While not the best example of the Valvrave experience, it’s an improvement over the last 2 eps.
Much like last time, these 2 eps still linger in exposition dumps. The Magius are revealed to be formless life forms dependent on runes, they’ve remained hidden by possessing the bodies of other life forms(excluding Pino and Prue). Meanwhile, Dorssia is going through a civil war while JIOR and ARUS are reaching peace talk. The Committee of 101(Magius group) have lost their patience with these meddling kids, and decide now is the time to strike. And honestly I could care less, because this is all background info that we constantly hear about rather than see.
But one thing that made these more entertaining than last time is that there’s plenty of distraction this time. Action is constant during the Valvrave’s escape from Dorrsia, and every twist focuses on making problems worse. From political tensions to individual conflicts, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage when it comes to worrisome stuff. While this doesn’t defend the writing in anyway(much like my repetitive posts), it does what the first 4 eps of this season did; raising the stakes and leaving the good guys vulnerable.
None of these stakes would be effective if we didn’t see how this affects the characters. Lieselotte remains a plot device till the end, but her death plunges L-Elf into insanity, leaving him unable to work as everyone’s ticket out of danger. X-Eins is still suspicious about H-Neun being labeled a traitor, and Haruto is really uncomfortable with the how the press and JIOR students remain happy when so much is left unresolved. And those worries bite him back when the Dorssians broadcast Rukino being stabbed through the heart, then revealing the Valvrave pilots as Space Vampires. It can only get worse from here.
With things finally escalating, i’m hoping to get away from the exposition dumps for these last 4 eps. The melodrama is fine as long as it returns to the fast-paced action and stupid twists at every turn. That’s all I want from Valvrave, so in the wise words of Monty Python, “GET ON WITH IT!”
