Anime Kenran Butousai: The Mars Daybreak

[Dagger]

If you love mecha, you really ought to see Kenran Butousai: The Mars Daybreak. It's a fun, well-animated science-fiction series that began airing on April 4th of this year. Although Kenran is obviously influenced by shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon and Last Exile, it also offers its own unique twist--most of the mecha battles take place underwater. Although that might sound like a simple gimmick, it's actually [i]extremely[/i] cool, and I like to think that Kenran will bring some variety to the genre.

Kenran Butousai was produced and animated by BONES, which explains why its mecha look strikingly similar to RahXephon's. The character designs also seem somewhat familiar, but I love them nonetheless. This show's artwork is clean, colorful and quite attractive. However, the best thing about Kenran (well, besides all those awesome fight scenes) is definitely its characters. The male lead, Gram, is practical, down-to-earth and thoroughly likeable. Unlike Shinji, he's not a whiner, and he's far more self-confident and mentally balanced than Ayato.

Episode 1 follows a typical trajectory. Through no fault of his own, Gram--a seemingly ordinary teenager--ends up caught in the midst of an epic battle and must fight to save his life. Yet few similar anime, except perhaps Full Metal Panic, bother to explain why a regular boy would make such a brilliant mecha pilot. Kenran does this while hinting at mysteries yet to be revealed.

Gram ends up falling in with an infamous crew of pirates (a plot twist that reminded me strongly of Last Exile). Surprisingly, they appear to be a rather friendly bunch.... unlike the government forces which oppose them. It's made clear that, at least in this case, the bad guys are the protagonists.

I have high hopes for Kenran Butousai. You guys should definitely give it a shot. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

[quote]Episode 1 follows a typical trajectory. Through no fault of his own, Gram--a seemingly ordinary teenager--ends up caught in the midst of an epic battle and must fight to save his life. [b]Yet few similar anime, except perhaps Full Metal Panic, bother to explain why a regular boy would make such a brilliant mecha pilot. Kenran does this while hinting at mysteries yet to be revealed.[/b]
[/quote]

*Reffering to part in bold* Actually most pure mecha series do try to explain why the pilot is good at piloting his mecha most of the time it originally comes across as they are just "gifted" people then later on in the series we find out why they are really the way they are :P. Take Amuro Ray and Kira Yamato from the Gundam Series for example. But anyway... I actually have never heard of this series -_o... Who's it being subbed by? I'll give it a try afterall If it's a mecha series i have to give it a go x___X...

[Dagger]

Ah, thanks for correcting me. ^_^; I think you might enjoy this one--in any case, the first episode features some spectacular action sequences. I downloaded a.f.k.'s fansub (which is labelled "Kenran Butoh Sai"), but I'm sure some other groups will pick it up eventually. If you do decide to try out Kenran Butousai, be sure to tell me whether it compares favorably with other recent mecha series; sadly, I never did get around to seeing Gundam SEED. I guess I'll just have to wait until its North American release.

Kenran could either become an average (albeit highly derivative) sort of show, or develop into something much more sophisticated and entertaining. I already like its battles, characters and laid-back sense of humor, but only time can tell about the rest.

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

I just downloaded and finished watching Kenran Butousai episode #1 today ^_^. The series really has alot going for it and it's nice to see some mecha battles without the big lasers for a change. I really liked the way how Gram ended up in his Round Buckler it brought back memories of one of the first animes I ever saw called "Ninja Robots". Yagami also seems to be your typical bad_***** which is cool =P. Really the biggest problem I had with the series after the first episode were the opening and ending themes I don't really think they set a tone for what the first episode brought to the table :P. I also found it a little odd how we were thrust right into the thick of things, yes it's nice in someways but it also seemed a little rushed =\. Anyway this is a nice anime series and the CG in it isn't bad so I think i'll continue watching this baby and see how it plays out =).

[Dagger]

[quote name='Hittokiri Zero']Yagami also seems to be your typical bad_***** which is cool =P.[/quote]

*grins* Yep, I can already tell I'm going to like him.

I'm rather curious about the characters' ages; I assume that Gram is a teenager, if only because most mecha series revolve around adolescent males. He does seem remarkably mature (it must be pretty taxing to take care of those two kids, regardless of whether or not they're actually his siblings).

The government pilots look somewhat older, especially Vestemona. I have to admit, I'm hoping that she doesn't become any kind of primary love interest.... she's just a bit too disagreeable for my tastes.


[quote]Really the biggest problem I had with the series after the first episode were the opening and ending themes I don't really think they set a tone for what the first episode brought to the table :P.[/quote]

I don't have any complaints about the OP. It's nice and catchy, if not particularly memorable, and the accompanying animation is well-done. However, I did think the dolphins in the ED were pretty random. ^_^;

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

Yes random... But cool =O! Especially the Dolphin that was in the robotic suit... Well wait that was the beginning -_o... Anyway it'll be interesting to see what role the dolphin plays in the series, i'm guessing it'll end up being more of a PenPen comic relief character.

