Cruel Angel Theses

Go on, tell me. Between the lack of coverage and no one making enough noise about it this would be the most underrated and overlooked mecha of the season, if you ask me. If Bokurano�s the sullen, brooding adolescent with black eyeliner and a �bad� hairdo, and Lucky Star Idolmaster Xenoglossia�s the annoying sister on the verge of puberty, then Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula’s the genius little brother who isn’t taken seriously for playing with his toys too much.

in Japan the mech pilots you, etc.

Here’s a compelling reason for you get crackin’ — doing so effectively counterbalances the emo stench Bokurano’s been emitting week after week, if you’ve been following that. I’ll agree that Bokurano is indeed quality, but when you put the both of them side by side it’s like comparing Linkin Park to Care Bears. Bokurano’s inevitably surrounded in gloomy dread, an ominous feeling lingering around that only serves to make you feel even more depressed as each episode airs.

No such thing here with Gigantic Formula. Part of why it works so well for me (alongside Bokurano, being not mutually exclusive at all) is how it’s a combination of the new and old that isn’t weighed down by its genre’s shortcomings, like how Nanoha was back then; it brought a breath of fresh air into the dated mahou shoujo genre despite a relatively cheesy presentation and OP/ED songs that sang of PASSION, COURAGE, FEELINGS and LOVE.

Gigantic Formula does the same thing, and it does it right at that — OP/ED song similarity aside there’s a sense of bursting excitement and inexplicable happiness that comes with watching this, much like Nanoha A’s power battles. Speaking of which, the battles here are of noteworthy mention for breaking convention through well-choreographed skirmishes — in the very first battle, the protagonist, Suwa Shingo, witnesses his mech’s arm being ripped off, just before it beckons to him to board.

The ensuing battle then proceeds to put Bokurano’s, sluggish, almost torturous pace to shame. Everyone knows about first-time mech pilots, and how they’re fated to win their first encounter (or “proper” first encounter, which is the case here for both) under the most unfavourable conditions, but a one-arm mech, with low shields and an injured co-pilot? Not going into details because that would spoil the fun, but two words wouldn’t hurt: arm regeneration. And not by conventional means, either.

The second battle in the third episode wasn’t that much different — it was somewhat less action-packed than the previous one, but I found it hilarious how the weapon employed by the enemy attacked the mental faculties, and made the mind of the pilot of the mech it targeted go haywire. Yes, you read that right. A weapon that makes a mech pilot go emo, as if they aren’t going to do so anyway. Best homage ever.

It’s easy to look at the exterior and scoff, since it’s Mecha 101 and not shy about it, what with its teenage mech pilot prodigy chosen by mech circumstance and impending world disaster and all — that’s not a good reason to ignore it, however. Is it me or are all the offerings this season with unorthodox character designs the good ones?

While there’s definitely room for nitpickers to complain about how ugly the characters look, the same has been said of Claymore, and I’m personally of the opinion that it’s nice to have irises that aren’t the size of tennis balls once in a while. Sparkling ones, at that. The cast doesn’t look like they were cast from the same mould which is a problem for a lot of anime; a variety of features from various nationalities litter the stage.

I don’t see the story winning awards for originality any time soon: there’s something called the “Wisest World War” that’s explained a shocking three episodes into the story; a winter affecting the equatorial belt has thrown the world into turmoil; this, when factored into account with the aforementioned WWW, sets up the premise for 12 nations to do battle with each other, which brings us to the protagonist. But the beauty about GF lies in the details.

With merely five episodes under its belt, Gigantic Formula breaks convention too by giving more background information and backstory than a mecha usually does in ten. I’m not watching Idolmaster Xenoglossia so I wouldn’t know about that one; and while Bokurano doesn’t exactly compare well due to how it achieves tension and atmosphere through slipping its viewers the barest of details, I found it nice to not have to wait so long.

this is TV Tokyo after all, no fanservice to see here, move along. it’s admittedly much less of a cocktease than Manabi Straight was, in any case.

Even after all that, there’s still the icing on the cake to top it off. I’m particularly enamoured of the music and how it excels in bringing out the best of the show despite being a bit too loud in parts for my taste; it’s mostly orchestral, with a slant towards a big action-figure sound tied in grandeur that sets it apart from its genre and season counterparts. It might not be your cup of tea, but it’s the type of music you can’t help liking by virtue of how well it matches.

Then there’s the animation — of industry standard, as would be befitting a series in this day and age. I can’t exactly see much since I’m a couple of meters away whenever I watch anime on my 17″ CRT, but I was wowed nevertheless by what Gigantic Formula had to offer. A lot of work evidently went into the graphics, which lean towards the Makoto Shinkai school; flaring sunbeams, moody, overcast skies, and rich, colourful backdrops of nature all brought together in a pastel sheen that makes for a visual treat.

Lunar’s doing a good job balancing quality with speed so far, although you might notice visible artifacts in a considerable number of scenes. There’s even a HD version they release simultaneously each time weighing in at a hefty 300MB, if you’re so inclined — what are you waiting for? I’m happy at the direction that Gigantic Formula’s taking with respect to mecha dynamics, and it looks like we’ve got yet another promising performer on our hands for the season.