Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 12 (Completed)

With all of her cards on the table, it seems as if Jormungand is ready to be unleashed, and Jonah's decision to defect from her ranks is going to do nothing to change that.  Or is it?

This finale to Perfect Order sees us fast-forward by two years, and there's no sign of Jormungand being put to use to stop war, death and destruction around the world.  Indeed, if anything the intervening period has simply proved Koko's point, with a third World War drawing ever closer on a planet wracked with terrorist incidents, civil wars and conflicts based around everything from religion to the need for water.  It seems that the Jormungand project isn't dead however - Koko has used the intervening two years miniaturising her quantum computer so that it can be operated from the "safe haven" of a satellite orbiting the planet, thus perfecting her world-changing device.

Against this backdrop, Jonah seems to have tired of spending time with Kasper and has decided to move on once again - a decision that, ultimately, takes him back into Koko's fold.  Does that mean that he now agrees with her methods on the eve of Jormungand's activation?  Hardly, but faced with a lunatic world and a lunatic individual, Jonah seems to have made his choice.

Having masterfully set up its finale, and after opening this episode with a chillingly believable look at a world heading for ruin and a global war, Jormungand feels rather like it has copped out at the last moment by shifting its focus back to Koko and Jonah's relationship rather than showing the fruits of Koko's labour, for better or worse.  With Kasper vowing to continue to deal arms no matter what Koko tries to do but the CIA seemingly on-board with her plan, we were left with a genuinely intriguing setup and a future world as evisaged by Koko that I'd love to be able to look into, but instead this series plays it safe and leaves the rest to our imagination.  As endings go it's hugely unsatisfactory, but it doesn't hide the fact that as a whole I appreciated Perfect Order far more than the first series, and that I appreciated its grandiose plot thread to end the series even if it didn't make full use of it.  It might not be a classic, but I have to give at least some kudos to Jormungand for the way it leveraged its characters and certain aspects of its story if nothing else.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 11

The end of last week's Jormungand saw Koko finally reveal her masterplan, and what a deliciously bonkers one it was too.  However, it seems that Jonah isn't exactly buying into this particular scheme....

Although Jonah can't actually verbalise his disagreement with Koko's plans, clearly her idea of world peace no matter the costs to humanity doesn't sit well for him no matter how well she puts across her argument about preventing a future third world war and the untold destruction it would certainly cause.  Thanks to that inability to argue with words, Jonah does the only thing he can - he runs (or rather swims); a journey which brings him straight to Kasper, who hires him to join his team instead.

No matter how upset she is by Jonah's defection, Koko still has the rest of her crew on-hand and thus it remains business as usual in terms of both continuing to build Jormungand towards its ultimate goal while carry on her day-to-day business as an arms dealer.  However, there are some obstacles that clearly need to be removed from her path, or at least moved into the right positions on the board - enter an audacious plan to push Bookman into an impressive demonstration of what she can do with a quantum computer at her disposal; a plan which also fingers the troublesome Plame as part of some kind of international conspiracy.  Has Koko just reached checkmate in her game to create a new world?

As lunatic as its main plot point now is, Jormungand continues to operate at the zenith of its powers as this second season comes to a close - Koko makes for a believable righteous-but-insane protagonist, and although the whole quantum computer idea veers a little towards serving as a deus ex machina it's nonetheless a compelling principle that's leveraged superbly here.  With Jonah now acting as a fascinating wildcard and the series' soundtrack at its most insistently menacing, I simply can't wait to see what the show's finale has to offer - my only concern is that a single episode doesn't really seem like enough to do the grandiose plan at the centre of it all justice.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 10

Even by Koko's standards, kidnapping someone from Guantanamo bay is pretty, well, loco.  Can her men really pull it off?

After a good start (that being succeeding in their kidnap of Rabbitfoot), the gang soon find themselves reaching the attentions of "Night Nine", a crack unit who certainly aren't prepared to take any prisoners in despatching with their opponents and taking back Rabbitfoot.  Things look to be taking a turn for the worse as Lutz gets shot (in the ass, naturally), and in the resulting attempt to escape both himself and Jonah end up sliding down a cliff... slap-bang into a landmine.  Although she isn't present on the battlefield, Koko has a few tricks up her sleeve to help out her subordinates however, first downing the surveillance plane watching over the action before making her first use of "Jormungand" itself to send Night Nine on a wild goose chase by undetectably hacking into their positioning systems.