[quote]The government pilots look somewhat older, especially Vestemona. I have to admit, I'm hoping that she doesn't become any kind of primary love interest.... she's just a bit too disagreeable for my tastes.[/quote]

I'd have to agree her attitude was just -_o "blah". I was kind of surprised that Captain (Rich? Was it) let her push him around without much of a fight. If this ends up being like most mecha series Vestemona will probably get some sort of punishment from her superiors =P. Most likely though I just have a feeling that, this one incident will probably be forgotten and the series will move on...

Also with the Pirates being the good guys and the government being the "bad guys" while that seems true right now (and probably is) really after episode one were kind of left wondering... why? The pirates intentions are never really explained and the government/military doesn't seem to be especially cruel or mean... Considering the fact they were giving out food to the workers =P. Most likely the terraforming of Mars has something to do with a military hidden agenda or something -_o... Or atleast that's what i'm speculating...

Also what was up with that one really pale looking chick in the Aurora o_O? Looked like a fish lady or something x_X.

[Dagger]

The animation in this show really is first-class, and it's nice not to see a drop-off between episode 1 and episode 2. I particularly liked watching the swordfight between Gram and the captain of the Aurora. Since, as you mentioned, neither the military nor the pirates--who are being portrayed as a bunch of professional Robin Hoods--seem particularly evil, I think they'll end up uniting against an outside enemy (or perhaps one within the government itself). The man who tried to purchase the Aurora's desiccant is clearly unscrupulous, but I doubt he'll turn out to be Kenran's main villain.

A talking [spoiler]cat[/spoiler]--now [i]that[/i] was unexpected, heh. In any case, I guess I'll just have to get used to Vestemona; it looks like she'll have a big role in the overarching storyline. I didn't receive more than a cursory glance at [spoiler]the picture of her and Gram,[/spoiler] but I wonder whether they could have [spoiler]attended the Academy together. That would go a long way towards substantiating Gram's skills, though not his apparent poverty or unusual necklace. If Vestemona only graduated recently, she must be much younger than I originally thought.[/spoiler]

The next few episodes are probably going to be spent on fleshing out the supporting characters; the series features a large and varied cast, so that's only to be expected. Who wants to bet that Yangami has a dark/tragic/incredibly sketchy past? :p

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

A talking cat now that was odd -_o... Odd and something that i'm not really liking... I mean talking Dolphin in robotic suit find I can dig that x_X... But a talking cat is just plain weird. Why do I have a feeling that nothing more than a medicore reason as to why the cat can talk will be explained either -__-? Either way I just don't see the point of a talking cat...

Anyway while I agree with you that it is anyone's guess who the main antagonist is going to end up being it most likely will not be the shady fellow who purchased the desiccant. I find it kind of odd though how besides the fact that Gram and Vess are somehow related and sooner or later will have an encounter with one another we really are given no ideas as to what is going to happen next in the series -_o. I hope they present us with sometype of problem soon just for the sake of progressing the main storyline. Then again it will probably take a few more episodes of building up characters and character relationships before anything major happens in the big scheme of things :rolleyes:.

And oh yeah i'd also haveto second the theory about Yagami's dark/tragic past :P. I'm also wondering if there is a hidden meaning behind him being called "Yagami the Reaper" because from the way he's acted so far (to Gram and the others) he doesn't seem like a pyscho killing obsessed guy. Although there was the one part in the first episode where he admitted that he doesn't know how to hold back, yet that still doesn't really make him deserving of the name "Reaper" which atleast in my mind has a sort of evil-pyscho notation that goes along with it.

Last thing though... Why did they have to name Gram's Round Buckler "Hope" couldn't it have a pimped name like Yagami's Round Buckler "Wing of Samurai" :rolleyes:

(*** How do you highlight the text to hide potential spoilers? ***)

[COLOR=Navy]Type [spoiler*]text[/spoiler], but without the asterisk.

~Dagger~[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Yeah... "Hope" sounds a little weak.

I am [i]so[/i] sure that [spoiler]Vestemona?s father?and, more generally, the Lauren company?will turn out to be Kenran?s bad guy.[/spoiler] Of course this is no more than a wild hunch, but my experience with shows like Bubblegum Crisis has taught me that when it comes to anime, large corporations are rarely benevolent or, for that matter, anything other than greedy and exploitative.

Some aspects of Kenran Butousai bring Peace Maker Kurogane to mind. Its plot advances more quickly (which most people would probably consider a positive attribute), but its character interactions are just as amusing and endearing.

