[Magnugiga]

Just catching up with this thread. Lovely starting choice, I already like this aesthetic (man I love me some 90s OVA visual and Ishinomori's character design in general), and I'll start watching along whenever I can make some time.

Kikaider's someone I only recognized from crossover appearances in other media (like that one episode in KR Gaim or the tribute appearance in Concrete Revolutio); I assume that, just like anime/manga counterparts of toku show, this is a completely alternate retelling that can be seen independently outside of the live show?

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magnugiga

I assume that, just like anime/manga counterparts of toku show, this is a completely alternate retelling that can be seen independently outside of the live show?

Yeah. You can go into this show knowing literally nothing about the franchise and be totally fine. I certainly did.

[DreamSword]

Episode 7: Afterglow of Regret



We open with a flashback, showing the circumstances behind Ichiro's' death. And man is it gruesome. This in turn leads into how Kohmyoji met Gill, and the fateful meeting that would eventually lead to the events of the present day.

Said opening also immediately gave me the moment I wanted to GIF.

https://i.imgur.com/QiXjOMO.gifv

Seriously. That's an absolutely great looking scene ontop of being a brilliant way to transition into the opening credits.

This is the actionized continuation of the events from episode 6. As Jiro works his way inside the mansion where Mitsuko is being held captive, Bat and Mitsuko continue their talk from earlier. With the unfolding events clearly having an effect on the villain of the week.



I'd also like to say that, man, Golden Bat is probably the most practical one of the robots Jiro has fought so far. Holding out in a booby-trapped base in order to wear your prey down and only stepping in if you need to for the killing blow? Very nice. Er, not nice. You get what I mean.



We also see that Jiro isn't totally over his shame of his own body yet, as he refuses to transform upon learning that Mitsuko is watching. It's here that something else is added to all of the compelling themes that previous episode touched upon: Not being ashamed of who you are or how you look. But in a nice touch of realism, despite Mitsuko's' kind words, Jiro doesn't just suddenly get over it.



We also get to see a new and cool use for his guitar! I hope you all keep this scene in mind for the day you end up being attacked by crazy cyborg bats. It could save your life!

Like with the previous episode, I really love how each character plays off one another here. Mitsuko and Bat really do take center stage once again. Yeah, the action sequence in itself is cool and all, but the real meat comes from these two. Bat proclaiming how much it hurts to be someone who fits in with no one and is shunned by everyone, and Mitsuko proclaiming that no one is alone in those feelings, and that Jiro is someone to be admired because he continues on despite that suffering? I absolutely love it.

This is another episode where I dare not spoil every little detail talked about or how it all ends. As what can be seen as the anime's' only direct two-parter? It leaves one hell of an impact. Not just on the characters and story, but on me as a viewer as well.

[Fish Sandwich]

There's a thing in this one I thought was super appropriate for building on the themes being explored, which is how it completely reverses the rules. Jirou spends all the action in this episode in his human form, and, without mentioning any more of the context than I have to, the scenes he gets in his android form don't involve him fighting at all.

It's also pretty readily apparent why Mitsuko's VA is the one singing the ending theme given how much this episode emphasizes she's dealing with her own s*** just like the robots are.

I'd agree this was a real banger of a two-parter. Orange Ant's sweet afro is hard to top, but Golden Bat did a lot of hard work to lay claim to the title of coolest bad guy so far.

[DreamSword]

Episode 8: Blue Moon, Red Dreams

Recap episode.

...

What? You want more out of me? Uh... okay, well, literally all this episode is is a clip show/highlight reel of everything across the series so far with some minor narration thrown in from Jiro. I suppose it's meant to be framed as though Jiro is reflecting on everything up to this point?

Personally I don't mind recap episode as long as they serve some sort of narrative purpose, or are done in a creative and interesting way. And while yes, this show IS one of my favorites, I'm not gonna deny that this recap episode is very thrown together. There's literally no merit to even watching it, honestly.

It's to the point that even when the show first aired on US television, they actually outright skipped this episode in its entirety. And really, I can't blame them. But hey, if literally all you want is a highlight reel of the first half of the anime, then, well, here ya go.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

It's also pretty readily apparent why Mitsuko's VA is the one singing the ending theme given how much this episode emphasizes she's dealing with her own s*** just like the robots are.

I actually had no idea her JP VA was the singer of the ED! That adds a whole new layer to the song and make me appreciate it even more. And yeah, what you point out about role reversal is a great point, and makes the entire thing even better.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Recap episode.

