Weiß Kreuz: Glühen

English Title: Knight Hunters Eternity
Also Known As: Weiss Kreuz: Gluehen, White Cross: Glowing
Genre: Action/Drama
Format: 13 Episodes
Allegiance: Marine Entertainment/Koyasu Takehito
Director: Matsui Hitoyuki
Vintage: 2002
Intelligence Agency Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen
Following the defeat of Esszett, the 4 members of Wei゚ all went their separate ways, hoping to live out their lives in peace. However, recent events threaten the stability of Japan once again. The creation of Koua Academy, a government funded elite level school designed to create the leaders of the future raises Kritiker’s eyebrows, especially due to the high suicide level and drastic personality changes among the student body. Once again, Wei゚ is called in to investigate the mysterious Academy.

Field Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
8.50
7.75
8.50
9.00
8.50
Overall 8.00

Weiß Kreuz: Glühen, unlike most sequels, is actually superior to its predecessors. First and most noticeably, the art and animation have taken great strides since the original Weiß Kreuz. Movements and action scenes are far superior to those in the original, and while the new character designs may take some getting used to, they fit the mood of the series far better than the old designs would have. It’s very nice and refreshing to have the producers actually noticing problems with the original, and then actually fixing them in an effort to make the product better.

Weiß Kreuz: Glühen also does not fail where it counts, featuring a very fast moving plot with no filler whatsoever that is full of twists, turns, betrayals, and surprises. Character development has improved somewhat, exceeding Weiß Kreuz levels, but remains rather unbalanced. Lastly, once more, the all-star cast led by Koyasu Takehito does a standout job in both voice acting and the vocal songs used throughout the series.

Despite all these positives, Weiß Kreuz: Glühen has several major flaws that prevent it from being a truly great anime. A major issue is some of the loose ends that surface in the transition from Weiß Kreuz to Weiß Kreuz: Glühen. Certain key characters simply disappear, and no mention is ever made of them again. Also, throughout the series, no background on the villains is ever given, rendering it impossible to associate with them at all. They simply show up to fight Weiß, because Weiß is in their way. Finally, the ending to Weiß Kreuz: Glühen is very rushed and anticlimactic, and creates more questions than answers.

Still, Weiß Kreuz: Glühen remains a very good series, and one that should not be missed for fans of the original Weiß Kreuz, fans of drama, fans of angst, or fans of bishounen. A word of caution however, for Weiß Kreuz: Glühen is even more depressing and dark than the original.