(L) Kyoukai Senki (AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline)

[FlareKnight]

This episode was fine. A bit awkward since the MC has to go from just being on the run to being scouted to join a resistance group. And he doesn't have any particular hate fueling fighting back either. Life has certainly not been great even for him, but there is a difference between feeling that way and starting a war.

A kind of nice chance to have the two pilots an AI swap partners/units for a bit and seeing how that plays out. Certainly no reason why they couldn't end up switching units if an emergency strikes. Neither is necessarily at their best with that other unit but they aren't terrible either.

[Kanon]

Well, I guess the explanation for the abandoned factory and Kenbu works. Oddly enough, they never stated that Gai was also part of the project, but it's a fair assumption.

Amo still needs to gain a strong set of convictions, because he's kind of just going along with the flow right now.

[Chosen_Hero]

Was I the only one that while watching was thinking, "Yeah, she's going to die"?

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Secret warehouse explanation: check
MC joining resistance: check
New characters: check
Some death flags: check
Swapping mechs (for training): double check

Overall, nice episode. It'd be nice to see the protags swap mechs in real battles in the future like when Wing protags swapped Gundams sometimes

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

Was I the only one that while watching was thinking, "Yeah, she's going to die"?

Yeah, she's in a perfect spot to be fridged. Let's see how it will play out next week

[Anh_Minh]

So, that black AMAIM is a captured MAILES or something?

[Wandering Soul]

We actually got an explanation for the abandoned factory and it's one that I can accept.

Now we need to see what will make Amo join the resistance and how the third pilot from the OP enters the picture.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Review for Bunyip Boomerang is here:

YouTube

https://youtu.be/zC8b7q-I4G4

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

I gotta say, that is one simplistic beauty of a drone.

[Blaat]

Next week's episode will feature this insert song.

[Friday]

ep4

imo....
1:29 looked like she got thrown clear of the vehicle and the driver died

they both fought well together, as for the "Ghost" wouldn't be surprise the AI is behind its Chest

[Kanon]

It's so nice to see such great 2D mecha battles.

Ghost brought a lot of spice to the story. An autonomous AMAIM who attacks everyone indiscriminately. What's its creator's purpose?

[FlareKnight]

That was a ridiculously reckless move that "probably" got Amou's pseudo big sister blown up. The idea of people that aren't in mech suits offering support/distraction out of necessity is pretty familiar for the genre. But I feel like the show is just missing the mark on things like this. They have two excellent units on their side and only one attacker at present. As of that moment Amou looked to be doing fine. There wasn't a clear need yet to recklessly try to distract the enemy. All the more so when that move is more likely to distract your allies!

I know they have a history with that thing, but there's offering support and pointlessly throwing lives away. And that attack was definitely in the latter category. Making that move later in the episode when it was getting some good hits in and Gashin was being reckless would have fit better. I don't mind it since I get what they were going for. Need to give Amou a tragedy to get him locked into this conflict and more fully aligned with the terrorists/freedom fighters. It just would have been nice if they really made it work a bit better.

I'll just go with "sure" at this guy walking around a battlefield that was a mess and able to make out the entire fight between the various units and even writing up specs for them based on that . And I thought Aragorn in LOTR had some special skills .

[Wandering Soul]

Its hard to feel anything feel bad for the death of that girl when it feels like she just threw her life away. I'm surprised Ghost even acknowledged her presence during that attempt to draw its attention away.

[Magewolf]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

That was a ridiculously reckless move that "probably" got Amou's pseudo big sister blown up. The idea of people that aren't in mech suits offering support/distraction out of necessity is pretty familiar for the genre. But I feel like the show is just missing the mark on things like this. They have two excellent units on their side and only one attacker at present. As of that moment Amou looked to be doing fine. There wasn't a clear need yet to recklessly try to distract the enemy. All the more so when that move is more likely to distract your allies!

I know they have a history with that thing, but there's offering support and pointlessly throwing lives away. And that attack was definitely in the latter category. Making that move later in the episode when it was getting some good hits in and Gashin was being reckless would have fit better. I don't mind it since I get what they were going for. Need to give Amou a tragedy to get him locked into this conflict and more fully aligned with the terrorists/freedom fighters. It just would have been nice if they really made it work a bit better.

I'll just go with "sure" at this guy walking around a battlefield that was a mess and able to make out the entire fight between the various units and even writing up specs for them based on that . And I thought Aragorn in LOTR had some special skills .

