[Dr Kain]

Another two discs done (26-34) and the show is FINALLY starting to amp up. The episode that dealt with the nukes going off was like HOLY ****!!!!! Then there was a bit of more filler followed by some truly excellent stuff with a Mayan-like tribe and now we are finally going out into space. I can not wait to see what happens next!! The music continues to rock and while there have been some flat moments of animation, the animation remains great. On the other hand, I still don't like Sochie and Poe. Sochie is this series' version of Katz while Poe is Noin 2.0. Oh, and I cannot help but laugh at the ever growing Zaku army. It seems like every time the Suicide Squad appears on screen their Zakus have doubled. They're like the Sweeps of Gundam.

EDIT: And another disc bites the dust. These four episodes were really awesome and clever. I just loved how they went about having Earthlings that are in space for the first time. Very nicely done. The only complaint I have with this batch is how Kihel is suddenly in love with Harry, but that aside, these were damn good episodes. I hope to have the chance to finish the series tomorrow.

EDIT 2:

We just finished Turn A and overall, it was an enjoyable series, but far from being anywhere near the best of the Gundam franchise.

Positives:

+ The characters, especially Loran, Dianna, and Kihel.
+ Yoko Kanno's soundtrack was fantastic as always and there were a lot of moments where the music really moved the scene. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough variety after a while.
+ A new and interesting take on the Gundam mythos by setting it in a really unique world.
+ Lots of character development.
+ The Dark History and the scene when it is finally revealed in episode 43 is just full of fangasmic awesomesauce!!
+ Great animation despite there being flat moments.
+ Clever use of showing people in space for the very first time.
+ Turn X is like a giant set of funnels that form a mobile suit.

Negatives:

- Lackluster villains who are all pretty much just adult children. None of them are even remotely badass or cool.
- Most of the shows battles are due to poor communication over anything else.
- Too much character development. Yeah, as great as it is to develop the characters, there is just way too much of it because the plot suffers and the politics go by with a lot of information missing due to it happening off screen.
- Too much filler. This show should have been about 10-15 episodes shorter.
- The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes its great, other times it leaves a lot to be desired and the viewer is confused.
- Major character deaths that just happen and you may miss them if you blink.

As I said, overall it is a enjoyable show and one I will look forward to revisiting once it is released on Blu-Ray, but not the masterpiece I had hoped it would be. It started off strong by introducing us to a unique setting and situation and then it kind of fizzled out into things just happening for the sake of happening as if a fourth grader were retelling a story via, "And then this happened. And then that happened. And then..." Thankfully, the second half of the show takes off and the reveal of the Dark History is awesome. Sadly, the lack of any strong villainous characters really hurts it as there is no one that can be viewed upon as a serious threat and as such, makes it feel like there is little payoff. Oh, and there are moonrace hippies. WTF?! In the end, I give Turn A a 7/10. It is a more middle of the road series as far as the story is concerned, but its characters and setting are what makes it great.