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Jan 2, 2020
Preface: This will most likely be one of my shorter reviews just due to the fact that I read this series back in 2014 and that it isn't a very elaborate manga. As a mecha fan, I am heavily biased to this genre but even going in I was still quite skeptical as to how a genre that is pretty much known only for its anime counterparts would fair in a format that does away with all the bells and whistles that make mecha...mecha.
Story 8/10:
I read this without actually reading any of the previous series before it, which made the opening chapters a bit odd
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though in the long run it didn't matter in my overall enjoyment of the series. Like pretty much any Super Robot series, it focuses on a big group of evil trying to take over the world and folks need to stop them. Wild fights ensue and all sorts of things happen. There are some twists here and there, some of which are quite catastrophic as well as extremely deadly.
Art 9/10:
The art is surprisingly clean and easy to follow. Mech designs are varied and creative enough that you will remember it long after you have put it down. Enemy designs are pretty inventive for the most part and they tend fall on the spectrum of light body horror. People look like they should but you can tell most of the detail goes into the mechs themselves. Considering this is a mecha manga, the effort should be put into the mecha and their presentation.
Character 9/10:
Coming from the OVA's and TV series, Getter Robo has a really unique set of characters. They are put in heroic situations but not all of them are really heroic or good people. This really applies to Jin and Ryoma, both of them helping humanity but neither of them really standing at the top of the list of people to idolize. Standard hot bloodedness and emotions running high even among the females, everyone playing their part. Not exactly drama heavy as something you would expect as compared to something like Gundam, but everybody is overall really enjoyable.
Enjoyment 10/10: This is first and foremost an action manga, therefore you come for the action and stay for the action. It is never a dull moment and in all likelihood you could finish the entire series in a day if you are dedicated enough. I cannot recall anything that I outright disliked or hated, but depending on your tastes your opinion might differ.
Overall 10/10: Getter Robo in general is a revolutionary series and some of the ideas presented in it are both insane and weirdly captivating. Without giving anything away, it kind of makes you consider the history of humanity and where we currently are/where we are headed. Also the ending is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Seriously check it out. It will always hold a place in my top 10 manga, which isn't exactly something easy to come by.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 28, 2019
Preface: If you like this manga, I have no qualms or issues with you. I just feel this needs a review of some sort to really warn people as to what they are getting into. Longtime fans especially but newcomers as well. Though if this is your introduction to Baki, I think you might enjoy it more, but it just depends.
Story 3/10: The synopsis pretty much covers the story and Baki has never been a story heavy series by any means, but I feel like it is appropriate to discuss it this time around honestly. Following the outcome of Son of Ogre (Baki part 3),
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the main cast you know, and love are all bored out of their minds. No fight could ever compare to THAT fight, so they seek new ways to entertain themselves. Tokugawa hatches a crazy plan to revive/clone someone based off a piece of their skeletal system. That someone being Miyamoto Musashi. Whether you know who he is, is irrelevant to enjoying the story. He is basically a big deal and that is all you need to know. Expect zany antics from a man born centuries ago instantly thrown into modern day Japan. I would say hilarity ensues, but not much is truly funny as the story goes on. What makes the story so bad that I had to give it a 3 out of 10? It isn’t the setup or beginning, considering the world of Baki it makes enough sense that you roll with it. The issue is the middle and ending. The middle is full of fights with outcomes you are already aware of and the ending just blue balls you for a lack of a better term. It feels like everybody got robbed in terms of the story department as time went on, with all our time being wasted, which is something I absolutely hate in manga. I am both glad that I didn’t read this on a week by week basis as it was released like some people but at the same time, I am also frustrated that something with such a solid start could turn into something so well below average.
Art 10/10: This is peak Itagaki art. I don't think his art can get any better than this, it fixes the flaws and work arounds that I had issues within Part 2 and Part 3, making everything essentially feel and flow like a good action manga should. Characters look disgustingly muscular and that is a good thing! Everybody from the previous parts are highly recognizable despite the shift in how he presents them. Fights are easy to follow, and the two-page spreads have reached an outstanding level of detail to come out of this series. Everything looks ridiculous and it just adds more intensity to the already beloved series.