With Rabbitfoot successfully secreted away as the group escape to South Africa, it's finally time after a lot of teasing (particularly towards Jonah) to unveil the master-plan that is Jormungand - a plan to achieve world peace by forcibly using technology to stop all land, sea and air movements, be they civilian or military.  It's the plan of an ill-adjusted lunatic, but Koko is convinced that this is the long-term way forward for humanity no matter the short-term costs - the trouble is, Jonah seems to see things very differently...

If last week's episode of Perfect Order was great, then this week's was entirely brilliant - the first half was a tense and fascinating slice of action punctuated by Tawu Iwasaki's soundtrack at its most insistent, while the second finally laid bare Koko's grand plan for changing the world in all its insanity; a plan so bare-faced and implausible that, when coupled with the concept of quantum computing, seems somehow believable.  From such a broad stroke of its story-telling brush, we seem to be set up for a far more personal ending as it relates to Jonah and Koko's relationship, but no matter which direction the series heads for its finale I really want to see where it ends up.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 9

As Koko's grand scheme (whatever it might be) advances, it seems to have reached the point where she isn't even hiding her movements and intentions, rousing suggestions that she's ready to unleash whatever beast she is creating to do her bidding.

Needless to say a number of parties, including Bookman and Scarecrow, have more than a passing interest in what she's up to, and as you might expect all of the trails (no matter how carefully concealed) lead back to Koko and Dr. Minami's "toy factory", the true purpose of which remains unknown.  However, as Koko travels around investing in very particular companies like someone at the supermarket with a shopping list, Koko's final goal seems to be coming into view.

In short, it seems as if Koko is trying to build a quantum computer, as she goes about recruiting the materials and talent she needs, by force if necessary.  After giving those tailing her the slip when reaching Miami, it seems that Bookman has guessed exactly what her next target is - an Islamic quantum physicist secreted away in a highly secure compound underneath Guantanamo Bay.  While her men train and prepare for this kidnapping, those opposing Koko assemble a trap to counter her... but who will win out?

I have to admit, I really like where Jormungand is going right now - we seem to have left behind those days of crazy, larger than life characters for the sake of it and moved onwards to a whole new dimension; a case of reality meets science fiction with quantum computers at its core.  This whole concept surrounding Koko's grand plan has really got me gripped all of a sudden, partly becomes quantum computing is cool, admittedly, but also because it feels both suitably intriguing and grandiose for me to absolutely want to see where it's eventually headed.  I've enjoyed Jormungand more than I've been disappointed by it to date, but as we enter the closing stages of this second season it feels like it's about to hit the top of its game.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 8

Although we were already aware of the friendship between Koko and Doctor Minami Amada, this week's episode of Jormungand is quick to point out just how far this friendship extends, courtesy to a flashback to this meeting of minds as they discuss their top secret "world-changing" plan.

Certainly, when we return to the present day and another meeting between Koko and Dr. Miami to celebrate the opening of what is supposedly a toy robot factory and development laboratory, it's hard to think that this is anything other than another step towards this grand plan.  We aren't the only ones either, as it seems that all and sundry sit up and take notice all the way from Bookman and the FBI through to other arms dealers.

The theme of the episode as a result of this is very clearly the changing face of war and armed conflict, as Amada meets with an arms dealer who seems to have no purpose to this meeting other than to bemoan the fact that war and supplying arms is no longer about arming troops as much as it is about technology and "business intelligence".  This appears to be a gap that HCLI are about to fill and monopolise, as Kasper announces the "Hekmatyr Global Grid", a mixture of online logistics and procurement technologies backed up by its very own GPS network, with a view towards making invading foreign countries cheaper and easier than ever.  It's a chilling thought in its own right, but is this really the unveiling of Koko's grand plan, and if so why is she showing no interest in the announcement?  It appears that this global grid is only scratching the surface, if that, of her and Minami's true goals...

While I could probably pore over this week's Jormungand with a fine-toothed comb and pick holes in it, at the end of the day its succeeded in one pivotal way - I really want to know what Koko's real masterplan is, which is more than enough to keep me on tenterhooks waiting for the next episode.  That aside, the episode has involved itself in moving the various pieces of its proverbial chess board into place, while also taking a succinct, slightly heavy-handed but still thought-provoking look at the changing face of war as technology overtakes feet on the ground as one of the most important enablers in a conflict.  It's a chillingly, almost terrifyingly blunt and realistic view of the future face of war, and it's a sobering counterpoint to the "cool" factor that pervades Jormungand's take on the world of arms dealers that is much appreciated from my part.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 7

It's time for another of Koko's HCLI henchmen to have the spotlight turned on him in this week's Jormungand, with "Wilee Coyote", aka William Nelson, getting a look in as the main main.

