Inaho seems about the same to me.
What They Say:
The Terran forces prepare a two-pronged attack on the Martians. Inaho continues to feel the negative effects of relying on his cybernetic eye. Klancain meets with Slaine.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
For most of this season, the main characters from the first have been basically letting the enemy come to them and dispatching them as they come but not progressing much. It’s finally time for them to turn that around, as they launch their own offensive on Vers, specifically on Slaine’s new spinoff of the empire proper. If Inaho was able to talk to anyone about important matters such as how negatively his eye has been impacting him lately, they might not make this move at the one time that the one piece of their forces that causes them to win their battles is weakened, with the risk of not being able to accomplish a mission for the first time since the last big venture outward. But hey, that’s what drama is, right? It feels a bit contrived to have it work out like that just for the purpose of presenting an even playing field, but that’s not uncharacteristic of this series.
On the other hand, you could argue that, while the Earth forces have been spending all season fighting, Slaine has been kicking back and enjoying his ascension up the ranks through lying and manipulation of everyone around him. Having imprisoned not only Lemrina but even Asseylum, his good intentions are becoming more questionable. Having him meet with the son of Count Cruhteo is an interesting idea, with both being the young inheritors of their fathers’ title and Klancain’s father being a very important figure in Slaine’s life, mostly for the worse. Of course at his core Cruhteo was an honorable man who valued loyalty above all else, so it’s not surprising to see that his son carries many of his values without being so overpowered by vile racism, at least as far as we know. As he appears thus far, Klancain seems a pretty decent guy, possibly more than Slaine at this point. That has to be put on hold, though, because there’s war to be fought.
One of the most important events in the early stages of may very well end up being a battle encompassing these last few episodes is the fateful meeting that’s been built up to all this time: after so long, Inaho and Slaine finally meet face to face once again. The major showdowns between the two are being saved for another time, though, as Inaho presses forward to his real objective, escaping his archrival’s grasp for the moment. In a way the trend of anticlimactic developments following significant buildup continues, but at least there’s no status quo to be returned to now that the Earth forces have entered Slaine’s domain and the two sides are still embroiled in conflict. There’s still a big development which at least does give genuine purpose to the struggles Inaho has been trying to fight against lately, but at this point it’s hard to imagine how it could be a step in the right direction for any reason but to prolong Inaho and Asseylum’s reunion proper until a full season after their separation. At least those who like to pick on Inaho for being robotic get to be literal for now! In all seriousness, there is some intrigue in how deeply Inaho is damaged, and how his recovery will go. It’s still most likely that it will all work out, especially since Slaine really has been drifting over to the dark side lately, but this show does like its twists, and perhaps they could be particularly well-used this time.
In Summary:
The Earth forces finally take the initiative in the war and attack Slaine where he lives. With the series close to over, this had to happen pretty soon, and with all the major players in one place, it could very well be the beginning of the climactic end. It’s not all that exciting yet, but it’s a start.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, 27” 1080p HDTV.
