Zegapain Vol. 3 Review

            In the first of four episodes, it becomes time for the audience to prepare for its first major loss in the form of Arque. Her condition has been steadily worsening and it’s down to one last day in Maihama for her and Chris. Meanwhile, the Gardsorm are gaining strength everyday putting the commander on the lookout for new pilots as fast as possible.

            When Kaminagi awakens on her own and finds herself on the Oceanus, it creates new feelings in everyone. Shizuno finds herself feeling jealous at being replaced, Kyo is conflicted by his feelings of wanting to protect Kaminagi and Kaminagi herself finds herself loving every second of it. But when the Gardsorm attack again with a new weapon, the crew will have to face new harsh realities about who they’re up against and what they are capable of doing to their ranks in battle.  

Good and the Bad

            Right away the audience is given its first truly emotional episode with the departure of Arque. Zegapain has been setting up this departure for a couple of episodes so her leaving the series isn’t unforeseen but the emotional strength behind her departure is completely unexpected. While the writing staff behind this series has always tried their best to keep the emotional connection with the audience strong, it’s not a goal that was ever truly reached until now.

            What’s unfortunate is that the staff moves on so quickly from this plot point that the audience never gets to really react properly. Within just a few moments of her final scene, the series has already moved onto Kaminagi and her awakening. One can’t help but think that the series could have been much better served to give Arque a bit more of a send off instead of glossing over it so quickly afterwards.

            While the animation to this series remains a strong selling point, the fan service in Zegapain is questionable at times. While there is some obvious fan service such as the first time Kaminagi puts on her uniform and enters the simulator or when the vice president enters the shower, there are some instances where it’s questionable. In episode thirteen pay attention to the way Chris is napping with the puppy. I realize that he’s one of the token hot male characters that needs to be highlighted but having his body contorted in that obvious of a position and then adding a puppy on top of it? That’s just pandering.

Music

            The music in this volume maintains its strong orchestral score. The music in these episodes never stood out on its own but did a fabulous job of highlighting the scenes. The final moments of Arque's time on screen are made all the more tragic by the wonderful score attached to the scene.

Dub vs. Sub

            Both the Japanese and English casts turn in strong performances here with the supporting cast taking the lead in terms of standout performances. In the English cast, Beth Ginnett (May-yen), Jenny Powell (May-yu) and Michael Irish (Lu-shen) all do a great job throughout the episodes with Ginnett and Powell providing some great laughs for the audience while Irish provides some wonderfully delivered exposition in episode fourteen.

            Sarah Sido also deserves specific mention for her performance of Arque early in the volume. While the character didn’t stick around the series for long, her performance is touching and powerful creating a void where Arque used to sit.

             In the Japanese cast, Hiroshi Yanaka provides a wonderful performance as Chris. Late in episode eleven when Chris is in battle, the dialogue came across flawlessly. The pain in the voice was apparent and the heartbreak was tangible beyond what the audience could hope for.

Extras

            On this volume, the four animations are versions three and four of the ending animation along with the clean ending animations for episodes thirteen and fourteen. Episode fourteen in particular has a great closing animation worth watching at least once.

Overall

            With this volume, Zegapain finds some direction. With Kyo now given a strong sense of purpose, the story is starting to come together… albeit a little late. With the enemy armed with a new weapon and the heroes on the defensive, what used to be a terribly below average mech series just redeemed itself just enough to get me excited about the second half.