It was the end of the era for Garo back in 2013, the sequel to Chapter of the Black Wolf, Makai Senki wrapped at the beginning of 2012, and one year later, the Garo team was set on wrapping up one of the loose threads from that season with this movie, it was also the end of the Kouga Saejima era of Garo as his actor Ryosei Konishi was stepping down from his role as Kouga following this film. Following this movie a new era of Garo was to begin that everyone would love and not think it was bad or mediocre....Is that a bit too overly foreshadowing.
Following the events of Makai Senki (Yes this does serve as an epilogue to that show, but its is self contained on its own that you didn't need to watch that to understand this) Kouga and his ever trusted companion Zaruba begin their part of the deal with Gajari, the quest, travel to the promise land to retrieve the Fang of Sorrow. Upon arriving, Kouga has spilt everything, he's lost Zaruba, his cool coat, and not long after awakening his sword transforms into a dog and runs off. Without his trusty equipment, Kouga sets out to locate his stuff and the Fang of sorrow as he meets a colorful cast of characters ranging from knights, a blue lady, a scarecrow and comes to blows with an evil queen...you know, writing this out this feels like a mashup of Wizard of Oz and Alice in wonderland.
Okay, its not just both plots of those movies meshed together, rather certain elements from both movies, like a scarecrow and an evil queen in a fantastical world where the normal rules are thrown out. But this influence from the fantastical also represents the farthest from the Original Chapter of the black wolf. We have gone from the gothic horror to a straight fantasy with most of its horror elements gone. To people who started with Chapter of the black wolf it could feel disappointing to watch the horror go by the wayside but I feel that it works here especially that it is the best looking of the Garo Series I have seen.
One of the many beautiful vistas within the Promised Land
Garo has always been a good looking series, but you could tell that it has been held back by a budget that has been held back by its budget, it is more noticeable with the CGI than anything else. But with the budget behind it now, we have a film that looks above the previous film Red requiem, which while good looking, did have a feel of a slightly larger budgeted version of the show. The cgi blending with the real actors is well done, the vistas are quite breathtaking, colorful and blends so well that it still looks good to this day and even puts some modern films to shame with its CGI.
Despite how often chaotic some locales can look, it feels like a world that could exist and helps to push the narritive, despite its simplicity, it gives the world more flavor and life and that goes for the characters. Our villain Judam's views of beauty and the hypocrisy she carries on how she treats others despite her motive. Kakashi's trickster nature that also makes him a good foil to Kouga's stoicism, or Kiria showing how the sorrow the world can bring through death gives rise to hope. Though some of the new characters do get to be a bit annoying and as character's, they'll never really take the place of the main cast.
We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of...the Promised Land (By the way, that's Takatora Kureshima from Kamen Rider Gaim under that makeup)
Speaking of the main cast, that can also be a point of disappointment, much of the TV cast is primarily delegated to a sub plot that only has two scenes dedicated to it. So if you were hoping for a more time with the likes of Rei, Kaoru or the other knights, you'll be missing out on that, and despite coming along with Kouga, Zaruba doesn't really have much to say as compared to other seasons, while he does get an actually entertaining fight scene in the film against Kouga, he is quiet a good chunk of the time Lament feels less like a full conclusion to the cast and more a fun epilogue to the journey, the most closure the film has is the reappearance of Taiga to have one last meeting with Kouga and to tell him more about the promise land. Heck even the Garo Armor doesn't appear till the end of the movie, which while giving out some really good out of suit fights that are really good, may leave some people disappointed by the lack of them. Also Rei, what is with that beard, like I know this might be nitpicking but it looks like he started shaving parts of his face but gave up and just left him with that hair on his chin, did no one say anything to him about this.
CONCLUSION
While people may be dissapointed at Lament of the Dark Dragon's lack of a full conclusion for Garo and the cast of the first two seasons. It makes up for it by having some of the strongest visuals of the series I have seen thus far, bringing to life the promise land in one of the best CGI film's of the era. Its an enjoyable epilogue that is worth watching even after all this time.
FINAL GRADE: A
Sayonara, Golden Knight
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