Review: Gundam Build Fighters

"I spent eleven nights building this instead of sleeping. Or was it twelve?"

3ET: Gundam Build Fighters

Review System

Warning: the following review contains SPOILERS and a hard truth about the Gundam franchise


I'm going to talk a bit more about something I said at the end of my Three Episode Test for Gundam Build Fighters. The reason that I don't care that this show was made to sell Gunpla toys is simple. That fact, and it is a fact, makes it no different than every other Gundam series that has ever been made. Build Fighters is just more obvious about it. And that fact also has zero affect on how good the show is. What matters is the cast, the story, and how they tell that story. So, let's get into those things that matter, and move past things that don't.

Oh man, I have such a nostalgia boner right now.

The two main characters, a Gundam fanatic named Sei and an otherworldly prince named Reiji, are the leads in a largely likeable cast. No one acts like an unrepentant asshole, or at least when they do, they get their comeuppance in a Gunpla Battle beatdown. And there is a sense of community betwen these kids (and I'm calling them all kids, even the Italian playboy character who is only five years younger than me) who truly love this competition and worked hard to get to the World Tournament. I like that they are shown making constant upgrades and tweaks to their toy robots, as it shows their genuine passion.

And despite how serious everyone takes Gunpla Battle, there is a tacit understanding that this isn't life or death. That allows some levity into the show, which is extremely refreshing after several Gundam shows whose head is up their own ass talking about the meaning of war and battle. It's almost as if someone at Sunrise remembered that fighting robots should be fun. Even when the corporate suit in charge of the tournament tries to rig it against Sei and Reiji, it's treated like he's going beyond all reasonable bounds in order to do so. The people making this knew they were making something ridiculous, and turned the camp factor to maximum to make sure the audience enjoyed the ride.

Good news, Sei! Your mom's not dead and your dad didn't run off!

One of the better things Gundam Build Fighters does is subvert couple of tropes. My favorite has to do with Sei's father, a former Gunpla Battle Fighter who placed high at a previous competition. Now, a less competent show would have had him die from anime wasting disease in a flashback, or maybe taken the whole "Gunpla Mafia" thing a bit too seriously and killed him off that way. Instead, he isn't dead at all, he's missing in the first half of the show because he is out promoting Gunpla around the world. And Sei's mother doesn't have an issue with it. Holy shit, it's the rarest of all things in anime, a protagonist whose family situation is actually functional. It seems like such a minor detail to talk about, but having things like this come up establish the tone as light and fun, which is exactly what it needed.

Now, I had some issues with this show, especially the ending. First off, the plot where the evil Gunpla corporate guy uses a magical helmet to control a Fighter to be a merciless psychopath in the finals of the World Tournament after they already used that plot line felt chap and lazy. Also, the reveal that the Gunpla corporate guy who somehow knew Reiji from the alternate world was just some common thief was pretty lame. And seriously, there was no reason to have the magical particles go out of control aside from bringing the gang back together for one last battle and to show off what they had been up to since getting knocked out of the tournament. It was a serious waste of time and delayed the good part of the ending.

Reiji realizes his job is done.

The good part of the ending was the rematch between Sei and Reiji versus the head of a local high school Gunpla club, who they faced in the World Tournament final. During this, a crystal Reiji has had since the beginning of the show begins to crack and crumble, signifying that it's about time for him to go. Before he goes, he let's Sei take control of the Gunpla, telling him that he always had the skills to be a good fighter, he just needed to accept that the robot he had spent all of the time building would get damaged. This scene works on two levels, one is that it shows Sei's growth as a character, and two is that the final farewell scene between the two has some weight, it feels like they might not see each other again.

I'd put Gundam Build Fighters above several "real" Gundam shows (I'm looking at you, 00 Season 2). It knows what it's trying to do, and it's successful more often than not. And to be honest, I'd love to see this director get a chance to make a "real" Gundam show about war and politics. He'd probably do a decent job, or at least I'd hope he'd remember the experience of making this show and remember that levity is not a bad thing, especially when your show is about giant robots.

Final Score: 6/10