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Apr 1, 2011
Well the Inspectors is based off part two of the "Original Generations" saga sub-line of the "Super Robot Wars" franchise. In case you're wondering, Super robot Wars is a video game franchise known for being a crossover of many mecha series. In these games, some original characters are made and inserted. Over time these original character grew so numerous, they made a crossover game purely consisting of original characters. This is the "OG" saga line of games. If you came here expecting to see Gundam Vs Evangelion, you won't get it (though what you do get isn't far off).
Basically, this show is kinda all over
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the place and is hardly comparable to a regular anime (mostly because of its lack of a specific overarching plot and the fact that there are like a hundred characters. Literally.), so writing a standard review would take too many words. Instead I'll do this in a Q&A format:
Q:What is the plot of The Inspectors?
A:There is no overarching plot. But there are millions of small sub plots. This sets it apart from most anime, because rather than create a setting and use all of 0.00001% of it to tell a story, this show heavily utilises its setting. For instance, unlike, say, the original Gundam, where Char and Amuro was the only significant rivalry to ever develop in the whole, supposedly large, one-year-war. In The Inspectors however, there are dozens (to make the comparison worse, SRW's earth and enemy forces are orders of magnitude smaller than they are in gundam). So right off the bat, I can guarantee you that The Inspectors has much more content than does most standard shows (mech or otherwise).
Q:Does having this much content clutter the show?
A:Yes, but not because the show is cluttered (ie: poorly written), but mostly because viewers don't have a 20-minute attention span. Unlike many anime series, where forgetting 70% of an episode doesn't have squat influence on the plot, you would do well to remember what was in each episode of the Inspectors, as much of it is important. Indeed, if you watch a particularly fast episode twice I can effectively guarantee that you'll see something new the second time round, especially if you leave a day or two between watches.
Q:So what are the upsides to having this many characters?
A:The usual answer would be "to please fans of the character from the game". This is a stupid statement. I mean think about it, this just begs the question as to why the character was in the game in the first place. That's not particularly helpful. So instead I'll offer an actually useful answer: Because having loads of characters from different backgrounds working toward their various goals is PRECISELY what the SRW franchise has sought to do from its inception.
I mean honestly, in this show you can do something nigh on impossible in almost every other anime. Watch the show from different points of view. Take Axel in the first episode. Then the end of ep6. then the beginning of ep8, etc. The perspective you get is radically different to the one you'll get if you watch the show in full. Then you can re-watch from Rai or Gilliam's point of view, etc. To me, this is the appeal of the OG saga lines, everyone and everything is an actual character, not just a puppet with a face being pulled by the strings of one or two lead actors in a play. Everyone is legitimately different.
Q:But if these characters are just from a game, aren't we just getting the "same old" stuff rehashed?
A:NO. This is NOT an adptation of a game (or at least, not one that has been released so far). It would be much more useful to think of this as an expansion pack. The general gist of the show is along the same lines and the game, but there are so many (often very large) differences between the game and show that calling it an adptation does an injustice, there is a large volume of content added that you'll never see if you only play the games released thus far.
Q:So, are there any changes that make it worse than the game?
A:Only one- Wodan Ymir. Saying why would be a spoiler, but suffice to say, when a character is popular because of nothing but raw strenght, then you have to be very careful how you depict that strength. A point of reference must be made, because unlike the game, the anime has no health bars and damage meters (excluding those awesome computer menu screens). Compared to the game Wodan was not done well. That's not to say he was done badly, just that the game did it much, much better.
Q:so that's plot and characters, what about art and sound?
A:Sound, firstly, is friggin AMAZING. The original score is really really good, and the score recycled from the game is incredible, since the games have had years and years of refinemnt go into them. Voice acting and sound effects too, are amazing. The first OP is the only thing I'll criticise- it really lacked "flow" so I felt it doesn't really work as a theme, though this is minor considering how many other good pieces of music they had. And some people liked that song. (I must admit the full version is better than the TV version)
But art is the big one.
Firsly, the art is very VERY flashy. Crisp colors with loads of contrast and special effects make this show a pleasure to watch.
The 3D CG is excellent. It is used in only a few specific instances (such as the lion series and explosions and battleships), and even then, only when it fits. But more importantly, it is shaded very vibrantly, so it fits in very well with the show, so unlike many other mech shows with 3D in them it is entierly possible people won't even notice the CG at all.
