Episode 01, "Great Thief vs Lady Phantom Thief"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Master thief Lupin III crashes a marriage ceremony between a cult leader and his mistress. However, he soon finds out that the bride, a woman named Fujiko Mine, is after the same treasure that he is: the secret to a powerful drug the cult uses. The cult leader imprisons them both, intending to execute them. However they both manage a way out of their situation. Lupin suggests they compete for the prize. The two of them both find their way to where a giant statue made of the drug is. The police, led by Inspector Zenigata arrive thanks to a note Lupin sent. The island begins to fall apart, but Lupin has a plan, rocketing out on the statue, with Fujiko close behind. Ultimately, the statue falls into the ocean and dissolves, leaving traces of the drug on the surface of the water. Comments: I love me some Lupin III! I have to applaud this episode for doing what any other Lupin III TV series has done before: that is, do an episode that establishes Lupin. The first series’ first episode was about some criminal organization that had something vague against Lupin and he seemed more like a secret agent in that episode. The second series did a first episode that was a callback to the first series first episode, no heists there. The third series did a pretty mediocre "here we go again" kind of first episode. But this, this has a first encounter, that is the one between Lupin and Fujiko, establishes Lupin and Fujiko as thieves, establishes Lupin’s reputation, have an actual incident of stealing, and gives a pretty good view of what the franchise is as a whole. They even throw in the classic Lupin "I’m going to steal X" note. You’ve just got to love both Lupin and Fujiko in this episode. Fujiko is not ashamed to use her feminine charm (TITS) and cleverness to get what she wants, but Lupin is also very crafty and gets the better of her on occasion. They’re a great match for each other. But the way this episode plays out, Lupin seems very much the main character of this show that supposedly revolves around Fujiko. He’s got all the answers, all the moves, and he’s the one who comes the closest to claiming the treasure. There’s full-frontal nudity up the wazzoo in this. Even the opening credits depict nipple pinching. It tries to come off as classy and artsy, but it doesn’t quite make it. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem cheap and tawdry, either. It’s not exaggerated much and it seems more seductive, a means to an end. And just look at the art and animation of Takeshi Koike, the driving (lol) force behind Redline. The character art is very unique, but brings to mind the classic Lupin III manga by Monkey Punch. Lupin has a wealth of expressions, both subtle and wacky, and is rendered in a way that reveals his supreme confidence. They don’t shy away from Fujiko’s dangrous sexuality, either. Inspector Zenigata, who doesn’t do a lot in this episode, looks somewhat intimidating and hardboiled. I love the flare of the animation’s movements and how the art changes to reflect the action in it. The voice acting is rather excellent. I think this is some of Kanichi Kurita’s best work as Lupin. He can sound very cool and smooth, but also very silly, and expresses all of that very well. I didn’t think he could do this type of Lupin as well as Yasuo Yamada did in the first TV series, but he pulls it off rather well. And Miyuki Sawashiro, still fairly new to the part of Fujiko, came off youthful, vibrant, and sexy. I’m still waiting to hear more of Koichi Yamadera’s Inspector Zenigata. The music is, well, jazzy, but understated. It does help illuminate the mood of the actions, and gives it a classy atmosphere, but it’s not really remarkable in any way. I know it’s too early to say this, but I kind of miss Yuji Ono. Still, it’s not bad music in the slightest. Though it might disappoint those waiting to hear the second TV series theme music. The whole thing definitely feels a bit like the original manga, or the first TV series. It’s got a bit of a sternness to it, a feel of danger. I like it. Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5Reviews
Gundam AGE Episode 24 Review
