|
|
Home
|
R2 DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 16:00 |
 End of the line for what must be the most under-rated and over-looked series of 2007, as the Fantastic Children edge closer to completing their mission. Will Dumas prevent them, or will he have a change of heart along the way..?
23 - Gherta
Gueroca's ship - a true behemoth of a craft - hangs over the GED group's facilities, causing panic amongst the scientists there. Aboard the ship, Dumas reneges on his deal with Hesma - not only will he not allow the Children to return to Greecia, but he disconnects the power to the capsules that are preserving their real bodies, beginning the process that will lead to their deaths. He makes his best effort to kill the Children, as well - although he's not entirely successful this time. Helga, meanwhile, puts herself in Dumas' hands, trusting in him that his plan to return her to Princess Tina's body is the right thing to do, while Professor Gherta finally comes to terms with the existence of her past lives...
24 - The Truth About Thoma
Thoma confronts Dumas in an effort to get Helga back, but Dumas responds by sealing Helga inside a forcefield of some sort and then taking the fight directly to Thoma - and with Dumas' non-human strength and reflexes, Thoma is quickly beaten and left nursing his injuries as Dumas makes off. While trying to catch up with him, Thoma chances upon the chamber that holds the body of Princess Tina - the body that Dumas is planning to transfer Helga's soul into. He's entranced by what he sees - and also begins to remember the events of his own past life: as Seth, who killed Soran in a fit of jealousy after realising he'd lost to him in the search for Tina's affections, and with his own dying breath sent Tina's soul on its way to Earth. Tina, meanwhile, begins to realise that Dumas has his own problems to deal with...
25 - To The Zone
Dumas descends from his father's ship, Helga in his arms, and heads for the room where he'll be able to begin the process to transfer Helga's soul back into Tina's body. Just as he's trying to 'persuade' Gherta to enter her password and begin the transfer, though, he realises that Gherta's memories have returned - and as Mel, she's not about to let him have his way. Just then, Inspector Cooks bursts in to try and put a stop to proceedings, but he only succeeds in making things worse. Thoma, meanwhile, is still struggling to come to terms with what he's learned of his own past - the knowledge that he had killed Soran is almost too much for him to bear - but before he can give it much more thought, Dumas begins the transference process, and the Zone is opened...
26 - The End, and Then the Beginning
Thoma enters the Interval - the boundary of the Zone - in search of Helga. What he finds is a place that looks like a beach on the edge of an endless ocean. In the distance, he can see Helga's body lying on the beach, and when he reaches her he finds she's awake and recognises who he is - but that's just the first part of his mission. Now, he has to find a way to get her back home again - but his internal doubts, born of knowing of his past as Seth and what he did to Soran, soon become an issue he has to deal with. Dumas also has issues to deal with, while for the Children there are decisions to be made about their own futures...
Compared to the previous volumes of Fantastic Children, this final instalment is almost frenetic – although given that they moved at a glacial pace, that wouldn’t be too hard. As ever, there are several different tracks that the story keeps switching between – from Gherta, to Dumas, to Thoma and the Children – but now that the connections between these characters have been properly explained and we know what’s been going on behind the scenes, the flow of the story doesn’t feel anywhere near as disjoined as some of the earlier episodes felt.
So, let’s start with the disappointments. At the beginning of the series, Inspector Cooks and his assistant seemed to have major roles to play, and Cooks himself was one of the more interesting characters in the story. As it went on, though, their role shifted ever more into the background, and here his entire contribution lasts mere seconds. I was left wondering what the point of the character really was, beyond being a device to explain a few things early on, and I really do wish he’d been made more use of.
Helga’s also been an issue, with her personality left almost completely undeveloped throughout the series. As the real lead character, and the one with perhaps the most to lose from Dumas’ plans, it never seems quite right that she’s so quiet and accepting of whatever she’s told. The Children explained to her the truths behind her past, and she happily accepted that; Dumas explains another version of that to her, and she happily accepts it; when Thoma’s past becomes clear, she just accepts that too. She ends up just being too bland to be believable, and by this stage of the series that was beginning to get to me.
I could also talk about how some of the big revelations here could be seen a mile away, or pick on a few other little niggles, but that would be missing the point, though. Fantastic Children has its flaws, that’s undeniable, but taken as a whole it’s a high-class piece of work that has been left in the shadows through no real fault of its own. It’s beautiful, atmospheric, and moving, and the growth & maturing of the Children as the series goes on is one of its strongest points – for all that they’re hundreds of years old, and have been reincarnated numerous times, they were still children at the beginning of the series, and it’s through their interactions with Helga, Thoma and the others that they begin to realise that there’s more to life than the mission they had set themselves. That’s the real story of Fantastic Children, and the part of it that I enjoyed the most.
It’s a huge injustice that this series hasn’t received more attention – almost everyone I know who has seen Fantastic Children has loved it, but they’re far outnumbered by the people who have never even heard of it. While it’s not perfect, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
|
|
