Search - Kaleido Star New Wings, Vol. 4: Return to the Rising Sun on DVD

Tension Builds, More Questions and Everyone is starting to '

S. R. Parker | Hou., Tx USA | 07/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here we go...another DVD that delivers the angst & the antics from the crew of Kaleido Stage. So I thought I'd give it a shot and give my take on Vol. 4...with slight spoilers.

1. Amazing & Sad Homecoming...

This episode had me surprised because I wasn't sure how interesting it would be with Sora gone from the Kaleido Stage, but it was well thought out, even the presence of Ken & Mr. Policeman didn't damper the mood.

My impression of it was...a very mature theme and Sora's friend, Manami, was definitely the adult & the voice of reason.

Another thing that struck me was the fact Sora had....OTHER friends. You get SO used to the folks at Kaleido Stage, you forget that Sora had a life before it.

2. My Amazing Fresh Start...or Sora starts over.

Sora has come back and she's back to square one...and she ain't getting paid. *blah*

But, at least, she knows what she's aiming for FINALLY and watching her work with the crew of KS...well she's energetic to say the least, but she misses the stage.

One thing that surprised me is how much her 'rival'...aka May...ACTUALLY missed her. It seems May doesn't have ANY type of steam in her performance unless Sora is there [..to me that's sad..].

One of the funny moments is when May sees Sora for the first time and starts giving her a piece of her mind! Problem is NO one can understand what she is saying. :-)

One of the eyebrow-lifting moments is that Leon missed Sora too, but he doesn't say it. As for Leon, I've heard/read that there is a creepy moment that deals with Leon in this episode..and they're right.

Leon has FINALLY made the connection of what it is about Sora that draws him to her, it's the fact she reminds him of Sophie and therefore, he now knows without a doubt she IS the one who is to be his partner.

Unfortunately, the normally cold & stoic Leon begins to see ONLY Sophie in Sora and that causes the wall that he built around him to crack and the past & present collides for him.

In the tagline, when they say he forms a dangerous bond with Sora, it turns out dangerous for him.

On a lighter side note..and call me a 'closet-romantic', there was one scene [...which I've seen represented on most KS websites, now I know why...] when unknown to Sora, Leon is watching her and who comes out looking for him wearing an itty-bitty outfit [fanservice, guys] our dear May, but he isn't paying her NO mind and it just puzzles tha' hell out her. Hah!

3. An Amazing, Humiliating Performance...

Okay, let's just talk about the scene that stood out in the whole episode...the Romeo & Juliet performance.

May has been told off repeatedly by Cathy [...remember her...] that her performance sucks, in a nutshell. So on the night of another performance, May is still not giving it her all. NO feeling of romance on stage, kids.

In the middle of the performance, Leon remembers Sora saying to him that she would be doing the props for flowers during the performance.

Leon, who I dub 'Mr.-Take-Charge-of-the-Situation', stops in the middle of the performance, CLIMBS up the trapeze to the rafters where Sora is, proceeds to do a freefall WITH Sora to a trapeze, and MAKES her perform. You gotta see it.

May, who can be kinda narrow-minded, thinks here's a chance to compete with Sora. Leon just desires to perform with her.

One of the moments that had me saying 'what tha' h--!!!' is during the free-for-all between them, Leon & Sora fly towards each other to the same trapeze, Leon gets there first, moves it and...you gotta get the DVD to see the rest but it was cool. :-)

Unfortunately, Leon has a Sophie-moment during this and it proves fatal for him..and I thought people were trippin' when they said he fell, but no..and it was uncomfortable to see that happen to the Pegasus.

Moving on.

4. Mr. Policeman's Amazing Proposal...
*sigh* Can I just say I prefer Mr. Policeman in small doses? But this honestly was a sweet moment for him especially in the end and the antics of the KS crew was silly as usual as they tried to hook Ken up with Sora. Do I HAVE to say it didn't work?

No offense to Ken supporters, but the poor guy has a relationship to a jellyfish. THEREFORE I cannot see those two hooking up no matter WHAT people try to say.

The ending was cool with Sora doing these awesome moves for a bank robber who questioned the abilities of the Kaleido Stage performers and Mr. Policeman asking the question that makes men sweat.

5. Launching an Amazing Smile...

*sigh* Leon is still out of commission for the month. So what happens now?

Weelll...May decides she wants special training from Layla, which turns out to be funny because Layla, with Cathy, are TRYING to teach May...to smile and the results are PAINFUL.

Anna is FINALLY coming into her own with her comedy act, check out her 'Caterpillar' routine, I thought it was too cute.

In the meantime, Kalos & Mr. Kenneth are up to something that involves Leon being the answer they're looking for, especially when it comes to Sora.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kenneth has our KS crew doing a promotion/performance at a car show for him and May who is intently watching Sora...finally gets it. She figures out the importance of a smile and how to make it happen, sorta.

One of the moments I liked in this episode is nothing spectacular, but a simple scene where Sora visits Leon in the hospital. To me, it was a key moment [...more than any other...] because you see that Sora is no longer afraid of Leon.

Sora had questioned about what happened to Sophie, but Leon is not in the mood to speak about it...yet. So, Sora, in true form, chooses to talk about the Motor Show in 'all-out babble' fashion Sora-style and the look Leon gives her while she's 'talking' is priceless because he doesn't know what to make of her.

..and that's enough for now until the next TWO months.

nuff said..."