We start by learning the story of just how Wilee came to become part of Koko's group, a tale which begins in Kuwait in 1991 as he finds himself invited along on a mission with a number of Delta Force troops including Lehm.  With a degree in architecture, Nelson is widely regarded as an expert in demolition, leading to his place on the mission in question as it involves destroying a huge Iraqi chemical factory - something which he pulls off with aplomb while also demonstrating terrifying levels of concentration even under fire.

The reason for this story's emergence, aside from leading in to explain how Wilee joined Koko's merry band, is a return to Iraq to (of all things) escort the equipment needed for a school building project in the country.  If you're thinking "wow, that's awfully charitable of them", needless to say it's all just for some rare positive PR in their normally murky world of arms dealers.  When the group's mercenary escorts turn out to be crazy buffoons with over-active trigger fingers, Koko sends them packing only to see them later return to get their revenge - at least, that's the plan, but they've reckoned without the quality of Koko's own troops.

As a one-shot episode there was no broader over-arching story to get drawn into here, but in a way that made for a nice change of pace from the more grandiose fare we've seen of late, ultimately bringing us a good, old-fashioned showdown-cum-shooting match while also giving another character an opportunity to demonstrate his skills and fleshing out his personality in an enjoyable way.  In terms of its action and scenario, this felt like a far better realised effort than we've seen of late (albeit a little too close to home given its subject matter, perhaps), which in itself made for a more compelling outing once weapons were drawn - it's something that Jormungand can do pretty well when push comes to shove, and this episode is certainly a decent demonstration of the kind of thing it can do.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 6

In the midst of Hino and his Japanese Special Research group's two-pronged attack on both Koko and Kasper in Japan and Jakarta respectively, it seems like there are more potentially deadly times ahead for HCLI's finest.  But isn't fighting off these forces in Jakarta proving to be a little too easy for Kasper's own troops?

This question is little more than a niggle as Koko prepares to meet at the arranged location in a shopping arcade restaurant with Hino - a meeting which unsurprisingly proves to be a trap.  With Tojo facing off against some of his former colleagues and just about managing to come out on top, things are looking more than a little hairy as the remaining forces set about Koko and company's armoured car in an undersea tunnel while Tojo and Jonah seek to catch up to add their own firepower to the mix - not that it's particularly required when you have a helicopter and three heavily armed personnel just waiting to ambush the remaining SR forces as soon as they leave the tunnel.

Tojo's injured shoulder and a messed up car aside, this skirmish also seemed to be suspiciously easy for Koko's troops, much to the confusion as Tojo himself.  This feeling of confusion is only further complicated as Hino fails to put in an appearance at all himself, instead effectively announcing that he's running away with the rest of his squad permanently out of commission.  In a rather enigmatic and somewhat unclear finale, it seems that Hino's goals when it came to tackling HCLI were very different to what Tojo assumed them to be, and indeed the entire life of this man who he believed he had pegged perfectly has proved to be little more than a carefully created hall of smoke and mirrors.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure what to make of this episode as a way of closing out the arc - I appreciate what it was trying to do with Hinoto's character and his motives, but the whole thing was made sufficiently indistinct to feel a little unsatisfactory ultimately as a way to polish off the story.  The episode also suffered from another of those terribly clumsy moments of action that White Fox have served up on a few occasions within Jormungand, a terribly realised scene of two men standing on open ground shooting one another front point-blank range - a clumsy and horrible affair that let down what was otherwise a far better crafted bout of high-octane action.  As a result, this was nowhere near Jormungand at its best - it felt a little disjointed and unsure of itself, but it still had its moments and enough of a smart streak to show glimpses of what it can really do when it puts its mind to it.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 5

By this point in Jormungand, I can only assume that the surname Hekmatyr is Scandanavian for "trouble" or something, given the unwanted attention both brother and sister seem to attract thanks to their line of work.

The continuation of this latest story arc certainly confirms that they have some enemies in high places, with Kasper the subject of interference from a highly secretive group that is in fact part of Japan's "Special Research" squad - not a unit dedicated to researching portal guns or anything, but rather what is effectively a Japanese spy ring that operates out of Jakarta and has carved itself into the arms dealing landscape.  Luckily for Kasper, Koko has a former member of the SR on her crew - Akihiko Tojo, who is more than willing to divulge what he knows about his former boss and his methods.

As seems to be the way with these things (honour amongst thieves and all that), Tojo is even willing to call up his former commander to happily inform him that he's still working for HCLI and that the two of them are now effectively opponents.  But has Akihiko made a crucial oversight while making this announcement?  Aformentioned commander Hino seems to think so, but as Kasper's operations are directly attacked and seemingly easily picked off by his own unit of troops, it seems as if there's no real danger present.  With Koko now in the SR's firing line however, it might just be that this is the miscalculation that Hino was reliant upon...

