GARO THE ANIMATION

Episode 10

GARO THE ANIMATION continues to be excellent in unexpected ways. This episode was dedicated to turning Mendoza, the evil Grand Vizier stereotype arch-villain, into a real character, and they go beyond the call of duty. On paper, he's a simple archetype: a Makai Alchemist who felt confined by the Order's mission to protect mankind and broke his vows in pursuit of power. It's the textbook evil wizard motivation, and it'd be a lame disappointment if they'd left it at that. Good thing it's only the beginning of his character. As punishment for a transgression, the Makai Order branded him with a curse that affects not only him but his descendants, covering their skin with searing marks, and that forms his true motivation. In GARO THE ANIMATION, people seriously value the ability to carry on a lineage, so this is a severe blow to Mendoza. After suffering this indignity, he swears to strike back at the Makai Knights' own chain of inheritance, shifting his efforts from integrating himself into Valiante's royal family to a genocide against the Order.

While he's not a unique or even sympathetic character, his struggles are well-articulated and he feels like a person who would exist. His emotions seem like they would lead someone down this path, and I understand how both he and the Order made mistakes in handling the situation. While this series isn't outright morally gray, it's at least realistic in its portrayal of great evil resulting from genuine grievances and how good people might not always be the most well-behaved. The scene where Mendoza killed his newborn child was particularly chilling, an outstanding moment in a series that has proved itself adept at implicit horror. It seems at first like something inflicted on an innocent child by the Makai Order, but his willingness to commit the act says a lot about the character. “Sins of the father” indeed.

Despite being one of the tamer horror shows this season in terms of gore, GARO THE ANIMATION might be the most effective at conveying true dread. Although it seems counter-intuitive at first, I think GARO accomplishes this by making the Horrors mostly irrelevant to the show's scariest moments, like the ritualistic murder from episode four or Mendoza's all-too-rapid turn to child killing this week. Even the blacksmith's terrifying and subtle mental breakdown in episode six used the Horror's presence as its trigger, not the core pathology. GARO is scary because the worst stuff is all human-on-human, and our heroes can only ever mitigate the situations, never solving them. Although I don't think GARO will ever insist that humanity is bestial in the same way that Parasyte does, it skirts the line closer than most heroic tales, and I'm interested in seeing how far it goes.

Meanwhile, reinforcing this episode's fixation on paternity, Germán spends most of the episode sulking under the mistaken impression that Alfonso is Anna's secret child. León and Ema maintain the misunderstanding as punishment for his debauchery while holding a strategy meeting with Alfonso. During these scenes, there's a hint at conflict between Alfonso and León, who have so far gotten along smashingly. They head off to infiltrate a temple that serves as Mendoza's base of command, and Alfonso states that he aims to prioritize saving the kingdom over rescuing his mother. León, who has advanced mommy issues, looks askance at this. He has trouble comprehending why anyone with a mother would willingly jeopardize them. They fight their way through the temple's bowels, which are congested with Horrors from Mendoza's experiments. The episode concludes with Germán preparing to fight Bernardo, who admits to joining the dark side in order to square off against his old friend.

I do wonder what they're going to do with Ema at this point. She floats around as an ally to the group only to disappear whenever it's convenient for her. She's on the hunt for a certain horror and has developed distinct relationships with Germán, León, and Alfonso. With Germán she's in a position of parity, willing to tease him but also down for serious business like hunting Horrors and keeping track of León's development. To León, she's a woman who challenges all of his ideas about what a woman should be, either as a mother (good) or sexual being (scary). It's even suggested that Ema plays this up consciously in order to further his development. In general, Ema an interesting female character because it's difficult to put her in a box. She's not solely a sexual or maternal or aggressive figure, but still possesses all of those characteristics in varying shades. For what I can recall there also hasn't been even an ounce of fanservice of her. That's pretty neat.

This series is for adults in the best way. It's not afraid to take it slow sometimes - for example, this episode features almost no action at all - and all of the 'adult content' is directly rooted in character. León, Mendoza, and Octavia's sexual motivations are never referred to directly, but they're clear from the way they speak and act. Germán and Ema's lack of inhibitions are equally clear. GARO THE ANIMATION doesn't compromise its storytelling to talk down to the audience, and I appreciate that. It's rare to see cinematic writing utilized this well in anime. It also looks great. Lots of character information - ranging from León's concern for Alfonso's mother to Mendoza's genuine affection for his wife - is conveyed through the direction. Another studio would've easily reduced this all to talking heads (or narrated diagrams) but Studio MAPPA is on the ball. This episode was directed by Kenji Mutō, who also did standout work for both Rage of Bahamut (directing both the first episode and the one with the giant crab) and Terror in Resonance (handling the ferris wheel romantic bomb defusing). These are close to his only credits, but they're all visually outstanding, so he seems like someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

I've also gotten some clarification about the mechanics of Makai Knight inheritance. Apparently it can be passed along through people who aren't blood relatives, but it might be confined to people who have father-son or mentor-student relationships. This goes against what was implied earlier in the series (Germán has said that he wants another child specifically to pass on his armor), but whatever, it all works out. The important thing is that Rafael is dead, and Alfonso has his armor now. There's also an explanation for why Makai Knights don't just jump into their armor at every opportunity. They can only be used for 99.9 seconds at a time before before the user gets possessed/becomes evil, which is probably what happened to Bernardo. It's a bit irritating that they don't outline this very well, but now I know, and so do you!

Overall, GARO THE ANIMATION has covered one of its roughest patches – the shallow villain - and seems headed towards some interesting narrative pastures. It's developed strong thematic ideas around what it means to have offspring and carry on a lineage, exploring both its pleasures and responsibilities. Adept at balancing both joy and emotional resonance, it's a pleasure to watch every week.

Grade: A

GARO THE ANIMATION is currently streaming on Funimation.

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