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Much build-up, yet for nought.

Near-future Sci-fi has an interesting place within the wider genre. Unlike the standard swathe of works, which take concepts at the edge of our understanding to unique extremes, the aforementioned is typically more about embracing that which can be and that which already is. It's less anticipating what may come, more celebrating how far we already have. Obviously and inevitably, that telegraphs the biggest misstep one can make in such stories; leaping into ill-fitting high concepts that play havoc with the preceding tone and stakes. The relevance of this fact is no clearer than it is in The Orbital Children.

Whilst initially ... leading with some decent central ideas, and a cliché-though-not-unwelcome premise, this, as suddenly as flicking a switch, turns to a shocking mess once the halfway mark is crossed. The creator's knowledge of that which they chose to bring up is put into question, then promptly answered to be sparse. All the more of a mockery, that makes it, since in such a subgenre, diligent research is imperative. Which only makes me wonder, why even pick such an environment for the story? Well, that I'll get to.

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So, as mentioned, the story is something everyone's seen before, but not something that's been truly exhausted. Theme is a similarly standard affair, initially appearing to discuss class and disability, but that's only true for roughly three episodes, before being abruptly thrown out of the window in favour of critiquing fictional ethics toward an Artificial Intelligence. The obvious flaw is the disconnect between these two avenues of the story, feeling less like a natural progression of a single narrative, and more like one that petered out and another that barged in to replace it. Underneath this, though, is the far worse issue; that the latter portion is of insultingly lower quality. It's contrived, ignorant, and poorly told. I'm quite convinced Iso Mitsuo does not even know what an AI even is.

The characters are a much brighter point, though. The protagonist is simple but functional, with a clear personal journey, though a predictable one. His sister is not too interesting, but works as a weak point for him, and there's an attempt for this to be matched by the other pair of siblings in the work. But amongst these, there's one that just doesn't fit. A weird mascot costume that doesn't speak, seems to appear out of nowhere, and whose explanation and presence is even more nonsensical. It's a groanworthy example of damning inconsistency.

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As often, there is nothing of note to mention in regards to production, so I'll instead cut to design. For the most part, the environments and outfits appear logically functional, which can be praised. They are, however, rather indistinct. As I write, I struggle to recount which location was went to when, and what each character really looked like. At times, also, this seemingly reasoned approach fails, most notably in regards to the mascot character and the way AI is portrayed, both of which I have touched on earlier.

Another area of great disappointment is in the poor pacing of the thing. Towards the middle, a weird pattern emerges - an idea is abruptly brought up, and equally abruptly gets called back to. It's as though the staff forgot to set things up earlier, so quickly try and do so before it's too late. Though, frankly, it is. Similarly, I must note how the runtime is essentially squandered where one would expect it packed. Without speaking too much about the individual events of the conclusion, the final episode feels incredibly tacked-on, compared to those that preceded it.

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I posed a question earlier. Why was this made to fit this precise subgenre, when there doesn't seem to be much passion for it? After parsing through the highs and lows above, I can only really conclude that it was what Mitsuo thought was expected of him, be that as a result of his earlier works, or simply after musing over what sounded like a good pitch. I cannot with a clear conscience fault him for that, but I must turn my nose at what was created. And really, that sums up my experience viewing it, too. It mean well, I'm sure everyone involved did, but they didn't even come close to managing it.

Improvements are rather simple. Lop off most of the second half, bring in something more in line with the established tone, and adjust the first to fit. And recommendation, well, a simple, deadpan "no" should do.

A drop of intrigue, then a deluge of idiocy.

Much of the entertainment industry is guided thusly: when a property becomes exorbitantly profitable, find a way to capitalise on that. Some work on unsubtle repaints of the concept, others try to weasel their way into the franchise, and another group entirely decides to do something only marginally more respectable, and look towards tapping the same source. I mention this because Combatants will be Dispatched is firmly a result of this last route.

I'll make it clear, first of all, that I'm not saying that its flaws are specifically due to being worse than the creator's other, more ... prominent work, instead that it has to be noted that the only reason it was adapted, and the only reason anyone who watched it chose to, is because of its successor, Konosuba. While it'd be at just the same quality were the other never adapted, coattail-chasing is a critical issue. Any ardent message the story may have had behind it is torn away, replaced only with asinine mimicry. Not only is it trying to be something it isn't, to do so is why the show even exists. I'm put in mind of a neglected prince, born only to be a king's heir.

