A traitor in the midst? Or the mist as the case may be here…
What They Say:
A traitor is revealed among the group to protect the princess.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
After an opening episode that was more flashback than anything else, annoyingly so at some points, Hiiro no Kakera shifts gears a bit here to be more story and plot forward thinking than one might expect. The first season was pretty slow by most measures but it had some solid action that moved things along and kept you engaged even as it worked around a simplistic plot. And the second season looked to be much the same since the opening episode felt like a kind of replay of much of the first season. So having things change quickly here as we have people dealing with new issues, such as a traitor in their midst as it’s slowly revealed, definitely changes up the perceptions a bit.
For this one, the interesting focus is on that of Inukai as we see him struggling in the present but also fleshing out his background. Eight years prior while racing through the forest, he was approached by a huge creature named Sephiroth that informed him of a holy woman’s arrival to come. That got him, not through his own will really, to submit to its will and pledge himself to it. And now he’s intent on confronting Aria over things and figuring out where it all really stands. He doesn’t quite get to Aria up front though as Vier is the one to approach him to do with as she pleases as Aria wants nothing to do with Inukai anymore. Unfortunately for Inukai, everything is overheard by Ohmi who now knows the truth of what’s been going on.
Of course, this all becomes more problematic since Ohmi is looking at going the same path for different reasons, which makes Inukai even more concerned about what’s going to happen. Bringing the rest of them into it though helps to cement things a bit as they’re intent on bringing Ohmi back to the fold with them, not realizing what it is that he believes he’s truly doing. While things are slow for a lot of this, the psychological impact definitely can’t be understated with how its perceived and felt by Tamaki and the rest. It definitely sets a new mood and atmosphere about things that will impact the show as it attempts to move forward with what Logos will throw at them next.
In Summary:
While Hiiro no Kakera certainly has some work to do to win me back over in certain ways, it’s definitely putting some of the effort in here by doing a fair bit of plot right out of the gate. While I’m not a fan of returning series doing what’s essentially a big recap for its first episode, I do understand the reason behind it so I give it only so much grief. With this episode things do feel like they’re definitely moving on and getting some changes into the mix, though I can’t say I’m thrilled with the whole traitor aspect of it. I get it, but it’s not exactly something I look for in a show or generally find enjoyable, especially in a shorter run show like this where there’s less time to really deal with it, particularly with the pacing that this series uses. I’m certainly willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and see wher eit’s going to go.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
