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02-18-2023, 05:24 PM | #131 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
Yes, this episode is interesting not only because it relies on the previous filler, but also because it overtakes Koga at the most vulnerable time. He himself has just felt what it means to be afraid of losing a loved one, and therefore he cannot see in his father who has set foot on a dark path simply an enemy or a hindrance. But the action part is also on top, not inferior to the emotional one. A good episode, which, despite its filler and closeness to the finale, does not seem superfluous or distracting from more important events.
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02-18-2023, 06:59 PM | #132 |
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Location: Michigan
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Episode 22: Engraving We're gearing up for the final battle, so naturally there's revelations to be had. And lemme just say that I have been absolutely loving how so many of the early episodes of GARO have been coming full circle as of late. It really shows that the writers had a roadmap in mind for the show as a whole, as well as a level of detail that makes it easy to believe that they weren't just making things up as they went. We also learn the backstory of Barago, the Dark Knight, and most of why he's able to do what he does. He fights like Garo because he was trained by Taiga, and he became a Dark Knight via letting his timer run out, resulting in his armor devouring the light of his soul. And man, poor Kaoru. This poor girl just cannot catch a break. Marked to be a Gate for the Ultimate Horror known as Messiah at a young age, she's been cursed to be hunted for most of her life; blood of Horrors or not. And the CGI Engraving on her neck allows Barago to keep tabs on her regardless of where she goes or what she does. But better than all of that is how the kindergarten episode comes back into the picture. While I had my own hangups with that episode, it was atleast good to see Kaoru get rewarded for her kindness, as well as learn exactly why the last page of her father's' picture book was blank: It wasn't unfinished, it was symbolism that went way over the heads of publishers. It's the sort of thing I'm sure many of us saw coming, but it was still nice to see play out. Koga being alot more honest with his feelings was nice to see too. Him outright telling Kaoru that she's important to him is something that would've been inconceivable for the Koga towards the start of the show. I also liked how he didn't just instantly forgive Rei for all of the trouble that Zero has caused throughout the show either. The two are willing to work together as they have a common enemy, but it's not like there can be a totally clean slate given how Rei did try to kill both Kaoru and Koga. As an episode that's half prep work, half character reveals/reinforcement, I thought it all came together rather well, and served as a nice breather before we fully hit the climax. Needless to say, I'm excited for what's to come!
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02-18-2023, 07:37 PM | #133 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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I don't really have much to add about why this one was good, but I did particularly like Kaoru's revelation about why the last page of that picture book is blank. There's a certain writer/book store owner/Swordsman of Flames I'm a fan of who would no doubt be all over that kind of symbolism.
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02-18-2023, 08:04 PM | #134 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
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The final page of the book mystery being found out here was rather nice.
Other than that, we're officially in endgame territory. Also the return of the First ED for this episode was really nice. |
02-18-2023, 09:02 PM | #135 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,393
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Quote:
I don't really have much to add about why this one was good, but I did particularly like Kaoru's revelation about why the last page of that picture book is blank. There's a certain writer/book store owner/Swordsman of Flames I'm a fan of who would no doubt be all over that kind of symbolism.
I really hope it's here to stay.
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02-18-2023, 09:30 PM | #136 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 894
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Just out of curiosity, are you going to watch Kiba: The Dark Knight Side Story movie/special between episodes 23 and 24? That's effectively what I did when I was watching Garo at the time.
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02-18-2023, 10:01 PM | #137 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,393
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Is that when it canonically takes place? I have no idea about the chronological order of the franchise as a whole. If it is, sure, I'll check it out.
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02-18-2023, 10:15 PM | #138 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
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If I recall that is when it takes place canonically.
Though I'd say save it for whenever it lands in production order given there's a few details that end up being important for the second full series from what I recall. |
02-18-2023, 10:33 PM | #139 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,393
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Gotcha. I'll save it for when I eventually cover series 2 GARO then.
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02-19-2023, 09:06 PM | #140 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,393
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Episode 23: Heart Destruction Say what? I thought that was Zero? Anyway I called it. It's revealed that Barago is indeed Kaoru's' therapist, and his necklace is how he summons his armor. And while I could probably spend this post talking about how interesting of an idea that is as well as how this guy fights while dual wielding two dark versions of the Garo Blade despite using a polearm earlier, something else caught my attention. It's no secret that I got into this franchise from the anime. More specifically, the first one, known in the west as Garo: The Animation but called Carved Sealed of Flames over in its native Japan. And it's due to that that I got experience certain aspects of the lore before they were presented here. Namely, I'm talking about how during the climax, the butler becomes a Horror+Makai Knight hybrid, and Koga becomes what is known as a Lost Soul, via giving into his dark emotions and allowing his armor to consume him. Minor spoilers for those who haven't seen the anime, but a similar event occurs with one of the characters in the first anime(and the second technically but that's not important right now). And this all made for an interesting case of comparison to me, because while it's clear this episode served as the baseline for such a plot development in the anime, the surrounding details and way in which the entire thing is utilized in terms of plot and character are very much different, and regardless of which is "better" I really gotta hand it to Kobayashi on that one. One of the biggest draws of the franchise to me is how every Knight who bears the title of Garo is their own unique character, and in an indirect way, this episode actually helps to highlight that. While sure, I got what they were going for with Koga's' mental state here, and it's not too different from others who I've seen nearly lose their souls to the abyss, again, the circumstances and the people involved are so different that despite if I felt this worked just as well as those other examples or not, I'm glad that it was handled in its own way. But if you want my personal opinion on the execution of this idea... I wanna wait until the next episode atleast. If this is followed up on in a cool or interesting way, then I'm all for it. But as is, it feels a slight bit rushed and undercooked? Again, I get what they were going for, and I do think that it ultimately works, but I do also feel it coulda be done just a tad bit better for my personal tastes. Really loved the moments we got out of Rei thanks to the entire ordeal though. Him actually talking reason into Koga was a really great moment, and one that really made the whole thing stand out. Oh, and it's casually revealed that Watchdog Lady is Koga's' mother. As you do. (ADDENDUM: They were actually saying that she's Baritone Butler's' mom, my mistake!)
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Last edited by DreamSword; 02-19-2023 at 10:23 PM.. |
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