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GARO THE ANIMATION
Episode 5

by Gabriella Ekens,

I thought it'd be tough to follow up anything titled -BLOODVILLE-, but this week's GARO: THE ANIMATION episode, -GAIA-, continues the series' sudden rise to excellence. GAIA refers to the new Makai Knight, the purple-suited juggernaut Rafael Banderas, who has watched over Alfonso since birth on the orders of the boy's grandfather, the original Golden Knight GARO. Yes, the same Golden Knight GARO from whom León inherited his powers. Our two protagonists are cousins - León's mother is the sister of Alfonso's mother, who was adopted by a noble family in order to protect her from the Horrors. She ended up marrying the king, a puppet of the Horrors, so that plan kinda backfired. However, it also brought about good-hearted princeling Alfonso. Upon seeing what the Horrors are doing to the people under his family's protection, he vows to atone for their negligence by becoming stronger and eliminating them. Meanwhile, León faces the consequences of his pact with the demon Zaruba for the first time, falling into a strange trance during the new moon.

The "sheltered young noble seeing the world's hardships for the first time" is a difficult character to pull off. It's easy for their intended naiveté to come off instead as privilege, petulance, and entitlement. Prince Alfonso succeeds in that he both starts out fairly competent and adjusts to his new situation quickly. Although he's shocked by the squalor around him, (both monster-caused and not,) he never talks down to anyone, and immediately accepts Rafael's role as his protector. The episode's focus is on Alfonso coming to grips with his family's manipulation and the existence of Horrors - a simple story that shines due to a deft narrative hand. Like last episode's conflict between Germán's pragmatism and León's idealism, this is never stated outright, only implied through the characters' actions. Alfonso begins this episode on the run, trying to defend himself but unprepared to deal with a monstrous conspiracy intent on destroying him. He ends the episode wanting to become like Rafael, in order to save his family and protect the kingdom. (I especially liked the moment when Rafael hands Alfonso his sword. It's so heavy that the prince is dragged to his knees and the blade pierces two feet through the floor, showing how unready he is for combat. This visual metaphor sums up the strength of the show's writing, displaying faith in the viewer's intelligence.)

On the other hand, the show seems to have finally settled into its art style, and the result is solid. There's a great sense of atmosphere here. Despite consisting of the usual panorama of forests, cliffs, towns, etc., Valiante conveys a distinct enough geography to make it seem like a specific place rather than a generic fantasy world. It's subtle, but the effect is there, similar to the techniques used to make the settings in Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan recognizably Germanic without letting that influence overwhelm their fantasy. The character designs continue to be excellent: simple, expressive, and great in motion. The color work also reaches a new peak during Alfonso and Rafael's raid on the mansion. Inside, Alfonso encounters a demonized nobleman in the form of an enormous, many-limbed worm about to eat a mother and child. Its design is impressive, most reminiscent of Fullmetal Alchemist's chimeras, particularly Envy's true form from Brotherhood. Much of the tone is carried through deep shadows and a red, candlelit tint. It contrasts well with the soft yellows and blues used in scenes of Rafael educating Alfonso. With these narrative and artistic strengths, GARO: THE ANIMATION might not just be a competent show, but a great one.

I do wonder where the show will go now that it's played the "León and Alfonso are actually cousins" card. I respect it for not holding onto an obvious twist past the point where everybody knows for some last-ditch drama, but it's still an unusual move. I'm guessing that it's setting up a conflict where Alfonso will try to approach his relative but León will rebuff him, since the royal family executed his mother and he nurses a serious case of vengeance-thirst. Actually, there's an unspoken bit of tragedy there - Queen Esmerelda was present when Anna was burnt to death, making her unknowingly complicit in her own sister's death. The ideas here are consistently scarier than the content shown. Also, will Alfonso ever get his own armor? It might be for the best if his fights remain mercifully CG-free, but a competing instinct within me wants to see the entire team besuited. Ah well. Next time, the return of best character Ema Guzmán!

Grade: A-

GARO THE ANIMATION is currently streaming on Funimation.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.


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