Character 5/10: Characters? What characters? Baki-dou is essentially character assassination the manga. Most, if not all the returning cast are heavily neutered in terms of personality. The funny quips or interesting quirks you remember from the previous series? Pretty much all gone. Everybody has tunnel vision and that is to fight Musashi, even if they know they can't win they still want to do it and sometimes under the dumbest conditions (you will see what I mean). They make the dumbest decisions for the dumbest reasons and they obviously end up getting embarrassed for it. The embarrassment was so strong at one point, I actually felt embarrassed for one of my favorite characters in the series getting beaten in such a stupid way. Gone is fighting for honor or respect or upholding some sort of code, we just want to see Musashi fight and show off his skills! Oh, he uses swords? No problem we will just lift the ban on using weapons in a strictly martial arts-based fighting arena, nothing could go wrong! I will admit that though there are some surprising developments with one character in particular, a man achieving an almost godlike status despite having the worst track record in the series. I won't say who but boy is it silly and not in a good way. Musashi is slightly interesting, only slightly though. He can be boiled down to pretty much a singular word and it isn't positive. He has swords, he knows how to use them, and he wants to use them because you didn’t get between a man and his swords. Get used to him being the main focus and pretty much only him.
Enjoyment 5/10: Believe it or not, this manga is actually still decently enjoyable but for all the wrong reasons.Samurai stuff is typically pretty enjoyable in anime or manga, but here it just seems to be as lackluster as everything else. Going from Volume 1 to about to about Volume 8, it held a solid 9 in my book. Following major events, and I do mean major, it devolves to about a 7.5. Still decent but after that one decision? It becomes a bit difficult to sit through. It makes it to about Volume 10 before things start taking a weird and not enjoyable turn. A good fight gets interrupted and you are just left dumbfounded by the sudden involvement of one character. Despite being terrible at martial arts he is apparently able to match the swordsmanship of a master level Samurai. Insane. I know but roll with it and keep believing it because the author isn’t joking. It is right around here where I sort of just mentally checked out of the series and kind of stopped caring about what I was reading, which is no easy feat mind you. After the fight between revived clone and sudden weapons expert, you get more or less just throwaway chapters that don’t really add anything of note except for maybe an exchange between Hanayama and one of his goons which ends up being pretty hilarious. Though the biggest thing that bugged me was the violence in Baki-Dou. Anybody who knows even the slightest bit about Baki is that it is a series with crazy violence. I would say the violence gets toned down with each series but that isn’t my point. There are these inclusions of “what it would feel like to be cut by Musashi” panels, which do exactly what I just described. They are extremely explicit, and it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The problem lies in the possibility of such actions and then those actions not being carried out. A bit hard to follow I know, but Itagaki shows an explicit scene of violence, showing he can draw such a scene and intense violence is allowed in the publication, but that same level of violence is never actually seen in actual fights or conflicts between characters where it would actually matter. It feels like wasted panels and leaves the reader baffled as to why you would include such violence but never actually implement it in a meaningful way. Still, there is at least one good fight in it so if you want to see that then maybe it is worth your time.
Overall 4/10: I actually had this at a 5 when I first finished it, but after some careful consideration I thought it deserved lower. It just left such a bad taste in my mouth that I can’t help but really give it such a score. I wouldn’t say it is the worst manga I have ever read, and I still think Baki as a whole is a pretty fun series, but this is just such a mind numbingly bad part to an otherwise enjoyable series. I would say avoid it, but even then you might just read it to see if I was overexaggerating or not.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 22, 2019
Preface: It is Youkai Watch! What else do you need to know? If you are reading this you probably have either an interest in the movie or the series so I will keep this short.
