Visually you can tell the series is outdated, even by its time it isn’t very good. The artwork is kinda weak, the character designs are simple, the coloring has several issues to the point that one character has two different hair colours throughout the series, one seemingly done digitally while the other seems to be done by hand, why’s that? The special effects look cheap and old even for its time, and there is some crude CGI here and there as it was common back then. The motions are also not very good, but at least there is a lot of weight behind them, which is a nice touch, adds to the aesthetics, and fits within the setting and story presented. The backgrounds, especially the inside of the robots, are the best part of the show for the most part, except for the moments when CGI is used.
The audio department is very weak, easily the worst part of the whole series. The music? Generic, forgettable, simple, repetitive, just there most of the time, and that includes the opening, which at least fit the atmosphere of the action part of the show just fine. Both are meant to have that retro and classic feel that the show aims to mimic, and they succeed at that, but the results are still weak on their own. The ending is a cute song that fits the slice of life part of the anime with lyrics that both reflect those bits and are aimed directly to the audience. Not amazing in the least nor very memorable, but the best part of the soundtrack as far as I’m concerned. The voice acting is ok, every seiyuu did their work just fine, it’s just that the series and characters themselves didn’t allow any of them to shine in any particular way, as what was required of them was pretty standard and typical. Akiko Hiramatsu was the best out of the whole cast and showed her range once more, simply by playing the most emotional and explored character in the whole series. The sound effects are laughably weak even by 1999 standards, almost nothing has a fraction of the impact it should.
The plot is about a public relationships team from a security company using the giant robot titular of the show to fight against the token monsters of the series, classic monster of the week formula with a comical spin on it, not only because of the people piloting and repairing it, but also because of its approach itself to it. The mecha doesn’t really look cool, it wasn’t used for so long that it is rather obsolete and broken, it doesn’t have any cool super attacks, all of its said attacks are down to Earth and comical copies of iconic attacks from classic mecha titles, all of its upgrades are simple weapons, it constantly malfunctions, it has to be repaired or refueled in battle, the monsters it fights against have very simple and uninspired designs that range from a freaking giant baseball to a Mega-Man boss reject, minus the last two which came out of Evangelion or something, and in general the characters are reluctant to fight or care more about their daily lives and relationships, their salaries and vacations and the funding to do all the repairs the giant robot needs, than about the fights and the monsters themselves.
Not to say that the battles aren’t given the importance they deserve, despite the comical approach, the same outcomes and weapons used and the low level fights, every monster is different from the others despite having the same weakness, thus every fight requires a certain strategy and a certain field tactic, and it’s cool to watch Dai-Guard itself being affected by the different terrains on which the fights take place and having to adjust to them.
The plot structure follows the typical monster of the week formula, but several elements are added to it to add realism and flavor. Because of all the destruction and funding issues caused by the characters, they eventually have the military controlling what they do and even placing a tactical advisor for them, who of course has another mission behind that position, which eventually leads to the creation of another robot and the army becoming an antagonist of sorts on its own. There is also a member of the board of the company wanting to take over its presidential position and change the division of the main characters, themselves included, new pilots and a new tactical advisor trained by the army taking over the Dai-Guard at some point, political issues with another country and army, and of course evolving monsters, and the everyday things the characters have to deal with. All of that enriches an otherwise dried out formula, even with its own funny spin.
The pacing is good in the initial episodes, as you are shown the concept, premise, main characters, the personal drama of the main ones, the army and board members slowly taking over, new members that are troublesome, changes in the mecha that make things more difficult, the discovery of what the heterodyne (the monsters) are and their natural formation, and there is a bit of character development especially for Shirota the first military advisor, who learns how to talk with common people and do needed things on the fly in the battlefield, as well as for Akagi, the hot-headed, idealistic and impulsive main character who wants to be some kind of hero of justice because of the mecha anime he watched as a kid. The relationships between these two couldn’t be worse in the beginning, yet they are together so much time they come to find a common ground and noticing what the other has that they themselves lack, thus improving the cooperation during the battles against the heterodyne. The series also bothers to show how the common people are affected by the fights, albeit with a lighthearted approach, nothing really tragic in it. So, it does everything that Bullbuster, which finishes tomorrow, does, but better, and with a much better pacing (Dai-Guard does in, let’s say 4 or 5 out of 26 episodes, what Bullbuster does in 10 out of 12).
