English Dub Review: BEM “Lightning”

Someone is calling them out.

Overview:

Young women are being targeted for murder via electrocution.

Our Take:

Even though important plot elements were introduced in this episode, I somehow felt that it came off weaker than the others. Overall, the story here felt far less impactful, and more along the lines of the villain-of-the-week kind of tale. That isn’t to say that the previous episodes don’t have the same villain-of-the-week, but this one especially did, with even a throwaway villain made of starch that intrudes on the final showdown.

I think the biggest difference between this one and the previous episodes was that this was far more action-driven and the others were more introspective. The first three focused on Bem, Belo, and Bela and their lives as they struggle with their monster-hood, as well as the fact that they are always contentious with humanity despite aiming towards it. These stories, despite the supernatural monsters, action sequences, and murders, felt a lot more close-knit and intimate, because they had a limited scope. We got to know them, and the pain they were going through echoed the somber mood of the show as a whole.

By contrast, this episode hops all over the place. We see from the electric monster’s perspective, the main trio, Sonia’s, the professor’s it’s too wide a lens. That isn’t to say that there isn’t a reason for this; in order to show more information, sometimes widening the scope of action is necessary, but it seems too much for too little payoff. What I like about this series is that it feels moody, like a noir, but here it felt more like a run-of-the-mill action show. The lower budget of this episode is also fairly visible, especially in the fight between the electric monster and the trio.

At least we find out a couple of key points, especially about the mysterious professor. He is responsible for the new set of monsters, but he isn’t able to modify them to reach the trio’s level. What makes the trio, the betas, special is that they have the ability to transform from human to monster and in reverse, which the villain-of-the-week are unable to do. Once a monster, always a monster, and the professor admits that he hasn’t been able to fine-tune his work to accomplish that quite yet. It’s unclear whether the professor is an independent entity or not, whether he’s working for the mysterious council that seems to be run by a monster.

Also, the rich kid from the last episode is back. I liked the friendship he and Belo had, and I really hope they manage to repair that rift…