Short Synopsis: The Southern Government launches its attack on the village where the Xam’ds are gathering.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10 (It’s finally beginning!)
Woo! It’s finally time for this series’ finale to start, and amazingly, every single plot and character is starting to come together again. The only one we’re still missing here is Furuichi, and I wonder whether the guy is going to show up in the end, or whether the creators really killed him off. Still, this series is definitely something else, when it’s been so well planned.
So, the Zanbani is finally airborne again, Nakiami and Yango finally arrived at the battlefield, the Hiruken emperor finally awakened due to a screw up from Benikawa, and Midori also was released on the battlefield at the end of the episode. All that’s left to wonder is what Akiyuki and Haru are going to do there. Something really tells me that the creators have saved their biggest parts for the end of the series, and smartly kept them away from most of the action, in order to prevent them from becoming clichéd lead characters, which always have to be at the centre of everything. And I must say, that it works really well. What I love of the two of them is that they complement each other’s weaknesses: Haru has received military training, so she’s more capable of handling the flying bikes and all, while Akiyuki is more mature and mentally stable, so he can give her support on that area.
But the big event of this episode was of course Raigyo’s death, and again I really liked the subtlety of that scene. It was just of the right length, and while emotionally powerful it didn’t go through huge lengths to squeeze some extra tears out of it, or making Raigyo into one of these characters who takes forever to die. That scene was of just the right length, and on top of that it also showed a bit of Benikawa’s background.
With three episodes left, the finale is one that promises to go all out. I really wonder how that one’s going to work out, when everything that this series has built up is finally coming together.
I have to say, Raigyo’s Death was Inevitable – I felt it wasn’t too far off, especially when one starts to reminisce (classic – On the battlefield).
I agree given the remainder eps. the finale is going to kick ass, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder given too much expectations can render it nothing more than a let down.
Sure the series has a solid story line, I just feel – it would be nothing more than a “Okay, not bad” rather than “OMFG!!!! WTFFFF!!! moments
Yeah, still feel someone else is gonna kick the bucket, torn between H & N :Haru – sacrifices herself for her sis or Nakiami scarifies herself for Akiyuki or as punishment for kinda like betraying the cause of fulfilling her original task of retrieving the Hiruko.
“he only one we’re still missing here is Furuichi”
The dialogue is pretty advanced in this show, so I could be way off, but I got the impression that furuichi was the small eyeball-like creature that crept into the body of the Hiruko Emperor… The voice sounded a lot like Furuichi at least.
Goodnight sweet prince ;_;
Nah, that eyeball was the emperor’s….soul-thing? There are already subtitles for that 😉
I got the impression that Furuichi is really gone. I mean, even if he were not – how on earth should he know how to get to where the action is? How should he even know where the action is?
But then, we haven’t seen or heard about his funeral yet…
Furuichi offed himself, in front of the military, after becoming a Xam’d. It’s possible that they used his body for some sort of research, (which actually brings up a myriad of possible twists,) but other than that, I’m thinking he’s only left in Akiyuki and Haru’s memories.
And didn’t Ishu die, too? She kind of blew up the whole place and talked about going to see Rado again, so it would seem that it was a suicide blast. I hate that it happened right after her and Raigyo’s hilarious dynamic last episode, but I guess Ishu was too much of a warrior type to get cornily happy-ended. ;_;
I really wonder how it will go from here,well we have two mayor players Hiruken Emperor,who nemesis will be Akayuki I pressume,and also we have Midori creature,now the question is who will fight who here,and who will be saved in the end.
Also Nakiami will play important role for sure,I assume that she may help Haru to bring Midori maybe to her original state,if that’s would be possible.
As I see it someone more for sure will die here from our mayor character group,I wonder who it will be Akayuki,Haru,Nakiami,telling the truth I would like all of them to be alive somehow at the end of this serie,but I got bad feelings.
Ho hum I wonder about Kujireika, I’m excited and all for the finale but when you look at it there is a lot of things the show needs to tie up and the question is whether it can tie it up correctly.
Raigyo’s death for that matter well it was a good scene but it didn’t stand out THAT much considering how sparsely developed he was. Considering that he was only around for a few episodes, then the focus shifted mostly to Sentan, Nakiami, and Akiyuki’s story as they departed from the shift. Sure it was to be expected and maybe built up, but I don’t think it particularly played off THAT well. I do agree with smurfy in saying:
“Sure the series has a solid story line, I just feel – it would be nothing more than a “Okay, not bad” rather than “OMFG!!!! WTFFFF!!! moments”
In fact thats sort of the love hate reaction I have to this show. The show for me doesn’t deliver what it builds up, more often than not it ends up weaker than I often expected a so called reunion or confrontation to be. However, its what the show doesn’t build up on or scenes that seemingly seemed unclimactic that I did love, best scene that comes to mind is Furuichi’s suicide. In other words that scenes or events that didn’t have plot progress building up high expectations to it.
Hence why I find this show so love-hate.
Everything is being rushed – too much material is being thrown at us, at this point. The plot twists, character epiphanies, or any other turnabouts would have been handled more delicately if this series had a second season. (an extra 12 episodes, at least)
The sudden character deaths, has numbed my attachment to the rest of the surviving cast. I can’t see Nakiami surviving the finale.