I have to admit that s-CRY-ed isn’t a series that hooked me straightaway, but after thoroughly enjoying the closing episode of disc 2, I found myself looking forward to seeing what volume 3 had to offer. Sadly, rather than proving to be a turning point on the road to greater things, these four episodes proved to be the weakest instalment in the series so far.

Despite Kazuma’s efforts, HOLY are continuing to sweep through the Lost Ground, rounding up any Native Alters they find and forcing the general populace to work on the redevelopment of the area. Nonetheless, Kazuma isn’t one to back down from a fight, instead choosing to journey to the Alter Forest, a place reputed to contain a way for Alter Users to enhance their power.

After a mysterious encounter with a somewhat familiar face, Kazuma manages to earn an upgrade for his own Alter- although admittedly his new abilities seem to be as unstable as they are powerful. And whilst Kazuma begins putting his new powers to good use in further battles, back at HOLY HQ, Mimori stumbles onto evidence that there are disturbing things going on behind the scenes…

As the above synopsis would suggest, s-CRY-ed continues to stick to tried-and-tested storylines, and when coupled with the pacing of this volume, it makes for somewhat unsatisfying viewing. Whilst there are undoubtedly a number of intriguing story threads in play, so far there has been too much build-up for too little pay-off, and the inclusion of a recap episode on this disc almost stalls the momentum of the series entirely.

When it comes to the pure action side of things, however, the series never fails to deliver its trademark brand of spectacularly over-the-top Alter battles. As well as getting a good look at Kazuma’s new powers, this volume showcases the abilities of a few more HOLY members- most notably the eccentric Emergy Maxwell, whose Alter manifests itself as an oversized mecha. The flow and outcome of these battles won’t hold any surprises, but they’re worth watching if only to see such novelties as Kazuma going up against a giant robot with only his fist.

Character-wise, it is Kazuma’s friend Kimishima and velocity-obsessed HOLY member Straight Cougar who receive the most development this time around. Up until now, both characters have offered little more than support and comic relief, but now both get to take the spotlight as they find the strength and motivation to actively oppose HOLY in their own ways. Unfortunately, the cast as a whole still feels rather two-dimensional, with a definite emphasis on bringing new characters to the forefront rather than fleshing out the core personnel.

Visually, the animation remains as slick as ever, with the rich and vivid colour palette helping to paint some extra life into the characters, settings, and most especially the range of Alters displayed on screen. The soundtrack remains consistent, relying primarily on a handful of tracks that suit the series well, but are somewhat too generic to stand out from the crowd.

In Summary

A slightly disappointing instalment in the series, s-CRY-ed #3 manages to deliver on the action front, but flounders a little when it comes to characterisation and story development. That being said, with so many ongoing plot elements having been set up, I’m eager to see how they pan out in the second half of the series.