Break Blade / First Impressions / OVA/Movie

「惨禍ノ地」 (Sanka no Chi)
“Land of Calamity”

Less than a month later, we have the Blu-ray release of the fourth of six movies. Surprisingly, there were some lighthearted moments, which I attribute to Rygart speaking his mind and making Sigyn snap just as much as Narvi (enough to make her point her unloaded gun at him anyway). The two of them had some really cute scenes together too, though they made me feel sorry for Sigyn at the same time since Rygart came off as a bit of a tease. He doesn’t seem unaware that she still loves him, or at least can’t fathom the possibility after she married Hodr, when we know for a fact that she does now. I have all the respect in the world for Hodr who seems more than aware of Sigyn’s feelings for Rygart, but still feel that those two blondies should be together. A farmer can afford to buy her a book every now and then and take her to the library! *sniff*

It doesn’t seem like it at first glance with all the “bedroom play” going on, but Cleo is turning out to be a key character in my eyes. I can understand why Sigyn’s been so easy on her and has given her the benefit of the doubt, seeing as Cleo disarmed her enemies without trying to kill them. Sigyn also happens to believe that she’s a 12-year-old who’s been dragged into war, which I and much of the rest of the world have a hard time buying. Regardless of what I think about her age, Cleo’s aware that Zess’ friendship with her and Rygart, and I imagine she’ll find out about Hodr later on, setting the stage for her possible release at some point that will allow her to bring news of the surrender terms back to her beloved commander. If there’s one thing about the story that drew in almost immediately, it’s how friends are pitting against one another without fully understanding the circumstances of the other side. It worked in Gundam SEED and has me hooked here, hoping that Cleo will be the one to clear things up.

On the battlefield side of things, I can’t say True’s death came as much of a shock, since the transition to that scene heavily suggested that his platoon wasn’t going to survive Athens’ ambush. The actual shock will probably be to Narvi when she finds out, which I can’t see being pretty. What his death did do is propel Nike (Shiraishi Ryouko) to a monster-level status as the “25-year-old that looks twelve” little girl who will kill you in a heartbeat if you poke fun at her. I don’t know what was scarier though, the way she won’t hesitate to chop a guy’s balls off or how she longs for Io’s affection and regresses to a seemingly innocent girl when she gets it. It’s probably a combination of both. Leto (Kitamura Eri) evidently wasn’t amused, so there appears to be a bit of a love rivalry going on there as well.

It felt like the casualties came pretty quick afterward with Borcuse and his elite confidants killing Captain Elza (Yanagisawa Mayumi) in a very convincing manner and Nike waving her corpse around to spread fear among Baldr’s men. While gruesome, it was pretty cool seeing the psychological aspect of war come into play, which Baldr responded well to by rallying his troops’ shaken morale. I still think it was pretty suicidal for him to lead them in a charge straight down the middle with Athens’ forces waiting on both sides, but I suspect there were more of his golems coming from the rear than depicted, given that their numbers were pretty even after the loss of Elza’s group. Granted, it never once looked that way when they were hemmed in from three sides until Rygart came charging in and single-handedly destroyed one side with Delphine.

As a natural follow-up to that, I expected the newly-formed Millennium Corps under Narvi’s command to run away with all the glory this time around, except they turned out to be more comic relief than anything else outside of Rygart’s drastic improvement in piloting skills. Girge (Toriumi Kousuke) did remain the one constant throughout though, namely as the big question mark on where his loyalties lie and the risk of him turning on his own forces for no reason whatsoever. I’m admittedly unsure whether he was genuinely afraid of heading to the front lines or if he wanted to cut off the enemy’s retreat all along, since he’s a prodigy with a few screws loose. He’s a far cry from his highly-regarded father Baldr, aside from how adept he is at manipulating quartz. I’d say he’s a true genius in that area, not only because he learned to pilot Cleo’s modified Artemis really quickly and has pinpoint accuracy, but also because he seems to be able to make quartz denser. His shots have a lot more weight to them and his swords cut cleaner, the latter of which Rygart took notice to.

Pitting him against Athen’s sadistic general was a match made in heaven hell, even though Girge seemed a lot more “stable” than Borcuse during their exchange. That calm, cool, and composed shot at the very end felt a bit out of place, considering how psychotic he looked just prior when he embarrassed Nike and took a lot of enjoyment in doing so. In any case, I can’t foresee Girge taking out Borcuse, despite how the he appeared to have the upper hand as the more powerful magician. I did dwell on the possibility that they’d take one another out, but I get the feeling that honor will be reserved for Rygart after he witnesses Borcuse’s atrocities. Anyway, I probably don’t say this enough, but I love this movie series. The story, characters, and setting are awesome and the visuals are just amazing. I’ll be eagerly looking forward to the fifth movie’s BD release on May 27th.