Story 8/10:
Compared to the first movie, I felt like this one had a more engaging story/stories. The movie has four separate stories that ultimately lead to the fifth story which is the climax of the movie. Each story is about the length of a normal episode and has more or less the level of depth you are used to in the series. Though for long time fans it tugs a bit
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more on the heart strings with the inclusion of a certain lady tied to Jibanyan's past. Everything is what you would expect from a kids movie and has a cute little message of Yokai and Humans coming together to prove that they can exist together.
Art 7/10: Nothing spectacular here, but the animation is noticeably better in certain places then you would get in your typical episode, especially during the action oriented scenes. I was not a big fan of the use of 3D in this movie but it is pretty negligible and easy to overlook but it does stand out a lot more than it probably should.
Sound 8/10: Same old soundtrack, same old pleasant little songs. The movie ending theme is a nice little song and it reuses the at the time current ending theme of the anime for the proper ending credit scene. If you like the upbeat and plucky tunes of the series you will feel right at home here.
Character 9/10: The strongest point of the series and the big favorites are here: Jibanyan, USApyon, Komasan, Fuyunyan and Whisper with Keita and Inaho to round out the cast. They act like their predictable selves but that isn't a bad thing at this point is it? We finally get to Komasan's larger than life mother and to be honest it was well worth the wait even if she is only in the film briefly. Lord Enma plays the role of cool new character and demonstrates his role as the current leader of the Youkai Watch with Nurarihyon playing the villain steeped in his old ways of doing things. Enma and Nurarihyon don't get much development but they are nice addition to overall cast of characters the series brings.
Enjoyment 9/10: While your mileage may vary on how much you may like this movie but I found it fun for the time being. You can definitely go without seeing it but with how much advertising the show did for this movie, you would really be doing yourself a disservice not to give about 90 minutes of your time for this film. It won't change your life or make you rethink anything but I can say it will brighten up your day, even if just for a tiny second.
Overall 9/10: Give it a shot you might just enjoy it. Certainly not the best film out there but certainly not the worst film either. Everyone can benefit from a little cuteness that Youkai bring into this world.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 29, 2019
Preface:
The side story about everyone's favorite gherkin named prehistoric man! As I write this I am still currently in the process of reading Hanma Baki, so my feelings on the series are not yet finalized but this was definitely a neat little side story.
Story 7/10: While not very long in length, it gives us an introduction to a pretty unique character in the world of Baki. I personally think it would have made more sense if he just devoted an entire volume to this instead of breaking it up into its own separate thing but that is beside the point. The story is simple and
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as follows: A group of excavators find a perfectly preserved T-Rex and what appears to be a human in the midst of combat. They debate on what they should do with him and this amazing discovery. I won't reveal as to how he is revived but it is just your typical caveman brought into the modern era sort of story. Since it is only an introduction to the character, nothing really gets resolved or is there any sort of major conflict. Nothing groundbreaking but if you have made it to this point in Baki, you probably know what to expect in terms of story.
Art 9/10: Itagaki's art at this point in time is actually pretty impressive, especially comparing it to early Grappler Baki. I feel like his action lines and conveying of motion needs to be worked on but he has clearly defined his style by this point. The page spreads are nice and there is just enough detail. Still more or less your typical affair when it comes to Baki in the art department.
Character 8/10: From my initial expectations of Pickle, I thought he was going to be a lot more rampant and destructive, the side story detailing all of his destruction and adjustment to the era he woke up in, but you actually don't get too much of that. His design is decently unique and his approach to issues are not as basic as you would think. He deserves a bit more credit than what others around him think so I expect some interesting things from him. Also the last couple of panels with Pickle are surprisingly cute with him smiling and shaking hands.
Enjoyment 7/10: It is Baki and you know what you get with Baki at this point. Nothing new but if you are invested in the series, you will find it mildly entertaining. Pickle is pretty moe not gonna lie and the creation of such a character is something that could only come from Baki.
