As is the standard form for spinoffs with no direct ability to influence the main plot of a series, The Unlimited’s ending didn’t exactly break new ground. But it sent things off well enough to do job #1: entertain the viewers.

The excuses for the action/pretty animation scenes this episode, with Hyoubu fighting a clone of himself and Andy inching forward for a hug X3-style, were running thin on logic. Still, they were fun enough to watch, even if I’m pretty sure you could induce mass seizures by playing a clip of the latter with 5 random frames per second cut out.

Psychic Nuclear Meltdown: Taste the Rainbow!

Hyoubu’s decision to not murder Soumei, but only mind-crush/soul-kill him, fits, but not perfectly. What I mean by that is that, while the story did drop hints (Kaoru’s desperate plea in episode 10, for one) that he could show mercy, it feels out-of-character relative to his actions throughout the show. Of course, it could be debated whether he’s sentencing Soumei to a fate worse than death, so maybe it’s just his way of getting sweeter revenge. As far as that scene was concerned, my understanding was a little bit up in the air.

Moments in this episode not featuring Hyoubu and Yugiri were infrequent, standard-styled, and minimally important. Still, I got a fanboy’s kick out of the 2 seconds of J.D. Grisham screentime we got this episode.

True badasses avoid the silver screen

My overall opinion on The Unlimited hasn’t really changed since the first episode. The script isn’t terribly great, nor are the characters as presented iconic, but the direction elevates the material. Anyone can draw pretty colors with budget, but using your lull time effectively is important as well, and director Shishiou Igarashi has shown himself to be a hot young hand indeed.

Prediction Record: 2/3 (On the board, baby!)

Overall Record: 2/6

Final Scores:

Character Designs: 1/1 (Hard lines abounded in a series that took a much darker tone than the first anime adaptation.)

Soundtrack: 2/2 (Very theatrical accompaniment, appropriate for the hollywood hero movie feel the show was going for.)

Writing: 1/3 (Had plot to the extent that a DBZ movie has plot, but characters were likable enough.)

Direction: 4/4 (Pretty action abounded, and came through whenever the show needed to make any kind of moment.)

Overall: 8/10 (Easily worth recommending to someone who likes flashy action.)