What They Say:
As Edo burns, the Helpers fight against Perry and his forces with all they have, but some won’t make back.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
If Roman has helped at all, it is in the way it showed how not to pace your story. A good portion of this finale is given over to explaining just who the villain is. This is the final showdown, the big climax… And yet, we sit here literally having someone read a diary that explains it all. You have completely failed to write a decent story when you heave one last desperate attempt at fleshing out an interesting villain and fail miserably.
I came into this series with low expectations and leave frustrated that the sum total did not even manage to meet that bar. It had all the elements to be at least a mediocre series – mysterious factions, bizarre technology for the era, and characters that could have had interesting stories. Yet, it stumbled right out of the gate and never regained the footing necessary to blend these together at a pace that would develop story and characters towards an exciting finish.
In Summary:
Roman comes to a most unsatisfying end; it had the elements to make a decent series but stumbled too soon and too often to pull them together. The finale provides a resolution to the story but does little to make it memorable or exciting. Go forth Roman knowing you have helped your way into obscurity.
Grade: C+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
24” Early 2009 iMac, Firefox 19.0.2