Perhaps its the benefit of having an established cast and world, but Jormungand: Perfect Order continues to feel more more solid and consistent that the show's first season at this juncture - it still lacks a little when it comes to animating its action scenes, but its wheeling, dealing and arms dealer backstabbing with secret agencies aplenty is frequently both fascinating and fun to watch.  It'll never be Black Lagoon, but in spite of that comparison (for which I am responsible on at least a few occasions) it's truly starting to feel like Jormungand has managed to strike out on its own path to neatly sidestep those comparisons - so much the better for this series, I'd say.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 4

If Jormungand: Perfect Order's first story arc was all about Koko, then the start of a new arc also seems to have turned the show's focus back towards Jonah.

First and foremost though we catch up with Koko's brother Kasper, who seems to be having rather a rough time in his dealings which is in turn causing him to go through a troublesome dry spell.  Needless to say, there's more to this state of affairs than Kasper's ability as an arms dealer, and it's clear that some unknown entity is pulling the strings to prevent HCLI from doing business in certain regions.  Unusually for this powerful organisation, they don't seem able to muster any concrete information as to who is responsible, although that hasn't stopped Kasper from doing some investigating of his own.

Ultimately of course, Kasper wants to do more than simply investigate what's going on - he also wants to do something about it, which leads to him calling Koko to Japan while he sets the wheels in motion of dealing with the mysterious organisation standing in his way.  This also leads to a reunion between Kasper and Jonah which, after a rather long recap of their history, sees them set off to prove the well-being of Jonah's fellow orphans who were saved at his behest.

Aside from its long and arguably needless retreading of Jonah's story from effectively its very beginnings (in the show's own terms at least) through to his prior meetings with Kasper, this looks like an intriguing and promising start to this new story arc - Kasper's poker face makes exactly what's going on at any given time hard to pin down, and switching the focus back to Jonah for a while is arguably much needed after having him obediently follow Koko around for quite a while now.  The chess pieces seem to be moving into place, so hopefully the coming episodes can deliver something as striking and notable as last week's instalment.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 3

Operation Undershaft looks all set to capture Koko Hekmatyr within its jaws, with the traitorous R on one side and Hex on the other.... but is one of those parties about to spoil the fun for the other?

With R realising Hex's true intention - that being to kill Jonah - suddenly his view on the entire mission is turned around entirely, and not just because the thought of using a child as a sacrificial lamb disgusts him.  More to the point, R sees Jonah as the leash which is keeping Koko from becoming someone indescribably more dangerous, and thus sees the possibility of the boy's death as a potentially fatal mistake that will cause Koko to cast off the last vestiges of the young girl inside her and become a beast of some kind.

Although his pleas eventually win Bookman over, it looks as though it might be too little too late as Koko and Jonah are set upon by Hex and her assailant, with Jonah the target of the group's actions.  Luckily, Jonah is a little more savvy than even Hex's men expects, which in turn buys him and Koko enough time for R to enter the scene - with Bookman also lending his powers to aiding in stopping Hex carrying out her plan, there's eventually an opening for the duo to escape, but at a high cost.... a cost that sees Koko take some decidedly terrifying and disproportionate action in retaliation.  Has the beast within Koko been released despite R's best efforts?

For all of its good moments and nice ideas, this was easily Jormungand at its best - not perfect by any stretch (Bookman's behaviour throughout was a little hard to believe as credible), but still a superb episode.  Of course, much of the quality of the instalment revolved around Koko herself  - while still as enigmatic as always, seeing her reactions as events unfolded in front of both her and us was in turn moving, distressing and terrifying, and a superb tour de force of characterisation in such a short period of time.  With its ever-insistent soundtrack and some decidedly solid action scenes to back it up, this week's episode of Perfect Order has set the bar high for the rest of the series - I'd love to think that future episodes can clear it.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 2

With enemies seemingly closing in all around her, we continue to build up to the chaos that Jormungand: Perfect Order seems ready to unleash at some point by taking a look into the past of some of its current notable characters.

For starters we have R, one of Koko's supposedly loyal troops who is actually working for "Bookman", the reasons for which are outlined in this episode against the backdrop of the Balkan war.  Then we have Hex, and a vivid flashback to illustrate her hatred for both Koko and full moons - ironically, the incident which haunts Hex also haunts Koko to some degree herself, bringing us to a viewpoint of a much younger arms dealer who also proves to be far less hardy than the current female boss that we all know and love.

