Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Originally published on www.otakureview.net

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.

Intro

With a couple of new battles, this dark and gothic series takes on a new turn that is not quite what I was expecting.

The Story

Four more episodes of this dark series are shown on this volume only none of them are as dark as volume 1. We start off with Bocca and Sayoko still in the Cape of The Midnight Sun as Bocca tries to figure out how to defeat the monster union agent and robot when he is in a town that is filled people who don’t want him to do so. It becomes a difficult battle as both he and Sayoko are thrown in jail but he succeeds and learns very quickly that not everyone is on the side of the warriors of Melos.

The next town that they find themselves in is a valley that is a dead end because the town is ruled by a rich woman named Miri who has constructed a monstrous dam at the edge of town. There are many strange things about this town including artificial mice that scurry back and forth as they carry the tears of all the world’s children, a mysterious boy with sky blue eyes that is blocking a hole in the dam with his arm but no one cares because everyone says that he is a demon and a girl named Tone that knows so many of the tactics of the Warriors Of Melos and yet says that she hates them.

After we learn the story of Miri and Tone, it is time for Bocca to do battle with the latest agent of the Monster Union (do you think they get benefits?) and Tone must come to grips with her true destiny as a Warrior Of Melos.

The Good And The Bad

When I watched volume 1 of this series I really thought that I had a good idea on what to expect in the coming volumes but this volume really threw me for a loop with it’s less than dark animation and storytelling. The animation in this volume was crisp and bright and while there was one scene in the first episode in the jail cell that used some excellent use of lighting and shading, for the most part this was not a dark volume at all which really caught me off guard.

It feels weird almost to watch this series because with every single episode, you feel like you’ve seen so much by the end of every episode but then when you go back to think about what you’ve actually seen you realize that very little of what you saw actually meant anything. Sometimes there are big details or smaller details that are important later on but so much of this series feels like very pretty filler in the meantime.

The characters in this series are still proving to be a take some, lose some situation as well. Sayoko is growing on me quite a bit and I am really interesting in the new character of Tone and what she will develop into as a new Warrior Of Melos but I’m finding that the characters that I don’t like take me out of the story more than the characters that I do like bring me in. The best example of this would the Monster Union henchmen the True/False Parrot. It’s not so much that the character itself is annoying but just the way that it is written makes me want to cringe every single time I see it come onto the screen.

Music

There is some absolutely gorgeous music used throughout this volume such as some beautiful violin music used in episode 7 which is all about the Warrior Of Melos’ ability to use his bow string to create a sound called ‘crying strings’ that drives away monsters. Some more beautiful string music is featured within episode 8.

For the most part I really enjoyed the music used in this volume and can’t really say that any of it felt out of place. The opening and closing themes are still taking some getting used to but they are nothing that I would consider bad. Minawo does another fabulous job with the closing theme at the very least.

Dub vs. Sub

Both tracks were passable. Interestingly enough I have roughly the same comments for both tracks. The True/False Parrot was annoying in both tracks (not so much because of the performance but more because the parts that it was on screen were just too long and just really were written terribly).

Carrie Savage really shone on this volume though as Sayoko. I’m really getting into her performance quite a bit and will be looking forward to hearing more from her later.

Extras

Only a clean closing animation.

Overall

This volume took the anime into a oddly new direction and while not much happens on this volume that is really worth checking out, it’s still a decent watch if you got into the first volume. The character and plot development is moving at a very slow pace which might annoy some but I am willing to bet that this series is going to move in some pretty interesting new directions later on.

Nothing that I highly recommend anyone go out of their way to see but it might be worth picking up if you’re curious.

Final Grade: 79% - C

Related Reviews

Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 1: Arrangement
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 3: Metronome
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 4: Solo
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 5: Refrain
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 6: Final Score



ŠL.B. Bryant 2005


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older