Dragonaut: The Resonance - Part 2by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 6 Gio becomes the successor of Thanatos in order to save Toa from death, but saving means merging with the mother, Thanatos, becoming one and losing her self. Jin and Toa must convince Gio and Thanatos that there are feelings and things called souls that humans possess that are worth interacting with, and that the Dragons that went through resonance are not "contaminated". Their love must conquer all, showing that they are not alone. When that make her want to go through resonance with all of humanity, they must also prove to mother that merging into one, dissolving all individuality, is the same as being alone.This series has a real spark. It keeps its own voice and grows stronger as the story progresses. The characters are a good mix that are easy to empathize with. Here at the end, the story does go a bit overboard with the whole "love conquers all / we're not alone" thing (getting a little goofy a times), but it still works with the overall story and eventually gets to a bigger picture when they start persuading Thanatos and those who have been made one with her. The biggest issue I had with this second and last part is the 180 Kazuki undergoes after Widow's death. He literally goes from resenting, hating, and wanting to kill Jin to saying he loves him, wants to protect him, and was doing all this for Jin. Huh? We're supposed to believe that after the madness, the unbridled hatred, and the utter bloodlust Kazuki has displayed? He trampled on, used, and abused Widow, caring nothing for her, and yet we're supposed to believe otherwise? I don't get it. In fact, I am annoyed and repulsed by it. Widow's speech to him before she disappears starts the confusion. How the Hell did she come up with that? She's watched his descent into madness and her answer is he really loves Jin? Seriously? Once Kazuki admits his "true" feelings to Jin they move forward like nothing bad ever happened between them, like half the story we've watched never happened. My mouth dropped open, and it was hard to focus on the ending of the story when Kazuki and Jin are now best buds again fighting side-by-side with smiles on their faces. I would have preferred seeing Kazuki go out in a blaze, laughing in his madness, still trying to take Jin down with him; it would be so much more fitting. Granted, I didn't like the dark turn Kazuki took in part 1, but this is a horrible way to draw their conflict to an end. Just paint a smiley face over it and good as new? I think not. The voice acting is great for both sub and dub. I actually watched much of this second part dubbed and quite enjoyed it. The Dragon designs are growing on me, and I love Thanatos's true form - wow! It's still weird that the humans can ride inside the Dragons and control them in a cock-pit-like area. If they are truly beings meant to be alone then they wouldn't need controls inside them would they? It's just strange, and it's the one aspect of their resonance that's not discussed. The animation is very nice, but sometimes the blend of CG and 2D comes off a bit stiff, especially with the movements of the Dragons. This second half also has less individual battles and more plot development which is still exciting but seems a little rushed. I must continue to praise it for the mature way the fan service is handled. There are many women with large, bouncy, physics-defying breasts, but they are not objects of lust. They are powerful women and Dragons that happen to have these humongous things attached to them. Unfortunately, I must point out that after the series officially ends, there are 2 extra episodes (or one long one) that take all the characters (dead or alive) into an alternate universe and story. Here, the large breasted women are objectified in two ways: first, the guys corned three of them to grope them while the women attempt to cover them with their hands (doesn't cover even a fraction) and have to be rescued by another guy. Second, when the Dragon's switch their personalities the largest breasted woman is forced to jump rope really fast, making her breasts bounce up and down and making the guy watching drool and stare in lust-y amazement. I was really disappointed by the downturn in handling the fan service. Even Toa throws herself at another guy and then turns all cat-girl-maid on Jin giving us our first nosebleed. These two additional stories are a very odd addition to this wonderful, powerful story. They practically debase it. The first "school" story just made me groan and roll my eyes. The second flip-personalities story is at least amusing even if it does have the jump rope scene. However, I would rather have gone without both of these and just enjoyed the ending of the series. Overall, I recommend this series. It's fun and different with good battles and a strong story with non-romancey love at its core ... just don't say I didn't warn you about the sheer size of the breasts. Written: March 29, 2010
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