Ranked #1536

Kiddy Grade

Kiddy Grade is an action/ fanservice laden anime that I thought would be good if I wanted to turn off my brain and marathon something. However, even with this low standard I set, it still didn’t fare as well as I hoped. This is primarily due to the first third and the last third of the series.

To avoid any spoilers I’ll split Kiddy Grade in 3 parts, first third, middle, and last third. The first third consisted of standalone episodes that were designed to let the viewer get familiar/learn about the characters. This is a pretty standard format that many 2 kour series follow. First, have an episodic beginning to get to know the characters while giving clues to the bigger story that would start later. Many times series wait too long to get on with the story. In this case, I though that the first third was simply mediocre and it really didn’t get me interested in the characters. Also, there was way too much fanservice… Ok, let me rephrase that, too much loli fanservice. Even the action scenes were kind of boring to me. In fact, right now I have trouble remembering anything during the first third of Kiddy Grade.

Much to my surprise during the middle it actually got good. The main story starts to move and the action scenes were quite exciting/good. Let me just say, here is where we find about the past of our two heroines. Éclair especially, has become more interesting. However, I wouldn’t say there was character development, rather they showed us what was already there. Sadly the third arc simply isn’t as good as the middle. While there was lots of intense action, much of which is very well animated, there were way too many dues ex machina and poor writing in general. The writers seemed to want to put in as many twists as humanly possible. Many times I said to myself “you can’t expect us to believe that!” In short, the last third was a complete mess (hmm Gonzo messing up the end of a series, surprise surprise).

As I said before the animation is quite good. As it should as the 2 main draws of Kiddy Grade are the action scenes and fanservice. Not much to say about the action scenes as this seems to be one of Gonzo’s big budget titles. Expect lots of well choreographed fight scenes with plenty of flash. Character designs are quite nice however, I’m not too fond of Éclair and Lumiere “current” look…

Oh, as for the characters, there isn’t much in terms of character development. Instead we learn what was already there via flashbacks. The most interesting character is Éclair and since it featured such a huge cast we don’t really get to know the other characters very well.

Anyway, was Kiddy Grade the action packed, fanservicey anime I expected? Yes, there was plenty of action and fanservice and it is especially suited for mindless watching. However, at the same time it had a poor beginning that makes it hard to start. Furthermore, the last third was completely garbled and even with my brain turned off I had a hard to accepting many of the events. There was quite a bit of potential shown in the middle, sadly it was never realized. Who knows maybe Kiddy Grade 2 will actually utilize this potential. read more

When I saw the first few episodes I was thrilled. Everything about this anime invited me to immediately watch the next episode and the one after and the one after. Too bad it didn't stay that way until the last episode.

Story: 6
Éclair and Lumière are two girls who work for the GOTT, an organization which takes care of businesses with governments all over the galaxy. These two ES member are the ones standing on the frontlines and as we follow them throughout the story they take care of pretty much everything that stands in their way from accomplishing their goal. While the anime starts very light-hearted it becomes dark towards the end.
The problem with the story is that there are gaps, and quite a lot of them. I kept hoping that they would explain everything at the end of the series, but they didn't.
There are these tip-offs about governmental secrets, apart from that you don't get to know much more about them. Same goes for some of the events, mostly in the second half of the series. Though they truly are important events, you never really get to understand them.
I don't know what to say about the end. All of the sudden there's this battle of the century (I don't know why though) with every known character interfering. It was random but strangely touching.
I'm a bit dissatisfied with the story. It could have been a lot better.

Art: 9
The art was brilliant. The clothes, hairstyles, scenarios... everything looked very colorful. I also enjoyed the facial expressions. At some points the characters were really touching.
The animation was very neat too and the fight-scenes were impressive.
I also liked the opening and the ending-scenes. They weren't boring and fitted the spirit of the series.

Sound: 8
The first thing I noticed when starting Kiddy Grade was the music. A bit old schoolish but enjoyable and a great bonus to every scene. The opening sequence was alright, the ending was very good. The tunes will still stay in my head for a while, which is good.

Character: 8
Éclair, she's ever excited when they encounter trouble, a bit of a tomboy even. Whereas Lumière is ever elegant and constantly drinking grapefruit juice. The characters were adorable and I immediately felt empathy for both of them.
Eclipse, their boss, well... I still don't understand what she's all about. She's one of the gaps I spoke of.
There is one thing which really bothered me. Halfway Kiddy Grade both Éclair and Lumière change appearance! It was such a bummer. After this I had a very hard time regaining faith in them, especially because I didn't like their new looks.

Enjoyment: 7
Though the series has it's flaws it's still quite enjoyable. There's a decent amount of action but that doesn't get in the way of character development. At the beginning it almost looks like a feel-good anime. After a while it gets more dramatic and you get sucked into it along with the characters.
It most definitely was fun to watch.

Overall: 7
It could have been a perfect 10 on 10 anime but the gaps in the plot are just too much of a nuisance. Everything about this anime just screams that it has more potential. Too bad the creators didn't do anything with it.
I don't really understand why it says ecchi in the information column. I think I've seen two or three panties throughout the entire series, nothing more really. read more