灼眼のシャナ II Episode 23

SPOILER Summary: With Hecate now holding the Reiji Maigo, Dantalion and his robot servant Domino are revealed to be within the clock tower, where the silver armor now resides. Hecate sends the Reiji Maigo into the clock tower where it goes into the silver armor. Hecate commands it to awaken, which it does. Dantalion watches the power rise as Yuuji is helpless to do anything. Meanwhile, Shana races to the scene and discovers that the field created is not a Fuzetsu, though humans can’t see it. Margery Daw and Wilhelmina arrive with Margery casting a Fuzetsu over the entire area.

Meanwhile, Yoshida races through the Fuzetsu to the clock tower when the Hougu begins to glow, causing her to stop. At the tower, all three Flame Haze attempt to break through the field wall only to discover they cannot. Shana gets frustrated and has to be restrained by Alastor. The Flame Haze sense something odd as the silver armer powers up and multiple beams of energy, Power of Existence, shoot up and out, something Alastor recognizes as being the work of Bel Peol. In Seireiden, Fecor reports to Bel Peol that phase one has completed.

Hecate continues her part in this and the clock tower twists into a massive mound of steel. Yuuji knows that he won’t survive without the Reiji Maigo and so begins to search for it. Outside the barrier, the Flame Haze determine that this isn’t some normal Tomogara. Shana is eager to blast away, but is restrained by the words of Alastor and Wilhelmina, the later reminding her that Bal Masqué will be prepared for them to penetrate the barrier. As such, they need to find a way in. Yoshida arrives with the news that the Reiji Maigo has been taken from Yuuji though he’s still alive. She learned this from Johan via Pheles’s Hougu that Yoshida has — Giralda.

Margery contacts Sato, who’d made his way to the Haridan in anticipation of her needing him there. She’s pleased with this and has him look at the barrier for a possible entrance since it has characteristics of a whirlpool. Yoshida asks if Shana is going to rescue Yuuji. Shana says this is wrong as she’s going in to fight with Yuuji, as she’s sure Yuuji is fighting in his own way. Sure enough, Yuuji is trying to source out where the Reiji Maigo is, realizing that the Flame Haze will likely have a hard time getting to him. He works his way through the twisted metal where he’s detected by Domino. Dantalion has Domino dispatch some droids, which Yuuji begins defeating using the fireball technique he’d been taught, much to the annoyance of Dantalion.

Sato has located an entrance into the barrier and Shana thanks Yoshida for her help, promising to pick up their personal battle for Yuuji when this crisis is over. Yoshida agrees and the Flame Haze are off. At the entrance, the opening is very small and as such, Margery says she’ll go first to open a path for Wilhelmina and Shana, and they all agree that there will be a welcome waiting for them inside. Margery and Marchosias cast their spell and all three Flame Haze enter. Margery is through first and Sydonay is waiting for her. She manages to get off an attack, though he counters it and inflicts massive damage upon her, defeating her. He’s impressed that she was able to do that much but the arrival of Shana and Wilhelmina reveal to him that she was a mere decoy, not that he feels it will change things.

Dantalion is excited over the progress of this latest project of his, where he reveals that Konoe’s purpose in collecting emotions was to gain the information needed to control so much Power of Existence. These emotions will form the brain of a new Tomogara being born with the Power of Existence as its food and the Reiji Maigo will be the heart — the Taimei Shihen. Wilhelmina and Shana have heard enough and move in to attack Sydonay, who’s in a bit of trouble until Hecate provides him some cover fire. Shana avoids the attack and flies around the twisted steel, hunting for Yuuji before his own Power of Existence runs out.

Yuuji knows his own situation is not good and so summons Blutsauger to fight off Domino’s droids. However, one of his swings ends up getting caught in a beam and he falls as Dantalion announces the birth of a new Tomogara, which he refers to as the Statue of Pride (in Japanese).

Thoughts: So, Hecate didn’t cast a Fuzetsu. Interesting.

Yoshida still hasn’t used the Hougu, which we now know is named Giralda. Maybe next episode (which is the finale).

I was a bit surprised at how quickly Margery Daw was defeated, even if she was on point. Then again, she might be playing possum, with Sydonay and Hecate trying to contain Wilhelmina and Shana, who’s watching Margery, who can then hit that nutter, Dantalion.

I’ve really enjoyed this sequel series, even more than the original I think. I hope we get a third series.