BlazBlue: Alter Memory - 10

[gallery columns="4" ids="17229,17230,17231,17232,17233,17234,17235,17236"]

The latest episode of BlazBlue: Alter Memory includes plenty of fighting and the beginnings of explanations about the characters' motivations and true goals.

Tensions between the Takama-ga-hara and Rachel seem to be growing in this episode.  They seem to be upset with the fact that she’s interfering with events rather than simply observing them.  Also, it sounds like they might be preparing to rewind things once more, although I get the feeling other characters (Rachel and Terumi, for instance) won’t let that happen this time around.

On another note, in one of the longest fight scenes yet in BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Jin shows that he’s not as pathetic as he’s appeared up until this point.  With the boost of confidence that finding his purpose in life has given him, he can definitely hold his own better against Ragna now than he could before.  Despite the seeming mental breakdown/insanity that comes along with this confidence, the fight between Jin and Ragna is pretty darn epic.  This is definitely the kind of thing I was expecting more of in this anime.

Still, the other fight scene included in this episode leaves much to be desired.  Hazama/Terumi versus Makoto and Noel is ridiculously short; Terumi basically takes each one of them out in a single blow.  However, during this scene, we start getting some answers to some very big questions.  According to Terumi, Noel is nothing but a doll, and the cause of the problems in the world since she was never supposed to exist.  She apparently really did take Tsubaki’s place, both in the NOL and at Jin’s side.  While it’s unclear as of yet how she came to exist and take up this place, Terumi seems to think she’s the cause of the distortions in the world.

We finally get to see Hakumen again, just as the series is nearing its climax.  I’m really hoping to see another fight between Hakumen and Ragna, although Hakumen might actually fight Terumi instead, given that his goal is to destroy the Azure Successor (Noel).  Clearly, whatever has happened to Noel during this episode has made her an important piece of Terumi’s plans, so that will likely put Hakumen and Terumi at odds.

In perhaps the biggest shock of BlazBlue: Alter Memory thus far, we find out that Terumi created the Azure Grimoire/BlazBlue that Ragna uses.  This explains why so many people have been telling Ragna not to fight Terumi; he can’t beat someone who knows every weakness of his most powerful weapon.  This doesn’t explain why no one explicitly told him why he couldn’t win against Terumi.  Would it really have hurt Rachel to mention it?

BlazBlue: Alter Memory Episode 11 Preview

[gallery columns="4" ids="17237,17238,17239,17240"]