Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
takt op.Destiny Episode 12 Review – Quick Summary
In takt op.Destiny Episode 12, “Takt -Hope-,” an already exhausted Takt and Destiny faced Orpheus, the fusion of Heaven and Hell. And Orpheus intended to play for keeps. She immediately launched a missile attack that forced Takt and Destiny to regroup. Takt was not in the least bit surprised when Destiny said that since it was just her against Orpheus, she would have no problem. So, they attacked. Violently. But with both Takt and his Musicart already battered, how long can they hold out? And just what is Sagan planning to do – and why?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from takt op.Destiny Episode 12
Takt said more or less what I was thinking. That’s kind of scary… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Sagan actually told us why he had decided to kill so many people! It’s really not worth relating, except insofar as it demonstrated a) that the man had completely lost his mind and b) what he still had delusions of grandeur. So all the signs that said what Sagan was doing were stupid? They were intentional.
And how do I know that? Because Takt told us. He said almost exactly what I was thinking near the end of Sagan’s rambling, self-deluding speech.
“God,” Takt said in a disgusted, weary voice (14:53), “would you just shut up already?
I could not have said it better myself. I feel a little uncomfortable at how much I related to Takt’s character!
Best in Show Moment for takt op.Destiny Episode 12
Destiny can communicate very clearly when she wants to. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Why Did I Love This Show?
I’ve seen a series split fandom into two camps: One camp hating the show, and one camp loving it. But I haven’t often experienced a show that split me into two camps. The rational part of my brain already threw up its hands and said it couldn’t process the show anymore. I mean, a tuning fork that sliced through Heaven and Hell, then recombined them into Orpheus (as seen in the previous episode)? With no explanation?
But another part of my brained remembered the visual language I caught glimpses of back in episode 2. The show spoke in that language, and I couldn’t rationally interpret it. It bugged me through the rest of the series. But what bothered me more was that I still enjoyed the series! I loved it, actually.
Wait, Heaven and Hell became Orpheus? What in tarnation is that about? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
How can that be? What’s going on here?
I still don’t know. But I want to figure it out, because it can affect my own writing. I expressed a sentiment similar to this in a comment on the site The Magic Planet. The site’s owner, Jane the Anime Witch, was gracious enough to respond, and I’m still pondering her words. She understood the series in a way that still eludes me. For now, I’ll tell myself to be content knowing that someone knows why I loved the series so much. Even if that someone isn’t me!
That said, let me present my favorite moment in this episode.
The show seemed to be at its best during fight scenes and during quiet, intimate character moments. My favorite moment in this episode is one of the former. Because, damn, this episode gave us a hell of a fight!
Delivery: In the Absence of Words, Deeds Carry the Burden
As Takt sought out Sagan, Destiny and Orpheus went at each other. Destiny’s scrappy, but Orpheus had way more experience. That, and she was actually two Musicarts. So, she had the upper hand. At one point, she knocked Destiny to the ground, towered over her, and prepared to slice her in half with her sword.
But Orpheus erred. She gloated that after she killed Destiny, she’d keep her streak going by killing Takt, too. As Orpheus raised the sword for the killer strike, Destiny sprang up, knocked the sword from her hand, and started whaling on her. Destiny had the conviction of Takt’s vision being superior to Sagan’s. She also felt she was in the right by trying to preserve life. So she let her fists fly.
There’s a lot I didn’t understand. But I understood this: Destiny believed in her mission. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Within moments, Destiny had Orpheus on the ropes. “I will never give up on those I’m trying to save,” Destiny said, landing punch after punch (13:49). The sound of her knuckles landing made me wince. But my favorite moment was what I at first thought was Destiny throwing her elbow into Orpheus’ throat (13:59). Even looking at the still, I’m not sure if it was a punch or a jab, but it looked so visceral that I couldn’t help but be impressed.
That was Destiny’s philosophy of life, made physical by her powerful fists. In the end, that’s my favorite moment from this episode. Maybe what I love so much about this show is the visual language it uses to express that kind of philosophy. Well, until I figure it out, I can still enjoy the spectacle of this show’s fights. And they were pretty spectacular!