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For as much of a failure as this was, I can safely point to the premise as being that single sliver of worth I mentioned to begin with. There is comedic potential, even thematic potential, though, of course, neither are acted upon. That's in no small part due to the story's missteps, which is of course my forthcoming complaint. The show, in a word, dawdles. Despite the illusion of progress, no event is even remotely contributory to any other, leading to the whole production having an air of aimlessness. A similar effect occurs with the attempt to match the Isekai side of the show with the quasi-Tokusatsu parts, which ends up feeling like an entirely different show is needlessly interjecting to react to the first. As for the actual minutia of each episode, most are self-contained out-of-the-box questlines. Visiting another kingdom, killing some monsters, and so forth. None are done particularly well, so the show doesn't even work in that regard.

The cast, I must mention next. A more deplorable, more ridiculous and yet boring bunch I've never had the misfortune of seeing. Of the main party, both the men are genuine sex offenders, something already difficult to make redeemable, not that that's even attempted. The women aren't much better, each a single joke and a cup size. Much as I'd hate to write everything off with the single sentence "generic, thoughtless Isekai swill," it's the most truthful phrase I can employ. What I will give credit for is the secondary group, the Toku-villain-organisation, I forget if they were ever named. While this group doesn't get much focus, and though even then their spotlight is drifting and flickering, there's at least a discernible dynamic between the trio. Entertaining, maybe, at a push, on very few occasions, but heaps better than the other gang.

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I've gathered from other sources that the desert setting was not something the source material focused on, rather an intentional choice by the production team. This I can applaud, it's certainly preferable to yet more circular walled cities with a river through it surrounded by fields and hills. But that's about the only design praise I can muster. Character outfits are bland, monster designs lazy, and architecture uninspired. As before, I'm forced to pull the Isekai card, there's no clearer description of the issue.

Lastly, animation and music. With the former, "inoffensive" is probably the best term to use. Entirely mediocre, nothing memorable in even the slightest respect, but it's acceptably consistent. The latter is a step down, with the internal soundtrack not worth even speaking of, while the opening and ending themes only barely match the intended tone. Fittingly, what comes to mind is to note how again it seems to be trying to recapture the style of the creator's other darling. That, I suppose, makes a rather quaint point to close this on.

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I distinguish myself by providing a brief run-down of improvements wherever possible. Here, though, I'm somewhat stumped. Though I gave praise to the secondary cast and basic aesthetic, which ordinarily I'd easily point to as areas to have put more effort into, I'm left with the question of "what's the point?" It'll still be a baby's-first-Isekai. It'll still be painfully uncharismatic. Really, all I can say is this should have remained in Akatsuki Natsume's desk. No-one's early works are their strongest, this is far from an exception.

It goes without saying that this is not worth recommending to strangers, but to fans of his, almost certainly the only group even contemplating seeing this, I really must implore not to try. It's a total waste of time.

Dull, rushed and pitiful.

There are a great many stories that have ingrained themselves into the literary consciousness, in as much as one can exist. Rags to Riches, Conquering the Monster, Error of Your Ways, and many more are all well-known even from cursory knowledge of fiction. But though none of them are actually "bad" plots, each have rightfully fallen into archaism. It is instead the norm to reinterpret and reimagine.

A Machine learning of Humanity, though far younger than its peers, is another of these plotlines. And in suit, it too needs to distinguish itself with novel ideas and perspectives. So, when faced with such an ... old story, would it not make sense to use it as a springboard for something new, something intriguing?

It certainly would. And yet, Ai no Wakusei Lezeria did nothing of the sort. It's another formulaic retread, an exercise in banality. If one has seen any media that touches on the themes of soul and sapience, they've nothing to gain by going through this OVA.

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Thankfully, Lezeria's B-plot and world are much more interesting. Though that's hardly a commendation, since the OVA has neither surpass window dressing. There's a lot of intrigue to be had in the state of the war, or what it was the planet's precursor civilisation created, and if more, or rather, any focus had been given to them it would be a great boon to the work.

Characterisation, on the other hand, is shallow and sparse. Arlon likes coffee, Sherry likes Eric, and without even a mote of exaggeration, that's about it. The focal character, Antoinette, isn't any better. Part of this could be due to her stoicism, being a machine and all, but even when moving past her nature she hasn't got much of a personality to speak of. I can give a little bit of credit to the antagonist having a moment of complexity to begin with, but he soon faded to another destruction-craving caped fool, so that's no good either.

