Dai-Guard

Publisher
ADV
Director
Seiji Mizushima
Production
Sotsu Agency, TV Tokyo, XEBEC
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1999

Dai-Guard volume 6: The Bottom Line

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

I've been disappointed by Dai-Guard in the past, but recent events have signalled a change in fortunes for the flagging series. Can the trend continue? Of course it can!

The first episode on this disc is a continuation of the story that was introduced during the last episode of the previous volume. Ibuki, learning that her father was not the selfless hero she imagined him to be, has left the other Dai-Guard pilots hospitalised after a poorly timed bout of depression. Ibuki is unable to continue her job for fear of putting others at risk and it's up to her friends and family to lift her out of this funk before she quits for good.

It may not be the earth-shattering, adrenaline-pumping storyline you might expect this deep in a series, but it is a nice, effective piece of drama that really helps give the characters depth as Ibuki's relationship with her stepfather comes to its heartwarming conclusion.

Surprisingly, the next episode is almost completely unrelated to any recent plot developments, instead choosing to focus on a �day in the life of' documentary about the Dai-Guard operation, filmed by several public relations division 2 employees. It may seem strange to place such an irrelevant episode towards the end of the series when ideally events should be coming to a close, but it does give the following climactic storyline added poignancy as we delve deeper in to the world of Dai-Guard and its friendly inhabitants. Besides, this is a really excellent episode that, despite the lack of action, is by far my favourite of the series.

The final three episodes make up a triple-bill climax to the series in which a gigantic heterodyne appears 5000ft above Tokyo, seemingly inactive. With Dai-Guard unable to reach the floating menace, our heroes must figure out a way to defeat this unwanted visitor before time runs out.

It's an action packed finale and a satisfying conclusion to the series. I'm not about to go spoiling the whole thing, so I can't really discuss it in any detail. However, I can say that you will be treated to some of the best action of the series and it is for the most part a very satisfying conclusion, even if we don't learn much about the heterodyne or the reason for their unprovoked attacks (though it does kindly explain why we shouldn't care in the first place).

Not only is this final volume host to some of the best action and drama of the series, it's also party to some lovely pieces of animation. Dai-Guard's visuals have always been decent enough, yet some of the animation included during these final episodes is exemplary, such as Ibuki flicking through a magazine while she talks to her stepfather; the kind of incidental happening that a director would usually omit in favour of staying on budget. While it's far from the dizzy heights of Disney quality animation, the effort must be applauded nonetheless. It really gives added shine to a great

I'll admit it. Dai-Guard has won me over. I still think it's unable to strike a balance between comedy, action and drama and ultimately falling just short of the mark on all three. This volume goes some way to addressing those problems, however, and the results are really very entertaining. The only disappointment is that this turnaround has come all to late for it to really make a difference. Still, there's no denying this a great conclusion to a decent series.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English and Japanese audio, Japanese subtitles, production sketches, clean open/close, ADV previews.

Notes: Almost identical content to the previous DVD. The production sketches and clean/open close make their expected return as do all the usual language and subtitle options. The box art is really quite eye-catching and looks great on a shelf, and the DVD menus are similarly attired and super easy to navigate. There's really nothing to complain about here.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

Dai-Guard Images