BlazBlue: Alter Memory - 04

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The latest episode of BlazBlue: Alter Memory explains some more backstory for a handful of characters, including Noel, Tsubaki, Jin, and Makoto.

Gradually getting background information on the characters like this is fine and all, and fits in with the way things are contextualized in the games, but I’m beginning to wonder if this series will actually get to some answers by the time it’s over.  BlazBlue: Alter Memory will only be 12 episodes long.  We’re already on episode 4, and there are several characters that haven’t even been introduced yet, let alone been explained.

However, answers are coming little by little.  This episode reveals that Hakumen isn’t so much working with Kokonoe as he is being controlled (barely) by her.  We learn that Rachel is in contact with the Takama-ga-hara, a group of three “creations” that desire to see the world being “correct” (whatever any of that means).  The Takama-ga-hara apparently released Terumi from a cage in the Boundary (which, incidentally, is where Hakumen was before Kokonoe got her hands on him) in order to restore this correctness to the world.  We learn that Litchi is familiar with Kokonoe.  It’s also revealed that Noel, Tsubaki, Makoto, and Jin all went to school together.

So it’s not as though answers never show up in this anime.  I’m just worried that they’re coming too slowly.  This seems especially true when new episodes keep introducing more questions.  For example, why does it seem like everyone calls Jin their brother?  It’s obvious from the background we know so far that Noel and Ragna are actually his siblings, but why does Tsubaki call him her brother?  That’s just one example of a new question brought up in this episode.

The little fight teasers that keep happening are actually becoming somewhat annoying.  There have been numerous times in the past couple of episodes that have indicated that a couple of characters might get into a fight, but never actually end up fighting.  I don’t see leaving these fight scenes out as a positive thing, especially since this anime is based on a series of fighting games.  Yes, I understand that the anime can’t do all the same things as the games due to time constraints and all that, but it would be nice to see some of the other characters fighting, other than just Ragna, Jin, Nu, and Terumi.  Otherwise, it seems like a lot of the characters are going to be pointless and not fill very much of a role in the story of BlazBlue: Alter Memory (especially in the limited amount of time left).

BlazBlue: Alter Memory OP (Official)

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(I'm including these because this episode is the first with the "official" opening sequence.)

BlazBlue Episode 5 Preview

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