the first time he's fought a non-humanoid Horror, afterall. Which, by the way, I loved how its final stand was done in a clock tower, which makes a ton of sense to be a Clock Demon's' final form. And it's in this fight that Koga reveals one of his core philosophies: That everyone has the right to live out their natural lifespan, even those splashed by a Horror's' blood.

So, yeah, I hope I made it clear that despite this being the very first "prototypical" GARO episode, there's a reason that this formula was established as it's a good one, and I of course am looking forward to more.