Review - Daphne in the Brilliant Blue Vol. 5 - Treasure
Reviewed by Richard Brownell on 11.23.2009.
Score: 7/10
The action continues in the fifth volume of Daphne in the Brilliant Blue. With four episodes that are each self-contained story lines, there is a lot going on in this volume. What keeps this volume's score even with previous volumes is the inclusion of some interesting stories, but more importantly the advancement of the series-spanning Maia story line.
The first episode in the volume, Five Women with Guns and a Baby, puts the Nereids girls in charge of a baby. Most of them want to put the girl into the foster system but one of them won't allow them to, insisting they take care of the baby for a while. This episode delivers some funny scenes, but with an inclusion of a mostly awkward breast-feeding situation. It's not the first time this show has been awkward, but what is most ridiculous about this scene is that a baby covers up more boob than the clothes the Nereids actually wear.
The second episode is called Shizuka's Choice and covers a story where Shizuka protects a secret agent. But things are not always so simple. He's in great danger and his story is a bit unbelievable. Shizuka has to choose how to handle the situation and whether the rest of the Nereids girls can be any help.
The Hunt for Green Yomogi-I brings back our favorite villains of the show, the Wang-Chang-Lee brothers (and their sister, May). They rehash some of their usual jokes which probably worked better if you were watching this show week after week when it came out. I'm wWatching it on DVD with a critical mindset and these villains are only a little endearing. However, beyond their jokes, it's interesting to see them thrown into a situation where they have to work together with Maia to solve their problems.
The last episode is the highlight of the volume. Despite that this show is mostly made up of episodic content, I find myself always wanting more of the Maia storyline. Her memory is gone. Her parents died quite some time ago and her grandfather is recent deceased. She's in Nereids until she can get herself into the Ocean Agency and the exams are coming up. She only recently has gotten some memories back including a little bit involving a long lost brother she was never told about. All of these topics are touched on in this episode.
Unfortunately, and even though I can't really expect it to change, the low point of this volume is once again the ridiculous Nereids girls designs. Their clothes are ludicrous, their hair plastic strips that hangs over their heads. But what can you do?
Daphne once again proves it can be lighthearted enough to be somewhat unique in the anime world. Its universe is definitely distinct. And with each volume, it gives out just a tiny bit of information on Maia's story that I find myself wanting to know what will happen. On to volume 6.
Special Features
DVD Special Features
· Bilingual Audio (English 2.0/Japanese 2.0)
· English Subtitles (Dialogue & Screen Text)
DVD Extra
· Creditless Ending, Ver. 2
