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As far as penultimate episodes go, Zetsuen no Tempest does no disappoint at all.  In fact, it did a better job than any other series so far this season.

It's interesting to see just how much Zetsuen no Tempest has progressed over the weeks.  What initially started off as an interesting yet lacking series and now with the penultimate episode, it has turned out be quite the drama.  An essence of Shakespeare yet with nothing over-the-top that continues with this episode.

Of course that came later on, as we initially got some light-hearted scenes at the beginning of the episode.  In the second half of the series, this has been the format and it's worked very well.  Some episodes have had a little more comedy, whilst others focused on the drama.  As expected, this episode was geared more towards the drama, with some comedy at the beginning.  Half-way through the episode, it became all about the drama.

There was plenty of it go around.  Each of our main characters - I'll include Hanemura - has their own personal fears and drama to deal with.  For Hakaze that drama is surrounding her feelings for Yoshino, for Mahiro it's the pursuit of changing the world and for Yoshino it was getting shot at the end of the episode and his ongoing struggle with Aika's choices.  Out of all of them, Hakaze received most attention yet for some reason I can't help but wonder if Hanemura's drama might have some importance in the finale.  Seeing as how his unknown girlfriend continues to be mentioned, even in the penultimate episode hinting at a cameo in the last episode.

Going back to Hakaze's drama, it's only appropriate that it received the best attention.  For the second half of the series, her crush has been the secondary subject in Zetsuen no Tempest's plot with some major implications.  Even in this episode, it carries quite the importance and will no doubt have some bearing in the final episode.  How that happens, I'm excited to see.

We'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.  With so much going on, it's no easy task to see a clear ending for Zetsuen no Tempest, which is perhaps a great feat for the series.  An ending that left a lot of balls in the air, and a preview that's even less helpful doesn't give anything away for next's weeks conclusion.  If that wasn't enough, the soundtrack and animation really stood out in the episode to really bring it home for a fantastic penultimate episode.

Zetsuen no Tempest Episode 24 Preview

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