Look, I suffered through Zero-One's Super Job War specials a few weeks ago. There may not be a lot of merit to watching this episode, but at least it's not actively painful. I thought the dreamlike, non-chronological flow was sort of interesting? To say something nice? I could've done with more pretentious Jirou narration, honestly. I figured that would be the selling point at first, but it quickly became apparent that... well, there isn't one.

It's weird to think about whatever kind of shoestring budget they must've been working with to need a clip show in a 12 episode series though. Or like, did the network demand an extra week out of nowhere or something? Does that happen? I feel like this episode has a story behind its creation that would be way more interesting than the episode itself. Which might not be saying much, but still.

[DreamSword]

Yeah, I guess that is something "nice" you could say about it. The episode just kinda... exists. Weird compliment, yeah, but I too have seen recap eps that made me actively angry(hi Dragon Knight).

I'm also curious about the story behind why this episode was made. Unfortunately due to the show's' obscurity, there's like, no info on any English websites that I know of.

Speaking purely on speculation here, I'd be surprised to learn this show had a tiny budget considering just how good it looks, even today. Maybe they felt the two-parter was super heavy and audiences needed some time to breathe? It does make me think...

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Speaking purely on speculation here, I'd be surprised to learn this show had a tiny budget considering just how good it looks, even today. Maybe they felt the two-parter was super heavy and audiences needed some time to breathe? It does make me think...

The other thing is, even if the budget WAS relatively small, the show's animation is also very prudent about having frequent shots with minimal motion to balance out the really complicated action sequences. I don't get the impression this show was irresponsibly blowing money on anything, so the need for a recap episode really is quite the mystery.

EDIT: Oh, and the most obvious, probable scenario just hit me. Maybe the animation was simply running behind schedule. Although, again, for the reasons I just said, it doesn't strike me as a show that was overworking its animators too hard, but I don't know. There are people way more informed about the Japanese animation industry than I am who could speculate with more authority than me.

[DreamSword]

Episode 9: Friends

I think this is the only episode that's a bit mis-titled. Don't get me wrong, the title itself DOES work given the overall plot of the episode, but I feel like a much better title would've been "Bonds" given the overall theme. Hopefully I can make clear why I think that as we go.



It's a joyous reunion as everyone gets back together again! This opening shows that Jiro is back and he's staying around, and that despite Hattori's' job now technically being complete, he's determined to see this entire situation through to the end. The next step being finding where exactly Professor Gill is hiding, and also trying to figure out what exactly his connection to Mitsuko's' mother was.



Meanwhile with Gill, we get a bigger glimpse at the most popular character in the entire franchise. Who is he? Well, we'll definitely find out later, but for now, what we do know is that Gill finds him capable enough that he declares he's leaving everything in the mysterious man's' hands from here on.

The Mystery Man is voiced by Steve Blum, who needs literally no introduction to anyone at all familiar with the world of English anime dubs. Especially at the time the dub was recorded in the early 2000s, considering Blum was in, well, damn near everything.

And hey, I ain't knockin' the guy! Blum does a great job in basically any role he's given; Having voiced several of my favorite characters(and being in many of my favorite shows) outright. Some notable examples being Roger Smith in The Big O and Kazuma in s-CRY-ed.



As the episode continues, it becomes more and more apparent at just what the overall theme of the episode actually is; The bonds that people create between one another, and all of the memories, moments, and emotions that come with that, both good and bad.

Hattori, despite having every right to bail at this point, has grown close to everyone and continues to support them any way he can. Mitsuko, obviously, has her close ties to her family, and her memories of them continue to serve as vital clues to the plot at hand. Jiro's' life is beginning to take a turn upward now that he's decided to make his own life with those he cares about.

And Masaru? Well, he makes some new friends!

Tragedy strikes though when a new robot appears. And despite the situation and the hesitation that Jiro feels within his Gemini Circuit, it's clear what has to be done.

Oh, and Fish Sandwich mentioned earlier in the thread that Jiro's' Japanese VA is Tomokazu Seki, famous for being the voice of Domon Kasshu of G-Gundam fame. Weelll let's just say that makes sense now.

I'm actually a rather big fan of this style of storytelling; Specifically ones that start of rather lighthearted and "normal" but slowly become more and more dark and sinister as things go on. That's not to say it's the only way a story should be told(heck, one of my favorite shows in Rune Soldier, a hilarious and light-hearted comedy), but something about stuff like this just appeals to me.

And yeah, this episode totally nails it. And I ain't gonna lie, the very first time I saw this episode? I teared up a little at the end. Not to sound macho or anything, but it's very rare a show actually makes me do that. Heck, I still feel major empathy for Masaru, despite this being like, my 6th time watching this show.

Overall, great episode, as usual.