REVIEW: ‘Platinum End,’ Episode 14 – “Two Lights”

Platinum End is a dark fantasy shonen anime produced by Signal.MD. With the duel between Mirai and Metropoliman drawing to its inevitable conclusion, the stakes feel as high as they ever have in Platinum End Episode 14. But will Metropoliman be beaten? Or will he have yet another trick up his sleeve to keep himself out of his enemies’ crosshairs?

After last week’s build-up, I had many hopes and fears for this week’s entry. With the series repeatedly choosing to dither over moral choices, I had a strong fear that this week’s entry wouldn’t end the momentary confrontation begun last week. I hoped it wouldn’t drag it out for another week, with Mirai, Saki, and Nanato arguing over whether or not to finish Metropoliman once and for all. Assuming Mirai managed to defeat his opponent. Thankfully, my fear wasn’t founded.

While Platinum End Episode 14 concluded without the unnecessary stalling I feared, this episode brought into stark focus just how much a series’ ongoing struggles can hurt a genuinely great episode. Because while I cannot recall any faults in this episode’s story when I look back at it, I failed to appreciate it fully at the moment as I was constantly braced for the series to fall back onto one of its bad habits.

Despite my struggles, while watching the episode, this week’s entry delivers what is easily the best episode of the season. The conclusion to the duel and what it will mean for the show moving forward are immense. And even as it brings a conclusion to one leg of the story, it also brings new questions that give the viewer things to wonder at. As a result, this episode has me more intrigued to come back next week than any other thus far.

Everything about Platinum End Episode 14‘s execution is nearly perfect. The pacing keeps the story moving while also giving the most critical points in the plot the appropriate amount of time to sink in. The superb pacing combines with some great twists to the story to keep the viewer engaged throughout the episode’s run time.

The visuals in Platinum End Episode 14 are everything they need to be. Everything is delivered with skillful precision, from the tension felt in the characters to the brutality of the episode’s violence and the show’s heartbreaking moments. The visuals in this episode are another high point for the series to date. This is especially true for its implementation of the show’s religious elements.

In a couple of critical moments, the episode fully utilizes the motifs of angels, death, and the afterlife to the degree that has not been seen in the series previously. This elegant utilization of these visual elements brings an extra level of poignancy to the episode’s critical final moments.

When all is said and done, Platinum End Episode 14 is a genuinely praise-worthy moment in the series. Its execution of tension, pacing, and emotional payoff are all nearly flawless. While no one episode can redeem a series of all its failings, this story comes as close as any episode could hope to.

Platinum End Episode 14 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.