The end of Shangri-La comes with a bang. Except for the part where it whimpered, of course.
What They Say:
SHANGRI-LA is the story of a young woman fighting for her survival in a real "urban jungle." Only 18 years old, Kuniko Hojo finds herself the heart of the battle for humanity's future when she discovers that the government which rules Atlas intends to continue marginalizing the less-privileged masses outside the tower - by force, if necessary.
Follow and her rag-tag group of guerrillas, Metal-age, as they fight for survival in the amazing surroundings of a bustling metropolis reclaimed by nature. Even in this superheated future, both bravery and the human spirit can persevere and—hopefully—win.
Content: (please note that content portions of review may contain spoilers)
The final episode of Shangri-La opens up with Kuniko finally getting to confront Ryoko in the attempt to stop her (and Zeus) from taking over the world. Using Mikuni as a hostage, Ryoko manipulates Kuniko into pulling out Himiko’s Spear and releasing Zeus’s power, which would in turn enable Ryoko to use Kuniko as a host body. But that plan backfires when Kuniko instead absorbs the power of Himiko and easily destroys Ryoko. Unfortunately, that just means that Kuniko has to go and face Zeus and Himiko as well. Meanwhile, MEDUSA is still on a path to destroy all humanity and save itself, and nobody can seem to do anything to stop it.
With this episode, Shangri-La comes to an end. I have been howling for a satisfying end to Ryoko’s reign for quite a while now, as Gonzo has done well building her up, and I cannot complain too much with the way it went down. Sure it was swift, but it is all the more satisfying for that swiftness. What I was not too impressed by was the fact that Kuniko then had to have one more fight with Zeus and the specter of Himiko at the top of Atlus tower. Frankly, it felt a little tacked on and not a little bit underwhelming after the series’s main antagonist, Ryoko, had already fallen. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of how many RPGs throw that “one last boss” at a player out of nowhere right at the end. I had no real emotional connection to the idea of Himiko or Zeus being a potential opponent, so the fight left me with a resounding “eh.”
For the most part, all of the various plot threads tied together well by the end of this episode, as every conflict had been tied up in one neat package. By the closing credits, we have a pretty good idea as to what the future has in store for each person that we met along the way. But again, I was still left a little frustrated at how neat everything was tied up. It all felt a little too fairytale-ish, though I know that tends to be something that Gonzo does—the bad guys all get theirs, and the good guys live happily ever after. It is not that big of a deal, but shades of grey can be nice, and sometimes they are necessary.
But though it missed a few steps along the way, Shangri-La was still an overall an enjoyable experience. When I first started watching, I worried that there might be an element or two that would hurt the overall product, as Gonzo tends to do to me. I was more than a little uninterested in the idea of the carbon market and the Daedalus attacks—the Daedalus storyline dragged far too long, and the Carbon Market arc was too transparent as a ‘reflection’ on the current world’s economic crisis—but both plot points did play their parts in the end; and the rest was such an enjoyable romp that I cannot really complain too much.
I am curious as to how well it would hold up if I were to watch it all at once as opposed to an episode at a time over the course of six months, but it certainly held up fine this way, and I enjoyed it more than well enough to be interested in finding out. Now that it has passed the simulcast timeframe, all of the episodes are up for free on Crunchyroll; however, I’d like to see this get licensed and brought over with a good dub. With the popularity of Last Exile, also by Gonzo and artist Range Murata, it would not surprise me if it does as there are quite a few similarities.
In Summary:
After six months and twenty-four episodes, Shangri-La draws to a close. The final conflict between Kuniko and Ryoko was everything that I could have wanted from it, and everything wraps up fairly nicely (if not a bit cloyingly). There were some down moments here and there throughout the series, but for the most part, Shangri-La was a very enjoyable action/drama. As it is made by the same company/artist, there are definitely some comparisons to be drawn with Last Exile; so if that is a series you liked, then Shangri-La would be right up your alley. Either way, with it now graduating into Crunchyroll’s free archive service, Shangri-La might well be worth your time. Recommended.
Features
Japanese 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
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