"An anime whose overall excitement level can be mathematically modeled by the Gaussian distribution function."
As with many other GONZO production, Kurogane no Linebarrels is loosely based on its manga original. Readers from the manga will find the anime not exactly following the story and in some cases the anime is loaded with fan servicing fillers. Please note that this review will judge Kurogane no Linebarrels solely as seen from the anime perspective.
GONZO started the series with a very rare approach, to bastardize the main protagonist (aka Hayase). Countless people turned away from the show after the first few episodes simply because of how much everyone
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hated Hayase. I strongly advise viewer to not get irritated by the early episodes and push forward as the show will get infinitely better starting around episode 4. In fact, the Gaussian distribution curve is a very fitting description for this anime. Average beginning, average ending. I had very high hope in this show around the midway point but sadly the intensity did not carry over to the end. As a long time mecha anime fan (with particular interest in super robots), I find the concept to the story (more on that below) fairly “fresh” thus I was hoping for some serious story development. Unfortunately I set my expectations too high.
The basic concept of the story was actually quite interesting. A teenage boy trying to be the "hero of justice" by piloting a mecha (known as Linebarrel) from another dimension. Viewers were informed in the beginning of the story that a universe/dimension exist in parallel to our own. While that dimension obviously differs from ours in virtually everything, we do share some common ground. The background theory of how the alternate dimension may be formed after the Big Bang was briefly discussed along the way. The story then proceeds to talk about the typical terrorist-taking-over-the-world stuff, leading to some heart-breaking betrayal and thus the climax to the story.
"WARNING, weird looking characters alert! This is not a false alarm. I repeat, this is not a false alarm!" Don't know if Hisashi Hirai (the character designer for Heroic Age, Infinite Ryvius, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed/Destiny, and Soukyuu no Fafner) hit his head or what, but I had a higher expectation from him. The faces of the main characters look like they have been put on TV from a sketch book! They look perfectly fine in magazines or any galleries you may come across, they are just horrible in the animation.
Many viewers also complained about the CG battle animations, especially the first few battles in the series. While personally I have nothing against CG animations (I am actually glad to see something different for a change once a while), this also seem to be another fatal blow to Kurogane no Linebarrels. But with all that being said, the actual animation quality and scene to scene transitions are acceptable. So hopefully viewers can eventually get accustomed to the weird looking faces and CG battles and be able to enjoy the anime.
Perhaps one of the obstacles the viewers have to get accustoms to is the OP by ALI PROJECT. Frankly, after learning that ALI PROJECT is responsible for the OP I decided to skip the OP whenever possible. However, the two ending themes by Maaya Sakamoto are worth your time (hell and heaven when compared to the OP).
If you are familiar with seiyu (as most otaku do), you may want some info as to who is the CV for who. Yuichi Nakamura (Tomoya in Clannad, Alto in Macross Frontier) is voicing Moritsugu which I find very different from his past roles. Hayase is voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara (Simon in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann). The lovely Kizaki is voiced by the also lovely Mamiko Noto (Kotomi in Clannad, Hecate in Shakugan no Shana). There are many other award winning BIG names including Jun Fukuyama, Rie Kugimiya, Aya Hirano, and many many more.
The most noticeable character development without a doubt is Hayase's view of the "hero of justice". He matured overtime seeing how real world battles are fought and what he truly needs to protect and fight against (a very big change from the little punk he started out acting as). Unfortunately, after he “upgraded” his view of the justice system midway through the series, we see little to no change in his character thereafter. A lot of viewers have probably forgotten Yajima half way through the show, but his impression on me was extremely important and he played an irreplaceable role throughout the first half of the anime. Many mysteries were answered slowly overtime concerning certain characters’ past and why he/she end up being who they are in the show. Among many other things, Kizaki’s lost memory, and Ishigami’s past with Katou were the most interesting. Character relationship-wise, Kurogane no Linebarrels could have done some more work for the supporting casts. Many characters left hanging at the end with no satisfactory conclusion. Taken as a whole, the character department is definitely one of the weaker areas of the anime.