 

Preview

62 Comments

      2. Well, it was more like a rhetorical question. I know all that:P it’s just that with each episode i sink more into the whole story and i can’t get enough. Although it’s not a really a very complex plot, it still is amazing and so addictive. One of the best shows i’ve seen personally and i’ve seen quite a lot, baring in mind that i’m not really into mecha

        prejsu
        Reply

      3. Show Spoiler ▼

        would probably be the catalyst that Rygart needs to get his act together and start owning people on the battlefield. And, if his Golem was restored to its former glory, I can only imagine the soldiers of Athens shitting their very pants at the site of the “Broken Blade” in its unbroken form. You can’t discredit Rygart’s abilities as well, he was promoted 2 ranks before quitting school despite being unable to use sorcery.

        fluidity
        Reply

      4. Show Spoiler ▼

        xcswmboy
        Reply

  4. … May 27th?! that is a lot wait 🙁
    Rygart, you better kill that Borcuse bastard, and quick.
    Girge is really hard to figure out with his fear of war one moment and the next all bad ass… crazy character are sure crazy…
    and I vote for a Rygart + Sygin ending… make sure you save money for the books and library trips, Rygart! XD

    jrj
    Reply

    1. I’m pretty sure Girge’s “fear” was a load of BS. He just wanted to be left alone so he can do what he wants. It’s already been established that he loves to fight. And he’s crazy.

      fragb85
      Reply

  5. Show Spoiler ▼

    I don’t know why, but I really have a problem with that queen… I keep losing more and more respect for her with each “movie.” Seriously, you made your vows, and should keep your promises.

    Zero
    Reply

    1. Right…vows of a political marriage are bullshit. Hodr knows and respects Sigwyn’s feelings for Rygart, so whats wrong? It’s kind of implied that they have not even consummated the marriage. Your rage seems misplaced. It’s much more NTR if SigwynxRygart never get together.

      That said, the beach scene in latest scanlated manga chapter was awesome (but sad).

      xcswmboy
      Reply

  6. @Zero

    if you only knew the story behind Rygart and Sigyn ^^

    Show Spoiler ▼

    anyways, this is why i love war-themed mecha shows, an amazing episode and clearly covers up for the lack of intensity of the last 3 movies. i’m in love with this series.

    Zwei
    Reply

  7. just when i tthought cockpi deaths coldnt be more gruesome then in seed destiny— BAM! squelch True Shogun nooooooooo

    Still despite that (or maybe because of this) this movie series rockss OH so very hard!!!

    WingZeroZXT
    Reply

    1. They were pretty intense! While General True’s and Captain Elza’s deaths were totally predictable, I couldn’t help being glued to the screen and shouting “Nooo! Don’t die!”. Poor Narvi, she will be devastated when she finds out 🙁

      P0NCH
      Reply

  9. Wow, I wouldn´t want to be in Rygart´s shoes right now, the woman he loved is married to his best friend and he is unaware that she still loves him, or at least that´s what it seems. For the other hand, Rygart is now an official member of Krisna´s special platoon which includes a captain ready to blow his balls off and a military prodigy that most likely rip you aprt if turn your back on him without precoution. Rygart´s like just keeps getting better and better.

    haseo0408
    Reply

    1. There are several hints/scenes in this episode and from the previous ones that showed that Hodr knows Sigyn loves Rygart, Rygart loves Sigyn. It seems that Hodr and Sigyn’s marriage is just out of convenience.

      Lurker
      Reply

  10. Yaw-dropping episode this was. Back when this series started i barely survived the first two episodes, but this last one was AWESOME! Not to mention the preview for the next one. Can’t wait for it now 🙂

    alapbun
    Reply

  11. It keeps getting better and better!
    I really like the designs of the golems, especially on Athen’s side; with all the variety and different types. I also enjoy the fact that Rygart and the Delphine keep changing; new weapons, armor, Rygart improving his skills etc. Despite his overwhelming power, Rygart has shown that he is not a “one trick pony” and his battle style and equipment (the throwing knives and nunchucks where awesome) evolve with each movie.
    Looking forward to the next one!

    P0NCH
    Reply

  14. Best in the series yet. The first episode had me considering it as a fairly average mecha show, but the recent episodes have really been improving on that. From the characters to the story to the action, this is proving to be one of my favorite animes, and in it’s movie form too.

    Also, does anyone know what song is playing in the background around 17-18 min? It’s quite….soothing.

