[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

The dude trying his hardest to fight Knight and getting the worst out of the two who directly fought him and then seeing how that fight and the situation surrounding that fight shapes him for his future as a Makai Alchemist. Like I said, there's a reason why Luke's probably the top of my list in terms of the four main characters in this show and this is one of the episodes why, just an all around good one.

Yeah, it even does a great job showing why he became an Alchemist without explicitly stating it. Though given the established rules of the setting(or atleast, given the first anime), it does make me think that there's a chance that Luke could don the Silver Armor in the future.

[DreamSword]

Episode 11: Kidnap

Yeah, this show definitely takes place in Texas.

The setup is that a town is convinced that Sword has kidnapped Sophie, and Makai Knights aren't exactly allowed to kill humans, so things get hairy pretty quick.

The episode is just an all around fun one, really. From Sword's' antics while evading the townsfolk, to Zaruba's' sarcastic quips, to Gina showing up out of nowhere to save the day. This was a good breather from all the drama we've been hit with.

And if plot is a big concern, this does not only get Gina joining the party but also introduces the group to Bishop, who's also in command at El Dorado. This was the second episode now where the Horror slaying at the end was more of a footnote to everything else.

And, well, that's about all there is to it? Not that that's bad at all though. Again, this episode was overall just a fun ride, and I'm always down for that.

[Enchilada645]

Ah yes, we've entered road trip mode as it's not just a simple matter of our heroes reaching El Dorado through a montage.

Gotta make some stops along the way to make this trip memorable if you will.

I'll admit I did enjoy this episode from a comedic standpoint. Purely because like, you know what, it's reasonable that these folks could believe something like that and also I find it funny seeing the entire town just band together with a slew of weapons to try and stop Sword who is desperately trying to not get violations by breaking Makai Code.

Overall a fun start to our road trip at the very least. Though admittedly, as someone who has traveled to other cities for conventions, any thing that has a road trip in it usually gets a buff of some kind to me.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Overall a fun start to our road trip at the very least. Though admittedly, as someone who has traveled to other cities for conventions, any thing that has a road trip in it usually gets a buff of some kind to me.

So what you're telling me is that Road Trip is one of your favorite movies. Not bad.

[DreamSword]

Episode 12: Family

It's a classic horror movie setup: A rundown motel in the middle of nowhere.

And really, that's kinda what this episode is? No investigation, no extended action scenes, just our heroes resting in a motel and dealing with what comes.

That's all nice enough, and the main plot about the family who runs and lives in said motel is all well and good, but they feel rather undercooked with so much screen time given to our current main trio.

Not that I'm complaining too much though given that this episode actually gave me the biggest laugh in the show so far. It's not Sword's' obsession with boobs, it's not even how he feels the need to justify it as though he's some grand holy monarch, no, it's that he's so dedicated to making Sophie understand his kink that he feels the need to go into explicit detail even when locked in another room! Just, that is DEDICATION right there.

That aside though, overall the episode was just okay. Like I said, the family didn't get much development beyond being a very basic broken home story, and the bit with Sophie learning that Makai can't get too involved with those they save is something that I felt should've been self-evident, though I guess she specifically never learned that lesson, so it's fine.

Nothing really wrong with this one, but nothing other than that great comedic bit makes it particularly stand out either.

[Enchilada645]

Yeah I'll admit I don't have much to say about this episode, it was fine enough but nothing particularly interesting.

And again the most I remember from it are two things, Motel Horror, and Sword's proclamations of Oppai. Dude's dedicated I'll at least give him that.

[DreamSword]

Episode 13: God's Will

This episode reminded me alot of Golden Sun at first.

But then I got to the end with the reveal that the King of El Dorado has an ring that corrupts people and it turned out that the whole show is actually The Lord of the Rings in disguise.

The setup is that Gina takes Sword and Sophie to Ferre Sal? Dessimo, an ancient village where Makai Alchemists gather and live.

And it's at this village that they not only seek further intel on El Dorado, but where I now wonder if Vanishing Line was dubbed by a different group from The Animation and Crimson Moon. In the first two anime the term was pronounced "maa-doe" whereas here they pronounce it "muh-dow."

