Plot: What’s it about?
As if the Angel Links needed any more problems, a pirate has stolen some goods right from under their noses. The stolen cargo was to be transported by Meifon and her crew, but it was lifted off their own gate, which enrages Meifon. As such, she sets her aim right on the pirate who did and of course, she plans to kick some serious tail over the issue. Can Meifon and Kosei reacquire the goods, even though the pirate is a Tao master? Soon after, Valeria runs into an old colleague of hers from the Einhorn Empire, where she used to be employed. As she talks with her old mate, Valeria is offered a special deal to return to her military ways, but it means leaving Meifon and the Links behind, by turning over information and such. Is this really an effort to get Valeria back, or a simple ploy to gain insight into the Links? And when Meifon meets with a lost uncle, she gets to spend some time with his granddaughter, a shy, but sweet young girl. But when Meifon makes a startling discovery, she begins to wonder about herself and what her destiny holds…
In third volume of Pioneer’s Angel Links series, the story starts to head toward home plate, but in a bit of a surprise, there’s a lot filler in these episodes. I figured the focus would be on full blast at this point in the series, but that’s not the case here. The first two episodes on this disc are mostly filler, but have some informative content, while the third episode is the real gem on this disc. After I had viewed episodes 8 (My Ship) and 9 (A Pheasant Chooses Its Tree), I had minimal expectations for episode 10 (The Ones Who Were Left), but it is an excellent episode and begins the arc that closes out the series. This episode contains some good story advancement, character development, and even throws in some nice twists, a very impressive overall show. The others are fun to watch, especially since Valeria is given some screen time, but I wanted the arc to be extended and that simply wasn’t what happened. While this isn’t the best volume in the series, it is good and has one awesome episode, so all is well in the end. The series does start to become a little repetitive by this point, but even so, Angel Links is still more than recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. As per usual, the transfers look terrific and more than solid, but the same issues still arise. A tad of edge enhancement and some color issues, but as always in this series, those problems don’t amount to much and I doubt anyone will be let down here. The colors stream across the screen in lush hues, while black levels are sharp and never falter in the least. All in all, another great looking set of episodes, which should more than please fans, of course.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is the same as in previous volumes, very solid and adequate, but limited to the abilities of a stereo soundtrack. You’ll find both Japanese & English language options and as always, I favor the original language, which is Japanese here. The audio is as good as a two channel track can be, with some good use of each channel, but in the end, the mix simply can’t compete with full on surround options. Even so, it handles the material here quite well, with a well presented musical score and ample sound effects presence. The vocals are clean and well balanced also, not much else to discuss in this department. This disc also includes optional English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the launch clips for both the day & night launches, which are kind of cool to watch on their own here.
