Hello everyone, and I hope you’re fuckin’ ready for some SYMMMMPHOOOOGEAAAAR! Symphogear’s last episode kicked all kinds of ass, and this is me who’s writing this, so you know I’m speaking in terms of its dramatic structure and thematic ambition. After spending a third of the season lamenting her inability to contribute to the show’s active drama, Elfnein has finally found a purpose: by connecting her consciousness with Maria, she hopes to unlock the final secret of the LiNKER formula. Her mission should in turn allow Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika to fight at full strength, at last letting this season embrace the full ensemble potential of its excellent cast.
Meanwhile, Genjuro’s confrontations with the team’s benefactor, the head of the Kazanari clan, have established a rift that falls on clear political lines. Genjuro, as the head of an international strike force drawing its members from across the globe, and applying them to conflict zones worldwide, clearly sees the Symphogears as a force for good that should be shared by all of mankind. In contrast, Kazanari believes the Symphogears should be used to defend Japan specifically, even at the expense of international allies, drawing heavily on terms and iconography that bring to mind Japan’s invincible self-image prior to World War II.
Kazanari’s views are not anachronistic – he’s promoting a mainstream conservative perspective in Japan, which in our world is closely tied to historical revisionism regarding Japan’s past atrocities, and efforts to remilitarize the country. Anime rarely comments so directly on Japan’s immediate political situation (though there are exceptions, like the excellent Patlabor), and thus I’m very excited to see where Symphogear takes this narrative. The show’s already picked fights with gods and planets, so why not Shinzo Abe, too? But wherever this story goes, I’m eager to get back to the explosive action of Symphogear. LET’S GET TO IT!
Episode 6
“Surfacing from the Suicide Zone.” Does that mean Maria’s subconscious? I got burned on calling last episode’s title charmingly meaningless when it actually turned out to have a very obvious meaning, so I’m not falling for that trick again!
The design of the alchemists’ ship is quite unique
“For humanity to become the true masters of this world, they must be free of all control.” Their goal echoes Fine’s, but I’m not sure how their methods differ. They also mentioned “picking a fight with God,” so we may be introducing some larger supernatural force? This season is kinda brimming with villains, which might actually be a result of seasons four and five being commissioned at the same time. With the knowledge that they had another, climactic season to follow this one, Symphogear’s team are for the first time able to seed conflicts that won’t necessarily be resolved within the same season. It’s kind of a shame the whole show wasn’t afforded this understanding of its overall structure, but I suppose part of Symphogear’s charm is its rotating cast of new villains
Kirika and Shirabe finishing each other’s sentences, as usual
Both Maria and Elfnein are already visibly tired of Dr. Ver’s shit. Every single person I know who’s a fan of Symphogear hates Dr. Ver, and that includes me – do they just keep bringing him back to fuck with us?
Granted, he is the creator of the LiNKER, which has been one of the main dramatic levers of the second Symphogear trio
Maria wondering why she couldn’t have Serena as a spirit guide instead is excellent
Yeah, I think they’re intentionally fucking with us at this point. Maria’s just yelling at Dr. Ver to get on with it as he monologues about how great he is
Riding Chris’ missiles into battle is apparently just their default form of transportation now. I suppose a missile is faster than a motorcycle
These floating pillbug Noise are kinda cute
I feel bad for making fun of Hibiki’s singing voice, she’s actually doing a fine job on this solo song
Tsubasa-Hibiki combo attack! Their transforming suits make for such consistently energetic battles. Symphogear follows directly in the lineage of Nanoha, which first thought to combine the appeal of mecha and magical girls, and which often framed its transformation sequences not in terms of flowing cloth and graceful body movements, but the sturdy, mechanical satisfaction of watching a robot transform, and parts lock into place (generally in the form of their mechanical staffs). Symphogear takes that style a few steps further, by not only designing their entire suits as mechanical devices, but also having them consistently transform their weapons during the battle itself. As a result, almost every attack by the Symphogears contains a satisfying arc of buildup and release, as the wielders transform their weapons to build up excitement, then pay off that tension in the form of a dazzling new strike
The hydra-noise splits into three smaller hydras!
Some nice dynamic direction for Tsubasa’s charge at this hydra. I like how panning past this fence creates a sense of high speed before Tsubasa jumps into the frame, while the subsequent low-angle shot effectively uses the turnstile in the middle distance to create a sense of movement into the frame
This show has come a long way from the “moving a still portrait up and down” walk cycles of the first season
The hydras continue to split, as hydras tend to. At least they’re not gaining more heads!
I appreciate that Kirika and Shirabe “taking care of” Elfnein and Maria just means hovering over them and saying “do your best!” repeatedly
They’ve ascended to “Maria’s inner universe,” which is apparently where she hides her doubts and insecurities
Maria’s insecurities are entirely understandable; like for Chris, an abusive childhood makes it difficult to trust again, and exhibit the vulnerability necessary for honest friendship
Hibiki’s fight choreography is so good. Making her a genuine martial artist was a phenomenal choice – Symphogear’s fights have a tendency to devolve into pure “bigger is better” spectacle, but martial arts have a rhythm and inherent tactical flow to them that helps to counterbalance that. I tend to vastly prefer martial arts movies to action movies for precisely that reason – great martial arts fights create an internal narrative of physical movement and point-counterpoint, whereas action movies are often just a lot of explosions and gunfire
One of everyone’s favorite metaphors: Maria sinking into her subconscious is presented as her sinking into an actual ocean
“There are no miracles that create a Symphogear user. If you would make that power your own, just continue to reach out.” Nice narrative/thematic dovetail here – becoming a Symphogear user means embracing Hibiki’s signature power, the power to reach out to others
“Whenever she hit me, Mom always looked so sad.” Oof. I was a little worried by that “harsh conditions breed strong tomatoes” line a few episodes back, but “Mom felt bad about being an abusive parent” is an even tougher line to buy
I can accept “Mom was trying to help them where she could,” but “abusing the children was for their own good” sounds extremely suspect, and basically the textbook language of abusers
But hey, if that helps Maria come to a happier relationship with her childhood, so be it
Mom aside, this also works thematically – strong feelings of love are the ultimate form of reaching out to others. Additionally, having LiNKER be “powered by love” is another fun way to celebrate this show’s central relationships
Ahaha, this glimmering shot of Miku spinning towards Hibiki. Could they be more in love
Oh wow, Shirabe actually has a really nice singing voice. We generally don’t get to hear her singing without Kirika shouting DESU DESU over it, so it’s nice to hear her singing alone
Shirabe singing “the shape of a heart can’t be analyzed” right after Elfnein explained how she fixed the formula by highlighting the “love center” of the brain is a little discordant
Heck yeah! Terrific fight for Kirika and Shirabe, and they actually take down the floating fortress. Wonderful to see them unhindered at last, finally able to fight without worry of overdoing it
And Done
The team is back together! After half a season of carefully rationing the last dregs of the original LiNKER formula, Elfnein has cracked the code, and apparently created a formula that’s even more stable and less dangerous than the original recipe. I wasn’t thrilled with Maria’s turn hanging on “Mom actually abused us because she loved us” (to put it lightly), because as I said, that’s pretty much what every abuser says – but if that helps Maria come to a happier relationship with her memories, then I suppose it’s fine for her.
On the other hand, Shirabe and Kirika are driven by one of the most intense and honest loves of the whole series, and watching them kick ass together again was truly wonderful. This was a pretty great episode for ass-kickings in general – the hydra threat gave all three of the original wielders plenty of fun setpieces, making the best visual use of the Noise that we’ve seen in quite a while. I’m eager to see all six of our heroes fighting as one!
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