Solty Rei: Volume 6 (Review)
Tuesday, 29th December 2009, 17:28

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Extras
You get the usual textless credit sequences, and this time there are trailers for the Disgaea and Slayers Next.

Conclusion
Given the pace with which the finale was unfolding in the previous volume, I hazarded a guess that there would be bonus episodes at the end of the series, and it’s nice to be proved right on this occasion. It’s even better to be proved wrong as well, as it has seemed at times to be something of a low key year for MVM, concentrating as they have on back catalogue titles like this, X, Gunparade March, Desert Punk and especially Slayers. There turns out to be a reason why those shows took their time in coming to the UK, and while MVM’s output this year has been consistent and entertaining, there certainly has been nothing to grab the viewer by the scruff of the neck as Black Lagoon did last year, and as Romeo X Juliet promises to do in 2010. However, in a year of ‘good enough’, Solty Rei stands out as just a little more than average. It may an identikit Gonzo sci-fi mystery show, but it’s consistently well animated, with likeable characters, a great noirish feel, and as this final volume proves, it isn’t one of those Gonzo shows that fall apart in the final act. Solty Rei stays at the top of its game to the final reel.

It’s been a difficult series to review without divulging spoilers, but I think I will restrain myself this time. Suffice it to say that it is an action packed and emotional conclusion. No plot points are left dangling, and any questions that were raised about this odd world and how it came to pass are answered in full. Also, it seems that Gonzo have avoided the temptation of creating one of those inconclusive conclusions, in the usually vain hope that a second series will be forthcoming. So few anime shows make it to a second season, that the open-ended final episode is cop-out more often than not, and while for a moment Solty Rei looks as if it is going in that direction, staying till the end credits means that you get an ending worthy of the name, signed, sealed and delivered. Solty Rei is as complete a series as you are likely to get in anime form.

The bonus episodes are actually one, double length bonus episode, with no credit sequences in the middle, just an eyecatch. It’s probably presented as two episodes so that purchasers can be assured that they are getting the full 90 minutes of anime on disc, not just 70-odd. It slots into position early on in the show’s chronology, and offers some nice character moments, with Solty still getting to grips with her nascent humanity. It’s set before the story got dark and ominous, so it’s nice to see the characters in light fluffy mode, and consequently the episode is light on drama, and heavy on the comedy. Still, it’s poignant to see Roy meet someone who looks just like his late wife, while Solty has an unexpected jealousy to deal with, before she gets a grip on something like happiness. The emotional content comes from Kasha and Miranda, who have to deal with Kasha’s past threatening their family unit. It’s a predictable storyline, but the characters make it fresh and interesting. The bonus episode isn’t Solty Rei at its best, but it is entertaining, and seeing the characters in happier times, without the burdens that subsequent events will bestow on them, is the ideal frivolous way to end the series.

In a year of relative mediocrity, Solty Rei has turned out to be MVM’s bright spot. It’s entertaining, it’s exciting and it’s of consistently high quality. If you’re going to buy just one MVM series from 2009, make it Solty Rei.

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