Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru: Owarinaki Toki no Monogatari

Shura-shurato★ 8

This is truly a francise than in Japan held a household name in the 1990's ova/ RPG boom and for GOD-BLOODY SAKE its not available on dvd ( maybe LCD), still to me a gem in the category of being an amethyst. This storyline is goe's further in detail about the purpose of wataru and got rid of the mecha's and using more magical powers and creatures, wich honestly stalled a bit in the previous 2 serie's, and replacing it by protecting a dragon but i think some of the change is for the better, i mean sometimes the formula loses its taste after so manyseasons but THANK GOD no fillers, unlike a lot of 21 century anime,w ich some exceptions on late 80's ,90's long running t.v shows but not nearly as bad as todays anime. As for the art, the animation has been improved ofc since it was 1993, yeah just improved . What i like the most about the sound is the ED music soundtrack , ok i just watched this anime a while ago ( not 1993) but the music from that time i remember, and i couln'd stop dancing and you just figure out why :). Soooo happy st see the apperances of most of the previous serie's original charachters in all their glory, but i even was happier to see a new enemy on the scene and a strong , relentless one to say. The feeling of a adventure rpg anime is always going for a intense, but positive feeling and i am a fan of that , even to compare the anime to the videogame is a though behind for example Dragon quest, still to me its an anime that kids these days prob would have liked, u can watch it with almost ppl from all age's. Overall this is a good ( without the re-imagine serie's ) a very enjoyable closure of the serie's , but the problem in once again the availabillity and even if its sold u can count spending an easy 250-325 Euro on the boxset serie's since its japan import, on this case its just with pain in my heart to say its better to download this.

ThatDaveGuy★ 8

Essentially a direct-to-video movie that serves as a capstone for the first 2 series, split into 3 parts. Wataru returns to Mt. Soukai once again and learns that a new foe from the Demon Realm has blasted half of it to bits, leaving the mountain barely standing. The Mashin are unable to win this fight, so Wataru has to set off to a forbidden realm to retrieve the only tool that can save them. These OVAs are pretty efficient, which they accomplish by cutting out most things that don't contribute to the goal of making an engaging finale. That includes the mechs, of course, but alsoHimiko and Shibaraku, who drop out of the plot very quickly. Of course, if you cut out the comedy and mechs from the comedic-fantasy-adventure-featuring-mechs, then you're getting something that is totally different than the rest of the franchise. This is coupled with a significantly darker color palette and tone, and an increase in age rating. This is the only part of the (animated) Wataru franchise that is rated above a G. Mostly because of the non-cartoonish injuries and blood, unlike the VA-screams-over-electricity that most of the rest uses. The drastic changes ultimately work the way the team intended. It replaces the cutesiness with a much more engaging plot and actual tension (at least, as much as you can reasonably expect). While the mechs were always an iconic part of the series, it's a real breath of fresh air to see obstacles and enemies overcome through literally any other means. And unlike 2 and Chou, this OVA actually succeeds at being a finale. I don't have much to say on the technical side of things other than that it is a clear upgrade in most ways compared to the TV series. It looks and sounds better and the cinematography is quite a bit more ambitious, but don't expect it to be award-worthy. And keep in mind, I'm comparing it to TV series from the late 80s and early 90s. The only real problem is that the some of the finer details of the story don't work very well. The broad strokes all make sense and do their job, but there's some plot contrivance and ideas that needed a little bit more support to work properly. Wataru has never really been about the plot, and this is a huge step upwards on that front anyways, so I doubt it's a dealbreaker for someone what made it through either prior TV series. But it is worth calling out that a little bit more time in the oven could've fixed some blemishes. If you've seen either of the 2 proceeding series, I strongly recommend this one. It's short, impactful, and acts as a very solid finale. You could also put this after Chou and help smooth out the overall experience if you plan on watching through all of the main series.