Overall 8/10: This will probably take you less than an hour to read so why not just blast through it? You get introduced to a decently unique character and his potential impact on the world around him. It won't rock your world or change how you think about manga but it will do what Baki does best and that is entertain.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 7, 2019
Preface: New Grappler Baki is a weird beast. Coming from the original anime series and reading the first manga, it feels like Itagaki was experimenting with some things(such as the art, the fight direction, antagonists, etc). I have my issues with it but as of writing this review I am enjoying it for what it is but this is something special and I desperately think it needs a review just so fellow Baki fans/newcomers can get a sense of it.
Story 6/10: As the summary states, this happens during the 15th volume of New Grappler Baki. Baki and Kozue go on some date, which involves Baki
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searching for her and finding her in a special place fans of the series will remember. They get to having sex and that is pretty much it. There is an important encounter at the end but if you have read volume 15 you will know who I am talking about. You get descriptions of what is going on from both Baki's and Kozue's point of view. Pretty bland right? So why a 6 out of 10 from me? It is more of the meaning behind the story and encounter rather than the story itself. It really is about Baki becoming a man and that is all nice and dandy but boy the dialogue is something that is just so dang weird. It feels so weird and forced and just bizarre, and not good bizarre. Like seeing them go back and forth trying to describe their parts is just weird. It is so sloppily written that the dialogue just ruins it to be quite frank. It has that Itagaki style of writing and exposition that if you know the series you will be familiar with but put into a sexual setting. I don't even want to quote any of the things that are said in it just because it might be better to see for yourself if you are really curious. It feels like it is trying hard to be serious but also light-hearted at the same time so you get a mixture of amateur writing and goofy metaphors. I know very few people come to Baki for the "deep" story but this here is as shallow as a 2 cm puddle.
Art 6/10: Art is standard Baki affair, therefore it is unique and good but goodness gracious Itagaki's artstyle does not lend itself well to this kind of story. The facial expressions and bodies portrayed in this just look goofy. I want to say there is just one page in particular that looks terrible but none of them drawn bad but just he doesn't do the human body justice in this situation.
Character 4/10: You have Baki and Kozue so that is pretty neat I guess. Nothing really gets developed or do we find out anything interesting or inherently important about either of them. Bottom of line is that Baki is a virgin and so is Kozue so they have sex for the first time and then tons of time later. They also bond over it so that is neat too I guess.
Enjoyment 4/10: I appreciate the translation/scanslation group for translating this into English just for documentation purposes and having this be an actual thing people can look back on but this book didn't really need to be as long as it was nor did it need to exist. This isn't me saying that sexual content has no place in manga or media or anything, but the issues arises in the quality. 150+ pages of poorly drawn out intercourse is just not fun to read or even look at. It falls to the point of being so mundane that I have pretty much forgotten every page and panel in this. I don't want to compare this to another series or make it feel like I am bashing it needlessly but I have seen/read sex scenes less explicit and handled with more care than this one. It isn't even entertaining or enjoyable if you are trying to get your jollies or rocks off and I mean that seriously. You could be so deprived of sex or sexual content and this wouldn't even get you aroused in the slightest of senses and I really do mean that. If you are looking for a good time, stick to whatever preferred medium that gives you excitement and stay far away from this.
Overall 5/10: This could have really been boiled down to a single chapter or a few pages with very intimate or suggestive positions and it could have accomplished the same sentiment. I understand that this is the encounter when Baki becomes a man but boy oh boy I feel sorry for the people who had to buy this. If you have like 10 minutes to waste I guess you can read it but I don't know why you would want to look at crappy sex from a series more or less about fighting and martial arts.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 22, 2018
(This is being written from the standpoint of the English Dub)
"Destiny is all you need to play." Probably one of the weirdest phrases I have heard but it will be stuck with you for the entirety of this series. Not much needs to be said about this series besides it is something that honestly never gets talked about or even mentioned. Let us see why that is...
Story (6/10): The summary/synopsis to this series pretty much gives you everything you need to know. Not really much else needs to be said. It is your standard child and monster/weird creature anime. Though it focuses more on more
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of a fusion mechanic, which is what drew me to it initially. You have the chosen one who must save the world from evil and that is about it. Nothing even remotely groundbreaking or new but the story exists and proceeds how you would expect it to.