Episode 24, "X-Rounder"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Flit meets with Grodek in a bar. Grodek tells Flit that there’s a traitor in the Federation. On the Diva, Flit gets out of the brig. While out in the colony, he encounters Zeheart. Asemu admits that without fighting he won’t be acknowledged by anyone. Zeheart pulls a gun but Romary arrives and distracts him. Asemu takes Zeheart’s gun and turns it on him, but Romary puts herself in between them. Zeheart escapes in his mobile suit. Asemu sorties in the Gundam, engaging Zeheart in battle. Flit arrives on the scene in the AGE-1 and Asemu is told to back up the other units in the fight with the Magician Eight units. Flit engages Zeheart and the two match each other’s abilities. Dique sends the AGE-2 a new part, the Double Bullet. Asemu devestates the Magicians Eight, killing two of them. Zeheart the others retreat. At the same bar, Flit waits for Grodek, but Grodek is followed by a man who stabs him. Before Grodek dies he erases the data he had with me. The man is also killed. Comments: NOOOOOOOOO, GRODEK! Why’d they have to kill of one of the best characters (probably the best character from Gen 1)? Though, I have to admit, I kind of had a feeling this would happen, especially when meeting with Flit and telling him he had important information that he would get to him the next time. Why not give him the information right away, if it was that important? And now that information is gone because Grodek deleted it, so now all Flit has to go on is a hunch that something fishy’s going on. Blue Desil, Yark Dole’s son, being the person to kill Grodek, fit well. I mean, Grodek totally rubbed it in his face after he killed his father. But then Blue Desil himself gets shot by a bunch of guys in trenchcoats, so it seems kind of a waste to bring him back just for that. Why didn’t Blue Desil become a Veigan pilot like Desil? And who are those guys in the trenchcoat working for? I’m guessing it’s that somebody who Grodek was suspicious of. But if the trenchcoat guys wanted Grodek dead, why not just shoot him themselves? The middle man seems kind of pointless. Man, is Milias going to be depressed. But let’s get to Romary. Romary Romary Romary. They actually went in the direction I wanted them to, with Romary defending Zeheart. Nevermind that Zeheart and his lackies have been trying to kill the crew of the Diva, it looks as though Romary has stronger feelings for him than she does Flit. Could it be that she’s in love with him instead of Asemu? Asemu now views her as a traitor. Interesting. Though predictably, I still fully expect a full reconciliation, because the third gen kid looks like he’s Romary’s son. It would be interesting if it were somebody else’s, though. Like Dique’s daughter, Arisa. She’s pretty awesome. Well, the Magicians Eight- or should I call them the Magicians Six?- is a unit of X-Rounder jobbers. I guess they’re following in the footsteps of the druggies from SEED and the Skittle Squad from 00. We know almost nothing about them except that they seem to be intended to be a special squadron and they’re really cocky. But as soon as Asemu got that Double Bullet part, they were out of luck and jolly well fucked. Kind of a waste. Overall, though, it was a good episode. A lot of good drama. I expect quite a bit of fallout in the next episode.Overall Score:
4 out of 5
Gundam AGE Episode 23 Review
Episode 23, "The Suspicious Colony"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Grodek Aiona is finally released from Federation military prison. After the defeat at the Big Ring, Zeheart hears the complaints of the ace Magicians Eight unit. The Diva arrives at the Solon City colony, with Flit accompanying them, to investigate the Techno Solon company. While Milias speaks with a representative, Woolf goes undercover and discovers a hanger with Veigan mobile suits. Flit intends to launch mobile suits, but Asemu objects on the grounds that there could be civilian casualties. Flit orders a launch and they arrive just in time to save Milias and Woolf. However, the city is damaged in the battle. After a while, Asemu decides to go into action with the AGE-2 and takes down the enemy MS. The secret Veigan base self-destructs. Asemu is put in the brig for his actions. Flit meets with Grodek. Comments: It must really get on Milias’ nerves, having to take orders from Flit. I mean, he was just a little brat and now he’s utterly bypassed her in rank, for no good reason. Just because somebody’s a great pilot doesn’t necessarily mean they have what it takes to command. Did Flit just suddenly become command material after that battle with the Veigans years ago? If I were Milias I’d have quit the Federation in disgust. It’s bad enough they railroaded Grodek, but it seems like Flit only became a commander because he was a talented pilot. I haven’t seen anything that points in another direction. Am I missing something here, or is the show trying to make us care about the redheaded guy and the girl with the glasses that works with Dique? Is this some sort of subplot that will lead to something relevant to the work as a whole? Because so far I’m not really getting into it. I really don’t care if redhead gets with glasses girl. You can tell, because I have no idea what the names of those characters are and I’m watching the show. They both just seem like flat, bland characters who the viewer is supposed to find cute because of their awkwardness. But I’ll give this a little time to see what blossoms. Flit’s kind of a jerk. I don’t like his attitude. I know they’re at war with the Veigans but he seems pretty