Ozuma - 6 (END)

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Quite a generic ending from my point of view but seeing as Ozuma was only a 6 episode anime, it's not one to really complain about.

Ozuma's end was what I would categorise as a typical sci-fi ending which concentrated on one specific plot device which in this case was the age old question of race dominance and genetics. It wasn't shocking at all that Maya and Gido/Dick sacrificed themselves in the end since the way they were developed over the course of the 5 episodes leading up to the end of the series made it a very obvious and the logical choice to do so. Maya was never going be a character that survived in the end, her character was the origin of all the fighting and she had lived for centuries and thus she had to be sacrificed in order to atone for the sins of her people. Of course Gido had to make a re-appearance which was ok I guess.

Gido's transformation back to Dick at the end of the series was a generic plot device that might have been better suited for a longer series but it was executed rather well and it was a nice touch in the end when he was walking towards Monokeros with his hand held in a fist position above his head. That moment for me was a little bit like when Kitan from TTGL did the same thing combined with when the Straw Hats left Arabasta in One Piece; not as powerful as it could have been had we been shown more of Bainas and Dick's past but it was not a bad way to move the episode towards the final part prior to ending it completely. That being

However well the end was done considering the episode constraints, it wasn't particularly great. For one General Danga had yet another change of heart in this episode, making him one of the most inconclusive characters out there - he wanted Maya to be retrived immediately, but he was against the kidnapping and body-snatching of the, he then realised that he still wanted to remain in control but on his deathbed decides that it's okay for him to die and leave this world.

Overall I have to say that this episode was neither here nor there. It had no structure and attempted to tie up all the loose ends which gave it kind of a rushed feel to it, something that could have been avoided if they omitted Danga's invasion into the Zone. In hindsight at least Maya, Sam and Mimay got enough screen time since they did seem to be in the shadows of Bainas and Gido.

AS a series Ozuma was a nice 6 episode watch, nevertheless it's not making my re-watch list any time soon. I appreciated the throwback to the classics which wasn't surprising since Matsumoto Leiji is a pioneer in the field of space adventure anime and I did like each episode individually but what I found most irksome was that the setting of the plot felt more like it belonged with a longer series since it gave off a great adventure type feel from it's first episode. As a sci-fi it wasn't anything new or special but it was still not a regretful choice to watch this series.