There is also a liberal amount of VERY high-quality artwork (still frames) employed in the show (these make GREAT backgrounds xD), which serves to boost the show and deliver eyecandy to keep up the bombardment of awesome that comprises almost every scene in this show.
But there are downsides. There is a lot of stock footage that gets recycled. This is used approriately and in varied circumstances, so even when it is heavily employed, it feels fresh, but it is noticable.
The bigger issue is the regular drops in quality in minor scenes. the producers obviously were stretched for resources (I'd say manpower, since I've seen shows with a low budget, and the Inspectors doesn't have those symptoms) and in some scenes it is quite apprant.
But frankly, at its lowest quality this show is still of a much higher standard than most anime.
Q: Overall?
A: Simple. This show is PACKED. And I mean PACKED with stuff. Art, sound, stories, characters, mechs, new stuff, old stuff, you name it. Sure, some people like their anime simple, shallow and two-dimentional, but if you're up for something bigger, the inspectors delivers.
-Also, this show is a sequel. the first season was ridiculously mediocre, with obvious CG, bland BGMS (except for the ones from the games) and dated character designs. But that said, it may help you get familiar with the cast, which, being as huge as it is, is no lean feat. I suggest watching it, but be aware that the Inspectors is RADICALLY different.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 18, 2011
First up, I'll be honest, the primary reason I went into this show is because I heard it had some "mecha" relations, which is true, it does revolve heavily around cyborgs, and the secondary reason was because I heard that Subaru was a pretty awesome character.
But that being said, I'm not an idiot, I realise that being a "Magical Girl" show, this probably had about as much chance as being /m/ as Dragon Ball Z, so I was willing to give it a shot to see if it was good for its own sake. And cudos to the first two seasons, they were
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pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing, but something that even I, despite it being well outside my realm of usual viewing, could watch (and heck, there were even mechs in the first series for a little bit).
But then I got up to this one, the one I actually wanted to watch, and man, it is poor.
Basically, there are no problems with the animation or sound or anything like that, the problem is with the writing. I'll break it down into three categories, 1- the premise of the show, 2- the new characters and 3- the old characters.
I'll start with #1, the premise of the show. First up, the title is abhorrently misleading, despite being called a "magical girl" show, it really isn't. There may be a bit lost in translation here, so I should elaborate, the "girl" in "magical girl" means "young/small/little" girl, so a more appropriate name would be "magical teenager" or "magical practically-an-adult" nanoha. The reason this is somewhat important is because of the themes that are connotated by the genre. Magical girl is all about being cute, gaining new powers and, most overridingly, must revolve around friendship. So much so that it is usually sickening to someone like me, who's not a fan of the genre.
But S1 did this pretty well, sure it was a tad cliche, but Fate and Nanoha's story was one that was watchable, and indeed, it was nothing bad. A's (the second season) was about Hayate, and even though I thought the "poor crippled orphan" plot was a little bit too over-the-top, it was understandable, as there was a good reason that she was a "poor crippled orphan" (explained in the show so I shan't elaborate). Nanoha making friends with them and helping them out was a perfectly good plotline.
But in this regard, what did StrikerS have to offer? None of the antagonists were in any kind of situation where they needed help/friends, bar Lu and Agatio, but both were already getting help/gotten help of their own free will in the series. This means the "friendship" was forced down their throat. I mean Fate having friendship forced down her throat was understandable, considering her circumstances in season 1, but as a gerneral rule, forcing friendship onto someone is just nonsense.
And that's pretty much the problem with this series' premise, it aborts from the themes established in the first two seasons and goes down a completely different track. This might not have been a bad thing, but, as per below, there were some deep writing flaws that turned it into one.
#2 is the most obvious, the new characters. As I already said, there was a good reason Hayate was a crippled orphan in season 2, and Fate in season 1 was the main subject matter, so again, there was a reason to have her in that situation. But what about this one? All the characters (basically) are orphans, with some deep emotional scarring. Why? Well, put simply, it is so that the writers have something to talk about in the numerous incessant personal reflections that go on. I'm all for a bit of backstory, when it is relevant. Entire episodes of nonstop backstory from characters like the helicopter pilot, who, as my description implies, is a completely and utterly minor character, is downright annoying. The only reason I can think that they have so many backstories is because the *actual* story is inadequate. I mean honestly, aside from training, the squad in this series partake in, like, all of three fights (with the last fight being a really long one, admittedly), and the plot is resolved in these three fights. This proves to me that the plot is very, very shallow. Now I wasn't expecting something deep, but good lord, was there really a need to fill the episodes with so much cliche overblown emo crap in the meantime?