Art(6/10): I wish I could be a bit harder on this show's animation and it definitely has some oddly drawn and animated characters but it can honestly be overlooked. This isn't a show where you come for the art and the unique animation but since it is geared towards kids you have to be pretty forgiving for what it is. Nothing egregious but nothing outstanding either.
Sound(7/10): The soundtrack is actually quite good, it captures the mood of the various scenes well. The opening is without a doubt one of the most catchiest songs I have ever heard and even after not watching this show for half a decade I still remember it. The voice acting itself is also quite good for a kids show and I think each voice actor performs their roles quite well. I believe there are only a handful of voice actors in the show but their range of voices is quite wide so it never makes you think "Hey! Isn't this the same voice as so and so?". The opening and ending themes are exactly the same, one is just an instrumental version of the other so not much to talk about there.
Character(5/10): Now this is less about character development and more about character design. The character development is typical children show progression and not worth mentioning except for maybe Giara and Prince Brad(who is probably the strongest point of the show). For a show centered around collecting monster and making new monsters, it probably has the worst monster designs I have seen in my life. The special monster friends in this are called "Hench", which just hits the ear weird and makes it sound like instead of the creatures being friends to the main characters they are "henchmen". It is a minor annoyance of mine but I feel like they could have chosen a better name. A vast majority of them are just so lazy and uninspired, like they put the bare minimum in designing them. You might enjoy maybe one or two by the end but even I doubt that. They aren't visually interesting to look at, they have no unique personality quirks, no unique/defining abilities, not even remotely interesting names. Some of their names literally being a description of what they are, ex. Metal Hopper, which is as you would guess a metal grasshopper. However, when it comes to the human, elves and dark elves design the show isn't nearly as terribly. They are all easy to identify and that is good. Prince Brad on the other hand is just a really strong antagonist. Not in terms of "evilness" or anything like that but his design, his personality, and mannerisms make the show less of a chore to sit through. He feels like the type of character that honestly doesn't belong in such a show but thinking of any other show where he would fit in is honestly a bit of a task. He is just plain goofy fun and I love it.
Enjoyment(8/10): Despite for being such a bland show, it isn't terrible. It never feels too slow nor does it ever feel too fast. Episodes go by quickly and information is given to you in a timely manner. I can't really find it in my heart to hate it even if I don't have high praise for it. It doesn't overstay its welcome and I can appreciate that.
Overall(7/10): Is this show worth watching? Eh. If you really need something to watch I guess but you aren't missing out on much. Check it out if you wish and you might just enjoy the little story it has to tell you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 5, 2018
Kurapika, Kurapika, Kurapika... Everyone's favorite blonde haired scarlet eyed chain user. We finally get to see into his past and was it worth the wait? Yeah, for the most part I think so!
Story 9/10: While only 2 chapters, the story knows that you would only be reading this if you are familiar with the Hunter X Hunter series and jumps right into it. While not required reading by any means it shows how Kurapika was able to leave his village and explore the world, just like a certain Gon Freecs...Not really a coming of age story but a boy curious about the world and wanting
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to explore it from himself. We also learn a bit about the structure of Kurta society and why they are the way they are. Not much can really be said as Kurapika and his friend Pyro(Pairo?) have to prove themselves that they are able to take on the outside world with a brief trial to demonstrate their worth. Very simple but if you love Kurapika and Hunter x Hunter it is a nice way to spend maybe an hour or so reading.
Art 8/10: I know the Hunter x Hunter manga gets harped on for it's art style and how simplistic and messy it looks but Togashi really took the time to make it look a lot cleaner and smoother. If you are coming from the anime it might be a bit jarring to see his art but if you have been keeping up with the manga, it is nothing new. It does the job and it does it well.
