Tegami Bachi and Tegami Bachi Reverse

Today will be a special post.  I don't know how long has it been since an anime last touched me to the core.  This is an incredibly powerful and emotional anime that will definitely leave one in tears by the end of the second season.  I know I did.  The anime is generally about a young boy, Lag Seeing, who, after being rescued by a Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee), Gauche Suade, aspired to become one himself.  Throughout the course of becoming a qualified Tegami Bachi, Lag encountered various people and through resolving each hurdle that presented itself, he was able to become a servant of the government.  He met a girl who has special abilities name Niche.  The characters are slowly introduced one by one whereby each encounter has a tale to tell and the wonderful emotions enveloping each encounter makes the show all the more pleasant to enjoy.

However, there were a few episodes in the first season which were a bit boring and didn't have any connection with the original plot, still, those episodes served as good eye-candy but reception towards the episodes might differ through individuals.  Generally, the first season's episodes were very heartwarming and left a positive impression in me.  The ending for the first season really caught me off guard as in the story, you will learn that Gauce disappeared after seeing Lag off.  But, at the end of the first season, Lag met up again with Gauche but this time, Gauche isn't the kind and strong person Lag knew, but rather a total stranger who steals letters from people.  The first season definitely left a strong impression in me with that cliff hanger and I downloaded the second season immediately, curious to see how the story will unfold in the later season.

The second season kicked off with a shocking introduction to Gauche, now known as Noir, who has lost his heart and has succumbed to the allure of the dark side.  This season focuses more on the endeavour and challenges Lag goes through in order to bring back Gauche and to fulfil his promises with the other characters he came in contact with.  Apparently, Gauche, when he was a Tegami Bachi, helped a lot of people to accomplish their dreams and this inspired Lag to get Gauche back as soon as possible.  Towards the middle of the season, we could see that Gauche has sunken to the lowest form imaginable as he unleashed a monster into the world.  This monster eventually ate up a lot of other people's hearts and left a lot cities in turmoil.  Through countless attempts, Lag was finally able to deliver his hearts to Noir who awoken as Gauche once more.  Everyone rejoiced at the reunion of Gauche with them again but none was prepared what was to happened next.

Lag was devastated when he found that Gauche didn't return at all but rather, Noir just played the role of Gauche based on the memories he inherited from Lag's heart.  To make matters worse, it turned out that the two higher ups dispatched to aid the Tegami Bachi in stopping the monster were actually covert troops who wanted to bring demise upon the land itself.  As the story reached its climax, the series started to become a bit frustrating as the story progressed a bit slower and the sense of suspense accumulated then was immeasurable.  Eventually, the monster reached the place where Lag and his friends were at and when all hope was bleak, Niche's sister and mother appeared and the assistance they provided was immense and it really helped Lag and the others who were in a pinch.  More reinforcements came and this time, Noir, who supposedly loathed the government lent a helping hand to them.

However, the monster was still too strong for them to handle and after absorbing the main villain in this anime, it proceeded to destroy the sole hope everyone clings to, the man-made sun.  In the process, the monster took down Noir and drawing his final breath, he told Lag that Lag was right all along, that the heart is the most important asset a human can have.  Hearing these words, Lag's fighting spirit rekindled and engaged in an all out war against the monster.  With the hope of everyone gathered around him, he let loose the most powerful attack imaginable and defeated the monster.  Not long after, Lag fainted due to the fatigue from the shot.  When he regained consciousness, he saw Noir by his side, smiling.  It turned out that Noir only passed out from the damage dealt by the monster.  During the last scene, Noir embraced Lag and thanked him for showing him the path he should take and taught him the value of the heart.  The final scene was a shot of Lag handing a letter to a resident and in my honest opinion, there was no better ending than that.  

After watching the anime, I had a mixed feeling which I have never experienced before.  It was the feeling of sadness, happiness, craving for more and most especially, the feeling of knowing that it was something so good that words simply can't express it.  So, my overall verdict?

Artwork 9/10.  Fantastic and lovable character.

Setting 9/10. Great setting.

Values 10/10.  This is without a doubt a perfect score, it teaches one so much about compassion and trust!

Plot 9.5/10.  Although it leaves me with a lot of queries, the plot is imply amazing!

My recommendation?  Watch it!  Until next time, see ya~