Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle: – 10 [END]
Let’s take aim on Final Chaika!
Getting into Combat
Chaika is sad it’s over…
Well I hate to be the one to bring you the bad news. If you didn’t know it, this is the last episode of both Avenging Battle and the Chaika franchise. Well, we have an OVA next year, but barring a Hail Mary play on the part of someone on the production committee, this is the everlasting it.
Gaz failed to protect these smiles…
Well, as far as endings go, this one wasn’t all that bad, and it wasn’t as great as it could have been. But, since we knew coming in that this was going to be a truncated series, with a ten episode slate, I think we had a decent idea going in on how to temper our expectations. I felt the finale to be rushed, chewing it’s scenery like a coyote in the brush, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t able to hit all the story beats they needed to in the effort to give a satisfactory conclusion. Things….could have been better in many spots, something that perhaps a few more episodes would have given the the time necessary to flesh it all out…but that just leads us to a circular argument.
So, lets just FK YA Kickassface!
I thought they did quite well with all of the major fight scenes, and all of them were major. I felt a personal story, even if some stories were writ small, in all of them. Well, the Skittle Chaika’s not so much at all, and that was really the only weak point I felt strongly about. Chaika Gaz being the load-bearing villain just like Grad Lancia from the last series. How they took her out was much more impressive…and considering that I found it hilarious that Akari took him out with one hammer blow to be hilarious…that’s saying something.
…or are they Dalek Chaikas? I think I like Skittle Chaikas better…
It also showed up Chaika Gaz’s arrogance. She should have had tighter control of that fight, even with near invulnerable warriors. But she played it by the pride, and drew out Red in direct combat. From there it was divide and conquer. But I felt that they did quite well in framing the sequence, with the camera covering the fields, panning, shifting track, going from horizontal to the vertical. This gave it a very smooth, but uncertain edge, much better than the funky duels of an the previous episodes. Vivi and her team worked like champs together and all of them were able to read each other in combat to great assurance.
“Whatever…”
Contract with a Dragoon
So, did we all know Fred was a biter?
Yeah, I can’t get behind that armor. In the LN it looked cool, functional, and you know….not ridiculous looking. So for a moment that I’ve been waiting for..for like ever, it was a bit of a let down in the design department. All those horn bits, and that tail! It’s like a crossguard on a lightsabre. But this was another fight I did quite enjoy. In it we see Toru leaving the life of a sabateur behind, and picking up the role of being a knight of sorts, a guardian. He does have a Chaika to protect.
“Whatever…”
The Girl with the Gundo
Fueled by memories and dreams…
So, we come to our lovely main character. I may have been a huge Fred champ this season (and last season), but it all comes down to The Chaika. She has come a long way in such a short time. From a lost lamb in the woods to fairly seasoned combat mage. And while the purpose of her existence has come to a close, she does learn that life can present other goals. I find it admirable that she wants to fight the fight, and fight to protect what is important to her. It does come with a sacrifice, taking down the big bad rarely if ever comes without such things. It felt a touch gimmicky to have her run out of magic-fuel at the crucial time, but I felt they recovered quite nicely by the end.
nope.webm
I don’t think this moment was an asspull. I’m pretty sure this did happen in the novels, probably given more material in bits and pieces, here and there. But the execution does look more asspullery than not. Given that, I found it to be quite telling, and a good part of the overall story. Gaz had failed to take into account his playing Magic-God would have these sorts of consequences. That he could build a weapon or a system that would turn on him. Ironic, he tells Toru “You carried me here on your back” Why did he fail to see everything else Toru carried with him. For a dude that wants to connect to everyone’s feelings, he is an abject failure. Now I did broach the subject from the LNs, but I feel like I want to leave the details to someone who has read them. If you choose to do so, please leave them behind spoiler tags.
