The first :53 was nearly perfect in my honest opinion. The atmosphere is thick with drama and that "pending storm" that you know is coming around. The flow was great, and I liked pretty much everything about it.
After that, the video kind of transforms itself.
The shatter effect [as mentioned above] was kind of "Oh hey there... Nice to see you... Why are you here?". It could have been executed in a better manner, or probably replaced with something more fitting.
The flashback sequence after the action sequences at 1:12 was a very nice addition to the video to give it a more of a feeling, and I appreciated that! That being said, the straight cuts were kind of distracting, and it needed more movement.
The action sequence when he's trying to save the kid is the same standard fare that I've seen in all the other video sources using this anime. The ending was kind of anti-climatic with the death scene, and we don't get to see if he actually saves the kid or whatever, so that too was kind of a let down.
Overall, it was entertaining. It follows the same conceptual formula that all of the Sword of the Stranger Videos likes to follow, had a few interesting quirks and was editing in a compelling manner.
4.00/5.00
