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Bast of Syndrome Vol 5
Things finally start getting resolved in the fifth volume of Bastof Syndrome. Some of the mysteries get explained, and others become more clear. If you've stuck with the series up to this point, your patience is about to be paid off.
This volume starts out by clearing up some of the minor plot points from the last few episodes. Moderato is finally ready to shut down the Lemon Game, but before he can he gets a call from Riddle, the mysterious hacker. She gives him some background that has been hinted at in the past. Mayor Hadim is the one who really wants the Lemon Game to keep running.
Dr. Pluto created an artificial intelligence, the PX-1, and locked it way before he died so another member of his project, Hadim, couldn't use it to further their own ambitions. Hadim has finally figured out how to open the seals; through the Lemon Game. Each time a Lemon is defeated in the game, a lock is opened. Unfortunately every time a lock is unlocked, the city's computers go haywire causing trouble. For some reason Riddle asks Moderato to keep the game up, and even more inexplicably, he agrees. Although each game puts the population of the city at risk, not to mention the players themselves, and winning it may give a egomaniac a supreme weapon, Moderato thinks it should still be played.
Teal, the mysterious girl at the convent, is still acting oddly. She bears an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Pluto's daughter, and is somehow mixed up with the PX-1. Mayor Hadim notices that she has a bipchip implanted behind her ear, and sends his men to arrest her. But Pseudo manages to escape with her they hide out in Pluto's old house, where Teal's history comes back to haunt her.
Now that things are finally starting to make sense, this program is getting a little more interesting. After spending so much time being obtuse, it is refreshing that they are explaining things. I just wish the explanations were a little more satisfying. I did like the subplot with Teal and her origin though.
There were fewer battles in the Lemon Game in this volume. Most of the shows are dealing with the mysteries that have cropped up in the series, and there is a lot less action. That didn't bother me much. The Lemon Game itself isn't as interesting as I was hoping with just about all of the battles ending with an unexpected (and unmentioned) weapon or strategy being utilized at the last possible moment.
A lot of progress was made in this volume. The plot has finally starting to move in a positive direction, and things have been set up for next volumes resolution. It is still not an engaging series, but I liked this volume better than the last couple.
The DVD:
Audio:
This show is presented with the original Korean language track in stereo and an English 5.1 dub. I preferred the Korean audio track, though the English dub was fairly good. The English actors did a good job of matching the lip movements and giving the character's emotion. The voices of the children are a little high in pitch, but not the annoying squeaky voices that are the norm for English dubs. Both audio tracks made use of the front sound stage, though the 5.1 English track didn't do much with the rear channels and didn't have the punch I was expecting.
Video:
This DVDs full frame image has a little aliasing. Whenever the camera moves the lines shimmer and shake. This digital artifact marred an otherwise good looking show. The colors are bright and there is a nice palate used for the show. The image is a little soft, but only slightly. It is too bad the encoding job wasn't better.
Extras:
This DVD includes a clean opening and closing, and a series of trailers.
Final Thoughts:
This volume picks up a little from the previous one. A lot of the mysteries that have been brought up in the previous episodes have been resolved, or at least explained. Things are poised to be wrapped up in the next DVD. If you've been buying these, you should make sure to pick this one up too. Casual fans are probably best served by Renting It though.
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