NTS: Picked this anime series up from a random isekai related recommendation post on reddit. Didn't expect much from this series considering it was an older mecha series (they tend to have basic plot progression and characters), and I watched unironically oblivious to the Evangelion parody. Despite being a fairly basic plot structure and generic harem character palette, this series was actually fairly interesting to watch. Let's get into why!
Story:
We are given an immature, pre-prepubescent nerd that is able to see large mecha fight and destroy his surroundings without affecting his world; thanks to the opening scene with a mysterious artifact that most likely split the interaction with it into two different worlds (like a butterfly effect) Nonetheless, this teen male picks up a popular, high in demand chick who seems interested in him till he meets her old man, a mad scientist - Long story short he finds himself in the dystopian parallel world as a result of the ancient artifacts. His job in the parallel world is to draw an end to the war as soon as possible so that both worlds experience peace (also to stop his mecha hallucinations).
My thoughts on the series:
I felt that despite trying to stay exclusive to the mecha genre, this series fails to develop a structured narrative by the end of 13 episode (I didn't bother watching the special) It is a debatable claim however, I really wasn't grasping a powerful narrative apart from the 'save both worlds' mindset - Not the worst but not innovative especially considering it relies on mecha and similar human figured robots to develop the plot. As such, I will be rating this series a fair 7/10 in terms of plot.
Art & Sound:
1999, a fairly well aged series in terms of animation and music. I enjoyed the main theme that played in between key events in the series but that was about it, most of the music played were fairly generic - Art style to me was fairly average especially for the date it was made in. As such, a generous rating of 6/10 will be given for art & sound.
Character:
In terms of character development, I'd say all of the side characters as well as the FMC (female main character) had most of the major changes in this series. All the female characters in the harem have more power individually over the MC even at the end of the series - This is fairly ironic considering MC is the person that shines in his mecha on the battlefield. Not a fan of this but atleast it didn't dwell on fan service such as other known mecha series.
I'd rate this series a 6/10 in terms of character development, not the best but definitely well needed improvement in character development for the MC .
Enjoyment:
I was fairly discouraged in the first half of the series because I felt the plot was intentionally being forced to progress - It happened quite fast this way which is why I wasn't as emotionally connected to the characters. Nonetheless the ending definitely didn't disappoint seeing everyone in a good mood is a better ending than a series that kills off characters for 'plot progression'. As an older series, I'd say there needs to be a higher threshold for leniency because most of the mecha plots weren't innovative or unique, so I'd rate this series a solid 8/10 in terms of enjoyment, beginning started off a bit rushed but was on the right track and entertaining by episode 6/7.
Overall: 7/10
Story: 6/10
Art & Sound: 7/10
Character: 6/10
