What They Say:
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The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Now that the full cast has reunited and is all working together as one collective team, it’s finally time to face the bigger issues that have needed to be worked out this whole time. Hakaze’s solution for this is to go back in time to see who actually killed Aika! A lot of the magic revolving around Hakaze has required a higher level of disbelief suspension than even the standard magic we’ve dealt with, but the one instance of time travel that has been accomplished so far struck me as the pinnacle of that. Because of that, returning to that concept, and specifically the ease with which Hakaze seems able to pull it off exactly as she hoped she could, again makes my eyes want to roll into the back of my head.
However, once I get them into place, my eyes stay pretty glued to the screen for much of this episode. As silly as it is, the time travel and the really over-the-top magic has made for some of the most exciting parts of this series. Sure, the plot and drama have often been pretty intriguing, but outside of a few select instances, there’s been a whole lot of not too much going on to really get excited about. So sure, when Hakaze pulls out her magic this and magic that, magic pieces of wood and magic big fancy machines, in some ways I just want to go back to seeing some intense emotional material and following each character as he or she struggles to discover the truth hidden within all the convoluted events everyone has been involved in, but honestly, just getting to strap in and enjoy the ride for the first time in quite a while is a nice change of pace to enjoy.
Much of the episode is spent showing the various characters discussing the possibilities of what Hakaze will learn from the past and how each of them might react, which is all fairly interesting but doesn’t really amount to all that much in the end. However, the episode really kicks into gear when Hakaze comes across her purpose for being in the time that she came to. Just from flashbacks, Aika has always seemed to be one of the most fascinating characters in the story, so finally bringing us to a time and place in which she is actually alive shows a lot of promise. Unsurprisingly, we meet her late in the episode, not allowing for as much time spent with her as would be preferred, but in this brief time, they manage to set up a plot for the next episode or group of episodes, possibly even much of the rest of the series, that will bring Aika to the forefront of the story in a very big and exhilarating way.
In Summary:
Blast of Tempest sadly seems to have a play a bit of a balancing act with its content. When it wants to go really big, when it wants to really get intense, the only methods its universe seems to be capable of utilizing are all on a level of impossibility that it’s hard to get fully engaged with it as much as some of the more down-to-earth material. By this point I think the ability to switch your brain to a mode less critical of the show’s sense of reality is necessary to enjoy it, and once that has been done in this particular case, the payoff is much appreciated. Or rather, it looks like it will be, as this episode merely offers a setup for the bigger event.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Toshiba Satellite L655-S5191 PSK2CU-1C301U Notebook PC.
