Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Mobile Suit Gundam Orphans in the Mobile Suit Gundam Universe
The problem with the first episode was that it spread itself too thin. A lot of elements were introduced so vaguely that they weren’t compelling either on their own or by fitting in with the others. The rebellion and the diplomatic mission didn’t have a sense of urgency or importance. I didn’t know how harsh the governance issues were or how tight the deadline for the diplomatic mission was. Another example is the discrepancy between the mercenary divisions. We hear complaints on how the orphan division gets abused, but we’re not shown better treatment in the other divisions or persistent abuse of the kids. They’re shown doing backbreaking work, but that’s par for the course in a paramilitary organization. The only real abuse that carried weight was the orphan division being abandoned, and even that wasn’t effective because the battle was badly done.
The battle, which I assume is important for a Gundam series, was a bunch of scenes that didn’t paint a bigger picture. What we’re shown is a hill with a bunch of giant robots shooting or getting shot at. We’re told that the mercenaries are losing, but other than that, there’s no way to determine what’s going on. We’re told about flanks and rears, but there’s no sense of where these are, especially since the shot of the hill clearly shows there’s only one way in. The two unique elements in the battle, giant robots and child soldiers, didn’t make a difference. The mecha felt like infantry except bigger, and the child soldiers appeared to be ordinary grunts.
Judging from this episode alone, I’d be skeptical that this series could pull off its subject matter. But since this review came out late, I managed to catch episode two and I have to say that the second episode addresses my earlier complaints. It goes into the missing details and actually has a unifying theme of “think of the children”. That shifted its ranking from “probably terrible” to “can go either way”.
Star Mu
I did not expect them to burst into song like that.
Oh my god, and it happened again.
Honestly, I don’t know how to judge these scenes. I can’t appreciate this kind of song and dance even in real life, so I’ll just stay quiet and leave you to form your own opinion on them.
The only hook left for me is the characters and drama, and the episode only dropped the faintest of hints about these. At this point, it’s too early to tell if the stock personalities will be played straight and shallow or if they’ll be developed with more depth.
Like Iron-Blooded Orphans, the second episode caught up to me before I could finish writing this. And wow, the second episode was far more entertaining. The cast’s interactions with one another focused the drama to the specific topic of the ability gap. The musical scenes were more figurative this time, so I didn’t blank out from the dance moves. In fact, I even found amusement from their sudden transitions and dangerous cheesiness. I laughed out loud, and thats something even One Punch Man failed to do!
Dance With Devils
Another musical!
But compared to Star Mu, the musical scenes in Dance With Devils were more conservative. They got to the point quickly, without too much arm-waving for the sake of it. They’re more in service to the narrative and characters, rather than spectacles for their own sake. This isn’t to say that they’re better or worse than Star Mu’s. It’s simply a different style, though I favor it just for being shorter.
To continue the contrast, while Star Mu is about theater, Dance With Devils itself is theatric. For example, the school interiors were open like a stage, and its architecture was scaled like stage props. The heroine’s school uniform looked more like a costume than everyday wear and the devil boys displayed their obvious archetypes through their look. The fresh mood from this alone is enough to make the series worth checking out.
The plot is interesting at this point because nobody except the heroine and her family had been introduced as a “good guy”, but the series still needs time to prove itself. I’m hopeful, though, that the writing will be decent because it knows when to shut up. For example, the symbol of protection in the heroine’s house was visually introduced without any verbal comment. Same for the use of magical entrancement. These help balance out the overt storytelling from the more theatric parts.
I look forward to the depravity of watching two musicals this season.
The Perfect Insider
This dialogue-heavy episode worked because it teased just the right amount of curiosities. It was strange to see a rich girl drive her sports car to a menial-looking job and talk naturally with a depressed smartypants. Then, it was surprising to see her talk to an even stranger wierdo and demonstrate her mental math. The fact that this all happened in a realistic ordinary way emphasized its out-of-the-ordinariness.
To support the dialogue, the environment carried a great deal of mood setting and character development. For example, the detailed messy office introduced an “absent-minded professor” and established the rich girl’s coziness in that location. Another example is the videoconference room’s sterile whiteness that supported the surreal dialogue during those scenes.
And that’s it for the series’ style. It’s so minimalist that it goes dangerously close to being bland. With nothing else to rely on, the series will live or die by its writing.
A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet
(Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation is such a lame title)
At the surface, this looked like a realistic series similar to Perfect Insider. But it actually used a lot of conventional anime elements. Visually, it had cherry blossoms in the wind, a fat inept detective and even a “transformation” scene before bone girl used her “superpower”. The way the cast acted, too, had the subtle juvenile manner of the typical anime character. For example, when bone girl tried to steal the skull, or the boy’s excitement over shrimp.
Like I’ve said before, a stylistic choice like this isn’t better or worse than the alternatives. It just means that some messages or feelings will be clearer than others. And just from one episode, I’m not sure what that is yet. The key topics of the age gap, mismatched talent and passion (detective work versus bone fascination) remained unconnected by the end of the episode. When taken on their own, they were interesting simply because they were new. But later on, the series really needs to integrate them or risk mediocrity.
Garo: The Crimson Moon
This episode was really bad and is my first obvious drop. It failed everywhere.
The opening event and the discussion at the Light Palace had no connection to the main content of the episode. In fact, they seem to contradict one another. The opening scenes hint at a demon-infested world, but the town where the monster-of-the-week adventure took place seemed as safe as ever. The walking statue was initially shown as a creepy thing that couldn’t be dealt with easily, but was resolved through a generic monster hunt. Even the sudden lighthearted scenes ended up being jarring because their music was so obnoxious compared to the rest of the score.
Aria The Scarlet Ammo AA
This episode didn’t just have good action scenes, it had a lot of them. Even the chase scene, which didn’t have shooting or martial arts, was action-packed because of the simple acrobatics. While the physics aren’t realistic, Aria’s movements have a lot of arcs and springiness to them, which show a sense of momentum. The fancy transitions in that scene, the train door opening and the balloon’s screen wipe, kept the motion flowing.
The premise of little girls doing dangerous work wasn’t explained at all, which made it smoother for me to suspend my disbelief. Instead, the episode went straight to moe to accompany its action, prioritizing tone rather than setting details. This was a great decision, not just because I’m into moe, but also because I’ve heard the setting isn’t all that great to begin with. If so, then the episode successfully played to its strengths while avoiding a weakness.
As long as the series maintains its pace and action quality, any stupidity can easily be overlooked.
Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon
If Aria was action/moe, then this series was introduced as action/fanservice/comedy. And that last element, comedy, brought this whole episode down.
First of all, it wasn’t funny. Now, humor is super subjective so if you found it funny, then just ignore that point. But the more important comedy failures were its rough transitions to the succeeding scene. For example, the swordsman awkwardly talking to armed goons was followed by an action scene. The joke felt like an intrusion between what should have been continuous action. It also sabotaged the very first “everyone is dead” opening scene by downplaying the danger of their job. Another example was the welcoming party followed by a serious conversation. The swordsman’s suddenly revealed leadership talent was unconvincing because the point of the party joke was that he was incompetent.
In the end, the mood was so muddled (thanks to the fanservice, too) that the final scene with drama didn’t work. It was overplayed, and drew from unearned sympathy.
But as low as my expectations are, I’m not dropping this until episode four or I see some wizards get shot.
