IKE, this composer is awesome.  He’s written quite a wide range of scores from Karas to Ergo Proxy which those two had entirely different sounds one having this gradual build to a fuller sound of orchestral instruments mainly strings.  While the other had been a lot more subdued with a well-matched ethereal tone that was indicated by the use of short guitar riffs and well-controlled electronic sounds.  The soundtrack to Ergo Proxy was definitely one that pulled in a certain aura that the anime’s story and style maintained consistently.

However, Shingeki no Bahamut was noticeably different among any of his previous works which to me was refreshing to hear.  The dance scene in the previous episode provided the feel of Spain and the soundtrack as a whole thus far has been rather extended–  the chorus during Amira’s story to the fighting towards the end was really varied!  I like how much a show can put attention to detail in its soundtrack as they can make scenes better or worse.  Bahamut has been the former especially with this episode!

As soon as I heard Rita’s voice I knew it was Miyuki Sawashiro [Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna’s Fujiko Mine, Zetsuen no Tempest’s Hakaze Kusaribe, and more notably Psycho-Pass’ Shion]! I am very much enjoying how this has built itself up to be a solid adventure series with a few supernatural elements combined.

This was one way to do a zombie episode–  use a necromancer as Favaro and Amira’s next bounty.  This was a very well-written episode–  tons of detail behind the town and a stronger focus on two of the main cast members of this series!  I must say that the story so far has lingered around with so many questions [which has been an issue] and here it finally decides to ease up a quite a bit with Kaiser without a single disregard in the action.  We already know he wants to uphold his family’s honor from a knight turned bandit–  his pride was killed the day his father was executed for the incident involving the tribute.  The transition between the little girl, Rita and the honorable Kaisar had a wide impact here.  A young girl whom was full of deceit and had neglected her family to be told the story of a young man’s tragic past only wanting to reunite with his family greatly intensified the effect the fog put onto Kaisar.  One of the coolest scenes was where Rita’s father and mother were looking out of the window at her all the while she was speaking ill of her own family.

Since the very start of this show the writers managed to establish this level of distrust in Kaisar for the viewer that he could not succeed very well at capturing Favaro let alone pull out of the rut he was in with regards to his past, but that was entirely overturned here.  He needed some much needed development and we sure received it with this episode!  Favaro said it best when he described Kaisar as being scarier than the zombies which again was reversed when he ended up saving the life of the now undead Rita a new traveling companion.  He saved a girl that was lonely that on the other hand would give him a different grasp of his own pride that he needed to find.

I’m glad MAPPA did not show exactly how he was able to save Rita from her despair after her family started biting her.  The pacing was solid here–  it even used the first half to pull in how Amira lost one of her wings and the fact that there is this shift in power between angels and demons.  Two polar opposite bandits, a handful of knights and Jeanne d’Arc at the center of it all has been a fantastic ride so far.  Great episode direction, I just hope if this is 1-cour it doesn’t loose steam with how well the plot has been slowly crafted together here.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 9/10

—