With rumours swirling and reaching Koko's ears of both the CIA and Hex's interest there's no doubt that she's aware of the danger moving ever closer to her, but is she aware of exactly how far and wide that threat reaches?  Quite possibly judging by her decision to re-equip all of her troops with newer equipment, switching everyone to using weaponry which can share the same 9mm ammunition as the group trains hard for whatever missions are coming up next.  There's even the possibility that she suspects R as she questions him about his knowledge of both Chief Black and Hex - then again, it's quite possible that R's allegiance might be about to waver in the light of a shocking request which arrives from his superior.

Overall, this week's Jormungand just about manages to survive what is a rather messy instalment that jumps here and there to cover both the back story and current situation of its four main players.  ALthough it doesn't make for the most thrilling episode ever, it does deliver the kind of moments of action, bloodshed and "military porn" which you'd expect from the series, and the growing feeling of tension as things threaten to close in around Koko at any moment is bubbling away nicely.  Will all hell break lose next week?  I rather hope so.

Jormungand: Perfect Order - Episode 1

Her name is Koko, she is mentally unstable, I said "oh no, that doesn't even rhyme!"  Anyhow, everyone's favourite arms dealer is back this autumn for a second season of Jormungand - although when I say "favourite" it seems that Ms Hekmatyar has made herself some very dangerous enemies indeed.

First off though, Perfect Order begins by squaring the circle started by the finale to the previous season - having seen Karen Low's attempt to unleash vengeance upon Valmer for killing her boss thwarted, this series begins with her camping outside the African offices of Doctor Miami, who instantly recognises her and offers her a job on staff as one of her secretaries; a task more difficult than any military operation, it seems.  This new gig soon brings Karen and Valmer face-to-face once more, in the midst of the tail end of an operation headed up by Hekmatyar and Miami to launch satellites designated to support the US GPS system... at least that's their official use, but it seems that some powerful people are banking upon using the data provided by these satellites for different means altogether.

Although all this seems to have gone to plan for Koko and her armed guard, it seems that plans are afoot to take her down a peg or two.  From an official CIA point of view it seems that Operation Undershaft is the name of this plot; an ambitious plan consisting of a deep undercover agent amongst other elements.  It appears that this isn't going to be Koko's only problem moving forward however, as the maverick woman known as "Hex" similarly has her sights set on Koko, only this time with a view to a kill....

With plenty to set up while also providing some links to, and reminders of, its first season, Perfect Order's opening had a fair amount of business to file away - something that it does here in unspectacular but reasonably proficient fashion to leave us in no doubt as to the factions involved in the clashes which are seemingly just around the corner.  With the promise of some serious action next week judging by its trailer, it'll be interesting to see what (if anything) White Fox have learned in the interim since the first season of Jormungand aired - there are certainly some gaps that need to be plugged in its production, and if they can succeed in that then this could be a truly fascinating series.  If nothing else, the chess pieces are moving into place to edge us towards some epic goings-on in the near future to give Perfect Order its first big story-telling test.

Jormungand - Episode 12 (Completed)

With Dominique and his dangerous duo well and truly on the case of Koko and her own band of troops, has our enigmatic arms dealer finally met her match?

Of course not - after a brief flashback into the origins of former Mafia man Grego amongst her number, we quickly see the tables turned on Dominique's henchmen, before the boss man himself is put out of commission in the ensuing car chase as Grego looks to escape and ensure Koko's safety.  The danger over, the only real question here is who hired these goons to take out Koko?  With so many enemies in high places, the answer isn't likely to be anything other than a worrying one.

With this resolved in short order, our attention can return to Valmer, who does her utmost to shake the attentions of Jonah before heading off to complete her vengeance.  There's no prizes for guessing her target, as she turns up at the gate of the Daxinghai Company's pipeline plant and has no hesitation in laying waste to all those present as she searches out Chen Guoming, albeit not before finding herself reliant upon the help of Jonah as he finds his comrade once again.  Her mission completed, there are some final twists in this particular tale - twists that threaten to prove fatal for some of those involved.

Despite marking the series as completed, this is in fact only the half-way point of Jormungand, with more to come in the autumn - something which I'm ultimately looking forward to.  Don't get me wrong, the series has a number of flaws - it's overly insistent upon depicting all of its major characters as intensely deranged in some shape or form, and it often struggled to depict and animate gunfights with any kind of panache, which is a pretty big issue for a show so filled with gunplay and heavily armed individuals.  In spite of this, the show as a whole kept my attention with some compelling scenarios and storylines (although even this is arguably a little repetitive with its "assassins of the week" nature), but above all thanks to the enigma which is Koko Hekmatyar, perhaps the spring season's stand-out character.  While it would be easy to write Koko off as another deranged character within the cast, her portrayal actually hints at far more than that - we see a certain, twisted sensitivity to her and evidence that she can be shocked by the brutality around her behind the facade of a tactical and psychological genius beyond compare in her field.

