Symphogear G

An outlandish show, with a plot I don't think anyone would or could come up with if they were asked to guess what what the story is about. The world building is solid, and the characters motivation are both superb and worth investing time in to understand them. Good show were Aoi Yuuki is out doing her best to end war crimes rather than commit them! lol

If the past episode felt like an ensemble of different plot lines, this one feels like the culmination of those different threads forming an uniform melody. Music metaphors aside, this is the culmination of the climax with the highest stakes demanding from the characters the highest risks and actions. With all being brought together by our main character, Hibiki, showing us that the power of her songs are capable of bringing miracles, even when they are truly unexpected.

And just like a swan song, Symphogear G comes to an end with an spectacular final battle and some nice and heartwarming conclusion, even if, in my personal opinion, the show needed one final scene to be a perfect ending. But that does not diminish this finale.

If there is one word that we can summarize this episode and at the same time this whole season, it would be unexpected twists. Betrayals, personal convictions, illusions and delusions, each character having their own motives and reasons could make for a dissonant plot in such a high stake climax, but Symphogear makes it work really well together like a well attuned ensemble.

What do you do when you are forced to fight your own friend, someone who you feel you own your life to? Thanks to Dr. Ver despicable methods and plans, that is the exactly situation that Tsubasa and Chris find themselves into, but worse yet is Hibiki having to see all that. Symphogear G approaches its climax with a situation more tense than anyone could expect, leaving us as viewers at the edge of our sits the entire episode.

If there is one thing that is really consistent and serve as mark for quality in Symphogear is Hibiki’s VA screams whenever the character is put into emotionally charged situation. With such an intense and tragic closing for the last episode, and opening for this one, Symphogear moves to the last setup needed before the climax can finally start. An episode that is full of emotions, some twist but more than anything, a dramatic closer.

Secrets and truths, one thing that both have in common is that when they come forward, decisions have to be made. And that is exactly one of the themes of this episode, be it with Maria and her organization’s secret and goals or Hibiki and the truth about her life situation. And even when the characters make their decision and seem to be moving forward, nothing is really simple. Situations can be complicated. This might be a roundabout way of saying that this episode is full of intrigues and complicated situations that cannot be explained without completely spoiling it, but trust me when I say, it all makes for a really interesting and somewhat tense episode that is worth watching.

To not say that Symphogear G is just perfect, we got to admit that the show has one weak link in the form of Dr. Ver. It’s been 7 episodes so far, and while the show has already made it clear that he is the main villain of the season, he does not hold up to Finé in last season, which makes his appearances borderline annoying, like how he acted in this episode. Making one just wish for the moment that Hibiki will finally be able to land a good old punch on his face.

There is a saying that a lot of shows like to use that goes something like “Great power comes with a price”, and while this phrase is not stated in this episode, it is the sentiment that is passed. Power comes with a price, and it can have its consequences, and that is exactly what’s turning this season into something bigger and better than what we got on season 1.

Symphogear has a lot of cool moments and good songs, it is the formula that makes this show succeed, but if there’s one thing this episode is able to do that surpasses all other episodes so far, is it ability to give you straight up chills down the spine. Honestly, a perfect and unexpected execution that not only up the stakes for the fights so far, but also elevates the show to a new frontier.

With the surprising connection between Maria, Finé and the organization barring the same name coming to late, the battle between her and Tsubasa escalates until… In the meantime, the school festival finally begins and gives us some nice focus on Chris showing us how far she has come since her lonely days of season 1.

Episode 3 comes with some time off from the previous incident from the last episode, giving our girls some time off to be themselves and be just students. While the school life is not the focus of the show, it is good to see some down time in the school, even with a full on school festival to boot, but unfortunately, as said school is not the focus of Symphogear and the fighting must go on.

It is very fair to say that Symphogear never misses a beat when it comes to its action, and this episode is another proof of that. It may be only the second episode on a season of 13, it is action packed with some really good fights and some fantastic moves that shows that our main trio are a lot stronger than where they left on during last season.

