Arc the Lad Vol. 4 |
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Arc the Lad Volume four ends what
I'm now calling the "Meryl arc" and completes
the first part of the series in an almost breathtaking
way. I must say that I was impressed, especially
comparing my reactions from the early episodes to these
ones. Much like Trigun, Arc the Lad seems to be really
hitting its stride halfway through, and now that the big
picture is a lot clearer, the whole story is becoming
much more epic. Now that the location of White House has been found, Elk, along with Arc and the rest of his crew, set sail there in the Silver Noah to take care of business. Now that the entire story about White House kidnaping children to use for their Chimera projects has been revealed, the group has no choice but to stop them. Elk is the most ready, as his escape from White House and his associations with that place tie directly in with his childhood and the loss of his friend Meryl. The group lands at White House, and immediately begins their plan of attack. Elk hears Meryl call out to him, and he desperately tries to find her. Meanwhile, Leiza is sick and tired of being useless and tries to find Elk on her own, much to the dismay of the Silver Noah crew. Elk finds Meryl, but she's not exactly the same as he left her. She's being used by White House as part of the main Chimera project, which has warped her greatly. Elk gets a chance to hold her one last time, and does exactly what Gene told him to do in a previous episode. It's a tough choice to make, but Elk pulls through with some of the courage he's saved from his years of brooding. After the destruction of White House, the crew heads off to Smeria, a pure land that is protected by the spirits. Here, the children they saved are released to live in safety. We also meet Kururu, a priestess that seems to have a little something going on for Arc. The cast gets caught up in some political warfare, and through this, we learn why Arc is an outlaw in the first place. Andel seems to have ulterior motives, and Clive, Mayor Galuano's former assistant, seems to have something to do with it. Like in the early episodes, mind control is being used over the soldiers, and the Crew of the Silver Noah is lured out in the open in an attempt to rescue hostages. I must say that the show is once again improving. I'll point out the scene where Arc finally gets to see Meryl again, which is pure perfection. It's almost as if the director said, "I know this is based on a video game, but I'm going to make this anime good, damn it!" The art, the music, and the emotion comes through(even in the dub) to produce one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in all of anime. I was almost moved to tears, and even though I'm kind of a softie, it takes a whole lot for an anime series to do this. Needless to say, it made me look at the series in a whole new light. The sometimes two-dimensional personalities of the characters also get a chance to develop a little more with this disc. We finally get to see just why Elk is the way he is, and the torture he's going through on the inside. It explains the attitude he's had through all of the past episodes, and makes him look like less of a jerk, and more like a person afraid of losing someone again. This really added to the appeal of the character. Even Leiza, who I thought was way too weak and passive(even for an anime girl) in the past is showing a little strength and backbone. We also get to see a little more of Arc, and even though much of who and what he is remains a mystery, it seems he has the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Arc the Lad is getting better and better, and the last half of this disc sets up the last half of the story and the battles to come. There are still a few mysteries, but a few parts of the main plot have been revealed. Clive has something to do with all of this, and even if it is just the usual amount of meddling, in the grand scheme of things does involve the spirits, and thus the fate of the world. The rather simple revenge plot from the beginning has really blossomed into something greater. I hate being redundant, but the video, audio, and extras on this volume of Arc the Lad are exactly the same of the others. To avoid having my reviews become stale, I will present my opinions on the technical aspects of this disc in haiku form: The video's great And the audio is too; All around, it's swell. OK, so I'm no William Shakespeare. But ADV has kept a consistent level of goodness with the Arc the Lad series. It remains one of the most solid looking and sounding titles in my collection. The first half of Arc the Lad is over, and I'm eagerly anticipating the second half of the story. ADV will also deliver the last two volumes in easy to swallow five episode chunks, and I eagerly recommend this to any anime fans who think that all video game based anime series stink. - Bob Mackey |
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| All text, original pictures and HTML © 2001 Bob Mackey. All rights reserved. |