This is the second serious complaint. The new characters were, essentially, only there because the plot wasn't interesting enough and the directors had 26 episodes to fill. I can easily see them simply removing half the cast and putting this into a 13 episode anime and it working just as well. The only thing having all these new characters did was to slow down the series to an absolute crawl. The pacing was terrible.
But now onto writing issue #3. The old characters. First up, Hayate didn't really do much in A's, so I can understand why they made her the "main" character and altered her, etc, that's all well and good, its the rest of the cast I have an issue with. Firstly are the "power limiters" they all suddenly got. These were only in there because the plot, which I already explained was stretched thin and needed boosting with new characters, was *so* weak that simply using the recurring characters would end it instantly, so they had to *construct* a reason to use the new cast. What better plot device than weakening the old cast, right? But in the end, what was the point of this? It would have been just as easy to have Nanoha and co. go one way and the others go another. Heck, that is *EXACTLY* what they do anyway. So why bother stripping away the power of the old cast? It was a pointless plot device that served no purpose other than to construct fake drama and pad the series out just a little longer.
Second up is the "overworking" sub-thread that applies to Nanoha. I shan't explain due to spoilers, but basically, there is this whole sub-thread about using too much magic power/effort, etc. Why is this even in there if you already have power limiters? The writers ALREADY padded the plot out with fake weakness to slow it down, but then they put in a fake danger *ontop* of that fake weakness. The writers should've taken this as a sign of way too much filler and not a strong enough plot. Alas, they did not, and I wasted my time with this rubbish story.
Third is the inexplicable removal of the minor characters. Fate's familiar is the most notable. Aside from a few brief shots in the background of the later episodes, and maybe one or two throwaway lines, its made like she never existed in the first place. Nanoha's family and friends are tossed out (understandable, but still evidence of how much this show detracts from the original genre) and Yunno is delegated to an utterly menial role. All this I could forgive if any of the new characters, antagonist or protagonist, (like Hayate or her Knights in A's) were likeable and/or relevant to the plot. Alas, they were not. Aside from Subaru's family, everyone else had nothing to do with the plot, and all the antagonists were, essentially, *troops*, not *characters*.
And finally is the Jewel Seeds. Remember them? Yeah, for being supposedly rare and powerful, for them to be suddenly found in stock grunts was just inexcusable. (Sorry if you think this is a spoiler, but if you watch the show, you'll realise that it isn't actually that relevant at all, which in of itself is part of the problems I'm writing about)
Basically, this show reads like a fanfic. The new characters are all Mary Sue's, despite having no relevance to the plot, and heck, some, like Caro, barley even have any lines (honestly, the whole lightning team, and Lu, could be removed and the story wouldn't even blink), some of the plot devices are retconns, which, depending on whether you think about it or not, usually don't even make sense and finally, the recurring characters were so utterly un-thought-out that they had to make up fake plot devices and introduce new problems just so the writers could fit the titular characters into StrikerS' new story.
And how on earth could they not see the problems with that?
If you're watching this as a stand-alone series, it's probably pretty good. As a franchise, this is a bad piece of writing that pretty much has nothing going for it. Worth a watch if you're a Nanoha fan, because fans can overlook poor writing and still be happy, but overall, Fate/Stay Night or something along those lines is a much better show, since the writers in those shows didn't insist on forcing their characters into a really weak plot and then stretching it out over 26 episodes, when 13 probably would've been too many.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 13, 2009
This short 3-episode OVA tells the story of the SRW OG cast after the events of SRWOG2, who undertake a new mission. A word of warning before watching this OVA- it is targeted at SRW fans, not at the general public, and as such is highly confusing to anyone who hasn't played both SRW games (and is still confusing even if you have, as there are some minor differences that the average player may pick up on).
Even if you have seen the other SRW anime, Divine Wars, there is a high chance that you'll have no idea who half the cast are, because most of
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them are introduced in the second game, which is not covered by the DW anime.
