Break Blade Chapter 5: The Edge of Death - A thrilling battle that reaches a tense climax

Break Blade Chapter 5: The Edge of Death - A deeply moving and poignant drama of battle

"Break Blade Chapter 5: Beyond Death" is the fifth chapter of the anime film series based on the original manga by Yunosuke Yoshinaga, and was released on January 22, 2011. This chapter is an important episode in which the story becomes even more tense and the fate of the main character, Rygart Arrow, and his friends changes dramatically. Below, we will introduce detailed information and reviews of this work, as well as recommended points.

■ Public Information

Release media: Movies Original media: Manga Release date: January 22, 2011 - January 1, 0000 Distributor: Clockworks Eirin number: 118742
Duration: 47 minutes Number of episodes: 1

■Production information

Original author: Yunosuke Yoshinaga Director: Tetsuro Amino (general director), Nobuyoshi Habara (director)
Animation production: Production IG, XEBEC
Produced by: "Break Blade" Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Lantis, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Flex Comics, Fields, Production IG, XEBEC)
Copyright: ©Yunosuke Yoshinaga, Flex Comics/"Break Blade" Production Committee

■ Story

After a fierce battle in the Arakan Wilderness, the battalions of Bard and Borcus both suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat temporarily. As the situation becomes increasingly severe, news arrives that a group of enemy troops will be attacking Rygart's hometown. Rygart, ignoring warnings, rushes off alone to save his younger brother, Legats, but the village has already been attacked and Borcus is waiting for him. A one-on-one battle between Hykelion, the strongest golem in the Athens army, and Delphin has begun...!

■Explanation

The continent of Curzon is a world where fossil fuels cannot be extracted from the ground. The people who live there have chosen the "power" that resides in the hands of people as a power source to move things. Anyone can give "commands" to "quartz" extracted from the ground, although the strength varies, and people call this power "magic." In such a world, Rygart, a rare "being without magical power," is summoned by his schoolmate and king, Hozul, to the royal capital, where he learns a shocking truth... Rygart, Sigyn, Hozul, and Zeth once studied together and were bound by a strong friendship. The whirlpool of war mercilessly engulfs the four of them.

■Cast

・Rygart Arrow/Soichiro Hoshi・Sigyn Erster/Chiwa Saito・Hozul (Krishna IX)/Yuichi Nakamura・Zeth/Hiroshi Kamiya・Cleo Surbrah/Kana Hanazawa・Li/Yuko Kaida・Elect/Hideyuki Umezu・Argus/Kenji Takahashi・Narvi Stryze/Marina Inoue・Jillgu/Kosuke Toriumi・Niall Stryze/Minoru Shiraishi・Login G. Gulf Ensance/Tomoya Kawai・Baldo/Masashi Sugawara・Tur/Kenichi Ogata・Sakura/Nanaho Katsuragi・Regatts/Masumi Asano・Borcus/Kazuya Nakai・Io/Takuma Terashima・Nike/Ryoko Shiraishi・Rokis/Takaya Hashi・Leto/Eri Kitamura・Badeth/Hayashi Wara Aires / Takahisa Takagi Leda / Nozomi Sasaki Greta / Kikuko Inoue

■ Main staff

・Original story by Yunosuke Yoshinaga (serialized in FlexComix Blood)
・General Director / Tetsuro Amino ・Director / Nobuyoshi Habara ・Scriptwriter / Seiji Togawa ・Character Design / Takushi Norita ・Mechanic Design / Takayuki Yanase ・Mechanic Director / Takuya Matsumura ・Prop Design / Takahiro Yamada, Sei Edamatsu ・Art Director / Toshihiro Kohama (Biho)
・Color design: Mitsuko Sekimoto ・Director of photography: Kazuaki Funakura ・Editing: Junichi Ito (J Film)
・Music: Yoshihisa Hirano ・Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka ・Sound Effects: Hiromune Kurahashi (Soundbox)
・Sound recording: Satoshi Yano ・Animation production: Production IG, XEBEC
Produced by: "Break Blade" Production Committee Distributed by: Clockworks

