Kiddy Grade #4 is the much awaited change of pace for a series that has thus far struggled to establish any kind of memorable plotline. By achieving what the previous volume merely hinted at, this fourth volume of Kiddy Grade turns a previously 'sugary-sweet' anime upside down and gives the viewer something exciting and substantial to think about.

We last saw Éclair struggling with violent flashbacks and becoming increasingly paranoid of those around her, no longer believing that she was fighting for what could be considered a 'just cause'.

Nothing has changed since then, in fact, things have only got worse for her and in an almost 'Evangelion'-esque fashion, Éclair’s mental state is eroding and becoming more unstable with every passing moment.
While she struggles to piece together the random fragments of violent memories that seem to be popping up with an alarming frequency; it is suggested that Éclair hasn't always been the easy going and happy individual we assumed she has been all her life.

Despite her blatantly fragile condition, the hard nosed G.O.T.T boss seems anxious to send Éclair and Lumière out on yet another intergalactic body guarding mission-- but this isn't just another simple 'catch the villain' style scenario, people's lives are on the line and Éclair is forced into questioning the moral stance behind what she is doing; either stand against the G.O.T.T and become a space fugitive or kill a bunch of innocent humans in the name of what is dubbed a worthy cause.

It would be fair to say that with this volume, Kiddy Grade has finally given us a consistent sequence of episodes that confirm the explosive potential this series has been holding back for way too long. As we witness Éclair struggling-- a previously untouchable hero, the series has entered completely new territory; while a confusing set of flashbacks are slowly explained and become clearer, the story completely changes direction.

In previous volumes, we see an all action and no regrets approach to violence. Éclair wins because she is the good guy and them over there, they are the bad guys. It's all easily defined and becomes little more than eye candy, allowing the viewer to switch off their mind while enjoying Éclair pull off yet another back flip.
We now see Éclair and Lumière enter somewhat more taxing moral grounds and the consequences off their actions can no longer be forgotten in the amount of time it takes to gulp down a cup of tea. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was startled by this turn of events, but it's certainly a welcome change of pace to see our heroes stuck in something of a moral quagmire, struggling in an entirely new set of circumstances.

Such is the large spectre of ambiguity hanging over both the G.O.T.T and the histories of their employees; you can't help but imagine there are many more shocking twists and turns yet to come from Kiddy Grade.
In a way, it's a shame the story has taken this long to develop such interesting hooks, I'm sure a lot of action fans will have given up on this series by now, concerned not only by it's rather misplaced aesthetics but also a disappointing lack of early story development. Having harboured similar feelings during the early stages of this series, I can tell you that you may come to regret that decision.

This leads me to a few of my problems with Kiddy Grade. First off, I often find myself at odds with the plastic character designs and the frankly laughable G.O.T.T employee names. It's hard to enjoy Kiddy Grade as a serious slice of science fiction when the cast is dominated by names like 'Tweedledum' and 'Tweedledee', and similarly- witnessing Éclair quell a political protest by using her ultra-strong lipstick just seems jarring, especially inside the serious framework of the situation at hand.

Again, I'll lend my plaudits to the Kiddy Grade soundtrack. It has a very theatrical feel to it and gives several scenes a sense of serious and epic circumstances-- perfect for a series that spends a lot of it's time exploding planets and racing across the universe.

In Summary

Kiddy Grade #4 is the part of the series where fans gain the permission to say 'told you so!'. Finally, the story is developing several exciting hooks and providing the type of pointers towards future events that will leave you feeling intrigued and just plain anxious in anticipation for the next volume.