[DreamSword]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON GARO: MAKAI SENKI

When you prime yourself for a sequel, what are you looking for?

It's a question that sounds simple enough, but there's a surprising amount of different directions one can go with it.

Maybe you expect the first entry but just slightly different. Maybe you look for a direct continuation of where the story last left off. Maybe you expect something completely different now that the first story is done.

There's no real wrong answer, as everyone wants something else out of any given story that they like. Which is why it was so interesting to me that Amemiya, now with the chance to make a sequel to his passion project from over half a decade ago, decided "Screw it, I'm going every direction I possibly can."

Makai Senki is the second season to GARO, and it strives to do dang near everything any viewer would want out of a sequel. It's a direction continuation to everything that came before it while also having a similar structure to the first season, and yet does alot of different kinds of stories than what '05 did, while also expanding on the world of GARO as a whole.

That's the kind of ambition that I could very, very easily see going wrong. "Flying too close to the sun" as it were. And yet, despite certain aspects playing out in ways I personally didn't care for, I can't help but respect it, you know? I feel like it'd be incredibly hard to argue against the idea that when it comes to GARO, Amemiya really does go all out in everything that it entails. Even when it comes to personal taste, nothing about these shows ever feels phoned in.

Nothing except the romance, that is. Look, I'm sorry, but I just cannot get behind the idea that Kaoru and Koga are an item. Queerplatonic partners, maybe, but a traditional true love style romance? No shot. It's the sort of thing I hate in alot of stories in general; The idea that the leads absolutely must get together as a couple because, after all, a man and a woman can't be friends! They can't have a deep, meaningful connection unless sex and/or romance is involved! Who cares if they have no chemistry, it's what's expected!

Listen, I could rant about this all day, but I'll give you the most simplified version I can: When it came down to it, I never saw Koga and Kaoru's' relationship in the first season as a romance. To me it honestly just felt like two people who, thanks to bizarre circumstances, ended up creating a bond based on empathy and kinship. Romance is not a requirement for that kind of pure love. It's part of what made the ending, wherein Koga opens the book and sees what Kaoru drew for him, something implied to be so deeply personal to him that it moves him to tears, so special. Friendship can absolutely be that powerful!

There were also certain other minor things scattered about the season that I didn't much care for. Like Koga never bothering to actually talk about anything he figures out. Or how Sigma ends up being the second lamest antagonist in the franchise in my eyes(Vanishing Line still holds the title for that). Not to mention having the first episode in the live-action stuff that I actively disliked. It's to the point that for as awesome as the action of the final battle is, I just can't bring myself to be entirely invested in it, as it required me to be all in on alot of these aspects and, frankly, I'm just not. This finale might've been more bombastic, but '05's' finale is much more emotionally powerful.

But don't get the wrong idea: I still rather liked this show! Makai Senki does so many great things during its run that all of my critiques in no way soured the show for me in any major way. The overarching plot certainly wasn't the best, but where the show absolutely shined in everything else: The world building got a massive expansion. Most of the character arcs and interactions progressed in ways that felt very natural. The action was as over the top and awesome to witness as ever. The CGI, sound stage use, and green screening are so good that they still look great even now, a decade later! And the biggest highlight for me was that we got to focus on characters outside the main duo from GARO. Having episodes where other characters get to be the leads was so good!

I really wouldn't blame anyone if they said that they had a hard time separating the two seasons from eachother with how everything plays out. But when it comes down to it, if we are to compare the two, and when it comes to me and my tastes, I just can't help but admire the first season all the more. At its core, the first entry in GARO felt like everyone involved was giving 1000% to the overall project, and the total balance of plot, action, atmosphere, and character drama created an experience that I don't think I'll ever not look back on fondly. Again, that's not to say that the second season was a letdown or anything, but the high I got from the first is the sort of thing that's going to take alot to match. As such, after alot of internal debate, I've decided to give GARO: Makai Senki, a 4/6. It's very, very close to being a 5. But those few pitfalls just hold it back.

I don't know exactly when I'll return to the world of GARO, but I am very much looking forward to it regardless.