■ Main Characters

■Kingdom of Kushurina, Rygart Arrow Gender: Male Age: 25 Height: 174cm Country: Kingdom of Kushurina A "useless" being, said to be one in a million, who possesses absolutely no magical power. Because of this, he is unable to give orders to quartz, and is unable to control anything powered by quartz ligaments. He was despised for not having magical power, but he accidentally appeared in Delphin, buried in quartz, and it was discovered that he was the only one who could operate it. From there, the gears of fate began to turn... He is an old friend of Hozul, Sigyn, and Zest from their days at the Assam National Military Academy.
Sigyn Elstel Gender: Female Age: 25 Height: 158cm Country: Kingdom of Kushlina Queen of the Kingdom of Krishna. Wife of Hozul. A top-class magical engineer, she is always working on improving golems, and is especially devoting her energy to uncovering the mystery of Delphin. She seems to lack a certain awareness and amiability as a queen. She is an old friend of Rygart, Hozul, and Zeth from their days at the Assam National Military Academy.
・Hozrul (Krishna IX)
Gender: Male Age: 25 Height: 193cm Country: Kushlina Kingdom The king of the Krishna Kingdom. He is trusted by the people due to his good personality, which is unusual for a king. He summons Rygat to the royal capital of Binonten, where they meet again for the first time in four years and ask him to help with Delphing's research. During the Assam Kingdom's coup d'état, he uses military exercises to allow Orlando's forces to pass through his territory. As a result, he is seen as siding with Orlando and is invaded by the Athens Federation. He is an old friend of Rygat, Sigyn, and Zest from their days at the Assam National Military Academy.
Narvi Strize Gender: Female Age: 24 Height: 165cm Rank: First Class Heavy Knight Country: Kingdom of Kushlina A first class heavy knight and special tactical advisor to General Tur. While attending the Kingdom's Central Military Training Academy, she achieved great success, including coming in at the top of the Senior Tactical Officer mock exam, but at the time commoners were not allowed to take the actual exam. Her achievements include suppressing rebellions, defeating bandits, and winning a royal tournament once.
Niall Strize Gender: Male Age: 25 Rank: First-class heavy knight Country: Kingdom of Kushlina The older brother of Narvi, he grew up in an orphanage, just like his sister. He is an expert spearman, specializing in close combat. He is not good at writing. His rank is a first-class heavy knight. He can be a bit soft-spoken in everyday life, but he is calm and cautious when it comes to fighting.
Login G Gulf Ensance Gender: Male Age: 28 Rank: First Class Heavy Knight Country: Kingdom of Kushlina A member of aristocratic family, he holds the rank of First Class Heavy Knight. He is a rare golem rider and sniper capable of using a long-range press gun that is prone to malfunctions. Although he is a noble, he sided with the commoners three years ago when the noble alliance was on the verge of starting a civil war, just like Generals Balto and Tur.
Baldo Gender: Male Rank: General Country: Kingdom of Kushlina One of the two greatest generals of the Kingdom of Krishna, Baldo is a high-ranking magical warrior who rides a golem himself and leads the charge. As a general, he is a calm and collected man who excels at judging situations and taking action according to the state of battle, but he can also act boldly at times.
Tur Gender: Male Rank: General Country: Kingdom of Kushlina He is known as one of the two great generals of Krishna along with General Baldr. He leads the "Draupnir Heavy Knights." He established and runs an orphanage in Binonten using his own money.
Sakura Gender: Female Rank: Captain of the Royal Guard Battalion Country: Kingdom of Kushurina Responsible for the defense of the royal capital. Becomes Rygat's combat instructor. A close-combat specialist who can use the heaviest multi-layered shield and the slashing sword "East Scimitar."
Legatts Gender: Male Country: Kingdom of Kushurina Younger brother of Rygart. Like his older brother, he does not have magical powers. He lived with Rygart on the outskirts of a village near Mount Pegu.
Jiguru Gender: Male Country: Kingdom of Kushlina The only son of General Bardo. A year ago, he was imprisoned for killing a comrade during training without reason, but was released and joined the First Independent Squadron (Millennil Corps) when it was founded. He has the ability to master the captured and modified Artemis in just one week. He can use the slashing sword "Easter Scimitar".