What I'm saying is this: Divine Wars covers game 1 and this OVA takes place AFTER game 2, so there is a BIG gap if you only watch the anime and don't play the games. As a matter of fact, watching this OVA can significantly spoil alot of major events in game 2- I know, because I made the mistake of watching this OVA while I was only halfway through game 2.
So that's the foreword, unlike the DW anime, this short OVA takes no effort to introduce the cast and just thrusts the viewer in.
But now onto the actual review:
Story:
The story isn't too bad, it's a bit unbelievable- even by SRW standards- that the new enemy was able to produce as many units as they did but otherwise is a fairly coherent sequence of events. However, I believe the OVA tries to too do much. If the cast had consisted of no-one other than Bullet, Kusuha, Kyouske, Lamia, Masaki, Excellen and the crew of the Hagane, then it probably would have worked better, but because this was obviously made to appeal to fans, it attempted to have nearly every character from OG2 in it- which cluttered the OVA with loads of characters- most of which were lucky to get more than one line of dialogue. This is probably the story's weakest point, but overall they didn't really do a bad job with the story, it was just a tad unorganised and rushed.
Art:
I really didn't like the art. Ironically, the party where most anime look awkward, the blending of CGI (mainly used on the enemy mechs) and standard anime drawings (everything else) was done quite well, but the normal things, like the SRX's combination sequence, looked sloppy. Rather than snapping apart and crashing together, the mechs just sort of "blended" together. This pretty much defines what I didn't like about the art of this OVA- it wasn't rigid enough. Now that sounds strange, I know, most people want fluid movement rather than rigid movement, but in this case it just looks out of place. Maybe I've played too many SRW sprite-base games, but it just came off as odd.
The second major flaw I found was the battle choreography. The first couple times I saw Kyosuke's Alteisen reise get hit by a bucktload of missiles, I was like "ok, so his mech's pretty strong" but after seeing it happen over and over again, I started to just think that surely he was a better pilot than that. Ditto with Bullet's Grungust- It really didn't put up enough of a fight. Now, this was most probably done to take the spotlight off them for a minute so that someone else had a chance to blow up the enemy, but it still struck me as just not quite right.
Sound:
This was probably the biggest disappointment, the music is rather subdued and the voice acting is pretty poor. Essentially the only complaints I have are with "Ratzel"'s theme and Sengar's voice- the former was slow, muted, and not as epic as his game music is (you should all know THAT track), while the latter didn't bellow with epic guts- it sounded like he was talking with a blocked nose. Now, sure, two people out of a whole cast isn't much, but considering these are like, the two coolest people in the whole show, it stood out. Either way, the rest aren't good enough to make up for it. DW and the PS2 game did a vastly superior job with their voice acting and BGMs.
Character:
As I said before, the fact that they try and include nearly all the characters is pretty bad, there just isn't enough time to do it right and alot of them barely get two lines between them. Furthermore, some characters, like Mia, who was piloting the R-Gun in the game, isn't piloting the R-gun in the OVA, which is understandable, and probably justified in one of the remakes of the second game- but without having played those games (they are japanese only) I can't really say the OVA did a good job, it just bit off more than it could chew. Also, alot of mechs are missing, mostly because their respective pilots never get a chance to use them (due to plot reasons), but still I would have liked to see them. I mean, it IS super robot wars, we ARE here to see the mechs- replacing them with (slightly customised) mass-produced units was pretty disappointing.
Overall, this OVA was pretty flawed, it thrusts the viewer into the deep end but hurts its plot by including too many characters, while not being polished enough for a fan to really get excited over. It doesn't manage to be "bad" per say, just in need of a good deal of refining. In my opinion, Divine Wars is a much better anime to watch, as it has a good plot, pace and progression, but as it only covers the events in the first OG game, it doesn't have alot of the mechs and characters that crop up in the second game. Alas, they really need to make an anime of OG2. That would be freakin' epic, but in the meantime, this OVA isn't a terrible first attempt at animating Super Robot Wars, and I would still recommend fans to watch it, but non-fans really shouldn't. Not without playing the game(s) first.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 5, 2009
I'm going to write a review about R2 that may not be well liked among Geass fans, for the low score I give it, but I ask the reader to hear me out and read this in an impartial light.
First off, I would like to say that "R1" was an amazing premise, with massive twists, good characters, good plot, interesting premise and overall good execution. I did honestly like R1. R2 keeps the crisp artwork and sound style of R1, so I give those a high score, but R2 has some deep recurring flaws that pretty much butcher the series in my opinion.
