So I, like many others I imagine, decided to take a look at this show after Mother's Basement and Crunchyroll both told me repeatedly that this was a good show I should watch. Having watched through to ep 11, I will say that this is a really good show, maybe not the marvel Anime Pope promised me but a great time none the less.
I'll preface this review by saying I don't watch Mecha. I've seen
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So I, like many others I imagine, decided to take a look at this show after Mother's Basement and Crunchyroll both told me repeatedly that this was a good show I should watch. Having watched through to ep 11, I will say that this is a really good show, maybe not the marvel Anime Pope promised me but a great time none the less.
I'll preface this review by saying I don't watch Mecha. I've seen Guran Leggan and Darling in the Franxx and enough Evangellion memes to make me sick. I've just not had a lot of interest in this genre. That said, this show is really great.
This is one of those shows that some might be tempted to call parody but it just really isn't. It's funny and goofy and ridiculous, but it never feels transformative. It's something weird and different that just happens to be funny, not a show that sets out to be funny. A lot of the comedy just really didn't hit for me, but I rarely cared because the show isn't a comedy. There was so much more to sink my teeth into. Not to say this show isn't funny, Ginko's Ghost in the Shell reference had me in tears and a lot of the absurd situations of this show are cause for laughter.
Honestly, I could just gush about the writing and pacing which are simply mind blowing. This show has a plot very similar to Guran and Franxx on a surface level and this show manages it brilliantly with only half the episodes of those shows. It give up just enough explanation for the viewer to understand the stakes and handles actually explaining itself wonderfully. Not to spoil, but where Franxx failed so miserably to measure up to the hype of it's own set ups, this show perfectly comes out with it's information. Something helped by the fact nothing about this show is conventional or cliche. It also manages to develop a massive (for a show this long) cast of characters and give a lot of them very compelling arcs that build on the show's whole philosophical ideas.
The philosophy of this show is probably the one thing that wraps every thing together. The plot essentially comes down to the same topic of destructive evolution that Gurran tackled with Spirals and Anti-Spirals. Of course, this show does offer some more nuanced ideas than "Drill through any ceiling you find because Humans, Evolution, and Boob Giggle are AWESOME and can't be stopped."
The one really big problem with this show is that it can be a bit overwhelming. It may be paced amazingly but it's still a lot of content to take in. Additionally, the fast pace can mean some emotional developments aren't given as much time as they may have needed.
Another downer note would be the animation. This show is actually really well produced, it's voice cast does a great job, the music fits perfectly even if it's a bit forgettable, and the sound design is stellar. The sounds in this series really help to set it's action apart, it just sounds so cool in such a unique way. The mech and spaceship designs are likewise really unique and hilariously absurd. The animation however really never breaks past average for modern anime and is downright underwhelming when compared to Gurran Legan and Darling in the Franxx. Of course, it's more than serviceable and there are a few moments of properly impressive action in the fight scenes.
In the end, this is a really great show that I had a lot of fun watching and I'll probably have to give it a rewatch in the near future. After failing to find something that really caught my attention during this summer, I'm disappointing I wasn't watching this hidden gem.
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