Review: Tegami Bachi REVERSE

Letter Bee 2

Alex: Letter Bee is such a strong franchise to me. I could say that because the first series weaved a special place in my heart for the single fact of how utterly heartwarming almost every story was. Lag Seeing, who meets Gauche Suede,a Letter Bee who’s dedicated to delivering the hearts of the residents of Amberground. However, when Lag becomes a Letter Bee himself, he finds out that Gauche has disappeared. Series 1 ended with Lag finally running into Gauche after a long trail of anime original episodes focusing on Lag’s letter deliveries.

Series 2 is left with the job to explain Gauche’s disappearance and the anti-government movement called Reverse. And it actually does a pretty good job of this, whilst making sure to keep the whole heartfelt side of Letter Bee.

Since the tale of Amberground is actually focused on the plot, if your unable to connect strongly with the characters, you won’t actually be swept away in the plot. It comes down to this: If you can connect with the characters, you’ll love unraveling the story of Reverse verses the Amberground Government and how the heart is something you can never truly loose.

The majority of Letter Bee Reverse is focused on the heavy buildup from Series 1, and that allows you to actually understand the  reasoning behind the uprising of Reverse. and the anti-government movement. Yet the main character is so innocent he refuses to believe it. It leads to a battle which is no longer right verses wrong, but it focuses on the battle of the human hearts.

Even though Lag himself is slightly annoying at some times, there are several characters which can always steal the spotlight, like Niche for the fact that she’s adorable, and Jiggy Pepper for the fact that he’s seriously badass.

I really do feel like i’m repeating myself over some of these points. But I want to put emphasis on how heartwarming and feel-good this series really is.  It may have faltered a little, but it’s still one hell of a series and one of my favorites for a long time to come. The characters, the atmosphere, and the attention the creators used to make the world of Amberground come alive. It’s a must watch for any anime fan looking for something slightly different.

Alex’s Score: 10 Meeps out of 10 (Masterpiece)

Mimi’s Score: 9 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

Dusk’s Score: 9.5 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 25

Light of Heart

Alex: Words fail me. I don’t know what the creators were doing making me worry. But hey, screw this fight, let’s just use Lag’s godmoded Heart Gun and kill the Cabernet quickly, and focus on the happy ever after. Studio Perriot, I applaud you.

I really can’t convey how heart warming this episode was. Everyone got a happy ending. Noir and Roda lived, and went to Blue Notes Blues to live happily with everyone else who didn’t become spirit. Zazie got more baby kittens, Connor had Sunny slowly regaining her heart, Lag and Niche were doing everything normally, and everyone was repairing Yuusari.

One detail I loved was the way Lag and Noir closed off the same way Lag and Gauche began. With Gauche saying “We’re friends, after all”. I don’t know if thats meant to hint at NoirGauche or something, but to have Noir say the same thing whilst hugging Lag, it was so squee and so aww at the same time.

Bravo. One of the best finale’s i’ve seen in a long time, and a finale befitting of such a great series. I’ll miss my Letter Bee’s~D:

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 24

Battle In Yuusari Central!

Alex: How adorable…I don’t normally care much for the CG Gaichu fights, but this was kinda different. The way everyone worked together and fought in their own ways felt like something out a cheesy novel. So perfect for this series…in my opinion.

Be it Niche saying that she’d never let Lag get hurt, and fighting alongside with her sister to protect him, Lag and Noir saying that they’ll always be friends, because Noir is still the same strong person he befriended, even if he isn’t Gauche, Roda saving Sylvette and apologizing to Niche for saying she was a bad dingo, even Aria and Largo Llyod shone in this episode. I’m really glad that they realised that the finale should be about the characters, and that’s what it was.

However…if my guess is true, Noir is dead and the Cabernet is powered up and going for the Artificial Sun again. And the preview only really confirmed Noir’s death. So it will be…very interesting to see what they pull off for the finale. A “bad end”?

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 23

In Akatsuki

Alex: Hm. I see. The creators are going with what i’m presuming to be the manga storyline, whilst rushing and cutting several scenes to ensure that it’s all going to be told. Whilst it’s better than waiting for a sequel that will never come, it’s sad that such a great story will never be done to the fullest.