All
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spoilers are appendixed, you can read through without spoilers of this or the first series, but some spoilers will be included to show where I'm coming from at the end of the review (but will be forecast in advance)
These are the two biggest elements of a character-driven story: The character development and the plot progression.
I'll begin with Character development, and quite frankly, there was none. I used my basic litmus test of character development and every single character failed. This test is simple, I ask "would this character have done anything at the end of this series that they weren't willing to do at the beginning?" Note: WILLING, not ABLE. for example, Lelouch may have been willing to do all the things he did, but unable to do them until he gained his Geass. However, his objectives, his desires, did not change at all during the whole show. This applies equally to the whole cast. Not a single one of them changes their opinions about anything, they simply change in the methods they use to achieve their goals (if even that), which is indicative of a plot without development. Now this wouldn't be such an issue to me if development hadn't been the writer's goal. When a certain character dies halfway through the series, (1) there are effectively no ramifications on the characters who should have been deeply influenced by the act. Now what this said to most viewers would have been "this was proof of Lelouch's inner strength, a test of character". However, to me it plays out like such: the character died, which the writer had intended to happen. The death did not have a significant impact on the plot. Thus, the character was only included to be killed off and prove Lelouch's strength. However, this also means that the character who was there was only there to be killed, which means this character was effectively treated like an object to be played with by the plot, and I feel no need to sympathise with an object. When viewed in this light, the fact that Lelouch's inner strength was tested is a moot point, because his character could have been tested in so many other ways that did not involve the writer using a character as if he/she were an object.
This is the biggest problem with R2, the complete lack of character development. They "explain" characters, they "test" characters, sure, but they do not "develop" them. Essentially, the only development that does occur happens about 10 seconds prior to the credits rolling, which is far too late to warrant me giving this series a good mark.
The second major problem is that R2 broke my willing suspension of disbelief. There are three main examples of this: one, where a cliffhanger fell into a cliche and overused trope area (2), which from that point on, trivialised all other cliffhangers and was a major detriment to the series. Two, the fact that a certain character survived halfway through the series despite the fact that they should have died (3), this trivialised death- if one character could survive, then they all should be able to, but they did not, which further proves to me that the writer was only killing off characters to try and induce character development, which again, proves that the writer was objectifying characters, which is the exact opposite of character development. And thirdly, the fact that there was two recurring elements effectively ignored (or "handwaved") as the series concludes (4/5), which shows to me that the writer was putting stuff in to make the series more interesting, not because they were actually useful as plot devices in of themselves, which trivialised the role of almost every nonmajor character and filler event.
The final biggest problem is the plot. In essence, about a dozen or so episodes of R2 are filler. While the series always seems to be doing something, apart from the final arcs, all it really does is tread water. Most of the subplots are irrelevant to the final outcome, as (6) shows. Basically, the plot waves its arms and creates a lot of fuss, but doesn't really *go* anywhere for almost the entirety of R2. And when it finally does pick up, it fails to have any twist at all. Cliffhangers, sure, twists, no.
So overall, R2 took the brilliant effort of R1, but failed to run with it, effectively adding in a whole bunch of filler arcs, characters and subplots that really were irrelevant to the main plot, and failed to really develop any of the charters. As such, R2 was a major letdown for me, as it basically undermined all the efforts of R1 apart from the artwork and soundtrack.
WARNING++++SPOILER APPENDIX++++WARNING
(1)Shirely's death, Lelouch doesn't so much as mourn, which is fine, if it weren't for the fact that they had no need to kill her, so the lack of mourning is effectively a double-negative, they cancel out the contrive death by having a contrived funeral, which breaks my willing suspension of disbelief and still fails to deliver any meaningful development.
(2)When the "double" turned out to be a "latex perfection" (Tvtropes term) ie: a chick wearing a mask. Pretty much a completely trivial and very unbelievable (where did they get it, why doesn't anyone else use them, etc), bending heavily my willing suspension of disbelief.
(3)The maid, she was ON the ship that was destroyed by the "FLEIJA" blast. Sure, Nannuly should have survived, but how the heck did she? She may be ninja, but come on, seriously? This SHATTERED my willing suspension of disbelief. Bandages do NOT solve all problems. She only survived by plot induced invulnerability, which completely trivialises the many deaths in the series.
