3×3 Eyes: Legend of the Divine Demon by Miki

Japanese Title: Sazan Eyes: Seima Densetsu
Also Known As: 3×3 Eyes II
Genre: Romance/Action/Horror
Format: 3 OVA
Allegiance: Studio Junio
Director: Takenouchi Kazuhisa, Sayama Seiko
Vintage: 1995-1996
Intelligence Agency Report by: Lady Sage
Pai disappeared four years ago, yet Yakumo has never stopped searching. But once he finds her, he discovers that Pai is living as a normal high school student. She has no idea who he is… or who she was. To restore her memories, they must travel to the land of her origin. But is Pai suffering from simple amnesia, or is there something more sinister afoot?

Field Agent Report by: Miki 
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
5.00
8.00
4.00
9.00
9.50
Overall 6.50
(not an average)
This series had so much going for it. It had all the questions from the first OVA to answer. It started off playing the amnesia angle well. However, while the visuals and the acting remained superb throughout, the story just fell apart in the sequel. The plot twists barely twisted, mostly because they came out of nowhere. The whole thing suffered from DBZ Syndrome—the baddies kept having one more trick up their sleeves, with some new power that seemed purely random.

Thematically, it had a couple of nice ideas about humanity and identity, but they played out poorly. When it came time for these themes to come to the forefront in the series’s climax—as themes are wont to do—the most heavy-handed route was taken. For example, if one is trying to claim that mortality gives people the power to sacrifice themselves for others, the best way to prove this is NOT to make the entire cast lose their wits and stupidly hurl themselves at an immensely powerful villain. Yes, it gets the point across, but it almost makes the theme moot via overkill.

As for closure, the answers to the questions raised in the first OVA await patient viewers. However, the sequel’s denouement is just as open-ended as the original, but at least without the addition of further questions—situations resolve and people go on their merry way. It doesn’t help, though, that there is no indication at all when the next plot event from the long-running manga would occur in the characters’ lives.

3×3 Eyes: Legend of the Divine Demon is, like its predecessor, an entertaining ride with a few good points to its credit. However, this sequel falters in more ways than the original, counteracting its nicely animated action scenes and phenomenal voice acting with a script that ultimately goes nowhere.