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So, I’ve seen some debate. Do you think Chaika burned off all her memories, or just a portion. If the later, than what portion? Her fake ones, or her real ones? Is that even possible. For the sacrifice angle to make good, it has to be all or nothing. From the more idealistic side, it would be her losing her fake ones, but those are important in their own fashion, as they do serve as a basis for her real ones that she developed on the Hunt. Losing the real ones starts her back at square one which would make little sense. So, yeah, it was all or nothing. Which, given how much hlism she felt about her life at episodes beginning, a fresh start is good thing. She fought for that in her own fashion.
She earned her happy ending…and probably the Torubowl!
Seeing Red and Fred
Ojamashimasu *
I don’t think I can leave without saying more about the marvelous Red. Our Chaika Bodhran. I’m quite happy to see she has found a new life and purpose. She’s still the same gutsy and active girl she always was, but she still has a strong sense of purpose as well. And I love how she gave that door one final stomp. She looks to give a little more…
*Sorry for the intrusion…
#Fredsdeadagain
Ooooh, I shake my fist at you! You whomever shortshifted Fred right out of the damn story. No, I kid. I loved our Fred to bits, no matter what form she took. She was a useless as she was useful, and in the end was probably becoming more loyal to her friends than she was curious. To me, her best was always the LOLi form, cause it was packaged with so much sass…
Shocking Memes!
So, yeah. I got really long winded for this post. But hey a two cour show is closing, and I want to give it the send off I feel it deserves. You know, more than a few times since Spring, I’ve been wanting to dust off a few of my game books and use this world in a TRPG. I always felt that they built such a great background. With just a few strokes, they made many facets of it feel alive. Now, there has been better worldbuilding in fiction, and in anime, but the one has just the right je nais sais qua (which literally means “I don’t know”). It has a sense of purpose, and it felt open enough that so much could happen. Just the right place to stick some wet behind the ears Level One characters and chew on them mercilessly and laugh the dreaded Dungeon Master’s laugh.
I felt right at home with Team White from the beginning, and loved watching the Relic Hunt week to week, as they found more parts and more purpose. They made each other better, our Chaika and Toru. And we had Red and Fred, and a whole host of Chaika’s to the Max! by the time we came to an end. I’m still somewhat bummed that it didn’t sell as well as the producers wanted, it would be awesome to have so much more. But we get what we get, and I hope we found it well. I want to give a shout out, before I go, to Highway for the First Impression we did for the original. Thanks. And Thank You to all of you for your support and comments…
…cause someone has to get Lada Niva out of that thing…
Thanks for Watching!
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Do you think Chaika burned off all her memories, or just a portion.
An anime staff member confirmed on Twitter that Show ▼
PS. That was a nice funeral service for Gaz, Chaika!!!You accomplished what you set out to do!! 😀
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The Chaika, baby. She is boss. To the bitter end, she never ever gave up.
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POWUH: 400-499 with 462 comments
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I am also dismayed that I had to go poking though a half-dozen other sites and forums and blogs just to find someone who had posted evidence and screenshots to prove that Vivi had made it through everything ok. Where are your priorities, people?! *shakes fist*
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Yeah, I can’t get behind that armor. In the LN it looked ….not ridiculous looking…it was a bit of a let down in design.
You’re referring to this armour?It’s quite elaborately designed.
http://prtimes.jp/i/7006/1097/resize/d7006-1097-153149-0.jpg
Maybe the staff wanted to be original; or cut down the detail for simpler animation,or maybe a bit of both.
Reborn Gaz also had a different LN design; a revealing bodysuit.(4th picture scrolling down)
https://bamotaku.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/revisando-raw-de-hitsugi-no-chaika-vol-10/
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It looks more functional and less “cool” in that link. I stand behind my assessment that the anime armor is over-designed..
Damn, I wish they would have gone with some of the LN design for Gaz. It it was he was in Chaika Gaz’s cast off skirt for this show. Kinda derpy….
And damn that page has some great stuff…
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I’m pretty sure this did happen in the novels, probably given more material in bits and pieces.
Vol 11 comes out this 22 December, concluding the plot.
I remember readers saying the LN details were pretty macabre. For example:
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PS. Note Red Chaika’s gift of grapes; most likely she settled down working for Claudia.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
So I imaged the LN writer had some input?
