In volume three, which is already on my good side for providing me with 5 entire episodes on one disc, we are dropped directly into the middle of a storyline where Saya is enrolled in a French school in an attempt to track down clues from the military lab they found inthe past. At the school ball, the Phantom makes his appearance at last, and Saya must abandon her ‘normal’identity and fight!
However, even the Phantom admits that Saya hasn’t fully ‘woken up’ yet. When she isforced to let go of this human facade, will she ever be able to return?
I won’t pretend to know what’s gone on before this point, but this entire DVD is practically designed to entice those who like a mystery. Why is the Cinq Fleches group constantly moving the giant crate containing “Diva” around? Who is “Diva?” What horrific experiments are they doing to turn children into chiropterans? And why, after obvious experiment failures,and despite all logical observation, would ANYONE agree to create a chiropteran army? The mystery deepens with every episode, but we never neglect to focus on what the characters, or at least the adopted children of George Miyagusuku, are feeling about their circumstances or how they feel about their future.
One of the key features I enjoy about this series is the focus on the Vietnam war as a setting for past memories and key locations, something largely ignored by most series with even the most remote ‘historical’ bend. And, as an additional off-the-beaten-path tactic, the main antagonist corporation is French! French with deep connections to the Vietnam war!
I also highly approve of reinforcing character connections whenever possible, to avoid forgetting anyone vital or putting a story arc on hold for too long. Saya’s connections to her brothers, and to their departed father, are the key element that holds Saya’s humanity in place, something difficult to do when her chevalier (read: human servant) is a constant companion and even her friends from Okinawa can’t be trusted with her secrets.
Beautiful art style, fantastic animation,excellent music score. This series is fantastic, and a true must for any fan of the original movie. It builds on the original concept without actually obliterating it from the timeline, and could easily be viewed as a sequel. Get out your wallets,kids. This could be an expensive endeavor, but well worth it, and less painful than tattoos.