Ever since the Great Uprising 22 years ago, the people of the Lost Ground have struggled to rebuild in whatever way they can. Like a child demolishing a tower of building blocks, s-CRY-ed #4 changes that in one fell swoop- and it’s all thanks to Kazuma and Ryuho. The loss of Kimishima has hit Kazuma hard, and when he escalates his attacks on HOLY in retaliation, Ryuho decides to finish him off once and for all. But when the two Alter Users end up going all out against each other, the resultant release of power only manages to set off a second Uprising.

Flash forward eight months, and the Lost Ground is in an even worse state than ever, with Kanami, Kazuma and Ryuho all lost somewhere in the chaotic Inner region. Asuka, Mimori and the various HOLY members are understandably concerned with finding Ryuho, but all the while, the sinister plans of the mainland authorities continue to move forward…

s-CRY-ed has been something of a hit-and-miss series for me throughout, and volume four proves to be no exception. Both the first and last episodes on the disc prove to be strong outings, featuring two of the best Alter Battles seen so far, as Kazuma takes on first Ryuho and then another familiar face from previous volumes. Both fights are between top-class Alter Users, and as such are nothing short of spectacular- all superbly executed and animated in the usual range of bright and vivid colours. And given the identities of Kazuma’s opponents, there is certainly more emotional depth here when compared to his usual battles against the more insipid one-shot characters.

Unfortunately, the middle of the volume doesn’t fare so well. s-CRY-ed’s plot has stuck close to the beaten path throughout, and these episodes are no exception. On the plus side, this volume finally gives us some insight into the true nature of Alter power and the motivations of the mysterious authorities on the mainland, although once again we are left with unanswered questions designed to hone anticipation for the next volume. Sadly, much of the content is so generic that you’ll never have trouble predicting what’s going to happen next, even right down to the characters’ exact lines at times.

Characterisation is likewise unimproved from previous volumes; Kazuma and Ryuho retain their cookie-cutter hero and antihero roles, whilst the rest of the cast remains largely undeveloped even as new characters are added. There are some good character moments here and there, however, from the subtle and not-so-subtle indications of the damage Kazuma’s supercharged Alter is doing to his body, to a number of almost throwaway lines that indicate certain characters may have a more important role to play in upcoming episodes.

In Summary

Much like the series in general, s-CRY-ed #4 proves to be something of a mixed bag. Action junkies will certainly appreciate the increasingly high standard of Alter battles, but the plot and characters remain disturbingly generic, and it’s clear by now that this is as good as it’s going to get. If you’ve come this far, however, you’ll certainly be aware that a number of mysteries remain unsolved, and certainly all but the most jaded of viewers will still be willing to see the series through to the end.