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| IT'S A GUNDAM! |
Director: Nagasaki Kenji (No. 6)
Writer: Kuroda Yousuke (Trigun,
Mobile Suit Gundam 00)
Main Cast:
Komatsu Mikako as Iori Sei
Kokuryuu Sachi as Reiji
Character Design: Oonuki Kenichi (Major,
Kikou Senki Dragonrar)
Music: Hayashi Yuuki (Robotics;Notes,
Blood Lad)
I have a soft spot in my heart for the Gundam franchise. This can be chalked up to my first anime being Gundam Wing. That's the show that brought me into all of the insanity and fun that is anime fandom. I was fifteen and it was unlike any animated show I had ever seen. Now, I've seen a lot of shows that are better, way better, than Gundam Wing, including other Gundam series. So, I have to say that I'm more than likely to give Gundam Build Fighters, as absurd as it is, a shot. But, it's not a guaranteed pass, I mean it's not like I watched Gundam AGE. I do have standards, after all.
The plot of Gundam Build Fighters is pretty basic. A Gundam obsessed boy named Sei who builds Gundam models (Gunpla) wants to win the world championship in a new Gundam fighting game, but can't because his piloting skills are not up to par. That's until he meets a boy named Reiji who happens to be a naturally gifted pilot. And this boy disappears in front of him. And he might be an alien. Or maybe this plot is a bit silly. Either way, it's less serious than most previous Gundam series, and I think this is a good thing. When people are fighting fake battles with plastic models of giant robots, I don't want it to be super serious, life and death affairs. A bit of levity and fun go a long way.
What makes this show fun? How about seeing a bunch of Gundams from different series fighting each other? I'm not even a huge Gundam maniac and I loved seeing some of my favorite models getting in on the action. Especially since the fights themselves look quite nice. The other thing that makes this show enjoyable is how I feel the show is willing to poke a little fun at itsself and its fanbase. Yes, the super serious guy talking about how war is hell when the battles are between plastic models is a bit insane. Yes, yelling "Sieg Zeon" in an underground bar before playing a mock battle Gundam game is kind of weird. So is knowing the detailed origins of every Gundam in history. These aren't bad things, but seeing the staff be aware of how obsessed their fans are is fun to see.
That's not to say this is a perfect series, far from it. I have serious doubts that this will be anything more than an extended tournament show of the likes of Yu Yu Hakusho or Yu-Gi-Oh, except with robot models instead of supernatural powers or children's playing cards. The very nature of the show means that I might be judging it at its peak, before the repetitive nature of the show sets in and I get bored. It also relies on a lot of silly reaction shots, although I will give it credit for using the ridiculous anime reaction shot properly at the end of episode two. Reiji just straight up disappears in a flash of light in front of Sei. Yes, that is actually ridiculous and the silly anime reaction face is completely justified there.
I decided to pass Gundam Build Fighters. And I do realize that this show functions as a commercial for Gunpla. I just don't care. It's not the first show to be created to sell merchandise and it won't be the last. I don't see any difference with this show being made to sell toy models than with a show made to promote a manga, a videogame, or any other form of media. Also, if I dismissed every show that was created with some merchandise in mind, I wouldn't be left with very many titles. Anime is a business that makes money, and that's something anime fans need to deal with in 2013.
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| If you average out their obsession with Gundam, you'd get a normal person. Kind of. |
What makes this show fun? How about seeing a bunch of Gundams from different series fighting each other? I'm not even a huge Gundam maniac and I loved seeing some of my favorite models getting in on the action. Especially since the fights themselves look quite nice. The other thing that makes this show enjoyable is how I feel the show is willing to poke a little fun at itsself and its fanbase. Yes, the super serious guy talking about how war is hell when the battles are between plastic models is a bit insane. Yes, yelling "Sieg Zeon" in an underground bar before playing a mock battle Gundam game is kind of weird. So is knowing the detailed origins of every Gundam in history. These aren't bad things, but seeing the staff be aware of how obsessed their fans are is fun to see.
That's not to say this is a perfect series, far from it. I have serious doubts that this will be anything more than an extended tournament show of the likes of Yu Yu Hakusho or Yu-Gi-Oh, except with robot models instead of supernatural powers or children's playing cards. The very nature of the show means that I might be judging it at its peak, before the repetitive nature of the show sets in and I get bored. It also relies on a lot of silly reaction shots, although I will give it credit for using the ridiculous anime reaction shot properly at the end of episode two. Reiji just straight up disappears in a flash of light in front of Sei. Yes, that is actually ridiculous and the silly anime reaction face is completely justified there.
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I decided to pass Gundam Build Fighters. And I do realize that this show functions as a commercial for Gunpla. I just don't care. It's not the first show to be created to sell merchandise and it won't be the last. I don't see any difference with this show being made to sell toy models than with a show made to promote a manga, a videogame, or any other form of media. Also, if I dismissed every show that was created with some merchandise in mind, I wouldn't be left with very many titles. Anime is a business that makes money, and that's something anime fans need to deal with in 2013.
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