Hold onto your hats folks, we’re barreling back into SYMPHOGEAR! Season four’s last two episodes have more or less acted as a mirrored pair, and I’m fully expecting this one to complete the set. First off, Chris and Maria faced off against Cagliostro, obliterating my favorite alchemist in a blast of collaborative fury. Next, Tsubasa and Shirabe teamed up, dueling Prelati in a high-speed highway chase. At this point, we’ve only got two more wielders and one more member of the original alchemists – so if our trajectory is anything to go by, we’re in for a fight between Hibiki, Kirika, and Saint-Germain herself.

It’s clear at this point that AXZ is attempting to resolve a character writing issue that emerged last season: the lack of any genuine relationship between several members of the main team. Maria and Tsubasa quickly became a pair, and Chris happily embraced a big sister role relative to Shirabe and Kirika, but characters like Shirabe and Tsubasa had never shared a conversation, much less a point of genuine emotional connection. Through the “Fool’s Stone” and its subsequent training, AXZ has found a narrative excuse to rectify this character writing issue – now, all the main characters truly must get to know each other, because their strength in battle depends on it.

Ultimately, I feel like this whole process stands as an affirmation of Symphogear’s fundamental appeal: world-destroying threats will come and go, but the charming bonds between these leads are the core of this show. I’m happy this season has contrived a reason to expand those bonds, and eager to see Symphogear’s most genki characters explore their own friendship. Let’s get to it!

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Hello everyone, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re heading back on down to Symphogear City, where the girls kick ass and the sakuga’s pretty, in the wake of Chris having at last come to terms with her past, and hopefully set herself on the path to a happier future. Of course, this is Symphogear we’re talking about, so this emotional revelation was accompanied by an absurd display of action fireworks.

In fact, the fight between Cagliostro and Chris/Maria was one of the most impressive displays in this franchise altogether, and though I’m sad to say goodbye to the ever-entertaining Cagliostro, I appreciate that she at least went out in a gorgeous blaze of glory. Meanwhile, with Prelati still incapacitated from her fight with the babies, it appears that Adam is finally making some major plays, and forcing St. Germain to choose where her loyalties lie. However these nefarious machinations turn, I’m eager to enjoy a fresh helping of explosions and lovey-dovey relationships as we barrel through another episode of SYMPHOGEAAAAR!

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Hello everyone, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are absolutely continuing our journey through Symphogear AXZ, as our last episode left us on a… hm, is there a unique word for a positive cliffhanger? Like, normally “you need to know what’ll happen next” is something relevant to a moment of great narrative uncertainty and distress, but in this case, we’re not hanging on to see “how will the good guys get out of this one” – the good guys are fine, and actually just resolved their whole LiNKER subplot last episode. We’re instead in the reverse case: “wait and see just how badly the good guys beat the crap out of the villains.” I’m actually pretty certain that’s still just a cliffhanger, but either way, with all six wielders now at full strength, episode six left us with the promise of a full ensemble battle, or at least an immediate forced retreat by those dastardly alchemists. Let’s see where our journey takes us in another episode of SYMPHOGEAAAR!

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Buckle up folks, it’s time for SYMMMMPHOOOOGEAAAAR! When last we left off, the Bavarian Illuminati had just unveiled their much-hyped Faust Robes, leading to a total defeat for our main wielders. Shortly after that, Adam himself finally arrived, and ended up destroying the entire battlefield through alchemical fusion. Things are looking pretty grim for the team at the moment!

Of course, none of those narrative facts really mean all that much in a dramatic sense. “We gained our Faust Robes” might as well be “we achieved a new level of Super Saiyan” for all it means in terms of storytelling, and if you’re surprised by giant explosions, you must be new to Symphogear. Personally, the thing I found most interesting about AXZ’s fourth episode was its direct acknowledgment of Japan’s role in World War II, which, when coupled with the team overseer’s call to “drive these barbarians from the shores of Japan,” seemed to imply this season might be moving towards some genuine political commentary. Whether this episode furthers those ideas or just exults in glorious spectacle, I’m eager to continue this riotous journey. Let’s get to it!

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You know what, screw it, we’re watching more Symphogear. Everyone’s presumably still stuck inside due to COVID, and at this point, it’s beginning to feel like time has no meaning, and the world has spun off its axis entirely. Fortunately, that’s precisely the right attitude to take into Symphogear, which concluded its last episode on the line “believe it or not, this is a great place to pick a fight with God,” and has refused to make much more sense than that at any point in its distinguished run.

I could tell you that last episode helped clarify season four’s narrative trajectory, but you’d know full well I’d be lying. Symphogear narratives are essentially driven by a massive switch labeled LOVE EACH OTHER and KILL EACH OTHER, which seesaws between modes seemingly at random, while ensuring each episode receives its allotted combination of charming relationships and thundering explosions. Symphogear is the anime equivalent of an adrenaline shot and a warm hug, and I think that’s a combination we could all use in these dark days. Let’s get to it!

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