I think that is my biggest problem with the show so far. They have a bunch of mecha tropes they want to cram into the show and they are not putting much effort into making any of them fit into the story. The girl acted like an idiot because they needed her dead. The MC just happened to find a secret factory and super AI because he had to and so on.

[serenade_beta]

While I couldn't care less about the lady who just died, at this point, this anime just automatically gets points for having hand-drawn mecha battles. Which is kinda sad, but yeah...

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Magewolf

I think that is my biggest problem with the show so far. They have a bunch of mecha tropes they want to cram into the show and they are not putting much effort into making any of them fit into the story. The girl acted like an idiot because they needed her dead. The MC just happened to find a secret factory and super AI because he had to and so on.

That is probably the thing eating at me most when watching it. Obviously it's fiction, but it feels like it when watching the show.

Just feels like the show is being made while checking boxes off a list. Japan is taken over and the main character has to rise up. Box checked. It doesn't feel right because they didn't establish a setup for it. But the box was checked regardless. Main character needs to lose a pseudo family member to give him angst and eventually a reason to fight because he didn't actually have one before . So that person is inexplicably stupid without building up to that. There was room to introduce that later in the episode and have it feel a bit more natural. But they needed to check the box and move on.

If nothing else it is making me respect shows that I didn't have as much respect for before. Random example, but I had plenty of issues with something like Buddy Complex. Yet I never felt like the story was just checking boxes and things were happening only because the story needed it to happen. It still felt like a story unfolding.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

They said it!! The show said one of the most sensible lines in the history of mecha anime!!!:
"We'll arrange for therapy..."


Kudos to you, show. Kudos to you.

That said, the way the woman got fridged was still bad & forced. I did not like it one bit. It's almost like the antithesis of a certain similar-but-good death from IBO.

And despite that, we still get some great handdrawn mecha battle. I like that Kenbu locked Ghost in its place by impaling its foot with a sword to the ground. I like how Amou & Gashin's training paid off by them being able to work together in critical moments. I like how the rest of the resistance are useful. The mechanic gave them weapons at the right time and the squad assisted them when Ghost about to self destruct.

Regarding the self-destruct, it's rare to see an aborted self-destruct especially from the enemy's side. So when Ghost didn't blow up and continue to get away instead, it's kinda refreshing to watch. And it's also rare to see an MC already abandoning his mecha at episode 4. Usually it took place further down the road when the MC got so jaded of the battles & couldn't take anymore.

Also, Ghost's chaotic nature of not playing by any rules reminds me of Griffon from Patlabor:

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

I'll just go with "sure" at this guy walking around a battlefield that was a mess and able to make out the entire fight between the various units and even writing up specs for them based on that . And I thought Aragorn in LOTR had some special skills .

Thanks for reminding me. I was thinking that the scene reminded me of someone. That cemented it. This Char-clone is future-Aragorn .

Originally Posted by Magewolf

The MC just happened to find a secret factory and super AI because he had to and so on.

To be fair, a story needs to start somewhere. In the very first Star Wars, Luke Skywalker had to meet with the Jawas -> buy C3PO -> got recommended to also buy R2D2 by C3PO -> opened Leia's message to Obi Wan in order for the story to happen. In Death Note, Light Yagami had to find the Death Note for the plot to progress. In Hikaru no Go, Hikaru had to meet with the ghost of Sai, etc.

Initial coincidence/convenience is fair game. Without it, we wouldn't get the above great stories. It's what follows that needs to make more sense.

[eilegz]

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

Was I the only one that while watching was thinking, "Yeah, she's going to die"?

i knew it, it was matilda all over again when i saw the the last episode preview. But somehow it was way crappier and the MC somehow i think it reacted more "realistic" and didint realize what happened or didnt digest it until later.

[Kanon]

Another box checked, I guess. MC finds the resolve to fight again after seeing the nice people he encountered in mortal danger.

The heroine will finally be properly introduced next week. Of course she's a teenager like the other two, because we all know only teenagers can pilot robots.

[Magewolf]

This show is being almost aggressively low effort with anything that evolves the plot. Why would you go to the trouble to make a 2d animated mecha show with some nice models(the manga one released first is very nice,the best of the bunch so far) for sell and have the show written out on bar napkins the night before they started animation?

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Of course she's a teenager like the other two, because we all know only teenagers can pilot robots.

To be fair, that was broadcasted way back when the OP first aired. So I think the audience has already prepared themselves for another teenager, of course, finally a female.