Run, Akari!

Tragedy & Triumph picks right up where the end of the last DVD, Doubt & Conflict left off. Like the previous volume, Tragedy & Triumph contains only 3 episodes with no extras. While I have to admit that I find this disappointing, I am still pleased overall with the quality of the show and its entertainment value.

Tragedy & Triumph contains the episodes "The Sinking Talent," "The Thing on the Other Side," and "The Promise Resurrected." Given the events that took place at the end of the previous disc in the episode "Lamentation," "The Sinking Talent" and "The Thing on the Other Side" almost can't help but be rather melancholy episodes. I won't spoil the specifics, but suffice to say Akari is now sorely lacking in motivation.  These episodes are almost entirely devoid of humor, which is strange for this series. What humor is there is mostly supplied by the old stand-bys, Tanya and Ling-Pha. One thing that I find particularly interesting is that these episodes actually focus on the Ayla-Jessie dynamic, instead of being solely about Akari as the past several episodes have been.

However, the spotlight comes right back to Akari in "The Promise Resurrected." This episode features the conclusion of the triathlon final competition. The action sequences here are very well put together. I found myself on the edge of my seat, even during my second viewing! (SPOILER AHEAD- Highlight text to read.)  This episode brings to a close the first act of the series, as it ends with Tanya, Jessie, and Akari being blasted into space to start their training on the University Satellite. With only these characters on board, it is fair to say that volume 4 is set to introduce a slew of new ones. Who knows if any of the other characters will make a future appearance? I can't wait to find out. (End Spoiler).

Both the dub and the sub versions continue to be of pretty good quality. The animation is very clear, and there is only very small amounts of jitter that I noticed full-screen on my computer monitor (that could have been due to my PC, too. It has been acting up on me lately...). One thing that I haven't mentioned yet that is that the subtitles for the opening and closing sequences have the English above and the Romaji below, both at the same time. This is a minor point, but It really helps me get into the song.  On top of this, the subtitles are "soft," which means they can be turned on or off. I think this setup is about the best I have seen for a Region 1 anime disc, and I hope that it comes to be more wide-spread in the future.

Tragedy and Triumph continues the recent trend this series has had of becoming a little more serious in its tone. Overall, I think this is a good thing because it allows the viewer to become much more involved in the story. We are now 10 episodes into the series, and I can't hardly wait for more! Highly recommended.

By Andy Rucker