GARO THE ANIMATION

Episode 17

Didn't see that coming.

I mean, I expected most of it. León was going to be wrenched away from rural life at some point, and while the family was always doomed, I thought that Lara might be immune. I was wrong. GARO added another notch to its woman-in-a-refrigerator count today, thrusting León back into the action by taking out his not-quite-girlfriend.

Alfonso arrives at León's village (seemingly the only village in fantasy Spain to not be ravaged already) to take out a rampaging horror. He runs into León. Alfonso is relieved to discover his cousin safe and remarks on how much he's changed. No longer consumed by revenge, León has accepted Alfonso's possession of the Golden Armor and resolved to live happily with Lara. On the way home, León soothes Lara's worries about his royal associations and reassures her that he belongs with her family. Their future, however, is not to be – the Horror attacks their home and Lara dies in León's arms. León is once again overcome by grief, and Alfonso is overcome by regret.

This episode is most interesting for how it busts open the story. There are a multitude of directions it could take from here on out. My theory, judging from Lara's presence in the second season's promotional art, is that Leon will try to bring her back to life Orpheus-and-Eurydice style. There'll be some taboo way to bring back the dead, and he'll go for it, aligning himself with Mendoza and against Alfonso. I'm excited – it's rare to find shows where the protagonists don't have a singular arc, and are allowed to fail in multiple extreme ways. (Another one that I can think of is Tokyo Ghoul, where the bait-and-switch with Kaneki's purpose was enough to turn a conventional story into a transcendent one. GARO THE ANIMATION isn't on that level yet, but it has plenty of time left to prove itself. 50-ish episode runtimes are a rare boon in our current anime climate, and the show's been making good use of it so far.)

The pastoral life was always an escape for León – a necessary one at first, but as soon as it became a crutch for him, it had to be kicked away. For better or worse, León has a heroic destiny, and it's unfortunately inescapable. During his conversation with Alfonso, León states that he's realized his mistake and rectified it by gaining something that he wants to protect. He might have gone too far in the other direction by devoting himself to one specific person rather than sublimating that love towards all of humanity. He's unbalanced – as soon as that person is lost (as they inevitably will be, since Makai Knights live dangerous lives and are not infallible themselves,) he risks becoming consumed by hatred again. León's taken his first step towards the charge, but he's not yet a mature protector.

A bunch of stuff that GARO established in the first few episodes before dropping unceremoniously looks like it might come into play again soon. For example, the fact that León can speak to his grandfather, the ancestral Garo, while in his monthly Zaruba-based coma. León's grandfather abandoned his two daughters for their own safety, so he probably has some lessons to impart on the dangers of loving while on duty. Bernardo – Mendoza's ex-Makai Knight lackey – might also be cast in a new light as León's foil. He turned evil out of love for a woman who was inaccessible to him and was slain by his brother-in-arms, Germán. The only thing that I can imagine being worse than León's berserk mode from episode twelve is that he straight-up becomes a dark knight. If that happens, a similar fate might befall León and Alfonso.

Now we know why last episode looked so bad – they saved all their resources for this one. This was another standout episode in terms of art, direction, and animation. After three visually tepid episodes, it was nice to be reminded of what can make GARO look exceptional. The lighting in particular was great. Each scene takes place at a certain time of day and under specific weather conditions, so they're all distinct and moody. León's conversation with Alfonso and Lara's death scene were exceptionally well directed. León and Lara's growing intimacy has been conveyed almost exclusively through cinematography, and her death was its climax. Alternating extreme close-ups of the two emphasize both their love for each other and the inevitability of their ultimate separation by both status and death. In hindsight, many of their previous conversations have been shot in this manner, more so than between any other two characters.

I'm glad that GARO THE ANIMATION has been confirmed for another season, because they're nowhere close to wrapping up this story. I've been concerned about the show's meandering for a while. The respite between León coming to live with Lara and its disruption went on about an episode too long, I think, but with a second season there's plenty of time to recover.

Grade: A-

GARO THE ANIMATION is currently streaming on Funimation.

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