Character 9/10: Not much to be said here as the readers should already know Kurapika's personality and character in the main series but it is quite fun seeing him much younger and so much more adventurous and for the lack of a better word... childlike! Pyro/Pairo doesn't get much play but he is important in his own right and demonstrates it nicely. Kurapika makes for an interesting transition from plucky young boy to revenge seeking young adult.
Enjoyment 9/10: Like the last paragraph, nothing really needs to be said. It is for the fans and if you are a fan you will have a good time with it. The outcome is quite obvious from the start and you know what happens to his village, but seeing how it all comes together is the interesting bit. The last couple of pages of the 2nd chapter are really interesting is all I will say though.
Overall 9/10: If you are a fan you will likely find yourself reading this. It can honestly be read anytime after Kurapika's reveal for his revenge and motivation. If you aren't a fan, I am not sure why you would be reading this but you probably won't finding it very entertaining. In the end, just a nice little story about Kurapika and his early life.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 3, 2018
Preface: I know next to nothing about the Garouden manga series or novel series and went in this only familiar with Keisuke Itagaki being the artist and the Garouden video game. That being said, I was hungry like a wolf for some action and this short little piece didn't disappoint.
Story 7/10: The story is nothing to write home about in any shape or form, which is to be expected in a 2 volume side story. The story follows Shinichi, a boy who wants to be the smartest and part of the elite in Japan and Tanba(who oddly looks like a young Yujiro Hanma...), who
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wants to be the strongest fighter in the world. Despite being the equivalence of a short story, the little dynamic they have works quite nicely and something I would like to see more of or even a manga about. It details their short time together but also delving into why one another was so important in their life. Be warned, the story starts out quite weak and doesn't even remotely get noteworthy until near the end of the first volume. I won't reveal the surprise that comes about, as it is definitely an interesting one and handled adequately. You probably don't read such stories for the story anyways, but this one has a good message behind it once it shows it.
Art 8/10: If you are familiar with Baki the Grappler, then you will know what to expect in the art department: extremely muscular guys and ridiculous violence. You get exactly what I just mentioned but on a much smaller scale so curb your expectations accordingly. What Itagaki does well is the fight scenes and it shows, though at times they can be a bit difficult to follow. While you might not remember any particular panel or scene from this short story you will definitely remember the faces the characters make in this, as they are some of the highlights.
Character(s) 9/10 :Despite the their only being three characters, the focus on the two mains is surprisingly strong. Tanba gets most of the limelight and his personality really shines once you learn what makes him tick and his motivations for what he does. He isn't groundbreaking or extremely deep by any means but you can definitely see his reasoning if you were ever a child who idolized strong male figures or had a desire to practice martial arts. If this is what he was like in the beginning it definitely makes me want to read Garouden and see what becomes of him. Shinichi isn't terrible but mostly forgettable as he only really acts as the narrator for the reader. Kiriu is an interesting one and works quite well as an antagonist for such a short piece. Not memorable one but he serves his purpose well.
Enjoyment 9/10: Once the big reveal happens and the big fight breaks out, I couldn't help but listen to some intense music and keep on reading. The fights are brief and might not be to your liking but there is more depth behind them than I initially expected. It is story less about the action and more about what drives someone to change their previously flawed and deplorable way of life. It is the kind of the story that will stick with you for a bit and that is good enough me.
Overall 8/10: I probably wrote more than necessary for such a small piece but I enjoyed what I read and I hope you do too. If you have maybe a free hour you should definitely check this out. Who said violence can't be motivational and lead to something greater in one's life?
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 27, 2018
EDIT 12/23/2022: After being wrong for many years, Braiger actually has an ITALIAN dub! If you speak the language I highly recommend you check it out, the opening and endings are wonderful.