I thought Yagami was pretty harsh in his dismissal of Jr. However, that attitude fits in with what we?ve learned about his personality thus far?and he was proven right, after all?so I guess it?s okay. Yet I was surprised by how readily he accepted Gram. Quite an unpredictable guy, ne?

(Um?. was it just me, or did Gram actually end up [i]breathing underwater[/i] at one point during episode 3? Am I missing something?)

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

If I recall correctly there was actually a glass bubble around Gram at that point ^_^! It was very faint actually fastforward to around the 18:30 on episode 3 and just look at that part again while it did kind of look like Gram was outside breathing in water he's actually still inside the maintenance unit (I'm thinking this was the part you were talking about because that same though originally crossed my mind as well :rolleyes:). As for the Lauren company being the big bad guys that does seem likely, [spoiler]although i'm guessing that it's really a small faction of the company that's secretly running things behind the scenes and not Vess's father, he's probably just a pawn in the big scheme of things. As for what brought me to say that it would have to be the fact that Vess acted in defense of her father as if she still had a strong attachment to him rather than against him meh that's just me though. [/spoiler].

I also agree with you about Yagami's reaction, I did find it a little surprising at how harsh he was to Jr. and how willing he was to accept Gram, is there something he knows about Gram that he doesn't want others to know o_O? Also although Yagami's prediction of Jr. being a bad roundbukler pilot was correct he also seems to suffer from a little bit of overconfidence as he was mistaken badly when he remarked that Jr. would be all right just because Gram was going after him.

As for what I liked about episode 3 more than the character interactions (which were quite interesting) were the fact that we finally got some nice up close and personal views of the different Round Bucklers *and their weapons!* More and more the mecha designs are starting to remind me of the veritechs from Macross x_X.

The plot advancing quickly o_-? I'm not sure if I can agree with you we still are unsure of who the real threat/enemy and aside from Vess finding out about Gram not that much has really happened in these first 3 episodes =\. [Spoiler]Also in the flashback clip where Vess was with Gram were they running from the army or something ._o? I think I might have to rewatch that part...[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Hittokiri Zero']If I recall correctly there was actually a glass bubble around Gram at that point ^_^![/quote]
Whew, that's a relief. ^_^;


[quote]I also agree with you about Yagami's reaction, I did find it a little surprising at how harsh he was to Jr. and how willing he was to accept Gram, is there something he knows about Gram that he doesn't want others to know o_O?[/quote]
Gram's [spoiler]mecha-summoning necklace[/spoiler] is one big plot point just waiting for its time to shine. It's possible that Yagami feels very confident in his ability to read people's personalities, or maybe being a pilot allows him to recognize similar talents in others. *shrugs*


[quote]The plot advancing quickly o_-? ...[Spoiler]Also in the flashback clip where Vess was with Gram were they running from the army or something ._o? I think I might have to rewatch that part...[/spoiler][/QUOTE]
Heh, I meant that it's decently well-paced (at least in comparison to PMK :p). The episode 4 preview appears to hint at some interesting developments, so I guess we'll soon learn whether things are able to pick up steam.

I feel mildly relieved that other characters have discussed how difficult it is to get along with Vess. For whatever reason, this makes her seem more sympathetic. Her outsider status and tendency to strike out on her own receive more of an emphasis in episode 3, but we also see that she has a huge soft spot for Gram--even after Jr. rejects her overtures, she keeps on [strike]preaching[/strike] offering him advice.

It looked to me as though [spoiler]they were evacuating some kind of base.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

I just finished watching episode 6 today and I must say while the story didn't progress that far and really just set up for a wicked looking episode 7... PoiPoider is the man (err dolphin thing...) if you haven't seen it already episode six really just seemed to be an excuse to glorify the 1337ness of our favorite dolphin in his giant mechanical suit :rolleyes:. While I was a little skeptical as to whether or not a dolphin in a giant robotic suit would fit in with the series after Yagami Poipoider is definatly my favorite character, I mean what is cooler than a dolphin that can fire missiles o_O? It was kind of surprising how not one scene with Vess in it was apparent in episode six though... *once again proving my point that episode six was no more than a stepping stone to set up episode seven*

[Dagger]

My favorite scene in episode 6 (other than all of the parts with Poipoider ^_~) was when Yagami popped up from the manhole, looking [i]totally[/i] clueless. Despite the prior silliness with Enora, I hadn't been expecting anything so deliciously random. Speaking of which, the revolutionaries are definitely going to reappear when we least expect them.

Kubernes has a pretty nifty character design, although his metal arm immediately made me think of FMA. Enora's personality kind of veers between annoying, spunky and just plain cute. I loved how she ordered around her kidnappers; I was a little irritated by the way she pestered Gram. Eh.... at least she's not totally insane like Anna (what a scary woman!).

On the subject of scariness, I can't wait to see the Captain in a dress.

~Dagger~