Up until now, the series has had a propensity to decry the savagery of mankind and in this episode, as the battle to stop
Zorndyke comes to a head, the raw philosophical debate reaches a fevered pitch, leaving the action somewhat muddy. But despite
the inability to navigate its thematic waters smoothly, "Blue Submarine" ultimately succeeds through the efforts of director
Mahiro Maeda who tackles its textual anti-climactic ending with vigor, his keen sense of human dynamics enough to bring out
the heavy tension imbedded in a relatively somber closing episode.
The series doesn't end with an explosive conflagration, which in a medium that thrives on near epileptic action cuts
deserves praise. In fact, after Zorndyke forces eradicate a majority of the combined Atlantic and Pacific fleets in the
opening sequences of this longer last installment of the OAV series, the narrative coasts towards its ending with nary a
torpedo tube alight. Maeda shifts all focus, then, to Hayami and Kino's meeting with Zorndyke, who for all his grand schemes
still suffers from the same shortcomings of humanity that he condemns in others. The end almost coagulates with self-discovery,
Hayami coming to a realization that to achieve peace he must take one more life, Kino learning that her spitfire aggression only
contributes to the cycle of decay that she self-righteously combats against, and Zorndyke placing his fate, just like the rest
of the "Blue Submarine #6" cast, in the hands of this fatalistic, hot-shot pilot struggling with inner demons.
At two hours and twenty minutes, "Blue Submarine #6" deserves more time to flesh out the relationship dynamics it insinuates
throughout the series. The rift and reconciliation between Iga and Hayami gets perhaps three and a half minutes of screen time.
Granted, their unspoken conflict impregnates some scenes with emotional intensity, but exposing the inner workings of this
tension and the torrential past that led to such ambivalent emotions could fill another entire episode. Also, Hayami's past with
Katsuma, relegated to a few flash back sequences at the beginning of the third episode, wants for more; perhaps even an explanation
of how the three, Iga, Hayami and Katsuma, rose through the ranks of Blue Fleet together. The relationship between Hayami and Kino
is refreshingly unromantic, or only sub-textually romantic, but Kino hardy transcends her complaining, cocky teenage persona to come
through as a formidable female protagonist. And without any weighty stakes - except some voiced at the end as if tacked on as an
addendum to her character - Kino's presence is not only unnecessary but distracting as well. However, she too is an engaging
character and worthy of further development. And the gnarled, beastly, typically villainous Verg, bereft of his vessel and his
"papa," atypically weeps into the arms of the scarred Mutio, a relationship that in it self could spawn a whole other series.
So, the only real problem with Blue Submarine is that it is too short. But perhaps with some American success on the Cartoon
Network and a greater public awareness of the effort's loftier pursuits, Gonzo/Bandai Visual will embark on yet another Maeda-led
mission into the pasts of these individuals that saved mankind's future.