Episode 21: Melissa The Working Girl:
Merrill, for all her get-rich-quick schemes, is a hard worker, holding down a number of jobs to pay the bills. When she gets sick (boy can I sympathize), Melissa volunteers to take over for her. Since Melissa has never worked a real job a day in her life, the results are disastrous until clumsy Louie comes through (as a champion should) and saves the day.

Episode 22: The Rebel Army Appears:
With a hostile army forming on the border to the kingdom, the king takes his forces to get rid of them, leaving a group of Councilors in charge until he gets back. Louie, dependable guy that he is (not!), is forced to do a lot of busy work for Master Foltess, and discovers a plot to take over the kingdom from within while doing so. Louie is no match for those who'd take the throne and he ends up in big trouble.

Episode 23: The Rule-Breaking Women:
Louie attempts to escape his captors while the kingdom is placed under martial law. When he doesn't show up, his female teammates become very worried, knowing Louie's propensity for getting into trouble, and set out to see if he's alright. By doing so, they challenge the powers of authority, something they are no strangers to doing (except the consequences are higher this time).

Episode 24: Louie Punch:
With the whole team fighting to restore the kingdom against the plot to overthrow the king, they end up using the talents of their counterparts to adjust the odds a bit. The enemy is not about to let them win and calls in a secret weapon. Will Louie be able to punch his way through this one or are they all doomed in this series finale?

Not having seen Volume 5, (Volume 4 was the last one I watched), it's tough to say where this one fit into the scheme of things. For the most part, the episodes formed an arc on their own, although episode #21 was a stand alone, but some of the characters were obviously fleshed out a lot during the missing volume. As such, as much as I like the series, I don't feel comfortable rating it higher than Recommended because there were simply too many unanswered questions that left me (and anyone joining the series late) hanging. The series has been consistently fun to watch and the technical values were as high as ever so check it out but I'd suggest you watch the series from start to finish in order to fully appreciate it.

Picture: The picture was presented in 1.33:1 full frame. The colors were very bright and the picture sharp and clear. There were no compression artifacts and it looked great.

Sound: The audio was presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Japanese with English subtitles. Both sounded crisp and clear. I actually preferred the English dub here but the original track had a lot to like as well. I'm as much a subtitle snob as the next guy but aside from the "coolness" factor, if the dub is well handled, I have no problem admitting it. My sole concern with it was that the voice of Louie sounded significantly different this time (in the dub), making me wonder what happened.

Extras: trailers, double sided dvd cover, paper insert with episode descriptions and art work, a couple of postcards and some temporary tattoos

Final Thoughts: Well, the series is over and while the ending was somewhat open ended, it was a cute ride. I wish there had been something with a bit more teeth to it or something that was more conclusive but this was always listed as a fantasy show with a happy go lucky twist more than a serious theme. Maybe ADV will offer the series as a lower priced boxed set to boost sales. It was entertaining for those of us who enjoy this kind of anime show, such as me, and maybe ADV will obtain the rights to similar shows in the future.