[DreamSword]

Now up through episode 23 of Gaim, including Gaiden Zangetsu and Gaiden Baron.

I will say that I have definitely liked this second chunk more than the first, though it's still not anything super amazing or perfect.

There are a few bits that I personally don't care for, such as Pierre's' unneeded antagonism, Kota not entirely dealing with the truth behind Yuya, and the odd logic behind torching Zawame City if a single Inves got through the crack in the bridge.

But, I do consider all of those things relatively minor. One big compliment I can give the show is that it has a rather good handle on its atmosphere, never once introducing different tones at ill-placed times. The gradual escalation of the stakes of the plot have been solid too.

Even more important than that is that this arc has gotten me a bit more into the cast than the first one did. Infact, to my surprise my current favorite character is actually Mai, who's just a delight to be around, with episode 18 in particular being my current favorite episode in Gaim. The street dancing routines themselves might not be all too great, but it's an aspect of the show that I wish was retained throughout the whole show instead of getting gradually phased out.

The Gaiden specials were also alot of fun. Was not expecting Takatora's' dad to be Terror Dad from W, and I really did feel for him in terms of the backstory introduced in that special. On the other end of things, I was not expecting Baron's' special to be Gaim's' version of the most (in)famous two-parter of Blade, with it being ever bit as fun too.

So, yeah. Gaim is picking up. Nothing close to being one of my favorites, but it is a show I'm starting to enjoy more, and I hope that upswing continues.