Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise

Two years have passed since the EL-Divers incident, and the popularity of the game Gunpla Battle Nexus Online (GBN) has continued to skyrocket. With the addition of exciting new features such as missions and story events, the GBN experience is more immersive than ever before. Amidst the player base, a user known as Hiroto Kuga has been gaining notoriety for his top-notch skills.

Through a series of coincidences, Hiroto meets three other players: the boastful Kazami Torimachi, the mysterious May, and the timid Parviz. Forming the "BUILD DiVERS," the unlikely group sets on a story mission rumored to carry bountiful in-game rewards. Together, the BUILD DiVERS must confront their own weaknesses as they join arms in a journey that may very well transcend the existence of GBN itself.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kuga, Hiroto Main

Kobayashi, Chiaki Japanese

May Main

Fuchigami, Mai Japanese

Freddie Main

Kakuma, Ai Japanese

Parviz Main

Minami, Mayu Japanese

Torimachi, Kazami Main

Mizunaka, Masaaki Japanese

Magee Supporting

Murata, Taishi Japanese

Eve Supporting

Minase, Inori Japanese

Mukai, Hinata Supporting

Wakayama, Shion Japanese

Muran Supporting

Kawada, Shinji Japanese

Maiya Supporting

Mimura, Yuuna Japanese

Okamoto, Takuya Producer

Watada, Shinya Director

Kudou, Shun Episode Director, Storyboard

Im, Ga-Hee Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Jul 14, 2020

lanelanelane

Recommended

This anime acts as a form of spin-off/sequel to the anime Gundam Build Divers. Like many others, I hadn't particularly liked Build Divers very much, so I initially dismissed the anime as being more or less the same in terms of quality. However, after hearing various people talk about how much people had enjoyed this, I decided to give this a try, and I actually found it to be quite enjoyable.

For those who don't know, unlike standard Gundam anime, the "Build" series is aimed at a younger audience, and feature characters who build their own plastic models of the mecha from Gundam anime and then ... battle other characters. This sounds very much like other children's anime like Beyblade or Bakugan, and there is no doubt that this series was made to sell toys, but I think that just because an anime is meant to sell toys to children doesn't mean that it couldn't be good. In my opinion, the series doesn't particularly feel too heavy on the product placement, though it's still rather obvious at parts. As I had previously said, Build Divers Re:Rise acts as sort of a loose sequel to Build Divers, but the series has a different cast and the story is mostly unconnected. While there are a few plot points that would be better understood if you've seen the original, the show does an okay job at explaining those plot points that it's not completely necessary to do so. If you would rather not be confused on certain plot points, I recommend you to decide whether or not you would want to watch Build Divers before watching this season. The series itself also have quite a few references and easter eggs related to mainline Gundam anime, so if you have seen Gundam before, it is quite interesting to spot them out. However, the references aren't too prevalent, so it's not really necessary for you to have any knowledge of Gundam before watching this series.

The premise of the story is not particularly amazing. At its core, the series is about the main characters who enter a "Story Mission" within the game and fight in the various missions, kind of like some kind of RPG, with the premise that they are helping the Resistance (made up of furries) fight against the "One-Eye" mobile suits with their own Gunpla. The overall formula of the series is in the format of several 2-3 episode arcs where the Build Divers interact with the story, practice for the mission, run into some difficulties during the practice and the mission itself, and then resolve the mission. Yes, this is rather generic. However, the arcs themselves are different enough that they don't feel particularly repetitive, and the missions and fights are entertaining enough to watch with each battle having different objectives and conditions. Beyond that, the story does have some mystery elements that I find to be quite interesting.

The characters are also rather enjoyable. While the characters aren't really all that complex, they're still fun to watch. Because of how different their personalities are, the team often runs into difficulties during the missions like I've said, and it's enjoyable to watch them overcome their differences and begin to work better together. The characters themselves also receive some character development, and while this development isn't really unique or complex, it's still interesting to watch, such as the main character Hiroto learning to grow more trusting of his teammates. And yes, Kazami starts out pretty annoying in the beginning, but he does get better. The side characters are also surprisingly fun to watch, and I found them to be quite endearing as I watched.

The Gunpla fights themselves are alright. The animation isn't particularly amazing, and is more of a mixed bag. Like I said though, the fights are still unique and fun to watch as the the characters have to learn to use different strategies with each battle. The Gunpla that the characters use also have various gimmicks to them that are clearly meant to sell toys, but still fun to watch nonetheless. My main complaints with the battles is that the main character, Hiroto, is often the one that does most of the work, especially near the beginning where he is practically the only one that is competent enough at fighting the enemies. This is mitigated slightly by the fact his Gundam has a lot of various forms that make it so that it doesn't get too stale every time, but the fact that the others don't really get a lot of spotlight still remains. However, this does get better as the episodes progress and the other teammates begin to contribute more to the battles. Another thing that may or may not be an issue is the enemies that the Build Divers fight don't really have that much variety. With some exceptions, the enemies are mostly faceless NPCs with no dialogue, and the suits themselves all have a generic looking gray color with some design differences. While I personally don't mind it as much, it's still something to take into consideration.

Ultimately, I found anime to be really enjoyable. Sure, it's meant to sell Gunpla, and the characters and story aren't really all that the complex. However, it's still really fun to watch, both the battles themselves and also the character interactions. The story itself also gets more interesting as it goes on, and ends in a hook for season 2, which I'm currently watching.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 19, 2020

alterzero

Mixed Feelings

Is it better than og divers. yes. is it exciting. nope. from characters facing 1st world problems that you want to laugh about to AI lives matter. It has a story but presents boring things.

Even the deaths in this show is not even shocking at all. It has interesting designs. the music comes off as meh.

Basically it's a generic build show that tries too hard since try but is better than try. The show doesn't seem to takes its fights seriously as well. Basically with all the existing stakes it doesn't seem to stimulate the mind enough due to how light it ... presents itself.

Definitely worth watching once. Not worth a rewatch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 14, 2021

mobiru

Not Recommended

Not what I was expecting after really enjoying Build Fighters and being neutral on the original Build Divers. Nothing about the characters was particularly endearing to me, and a couple of the voices (Freddie and Par) really grated on me. Story pacing was not good and I was very close to dropping it - there is finally some plot development in the last quarter. I think I would have needed more memorable characters (and development to match) or more focus on the suits and references to past series (like with both Fighters series) to find any enjoyment here. On the bright side the art and ... animation is solid, and there was just enough in the final few episodes to get me to try part two.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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