Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 8: The Paean of Hope ]

Janis is Love. Love and Hope.

Oh. My. God. This has easily become my favorite episode in the series thus far. It was absolutely beautiful in terms of writing, visuals, audio, and choreography. This time around Casshern meets a beautiful singer named Janis. I was absolutely stunned when she suddenly started singing in English but instantly became hypnotized by her soothing voice. Janis obviously had a huge amount of power stocked into those songs which could be felt and seen in the characters, even Lyuze. Although the entire episode was outstanding, the climax was easily the best part. Janis’ song matched the action going on outside perfectly blended seamlessly with every scene change.

This episode reinforces how most of the world rejects hope and the creation of new things (like in episode 7). The robots at the start of the episode only cared about parts to keep them alive but nonetheless felt the power of Janis’ song: The power of hope. I loved the comment that Lyuze made about Casshern and Janis and altered it slightly to be the “Ultimate Spear and Shield”. Honestly, I would have loved to see Casshern and Janis continue to travel together but it wasn’t meant to be. Still, this episode will forever be among my favorites and my top favorite until another dethrones it.