Even at the end of this series is still feels like we know so little about Koko and her family, but she's someone I want to know much, much more about - a simple fact which will have me tuning again for her continuing adventures later this year, even if this show is no Black Lagoon.  Come on, I couldn't finish this piece without mentioning it at least once...

Jormungand - Episode 11

A new (and final) story arc for Jormungand sees the gang embarking on a simple mission to provide a few lorry-loads of guns to an Italian mafia group.  What could be easier?  Of course, nothing is truly simple in the world of Koko and company.

This is particular true at the moment of Valmer, who we find staring off into the middle distance as Koko unveils the group's latest job.  After flashing back to Valmer and Koko's first meeting, when they were both much younger and the latter persuaded the former to join her merry band in what we assume to be its formative period, we see rather a surprising sight - Valmer taking her leave and heading off alone.  At least, she plans to head off alone, but little does she realise that Jonah has decided to keep her company.. rather, he was sent to keep her company by Koko.

In the meantime, we're introduced to a trio of unusual assassins as they go about their grisly business, before following them on their next job, which (of course) involves taking down Ms Hekmatyar, while Koko finds her bad day getting worse as losing Valmer is compounded by her mafia friends trying to pay her off in drugs - not something that Koko is willing to deal with, causing a decidedly one-sided fire-fight as a result.  With two members of her crew missing, it's no surprise that the aftermath of this is when Dominque and his two killer henchmen (well, henchpersons) decide to strike, with seemingly deadly consequences.

All of this adds us to what looks set to be a rip-roaring finale to Jormungand - this episode was a little muddled in places (a criticism that I feel can be aimed at the show throughout as it tries to cram too much information into too short a timeframe), but Valmer's back story and her hunt for vengeance is interesting enough, while the troubles facing the rest of the group seems like a genuine threat compared to all of the "easy meet" they've been put up against up to this point.  Stealing the show once again though is Koko herself, as we get yet another viewpoint on this enigmatic woman as she opines on her relationship with Valmer while still having no qualms about taking her bad day out on a mafia member via a bullet to the face.  Has there been a more complex, unfathomable yet fascinating character this spring season?

Jormungand - Episode 10

Although it probably goes without saying never to mess with a bad-tempered militia boss like Dragan Nikolaevich, it's probably equally fair to say that you should never act like a needlessly violent jerk around Koko Hekmatyar either.

Thus, Dragan's attempts to intimidate his opponents backfire spectacularly, and before we know it we have a full-on gunfight at point-blank range on our hands.  Somehow, these Balkan Dragons seem to be a decidedly incompetent militia who fail to inflict a single casualty on Koko's men, whereas her troops wipe the floor with this militia shower.  Only Dragan himself manages to escape the slaughter (albeit with a serious hand injury), taking the leader of the doctors being transported by Koko with him.

Despite surviving the immediate threat, the next question for Koko and company is how to get off the ground and escape in one piece given that Dragan will be looking to shoot them out of the sky as soon as they take off.  It's here that Mao comes to the fore, commandeering a canoon and strapping it into the plane to use as a line of defence against the milita's surface-to-air armaments.  This is more than enough to allow them to escape unharmed when combined with the other defensive weaponry at Koko's disposal, but what of the missing doctor?  With both a huge bounty on Dragan's head and her honour at stake, Koko's work isn't quite done yet, as she manipulates Scarecrow into coughing up the bounty while doing the legwork of capturing Dragan using her own forces to ensure that everyone comes out a winner - provided you aren't a supporter of Balkan militia groups, that is...

Overall, this was probably one of the strongest episodes of Jormungand we've been able to enjoy - action-packed to its core and with a storyline that neatly tied everything up in a hugely satisfying manner.  White Fox continue to struggle a little with animating gunfights, but this was nonetheless an improvement over what we've seen earlier in the series and ignoring the incompetence of their rival militia there was enough tension in the midst of the action to pull it off, bolstered further by Koko's increasingly terrifying abilities to manipulate and strategise to her advantage.  Heck, they didn't even go down the obvious route of killing or injuring Mao, which seemed like a given from his introduction last week.  There are still a couple of episodes to go, mind you...

Jormungand - Episode 9

Our ninth episode of Jormungand begins with some much-needed downtime for Koko's crew as they await their next mission, giving them the opportunity for some time at the beach and all that involves - mostly seeing how far anyone can throw Jonah and exploring the possibility of groping Valmer, however inadvisable that latter course of action might be.