That aside, the atmosphere is overall really great with this episode. From all of the mystical going-ons with the Land of Guidance, to the montage with the villagers, and then of course that exposition dump at the end, it's all pulled off fairly well especially with the hook about how Sophie is going to be just as major of a player in all of this as Sword and Gina are.

Speaking of Gina, the action climax totally belongs to her in this one, and I think that, had it not been for just how utterly bombastic the Sword vs Knight battle was, this would absolutely be the best action sequence in the show so far. The choreography was on point and really showed just how cool archery and magic can really be when done well(take notes, PirateTrain). Her declaration of dedication to her life as a Makai Alchemist was just the cherry on top.

This episode is also where we get out second opening and ending of the show, and as much as I love JAM Project, I think I actually like these slightly more than the first set, both in terms of music and visuals. It's not by much, but it they're a little more akin to my tastes while also still having that stylistic flair that I've grown to love from the OPs and EDs of the various GARO anime.

This was just a really nice episode all around. But we're not exactly off to El Dorado itself just yet, seeing as the Ancient Makai Spirit directed the group to yet another town. Makes me wonder how many more stops until we finally reach the intended destination.

[Enchilada645]

Well you know what they say, the journey is just as important as the destination.

That being said, ah right the usual second opening change over and really the only vocal opening in the series to not be done by Jam Project. EMG was pretty low on my Jam Project OP list anyway, so I will agree I do like the changeover to the new OP tbh. I also like the visuals, really nice if I'm being honest.

As for this episode... probably my favorite Gina episode? There's just something nice about us getting a detour with her and her showing her chops as she completes the trial and stuff. This episode and if I recall, a few other moments later is why she currently is like fighting at like 2nd place with Sophie for like my favorite of the main cast. Which would clue you in that Sword lands at #4, which isn't a bad thing. Dude's pretty solid but I do think the showstealers this time are his supporting Main Cast members.

Also it's cool to see how Makai Alchemists/The Makai Order go about things and how they have specific villages where their kind gathers, etc. They definitely have a much cozier life than everyone in Carved Seal of Flames in which it was just the Witch Hunts but with Knights and Alchemists.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Also it's cool to see how Makai Alchemists/The Makai Order go about things and how they have specific villages where their kind gathers, etc. They definitely have a much cozier life than everyone in Carved Seal of Flames in which it was just the Witch Hunts but with Knights and Alchemists.

It is definitely cool how, despite this season taking place in "the future" all of medieval elements that defined the previous two anime are still very much in place. Like, the Alchemist Village is even outright stated to be "preserving the old ways."

Though this does make me wonder... where the heck are The Watchdogs? We're halfway through the show and they're like, nowhere to be seen.

Well whatever. Gina has definitely grown on me. Every episode of hers is way better than her intro episode, for sure.

[DreamSword]

Episode 14: Relic

This is my favorite episode so far.

Turns out that Luke stopped by the Land of Guidance too, and during his trial was sent to a town in the middle of nowhere that has a sealed Horror in it.

But this isn't just any Horror, it's one that used to be a Makai Knight. And while Luke is no Knight himself, he most certainly displays the qualities of one all throughout this episode.

This is an episode that just had everything going for it. The side characters of the week, Stella and her grandpa, are well developed and likable characters, and their chemistry between eachother, the local villagers, and Luke made for some really fun interactions.

Luke's' character development is also on full display here, what with him getting directly involved with Stella's' family and showing great empathy for the girl. The battle against the Horror displaying what he learned from both of his parents made for a great sequence too even if it was short. Heck, he at one point get hit so hard that his ponytail just flies off!

The episode is also surprisingly funny, containing what I feel is the best comedy in the show so far with both great slapstick as well as visual gags(Stella having like a dozen spare glasses), which in turn really helps with the overall atmosphere. Plus, we get to see that Luke has a cool bike! And it's cooler than the Zaruba bike! I can't imagine any Luke fans forgetting such a cool detail!

The ending might be bittersweet, but not only is it for the best, it goes to show that despite Luke realizing that Sword had a point, he and Sword are still different and handle these situations differently at the end of the day.

Also, funny how the Knight who sealed the Horror away was a past Silver Knight. That makes like, what, four different Silver Knights now across all the various anime? Wonder if his name started with a Z too?

But yeah, this was a great one, and I think it's gonna be rather hard to top.