It seems like someone should finally write a review for this hidden gem of an anime. I don't exactly remember how I came about finding it or even who recommended it to me but I was extremely glad to have sat through it. During my initial viewing, the entire series was not subbed in English, only up to 37 or 36 I believe, the last couple of episodes being a multi part finale to
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bring it all together. I had to watch the final episodes in Portuguese, a language I know not a single word of, but this didn't hamper my viewing experience. I highly suggest those who speak Portuguese try to find the Portuguese dub as both the ending and opening are entirely different songs that are just as good as the original Japanese versions. EDIT 12/23/2022 After years of being incorrect, I came to realize it was actually the ITALIAN dub of the show. My point still stands though, please check out the Italian dub if that is your native language! It is still a very unique experience I could only vaguely understand what was going on during the finale but even with only a vague understanding I still loved my journey up until the point. Fast forward years later and the last couple of episodes are finally subbed. My love for it never changed and my misunderstandings were cleared up. But enough of this preamble, onto the actual review!
Story 9/10:
While I tend to be pretty lenient on anime stories of this time period, Braiger still surpassed my expectations. Don't go in expecting any masterpiece of storytelling or that equal to those of a literary great because you most certainly won't get that. What you will get is an episodic story for a majority of the series until it eventually gets into a much tightly focused story about stopping a space madman. I tend to have issues with episodic animes in general as they either work really well or just entirely fail. What works for one genre doesn't exactly work for another, but Braiger is able to pull it off without ever making the viewer feel bored. It is your typical "monster of the week" affair where the titular mech always make an appearance by the end of the episode to save the day. Where it shines though is that everyone of the main characters gets their own episode, by which I mean we get a deeper insight into why they are the way they are as well as their weaknesses and history. This honestly saves the story from getting boring as even the smallest amount of depth leads to a more fleshed out world. In essence J9 are just a bunch of mercenaries for hire who help people from all walks of life solve problems. Their price isn't cheap but they do help those that are in dire need of help for either financial or even personal reasons. Nothing inherently groundbreaking but it makes for interesting stories and situations.
Art 8/10:
Not much to talk about here as the art is what you would expect of the time period, though I do not remember seeing any egregiously awful frames or perspective issues so it gets a high praise for me. If you like this era of art then you will love it, if you like more newer/recent anime then it probably won't be your cup of tea though it shouldn't look too awful in comparison.
Sound 10/10:
The soundtrack has no reason to be as good as it is! It is just pure 80's music through and through and it is not ashamed to show it. It touches upon the popular genres of the time, so if you are a fan of such a decade you will feel right at home. Both the Opening and Ending themes are undeniably catchy and after a few episodes you will be singing right along, the final ending is my favorite though. The music always feels appropriate and fun, but also campy enough to remind you of how silly it is at times.
Character 8/10:
Despite me loving the entire cast and every re-occurring character in the show, they aren't inherently anything special. If you have watched more recent anime they fit pretty well into cliches such as "cold and aloof" type, "attractive and promiscuous" type and of course the staple "cuteness for the sake of cuteness" type. But that doesn't mean they don't occasionally break the mold and act out of their element. While not very often, the colorful cast of characters show their diversity in decision making and reactions. Personally, design wise everyone is pretty memorable but by the end of the show I doubt any of them will make your "Favorite anime characters of all time" list. Braiger itself even has a bit of a personality if you keep a close enough eye out.
Enjoyment 9/10:
It is just a fun anime, plain and simple. It is a fun filled adventure from episode 1 all the way to episode 39. The show itself also isn't afraid to get a bit more mature at times which definitely surprised me at times. Another aspect of the show I enjoyed is how it explained the "Super Robot" qualities of Braiger itself, bringing a bit of science into it and how it is able to transform across three different forms. I cannot say how accurate it is but it definitely feels believable enough that you could see it happening. It also doesn't feel condescending when offering an explanation for things, respecting the viewers intelligence, which is always nice.
Overall 9/10:
A must watch for mecha fans, by all means it is a wonderfully done series that seems to have flew under everyone's radar. If you are a fan of older anime I also give it a strong recommendation, though your enjoyment may vary depending on your tastes. For newer and more recent fans of anime I cannot recommend it very much but at least check out the Opening and Ending, they are great pieces of music. ABAYO!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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