A beach episode? Of course, things wouldn’t be so simple. This episode was about 40% beach, and the other 60 percent answered a ton of questions, along with changing the entire set-up of this show,
Interestingly, this episode revealed that all of the seals had to be broken in a particular order. Interestingly, that makes a lot of the battles early on in the series much more like long-term preparations by the crux brigade: they were basically killing time while they were trying to find out where the heck the fourth maiden went. Wako getting captured in the first episode was nothing more than one of the members of the brigade acting for herself.
The badges meanwhile turned out to be fake emblems. Head probably used those at first, while he was trying to gather the ones with the real emblems. What does this mean for the ones who always used the fake emblems? I mean, in terms of combat ability they have become completely pointless now, despite how the entire series has been carefully building up their characters, and here they suddenly get swapped out by this horde of characters where far less attention went into.
One big mystery at this point is Sugata: I really feel like the creators are saving a ton of stuff for the last third of this series, and this king cybody has to be one of the major ones: this episode revealed that he also is completely useless now that the third phase is is activated. Plus, there still is the mystery of what makes Takuto so special: in the previous episodes he always miraculously was one phase above the others, but the new power he finds here is kindof vague. It’s in any case not the fourth phase, because then he’d permanently be a Galactic Pretty-Boy.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I have got to say this…
The part where Window Star called herself “Galactic Pretty Boy” was darn classical… Loved everyone’s reactions. XD
As for Sugata’s Samekh, i think it’ll probably be the final “Boss” as foreshadowed in the OP.
Also, I have a question… Is it just me or does it seem that Tauburn is actually outside of the seal(& island) altogether and might even be at the 4th phrase already?
Cos every time after Takuto apprivoise, Taburn has actually had to struggle to get INTO Zero Time.
And as to why i think he’s at the 4th stage, well… Head did not say that the driver at 4th stage will be permanently stuck within the Cybody but there is a possibility of such a thing happening. And after the way he had been manipulating everyone, this might actually be another one of his plans to get people follow his Master plan.
Last but not least… Tauburn wear HEELS!!! XD
Sorry! I always scream that out every time Tauburn steps into Zero Time and just can’t stop laughing… 😛
Hmmm I never thought about that.
By the way, isn’t that the same cybody Tiger was piloting?
No mention of the new song? I guess it really was unremarkable…
Having a new song everytime a seal is broken is one of the few things that is sure in this series, so I enjoyed listening to the East maiden’s.
I love it when the initial bad guys are tricked by the new bad guys and this series pulled it off pretty nicely. So basically Head was just using the Glittering Crux (the four women) for financial and technical support, as Takashi has stated in the end. Now the true elite, Vanishing Age, is taking over and these guys have real marks. But were they born with these marks like Sugata, or did they get them later on like Takuto? It seemed that Takuto only got his after going through that risky experience with his deceased friend’s plane. I’m curious if the mark’s origin makes any difference.
I hope the rest of the Glittering Crux doesn’t take this coup quietly.
I am pretty sure I remember at episode 1 that Benio’s group got questioned by the others why she capture Wako, as Wako is the third step in the plan. So there’s always been sequence in seal breaking, it’s not something new.
@CY
This is my idea, zero time is created by the Kiraboshi’s cybody from that episode, therefore there’s slight differences everytime in the background. For other cybody (aka Taburn)to enter that zero time, he have to break into that “zero time”. Or maybe that’s just Taburn was stored somewhere else aka that hand like rock at Wako’s shrine.
Actually, the emblems were just a way of keeping track of people who lost their use of a Cybody before the regeneration system was ready. Now, though, they have no purpose as only the few with real marks can use them now.
Not that I’m SURPRISED that this blog has errors in practically every entry.
this episode revealed that he also is completely useless now that the third phase is is activated.
Just to clarify, I think Sugata is also a real mark bearer. He apprivosed after summoning the king’s pillar and had his own cybody chest cockpit. The fake mark bearers are the ones whose marks have disappeared from their family trees and are forced to use the cybercasket in order to apprivose their cybodies. So Sugata is still definitely active. It’s a question mark to me if he winds up the “final boss”. It’s not impossible, but it’s also possible he might wind up getting a ginga bishonen-like transformation that outshines Takuto. This show has been consistently surprising though, so we’ll see. I’m very curious who the new comatose character in the hospital bed is. He/she looks older…could he be Takuto’s dad?
Btw, the tennis team captain who’s been coming on to Wako’s friend, sounds like one of the initial Vanishing Age trio. What are they up to this time? ^^
There should be three more unnamed cybodies at this point bearing the marks of Gimel, Qoph and Shin…..but I see four potential drivers; Camel Star, Needle Star, Professor Silver, and….that guy who’s always with Head.
Either Professor Silver, whom we’ve also seen in the hospital room, doesn’t have a mark, or it’s….that guy….I can’t wait till these two get fleshed out….hopefully it’ll be interesting.
That’s some shady low standards to brand an episode “Excellent”. It’s nothing more than a fanservice filler with a little tease near the end.
And next episode looks to be the same damn thing. Shame since the quality had really jumped recently.