There is a simple solution to this debacle. If the gang leader didn’t actually know anything about it but got the level upper from someone else, then going back to square one would be justifiable. Saten’s chance finding of the link would feel less random, and the show would have ended on a better note. Is it still disappointing? Yes. Is it cliche? Yes. But it’s certainly not irredeemably stupid. Even common sense has a place in anime!

>Let’s face it, everyone has done a story like this before, it’s nothing new. But the studio has done it oh so well.

I wouldn’t go that far. Sure, it’s not the most original thing I’ve ever seen, but it is more so than the majority of anime and even a lot of the movies/books whatever that we’ve picked it as similar to. At the very least, it’s the kind of story that doesn’t come up in anime too often.

>Even though Suou had a friggin’ anti-tank rifle from the 40’s instead of a magical wand with wings or stars… it’s still an annoying way to waste 5-6 seconds. Maybe it’s a cruel joke the producers are playing at… who knows.

Heh, well I happen to quite like magical girl transformations, and wasting 5-6 seconds doesn’t really bother me too much. Mostly because I like the music that plays when Suou materialises her rifle.

Yeah Hei is surprisingly badass, and Suou has a lethal streak to her as well. But remember that she didn’t kill that woman, the villain-of-the-week did. So far Suou hasn’t actually killed anyone.