While I agree there were many changes to the manga, it did not bother me much throughout the course of the show. After all, this show is about parallel dimensions, so why don’t we just treat the events in the anime and in the manga separately (perhaps treat them as they are in two different universes?). Lastly, I have to point out that GONZO must have enjoyed producing Strike Witches a lot. The production crews end up incorporating quite a bit of fan service in a mecha series and that could be disturbing to some viewers.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 鉄のラインバレル
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
24
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 3, 2008 to Mar 20, 2009
Premiered:
Fall 2008
Broadcast:
Unknown
Licensors:
Funimation
Studios:
Gonzo
Source:
Manga
Theme:
Mecha
Demographic:
Seinen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#47802
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#3395
Members:
42,947
Favorites:
90
Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 15 / 15
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Your Feelings Categories Dec 26, 2008
"An anime whose overall excitement level can be mathematically modeled by the Gaussian distribution function."
As with many other GONZO production, Kurogane no Linebarrels is loosely based on its manga original. Readers from the manga will find the anime not exactly following the story and in some cases the anime is loaded with fan servicing fillers. Please note that this review will judge Kurogane no Linebarrels solely as seen from the anime perspective. GONZO started the series with a very rare approach, to bastardize the main protagonist (aka Hayase). Countless people turned away from the show after the first few episodes simply because of how much everyone ... Mar 23, 2009
Alright, this anime finished recently, and I have to say I actually was anticipating for the last episode.
In brief I'll just say, I was on the verge of rage-quitting this anime after the first 3 episodes - and if it wasn't because I started late (so that I didn't have to wait in between weeks) I probably would have dropped this anime. This is why I gave character the lowest scores, because the main character really annoyed me at first. But despite that, I pulled through and the anime really is good. I'm not a Mecha-anime fan, other than Full Metal Panic! I normally don't watch Mecha-anime (I ... Jul 15, 2010 Need a demonstration of the power a main character wields over a series? Watch Linebarrels. Kouichi is a vicious, self-absorbed prick with delusions of grandeur and nary a whit of empathy, and his very presence makes the first four episodes of the series nearly unwatchable. There is a train-wreck fascination to watching a series with such an utterly vile lead, and there's no denying that the poisoning of Kouichi's mind by constant humiliation and the consequent brutality of his reaction to empowerment ring a lot truer than happier takes on the same material do. But so repulsive is he that the series is intolerable so ... Mar 30, 2009
Story: Well this whole show was one cliche after the next and most of it early on from the fillers to the stupid humor done by the president who never took anything seriously made it tough to watch this show early on, the story had some plot twists but they were decent and the last and final twist at the end just made me chuckle and go why did they even have to do that it didnt make a whole lot of sense, the ending though was decent and probably the best part of the story, give it a 6.
Art: My one pet peeve when ... Apr 21, 2010
I am not a very big mecha fan, but I have found some mecha to be great. Kurogane No Linebarrels is one of those great mecha anime.
The mecha are extremely well drawn and the fighting scenes are amazing. I would have given the art a 9, but I gave a 8 because the characters do not always look good. The characters seem to be very flat when drawn from the front. The story line of Kurogane no Linebarrels is excellent. You never expect the outcome and certain events. It comes as a schock when something occurs, just like in Code Geass. To make the series even more ... May 8, 2010
I would have to say that this anime was one of my favorites. I wasn’t a fan of mecha animes before, but after watching this I soon became a fan of mecha animes.
The fight scenes are really drawn out and the character designs are pretty good and bad since I didn’t like some of the character designs of some of the characters. The plot was well written and the addition of twists was a plus. It was pretty well done but some of the characters are plain out ANNOYING. But instead of focusing on these “ANNOYING” characters, you should ... Feb 23, 2009
Linebarrels of Iron is an ongoing Japanese manga series created by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi.
The series has graphics as seen in Maross frontier,combo of 2D and 3D which i love. Intro song "Kitei no Tsurugi" is done by by the Japanese band Ali Project. I'm a huge fan of this series! Story is mature and a bit naughty. If you like mecha this is a must see!!!!!!!! Plot: The Linebarrels of Iron story takes place in a fictional alternate future, centering around a junior-high school student named Kouichi Hayase, who escaped his daily life of being bullied as a child by daydreaming about being a ... Sep 2, 2012
"You get the hot chick AND the robot to pilot... At the cost of your life."