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There's not a lot to talk about when it comes to directing. It's acceptable, nothing particularly inventive. But under its umbrella you have what really irks me, which is ending the OVA with a weak poem summarising what we just saw. I don't think I need to explain how obnoxiously irritating and unnecessary that is.

Art wise, I do have to give a lot of praise to the basic design of Antoinette herself, at least, in her final and promotional appearance. She's somewhat reminiscent of the Maschinenmensch from Metropolis, a modest but justifiable basis for this work. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the rest of the cast, none of whom have even faintly memorable designs.

Finally, we come to the music, which is probably the strongest element Lezeria has going for it. Though there're only a few tracks, what with the length, they're rather well sung and have nice rhythm. It's about what I'd expect from pieces of the era, and they're used pretty well throughout the OVA.

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But what's particularly aggravating about Lezeria, what had me condemn it to such a low score, isn't just how mediocre and uninspired its story is, but that it doesn't even take the time to trudge through it properly. It's not just that it's something everyone's seen before, it's that it knows that's the case. The audience knows Antoinette is supposed to fall in love with Eric, so rather than actually developing a relationship between the two, the OVA just pairs them up in a few minutes and lets us figure out the rest. It's just plain lazy.

Were I to helm repairs, I'd expand on the secondary plot, that of the planet and the war surrounding it, and put far more effort, (that is to say, any at all), into developing the characters and their relationships to each other. And I'd do way with that agonising poem it closed on, it's crass and pointless.

In summation, terrible narratively, about average technically. I'd advise briskly moving on.

Just like the vehicles it depicts - fast, powerful and fancy.

I find that Appare-Ranman! embodies, in both content and intention, that of surpassing boundaries. It's not just that the show is set on the cusp of technological revolution, nor that the expansive cast hails from all nations and backgrounds, but also that the work itself is able to refute traditional genre constraints, free to present something altogether new, a rarity in this age. And it's not just a thoroughly unique story, but one that becomes its own themes manifest; innovation and refinement being both watchwords and destinations.

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At first glance, the story doesn't appear quite so ... special. A lawless race with a huge cash prize and the impetus of being stranded across the ocean are both strong ideas, but both have been explored. Where Appare-Ranman! adds intrigue to the mix is with its cast, and the approach they take to the goal. A test ordinarily of speed and determination instead becomes one of creativity and research. This is most evident in the downtime allocated both prior to and alongside the race, where careful planning and constant improvement are what pull the protagonists through. These points also provide an excellent stage for each of the many subplots, though I have to note something of an imbalance amongst those focusing on side characters, with some particularly endearing ones robbed of more exploration.

On the subject of characters, I must commend the way Appare-Ranman! handles its roster. Rather than the opponents being a simple gallery of faces to strike down one by one, each and every other participant gets to spend plenty of time with the protagonists. As a result, the interactions between the group are fluid, believable, and quite entertaining. Their attitudes toward each other make for some ratehr good moments of comedy - the "Who's a thinker and who's a fighter?" scene toward the end is a great example. Again, thought, there is a single gripe to be had, and that's that giving each and every cast member focus leaves the eponymous Appare somewhat less than the protagonist should be allocated, even compared to his companions Kosame and Hototo.

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It's animated well, but there's little I can say to dwell on that. Instead, it would be more germane to praise the design work on display. Appare-Ranman! has a brilliant eye for colour, and uses it to full effect to create one of the more visually unique, and I presume intentionally anachronistic, settings in recent productions. The music is likewise more important, and thankfully brilliant across the board, with the OP, ED and OST all top-notch. Each uses an interesting blend of instrumentation that matches the meting pot nature of the rest of the show, and thus fits exactly.

The direction front is, alas, a mixed bag. Though there are dozens of nice touches, from believable gun and swordplay, to effective visual characterisation, they're let down by the framing. Without explaining the last act too much, a moment tense and sombre is shattered just by recalling the first scene. I do however have to give credit to the niche act of race direction, which has been given surprising attention. It is easy to understand the relative positions of the competitors, the sequences surrounding them are thought out, and there's even at times a live-updating leaderboard, a feature entirely superfluous, yet exhibiting an endearing sort of dedication.

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Were I to polish it up, I would do away with the framing and give a few more spots dedicated to Appare. Little else needs to be done, which rather succinctly demonstrates the show's quality.