stringent. Grodek seemed to be a bit more flexible and had a warmer feel to him, even if he was out for revenge just like Flit. Though I have to admit, Flit was probably right to do what he did in this episode, and his reasoning was pretty sound. If they don’t act an even greater tragedy could occur. If Flit hadn’t ordered the MS deployment, it was very likely that Milias and Woolf would have been captured or killed. Asemu volunteered for the military, so his little tantrum was a bit hypocritical. Especially since he went out in the AGE-1 on his home colony a bunch of times and could have put civilians at risk. I really like that the grunt suits are using Titus parts. I wonder if they’ll be using Spallow soon. Oh, and Grodek is back! So Flit outranks him too, probably! Shit.Overall Score:
3.5 out of 5
Gundam AGE Episode 22 Review
Episode 22, "Big Ring Absolute Defense Line"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: The battle for the Big Ring begins. The Diva launches and soon after, it’s mobile suit forces. The Veigan MS move forward too, and the battle begins. Flit commands maneuvers from the Big Ring. Asemu and Woolf engage X-Rouders in combat. Zeheart decides to go out to fight and Desil joins him. Asemu fights Zeheart while Woolf takes on Desil. They struggle until Flit appears in the AGE-1. Flit battles Desil, who wants revenge for his humiliation years earlier. Asemu continues to fight Zeheart. Back up arrives to support the father and son. Zeheart is frustrated that the Veigan troops are being pushed back and retreats with an uncooperative Desil. The Federation wins the day, but Asemu is upset at his father’s attitude. Comments: I see that Federation normal suits have not evolved in the passing years. They still look like weird pajamas. I guess if they work as-is, there’s no reason to change the design, but it just bothers me to look at them. It’s interesting the dual roles that Flit plays in this episode. As a commander, he uses strategies to get the most out of troop deployment. You don’t see a lot of this in Gundam. Most of the time it’s some random combat with little order to it. I’m glad that, at least for a few moments, they’re going a little Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Of course, after those few moments, Flit takes off in the AGE-1 to be part of the fight. It’s neat to see Flit still pilots well, not having rusted at all over time, but it’s kind of stupid in some ways. Why did Flit become a commander if he’s just going to pilot a MS? Trying to do both is just ridiculous. Who does he think he is, Beecha Oleg? All the jokes about Yurin being Flit’s true love and his marriage to Emily being a loveless marriage of convenience seem to have some stripe of validity. Here years later, he’s still thinking about her. I mean, okay, it’s natural to remember a tragedy in the past, but it feels like he gets a special jolt of rage, as if the wound was still fresh. It seems like Flit himself believes he was meant to be with Yurin and he’s never gotten over it. It’s an interesting element and look forward to seeing where (if anywhere) it goes. Overall Score:4 out of 5
Gundam AGE Episode 21 Review
Episode 21, "Phantoms in the Way"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Asemu tries to distract himself from thoughts of Zeheart. The Diva docks at the EFF command center, the Big Ring. Flit tells the crew that they’re to help defend Big Ring from a Veigan attack. Asemu decides to take advanced piloting training. His grade for X-Rounder potential is a "D" so Woolf decides to cheer him up by taking him to see Madorna’s Workshop. Asemu meets Madorna’s son Rody who created a battle simulation machine. Asemu gets in and holds out for a few minutes against simulations of his father and Zeheart. He requests to try again. Both the Veigans and Federation prepare for the upcoming battle. Comments: So Flit really outranks Milias. Really? I mean, he certainly had a lot to do with the initial victory over the UE/Veigans, but you don’t make him a commander just because he was a great pilot. What kind of leadership skills does Flit have? Milias makes sense because she probably worked her way through the ranks the normal way. At what point did Flit bypass her? If I were Milias, I would be absolutely humiliated. I can see Flit outranking Woolf, and even that’s a little stretch, but fuck, Milias was second-in-command on the Diva, not Flit. Maybe she didn’t get promoted that much because she was loyal to Grodek. Speaking of Flit, he’s a bit of an asshole. When Asemu is down, Flit says, "As long as you have my blood you’ll be fine." Yeah, thanks a lot, Dad. "As long as you have my blood" is such an arrogant thing to say. Wouldn’t it be cool if Asemu really isn’t a X-Rounder? I mean, we see his "D" grade in X-Rounder perception, but I’m sure the story is going to go to him being one after all, just in a way that makes it difficult to measure out of combat. But it would be neat if he just became a really badass normal like Woolf and yet still takes down Zeheart. Speaking of Zeheart, what is with Romary being so jealous that Flit got to see him again? He’s the enemy and instead of being concerned for Asemu, Romary wishes she can see Zeheart again. I guess she wanted Zeheart more than Asemu. But nah, they probably won’t go in that direction. That would be too interesting.Overall Score:
3.5 out of 5
Gundam AGE Episode 20 Review
Episode 20, "The Red Mobile Suit"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Zeheart tests the Veigan MS, Zedas-R, but is disappointed. He visits a grown up Desil. The Diva enters a shoal zone to avoid combat. The Veigans ambush the ship. Zeheart sorties in the X-Rounder MS, Zeydra. Asemu engages Zeheart is combat and has difficulty thinking of him as an enemy. Zeheart defeats Asemu and threatens to kill him should he see him again on the battlefield. Comments: So, Desil has made his return to the show. He barely looks like he did as a child, but I guess that’s growing up. Not only is he grown up, but he is seriously ripped, too. I bet he could take Flit on with his bare hands. Maybe he’s ripped for that very reason. Being defeated so utterly as a child has made him driven to defeat the Gundam pilot. He’s also got a serious entitlement thing going on and is not happy for Zeheart’s promotion. There’ll probably be some friction between the two. I’ve got to say, for all the different reasons they could have given Zeheart to wear a mask in this show, they actually came up with a pretty decent one, with the mask enabling the pilot to better channel their X-Rounder abilities into the MS. He’s not hiding from his past or trying to fool anybody, he needs it for work. It’s probably one of the show’s better ideas, though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t necessary at all. It’s just a fun little thing. But the mask is upstaged by the absolutely ridiculous helmet he wears. That thing is way too bulky. Is it just me, or is Woolf the best character in this show? What was a kind of arrogant swagger in the first part of the series has become learned confidence. He’s just that good. The only thing that could top this is Grodek showing up again. Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5Gundam AGE Episode 19 Review
Episode 19, "Asemu’s Departure"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: While Asemu joins the military, Zeheart is put in charge of the Veigan’s occupation forces. Romary has also joined the Federation. Asemu and Romary are assigned to the Diva, along with Dique’s daughter, Arisa. Millias Alloy is now the captain of the ship. On the ship, Asemu discovers the Gundam AGE-2. Woolf Enneacle is put in charge of mobile suit forces. The Diva encounters Veigan mobile suits and mobilizes its MS force, except Asemu who has to wait on the configuration of the AGE-2. When it’s done, Asemu launches and supports the others. The Veigans go after the Diva, but he shoots them down. However, having disobeyed orders, Asemu is punished. Comments: So here we have another time skip to Asemu already being ordered to a ship. Time sure seems to move fast in the world of this show. They couldn’t at least have given us a montage of Asemu in military academy? So Romary decided to join the military as a bridge bunny on the Diva. Interesting. I guess with her having an actual position on the ship makes her more useful than Emily was. Something I wonder about is if Flit outranks Milias? I mean, he was just a kid and a rookie pilot on the Diva but now he’s a commander and she’s just the ship’s captain? I don’t think it’s fair to put Flit in a commanding role just because he was the Gundam pilot. Amuro Ray only made lieutenant by the time CCA came around. Another thing I wonder is why should Asemu be given the Gundam? In the first generation you can rationalize that he knew the Gundam better than anyone else, having developed it. I guess Asemu probably knows more about it than, say, Woolf, but he’s a brand new pilot, and it’s not like he’s been out in the Gundam a whole lot. Plus, that was the old Gundam. The new Gundam is the most powerful MS, shouldn’t it go to the most talented pilot? The guy who pilots it now disobeyed orders TWICE, first ignoring an order and then going down to the hanger when he was supposed to be confined to his quarters. And where are the soldiers to make sure he follows that? Milias sure sucks at her job. Grodek would have slapped his shit and thrown him in the brig. I think. Come to think of it, Grodek was pretty wonky, too. Speaking of the new Gundam, is it just me or is it a thinly disguised Gundam 00?Overall Score:
3.5 out of 5
Gundam AGE Episode 18 Review