(4)Li's recurring cough. essentially not mentioned at all by series end. What was the point of even including the thing? Fake drama, that's what. Pretty much sums up this whole series.
(5)The fact that "if Lelouch's geass gets stronger...." Well, he just puts in two contacts lenses. Again, fake drama. That's not interesting, that's disappointing.
(6)He TOLD THE VIEWER THE PLAN in R1. Like, literally. Sure, it wasn't for long, nor was it step-by-step, but he still did it. Pretty much forecasts the ending perfectly to someone who'd been paying attention and knows even the first thing about how martyrs work.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Oct 19, 2009
I recommend all Nadesico fans to NOT watch this movie.
"What were they thinking when they made this?" - That's the first thing that comes to mind when looking at Prince of Darkness. This isn't Nadesico, this isn't the GEKIGAN FLARE-yelling, hotblooded- yet lighthearted- and satiric view of the real robot genre that made Nadesico unique, interesting and a brilliant watch. No, this is a dark, murderous, hideous shadow of Nadesico. It's what you get if you lock Nadesico into a dark room for a couple years, continuously poke it with a cattle prod and feed it nothing but raw meat. It's just not the same.
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But it tries to be.
====WARNING: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS===
Story:
Ok, well for starters, the story is ABYSMAL. Basically the movie comes in parts. Part 1- introducing the viewer to what happened in the time skip between the movie and the end of Nadesico. Part 2- gather all the crew together. Part 3- none of the crew does anything, other than Ruri, and the whole movie ends in virtually the exact same way as the series. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AKITO. Yes you heard me, Akito does not revert to his lovable anime self, no he leaves this movie as a cold-hearted killer who shoots first and asks questions later. After all the series' development to get him involved with Yurika, he just up and leaves her at the end of the movie. This alone makes the plot of PoD horrible. It just takes away all the good things from the series and throws them in the bin. There is NO Gekiganer in the movie, aside from one line where it is briefly mentioned in passing. This is despite the Jovian's entire race was centred on the thing for centuries. I'm sorry but I just don't *get* that.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are a few funny lines, but I could count them on one hand, and they simply do not justify the complete and utter abandonment of everything Nadesico had represented.
Art:
The artwork is amazing. The Black Selena is an incredible-looking mech, and as with the series, the quality of animation is very high. I have no complaints at all about the animation. However, this does not justify the plot.
Sound:
Again, no complaints, the sound is at least good enough for me to not have anything bad to say about it, and thus I give it the thumbs up.
Character:
Ok, here's a big thumbs down. Yurika has all of what, three lines in this show? Akito is NOTHING like his previous self.Minor characters, such as prospector or Megumi are delegated to single-sentence appearances, and serve no real role whatsoever. Ruri has almost all of the screentime, with the only other character of notable significance being Ryoko (oh, and the Jovian- the Joe Umisubame (gekiganger) lookalike, I can't remember his name, he gets a little development). Sure, this isn't bad if you're a Ruri fan, but the colour and depth of the cast is one of the pivotal things that made Nadesico great. This movie chucks that into a paper shredder and lights it on fire. You simply get no charater development whatsoever, and the development you do get is largely negative, as in Akito, who is the complete opposite of his three-years-prior self.
Enjoyment:
None. As a matter of fact I felt sick after whatching this. The animation was good. There were a couple of funny lines. But what was once a bright and funny show is now a dark and pessimistic gloom-fest. Sorry but I actually REGRET watching this, rather than enjoy it.
Overall:
This series departs from the Anime in such as colossal way that it is simply a complete and utter punch in the face to someone who came here looking for more Nadesico goodness. Watch the Gekiganger OVA, that thing's far more deserving as Nadesico's sequel. Don't watch this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Oct 17, 2009
Ok, I'm a big Zoids fan, and as such, this review focuses on the differences between the styles of this and the preceding series, rather than an more general overview (I won't use Genesis as an example since that is of a vastly different style). Unfortunately, it is very negative.
Firstly, let me start with the Story:
Fuzors basically has no story whatsoever for the vast majority of the series. In the final few episodes, a backstory gets fleshed out and some continuity established, but as this only happens very late-on, it feels more like a justification for why the series occurred in the way it did,
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rather than an actual plot that naturally developed. Furthermore, the story it does eventually manage to establish is rushed, this, along with the generally poor translations, makes it difficult to draw any praise from the story.