With that all assessed, Appare-Ranman! was a marvellous outing with a whole crowd of talent at the reigns. I certainly and unquestionably recommend it to anyone seeking out creativity.

And I would, finally, like to make a note, in part to myself, to follow Ahndongshik's future work, as what has been presented here has been exquisite.

Possibly the most pointless OVA ever made.

Under the Dog is pathetic through and through. I doubt the entire staff were inept, but it was at least most of them. I'm lost as to how this even got to release without any of the rest raising their hand and saying to the room; "Fellas, this is awful. Please tell me this isn't the finished product."

Supposedly Under the Dog was originally a concept for a 2-cour anime, with this OVA possibly acting as an episode 0. In that regard, it's even worse than a standalone work, as it fails to feel like a primer for a longer ... story. The world and lore isn't set up at all, and the supposed main character doesn't even do anything until the final few scenes. Like the design of the girl on the poster? Cool, you get about five minutes total screentime of her.

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The OVA does in fact have a story, in that there are people doing actions for a reason. The people are boring, the actions are dumb and the reason is altogether vague, but the absolute minimum components for a story are there. It's presented poorly, as Under the Dog is comprised almost entirely of a single long action sequence. I kept expecting it to wrap up and move along to the next scene, but it never did. The penny only dropped when I spotted that more than half the runtime was over and the story was just where it was fifteen minutes ago.

The characters do not meet that same minimum. Of the few we see, nobody seems to have a presence outside the confines of their surroundings. There's no long-term goal other than to carry out the mission, and the one not affiliated with the Flowers, namely, the male lead, just blunders around the school in tow of the female lead. He could just as easily be a box she has to carry around.

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From a production standpoint, Under the Dog doesn't shine either, but is at least average. Animation and art are consistently alright, as is the music, which I don't recall being bad but also don't recall at all. The character design is also quite weak with the sole exception of the poster girl, but as stated, she is so transient to the OVA itself she may not even have been present. Audio isn't something I usually mention, but I did think it was quite interesting to have the American military speak English.

Finally, there is the world, or rather, how it is presented in the OVA. It appears to be another case of exposition-in-supplementary-material, as the majority of information is direct from the creator's mouth rather than in the production itself. It almost expects the viewer to study up on the setting in their own time.

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Under the Dog puts me in mind of the Victorian practice of Post-mortem Photography. It's dead, literally a corpse of a show that was didn't make it, but dressed smart and stood up on a stick just enough to look proper. But of course, poking around reveals it's all a ruse.

If I were to repair this, then the simple instruction would be to add at least an hour's worth of content before this OVA, allowing ample time to properly explain the world and give the characters something to do other than shoot everything.

Four words: Not worth anyone's time.

Didn't look like there was a lot of effort, and predictably there weren't a lot of results.

Pale Cocoon is at its best right before it starts. The premise is strong, the synopsis is enticing, but right from the outset the OVA is a huge disappointment. It may even be best to just not watch it at all, and save the idea being dragged down by this result.

In the interest of parity, there are some positives to mention. The OVA has a type of confined brutalist architecture that goes a long way towards setting the tone, and some of the visuals are actually rather memorable, particularly ... by the end. That being said, and more crucially that being all, its not enough to claw the quality back up.

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Pale Cocoon has a very vague story, in that the actual instigating element doesn't really get dealt with. It is literally shelved until later, leading to a lot of plotless, aimless time over the first half of the OVA. Right by the end, though, there is something in the realm of a twist, without revealing too much of course. It's not the sort to redefine everything that came before, but it's at least a tiny bit interesting.

The characters do not get the same sort of boost in the final act. Neither or the leads have any sort of personality, and I wouldn't even call either one-note since there isn't a single defining feature between them. The presence of side characters is arguable, being as there is only a voice on the phone and another who never directly interacts with the main duo. Following suit, neither is developed either.

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And now the directing and animation, which are an utter travesty. It appears the staff have taken every opportunity to animate as little of the OVA as possible, then attempted to fill in the gaps with inexpert panning shots over 3D set pieces. The result is equal parts laughable and nauseating. The most actually drawn movement that can be spotted is the occasional moving of an arm, but even these are sparse, scattered around what are essentially just still images of characters sitting or standing around. With all other technical elements, there is nothing to say. There's a mediocre song that plays diegetically, the designs are garbage and the art is poor.

