Coud Van Giruet is a sky pirate of the wind, a rather inept member of the Red Lynx gang, who hopes one day to become the boss. On a raid against another ship Coud rescues Reverie Metherlence (Ren) who turns out to be one of the Shichiko-hoju, an Edel Raid, who, in conjunction with a human being, can become the ultimate fighting machine. Together they search for the lands of her people. Having been separated, Ren and Cou are back together and are about to reach the object of their quest, the land of the Edel Raid...

The story continues apace with Volume Five which contains episodes eighteen to twenty one. The four stories concentrate on Viro, a new character, with a hidden agenda, introduced in the last volume.

Episode eighteen, Fictitious Reaction, starts off with a bang as Cou not only discovers that Viro is an Edel Raid but that he can also bond with her to create a weapon. Of course this does nothing for Cou’s embarrassment as Viro has already declared her love for him, but what will this mean for Ren and Cou’s relationship? The fight also reveals that Virto is a Sting Raid - all together now... "Sting Raid, Sting Raid Da Da Da Da Da" - the same type of Raid that is trying to kill or capture Ren. Can they believe her story that she did it to bond with Cou, or is there something else going on?

Ah wheels within wheels as everyone’s emotions get a little bit mixed up. Even if Viro is playing for the other side her growing feelings for Cou have started to compromise her mission. As the show moves into its last quarter, it has lost none of its interest, continually introducing new elements to keep the audience riveted.

Episode nineteen, Unspoken Thoughts, and even though their goal is actually in sight the group still has a long way to go - both in distance and in their relationships. Viro continues her subterfuge, in an effort to separate Ren and Cou, for the Arc Aile, and a chance to become a proper Edel Raid.  The greater part of the show is set aside for character development as feelings run hot in this episode when Ren starts to feel jealous of Viro and Cou’s growing relationship.

Episode twenty, Viro, and with Ren and Cou having reaffirmed their relationship, Viro must make a choice. Will she betray the couple to the Arc Aile out of jealousy or will her feelings for Cou prevent her from carrying out her new order - the order to Kill Cou? All of this can only end in tragedy as Viro reveals the true meaning of her mission.

Following on from the last episode, Ren and Cou's feelings for each other continue to grow. Viro does a good impression of the woman scorned and tries to kill just about everyone in sight.

Episode twenty-one, The Truth Unfolds, and following Viro’s death in defence of Ren and Cou the group continue their journey towards the Edel Garden, but something is seriously wrong as the Arc Aile plot to attack the Garden.

Plot-wise, this episode tidies up the loose ends of Viro's arc and starts the final arc of the show. The Arc Ailes decision to attack the Edel Garden seems a little odd considering that they have so far tried to control the Edel Raids rather than kill them. It all seems a little over the top. The Chaos Choir attack the group in an effort to retrieve Ren and all hell breaks loose.

Overall the disc represents a turning point in the story. Although it ended with her demise, the introduction of Viro worked as a catalyst in moving Ren and Cou’s relationship up to the next level.

The extras are okay for this type of release. We get the "Promise" music video, which is a live action piece, with a very nice Japanese gentleman walking along a beach, ripping off Coldplay's "Yellow" video; some inconsequential trailer; the DVD credits and a selection of line art which will work on your DVD player, but because of the way it’s constructed cant be viewed on a computer.  Audio is only English or Japanese - with subtitles - Dolby Digital Stereo. Both the audio tracks show a lot of dynamism, but it would have been nice to have an action show in 5.1, at least.

The show is not that old and this shows in a very nice clean transfer. The picture is sharp with no diminution of the colour palate and presented in 4:3 full aspect ratio.

7

Charles Packer