Anyway, with two episodes left, we finally get some mention of Lag’s Mother, and how Gauche appeared very close to her in the capital. Whilst i’m starting to theorize that Lag’s Mother is the person keeping the Sun alive or something, it disproves my idea of Akatsuki being a ghost town filled with the dead. But yeah. Noir stole the show. Again. It’s been so long since a character who’s actually “cool” takes the limelight, and stuff…it could be my inner fanboy or something.

And Lag. Lag is also pretty damn awesome; that scene in the cave really used buildup without resorting to Lag bursting into tears to make something emotional: Noir is Noir. Gauche will never come back. But Noir wants to be Gauche. Or thats my understanding. What with a huge fight with the Cabernet looking to take the penultimate episode…please finish this story in a way that does justice, Studio Perriot! D:

Tegami Bachi Reverse Episode 22

A Place to Return To

Alex: After my weekly business meeting with Mimi, we came to the conclusion that it was better that I blogged Letter Bee’s finale, and she’ll chip her opinion in on some of the “special” episode or whatnot.

I don’t know what to think of this episode, actually. On one hand; the scene where Noir went back to get a new Shindan and (yeah I know he did it for this reason don’t lie) to try to regain his heart by meeting with Sylvette was very very very well done, and one of the better moments of this series. However, it was sadly obvious that this would be where Garrad and Valantine would bow out, and how better to do so by trapping those cursed Letter Bee’s by moving Cabernet and putting a deadly Gaichu in its place. Nicely done. But please, please, why did you have to suffer from the “i’ll stand here and talk at you before I shoot you to death” cliche? A result of this being an anime-only finale?

What I didn’t expect was to see that Master and/or Dr.Thunderland are REVERSE members. I mean, it was obvious one of them had to be for the keys to go missing, but…it just felt a little forced, if you ask me.

Either way, i’m looking forward to the conclusion, since there’s no other setting they can use but Akatsuki. Looks like it’s time to find out why Noir lost his heart.

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 21

Lawrence’s Ambition

Summary: Lawrence pushes his plan forward, but Noir isn’t too happy about it…

Mimi: Well here’s a big plot development episode! In a nutshell, Lawrence is planning to feed those who were unable to become spirit to the Cabernet, which should become powerful enough to destroy the artificial sun. Unfortunately, that includes Roda too, so Noir gets upset and stands up to Lawrence. Finally, he shows some emotion! I’m glad that he isn’t going to follow him around like a sheep anymore, but this really puts Noir in a gray area. Now he’s an enemy of the government AND Reverse, so he doesn’t exactly belong to a side anymore… As for Lag, Connor, and Zazie, they’re really hot on the Cabernet’s trail, and they plan to intercept it before it can reach Yuusari. Meanwhile, Lloyd is going on a “business trip” all of the sudden, but I wonder what he’s really up to…

I like where this is going, but Lawrence sure looks like an idiot sometimes. He laughs all stupidly in Noir’s face, and then he actually lets him go, thinking that there’s no way that he could ever interfere with his plans. Well Lawrence, I’m afraid that you just made a dumb mistake by underestimating Noir, but I guess we could never take you that seriously anyway. At this point, I can imagine Noir teaming up with the Letter Bees to protect Roda’s kind and defeat the Cabernet, but I’m hoping that there will be more to it than this…

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 20

The Smile of Hope

Summary: Lag visits Connor…who is not his usual self at all.

Mimi: I have to admit, the last couple episodes have been a little disappointing. I didn’t like the way Jeel died (or the fact he died at all), and just when things were getting heated up with Reverse, we suddenly get one of those endearing little episodes about Conner and Sunny. This episode just doesn’t work so late in the series. The plot only moves forward in that Lag gets Conner and his dingo to accompany him to the Bee Hive; they need Gus to sniff out the Carbernet which is buried deep in the ground. Well, okay, we’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, I’m going to go bake some cookies…

Letter Bee REVERSE Episode 19

Mimi: Hi Alex ^.^ Guess what? You can do Letter Bee this week because your really nice and stuffz  and i’m just lazy ^.^

