The Phantom Arc starts off with a return to the early VOTOMS feel, catching up with Coconna and Vanilla who got the "good ending" taking us to Woodo, where it all began to celebrate their 25th anniversary with them.
Woodo is familiar, warm and seemingly less seedy than it was in AT VOTOMS and this is the tone that follows throughout the show as we return to Kummen and Sunsa in later episodes to reunite with old friends as the hook to keep watching is the mystery of the gang to find out where Chirico has gone.
The Phantom Arc is a sentimental retreading/pilgrimage of the events of Armored Trooper VOTOMS (including the ending) where you can feel the staffs love for the franchise in the farmiliar events that unfold and in the characters we catch up with. The best example being in episode 2 where we spend one last night in the Fantom club with Coccona signing in her angelic outfit.
Fittingly the Phantom Arc uses the classic OP and ED unlike Brilliantly Shining Heresy which felt like a newer direction for the story which further cements my feeling that the Phantom Arc is more of a love letter to VOTOMS than a true sequel to BSH. Answers to VOTOMS mysteries lie in the other OVAs of the franchise.
Overall, I love the worldbuilding Ryousuke Takahashi et al have created and would love to see other VOTOMS stories/AUs considering it is 2024.
