An early theme as the backdrop between Kazuma and Ryuho’s battles is Order versus Chaos. While it doesn’t stay the focus forever, it’s interesting to see how these viewpoints impact both the two main characters and the world around them, as well as the people that they meet. In the end, either they change someone’s view or at least take them out of commission.
Not every episode lands or is very important.. there are a few episodes that for half the runtime serve as more than recaps than actual story progression. But you can bet, however, that the next episode will pick up the slack the last one left. There are a few characters that I feel didn’t get the resolution they really needed, however.
Even where s-CRY-ed stumbles, there are still positive spots. The animation and sound are top-notch, and the fights between alter users are always entertaining at the least. The alter powers can range from gigantic guns to something like turning whatever you want into water.
In conclusion, s-CRY-ed is a good to show to watch if you want a consistently entertaining action show with a bit of self-reflection and solid character development. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it isn’t gold.