As this state of relaxation continues, we get to learn a little about one of Koko's troops, Mao - the sole member of the crew with a family back at home, who is working for Koko despite telling his loved ones that he's travelling around in an official military capacity so that they don't learn the truth about what he's doing.  Unfortunately for Mao, the guy's also carrying around a photograph of his family which he happily shows to Jonah - we all know that the language of film insists that such characters die a painful death at the next possible opportunity, so I guess we can pretty much write him out of this show sooner rather than later.

Anyhow, onwards to the gang's next mission, and a simple cargo drop by air in the imaginatively named Republic T (known to you and I as a former Yugoslav republic) is made vastly more difficult by the addition of some extra inventory to their shipment - a group of humanitarian doctors refused access to the country via normal means.  With her hands tied, Koko has little choice but to accept this mission, doctors and all the risks they bring included, which makes for a decidedly tense landing too offload their original shipment of arms.  Fraught soon switches to outright disaster as the notorious warlord of "Autonomous Area X" comes to pay a visit - and he certainly isn't turning up to exchange chit-chat with Koko....

Ignoring a horribly clumsy close to the episode (it felt like someone had forgotten to cut the music properly, leading to a horrible jump to the end credits instead) and deciding simply to live with the lazy exposition surrounding Mao (you can't make us care about him by bringing him in almost out of nowhere and telling us he has kids), this feels like it's shaping up to be really good story arc for Jormungand - its scenario and characters feel eerily genuine thanks to the arc's real-life basis, and for once the arc's major new over-the-top character works well within his role.  As long as they don't jump the shark next week and gives this arc a fitting finale, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing in what direction it heads.  I'm certainly looking forward to it more than Mao will be, that's for sure...

Jormungand - Episode 8

It's off to merry England we go for this week's Jormungand - and no, that doesn't mean we spend the entire episode sitting and watching Koko and her crew getting increasingly fed-up at border control.

Instead, after a jaunt through the Sussex countryside that sees Jonah give Lutz a lesson or five in a paintball-fuelled game of capture the flag, we move onto the serious business of trying to sell some UAVs (or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles if you'd rather) in the wake of escalating unrest between the imaginatively named Country A and Country B.  It's as if the writers aren't even trying with their naming schemes any more...

With a lot of money up for grabs, Koko finds herself up against her toughest opponent yet - ageing former actress Amalia Tolokhovsky, a rival arms dealer for the Euro group with a reputation for being quick off the mark.  True to form, by the time Koko arrives at each and every one of her contacts with an interest in these UAVs, she finds that Amalia has beaten her to the punch and sealed the deal, leaving our protagonist almost literally tearing her hair out in frustration.  Of course, Koko isn't one to give in quite that easily, and with the realisation that she's being spied upon she attempts to lay a false trail for her rival.  It might not be enough to throw Tolokhovsky off the scent, but it's only the opening gambit in a fierce rivalry that lays Koko's ruthless nature bare, even if she does ultimately go a little soft on her direct rival.

After all the (occasionally overblown) insanity of recent story arcs, this week's Jormungand sits firmly in the "simple but effective" camp, eschewing any real action or pitched gun battles in favour of a more cerebral take on the combative nature of arms dealing in the show's world.  For the most part, this approach actually worked pretty well - we already know that Koko can carry this series quite respectably on her shoulders, and although Amalia was perhaps a little too eccentric for my taste she made for a decent foil and adversary to create a nice change in pace that might not be the most memorable piece of story-telling in the world but it filled its time well enough.  Now, back to your originally programmed insanity...

Jormungand - Episode 7

The mission in hand may be all about beating Chang's troops in the race to reach Doctor Miami, but for Valmer things have just gotten decidedly more personal.

Once she spots Chang's assistant, and more specifically her combat style, something breaks in Valmer as it takes her back to a turning point in her life - a turning point which, of course, came in the middle of a warzone as she saw her troops wiped out in front of her eyes... well, eye, as this same incident also was the moment which gave birth to the need for her trademark eyepatch.

Meanwhile, Koko is having to keep tabs on things from a more diplomatic perspective, all the while seemingly unknowingly under surveillance from Scarecrow and his current assistant Chocolade.  Although our impatient arm of the law is hoping to get some juicy evidence of illegal dealings under his belt, it seems that he's reckoned without Ms Hekmatyar's cunning, and before he knows it Scarecrow is forced into acting as Koko's escape plan as Chang receives word that his plans have gone awry, cutting short both his attempt to capture Minami as well as losing any hope of wreaking revenge on Hekmatyar.

