Episode 3, "Sortie! Ashura Corps!"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Kouji docks the Pilder craft in a giant robot called Mazinger, which catches the attention of Dr. Hell's servant, Ashura. Mazinger is said to resemble the rebel god Zeus, who defended the human race thousands of years ago. Ashura, full of rage at the betrayal, attacks Mazinger on his/her (!) own, but is stopped by Dr. Hell, who confronts Dr. Kabuto. Ashura's troops take to city streets and new giant robots spring into action against Mazinger.
Comments:
What the hell is Baron Ashura? Half woman, half man, all ass kicker, that's for sure. I mean, like Master Asia, Ashura laid a beat down on a giant robot without any assistance. I'm definitely getting vibes similar to Imagawa's work in G Gundam and Giant Robo in that. Still, I hope he doesn't overdo it. It's fun in short bursts, but not in large doses. Though it's weird that Dr. Hell stopped Ashura from beating the crap out of Mazinger. What's he waiting for? Sweeps? It looks like Ashura had things well in hand before Hell showed up. Another thing, what the fuck was with Dr. Hell's "hologram"? Holograms are just projections, Dr. Hell's was electocuting the poor crying he/she like he was Zeus.
Speaking of Zeus, that was quite some back story. Zeus is a rebel a god who defended humanity against his master? That's a far cry from the Zeus of legend, who was a god who largely ignored the affairs of everyone else unless it involved sexual assault disguised as an animal. Hey, maybe this is the same Zeus and he just got bored later on. Wait, is Mazinger Zeus? Why are they even recalling any of that? And who is recalling it, other than the narrator? Okay, this is Imagawa. I'm sure it'll pan out eventually. At least while it's not making sense, it still looks awesome.
My general opinion of this episode is that it's pretty decent, but there's still a lot of irratic jumping from event to event. I expect a little more by the ways of character establishment and explanation in the next episode, because, hell, why not?
Overall Score:
3 out of 5