Symphogear XV – Episode 3

Hello folks, and welcome back to the site. You all seated and securely fastened? You better be – this train’s not stopping once it starts, and today we’ll be traveling at the speed of SYMPHOGEAR. XV’s second episode served up an absurd buffet of animated action greatness, offering two separate battles that each measured up to Symphogear’s best, alongside an entire goddamn Tsubasa-Maria concert. It was actually even more impressive than the season’s premiere, and while I don’t expect that trend to continue across every episode… I mean, it might? This is Symphogear’s confirmed final season, a season that was greenlit alongside its predecessor, and thus likely benefits from particularly generous scheduling. 

Either way, the show hasn’t wasted any time in introducing its latest villains, and given the last episode featured Kirika/Shirabe and Tsubasa/Maria facing off against the lieutenants, I’m guessing it’s time for Hibiki and Chris to fight their leader. The rhythm of a Symphogear season has gotten pretty familiar at this point (see what I did there), but familiarity isn’t necessarily a bad thing – Symphogear is intended to be action-packed comfort food, and knowing the refrain just makes it easier to sing along. Let’s raise our voices in chorus then, as we return to the dazzling Symphogear!

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Symphogear XV – Episode 2

Hello all, and welcome the fuck back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re continuing to barrel through Symphogear, as you can’t really stop a season of this show once you’ve started it. I knew this to be true, and thus scheduled myself some space between the fourth and fifth seasons, but the time for recuperation is clearly over – now is the time of Burning Hearts, Fighting Spirits, and Blowing Up The Goddamn Moon.

So far, Symphogear’s fifth season has proceeded in a much similar way to its predecessors: there’s some supernatural menace, the wielders kick its butt, and then we learn that menace was just an appetizer for the true threat. This time, that threat will presumably be the “custodians” that Adam warned about, though it also seems we’ve still got a crew of alchemists running around, who will presumably first clash with and ultimately be befriended by the indomitable Hibiki. One funny consequence of this being Symphogear’s final season is that the show no longer has to worry about cast bloat – there’s no need to find roles for any new cast members in future seasons, so Hibiki is free to befriend as many foes as she wants. That’s sure to come, but for now, I’m mostly just hyped to see another beautifully choreographed and ludicrously well-animated transformation sequence. Let’s not waste a moment longer, and get right into the Symphogear!

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Symphogear XV – Episode 1

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Are you all ready for some goddamn SYMPHOGEAR!? I took a little break after season four to catch my breath, but my tanks are more or less refilled at this point, and I’m ready to Blast Off Into The Starry Tomorrow of Forever’s Yesterday, or whatever other preposterous seasonal subtitle comes next.

Given that Symphogear’s fourth and fifth seasons were greenlit at the same time, it’s no surprise that season four ended us on a serious cliffhanger. As Adam was atomized by Hibiki’s fists, he warned that the “custodians will soon be descending,” implying some higher power that he, Fine, and others have actually been battling against. But the worldbuilding justification of More Punching was probably the least important thing about that finale – more relevant to the show’s own goals is that it’s already established an antagonist before the season starts, thus leaving more time in-season for roaring and punching. Let’s see how this delightful show tops itself next, as we soar into the final season of Symphogear!

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