These two elements combined to make for a pretty decent episode - I'm still not convinced by Jormungand's action credentials in terms of animation quality but it worked well enough on this occasion, and the episode was more notable for some smart but low-key little twists and turns to keep its story interesting.  Then again, there's something a little frustrating about the end of this arc, as we're still none the wiser about Koko's plans as they pertain to Doctor Minami, which leaves the viewer feeling as though they've missed something rather important... important like the whole point of this particular story arc.  Still, Koko's headed off to England yet - watch out K-ON movie, you've got competition!

Jormungand - Episode 6

The trouble with spending time at sea in the region of Africa is those pesky and seemingly ever-present pirates.  Then again, when you come across Koko Hekmatyar suddenly piracy on the high seas doesn't seem so appealing any more.

When Koko and company come across a band of rather well-armed pirates, Koko has little time for going easy on them, and thus this week's episode of Jormungand begins with her crew decimating their hapless opponents with a blend of skill and raw firepower.  Even a child soldier much like Jonah is given short shrift by Koko, although he does at least get to escape with his life and a buoy to help him swim to short for his troubles.

With that little distraction out of the way, we reach Africa just in time for a weaponry expo attended, naturally, by a number of arms dealers.  There is, however, another reason for Koko's visit - it seems that she wants to catch up with esteemed scientist and robotics expert Doctor Amada Miami.  The trouble is, Miami is a little bit... easily distracted.  More specifically, she's quite literally crazy (a shock for this series, I know) about butterflies, and even a meeting with Koko isn't enough to distract her from a butterfly catching session up in the snowy mountains.  It seems that Ms. Hekmatyar isn't the only one interested in Miami, as a Chinese dealer named Chang and his beautiful yet deadly assistant also have their own "to do" list - a list which not only involves Miami, but also revenge against Koko's brother Kaspar in any way possible.  As if that wasn't enough to deal with, as the bullets being to fly Valmer is distracted by a blast from her own past...

White Fox might absolutely suck at delivering action scenes within this series, yet despite this it still works when push comes to shove - Koko's troops' handling of pirates at the start of this episode was fantastic to watch, and the action towards the end of the episode worked well too.  In the middle of all this, things are a little bit messy and poorly mapped out, only coming together towards the end of the episode. This is most certainly not helped by the fact that literally everyone in this show is utterly batshit crazy - something which was fun to start with, especially in the case of Koko who has to be crazy to do her work, but it's now getting old very fast indeed.  I'll hold any full judgement of this particular story arc until we get a better feel of where we're heading (although it already seems clear in some ways), and I'm still kind of enjoying it, but there are also increasingly areas where it falls significantly short of what we might like it to be.

Jormungand - Episode 5

The middle of the ocean looks set to provide some respite for Koko and her crew as we hit episode five of Jormungand (assuming, of course, that the Lagoon Company don't show up) - however, it proves to be anything but, particularly for Jonah as another aspect of his past catches up to him.

Initially however, it seems to be Koko herself who is the most concerned by the news she receives, becoming surprisingly flustered and ensuring that Jonah is hidden away as she finds herself visited by a rather special guest - her elder brother Caspar, who also happens to be an arms dealer.  While these two siblings shoot the breeze with talk of Chinese Triads and so on, Jonah is kept well away from Caspar - that is, until an ill-timed toilet break brings the two into contact with one another, and all Hell breaks loose.

It turns out that this isn't the first time Caspar and Jonah have met - a revelation that throws us well and truly into flashback territory and Jonah's time as a child solider.  Living alongside a group of orphans in the "care" of the local military, Jonah loses his cool when one of his number is taken away and used as a human "minesweeper" by a visiting arms dealer.  Swearing vengeance, Jonah tools up and almost literally decimates the place, killing everyone in his path before getting his sweet revenge on his intended target.  The trouble is, the man in question is an employee of Caspar's, and although his boss is largely unperturbed by losing one of his men he does seem intent upon teaching Jonah a lesson - or is it simply a test before handing off this child soldier into the care of his sister?

The one feeling that I couldn't really shake throughout this episode of Jormungand was just how contrived it was in setting us up for its flashback into Jonah's past, introducing Koko's brother and explaining the link between Jonah and the two siblings.  Beyond my irritation with this, I have to admit that there's a pretty solid episode to be found here - it's intensely disturbing it its depiction of children being used and abused in a war zone (as it should be), to the point where even Jonah's "Rambo moment" is unsettling to watch (again, as it should be) which makes for a powerful viewing experience at times and should be largely commended for the way it's handled here.  In a way this makes its fumbled "wrapping" feel even more frustrating, but as long as the candy inside is tasty enough I guess I can let it pass on this occasion.