Garo: Crimson Moon Season Two Part Two (Box Set Review)
By: Roguesymbiote
The battle between light and dark surges on in the latest installment of the Garo: Crimson Moon. Set in Heian period Japan, Raiko has taken up the mantle of Garo, the Golden Makai Knight. Together with the Makai Alchemist Seimei and his attendant Kintoki, Raiko battles against the Horrors that plague the capital. Douma Hoshi and Ashiya Douman wish to unleash ultimate darkness upon the world.
Story Arc
A rift between Raiko and Seimei takes them down separate paths. Raiko believes he can save everyone from the horrors. Seimei does not share this opinion which sends Raiko reeling. Douma Hoshi and Douman call upon Horrors to attack the Light Palace. Raiko is unable to call upon his golden armor and learns that Seimei was using her own life force to initiate and sustain his transformation. Upon hearing this selfless sacrifice and in desparate need, Raiko is able to break the seal on his powers and calls upon the golden armor on his own. Yasusuke is released from his prison cell and summons the armor of Zanga, the silver knight. After defeating the onslaught of evil entities, Seimei believes she is no longer needed. Raiko attempts to sway her opinon, but the Makai Alchemist parts ways.Raiko, Kintoki and Yasusuke continue to serve the Watchdog Center and protect the capital against the increasing number of Horrors. They soon begin to realize that after each battle, the moon becomes even more crimson. It becomes apparent that the Crimson Moon is strengthening the Horrors. They learn that the moon is actually a seal for a creature of pure darkness. Rudra was sealed away long ago, but Douma Hoshi and Douman wish to free this monster and plunge the world into darkness.The cursed placed upon Seimei by Douma Hoshi feeds on the darkness inside her. As she desires to kill her enemies, that evil grows and her powers weaken. Seimei's grandfather Haruaki strives to lift the curse, but it comes with a steep price. As darkness spreads throughout the capital, Douman rises in power with the help of a new ally. A vessel is chosen and Rudra's power begins to grow. The Makai Knights and heroes of the city must come together to protect the citizens of the capital and the Light Palace. Raiko and Yasusuke must push the limits of their armor and risk being lost to the darkness themselves. The epic saga culminates in the ultimate battle between warriors of light and darkness personified.
Season Review
This half of the season greatly improves the level of character development for the series. Seimei's arc takes a surprising turn which adds depth to what could've been just another token female supporting role. It was apparent that the writers were saving the best for last as nearly every episode has a major reveal or epic moment. Unknown relationships, connections and true intentions are exposed. Forgotten abilities and memories resurface. Every character changes in some way throughout the season.The first few stories do retain that repetitive concept of having a new monster to face each episode. The series does a much better job however at incorporating the main arc in the background. Garo: Crimson Moon is not afraid to make finite character choices. The series has a clear direction and uses the attachment you have to characters in order to evoke emotion. The action is very well done and the armor looks incredible. The choice to have armor that could display emotion was intelligent and eliminates the need to show the faces underneath.Even though I enjoyed the season as a whole, there are some serious issues. The scenes jump at times without any warning. Characters will appear to be in mid conversation and the focus will jump to a new scene that has nothing to do with the previous. This smooths out later in the season, but is apparent early on and takes you out of the story. The main issue with this season however is the lack of finality. The arc comes to a close with an exciting battle with real stakes... and then that's it. No epilogue. The clash is over and there is no emotional payout. There is one episode after the major battle, but it turns out to be a separate story that adds nothing to the end of this particular story. The characters we have followed the entire season don't even have a conversation about the events that have just transpired or what their next steps will be. In a season that did so well at developing relationships between characters, the finale leaves you scratching your head and asking yourself, "really?"The final episode on the disc may not be the finale fans would hope, but it's honestly one of the best of the season. Even though it's not an epilogue to the story, it adds a deep emotional connection to a character you might not know so well after all. I know that sounds vague, but that's one reveal I don't want to spoil.
Box Set Review
The box set comes with episodes 13-24 on both DVD and Blu-ray. The season can be enjoyed in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. The intro music is quite a mashup of styles, but quickly grew on me. The music for the series fits the tone and draws the viewer in. The box set art is a well done character mashup that is made to look like water color to match the intro. The extras include textless songs and trailers.Overall, Garo: Crimson Moon improves upon the first half of the season. Even with an ending that lacks resolution between characters, the season has so much to enjoy. It may not be the most well rounded story, but it has moments that make up for its faults.[yasr_multiset setid=9]