Symphogear comes back in a high octave! Even though it is only 3 months in story after the end of season 1, the show comes back with a lot of changes, new characters, new threats, new mysteries but still with really good songs and, in my opinion a good improve in the animation.

the finale goes absolutely nuclear and somehow sticks the landing. Chris using Solomon's Cane to open the Gate of Babylon to seal the Nephilim's heart rather than destroy it is genuinely clever and the image of her telling Solomon to prove his cane isn't just a tool for murder is one of the best lines in the season. Maria catching the cane and holding the gate open at the cost of being pulled through with the Nephilim's heart — choosing to seal herself away — is the right sacrifice for her arc. Ver throwing a tantrum because he doesn't get to die as a hero, escaping through a hole he punches in the floor like the unhinged disaster man he is, is peak Ver to the absolute end. the All Symphogears Unite finale sequence with the world's phonic gain powering everyone to fix the moon is Symphogear at its most delirious and most sincere simultaneously. an absolutely wild and completely satisfying ending.

Shirabe throwing herself into Kirika's scythe to protect her and getting impaled is the single most emotionally devastating moment in the season and the show earns every second of it. these two girls who have spent the whole season protecting each other finally facing the cost of that protection is handled with real grief. Finé's soul appearing inside Shirabe's mind — choosing to protect her rather than take over because she couldn't move on after Shirabe took a blow meant for Kirika — and revealing she has a message to pass on is surprisingly tender for a character who spent season 1 as the villain. Maria's broadcast going unanswered because no one joins her song and her breaking down in tears is its own quieter devastation.

Ver activating Frontier and using the moon itself as a weapon — pulling it physically closer to Earth and destroying entire fleets with gravitational force — is the moment Symphogear G goes fully unhinged in the best possible way. the reveal of Ver's actual plan — to destroy all of humanity and repopulate the Earth himself — is so magnificently deranged that it reframes every scene he's been in. he was never working toward anyone else's vision. he was always doing this for himself. Maria's devastation at learning she was used for this is completely earned. Hibiki encouraging Shirabe to do what she thinks is right and hitching a ride with her to Frontier is peak Hibiki energy — chaotic, warm, completely sincere.

Miku getting a Symphogear and then being mind controlled into fighting Hibiki is one of the most emotionally brutal things the show has ever done and it works precisely because of how carefully the series has built their relationship. watching Hibiki refuse to fight back against the person she loves most while taking damage is gut-wrenching. the blast that eventually snaps Miku out of the mind control also curing Hibiki's condition simultaneously is the kind of narrative convenience that Symphogear earns through sheer emotional momentum rather than logical elegance — you're too relieved to question it. the episode is messy in places but the emotional core is devastating and completely earned.

the Miku-is-alive reveal lands with enormous relief after the despair of the previous episode and Hibiki's immediate emotional recovery — from depression to determination — is very her in the best way. the training montage with Genjuro is peak Symphogear absurdity and i love it. Ver instructing Kirika to inject Shirabe with Anti-Linker to knock her out of her Symphogear state when Shirabe tries to fight on her own terms — protecting Maria from seeing more people die — is such a good illustration of how thoroughly Ver uses the girls as tools while they think they're making choices. the dynamic between the three FIS members is becoming the emotional core of the season and this episode leans into that well.

the revelation that Nastassja never told Maria she was Finé's actual successor — she was only playing the role to gain Ver's cooperation — is the most important character moment of the season and this episode handles it with real care. Maria has been carrying an identity she was assigned rather than one she chose and watching that unravel while she still chooses to keep fighting is genuinely moving. the dynamic between the three FIS girls shifts significantly once this truth is out and Kirika and Shirabe's loyalty to Maria becoming about Maria herself rather than the mission she represents is a beautiful quiet development. the show is doing its best character work of the season here.