Cross Ange (Rondo of Angel and Dragon): Season 1/ Episodes 17 to 25 [Series Finale] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Episode 25: To The End of Time

Overview

The end is here, and the question is: Will Cross Ange have a happy ending, a sad one, or will it be a Phyrric victory?

Topic 1: Last Words – Alekta/ Jill

Topic 2: The Makings of a Mad Man – Embryo

Topic 3: Over 1000 Years Of Knowledge, Yet Still So Stupid – Ange and Embryo

Trigger Warning(s): Rape

Review (with Spoilers) – Below

Characters & Story

Topic 1: With the blow Embryo landing in the last episode, it seems Alektra, aka Jill, joins the few characters of this story who don’t magically escape death. But, before she passes away, she apologizes to Salia for what she has done, and places the bow on healing their relationship by saying Salia was like a sister to her.

Topic 2: After more than a dozen episodes of speculation, we learn Embryo became this god-like tuner through science. You see, a long time ago, thousands of years to be more precise, he was but a scientist at an elementary particle research center, where Arzenal is today, and, during an experiment, using his ragna mail, to open doors to new worlds, he found himself in a place where time didn’t exist. Thus allowing him, with his knowledge of multi-verses, among other sci-fi topics, to become the tuner the world knows him as.

Topic 3: With Jill’s death, Embryo’s backstory, and Ange put in a position in which it seems Embryo is going to rape her until she is pure, this pushes the story into overdrive. Tusk figures out a way to awaken Villkiss, as Aura slows down the space-time merger, and Villkiss transports not just Tusk, but Hilda, Salia, and Salamandinay as well.

Thus leading to the final battle against Embryo in which there is no regeneration, but he still has his teleporting and duplicating his person, abilities. However, in a battle of 5 against one, both the body and Ragna mail of Embryo get defeated. Leaving the heroes of our story in the True Earth, the DRAGON world, and the only recognizable face in the old one being Sylvia. Someone who, seemingly, is the head of some sort of group which might protect people against bandits.

As for our heroes, though? Ange seemingly plans to start a new integrated nation, and pretty much happiness is all around. Well, outside of the funeral for Jill of course.

Commentary

With Embryo breaking down how he became the tuner of worlds, I feel like he mentioned, or someone else did, how he became the entity we knew. Though with 24 episodes, of which the first was in October of last year, it is sometimes difficult to remember everything. With that said though, I have to admit that I still wish we got an episode, or two, of Embryo pre-tuner just to see if he was always the persona we have grown to known. If only for the sole reason of him seeming more human than he did when he died, i.e. him seeming like a complex villain vs. a one dimensional one.

Embryo aside, despite action oriented/ mecha animes not hugely being my thing, I must admit this was quite a show. One which had comical moments, albeit mostly due to ecchi scripting; had a lot of interesting growth with its characters, especially when it comes to Ange and Salia; and when the show went to dark places, it woke you up and gave you a slap in the face reminding you that most of these soldiers are minors. Albeit ones near the cusp of adulthood, but as can be seen in Akatsuki no Yona, as well as Sailor Moon, while the young women, and handful of men, are capable of adapting, they are in no way prepared for what is being coerced onto them. Especially since it isn’t like they are working to pay rent, or scavenging to not starve. No, each of the leads, and especially Ange, are in life or death situations, in which even if they just die, the effect that can have on the world could possibly be a catastrophe.

Overall: Watch It

If you can set aside the ecchi, rape scenes, and fan service, you get a rather quality anime. It has the type of female lead who just as much is feminine as she is a bad ass, proving both can be seen within the same character; her journey, as well as some of the other characters, is well developed and will keep you interested; there isn’t a lot of filler in the program; and outside of a few deaths being non-permanent, there isn’t any serious issues with the show as a whole.

I will say, though, while this series was good, I can’t say I’m now going to be looking for more mecha anime, nor ones which heavily rely on action scenes which, likely, won’t strongly deliver.