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Pale Cocoon, then, is just a failure on every front, but it especially damns itself on that of production. It may not completely deserve to be forgotten, but it could only help its image, frankly.

I can't think of some way to improve it as I normally try to, since this just isn't enough to bother with.

What on earth was going on to leave this on the cutting room floor?

Gatchaman Crowds is a show with an almost comical amount of flaws, but by far the biggest was the finale. The story, already on a long nosedive since the first act, finally hit rock bottom and dug just a bit deeper. Everything built up was waved away, and the few remaining threads of interest cut short. The last few minutes, especially, were a new height in aggravating bafflement.

No wonder then, that exactly those last few minutes are what Embrace fills out. I won't assume anything about the production, whether it was not ... being able to get a double-length timeslot, or some pacing disagreement, but whatever the case the version of Episode 12 that aired was the wrong one. I can't give Embrace too much credit, after all it didn't fix the rest of the show's problems, but it did fix the one most significant.

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The bulk of the new footage in Embrace covers an additional confrontation with Berg Katze, interposed around the final scenes of Gatchaman Crowds. While I don't want to spoil the ending of the series proper, it doesn't make a lick of sense. Embrace successfully rectifies this, by way of adding a proper climax to the story, rather than what was in the aired version. Aside from a few more, calmer scenes to close off the rest of the characters' stories, that is about all that is added.

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And I am at an absolute loss as to why this wasn't the aired version. Not only is it far more fitting as a conclusion, removing the additional footage leaves a ridiculously huge plot hole. I would say that Embrace is not just the better version of Episode 12, but the real version.

Gatchaman Crowds itself is still a very poor show, but at least this alternative finale makes it a tiny bit less so.

Ostentatious garbage as has only been seen before in student films.

A quick glance at the visuals makes it clear this is an artistic short, rather than a narrative one. On the outset a divisive genre, and even more so being as it only ever results in masterpieces or swill, rarely an in-between.

Pianoman is the latter. I commend the team behind it for trying, and I think it's great they got the opportunity to, but it really is awful. If five minutes is still too long to waste, approach with caution.

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There's nothing to say on the story front. It's what the synopsis says, and that's about ... it. Nothing of meaning happens throughout the short, and by the end there's literally no change. Considering the heavy use of music, its practically an AMV with a few voice lines now and then.

The same can be said of character, it's devoid. There is a single man, he interacts with some instruments. He doesn't have a personality other than being a bit confused to start with. While a decent arc could do the trick to make him interesting, there isn't one. By the end of Pianoman, said man is exactly the same as he began.

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With technical aspects the peaks of the ONA can be found. The animation is pretty good, with some very nice shots near the middle and end. The art of Pianoman is also reasonable, giving a detailed, realistic style to the protagonist, while a more stylised, "fairytale" look to the various creatures that apparate as the piece goes on. The music is rather strong, being a single arrangement that flows unfaltered and that harmonises with the in-scene music the protagonist plays.

That's about all the praise I can give, as when it comes to the world and tone, it's a huge step down. Not a lot can be done when setting a piece in White Void (tm), and not a lot is. There are two set pieces, one of which is only ever observed from a distance, and the other is just to break the monotony of the floor for a bit. Neither are used in an interesting manner, especially the latter. There's something of an attempt with growing plantlife that blooms, but it doesn't really have a conclusion or a clear meaning, so it doesn't land at all.

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When laid out, it's clear the biggest problem is the short being pointless. If there is a story to tell, Echoes didn't manage to, and if there isn't then why did they even bother in the first place.

I normally try to spend this point suggesting ways I'd allay its issues, but just as the short says, "there is nothing for [me] here." I'm done with it, and it'll be a while before I can give this Studio the time of day.

Certainly interesting, and didn't even go too far wrong, but still kind of missed the mark.

Now, I did enjoy Iria: Zeiram. I wasn't uninvested, and I haven't forgotten the events so far. In fact, if anything is to be taken from this review; be it that it's no doubt worth a try. But that said, it didn't quite click with me.

Being seriously strong with characters and their world, and with a pretty decent standard of narrative, Iria: Zeiram, while not exceptional, stands as a fair show. If given another chance to go around, it could easily exceed itself.

