GARO ～闇を照らす者～

Season 3 of Garo started airing this week in Japan. Since the beginning of season 1 back in 2005, it has now reached cult level status, following a string of successful movies and spin offs, based on the 2 seasons thus far. With season 3, the producers decided to start the series with fresh faces, and hence we have a new lead character this time, as the legendary Golden Knight Garo no less.

In the pilot episode, the only recurring character we see is Zaruba, the magical ring once owned by the previous Golden Knight, Saejima Kouga. It seems that the setting of this series is in the future, with the law enforcers holding futuristic weapons. The new Garo is now Dogai Ryuga, who looks younger than Kouga, more bashful and arrogant, but equally cold and serious. At least that's what it seems at first.

There is a visible make over to the Garo suit as well. It is no longer totally Golden. Dogai hinted that Zaruba has yet to accept him as Garo, so perhaps the reason why the armour is not totally golden is because he has yet to fully inherit the powers of the Golden Knight. But at least visually it still looks pretty cool. Pretty sure I'll get the Equip & Prop figures once they are released to complete my current Garo collection.

The trailer gave us glimpses of a young woman who uses magical powers. She doesn't seem to dress like the Makai Priestesses we saw in the previous seasons, but that might just be due to the time or cultural differences. Good thing is she looks hotter than Jabi or Rekka. Combined. :p

The pilot episodes of the 2 previous seasons both gave audience a little extra in terms of soft core nudity. This is an adult show after all, airing in midnight and coming with PG tags. It seemed like a cheap way to attract audiences since on both accounts the nudity was a little uncalled for. I was kinda anticipating this but there was nothing. Yes, the monster of the week is a bride but nothing hentai this time round. Just to be clear I'm not disappointed, just surprised... XD

The reason why Garo enjoyed such success is probably due to all the short, dark stories that reflect on society. Story arcs that stray from the main storyline usually lasts around 1 to 2 episodes, but I really enjoy the short stories because they are deeper than the average tokusatsu shows and trigger thoughts. I'll be looking forward to the rest of the season and will post updates when I feel like sharing more :)