Erza: Gender: Female Rank: Company Commander Country: Kingdom of Kushurina Serving as a company commander under General Barto. An excellent high-ranking magical warrior who pilots her own blue Fafnir and wields two press guns.
■Athenes Federation, Zeth Gender: Male Age: 25 Height: 182cm Rank: Captain of the Valkiures Unit Nation: Athens Federation The captain of the Athens Federation Army's assault unit, the Valkiures Unit, which is made up of the latest lightweight golem, Artemis. He is a "genius thaumaturgist", but hates fighting more than most. The younger brother of Secretary General Lokis, commander-in-chief of the Athens Federation Army. He is an old friend of Rygat, Hozul, and Sigyn from their days at Assam National Military Academy. He is attempting to take over Kushurina, which is ruled by Hozul.
Cleo Sarbrah Gender: Female Age: 12 Height: 153cm Rank: Member of the Valkiures Corps Country: Athens Federation A member of the Athens Federation Army's assault force, the Valkiures Corps, which is equipped with the latest lightweight golem, Artemis. It took even Zeth a week to break in Artemis, but she completed the break-in in just one day. It is also capable of long-term operation. The only daughter of the prestigious Sarbrah family, a military clique, and a classmate of Lii at the Ioris Federation Military Academy. She was a dropout who always spent her time reading fortunes with cards, but because she was able to control Artemis, she was allowed to graduate in two years as an exception along with Lii.
Elect Gender: Male Rank: Vice Captain of the Valkyries Unit Affiliation: Athens Federation Vice Captain of the Athens Federation's assault force, the Valkyries Unit, made up of the latest lightweight golem, Artemis. Former military doctor.
Lii Gender: Female Age: 17 Height: 161cm Rank: Walkyures Corps Member Country: Athens Federation A member of the Athens Federation Army's assault force, the Walkyures Corps, which is made up of the latest lightweight golem, Artemis. She has a tomboyish personality and is a classmate of Cleo at the Ilios Federation Military Academy. Because she was able to control Artemis, which has complex power controls, she was allowed to graduate in just two years as an exception to join the Walkyures Corps, even though it would normally take as little as six years to graduate.
Argus Gender: Male Rank: Member of the Valkiures Unit Nation: Athens Federation A member of the Athens Federation Army's assault unit, the Valkiures Unit, which is made up of the latest lightweight golem, Artemis.
Lokis Gender: Male Age: 45 Rank: Secretary General/Commander-in-Chief Country: Athens Federation Commander-in-Chief of the Athens Federation Army and the older brother of Zeth. He decides to launch a military invasion of the Krishna Kingdom and presents harsh conditions for peace, including the execution of all members of the Krishna royal family.
Bolcus Gender: Male Age: 45 Rank: General Country: Athens Federation Graduated second in his class from the Ilios Federal Military Academy. He has twice put down rebellions in Bergen, located in the northern part of the Athens Federation. He has also taken advantage of the civil war to seize control of Assam, a glorious military feat. He has a high rate of soldiers returning from each battle, and is highly trusted by his subordinates. On the other hand, many in the country's upper echelons are skeptical of his harsh actions.
Io Gender: Male Rank: Colonel Country: Athens Federation A colonel in the Athens Federation Army. He was discovered by Borcus during the independence movement of the northern territory of Bergen and became his subordinate. He is well liked by his subordinate Nike. He pilots the golem "Troia."
Nike Gender: Female Age: 25 Country: Athens Federation Subordinate of General Bolcus. Despite her childish appearance, she is teased as a "25-year-old underdeveloped old hag," but she is ruthless enough to make an enemy's corpse a public spectacle. She pilots the golem "Giratos."
Leto Gender: Female Affiliation: Athens Federation A subordinate of General Bolcus and an aide to Colonel Io. She pilots a Radun equipped with a long press gun capable of long-distance sniping.
Reda Gender: Female Country: Athens Federation Daughter of General Borcus, she can play the violin and will soon be competing in the Federation String Instrument Competition. She secretly has feelings for Colonel Io.
Bades: Gender: Male Rank: Chief General's Assistant Affiliation: Athens Federation A subordinate of General Borcus and aide to the chief general. Pilots the golem "Beltebone."
Aires Gender: Male Rank: Assistant General Affiliation: Athens Federation An assistant to General Bolcus. Pilots the golem "Dragia."
■Orlando Greta Gender: Female Country: Orlando A trader from Orlando who procures huge, high-hardness quartz at Sigyn's request.

