E's Otherwise Volume 4: Suffer the Children (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 4 Language Options English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by ADV Films Extras - Clean Opening/Closing Animation - Actor PSI Profiles - Production Sketches
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E's Otherwise Volume 4: Suffer the Children (DVD)

When Kai vanishes before Asuka’s very eyes, he finds himself in a strange sanctuary filled with psychics very much like himself – psychics being used and manipulated by powerful players. But these gifted mutants are different. Why?

Because these psychics are children.

Small children capable of extreme power are being restrained and trained as weapons by a corrupt Cardinal who plans on taking his own holy war to the streets. But the Cardinal is not willing to give up his children – or Kai – so easily.

Meanwhile, Maxim uses Maria to get closer to Asuka. Having realized that the gentle, innocent Asuka is a psychic of incredible power. Maxim unleashes his own sadistic senses to ensnare the girl.

Get ready for a psychic adventure sure to blow your mind in this exciting volume of E’s Otherwise!

The last disc of E’s Otherwise had Kai disappear on us in front of Yuuki and Asuka, and we start up exactly where we left off. So far the direction of the series has become more serious and we’re starting to get a better view of the main plot. Enough talk, anime now!

Episode 15: Residents of Paradise

Kai has regained consciousness in a church-run facility, and inside a group of young psychics are being continually tested. They have beckoned him to speak to them, and they are very excited to meet another psychic, especially one much older than themselves. The leader, Raphael, explains that they are in a place called “Paradise” and it is run by Cardinal Ghibelline (who Kai is familiar with in the church). Before they can talk too much, the children are summoned for training; Kai follows and witnesses as the young children are pitted against combat machines. As he watches, Ghibelline and his entourage has approached and Kai interrogates him about this facility. When the Cardinal is not so forthcoming about what is going on, Kai is forced to try and escape Paradise. As he escapes, Ghibelline talks to his young wards and Raphael eludes that he may be the one who summoned Kai for his similarity to his deceased friend Samael. Meanwhile, Yuuki is meeting with every one of his contacts trying to find information about Kai’s whereabouts, and Asuka putters around the house trying to keep busy while she blames herself for not being able to help Kai.

Kai manages to escape the facility easily enough, but when he reaches the surface, he’s at the site of his battle with Shen-Long. Surprised at this, he fails to notice that

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the leader of the rebels has appeared. The man speaks to Kai about Ghibelline, the church, and the future as it pertains to Maria (the rebel psychic) before disappearing. He lingers to consider what the conversation meant, and suddenly Shen-Long appears from the crater and attacks him. Shen-Long is furiously attacking Kai, and he is blaming Kai for Shin-Lu’s decision to have the strengthening treatment.

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The treatment has altered her personality and so by circular reasoning… it’s Kai’s fault. Shen-Long’s attacks continue to put Kai on the defensive, but once the attacks start to endanger the surrounding city… Kai looses his temper and fights back with force. The lone attack blows Shen-Long away and leaves Kai to contemplate.

Episode 16: Similar Vessels

Kai has snuck back into the facility, and has learned that Ghibelline is actually testing the children. As he continues to investigate, Ghibelline has approached him with guards and reveals that he has learned much about Kai’s background since AESES and wants him to join him. He offers to stop testing the children against the equipment if he can recover the Sacrament of Calvaria (the same thing that Yuuki has been commissioned to find by the rebels). Kai wants to save the children, but the Cardinal counters with the fact that all of these children are orphans and have no families to return to.

He leaves the facility, and as he gets outside he is confronted by Maxim. Kai asks who he is and why he’s attack him, but Maxim counters with asking him if he knows who he actually is. As the fight progresses, Kai is able to predict where Maxim is going to attack but he is unable to counter the assaults until he eventually falls. Maxim stands over him and bids him to regain his memories, then he will return. While this fight was going on, Eiji was visiting Hikaru in the hospital – and she suddenly started a coughing fit despite no outward physical problems and started using her psychics powers to devastate the entire wing of the hospital. Despite his proximity, Eiji has sustained only minor injuries and is carrying Hikaru.

Episode 17: Escape To The Light

Back in Ashurum, Eiji is recuperating from his injuries Chigaya has taken an interest in both him as well as Hikaru. In the rebel headquarters, Maria tries to speak with her Grandfather (the leader) but she is being rebuffed by security. She also runs into Maxim, who is becoming irritable at the lack of activity and missions for him. Kai returns to Paradise a 3^rd time, and goes directly to the children to convince them to leave with him. All the children have become scared of the outside world thanks to the lies spread by Ghibelline, and don’t want to leave the facility. They have been called for another round of testing and this time, they have more opponents than usual. Kai heads to Ghibelline’s office and tries to convince him to release the children to him, but he suddenly realizes that the testing is for the corporate anti-psychic weapons program. Seeing that the children aren’t faring well, he heads off to help them and so Ghibelline tries to take him out. Fighting back, he is able to defeat the machines and then tries to lead the children to safety.

Ghibelline activates an automated barricade system that breaks the group up, but Kai is with Raphael. After talking, Kai is able to convince him the loss of Samael isn’t his fault and that the children need the chance to live their own lives – so the pair finally are able to regroup all the children and head to the outside (which they haven’t seen in years). Kai contacts Yuuki and has the children brought to the orphanage that he supports.

Episode 18: Same Bed, Different Dreams

With the loss of the children, the testing program has been stopped and so his corporate funding has gone with it. Kai then appears to give terms, he explains that Ghibelline is not to try and get the children back and he will still look for the Sacrament, but if he harms any of them, he will return violently. The Cardinal begrudgingly agrees to the terms. As Kai is leaving, he is surprised to find Shin-Lu waiting outside to bring him back to Ashurum. She’s very excited to spend time with Kai, but all of her memories of him are completely wrong and she insists that he’s fooling with her. In order to prove her love for him, she starts attacking (?) but the battle quickly spills to damaging the surrounding city of Gald. As the fight intensifies, Shin-Lu’s partner Kyou arrives to help. Initially, the pair don’t work well together (even fighting with each other for a moment or two) but they eventually combine attacks. As Shin-Lu rears up to release a powerful attack, she suddenly comes to her senses and can’t believe that she’s attacking Kai and flies away. Kai tries to follow, but she ends up heading right to her brother Shen-Long who then tells Kai to leave them alone.

Maria shows up at Asuka’s home to speak with her, and introduces herself. Asuka can’t shake the déjà vu, since she has seen her watching the house through her latent psychic powers. As they get to talking, Maria has come to ask Asuka for help in finding someone but their conversation is interrupted by a pair of men who have broken into the house to capture Asuka. Maria moves to intercept the men, but suddenly Maxim arrives and explains that Asuka’s capture has been ordered by the rebels. She cannot believe that the organization would resort to such a violent method and stands in their way; as she squares off against Maxim the two men have moved to capture Asuka. Thankfully, Yuuki has returned home and disables the pair. Maxim then advances by making short work of Yuuki, but Maria continues to defend against him. He then decides it isn’t worth the trouble and says that she’s in charge of bringing Asuka back, and then leaves.

Well, this 4^th disc of E’s Otherwise has given us a nice dose of work towards the main story line and has admirably confused everyone’s allegiances to this point. The next disc should be very interesting.

- Tazman

(March 20, 2006)

"Peter, we need to talk about your son."

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