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R2 DVD Reviews
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Friday, 19 February 2010 00:00 |
 The final volume of Guyver hits the fast-forward button, moving us forward a year from the events of last volume to a world that is controlled by Chronos - and that apparently seems to be missing Sho and Makishima. Surely the good guys can't be dead - can they..?
24 - In a Conquered Town
It's been a year now since millions of people across the world transformed into Zoanoids. Chronos - led by Archanfel - are now the de facto rulers of the world, and the process of 'optimisation' is now being offered to those who retain their human form. For most, life has returned to its usual routine, but for Mizuki and others the fight isn't yet over. They've been in hiding in Tokyo since Chronos seized power, but of Sho and Makishima there's been no sign since the battle at Relic's Point - although Tetsuro's convinced that they're still alive, and just waiting for the right opportunity to return. If they are alive, though, they may be leaving their return too late, as Chronos has new plans that are almost reaching completion...
25 - Quickening of the Chrysalis
Another object with a similar organic makeup to the Relic has been uncovered by Chronos in the Rocky Mountains, a development important enough to lead to Barcas being summoned there. He's reluctant to leave Tokyo, though - a growing number of Zoanoids are being killed in Tokyo, and with Aptom the chief suspect Barcas has been working on a new Zoanoid designed specifically to take him down. The Resistance has also learnt of the new Relic's discovery, and is making their own efforts to retrieve it from Chronos' clutches - with Makishima leading their efforts. He has good reason to believe that the recovered item is a chrysalis - and one that contains the key to reviving Sho...
26 - Come Forth, Gigantic!
Watching from a distance, Mizuki assumes that it's Sho that's fighting over Tokyo, not Aptom, so when Aptom is defeated her cry of anguish is powerful - powerful enough to reach Sho's chrysalis on the shore of the Dead Sea, triggering its hatching process as Makishima watches on. Before hatching, the chrysalis teleports, along with Makishima, to Tokyo. Having sensed that his friends are in danger, Sho isn't about to stand by and allow them to come to harm - but will he emerge from his chrysalis in time..?
So, the last volume ended with a rather large if uninspiring bang, and this volume deals with the aftermath of that - with a year taken out to allow everyone to be repositioned, rather than deal with the troublesome details of how they got there. I mean, Tetsuro, Mizuki and the others were standing well within the blast range of an exploding spaceship, and yet they're still in one piece - I have to say I'd be curious to see how they managed that little trick.
Not than continuity has ever bothered Guyver - it's ranked along with "dead people staying dead" on the "things not to worry about" list, and that's another matter that had me rolling my eyes at several points. Aptom and ZX-Tole should both have been toast after the events at Relic's Point, and yet they're still here, not to mention Archanfel after his brush with a black hole (yes, I'm still annoyed at that one). Put it all together, and the lesson is that you really shouldn't worry too much about believability in this series, and if I was rating it on that alone I'd be readying a rather withering score.
Fortunately, there's more to these three episodes than the fighting - in fact, just for once you could say that the volume is more about the characters for once, with particular emphasis on Mizuki. She's missing Sho, but uncertain about whether he's still alive or not; she's separated from most of the people she holds dear and very much fighting the urge to go and see them, even thought that would risk tipping Chronos off to their presence; and along with the rest of the group she's beginning to get cabin fever after being cooped up in their apartment for over a year. She hasn't had an easy time of it, and until she finally gets good reason to believe that Sho's still alive she's very much on the verge of falling apart. She's not the only one, either, as Shizu is going through similar emotional problems over the disappearance of Makishima. After the almost complete emphasis on fighting over the past few volumes, this change of tack is very welcome and brings a much-needed human element to the story that makes it far more interesting to watch.
It's just a shame, then, that rather than give us an ending which conclusively ends the story, we get one that simply closes this chapter of it and leaves plenty of loose ends left hanging, perhaps for a second season that never got the green light. Whatever the reason, though, to have seen the Chronos big guns in action previously, and then have the season 'climax' feature a previously-dead character who just has a revenge itch to scratch & does nothing to resolve the larger problems of Chronos and their plans, is deeply unsatisfying - so while the problems of Mizuki and co are worthwhile, the bad almost outweighs the good.
Despite its failings, though, this volume is one of the better ones in the series and has plenty worth seeing. If you've stuck with the series this long - and I assume there's a good chance of that if you're still reading - then it would also be rather daft not to finish it now. Worthwhile for that, if nothing else.
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