Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Supernatural: The Anime Series Part 6 Episodes 21-22

While taking a breather with Dean, Sam is abducted.  All signs point to the Yellow Eye Demon and he’s ready to implement his endgame.  With Sam trapped in a deadly free for all, it’s up to Dean and Bobby to save him.  However, when an unexpected tragedy strikes, Sam and Dean will be forced to pull out all the stops to end the existence of a demon who has plagued their family all their lives.  And even if they can avenge their parents and save the world…what’s next for the Winchesters?  Does the hunt ever end?
 
Happy Halloween everyone and welcome to the conclusion of Supernatural: The Anime Series.  Everything since Episode 1 had been building to this two part scare and gorefest and…it was ok.  Some things felt rushed or not taken full advantage of.  But overall it wasn’t a bad way to close out this series.  
 
At long last, Jensen Ackles finally took his place behind the mike alongside his onscreen bro Jared Padelecki.  Now again, Andrew Farrar has not done a bad job as Dean, in fact id say he’s been absolutely great.  However, hearing Sam and Dean together with both of their original actors is a whole other kind of feeling, a good one and one that will definitely make some fans wonder why they didn’t hold off on dubbing this project until both leads were available.  In a way, Sam handled a lot of the physical aspects of the finale while Dean got the brunt of the emotional and there’s always a certain way that Jensen brings out the deeper side of Dean, particularly when he’s mourning Sams (albeit temporary) death.
 
Speaking of that temporary death, Sam got plunged right into what should have been an all out brawl between would be X-Men.  However, Sam being Sam, he attempted to persuade Jake and the other chosen children to work together for most of the first part.  It is what Sam would do, but it also meant a trade off in that only the last few minutes of Part 1 had any real action.  Here’s also where doing Supernatural as an Anime went a long way.  The visuals of “All Hell Breaks Loose” feel like the culmination of all the action horror filled imagery seen throughout these 22 episodes.  From Sam’s psychedelic chat with Yellow Eyes to Jake’s Hulk like appearance when he goes all out, this was the most Anime inspired stuff yet in the art department.  It also meant that we got to see Sam get a hole literally punched through his chest by Jake…ouch, yeah that was one of the bloodiest kills of the series.
 
But no, Sam didn’t stay dead for long, though the sight of his dead body on a table was pretty chilling.  Much like the TV Series, Dean made a deal to bring Sam back…but now he only has a year to live and if you know the TV Series, that leads to a whole other can of worms but we’ll talk about that later.  As for the final showdown, it was pretty big, just like its live action counterpart.  Sam and Jakes rematch and Dean’s showdown with Yellow Eyes against the backdrop of the Gates of Hell opening up delivered.  It was also good to see John Winchester make one more critical appearance to help his sons destroy their enemy once and for all.  It was also good to see Bobby and Missouri lend a hand, no matter how tiny.
 
However, this is where the “rushed” mention comes in.  There’s barely any time to decompress and deal with Dean’s deal or Sam’s ruthless takedown of Jake or the fact that Hell’s gates were opened and things definitely escaped.  One could blame this on the episode being half the length of your normal Supernatural.  You could also say that, since there isn’t another season of the Anime, it doesn’t matter.  And in a way, that’s kind of a shame.  Supernatural was a good fit for an Anime project and if it did the first two seasons well enough, imagine what it could do with Seasons 3-5.  For those who don’t know, not only do we deal with Dean’s deal in Season 3, but we eventually move into war with both Angels and Demons and the Apocalypse itself.  Just imagine an OP psychically charged Sam going all Dragon Ball Z on Angels and Demons, or what fan favorite Castiel would be capable of unleashing all out Angel bad assery.  Sadly, we’ll never know because, as of now anyway, there are no plans for a continuation of this Anime.  I don’t know how well this project did to somehow merit another Anime season but I think we should just be grateful we got this little endeavor anyway.  Like I said though, it’s a shame we may not see more.  HOWEVER, one thing I find inexcusable in this finale is the lack of a full season recap aka “The Road So Far”.  This is practically a staple of the Supernatural series, a recurring feature used in Season Finales since the second season.  Personally, even if I haven’t been keeping up with the TV Series, I always tune into the start of the Season Finales so I can see these recaps and listen to “Carry On My Wayward Son” in the process…why couldn’t the Anime give me this goodness?  
 
So final thoughts then I guess?  Supernatural: The Anime Series was a fun and unique take on the vast lore of the Supernatural franchise.  The adaptations of TV Series episodes were faithful but with their own fun twists.  The original episodes were probably some of my favorites as they allowed to expand the history of the Winchesters and even give some time to side characters who would play greater roles down the line.  Taking a hard edged Anime approach also allowed for the use of more scary visuals and lots more gore than you’d see in the series (and it can be gory at times too).  A couple of episodes didn’t really succeed on a couple of levels, the final two episodes were adequate but rushed and the lack of a few key original actors hindered a couple of roles (this mostly goes to Bobby but I wonder if even Jim Beaver said no after he saw how weird his character looked in the Anime).  But when this Anime worked, it worked.  If you’re a fan of the series, this is worth a look.  If you’re looking for a decent horror Anime, it’s not a bad choice.  If anything, the Anime might get you to check out the TV Series.  Cause if you like what you see here, you aint seen nothing yet.  There’s a reason Supernatural is still chugging along today.  Go check it out and discover why for yourself.
 
Supernatural: The Anime Series gets…an 8/10.
 
Next week we leave the ghouls and monsters behind and prepare for the long awaited return of some old favorites.  That’s right boys and girls, Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori are back…and to quote Sousuke’s obvious father Solid Snake, “Kept you waiting huh?”  Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory, starts next week right here on the Gundam Anime Corner.  I hope you’re as ready as I am.
 

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