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by Luis Reyes |
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Episode 1
A mysterious air ship hijacking triggers a distress call to which bounty hunters Elk and Cougar respond with
explicit instructions to rescue the passengers and capture all hijackers. Aboard, they realize that there's only
one highjacker, and his motives are baffling at best. Soon, Elk and his team find themselves unwittingly at the
center of an elaborate conspiracy that involves a young girl, Lieza (who has the ability to control monsters),
her lion-like pet, Pandit, and a government agency engaged in human experimentation.
Episode 2
Following a narrated musing on destiny, episode 2 opens with Elk listening to a doctored radio report of the
air ship catastrophe, just before receiving a bonus reward from the Mayor for rescuing the passengers, most of
whom are guests at the opening ceremonies to unveil a new statue in reverence to a goddess, a political valuable
publicity stunt for the dubious politician. Eager to start another bounty job, Elk asks Shu, a father figure to
the young hunter, to join him in protecting Pandit and Lieza, now on the run from brasher bounty hunters, and
man-made chimeras with government connections.
Episode 3
Another narrated monologue, this time on the duality mankind's brutality and altruism, yields to Shu leading
the quartet into the safety of this hometown, a place where Elk feels comfortable enough to outline the whole
government plot, which involves the kidnapping of children with rare powers (such as Lieza and Elk) and
transforming them into monsters. An incensed Elk storms out allowing Shu the luxury of explaining Elk's tragic
past to Lieza, and the young bounty hunter's vow to avenge himself on Arc, the man he believes destroyed his
village and killed his family (and a man about whom the Mayor and his minions speak about with concern).
And Lieza, in turn, explains her past.
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Producer Hideo Katsumata's anime adaptation may appeal to fans of the "Arc the Lad" video game, but for
more discriminating anime audiences, cliché and contrivance run rampant in this three episode collection.
Heroic theme music and gravely delivered narrated prologues set expectations for adventure and intrigue at an
unachievable high. But though "Arc" does not meet those expectations, director Itsuro Kawasaki does stir a
tale of political corruption and government oppression that carries the show.
Episodes one and two follow a standard formula. A problem arises, and the good guys work to eradicate it
while maintaining a pace of perpetual action. The third episode, however, attempts to delve into the personal
relationships of its characters, an admirable but ultimately vapid effort. Without the distracting, mind-numbing
action that beguiles its audience into thinking that story is actually happening, "Arc" shows its true colors, a
mediocre anime. And with the entirety of episode three centered on exposition, the story begins to feel more
like a lecture than a heroic adventure.
And despite episode three's committed effort to expose details, character motivation remains unclear. And
the details do offer a lot; Elk's passion to avenge the destruction of his home; Leiza's mystical bond with
Pandit; Shu's ambiguous relationship with a lounge singer (who surfaces Shu's paternal feelings toward Elk).
But it's the script itself that tethers "Arc" to mediocrity. Instead of ringing inspiration, "Arc's" lines
gong dull platitudes. Ideally a single line has the capacity to provide motivation for a character. As Elk tells
Lieza, "I want you to know that you can always say what's on your mind with me because the two of us are different
from most people and we gotta stick together." The meaning is clear, but the emotion and drama fall flat. The
script lacks the flair that good writing can engender.
But the government conspiracy keeps the project simmering as "Arc the Lad" suffers from poor creative
development. Stick to the video game, so that the progress of the characters can remain in your hands.
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