GARO THE ANIMATION

Episode 18

León's finally regained his role as the Golden Knight Garo, and all it took was his girlfriend's death! Seriously though, this was a good episode, a climax both in its pathos and visual flair. The status quo has been reaffirmed after four episodes of mixed meandering, and it couldn't have come sooner. Meanwhile, the animation quality shoots into the stratosphere with one of the best looking episodes of GARO so far, definitely one of this season's visual standouts.

If you take –SCAR FLAME– as GARO's Valentine's Day episode, it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, León buried his first love. On the other, Germán and Ximena finally got it on. (I've got to hand it to Ximena – the girl wanted it and it showed.) Alfonso is perpetually single.

León, in shock after Lara's death, attempts to dig a grave for her. While doing this, he's confronted by hallucinatory phantoms who pressure him to resume his quest for vengeance. León manages to resist them and he lays Lara to rest. The next day, he challenges Alfonso for possession of the Golden Armor and wins. Alfonso accepts his loss and retakes Rafael's armor as León's partner and friend. On their first mission together since Mendoza's defeat, Germán appears to reveal that their old foe isn't dead. Mendoza is alive and working with the Makai Order, who have assigned Germán to be his partner. Germán then vanishes, leaving the boys stunned.

It was kinda dumb of Alfonso to just leave León on his own after that massive trauma, but it's alright, he rushed right back to him anyway. I really like how the two are pushed into an antagonistic relationship over time rather than it coming naturally to them – it's a nice change of pace from the unrealistically nasty rivalries we usually see in anime. León and Alfonso want to be partners, but circumstances keep pushing them apart. I'm sure that this won't be the last time (even in the first season) that we see them fight. Next time probably won't be under such amicable circumstances.

Even the cinematography was working overtime. León's hallucinations create the effect of the camera circling him, which required drawing fluid transitions between a number of difficult angles. I wonder to what degree the shadow creatures plaguing him are mental constructs? Those curse marks of his were acting up while this was happening, so it's likely there's some power acting on him. Come to think of it, those marks haven't been explained yet. They're still suspiciously similar to the ones Mendoza had in his backstory episode. I hope that the show addresses this. It has an annoying habit of leaving things unexplained under the assumption that all viewers are familiar with the GARO tokusatsu. (For example, apparently Germán has his own talking demon jewelry? I thought that León was unique on that front. But I digress.) Either way, while León's resolve is admirable, he hasn't really been tested. There are (as of yet) no targets for his vengeance or ways to retrieve Lara. Something like this will probably come along soon. She's present in the ED after all, alongside León in his snazzy post-redemption white overcoat.

Then the episode breaks out into a moment of spectacular animation. Alfonso's fight with León on the aqueduct's ruins is just constant animation showcase. Their cloaks and hair billow in the wind. The sun sets behind them and the lighting changes. The camera is constantly moving, showing the background in a full 360. Their movements have weight and impact. It's quality I expect from Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works without the CGI magic spam. Editing-wise, the battle is integrated into León fighting off the hallucinations, so we don't learn whether he succeeded or not until halfway through the battle. There were a couple of other great moments. Ximena's makeout session with Germán is genuinely sexy, with a surprising amount of attention being paid to Ximena's desire. You go girl! This is accomplished through subtle but well-executed shots, like when Ximena grabs the back of Germán's shirt.

Overall, just a really well constructed episode in terms of narrative and especially visuals. At this point all I expect from GARO is to be surprised. It can be pedestrian one week and transcendent the next. I hope this sudden shift in quality is a trend.

Grade: A

GARO THE ANIMATION is currently streaming on Funimation.

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