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The story is admittedly simple, not boasting any ... revolutionary concepts, but is easily followed and flows without issue. Being half-cour length works pretty well, as it keeps each episode unique and doesn't spawn any unnecessary characters. All I can really point to as a plot issue is suddenly abandoning a line of inquiry the eponymous Iria is taking halfway throigh the show, with the information gotten in the previous episide being seemingly forgotten.

The characters are excellent, as is the way they are handled. Everyone gets a sizeable lump of screentime, and their starkly different personalities clash really well. The group that accompanies Iria in the second half has particularly good chemistry with each other, being perhaps the biggest strength of the OVAs. Zeiram himself isn't really a character, being an illegible monster. I can't complain too much being as this is wholly intentional, but there are more interesting villain paradigms.

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Iria: Zeiram has at-par animation, nothing stands out in either direction. The artstyle is quite nice, it gets every character looking good. But music, though, is rather poor. While the ED gets no complaints from me, the OP is surprisingly just awful. The song is grating to hear and feels like the singer hadn't seen the lyrics before the night. Try as I might to bear it, it ended up amongst the few I just had to skip past.

Now, where these OVAs really shine is with aesthetics. The vehicles, technology, clothing and architecture is all extremely unique, featuring antiquated and modern elements in equal parts. While this style isn't my cup of tea personally, I do appreciate the creativity behind it and I would by no means be opposed to seeing more of the world. As for character design, I really like Iria's, with everyone else also being pretty solid until Zeiram. His design sort of falls apart at his head and face, which doesn't really sit right. A few small tweaks could easily make it much more appealing and menacing, but again, this is probably just personal taste.

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Iria: Zeiram, then, stumbles in that while most elements are good, they don't mesh quite as well as would be needed. As for improvements, I'd change the OP first and foremost, and add scene or two in the centre to handwave the forgotten plot point I mentioned.

All in all, much of what I disliked can be chalked down to personal dissatisfaction for one reason or another, so I wouldn't want to complain too much. It's a curious little set of OVAs that didn't do much spectacular, but also never collapsed in on itself.

Has a bit of intrigue on paper but goes all of nowhere with it.

Tie-in ONA aren't like other productions. Rather than telling their own story, they have to promote a completely different one, often in an entirely different medium. Now, for what it's worth, Destiny Child does this. I can't say how well or not it attracted me to the franchise, being as I had briefly played the game long before watching, but it did manage to introduce the story, characters and world to a reasonable degree.

That being said, it doesn't excel anywhere at all. Despite the premise having potential, without being given the reigns ... to a full story there isn't any room to really use it. The same is true for the concept of the Children (the given plural is Childs, I should note), who again aren't used to any interesting extent. So without anything being pushed to be impressive, the whole ONA ends up quite mediocre.

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As mentioned, the story has some decent material, but there isn't any progress with it. Nigh all of the plot is delivered either via exposition or fighting, with the latter having practically no stakes, as it is never clear how many Demons or Children are present nor are any rules regarding the combat established. As for how the story is conveyed, the bulk is dedicated to the character arc of and navigated by the Deuteragonist. I wouldn't say this is explicitly an issue, but if told through the actual Protagonist then a lot more of the lore and mechanics could be explored.

The characters are just vacant. Only the two leads have any kind of personality, and even then their arcs are pretty vague. Everyone else is one-note at best, and several don't even get a single line yet are significant enough to be named. For as much as it is later set up that Children reflect various aspects of their sources, this concept is extremely lightly used, despite granting many opportunities for interesting dynamics.

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While the designs are great, with almost all being quite memorable, the artstyle itself is almost repugnant. Noses and cheeks are super red and shiny, a style that I personally detest. Animation has no problems, the effects around hiding the Demons and their Channel Evil were pretty neat, but nothing else really stands out. The music is listenable but not at all memorable, and there is no OP to speak of, only an ED, which is again alright but not notable.

Little is seen of the Demon world, but the limited amount shown is quite interesting. The landscape near the end is particularly striking, and a neat departure from common interpretations. As for the tone, I couldn't really pin anything down, which goes for the themes as well. And finally, as for the miscellany, I thought that the unique contract styles of different demons were interesting, as was the second shown Child transformation sequence.

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All in all, Destiny Child is just a short, inconsequential ONA with nothing particularly special going on. It could likely be improved just by delving more into the plot, but that would probably make it into a direct adaptation rather than a tie-in. Aside from that, the overall concept could be retooled into a different franchise, but again that wouldn't be an improvement more a replacement.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's an absolute waste of time, but it's certainly skippable.