Episode 18, "Graduation Ceremony Battle"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Time passes and Asemu is to graduate. On the day of graduation, he reveals his plan to join the military after the break. Military police interrupt the ceremony and arrest Zeheart. Zeheart’s contact decoys the soldiers. He attacks the soldiers until Zeheart can get to his mobile suit. In his cockpit he reflects on the times he’s had with Asemu and his friends. Back at the school, Asemu gets a call from Vargas, who has sent the trailer with the Gundam. The Gundam comes in and fights Zeheart’s MS. Asemu is again pinned down by Zeheart, who reveals that he’d been fighting him. Romary sees this. Zeheart retreats. Comments: Watching this episode, it feels like I missed five or six episodes. Asemu and Zeheart are dear friends with photos of moments of their friendship, Romary seems closer to them, and everyone is graduating. There are two trains of thought on this, to me. One is, wait a minute, they just skipped ahead of character development? Shouldn’t we see some of those moments? They shorcut the way there with those photos, so that’s actually somewhat clever, but it doesn’t feel like Zeheart’s betrayal of Asemu’s trust is any big deal, because they’ve been friends for two episodes. The other thought is, well, who wants to wait around? Obviously we’re trying to move forward to Asemu joining the military and fighting the Veigans more directly. If we’re just sitting around watching Asemu and Zeheart hanging out, it’s liable to get very boring. So in this way, the time skip is no big offender. There’s a lot of story to get to, after all, we can’t be sitting on our hands waiting for them to become good friends. However, what about a compromise, Sunrise? You could have given it at least another episode for the relationship between Asemu and Zeheart to cement. Instead, this sudden skip ahead has decided character development in a very tricky way that removes any gravity a betrayal will have. We don’t really feel for Asemu because we already knew Zeheart was going to betray him and it didn’t have time to really build up. It was a decent episode, I guess, but I don’t know, I don’t really like some of the choices they made. Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5Space Battleship Yamato 2199 PV
A few notes:
– Captain Okita’s character design seems to be the least redesigned.
– Doctor Sado looks like a compromise between his original design and the new style.
– Awesome, some of Hiroshi Miyagawa’s music is making it in, probably because his son is doing the music.
– Gamilian spaceships! If only they would show Gamilius and/or Lord Desslar.
– Starsha confirmed!
I’m so psyched about this. As I’ve established, SBY is one of my favorite anime, and this PV makes the remake look pretty damn good!
Gundam AGE Episode 17 Review
Episode 17, "Friendship, Love, and Mobile Suits"
*****SPOILERS***** Synopsis: Asemu keeps secret that he piloted the Gundam. Zeheart is told that the Gundam is likely hidden somewhere at the Asuno residence and joins the mobile suit club with Asemu and his friends. The four prepare for a MS tournament. Asemu invites the team to his house to get information on mobile suits. Zeheart uses this opportunity to look around for the Gundam, finally finding it in the stable. Later at the MS tournament, Asemu in his club MS battles other competitors, winning several bouts. However, Zeheart disappears. A Veigan MS is activated at the Asuno residence and Vargas alerts Asemu. Asemu speeds back home and gets in the Gundam. Zeheart moves in to support his superior, but Vargas activates a smog field which Asemu uses as cover to destroy one of the MS. However, Zeheart pins the Gundam down. The arrival of Romary allows Asemu to get free and Federation MS arrive. Zeheart retreats. The Gundam is moved to a Federation facility. Comments: I like the mobile suit competition in this episode and wish there was more of it (maybe making this a two-parter would have worked). Especially the part about Asemu wanting to impress his father by winning. I imagine that Flit could be a bit difficult to impress, since he already built the Gundam and was fighting the Veigans/UE well before he was Asemu’s age. Asemu is only barely able to build a small MS with his friends. He might not have even done as well as he did in the competition had it not been for Zeheart. I remember that in Zeta Gundam, Kamille Bidan was well-known for being a builder of petit MS. The episode is somewhat a repeat of the previous, only this time Zeheart was in battle, too, and was able to pin down the Gundam. Actually, even before then Asemu was having slightly more difficulty with Zeheart’s contact. Luckily for him the Federation’s mobile suits arrived. But who knows? Maybe he would have been able to recover on his own. Based on what I saw in the previous episode, Asemu can really hold his own. Is it just me or does Vargas seem a lot more helpful in this part of the show than in the previous one? That smog field was a good idea. Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5