You know, with episodes like this, can I really stay mad at this series for not making any sense? This episode formally introduced this series’ main villain. And suddenly this series wastes no time to inform us of who exactly he is, and what he means to Daimon Kaitou. The characterization acting was really good all the way with this guy.
Also, I’m starting to see what this series is doing with its puzzles here. I mean, due to the nature of Shinto, anime has had a tendency to give a lot of different things a soul: robots, computer programs, shrines, cards. But puzzles? That’s a first. I really understood that this show actually considers its puzzles as sort-of characters, rather than just a means to get to an end.
Also, the music. It stayed in the background for most of the series, but it feels like this episode introduced a ton of new tunes here. And what’s more: they all fitted within the atmosphere, and contributed to it. This was meant to be a bit of a nostalgic episode, and the music definitely portrayed that same feeling. The feeling of finally seeing a really good friend again after many years.
I originally looked forward to this show because of Sato Junichi. After that, when I learned how little sense this show made my interest waned a bit. But really: you can see Sato Junichi’s influence through this adaptation: the characters are just rock-solid. Now that they’re starting to develop, they’re getting more interesting with every episode. So yeah, it’s for kids. That doesn’t need to be a bad thing at all, as long as the creators don’t treat their viewers as mind-numbed idiots (which unfortunately is often the case). Thankfully this turned out to be the other side of the coin.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Am I really the only one still watching this show besides psgels? XD Anyway, I enjoyed this episode, Rook seems like a decent villain. I also feel they’re setting off Crossfield Academy as the main place for the second half of the series. I hope each member of Kaito’s team will get to show their talents again, like in 1vs1 matches against the POG Japan members we keep seeing. Or maybe even students at Crossfield?
You know what? Not many people may be watching Phi Brain, but heck I’m entertained every week!
Rook finally showed himself before Kaito. I was left wondering though, why would Kaito go back to Crossfield Acadamy? To me it seems he didn’t enjoy his time at that school, apart from meeting Rook and this ‘mister X’. Ah well, I’m sure Cubic will invent a teleporter next episode and Nanoha&co will pop up at Kaito’s side very soon.