Episode 93: Eh.
I’m just gonna say it, Vearn is a big step down from Hadlar. He’s embracing all the evil overlord tropes, and he doesn’t really have any sort of charisma. He doesn’t even kill anyone, opting to turn them into jewels, and honestly I don’t understand why everyone is so stressed about it. Popp even mentions the jewel is technically a safe place. Vearn’s ability to use three moves “in one turn” is still a cool cheat skill, though.
I also rather dislike how Crocodine was instantly taken out of the fight. Poor guy’s been getting the short end of the stick. But I do get that he hasn’t leveled up compared to the others. Also sucks that Maam was instantly taken out too. So now it’s Larhart and Hym left along with Dai and Popp. Weird party to fight the endgame boss with.
Oh hey I missed that the opening changed a bit last week. Rad shot there.
Incredibly well made episode. The art, colors, and lighting were super well done.
Rad moment from Leona there.
Seeing people get turned into jewels is a cool way to ratch up the tension imo. But I'm super bummed Maam and Crocodine didn't make it, since they're ostensibly main cast members but haven't had a lot to do in this final arc. Maam at least had the setup with Myst that she's been subconsciously holding back, so we might see full power Maam later on, but Crocodine getting got like that is just sad.
Crocodine's kind of been massively overshadowed from the get-go, really. I can't remember him getting any awesome solo battle moments, he's either instantly defeated or just part of the group as they collectively win or lose. Sucks for Maam, too, this arc is really not being kind to her.
I did like Leona's moment though. A non-combatant showing that Vearn can still be hurt is nice. I'd also disagree that Vearn's lacking charisma here, but the older form is still a lot cooler, I think.
Vearns True VA being Dio helps a lot, so I can't find him uninteresting. He's not supposed to be that complex, anyhow. He's a Dragon Quest Final boss through and through, for better or for worse.
Watch SymphogearEpisode 94: I love that Medroa is still an ultimate spell that can make Vearn Bring His Brown Pants. And now Popp is using two spells simultaneously. He really has gone a long way. I still think he should have invested in a Reflect spell, so you bet I pumped my fist when he brought out the Mirror of Shahal.
Edited by fillerdude on Sep 9th 2022 at 9:25:18 AM
94: The whole thing is a buildup to the pop off at the end. They know what they need to do, but they seemingly don't have the resources to do it, so when the reveal happens the satisfaction is immense.
95: Good action at the beginning, but then a crushing sense of despair at the reveal. I gotta respect a villain plan that goes "by even choosing to fight me here, you have already lost a long time ago. You could kill me right now and I still win".
Don't know how they're gonna get out of this one folks!
Yeah, at this point they'd need a miracle ;)
I adore Popp's gambit. Not only is a awesome moment that represents the pinnacle of Popp's development over the course of the entire series, but it's also incredibly cathartic seeing a villain, who until that point was smug and seemingly invincible, not only being out-smarted, but also getting his That One Attack countered back to himself
This is one of the trivial moments in a fight that shows that the villain can be defeated, and lifts up the morale of everyone, I love it
A bit of a shame that the animation wasn't that great
Edited by fishysaur on Sep 18th 2022 at 8:02:24 PM
There isn't an impossible dream, there are only people who give upMy favorite part of Popp's plan is how he taunts Vearn into falling for it, while both are well aware that Vearn could easily just take his time and defeat the heroes normally.
I also like that Vearn doesn't just shrug off everything the heroes have done. Dai would have killed him, had Vearn not managed to break his morale. It feels more interesting than the usual "the villain is winning but still takes the time to break the hero's morale because he's a dick" moment.
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Again, it really shows that Popp should have invested in a Bounce spell. Magic reflect in this series is seriously good. Anyway gotta hand it to Sigma, his mirror came in clutch.
Definitely more interesting for Vearn to break the hero’s morale while on the verge of defeat, I just don’t buy that his comment would have actually stopped Dai.
Hmm, personally I'm ok with it, since Dai was already at his mental limit after witnessing the Vearn Lance falling on like half of his friends and aquaintenances, and also since it's the first time he has a problem that "just grit your teeth, fight harder and win" won't solve.
It's another thing I like about Vearn's gambit: he accepts that there's a chance Dai will just get strong enough to defeat anything, so he sets up a situation where Dai can win every personal fight but still lose the bigger-scope war. Despite Vearn's pride making him fall for Popp's gambit about the Tenchimato, he's still mature enough to realize that fulfilling his goals and surviving means more than just winning the direct fight.
That said, the next few episodes contain my favorite moments in the whole series, so I'm probably biased and willing to forgive a few forced situations if it's to set up those moments. I'm just worried that these "we have ten minutes" situations never work as well in anime form as they do in manga... I guess they'll just be typical Namekian minutes.
Edited by Cozzer on Sep 19th 2022 at 10:18:00 AM
Yeah, next episode will have one my favorites Big Damn Heroes moment I've ever seen
Episode 96: The main character of this story is now Popp. Because holy shit that is one of the best rousing speeches I’ve heard in a while.
I honestly forgot that Merle had passed out, so it was really cool that her precognition came in clutch and allowed Queen Flora and the others to evacuate, in turn enabling the Surface World to mount some form of resistance. Nova too proves his worth by freezing two of the bombs, and I think he’ll be able to freeze a third, in Orzam.
It does leave the question of who will address the last two bombs. Matoriv is an obvious choice. The other… I dunno. Dai’s gramps from Dermline Island? Maam’s parents? The fake hero party from waaay back? Who else is there?
(That was a rhetorical question, don’t spoil me hahaha)
Edited by fillerdude on Sep 23rd 2022 at 9:12:46 AM
Well now they have a legitimate reason to defeat Vearn. If they win then the barrier goes down and Popp can zoom out of there and ice the other ones. Of course, I really love this episode's depiction of the citizens of the world coming together to try and stop the bombs, so if they pull it off without Popp then I'm fine with that too.
Got pretty hyped at Velzar showing up. Also, since we've somehow gotten *four* episodes from the end without the reveal of Killvearn's Imp being a badass that's been hinted at in the intro, I'm calling my shot now. The Imp is Velzar's true assassin, and Kill was always a red herring to distract Vearn. Vearn will die from its hand after Dai defeats him.
In any case, the next episode preview seems to hint that the eye jewels will break open, so I'm excited to see the whole party tackle Vearn together.
It's a small thing, but I like how the moment with Velther at the beginning kinda gives a reason for Vearn's Orcus on His Throne attitude. The Underworld is a dog-eat-dog society, so if he committed too much to the war against the surface world, he risked being backstabbed by a rival or an usurper. It's not much, but it can be taken as an In-Universe reason why he tried to outsource the whole thing to Hadler, and even after that failed he was reluctant to show too much of his hand.
That said, the star of this episode - and of the whole story, for me - is obiviously Popp. This was my favorite moment of the manga, and I'm really happy with how the anime portrayed it.
Episode 97: This is some of the sappiest shit I’ve seen in my life and dammit, I loved it. I knew the fake hero party had to show up again.
Vearn’s most heinous deed is now officially killing Gomechan. You have dug your grave, dark lord.
Edited by fillerdude on Oct 1st 2022 at 1:29:57 AM

I think Vearn's eye mechanic would be cool in a Dragon Quest game.