Mimi (real):  >_> That’s very funny, Alex.  -studying hard for midterms-

Neither Malice, Nor Hatred

Alex: I hope you like your morals and stuff, because this episode was packed with them, and ends pretty…anti-climax style. Oh yeah! 8D

Reverse is actually the good people and they’re doing things for a just cause and the Letter Bee’s are horrible tools of the government etc etc. I got all that last episode, Studio Perriot >_>

I can’t help but feel like they took the chickens way out here, because they’re pressed for time or something. They got rid of Cabernet and Jeel in a really anti-climatic way. Jeel was shot by Valentine, and Lag’s shindan which could only be used with Gauche’s gun (what?) bounced off a shield around Noir and killed the Cabernet. Before…anything dramatic happened with either of them. Jeel would have been a great character to develop a little more, to be very honest. He wasn’t fighting with hatred, malice, but with a desire to protect people.

And then all of Reverse just vanishes into thin air. Dammit Studio Perriot…was it really needed to make everything end so abruptly. Well…on the plus sign, we got a hint of Lag’s mother, 40 episodes down the line we learn a little more about her. But only a tiny bit more. I mean, it’s not like I hoped this to be the big finale or anything, but it’s too close to the big climax of these past 44 episodes to pull something like this.

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 18

The Lost Shindan

Alex: Holy shit that OP is sweet. I see why they got a bunch of reused scenes for the earlier one if they were saving that, but man…that animation is just jaw-dropping. I could go on for ages and ages why thats easily my favorite Letter Bee OP.

I heard we’re in anime original territory. But either way, I think this was better than the manga stuff. It was an episode of building up and letting the build-up over the last 43 episodes pay off, and needless to say, I was speechless.

The more I find out about the world of Amberground, the more I realize that Reverse are actually the “goodguys”, even if they’re doing it the wrong way, they’re fighting for the right thing. I really, really like the way that at the end of the episode, Lag realized this himself, hence the being unable to use his heart against Cabernet or The One Unable To Become Spirit.  Meanwhile, Zazie’s finding it out from a failed experiment to mash a wolf with a human, who serves Reverse. It’s interesting the way we find out that Zazie doesn’t have any “good” heart, only “bad” heart, full of hatred and malice. The fact that his malice and hatred isn’t strong enough probably shook him, too.THEN we have the whole “good” side of Noir as he saves the children from that facility, even though it’s endangering himself. An enemy of people wouldn’t do that. Even Aria and the Master are cottoning onto the fact that something’s happening in the capital, but it’ll be interesting to see the plot tied together.

I just cant describe this episode well enough to give it justice. It was completly, 100% stunning. Reverse became stronger, Zazie and Lag developed wonderfully, and there’s still 7 episodes left to give this series the amazing conclusion this episode promised.

Tegami Bachi REVERSE Episode 17

Truth and Lies

Summary: Caribs and Hazel try to find Noir.

Mimi: Poor Lag and Sylvette… Just when they start to believe that Gauche is really back, he disappears for good and returns to Reverse. In this episode, he confesses to Lag that he has been Noir all along, and he merely ‘acted like Gauche’ from Lag’s memories. Of course, this revelation absolutely devastates Lag, and to make matters worse, Noir actually tries to kill him to prove himself to Reverse! The intensity in this series just continues to impress me, and it’s rising higher than ever. Lag really put all of his power into restoring Gauche’s heart, but in the end, nothing has changed at all. It’s hard to imagine what the finale will look like, but one thing is for sure, and that is I am extremely excited for it.

Also in this episode, Lloyd finally figures out that Caribs and Hazel have been working for Reverse. It’s like pop—everything suddenly makes sense! Now that the Bee Hive members are catching up to speed, maybe they’ll become more involved in the action…especially Lloyd; I’d like to see him have at least one memorable scene. I can’t wait to see what will happen when Lawrence launches all of his tricks! It looks like he’s going to have a pretty interesting role in the next episode.

By the way, that fanservice scene with Aria felt rather odd.. It was just unnecessary, but ah well.

Alex: Don’t get me wrong, I love this show and I love the way in which it all fits together. But…yeah. Sorry, but this episode was just…off. Aria fanservice? Niche just happening  to step on a trapdoor? Niche being able to create perfect wheelchairs? Eh…