English Dub Review: Ishura “Atrazek the Particle Storm, Part One”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Toroa the Awful offers to fight for the Old Kingdom as Kiyazuna the Axle pursues the Particle Storm.

Our Take:
We know that storms can be deadly given the worse circumstances, but this particular storm is another level of fatal.  First introduced at the beginning of the first episode, the particle storm, known as Atrazek, is powerful enough to rip everyone and everything into millions of pieces.  If that were to appear in real life, I would definitely keep myself locked up in my own house until it passes.  This serves as the basis of the series’s first two-part episode, as Atrazek makes its way toward Aureatia.  The only Shura capable of stopping the storm for good is Mestelexil, the indestructible golem created by Kiyazuna the Axle.  Based on the previous episode, Mestelexil seems like the perfect yet overly talkative tool capable of confronting the particle storm’s deadly ability, but whether he’ll survive remains a mystery.  Unfortunately, the only obstacle standing in Mestelexil’s way is Toroa the Awful, who seeks to retrieve his father’s Blasting Blade from Alus the Star Runner.  Regarding the information given in this episode, it looks like I was accurate about the masked swordsman being his son vowing vengeance against Alus.
This resulted in a thrilling and suitably animated battle between the Shuras as the Particle Storm drew closer to them, with Kurro the Cautious and Cuneigh the Wanderer being the observers.  While Toroa and Mestelexil served as the episode’s main focus, I would admit that Kuuro’s arc continues to be one of the more interesting parts of the season as he struggles with his waning clairvoyance abilities.  The revelation not only affects his confidence but it could also affect his companionship with Cuneigh.  If that were the case, then it could easily compensate for the lack of screen time for Soujiro and Yuno and even Mestelexil’s mildly annoying personality.  Considering the threatening nature of the Particle Storm, the series has plenty more to accomplish to make its first two-part event the highlight of its second season, including its life-threatening stakes.