After the somewhat disappointing rote nature of the penultimate episode, the final one puts us right at the centre of the Leyline with all the surviving players. So I guess this is where the series puts us through the ringer of some revelations and an epic final battle that really gets the blood pumping, right?

In three one syllable words: Yes. Yes. Yes.

The revelation of the Leyline itself is probably the least impressive part of the final episode. We not only get an encapsulation of what had been said between Khan and the McDougals a few episodes back, but also a general description how the Leyline is kinda sorta one big data configuration; a computer Shenron if you will for whoever unlocks it with the Melfina-sized key. The fun part though comes after Gene gets his Caster magic in Tao magic and Hazanko gets his Tao magic in Caster magic. Apparently it causes the Leyline to deign giving ALL of them a wish while they stand between life and death, and they all picked the most obvious choices. I guess that’s fine all things considered. We’ve not the time to think or be wary of the logic of the Leyline, so mysteriousness is instead amplified. read more

Like the “prep work” episode, this episode seems all too familiar with an end goal rescue. Everybody of importance rushes toward the end, with every surviving enemy getting in the way. Supporting cast tell main guy to go ahead while they stay behind to distract them. Repeat until the protagonist is the only one left and then go ahead to finale.

…Then cut off at the end to save for the final episode.

It’s rote, but Outlaw Star makes it work. All the big revelations will be left for the finale it seems, with most of the run time directed towards very intense fight sequences. This is a very fluid episode than most, hearkening back to the climax of Episode 1 and Episode 15, so we’re bound for some fun. Suzuka and Harry McDougal get the most of it with Harry’s attempt to fell Hazanko and Suzuka’s fight with a familiar Anten Seven member. Aisha and Gene sadly don’t get that kind of sequence, with Aisha’s fight being rather short-lived even if she transformed and Gene mostly wasting his Caster shells on ONE Anten Seven member. Didn’t he have a dozen or so in the previous episode? This said it did make for a fairly grotesque sequence where he turned said member inside out as Caster magic sucked it into the void. So that works well. read more

We’re here. Fred Luo is queer. And aside from the Leyline, the Starwind crew ain’t going anywhere.

This episode is what it is: a prepwork episode before the big final showdown. Since the series has been on a roll, this episode does a good job with said prepwork. There are not really many surprises to be had, but it is good how after a huge existential funk of uncertainty for two of our heroes: Gene and Melfina, they’re quite ready to go after their end game. The descent into the Leyline is a fairly exciting affair, with the Outlaw Star facing off against Hazanko’s fleet as he also makes his moves toward the Leyline. I might have complained about Hazanko reappearing after like… seven episodes since his debut, but I don’t. He’s not really the target for Gene and the gang, just an obstacle on their way to the Leyline. The battles between his fighters and our heroes is as I said, exciting, but in the end there is not much tension to be had since we know everybody’s endgame is elsewhere.  read more