Ranked #375

Break Blade 3: Kyoujin no Ato

"It wasn't my fault, it wasn't my fault at all!"

The Broken Blade series has been an interesting ride so far, Kakusei no Toki was a bumpy start to the franchise and didn't really showcase the potential that the series had despite its story issues. Ketsubetsu no Michi was a noticeable improvement, focusing more on the character development of Zess and Rygart, which truth be told was done very well. However, despite this improvement it couldn't seem to find the balance it wanted and the gorgeous art didn't have the same impact second time round.

However, many people will be aware of the saying third times the charm. That is exactly what's happened here.

Yes viewers, though it's taken three movies to get to this point, Broken Blade 3: Kyoujin no Ato finally brings the Broken Blade series into its own with this spectacle of a movie.

And all I can say is, what a spectacle.

Now for those of you hoping that Kyoujin no Ato will give some insight into the magic behind the Broken Blade universe, I can safely say without spoiling anything, you are not going to find the insight you want here. Now that may leave some people feeling very disappointed with the story, but worry not as to be honest, the story is developing in such a way that an explanation of the intricacies of magic may not be necessary; though I'm still waiting on that explanation of what's so important about being an "Un-sorcerer" aside from their inability to use magic. Instead what we get here is some major character development in the form of Rygart, Zess, Hodr and surprisingly the lolita from the previous movies, Cleo.

The main difference to the story is the pacing, mech battles now serve a more active role in the story as shown off by the outstanding fight scene between Rygart and Zess and his remaining squadron. There is much more tension in the fight scenes now, Rygart only barely surviving these nail-biting fights. At the same time the characters are developed thoroughly, there's a clear intention to show that Rygart isn't fighting in this war because he wants too as that is definitely not his way of life. Needless killing is also something that he tries to avoid but as Rygart admitted himself, death is something that is inevitable in war and he may need to change these ideals that he holds so close to his heart. Its very hard to say anything else about the story without giving away any potential spoilers so I'm just going to stop right here.

Visuals wise Broken Blade looked absolutely gorgeous in Kakusei no Toki, and whilst Ketsubetsu no Michi also looked great, it didn't have the same visual satisfaction that was so present in the first film. The question I had then when I first went into Kyoujin no Ato was, what are Production I.G going to do now?

The result is an absolute feast for the eyes.

Yes, Production I.G have really outdone themselves in Kyoujin no Ato, there's not really many words that can be said about how stunning it looks that haven't been used to the point that they're becoming cliché. But for the fact that I just have to describe it, Kyoujin no Ato looks like a work of art, I didn't think it was possible but everything in Kyoujin no Ato looks so much better than either of the first two movies combined. The mechs move in a much more believable way for the series, as shown by how the Delphine moves when its covered in armour. To say that you won't come away from the movie feeling absolutely gobsmacked at how amazing it looks is perhaps a gross understatement, but that's all I can say, it really has to be seen to be believed.

The outstanding voice talent makes another return for the third film, and there's little to no reason to come away from this film without feeling very satisfied by it. For a start, Souichirou Hoshi now sounds very comfortable as Rygart, really showing more range than I've ever seen him pull off before, I can only hope his performance gets better for the 4th film. The main addition to the voice cast though, is now Hanazawa Kana, yes she was in both of the other films, but the role she serves in Kyoujin no Ato is considerably more important than either of those. She proves that she isn't just voicing a lolicon with a large chest but rather, a character who actually has feelings and emotions not just mild fanservice. Of course my biggest surprise is finding out that Kazuya Nakai (yes, Toshiro Hijikata himself) makes an appearance as a very intriguing looking character.

My only real complaint with the sound is that Hiroshi Kamiya doesn't get as much screen time as I would have liked but that's more my personal opinion than anything else, music wise, Fate is now becoming a very personal favorite opening of mine, and SERIOUS-AGE is sure to get a few heads rocking with its guitars. Though again there isn't really anything worth mentioning for the soundtrack aside from them.

Now that Kyoujin no Ato finally grounds Broken Blade into what it wants to be, the characters are really starting to shine for me, they're no longer just the stereotypical archetypes that were shown in the first movie, rather they're characters who have the potential to be really deep fully rounded characters, and though I'm waiting on the development of the relationship between Rygart and Sigyn, the new characters introduced, particularly Girge and Borcuse, are looking like they are going to fill some big shoes in Broken Blade 4.

You've probably surmised by now that Broken Blade 3 is leaps and bounds ahead of its flawed predecessors, and it is, monumental leaps and bounds I should add. It's finally struck the balance that it has so desperately wanted throughout the previous films, and I hope that these improvements can continue well into Broken Blade 4.

Here's to hope.

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As of this point, there's nothing much to talk about the art and soundtrack of the BB series. Along with my BB1 and BB2 review, it is easy to say that the art and soundtrack are both fantastic. It's logical to say that BB4 - BB6 should have the same artistic styles, opening themes and ending themes so as of this point, it's redundant to talk about these. Let's just focus on the story, characters and enjoyment to make this and future reviews concise and simple.

BB3 works well with incorporating a lot of flashbacks in order to support the character development. The story proceeds well with Rygart under the army to defend the kingdom of Hodr. It's quite understandable how Rygart became so powerful as he pilots his Under Golem. However, I'm not that impressed with the development of Cleo's character. It seems out of context and her fight scene in the badlands isn't believable. Well, she would get empowered by fury but I wouldn't expect for her to get THAT much power in her fighting. I see that as somewhat inconsistent in her character.

BB3 gives us a teaser to new characters and is not that engaging as the first two titles. However, the story and character development are still implemented well. read more