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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Monday, 26 November 2007 16:00 |
 The clock is ticking down to the destruction of Graceland, and time is running out – for Mister to find Bruce’s stash, for Angelica to find Mister, and for Marciano to ruin everyone’s plans. Will anyone get what they want before the clock reaches zero..?
9 - Jupiter
Sending Bishop and Swamp to work together may not have been Mister's smartest idea - they really don't like each other, and it's not long before they're squabbling full-time. Still, they get the job done - while on Graceland Angelica enjoys what could be the last sunrise and the Sisters continue their search for Bruce's replica Gigabanks, they're sneaking on board the ship that's carrying the photonic bomb to see what they can do about delaying its deployment. With the Federation government and the Graceland rebels talking about ways to settle their differences, there's a chance there may be no need for the bomb after all, but Mister's taking no chances - and with Bishop and Swamp assigned to deal with the bomb, he's on his way to Graceland, where Marciano's waiting for him...
10 - Angelica Burns
Mister finally makes it down to Graceland's surface, and begins his own search for the Gigabanks, while in turn Swamp and Bishop race to get down there in time to warn him of the location of the photonic bomb - and with fighting between the Federation and the rebels back in full swing, suddenly Graceland's an even less inviting place than it was to start with. Angelica, meanwhile, has been picked up by Marciano, and finds herself unable to finish her mission of tracking down Mister - until Mister comes looking for her...
11 - Fading Memories
After dropping Angelica & Chelsea off with instructions to get as many civilians off the planet as possible before it blows, Mister heads back to Godwing to complete the search for the Gigabanks - although has he lost too much time by rescuing Angelica in the first place? While he's been gone, Franca and Katana have struck gold - they've located the Gigabanks. Now all that remains is for Mister & Franca to work their way through it to the money horde...
12 - Coyote
Faced with Marciano on his emergence from the Gigabanks, Mister makes her a very direct offer - let him & the others go, and she can have the money. She's not just there for the money, though - she also feels she has a score to settle with Mister, and bomb or no bomb, she's not going anywhere until she's settled it. Mister, as usual, has a few tricks up his sleeve - but he's going to have to work before he can use them. Meanwhile, the countdown to the detonation of the photonic bomb continues - with time running short, will any of them make it off of Graceland alive..?
And so Coyote Ragtime Show reaches the end of the line, as the three main parties in the series all finally converge on Graceland to find what they’re looking for – Mister in Angelica’s case, and Bruce’s horde of cash if you’re Mister or Marciano. They don’t exactly pick the best of times to arrive – peace talks between the local rebels & the Federation have broken down, there’s heavy fighting going on on the surface, and the countdown to the destruction of the planet continues to run. In those circumstances, you’d think everyone would be keen to get the job done and get as far away from Graceland as possible – but somehow, however long the events in these four episodes are meant to take in “real” time, it felt like forever when I was watching them. Mister even has time to ignore the Gigabanks search for a while, and go off looking for Angelica. Go figure.
Coyote Ragtime was never strong on plot – you got bang for your buck, literally, from the on-screen action (always very nicely animated and choreographed), and the banter between the gang on board the Coyote. This volume shoots itself in the foot by removing most of the opportunities for both of those aspects – Mister and his gang are split up for most of the disc, with only a little aggravation between Swamp and Bishop on the character interaction front; while moving the action down to Graceland’s surface neatly kills most of the ship-based action. Instead, you get a few decent scenes around the Jupiter (the ship allegedly carrying the photonic bomb) courtesy of the Twelve Sisters, with the rest of the story spent digging around caves looking for the Gigabanks. Add in an ending that’s best described as anti-climactic, and I was left wondering, “Is that it!?”.
I’m a glass-half-full kinda guy, though, and there are still some positives to be taken from this disc, even if it didn’t quite grab me the way the previous volumes did. There are some genuinely unexpected plot twists thrown in along the way here that have a noticeable effect on how the folks on the ground have to go about their search, and there are some great character moments, particularly for Angelica as she finally gets Mister where she wants him and has to decide what to do next; for Franca, who finds an unexpected surprise stashed away with her father’s horde; and for Marciano, who gets to go out in an appropriately dramatic way. Some of those scenes could even be described as touching, which maybe wouldn’t be what you were expecting from a series like this. It also has to be said that, while individually most of the characters in Coyote Ragtime play to stereotype, the way they interact with each other has been one of the show’s highlights. It’s a definite case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
In some ways, Coyote Ragtime Show goes out with more of a whimper than a bang, as the setting here doesn’t allow for as much of the eye-catching space combat as previous volumes did, and the end of the search for the Gigabanks ends up being a bit of a damp squib. There’s still enough here to keep you entertained for a while, though, as some good character moments and a few surprises keep you on your toes. Not as good as it maybe could have been, but still an enjoyable release.
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