CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon

Episode 22

The dramatic events of last episode required a cool-down period to fully process. Episode 22 does an excellent job of that – right up to the point where it pulls a WTF moment. And yes, it's exactly what you think it is based on last episode, and yes, it has every bit the cheap cop-out feel that you might imagine, unless it does ultimately prove to be a case of Ange's grief-stricken delusions. That definitely cannot be ruled out at this point, as Tusk offers no viable explanation for how he's alive and unharmed and Momoka has only a questionably credible explanation for how she survived being shot, not how she survived the fall and explosion unscathed and with her uniform intact. (She has previously shown that she can use Light of Mana and her uniform to effectively parachute, but she certainly did not seem to have her wits about her at the time.) Conflicting with that, though, is that Momoka is aware of something that Ange could not possibly know about. So did the series really pull a cheap stunt that it will not adequately explain, or is Embryo doing something here to entice Ange to come back, or did the writing just stumble in playing the delusion? Or is something else going on here? When you're in a setting where entire worlds can be created and destroyed, the options are wider than normal.

Beyond that, though, the episode spends most of its time exploring the ramifications of previous events on all of its cast members. Ange, of course, gets the lion's share of this treatment as she briefly contemplates suicide again during her grief, though Tusk's last words to her and her discovery of his diary back on the old island, where he explains how Ange turning up saved him from his own loneliness and despair, bolster her a little. Ersha gets more attention than she has all series as she is allowed to explore her own grief over the loss of the preschoolers and, in Embryo's refusal to bring the children back again, come to an understanding of exactly how Embryo has been manipulating her. She still does not get a lot of time, but it is plenty enough to justify her (expected) actions at the end of the episode. Salia is shown being further driven into a corner by Embryo's continuing insistence on having Ange, too; that she actually damages her magical girl dress may be symbolic of her tragic acceptance that she really has no identity if she has no one to be loyal to, which furthers her as Ange's counterpoint. Of the trio who sided with Embryo, Chris is the one actually shown to be the strongest and most stable, an interesting reversal given that she was one of the least independent of the Norma when on Arzenal. On the submarine front, Jill finds herself chastised for how she treated Salia and Salamandinay and Hilda meet for the first time and make an alliance, with just a bit of tension over their respective relationships to Ange clearly evident. Hilda quickly gives the impression that she will make a better and more confident leader than Salia ever would have.

The episode does not solely devote itself to character progressions, though. Embryro is putting his master plan into action, which means (as expected) that the Light of Mana is shut down; the results are predictably catastrophic on the populace. He clarifies that his interest is in taking only “intelligent women” with him into his new world, which to him seems to mean only women that are either stimulating or unwaveringly loyal to him, as none of the women he currently has under his thumb could fairly be called blazingly brilliant. And it does have some fan service, including a bare-butted spanking scene and what should (in eventual uncensored form) be some full nudity accompanying an implied sex scene.

Strong use of the musical score helps lend sufficient weight to the various emotional deliberations, and everything taken together positions the series nicely for its three-episode finale.

Note: The first grade given below applies if Tusk and Momoka's appearances eventually prove to not be a cop-out. The second grade applies if they do.

Rating: B+ or B-

CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.