I’ve said this before, and even though it’s been said a million times now, I’ll say it again: wow, did I underestimate the hell out of this anime! How could something so absurd, so weird, so stupid become such an addictive hit? I remember first hearing about it a long time ago and avoiding it like the plague, thinking it was an example of anime going too far. Now that I’ve finished the entire series, I’ve rewatched several random episodes. Let me tell you, the third and final season was fun, fun, fun. I supported Boxxo, Lammis and the rest until the end.
In a sense, what you get from this season is more or less the same as what you got from the past two seasons. Boxo, Ramis, Hulemey, and others travel across the world’s levels in an effort to defeat the Void Lord. The environment is ridiculous. The characters are ridiculous. Boxxo’s transformation has been ridiculous and it’s become even more powerful at scale. He transformed into binoculars and a safe, That Deftones album (I’m kidding), and a bigger vending machine that breaks the back of a giant sea monster. Get this and he ends up with a huge garage full of cars! And that’s not even mentioning all the transformations he goes through at the end! There’s no end to Boxxo’s ridiculous turns, and I love the way the show keeps trying to better itself. For me, guessing what Boxxo will become next is a quarter of the fun.
Speaking of Boxxo, you must like his optimistic personality. His relationship with Ramis is the heart of the show and is as adorable as ever. You can also feel his friendship with Hulemy and even the new shell girl Pity. In the scene where Pity and Boxxo are kidnapped and thrown into prison, Boxxo takes great care of Pity, decorating the cell with enough flowers and cozy blankets to prevent Pity from feeling even the slightest discomfort. It’s cute and you can tell that Boxxo is trying to be as cultured as the multifunctional vending machine. I also admire Boxxo’s optimism in the face of dire situations, like when the Void Lord razed Boxxo to the ground in a cave and buried him alive for four days. I’ve (obviously) never been buried alive, but I’ve seen that scene kill bill. Being buried alive is one of the most claustrophobic, heartbreaking, and confusing experiences one can endure. So how does Boxxo handle it? As he waits to be released from prison, he decorates his confinement space with flowers and cold, calm and peaceful. I have so much respect for this man’s patience and optimism.
The final season follows the same idea of everyone going on different adventures one after another in the form of episodes. The characters go to the beach, escape from prison, and come to a cave where they drive in a straight line for twenty-eight days. The game features random encounters with a wizened, wish-fulfilling dungeon master, a giant stone dog beast that emerges from the ocean like Godzilla, and an evil witch whose voiceover sounds more like Auto-Tune than T-Pain. Animation and art are limited, but so what? The world is so random and wild that it doesn’t really matter. This randomness might lead a jaded viewer to believe that the events were made up as they happened. They are not. The show revels in its absurdity so much that it conjures up randomness at will that ultimately makes you buy it. It operates on a logic similar to “sure, why not” adventure time And roll with it. If you’ve been able to sink your teeth into a super-powerful vending machine, you’ll see a talking bear creature wearing a Letterman jacket, vegetables running on two legs, a giant, anthropomorphic field boy, and a girl who can carry heavy objects on her back. Arnold Schwarzenegger At his peak he can improve and then you can handle anything this anime has to offer.
Well, maybe there is a complaint. I thought Kerioyl’s subplot was handled poorly. Spoilers, but remember in Season 2 we found out that Kerioyl’s son was cursed and crystallized, which made him side with the Void Lords, thus confirming all of Boxxo’s initial suspicions about him? Well, now at the start of season three, Kyrie Oyle’s son is uncrystallized off-screen, and we’re given a cursory explanation as to why. Then after disappearing for a few episodes, Kerioyl, his son and their crew suddenly came back and changed sides, with Boxxo accepting Kerioyl’s apology like a “snap of his fingers.” I know this is anime and we’re used to bad guys turning into good guys, but is Boxxo being a little too forgiving? Since you didn’t trust this person before and were proven right from the start, why would you trust this person again? Oh, and then Kyrioire’s son suddenly and magically lifts the curse. The show seems to be emphasizing “this is a weird and random world so we don’t have to explain anything” to the point where Kyrie Oyle’s story feels disjointed and awkward.
If I could take my words back a little, I’ll admit: reading my preview guide entry for this show made me cringe a little. I love this show, although you can tell I’m not yet immersed in it. I called the show twisty, and I even said Hulemey was “right there” in season one (seriously?!). No, this is a show about spectacle, and while you should care about consistency and how the plot unfolds, I felt too focused on the complexity of the characters and plot. Rewatching and reviewing the first two seasons, and then watching the third season in one sitting, made me realize that what I was doing was wrong. No, none of the characters are that complex, and yes, maybe some of their personalities and stories could have been handled better. Who cares? They are all cute and have hearts. Plus, those small character moments are just the icing on the cake. The joy of this anime is that it goes out of its way to make the unbelievable believable. vending machine is a ridiculous but not mindless animation, cleverly layered with a bunch of delightful weirdness that gets bigger and better with each passing episode. There’s no point if it’s all about the journey and not the destination vending machineThe final season is sure to provide you with an unforgettable trip.