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
This last episode left me with conflicting feelings, although for the most part I’m okay with it. Bottom line, I won’t easy until i get to see that OVA!
Although some of the T’s and I’s have been crossed and dotted, respectively, I still contend that an episode or two would have rounded off everything quite nicely and provided much-needed context/polishing to the story. As things stand, there are still several things that have not been “settled” satisfactorily. For now, we can only rely on our imagination to help fill some blanks (that OVA better be up to its job).
I’ve been Team white Chaika all the way — their group dynamics just works well on different levels. Hopefully, the OVA will also feature Claudia (she’s one of the few decent side characters in this story who managed to stay decent and well grounded).
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
The OVA consists of 2 parts, 1 is a swimsuit episode.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-06/chaika-the-coffin-princess-anime-unaired-episode-previewed-in-video/.80733
Just remember this could only end up a fanservice OVA.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Colour coded Chaikas galore!
By your Chaikas combined, I -AM- Emperor Gaz!
Shin got killed by Toru’s Erection! 😛
Honestly, the ending was a bit of a letdown. Niva suddenly turning over to 357. However, by looking at how Gaz calmly took his death, I suspect in some vault on the continent Byss, he has his clones and is bidding his time!
I think I understand why Chaika sold poorly now…
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Japanese otaku said they LIKED watching Chaika, but not to the extent they were driven to buy Blurays. (unlike that swimming muscle anime and the other big boobs anime).
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Liked yes, liked strong enough no. How much different is the LN from the anime version of things?
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Frederica was sliced like sashimi and I was like… Again? Seriously?
Well, if Gaz wasn’t the villain, he could have been a great cook.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Uh…I’ve prepared sashimi…and your suggestion is going to the extreme end. Dragoon regenerates. I can’t even think of a proper plate presentation for that…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
After some thought:
Hula Hoop sized plate with a small piece of dragoon in center. If customer asks why the plate is so big…simply say…”Wait”. The object is to eat the dish before it gets to big, and thusly eats you.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
You’re a genius! But… Who’s the dish in this case…?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
A dragoon…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
First series to end this season and in my opinion, it ended on a high enough note. Along with its first half in Spring, Hitsugi no Chaika was a fun ride and the characters were likable so they will be missed very much. Especially Fredrica.
In appearance and combat, Toru was badass as a dragoon contractor. The surprise move he pulled on Shin was awesome. With a performance like that, it’s a bummer he didn’t do this sooner and I’m sure he wasn’t yet able to tap into his full potential.
Chaika may not have gotten all the remains but she sure made good on her promise on what she’d do when she got them. That was a funeral fit for a king. The puzzling thing is why the chosen girls haven’t reverted from their Chaika forms now that Gaz is dead. I mean, the process was done with his magic and now that he’s gone, it would be natural to expect the effects to wear off.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, I would call The Chaika Effect more alchemical and mechanical. So they have permanent effects…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
This was a series that I just felt like I didn’t enjoy as much as I could. It always felt more sinister than I’d like, even though the only bad things that happened to *any* good guy characters were Gillette losing his hand and Chaika spending her memories to finish her mission. Maybe part of it was that the show always had a bit of the contrived to it, almost like it was written from the end, and everything else was back-adjusted to make sure it got to that end.
I also have to say that I found Tooru in this last episode to be pretty useless. He wasn’t a badass, he wasn’t heroic, he wasn’t anything except thoroughly beaten against Shin until he pulled out a surprise magic move. And then the fight against Gaz was just more of the same: unable to actually fight the guy, saved at the last second by Chaika Trabant. And Frederica was useless the whole show: For all the vaunted fighting power of the dragoon, the only person she actually fought was Tooru. Everyone else took her out in one shot, usually a surprise move, which to me indicates that she’s been completely countered and thus has almost no value in a fight. It’s not even like they had to spend time and manpower on her, letting Tooru and Akari and Chaika gain an advantage. No, every fight was “Frederica taken out with first shot, others have to fight shorthanded.” And I agree that Tooru’s dragoon armor looked pretty bad.
