[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Yeah, Versus Road definitely has a lot on its plate for being a 12 Episode season, especially since unlike a few of the others in GARO, it's not using any pre-established setting or characters.

It's been a weird theme this year, huh? 1-cour shows that should've been 2-cour.

[DreamSword]

Episode #9: Prologue

I'm not surprised that Azami(the Alchemist) ended up being the real big bad.

What I was a little surprised about was that Shosetsu was once like Kuon. Kind, caring, and as valiant as a knight should be.

Unfortunately for him though, all of his struggles ended up being for naught, as in the end, whether it be due to Azami's' manipulation for the Garo Armor's' own distaste in what the Makai Order had become, the suit of gold did not choose him.

This episode cements Versus Road as arguably the darkest of the GARO universes, as it's one where everything that could possibly go wrong, did. The ultimate evil was defeated? Too bad, it possessed the daughter of a high ranking Makai Alchemist, and said Alchemist isn't willing to sacrifice her daughter.

Try to raise the child to be good despite her lineage? No dice, the darkness of the Makai Realm isn't something that's so easy to overcome. And in the end, the utter ignorance of the Order leads to them all dying off over the span of 20 years, leaving only those with a grudge left. And it's all with no other knights, let alone Garo, there to save anyone.

I overall found this one to be rather cool. I typically enjoy whenever a GARO show does a flashback/backstory episode, and this was no real exception. And I assume its placement is here to set us up for the sorts of interactions and actions that Shosetsu will be having with our cast -- namely Kuon -- from here on out. There's alot of ways this could go, and I am very interested in seeing which one the story lands on.

[Enchilada645]

This is an episode I remember vividly, probably because it's fleshing out the world of Versus Road a lot more.

In the words of a great meme: "Great Googly Moogly, it's all gone to shit!"

Because apparently our Makai Order only has Garo, and even then doesn't have anyone who can use Garo. And their best method is probably an archaic process from however long ago, which allows Azami, Daughter of the Horror, to take advantage.

That scene where she gives Shosetsu the Dark Metal and he just obliterates those Makai Order folks and the mountain? Insane to see ngl!

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

That scene where she gives Shosetsu the Dark Metal and he just obliterates those Makai Order folks and the mountain? Insane to see ngl!

There's a reason I chose the screenshot I did.

[DreamSword]

Episode #10: Encount(er?)

I once reviewed a show called Blassreiter.

It's one that you might've read me take a potshot at here and there over the years, and not without good reason.

For those not in the know, it was an anime that aimed to be a gritty, nihilistic take on Kamen Rider without much of a plan beyond that. And often times its various elements ended up being incredibly dull and shallow.

The overall idea of the story - best that I could parse - was that only fools believe in hope and optimism, and life itself is all about meaninglessness and misery, and that anyone who believed otherwise was simply deluding themselves into being blinded to the truth.

And now here comes Versus Road, a show that is very dark, even when compared to other entries in the GARO franchise, with an episode that is almost entirely talking(something Blassreiter would also do a couple times), to not only examine the nihilistic viewpoints in some of the cast, to also talk about the ups and downs of the ideology itself.

In the end? It's all really interesting stuff! This ended up being one of the best episodes for me as a result! The ultimate lesson and idea of the episode and, heck, arguably of the show as a whole is that holding onto hope in the face of despair is incredibly important, and that it'd be great if everyone could live with a shared semblance of virtue in their hearts. But the unfortunate reality of it is that the world doesn't quite work that way, and it's not about to change overnight.

Kuon isn't in the wrong for wanting to bring out the best of the people and situation he's been surrounded with, but sometimes, life just deals you and incredibly bad hand that leaves you with no real option other than to just brunt through it the best you can. It sucks, it really sucks, but it's something everyone has to face in life eventually. Some days, some scenarios? They're just totally screwed and there's nothing you can do to help it. But that in itself is also the exact reason why you should continue to do your best with what you've got.

Amo, Nagasuke, and yes, even Takane; they're all fighting for what they see as their ideal. Everyone knows that the Game is trash. Everyone knows that they might not come back the next day. But in the end, what's worse? Running away only to die in obscurity, or take the chance you've got to claim it all, and bring the world closer to your dream? Many would say it's still messed up, and in many ways, it is. But it's the best anyone can do in this screwed up world, and they're gonna seek it with all they've got. And in the end, Kuon can't help but come to understand and somewhat empathize with their resolve.

Outside of its central message, the episode has alot of other great stuff going for it too. The atmosphere is as top notch as it usually is with your standard GARO episode, the directing is superb, with all of the actors putting in great performances both overt and subtle(loved the little touch that shows that Kuon doesn't drink alcohol), and the cinematography is striking in its visuals(the time freeze sequence!). Alot of things just came together in this episode that carried what could've easily been the most boring one of the lot. When you're doing an episode that's primarily talking, that kind of effort stands out all the more and is infact kinda necessary to keep viewers engaged. It's all stuff that Blassreiter never understood about anything.

Top notch episode, and I am very excited to see where the final two lead us.

[Enchilada645]

Glad to see you're still enjoying your time here. Last couple of episodes are a real doozy I feel so I can't wait to see how you end up taking them in.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Glad to see you're still enjoying your time here. Last couple of episodes are a real doozy I feel so I can't wait to see how you end up taking them in.

The show has certainly been a pleasant surprise in many ways, that's for sure.

[DreamSword]

Episode #11: Last Stage

In contrast to the previous episode, this one is almost nonstop action.

And holy crap is it good. I honestly feel that whoever was in charge of action directing and/or cinematography deserves an award for this episode alone.

You could literally remove all of the dialogue from this episode if you wanted and the visuals alone would carry it through. The stunts themselves are great, but the visual storytelling in this one is next level.

That's not to say that the dialogue is at all bad through. It infact elevates things alot. Everything coming together the way it did actually got me to pity Takane, and the fully reveal of their backstory made everything make sense. Truly they were the Micchy of this show.

Heck, every death in this episode got me to feel things. Nagasuke's' brave face that he puts on for his audience finally breaks down, and Amo sympathizing with Kuon over their shared situations was great to see. And it's all complimented with high energy visuals surrounded by a world of darkness, both literally and figuratively. The Soul Metal sword breaking was such a good moment!

As one might expect, Kuon is now the only one left, the victor of the game. But we have one episode left, and I cannot wait to see how his vision of the future comes to fruition.

[Enchilada645]

What a hell of a journey, huh?

Just one episode left.

[Switchblade]

I still think Amo should have been the last man standing. Much more complex and interesting character than Kuon.