Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen - Episode 25 Review

Episode 25, "Reversal! The Sun Sets on Bardos Island!"

"With the power of a crazy old man AI, nothing can stop me!""Fuck! They took mom before she made cookies!"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: With the Photon Power Labs destroyed, Dr. Hell orders his subordinates to take the Japanium ore. The Mazinger Corps seemingly falls in battle with the Mechanical Beasts. God Scrander arrives and Kouji gains the advantage, destroying the enemies around him. The Kurogane Five find that Tsubasa is missing and Akokuji has escaped from his prison. Yasu steps up to defend the house from Baron Ashura, but discovers the bomb in him has been taken by Tsubasa. Boss, in the Boss Borot tries his best to fight Ashura, with the support of Django. The Boss Borot plows into Ashura and explodes. Sayaka's dead emerges from the ruins of the labs with several Pygmans walking towards him, but Sayaka arrives. Pygman attacks but is attacked himself by Akokuji, Gamia, and a figure called Blade, who seemingly kills Pygman. Tsubasa wriggles free from a fake Kenzo and demands the real one appear. She prepares to destroy him with Yasu's bomb, but he requests to be heard before she does so. The Mazinger attacks Count Brocken and he gets into his own mecha. Duke Gorgon appears before Ashura, but the Goul airship falls on him. Dr. Hell's Bardos Island itself arrives, but the scientists reveal a Photon Power-powered battle fortress. The Mazinger Corps rallies, their escape crafts combining with backup mecha and they attack Bardos Island. Dr. Hell comes out in his mecha, King of Hell.

"Don't mind us, just interrupting your emotional turmoil with AWESOME.""Oh ho, why not explode ourselves?"

Comments:

So, wait... what? Huh?

You know, I have to admit, I both love and hate Imagawa's style. On the one hand, he never lets up on excitement and mystery. On the other, he never lets up on excitement and mystery! Jeez! The runaway train pace of this episode is annoying, but damn there are a lot of awesome things going on in it, even if they aren't explained. At all.

Okay, so while the stuff here that was in the first episode now has context, thus making it a bit understandable, you still have a lot of questions up in the air. Questions such as, why did they imprison Akokuji in the first place if he's supporting them? Who is this Blade guy who shows up for a moment, then disappears? When the hell did the Photon Power Labs have the time to build all those other mecha and that giant fortress, and why didn't they use it earlier if it had been hidden there for a while? Surely it couldn't just have been because of Sayaka's dad's hesitance to use Photon Power as a weapon, they've all been doing it throughout the show! Where the fuck did Duke Gorgon come from? And will the real Kenzo Kabuto please stand up (if he can)?

Speaking of Kenzo, what is with him? Is he a Dr Hell supporter? Against Dr. Hell? It'll probably be revealed in the next episode, but I'm still reeling over Tsubasa being Kouji and Shiro's mother, something they sort of just sprang on the viewer that seemed unnatural ever since. Now we have to deal with Kenzo maybe having these complex motivations and I'm wondering if I'll end up even giving a damn.

Kouji managed to get away from the trap Ashura set for him thanks to the Loser Corps and God Scrander. I keep forgetting he's got that program that looks like his grandfather. I'm glad to see him actually kick a little ass, instead of getting his ass kicked and needing Tsubasa to bail him out. Though it doesn't last long, because after tearing through Brocken's fortress, he falls into the ocean along with it. At times, it's like he's a secondary character in a show he's supposed to be the main character of.

The main character of this episode, though, was utter chaos, with explosions and hotblooded screaming everywhere. Except the bawling of Ashura, that is.

There's one more episode to go! Let's hope it can explain the unexplained, as well as kick ass.

"SHINING FINGER!""Stop being a bitch."

Overall Score:

4 out of 5


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