GARO: The Animation wraps up with episode 24, titled “Chiastolite,” which is currently streaming on FUNimation for paid subscribers. Free members can watch the same episode on April 3rd. This episode continues from where the previous episode had left off, where Ema and Alfonso were taken out of commission.
Leon is the only person left to take on Anima, the ultimate horror unleashed by Mendoza.
I think the Watchdog Center completely sucks for allowing Mendoza to live. When I think about it, Mendoza duped everybody. This leads to a “holy f—k” moment when Mendoza absorbs Anima into his own body and starts causing major destruction.
I was surprised that Mendoza ascended to “god level” because I thought it was going to be a battle between Leon and Anima. Mendoza normally stood on the sidelines and observed his schemes come into fruition, but this was not the case.
The fight ultimately leads to Leon fusing his armor with his father’s armor to create a new gold and silver armor, which was exciting to watch. I have watched the live-action GARO shows from Japan and have yet to see this transformation.
That is the one of the most bad@$$ things that I have seen.
The Valiante Kingdom rebuilds after Leon’s successful victory over Mendoza, with help from his parents’ spirits. It proves my theory about Herman’s death setting up the fact that Ximena is pregnant with his second child, who will become the next Silver Knight.
This wraps up the series and the ending leaves the opening for a new series, which I hope is the case.
If you want your GARO fix, then you can look forward to GARO: Gold Storm -Sho- as it opens in theaters in Japan starting today. It is unknown if the movie will receive an international home video release.
A series will follow the movie afterward, but there are plans for a second season to GARO: The Animation. If that happens, I hope Leon and Ema will be reunited because there was sexual tension between the two.
They did the deed at the end of episode 19, where Leon helped Ema put her late-husband to sleep.
I have to say that GARO: The Animation was an interesting series to watch because it was different from the live-action adaptations. The live-action films and series took place in Japan and GARO: The Animation took place in a setting that resembled Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.
This is proof that manga and anime have more flexibility than live-action shows because of budgeting.
There are many anime and manga titles that have a settling that resembles Western Europe, but cannot be applied in live-action adaptations because of budgeting. I can use the anime series Princess Princess as an example because the setting is at a prestigious all-boys school, where the building is inspired by European architecture.
Princess Princess D, the live-action adaptation, looked nothing like the manga or the anime.
I enjoyed watching Leon grow from a reckless and emotional boy to a true hero. He had his bumps and bruises on the way, which temporarily caused him to lose his Golden Knight armor. Leon eventually found the resolve to continue fighting as the Golden Knight.
I am glad that Leon and Ema did it with each other because it was implied that they were attracted to each other. Ema can “coach” Leon on a lot of important “life lessons.”
It was saddening that Herman, Leon’s father, died near the end.
But I saw that coming from a mile away because it is a common plot, where the father ended up dying and passing on the legacy. When Herman died, it was a dead giveaway that Ximena would be pregnant with his second child, a son, who would be the next Silver Knight.
Alfonso was the most unpredictable hero of GARO: The Animation.
I was shocked that he was revealed to be Leon’s unknown cousin, which his mother is Leon’s aunt. It was a dead giveaway that Alfonso would inherit the Gaia Knight armor from Rafael, who took him as an apprentice.
I didn’t think that he would temporarily don the Golden Knight armor.
It was surprisingly that Alfonso would be the focus for most of the second half of GARO: The Animation. I was under the assumption that Leon would fade into obscurity after losing ownership of the Golden Knight armor.
Ema is the unpredictable one of the group, where her intentions are never fully known.
She is initially unfriendly towards Leon and Herman because they are Makai Knights, which the reason is ultimately revealed in episode 19. Ema’s skills as a Makai Alchemist prove to be invaluable to the group and effective in combat.
I enjoyed the story and the characters.
Overall, I give GARO: The Animation an A+.
