Broken Blade Movie 2: The Path of Separation

Gzerble Mar 5, 2015

7.4

Break Blade Movie 2: Ketsubetsu no Michi carries on right where the first movie left off. This is the part where the conflict with the bad guys starts getting interesting. The protagonist is still the outcast with a few friends, the enemies are just doing whatever needs to be done, you know the drill. While it is a continuation, the movie does not shift gears. The pacing remains the same, and the feel is similar. This is... not a bad thing. We still get a lot of the same from the writing perspective, but this time we get to delve further into the characters. More side characters are introduced, and we get more on the war itself. Finally, the fight to begin in earnest for our hero. It is a solid developmental choice, introducing us to more of the cast and adding the start of a political story. Also, the fact that these are kept light allows for the theme to feel natural rather than a slap in the face with a sneering "just deal with it" like the average shounen anime does. The artwork remains solid, with the same strengths and weaknesses of the earlier movie in the series. But yes, I am still calling it "movie" rather than episode, because the artwork is cinematic in style. There are still issues with movement and the sound remains a bit sombre for my tastes, but it is overall quite strong. So, does Break Blade Movie 2: Ketsubetsu no Michi do things better than the earlier movie? Well, yes actually. A good start to a series is easy. Continuing it is actually far harder. This is a sequel which is surprisingly disciplined in development and therefore ultimately intriguing. Don't get me wrong, this is still heavy shounen/mecha territory with all the good and bad that entails. But it is a well thought out production that does things well.