Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 26 (END)

「貫け、奴よりも速く」 (Uranuke, Yatsu yori mo Hayaku)
“Pierce, Faster Than Him”

It took twenty-six episodes, but we finally got to see the long-awaited Aussenseiter and Dygenguar “Tatsumaki Zankantou” combination attack where “real men ride one another”. It was the perfect follow-up to SRX’s Hyper Tronium Buster Cannon failing to kill something in one-shot like it’s known for, and brought about “Einst Beowulf” emerging from Stern Regisseur’s ashes.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 25

「かつて在りしもの」 (Katsute Arishi Mono)
“What Once Was”

I may have familiarized myself with the Original Generation timeline a fair bit, but learning that Wendolo was possessed by the Einst all this time was news to me. That came as a surprise, as well as the very quick exchange he had with his older brother Mekibos, who didn’t stand a chance against Wendolo’s massive Dikastes.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 24

「白き魔星へ」 (Shiroki Masei he)
“To the White Devil Star”

After two episodes where the quality took a noticeable dip, episode twenty-four returns on a strong note and comes with a surprisingly late second opening sequence too. A lot of it was recycled footage, but there was a handful of new scenes to go along with JAM Project’s “Shooting Star Lovers”.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 23

「堕天使の心」 (Datenshi no Kokoro)
“Heart of a Fallen Angel”

With the Neo DC and School subplots coming to a close, the attention shifts to the Einst and Kyousuke/Excellen. It comes with a complete change of scenery as the war takes the Earth Federation to space, which is always a welcome development in the games so that your non-flying units aren’t hampered by terrain. Those ground units… always wasting valuable turns! (I always played SRW with minimum turns in mind.)

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 22

「散りぬべき時知りてこそ」 (Chirinubeki Toki Shirite koso)
“Knowing When Not To Scatter”

The Earth Cradle chapter comes to a close both inside and out, as The School children rid themselves of their past demons and Sanger/Wodan settle their rivalry once and for all. While I already knew how things were going to unfold, that didn’t really take away from the bittersweetness of it all. I even found myself getting a little teary-eyed at the end when the emotions poured uncontrollably out of the kids.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 21

「眠れ、地の底で」 (Nemure, Chi no Soko de)
“Rest, Beneath the Earth”

Even with all the Sanger/Wodan build-up last time, it was all about the Branstein brothers’ revenge like the preview suggested. Their cousin Leona Garstein (Sakakibara Yui) was eager to help out as well, which had me eagerly looking forward to seeing Archibald get what he deserves.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 20

「若き猛禽」 (Wakaki Moukin)
“Young Bird of Prey”

Once I heard Dr. Radom mention “Pattern TBS” to Arado and how he “probably” won’t get a chance to use it, I was eagerly waiting for Seolla to come around and execute Wild Wurger and Wild Falken’s Twin Bird Strike combination attack. I’ve brought up my anticipation towards seeing it on at least a couple of episodes, so naturally I was a little psyched about the moment finally arriving.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 19

「龍虎王顕現」 (Ryuukoou Kengen)
“RyuKoOh’s Manifestation”

For an episode where the title made it clear that Bullet and Kusuha were due for an upgrade, Excellen more or less stole their thunder with her sudden and mysterious arrival in the Einst-modified Rein Weiss Ritter. She had the Hiryuu Custom completely at her mercy, and probably would have destroyed it too had Kyousuke not been on board.

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 18

「誘う鬼火」 (Izanau Onibi)
“Luring Will-O’-The-Wisp”

Even with the foreshadowing on Daitetsu’s inevitable fate and the fact that I knew it was coming, it had a lot more impact than I was imagined. I got a little choked up during the final send-off, especially when Kyousuke showed up in his bruised and battered state to pay his respects.