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GARO THE ANIMATION
Episode 6

by Gabriella Ekens,

It's episodic adventure time once again on GARO THE ANIMATION. León and Germán are back in the capital to gather information on Mendoza's regime. While there, they strike up a friendship with a blacksmith and his son, but things turn sour before long. The blacksmith's deceased son's sword is turning his father into a Horror, and Germán is forced to take out his new friend before he can wreak more damage. Meanwhile, León continues to struggle with adulthood, his relationship with his father, and the heavy responsibilities he's inherited as the Golden Knight.

First off, I've gotta say that I totally called it. GARO's Art Director and Background Artist is Kazuyuki Hashimoto, who worked the same jobs on Fullmetal Alchemist. Plus 5 anime reviewer points to me. That said, this was the least visually interesting episode of GARO so far. It still looks quite nice, the direction is still effective, and the shot compositions are atmospheric and poignant, there just wasn't anything as visually standout as in episode four. The characters were also slightly off-model, something that's most noticeable on scraggly Germán. He kept getting weird looks on his face. Maybe he hasn't gotten any tail for too long?

Narratively, however, the show is still exceptional. I can't get over how well-written this unassuming series is. For the past two weeks, I've been going into GARO wondering, "will this be the first one that disappoints?" but it hasn't happened yet. This week is a complicated play on the theme of "forging" that draws a comparison between the act of creating weapons, forging roles for yourself through active participation in life, and forging younger individuals through fatherhood. Germán is the highlight, with Blacksmith Jordi as his foil. The blacksmith turns into a Horror out of grief, anger, and denial that his eldest son didn't turn into the person he'd meant for him to be. This mirrors the conflict between León and Germán, who have trouble relating to each other both personally and in terms of values. As the elder figure, Germán has more power to sway León in his direction than vice versa, making the father frustrated and the son resentful. Germán goes out of his way to slay Jordi himself, wanting to vanquish the similar feelings he sees within himself, even if hasn't entirely processed them yet.

The unexplored aspect of this story is the tension between "forging for yourself" and inheriting power, which seems like the line that León and Alfonso will skirt throughout the rest of the series. It's one episode plot thread, one episode thematic thread, and one overall series thematic thread present in a single moment of conflict. I'm more impressed with every new episode. (There's even more depth to the conflict on closer inspection. Jordi's son dies in the process of becoming a soldier, aka a weapon for the king. Jordi is proud of forging the king's weapons. After his son's death, they return the boy's blade to Jordi instead of his body, which has been infected by Horror. At the end of the episode, it's revealed that Mendoza is infecting trainees' bodies with Horrors to turn them into his personal arsenal. Raising children is, on some level, trying to turn them into vehicles for your own personal ideology, an endeavor that will inevitably disappoint you. This stuff is layered.)

This episode also houses an important clue for analyzing characters in this show: strong exteriors can hide deep cracks. Jordi broke while trying to maintain his identity as a good person. His possession/mental breakdown as a Horror manifested as a clear separation from his regular personality, and he couldn't be saved. The illusion of healthiness is a liability in this show - sanity can't be taken at face value.

I've realized why the sex jokes work as well as they do - they're also character development. León's virginity and the constant ribbing he gets from his dad about it are metaphors for his general immaturity. The world needs León to mature more quickly so he can take on the mantle of its protector as the Golden Knight GARO. However, he's stunted by his difficult relationship with his father, who espouses easy sexuality alongside ruthless pragmatism. León also holds an unhealthy idealization of his deceased mother. It's a realistic Oedipal complex that doesn't mean he literally wants to murder his dad and bang his mom, but has sexual consequences nonetheless.

Ema Guzmán seems to have floated into the position of distant ally to the pair, not hanging out with them in the off time but still offering aid whenever it's necessary. I like this, and I'm curious about the chemistry brewing between her and León. It doesn't seem romantic (although Ema is willing to tease him). She might adopt the challenging maternal role that's been missing in León's life since his mother's death and rebirth as an infinitely supportive perfect figure in his psyche. León clearly has some issues with women - he either idolizes them (his mother) or fears them as threatening sexual beings. Ema, who mixes the two extremes in with unforeseen masculine characteristics, seems like an important figure to help him get past this.

Next week, more adventures in the land of Anna's death! Mendoza knows that the Makai Knights are on his turf and has sent a mysterious demonic swordsman after them. It's a curious development that makes me even more curious to see more.

Grade: B+

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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