English Dub Review: HAKYU HOSHIN ENGI “When the Stars Rain Down”

Emo enough title, don’t you think?

Overview (Possible Spoilers Below)

The episode begins with an out-of-nowhere flash-forward scene which should’ve been saved for a later episode in regards to Tenka, but it hurts the show much in the same way previous episodes infamously have because whenever this happens, It doesn’t always find it’s focus or coherency during the proceedings. Before cutting back to the previous episode where Bunchu is surrounded by Konron members, whom he instantly makes quick work of much to the Horror of Taiko who’s struggling to not lose his cool.

Much of the episode is spent on cutting between multiple subplots regarding what’s going on with the Yin Kingdom being under attack by Ki Hatsu‘s forces that for some reason keep in contact with magical cellphones, while the cut to Emperor Chuu who I thought was dead in a previous episode,is given an outside perspective, and to make matters worse on his end, He can’t die even if wanted to which I guess is a side-effect to what Dakki did to his body when he gained random super strength, before it cuts to Shinhyokyo explaining to his pet what’s really going on with Chuu. It turns out that Chuu’s ancestor has everything to do with this power, but Chuu isn’t happy with how things are turning out for him as he can’t even kill himself or die for his crimes by even his own people. We also learn that this Signpost of HIstory and the creature that Dakki answers to known as “Jyoka” are the same person who strangely enough, is an Alien that’s existed for thousands of years and has altered history the way she wanted it for quite some time.

When we finally cut back to the Bunchu battle, it turns out as the title implies, Taiko’s course of action to take down Bunchu for good is “when the stars rain down” which refers to the scenery of Kingo mountain. As Taiko gives the order to attack all at once but instead, Fugen gets to be a fucking moron and tells the allies to attack one at a time reducing their remaining allies to bloody corpses as well. The episode ends when Fugen’s moronic strategy comes into fruition that while the others were being gruesomely killed by Bunchu, Fugen made his way up close to Bunchu and blows himself up with his magical science ball leaving their fates uncertain, while the post-credits is a speech that Fugen gives to Taiko regarding a philosophical speech about “sacrifice” and what it means to give something up.

Our Take

Okay, first off, I gotta talk about this “Signpost of history” shit that got briefly mentioned by Taiko’s boss to Youzen at least once. I’m pretty sure Jyoka is a sore loser if she’s had to destroy/reboot the planet multiple times. And somehow all of that ties into Dakki yet we don’t know why.

The fact that Roswell-looking aliens exist within the show’s universe makes things not only bizarre but all the more imaginative during the proceedings. What doesn’t help it, however, is that the episode’s flash-forward structure doesn’t know what tone it’s going for and keeps shooting itself in the foot when it’s utterly convinced of its own self-importance.

With 4 episodes left, Let’s hope they don’t get as bad as this before whatever climax it will supposedly have.