Because, you know. If I had super powers, I'd fix it so the bullies would stop bullying me. I'd also find a way to have sex with a hot chick whenever I feel like it. Peter "Spiderman" Parker instantly stopped being a jerk when his uncle was killed... But it was difficult having to deal with his "great responsibility" that came with his newfound "great powers." Obviously nobody from Gonzo made the effort to hire anybody from Marvel in order to create a story about a bullied kid who had gotten super ... Feb 13, 2011
Linebarrels of Iron was something I was really looking forward to.
It, sadly doesn't meet these expectations. But overall, I enjoyed the show for what it's worth. Story/Characters The story starts off with the main character (Kouichi Hayase) being smashed by a giant mecha named "Linebarrel." He is brought back to life with super human abilities (Super strength, speed, etc.) by the power of Linebarrel called "D-Soil." With the mecha and new found abilities, he also finds a girl inside the robot named Emi Kizaki. Linebarrel is in a special rank of mecha (called Armas) called Machinas. (C wut day did thar? Deus Ex Machina/god out of the machine). ... Sep 25, 2011
The overall feel of this anime is similar to “Code Geass” in the personel struggle with the main character bridging the line between good and evil, black and white. Now that being said Kurogane No Linebarrels is a much shorter series with less twists and turns, a more simplified plot, and a less complex lead character. Nonetheless the series had a good entertainment value and pretty good action sequences.
The plot though pretty simple does keep its interest through a twist or two, character growth, character relationships, and the looming battles between mechs (Machinas and Armas). I found myself looking forward to Hayase’s ... Apr 3, 2011
What appealed to me the most was the fact this picked on boy who by mishap, get amazing powers does not instantly start being a big hero and using his power for good. I guess I am just a fan of realism even in science fiction anime, but honestly he behaved realistically in my opinion and it was a nice change.
The story line for me was all about the growth of this character, how you take a picked on powerless middle school boy and slowly turn him to a mature yet fun savior of the world who accepts the burden of carrying all the ... Sep 4, 2018
This show is just horrible. The MC is so poorly done that I am horrified I even gave 3 minutes of my time as he kill's any enjoyment of the show. I am not sure if it was a very poor attempt at humor but w.e it was it was just horrid. One part he is literally yelling his name out then when another pilot in a different calls out his name he gets confused on how she knew his name. Meanwhile as he is yelling he is Justice he is slaughtering people. The artwork and sound was passable and the story might have
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Nov 14, 2022
tl;dr: A mech anime with a pretty great character arc for the protagonist but that is lacking in most everything else.
This anime is one that’s greatest strength, it’s protagonist, started out seeming like it’s greatest weakness. It starts with the standard premise of a random student suddenly gaining powers and becoming a hero, in this case with Hayase Kouichi becoming linked to the mech Linebarrel. What makes this anime unique is that unlike most anime with similar premises where the protagonist is just luckily inherently heroic and capable of acting as such, Kouichi is anything but. He starts off incredibly self-centered and immature, wherein even ... Jan 18, 2012
I watched this anime about a month ago, or rather should I say, I started it.
The first 2 eps weren't anything special, but I taught myself to not judge until after a fourth. When the main character develops his first powers, he becomes wicked and rather mentally disturbed. At that point I thought I could prepare for a character outline similar to the idea used in Death-Note and Code-Geass, the I'm-Evil-But-I-Do-Good style. however, after a few more eps, he completely drops this character and becomes a harry potter good guy, so I kind of lost the feeling there. the thrill was active for a few eps, ... Dec 29, 2013
Overall I'd rate Kurogane no Linebarrels 6 out of 10. There were numerous basic ideas lined out, but no major, developments occurred further on.
Review may contain minor spoilers, but nothing that will affect viewability of the show. (KnL = Kurogane no Linebarrels) First off, the art used in this series was good. Nothing outstanding, but no shortcuts seemed to be taken. Every aspect from characters, through environments and special effects were easy to understand and I personally had no problems seeing what any of the displayed aspects were. Next up were the filler episodes. No surprise here, seems like most of series tend to have some at ... |