What did you think of Destiny’s final kiss? What were your favorite moments in this episode? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
takt op.Destiny Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: takt op.Destiny – Episode 12 discussion
- RABUJOI: Takt Op. Destiny – 12 (Coda) – Addio, Signor Disperazione
- The Otaku Author: Takt Op. Destiny (Episode 12) – Takt -Hope-
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- takt op.Destiny Episode 1: Conduct -Creed-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 2: Music -Reincarnation-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 3: Awakening -Journey-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 4: Let the Performance Begin -Showtime-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 5: Equitation -Valkyrie-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 6: Sunrise -Rooster-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 7: Truth -Noise-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 8: Destiny -Cosette-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 9: Family -Eroica-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 10: Master and Pupil -Lenny-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 11: Preparing for Battle -Orpheus-
- takt op.Destiny Episode 12: Takt -Hope-
Takt telling Sagan to just shut up left little impression on me. It was just Takt being his usual… tactless self (pun unintended) – serieously, for a native speaker of German the name “Takt” is a.. rather strange name. It can mean “tact”, but it’s got a specific meaning: the rhythm within a measure of music. So for me, there’s always been this pun throughout the show: Takt being tactless to emphasise that his name’s about the music and not the other meaning. As if someone looked up the word in a dictionary, and tried to make sure we knew which meaning was intended…
Basically, this ended up a so-so show for me. I low-key liked it all the way through, but it’s high points came early, and devolved into mostly fighting. The music part ended up a bit of a disappointment – more missed potential than anything done wrong really, so not really a criticism of the show. Anna was definitely my window into the show; the one non-driven character.
Oh, and Sagan’s plan wasn’t actually that hard to understand for me. He intended to draw them all into one place to destroy them in one go. A huge sacrifice. It actually even makes sense (given you think this can succeed). Basically, sacrifice Japan and save the rest of the world. It’s a fool’s game if you ask me, and he’s definitely blinded by personal trauma – but I had no problem understanding what his deal was. Since you mention DnD alignment, I consider him chaotic good. Takt didn’t see things his way, and Takt won – and in his final moments Sagan appreciated it. That’s pretty typical chaotic good behaviour. I failed; well, maybe you won’t. Try it your way, then. G’bye. I wish I could be there to see it, or maybe it’s better this way.. *Dies*
Nice show, but not very memorable in the end.
It must be hard to write music-related material. The best I can remember was the Marvel comic Dazzler back in the 1980s. It didn’t do a bad job. But more recent work like Listeners, which I enjoyed, didn’t really realize the potential of its premise.
At least not from my perspective.
I like your interpretation of Sagan at the end.
All this talk about music in anime makes me remember that I still have to watch seasons 2 and 3 of Nodame Cantabile, which was great in its first season. It’s the one show where a chatoic improviser meets a sheet music stickler and the show isn’t biased towards any approach.
Good music anime do exist, and this show wasn’t bad. (Better than Listeners at any rate, though Listeners *did* get the mood of a vynil record shop perfectly right – to the point that I could almost smell the dust.)
I still think the crown for goofy classical music goes to Classicaloid.
I hadn’t heard much about Nodame Cantabile. I’ll have to add it to my back log.
I remember that scene with the vinyl record shop. They really did get that right, didn’t they? The Pink Floyd episode really messed me up for a couple of weeks, but that was not because of the show but the associations I have with Pink Floyd.
This was quite the ending! There was this old warhorse of a trope:
The battered and beaten and almost defeated hero suddenly gains vast new strength and crushes the overpowered enemy when that enemy touches the hero’s hot button.
You see that a lot in anime. In entertainment in general. Or was she was feigning weakness in order to get in close? I like that explanation better.
I liked Tackt’s encounter with Sagan. Just shut up will you!?
It is very end, after all the battles, that I liked the most.
I don’t often like that trope, but it did work for me here because of Destiny. I like your explanation that she was just pretending to be weakened!
I won’t pick up the game, but I’m glad I watched the series.