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・"Fate"
・Song: KOKIA
・ED1
・"SERIOUS-AGE"
・Fairan

Evaluation and Impressions

"Break Blade Chapter 5: Beyond Death" is one of the most tense episodes of the series, with gripping storytelling and excellent character development. Below, I will give my detailed review and thoughts on the series.

Story and development

Chapter 5 begins with an emergency situation in which Rygart's hometown is under attack. This development has a strong impact on the viewer and increases the tension of the story. The scene in which Rygart goes alone to save his younger brother, Legatts, symbolizes his courage and determination and draws the viewer's sympathy. In addition, the one-on-one battle with Bolcus is an important battle towards the climax of the series and keeps the viewer glued to the screen. The story unfolds very smoothly, with each scene working together effectively to support the flow of the story as a whole.

Character Development

Rygart's growth is especially evident in this chapter. He has lived his life as a "useless man" without magical powers, but as the only person capable of piloting the Delphing, he begins to find his own value. In Chapter 5, his determination and courage are put to the test, and we see him grow even more as his bonds with his companions deepen. Characters such as Sigyn, Hozul, and Zest also stand up to the fight despite their own struggles, which is moving. Zest's struggles in particular leave a deep impression on the viewer.

Visuals and animation

The animation by Production IG and XEBEC is of extremely high quality. The golem battle scenes are realistic and powerful, making a big visual impact. The background and character designs are also detailed, richly expressing the worldview of the Curzon continent. In particular, the battle between Rygart and Bolcus stands out for the beauty of the mechanic design and the smoothness of the movements.

Music and Sound

The music by Yoshihisa Hirano is an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. The background music, especially in the battle scenes, heightens the tension and draws out the emotions of the viewer. In addition, KOKIA's "Fate" and Hiran's "SERIOUS-AGE" are the opening and ending songs, respectively, and deeply express the theme of the work. The sound effects are also realistic, adding to the sense of realism to the Golem's movements and the sounds of battle.

comprehensive evaluation

"Break Blade Chapter 5: Beyond Death" is one of the most highly acclaimed episodes of the series, maintaining a high level of quality in terms of story, characters, visuals, and music. It is a work that leaves viewers with a strong sense of emotion and excitement, and is an essential chapter for enjoying the entire series.

Recommended points

Below are some reasons why we recommend "Break Blade Chapter 5: The Edge of Death."

1. A suspenseful story

The story begins with an emergency situation where Rygart's hometown is attacked, and draws the viewer right in. In particular, the battle between Rygart and Bolcus is an important scene towards the climax of the series, and is not to be missed.

2. Character development and deep human drama

The story depicts the growth and struggles of characters such as Rygart, leaving viewers with deep emotions. In particular, Zest's inner struggle adds depth to the story.

3. High-quality animation

The animation by Production IG and XEBEC provides a visual treat with incredibly realistic and beautiful depictions of the Golem battle scenes and backgrounds.

4. Inspirational Music

Yoshihisa Hirano's music and the theme songs by KOKIA and Hiran enhance the atmosphere of the story and stir the emotions of the viewer. The background music during the battle scenes is especially a must-listen.

5. An essential chapter for understanding the entire series

Chapter 5 is an important episode leading up to the climax of the series, and is a must-see to understand the overall story. If you want to enjoy the series, you can't miss this chapter.

Conclusion

"Break Blade Chapter 5: Beyond Death" is a thrilling storyline, character development, and high-quality animation and music, making it a worthwhile watch. It is an essential chapter for enjoying the entire series, and will leave viewers deeply moved and excited. Please watch this work and experience the drama of battle and friendship on the continent of Curzon.