The middle episodes (let’s say 6 to 18) are the weakest, not so much of the everyday lives of the characters is shown, thus there is no character fleshing, and the fights are weak and silly, to the point of even contradicting the information that was initially provided and having the cast acting out of character at times. There are some good bits in it, like the second robot being made and the army and second advisor becoming a problem, as well as a good message (the public relations division help out people even when they don’t use the robot, giving a new meaning to the catchphrase of the teasers of the next episodes), but in general the plot points presented during this portion of the anime are somewhat poorly handled and not even last long enough.
The army and the board member take over, but everyone is incompetent or an asshole, which goes against the cooperation and common ground presented earlier with Akagi and Shirota, there is a heterodyne that contradicts the earlier information, even if it refreshes the formula for one episode, on which the characters act out of character, a second robot appears but disappears soon after for the damage it receives, when Dai-Guard has taken worse time and time again, there is a really unneeded recap episode (aired first week of the year 2000), the division is dissolved but reformed soon afterwards, and you star questioning yourself why aren’t more pilots being trained and how can it be that there is just one scientist in the whole show. Yes, those things are like that on classic mecha as well, but Dai-Guard was supposed to be a comical and down to Earth spin on it, things should be different in this series.
The final episodes (19 onwards) have some issues, such as the political conflict being resolved easily in just two episodes, a so-so emotional montage, some characters acting differently than they did during the rest of the show, and the directing of episode 20 being way too experimental to the point of being weird, but in general the last bunch, especially after episode 20, are the best portion of the anime, with more character immersion and even a bit of development (especially for Ibuki, the main girl of the show), heterodyne that actually feel like a threat and that you can take seriously, the second robot reappearing with a proper explanation, the feeling and message of cooperation between the civilians and the military for the sake of the country being recovered, a more serious approach to the destruction caused and how the common people is affected, actual evacuations being made, the best directing of the whole series during episodes 21 and 22, and one hell of a final showdown in the last three episodes.
Of course, at this point you ask yourself why they didn’t evacuate on earlier episodes during other attacks, and there definitely was need for some actual deaths at some point, while the ending is not conclusive because there is no actual end for the heterodyne (they are a force of nature), but for the type of lighthearted action show that Dai-Guard is, the final third of the anime is pretty well done.
As for characters, I already talked about Akagi and Shirota, Ibuki is the most and best explored one in the whole show, from her backstory and personal drama, her family wanting her to stop piloting because of it being dangerous, the different pressure she has to face for being a woman, how she slowly becomes a bit more like Akagi, and of course two episodes dedicated to her psyche, repressed memories and development near the end of the show. The third main character is Aoyama but he isn’t explored as much besides his personal drama and slowly taking his job more seriously. The interactions between these three and the side characters are otherwise strong, bouncing off each other during the humorous parts, which I wished more anime had and knew how to make. Development and catharsis are otherwise simple and a bit inconsistent, but fine for this type of show.
As a whole I found Dai-Guard to be both a cool comedy in the likes of Patlabor on its earlier episodes and a cool tribute to classic mecha thanks to its main character and the final third of the show, and a series that’s worth the watch at least once, but it could have been far better if the middle episodes were better handled or some of them skipped entirely.
Similar stuff
Patlabor-Real robot mecha and slice of life comedy franchise (except for the movies that turned into crime thrillers and are far more serious).
Martian Successor Nadesico and Gekiganger 3-Parody and tribute of old school super robot type of mecha titles.
Kenzen Robo Daimidaler-Lewd super robot mecha parody.
Gravion-Lewd and goofy super robot tribute mecha title.
Bullbuster-Very similar but inferior 2023 title
