English Dub Review: Petals Of Reincarnation “Seiya”

Overview:

In the latest episode of Petals of Reincarnation, “Seiya,” Touya deals with some ghosts from his past: namely, his brother, whose name gives the episode its title.

Our Take:

Things started off with a scene fans have been anticipating for a while: the battle between Touya and Xiang Yu. After a fight, Xiang Yu spares Touya’s life. While fans probably don’t expect the main character to die so early in a series, even in an anime about reincarnation. Xiang Yu’s reasons might catch viewers off guard: he was friends with Touya’s brother, Seiya, whom he claims was also a Returner.

This episode serves as an exploration into just who Seiya was. Seiya is a Returner connected to Leonard da Vinci. This, mirroring Touya, gives him the ability to learn and master other talents. Wanting to make his younger brother proud, he is later inspired to bring about world peace. However, an attack against Touya inspired Seiya to declare war on Sinners.

However, Xiang Yu considered him a hypocrite, noting that he was a Sinner. In the ensuing battle, Seiya was mortally wounded, with it becoming apparent that he was being manipulated by Neumann.

Touya gets a new perspective on his brother. On the other hand, Xiang Yu foretells his desire to eliminate all Sinners, including himself, continuing the theme of self-destruction throughout this story.

Things end off with Touya, as well as the viewers, getting a warning about just what Neumann is really up to. As she muses at one point, world domination might be an easier goal than world peace. Meanwhile, it is hinted that viewers will once again see just what Haitou has been up to.

Overall, this is a touching story, with Touya getting to learn more about his brother. It’s an interesting study in contrasts, as it becomes clear that some of Touya’s darker aspects aren’t just from being in a dark mystery series. Still, it leaves viewers wanting to know what will happen next.