    Kaz
    Reply

  15. You made some typos Divine, “a farmer can buy afford to buy her a book” at the end of the first paragraph and “I did dwell on the ideal possibility that they’d take another another out, ” in the last one. For once that I spot them before anyone else points them out, it’s nice 🙂 .

    I was so happy to finally see Girge in animated form, I was trembling, especially at the end when Borcuse and him started whacking each other. And yeah, he was planning to cut Borcuse’s retreat since the beginning. At least that’s what I always thought. Thinking this just makes him even more awesome. He’s one of the most powerful mecha pilot I ever seen.
    Now I just want them to accelerate the pace a bit so we’ll get to see even more of his awesomeness. My biggest fear is that it’ll end before some others events of the manga.

    The fact that it’s awesome cannot be said enough.

    Rockmanshi
    Reply

  16. I think the marriage between Hodr and Sigyn was out of convenience. Hodr wouldn’t have to go through all the trouble of finding a queen for himself and Sigyn could do all the experimentation and research she wanted without having to answer to anyone. They’re friends after all so they probably thought they would help each other out. I’m sure, once Rygart and Sigyn figure their situation out, Hodr will give her the divorce.

    Justa_Dream
    Reply

  18. The battles were really intense this time around. In the last movie, there were a few maddening scenes during Zess/Cleo’s battle that were both poorly animated and seemed to really stretch things — both in time and believability. I’m glad it’s only Book #3 that was guilty of this so far.

    [Ab]Using Sigyn as a fanservice character, though, is no good in my book, nor is it particularly good in either of theirs (both books 3 and 4 so far). If the producers want us to sympathize with Queen Sigyn, it’s simply imprudent show her CONSTANTLY stripping (“changing”) in front of her prisoner, Cleo. Once is more than enough to show her “lowered guard” and the symbolic meaning attached to literally exposing oneself before someone who considers her an enemy.

    The comic relief was actually okay this time. It wasn’t overdone, and the cutesy moments you mention did well to balance and contrast with the darker ones — and not just in terms of Nike’s personality. That said, I suspect Girge’s mentality runs quite a bit deeper than what we saw here, so I’m more than willing to give the producers the benefit of the doubt in considering Girge’s juxtaposed “psychotic” and “collected” shots.

    In three month’s time, we’ll certainly have some answers.

    hoiut
    Reply

      1. No, it’s nowhere near terrible, I’ll give it that. At least, not by ‘objective’ standards. It’s only because I hold these movies to such a high standard now that these niggles stand out all the more conspicuously.

        hoiut
        Reply

    1. You never know. Like the Kara no Kyoukai series, the next episode may be 2 hours and change or something along those lines. It’s not like they stated each episode will be exactly 49mins. ^^;

      Shirt
      Reply

    2. They aren’t going to fit all of them in 6 episodes. From what I remember, this set of Break Blade is basically the first half/first 8 books of the series. There will be a second season afterward for the next set of books to be covered.

      Sora no Kaze
      Reply

      2. No problem. I read about this during, the first announcement or first break blade was released. I can’t seem to find it now. But people were talking about how it wasn’t going to be the entire series squashed into 6 films. At the rate there going, that’s ridiculous. They would probably end after a certain character death, and then a second season of OVA would cover the next part. I mean, to be honest, no one suddenly jumps from 53minutes to 2hrs, that’s bad planning and companies know better then this, UNLESS, they specifically say so from the start that this is how it would be done.

        Sora no Kaze
        Reply

  28. Geez, that’s a lot of wait.

    The warfare is always intense but I seem to find myself lost as to what exactly is going on. Like the battle plans, strategies, how exactly each side knows when and where the enemy is coming from, and overall situation that each side is currently standing at. It’s definitely gotta just be me. -_- Perhaps the show is just to visually dazzling..

    Shirt
    Reply

  33. i thought girghe didnt so much make the quartz denser but was extremely skilled in timing certain movements
    the sword he used to slice rygarts shield during the training was probably extremely sharp (the animation seems to hint that) when rygart uses it and girghe parries with his lance, it snaps. but girghe swings his lance upwards after the sword cuts a small way into it. this would put pressure on the sword in a direction where its thinner and hence easier to snap. borcuse also mentions how his shot found the weakest point in the armor in the collar.
    girghe is just freakishly good…

    and may is a looooooooong way away 🙁

    Ebi
    Reply

  35. This movie series keeps on impressing me so far with its story, outstanding animation, great characters, and terrific battle scenes so much that it made me write a review of it in my MyAnimeList account. What I realize in writing reviews is that the sooner you write a review of a particular anime after finishing it, the better the quality of the review, since the details of the anime is much clearer 🙂

    Ghostalker
    Reply

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