Gotta say, this set was a very good recovery from the
disappointing events of the midseason.
Sure we had to deal with the chuff left over from the conclusion of last
time. But a stronger villain and the
return of some old favorites showed that Ronin Warriors was off to a great
start for its second half.
I really don’t know why Saranbou had to be a two episode
villain. He wasn’t anything special in
the end other than some random boss of the week that needed to be
eliminated. The same could be said of
Sun Devil a couple of episodes later but he actually served his purpose of
being just that and wasn’t used passed his one episode. No, Saranbou was just around to start sowing
seeds of doubt in Ryo over the use of his new Inferno Armor, something the
villain that followed him did far better and with way more entertainment
value. Lord Saber Stryke was excellent
and I’m sad he wont be appearing further in the series. Before the reveal of Talpa and the Dark
Warlords still being alive happened, I think Saber Stryke could have been a
good recurring foe for Ryo in particular.
He not only had a flair for the dramatic but also a very interesting
backstory for who could’ve just been another villain of the week. His desire to defeat Talpa just to become the
Best Swordsman and not the Emperor was a unique aspect you don’t see in
villains much. Sure he made life Hell
for Ryo, especially when it came to White Blaze (more on him in a sec) but he
did battle Ryo fairly and own up to his loss, giving Ryo not just a sorely
needed upgrade but a bonus reward too for White Blaze. Also we got to see Saber Stryke face off
against an alive and well Talpa and the Dark Lord was in much better animation
shape during it, a good recovery from his disappointing full bodied debut.
Who ever expected White Blaze to have an important character
arc in this series? Not that he isn’t an
important character in and of himself, it’s just a surprise he was in such a
serious predicament in the middle of this set.
The full grown Kimba the White Lion was a perfect compliment to the
conflicted Ryo, the leading man who felt so helpless when it came to his new
powers. Since the Inferno Armor can only
be activated by Ryo absorbing the powers of the others, it leaves the team
vulnerable and Ryo guilty that he’s hurting them to save them. All White Blaze has wanted to do was be there
for his friend and to see him trying and in so much pain while Yuli pleaded for
him to live was hard stuff to watch. All
the emotion almost nullified the fact that White Blaze got a proper rival in
Black Blaze, Saber Strykes battle armored black lion. In the end, not only did White Blaze actually
die (briefly) and give Ryo the resolve he needed to get his head back in the
game…BUT HE HAS BATTLE CAT ARMOR NOW!!!...ahem, he’s also alive too hence the
extra reward from Saber Stryke I mentioned.
In short, this is where the second half of the series should have truly
began.
Once the riff raff and Saber Stryke had been dealt with,
Talpa made his presence known and added more doubts to the teams minds…also
he’s alive and that should really surprise no one. I feel like we’re retreading the whole “the
armors were always meant for evil” route that Dais tried to use on Kento a ways
back. But honestly it wouldn’t be an
action heavy series if we didn’t find an excuse for our heroes to head off to
their respective elements to train a little bit. This opened the door for the return of the
characters we’ve been waiting for. I’ve
gotta say, some of my favorite scenes from earlier in the series were Talpa
talking strategy with the Dark Warlords while they bickered with one
another. Sure we only saw Sekmet alive
and well but his plotting with Talpa to use an evil Cye Clone (no im not using
Cyclone, I see it but I wont), was a bit of fun ive missed in their
absence. Cye’s battle with his evil
clone was good but I’m more curious about the way Talpa’s going about the new
battle. With Cye captured and the others
separated, will we see the return of Cale and Dais to use similar ploys to
capture Sage, Kento, Rowen and Ryo? And
what about Anubis? If his former Dark
Warlord buddies survived with Talpa, it stands to reason he’s around somewhere
too, right?
This set of episodes fared much better than the events of
the midseries. A much better mini
villain and the return of old favorites, coupled with compelling character arcs
for Ryo and surprisingly White Blaze gave Ronin Warriors the boost it needed to
head into its second half on a strong note.
Now, are we getting to a “Rescue Cye” mission next week or will the
others be joining him in the Netherworld soon?
We’ll find out Friday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner with more
Ronin Warriors.
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