I won’t say the show was a ‘disappointment’, because I don’t know if I ever had expectations for it. It was just an ok show that I never felt like I really got into.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
The LNs were more morbid and violent, with even more fanservice.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Did they kill off any of the main characters? Or just more mooks? I’d have to say that I think the adaptation did a good job staying away from ecchi fanservice, if that’s what you’re talking about, since that could easily have turned this show into something bad, taking time away from what they actually did. Trying to mix that into a show too much can have a bad effect, for instance like Dragonar.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I hear the anime took out most of the unnecessary fanservice.
No one was killed off in the LNs, but some parts could get morbid.
For example, Gillette lost his hand way back in Season 1, dueling the ignorant commander. Overwhelmed, Leo took back the severed hand as proof of Gillette’s ‘death’. The shock turned Vivi into a half-Chaika.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and the Arina and Irina were…well…concubines?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
skylion’s dream harem is expanding….
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…geometrically….
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
OK. Enough is Enough! I can only take some much bashing…this was beyond the pal…..
LOL. Actually, all you’ve said is a fair cop. I mean, Fred got by on pure kawaii LOLi buzz; they didn’t really give her any teeth. So, LN readers? Did she have more in the LNs, or was she the butt of the joke as she was made in the anime.
I’m still gonna love my Fred. Top Five LOLi of 2014 easy…
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Character popularity poll on the anime website:
http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=5368071&postcount=1450
#1 – White Chaika
#2 – Fredrica
#3 – Red Chaika
(and many more!)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This is fair…
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
And Fuu-chan was ranked higher than half the cast. Who’s Fuu-chan you wonder? The mail owl.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…seems like a snarky bias to the poll…
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
I’ve already anticipated that Gaz will be revived even from the first season, But what surprises me was Niva making this ending a bit “Anti-Climatic”
Still its a nice Anime, I dont regret from watching this.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Hey, thanks for commenting Justafan. I don’t regret watching the show either. And I did love writing for it week to week.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Oh dear, the show finished and I only started picking it back up from my backlog… episode 8, of S1. Now I can go through old blog posts to see what I missed ^^
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, crap. Ness…Will…can you guys find some way to fix that bug. I never get bloody emails on my posts for new comments….
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yay. The OAD has been fansubbed. I may do a review of it for old times sake….not that the times are that old…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
One more to add to your harem.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I already had all dem LOLis in my harem…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Decided to get around to watching Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle today… and my overall conclusion was that the second season was… well, not horrible, but extremely disappointing.
After S1, I was eagerly looking forward to seeing Toru contract with Fredrika and becoming a Dragoon Cavalier, and Gaz reigning terror in all his glory. And we get that, sort of… in the last episode, for all of five seconds. And Gaz’s defeat by Niva? Lame. Sooo lame. The last episode was enough to drop by opinion of the show by two.
To be honest, the whole second season felt like one long OVA, where nothing really happened until the last episode and a half, and then it ends the series in a 10 second sudden reversal of fortune because Niva has a “personality”… wtf?!?
There was also absolutely zero character development. Except maybe Red Chaika, but just a tiny sliver it’s not even worth mentioning. All the characters are pretty much the same since they were first introduced. I just wasted five hours of my life I will never get back.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
The worst part was that I would have my hopes of seeing something more each episode, and yet at the end I was disappointed, but hopeful that it could still happen in the next episode. This hope prevented me from dropping the series =/
You know the saying, fool me once, fool me twice… well I was fooled 10 times, so does that make me a gullible hamster?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…many of us were fooled…
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
Phew! I finally caught up to reading all the Chaika The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle individual reviews. Loved them all.
Ahh,I thought Toru’s Dragoon armor was pretty stylish!
Incredible work, Skylion. I thought this series was something special too. Tweeting them all to my Twitter.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Thank you for the kind words, and I am very glad you enjoyed it, even Toruu’s ugly Dragoon armour 🙂
Bones also released an OVA back in March that I dashed a review for…
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
Ha, hah, ha, even Toru’s ugly armor. 🙂