"…the war was fought by humanity against a series of fantastical monsters and the driving point of the show is that we lost, not won. Thus the show sets the stage for a world full of people lulled into a sense of false security that has arisen from the ashes of a nearly wiped out Earth where life continues on as though nothing happened (for the most part). As the show's four episodes progressed, we see that kids still go to school, parents go to work, and the grand scheme of things isn't much different than contemporary life except that the monsters make semi-regular appearances to obtain a sacrifice of a student to feed upon. The sacrifices appear at first to be random but a sort of mulligan is tossed in that if a student doesn't pass a test, he or she is more likely to be the one at the mercy of the monster (parents go so far as to bribe the officials in charge of the test to allow their kids to pass). No one is safe however if one of the monsters is in town and takes a liking to a particular kid. Since the appearance of the monsters is somehow regulated and infrequent, most people have chalked it up as an uneasy peace far cheaper than ending all life as we know it (as opposed to realizing they are essentially livestock for their masters).

There's a wind of change though, one that threatens the peace between the two races, and it comes in the form of a group called the Warriors of Melos. They fight on, tentatively fighting a guerilla war unsupported by the masses (at least openly) using supernatural powers somehow bestowed upon them that allows them to see the true form of the monsters and ride souped up motorcycles as they use their gifts to combat the monsters one at a time. The monsters don't appear to be organized (from the first four episodes) so as one falls, an area is temporarily safe of their influence.

The lead character of the series is a youngster known as Bocca. He possesses an average intellect, a keen eye, and a drive to see things change for the better so it becomes immediately apparent that he'll be the next guy gifted to fight the monsters. He runs into a strange gal known as Sayoko and immediately doesn't like her, signaling that she'll be his partner to those of use who've seen such shows before. Rather than have the lead protagonists get along famously, the creators of such shows think the storylines will develop more interestingly if they fight and bicker so that foreshadowed the couple's importance to the show. Sayoko is also gifted with some powers but not to fight the monsters so much as to guide the warriors in their quest and Bocca ends up with her assistance after he helps a powerful warrior, Kurofune, defeat the local monster."

I thought the idea of a fallen Earth was interesting on the face of it. The near future aspect also worked pretty well for me but the mix of magic and technology were so poorly explained that I wondered if it was a translation problem or simply some cultural relic missing from my collective vision that kept me on the cross side of the show. This time, the episodes were 21) The Range That's Outside the Range, 22) Metronome, 23) Like An Arrow That Pierces Through the World, and 24) Beginning Your Morning Journey. Not having seen the entire series, it's a tough call to make regarding the sheer possibility that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts; in essence, that if you watch the entire series it will somehow make more sense. There are numerous examples of that concept though domestic anime companies tend to downplay many elements in translation to reduce the possibility you'd have to go that far since American audiences, myself included, tend to be more geared to the short term. Either catch our attention quickly or forget about selling later volumes. Well, without any evidence of that kind of thing going on, you can look up reviews on the shill websites for glowing accounts of this one since it was another hodge podge of concepts liberally borrowed from a variety of sources. I particularly liked the king of the monsters' main weapon resembling the Wave Motion Gun from Space Cruiser Yamato but in fairness to the material, there were some bright moments other than when the final credits rolled.

The remaining Warriors of Melos are in space now with their Aibar machines capable of limited flight time in space. This leads to a series of space battles, of course, that are focused on destroying, or gaining control of, an orbital space platform that could either save the human race or secure it for the use by the Monster King and his minions. The goofy aspects of the series haven't changed (weapons that look like kids toys, very overplayed acting, and plot holes the size of the planet) with the obligatory final showdown between the series lead protagonist, Bocca, and the Monster King. The secret of Bocca's powers was not too surprising and while these four episodes had some creative sparks that were missing from the previous volumes of the show I got to review (admittedly, seeing every other volume did not help my understanding a bit), my impression was still the same; the darker elements precluded this from being designed for kids while the goofier elements greatly reduced the appeal to a grown up audience, leaving a small group in the middle that might find it amusing if they take mind altering substances. The ending also felt like a cheat in many ways, completing the circle at the expense of all that took place before so I'm rating it as a Skip It.

Picture: The Melody of Oblivion: The Final Score was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as originally aired in Japan. I liked how the show could be very dark and eerie or light and colorful as needed rather than sticking with one viewpoint as so many others do. This added to the visual complexity as much as the ongoing storyline and aside from some grain, it looked pretty good. The anime style itself will immediately be familiar to fans of the genre (although I prefer seeing more complex backgrounds and elements to the picture, it is a lot cheaper to do it this way) and relies on a lower budget than some of the smash hits from Japan in recent years.

Sound: The audio presented the standard two choices for the consumer; a 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo with either the original Japanese vocals or an English language dub, each with the choice of a couple of subtitle streams (one for dialogue and the other for the major signs only). To be fair, the vocals from the original language sounded more natural but the dub seemed to be a solid effort on the part of Geneon with better body to the music if nothing else. There wasn't a lot of directionality with the show though and aside from a couple of battle sequences, it could've been in monaural and stood up just fine.

Extras: The only extras were a disappointing production art gallery, some trailers, and a paper insert with the double sided DVD cover. None of them really added any value for me and this was a shame.

Final Thoughts: The Melody of Oblivion: The Final Score continued to provide the kind of weirdness that really didn't sit well with me from the very beginning. Originally, the show had some potential but whatever else was going on in the background, the straightforward aspects of the action themes of the show seemed downplayed to cater to the whimsical elements, making it tougher to sit through as time went on. If you like the show or found it entertaining, by all means send me an email telling me why since there's a difference between not liking something and having it sit so fantastically negative in a reviewer's stream of consciousness. Half baked ideas do not a good series make, anime or not, and the only way I found this one interesting was when I turned off the sound or when I turned off the picture (or both).

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Best of Anime 2005 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.