Now, this brings me to draw parallels with Zoids Zero, which also had a very skimpy plot at best. However, the biggest difference with the two series is that Zero is built around battles and comedy, and as such tries to give the viewer fluid fights and funny lines rather than a deep plot. Fuzors does not, and as such has no excuse for the lack of story.
To continue with the story theme, I'll next discuss the Characters:
While Zoids shows are not renowned for their characters, the development of the cast is not handled well in Fuzors at all. For instance, in the first episode, the character "Amy" walks in to Mach Storm's headquarters and appears to anger some of the main characters. What the show doesn't tell you is that Amy is actually a member of Mach Storm herself. This fact makes it very confusing (to say the least) when she shows up unannounced in later episodes. This is probably the best way of describing the problem with the characters in Fuzors, it simply assumes you know who/what everyone/thing is -rather than actually take the time introduce them.
This is especially true for the Zoids themselves. Many of the Zoids, such as Arosaurers and Gorhecks are totally new Zoids that fans of the previous series would not know anything about -and yet they appear on screen without any kind of introduction at all. To make matters worse, old Zoids that fans would be familiar with from other series are changed abruptly and without reason. For example, the Blade Liger is depicted in the other series as a very rare (if not unique) Zoid. In the first episode of Fuzors, three of them are shown. Another prominent example is the Fuzors variant of Gunsniper, which are all customised to be the same as Leena's heavily modified (and thus unique) Zoid featured in Zero. No explanation for either of these is ever given.
This kind of "thrust the viewer into the show" serves to confuse new watchers and disenfranchise fans, and is a great detriment to the series. Toward the end of the series, some of the cast's backstory is explained, however this is done in a very rushed manner and fails to justify the terrible job done in the first three-quarters of the series.
Next up is the artwork.
Well, the most important aspect of a Zoids show is the Zoids themselves, so I'll start with them. The models are all done in 3D, but the style is different to the previous series. The models themselves are very detailed, and try to stick closely to the real toy range, with small things like feathers and antennae being included. While such attention to detail may sound good, this is actually a detriment, as it severs to clutter the screen with needless "wriggly bits" that only serve to distract the viewer. Furthermore, the models are all done in a very bland color scheme, with everything appearing "cloudy" and dull when compared to the crisp, bright, colors of the previous series.
Compounding this is the fact that most of these included features are simply never used. For example, the Liger Zero Phoenix never fires the bomb or guns that it has on it's back, instead RD usually uses his claws to attack from a distance, which is a big departure from the realism the highly detailed models try to emulate.
While this might be excusable if everything in the series were done in the same style of graphics, this is simply not the case. Bullets and explosions are done in conventional anime style and as such stick out like a sore thumb. They just do not blend at all with the Zoids they are fired from or hit.
But the most noticeable feature of the animation is the movement of the Zoids. The Zoids move in a very awkward and robotic fashion. All of the Zoids featured are extremely rigid and inflexible, thus their movements seem entirely unnatural and unrealistic. This is especially prevalent when the Zoids "fall over", wherein they appear to do a backflip on the spot rather than actually collapse or stagger. This is easily the biggest complaint I have with the series, especially when comparing with the extraordinarily fluid animations of Zero.
The backgrounds are bland and uninteresting, with very little stand-out features, and as such, the only positive thing I have to say about Fuzor's artwork is the character's design. However, considering that the characters are very unimportant (as they are usually obscured from view inside Zoids) this is largely a moot point.
Finally, is the sound.
Almost all weapons have high-pitched sounds, regardless of what they are actually shooting. As any mech fan could well appreciate, it sounds a bit ridiculous when super-heavy artillery makes a "pew" sound. Furthermore, RD's voice actor has a very high-pitched voice, as do most of the supporting cast (such as Sigma and Sweet). As the viewer's ears are bombarded constantly by all these high-pitched sounds, it honestly gets annoying.
Other:
Well, there is no section for this, but the quality of translation is very poor. The names of Zoids are often mispronounced or downright wrong.
Overall:
Quite simply Fuzors is a very poorly made anime when taken from the viewpoint of a Zoids fan. The animation is awkward, robotic and dull, the sound effects are annoying and inappropriate, the translations are poor and the story only picks up toward the end of the series, but this simply come along far too late to salvage the series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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