Published 2025-01-20
tag(s): #reviews #film-tv #retro
I just finished watching this series, which I started late last year, via a series of coincidences. My review after the first 10 episodes is here. I stand by my original conclusion, which is that unless there's nostalgia involved, you are better off skipping this one.
In part 1 I said: About half the running time of any episode is panning of backgrounds, or
zooming in or out of a character's reaction to something
, I am sad to report this is
true up to the very last episode. There's glimpses that this could have had epic battles, but
they are never realized.
I also said The magic progression, and weapons and armor evolving [...] give me a sense of
a JRPG game.
, and funnily enough, this was brought up in-show a couple episodes later.
One last comment to touch on, The enemies follow the Sailor Moon pattern of sending one
henchmen after the other
. There's another pattern shared by both shows, and that is,
whenever things look dire, there's always a new spell/incantation to overcome the challenge.
With no other explanation than "I felt the magic".
The twist at the end of the first season was as cool as I remembered it, even if the battle was lame. It also setup things in an interesting way for the second season. But on its own, there was some emotional weight to it.
Season 2 focuses on the search for Cephiro's "Pillar", and while it had the opportunity to explore more deeply the implications of a world based on such a system, it didn't take it. Which I guess is fine for a children's show, I do wonder if the original comic explores this more.
And also while the show still moves pretty fast plot wise, some of the beats in S02 are obvious
enough that I was annoyed waiting for the episode to be over.
Speaking of story beats, there is romance, and love triangles, and they all
feel unearned. Very little screen time and dialogue for relationships to develop. Heck, one of
the main romances "just is".
I can't say I regret watching the show, some parts were quite good. But I don't think it qualifies as a classic or holds up THAT well. The first season is better rounded, and it is self contained. Just get the third opening (second op in S02) in your anime playlist, and that's it.