Recently I just finished up Aldnoah Zero on Netflix…yeah,
strange would be Gundam series. The mech
designs are cool, if not a bit clunky.
The characters are either too difficult to tell apart or are too
annoying to care about. And the ending…probably
one of the biggest letdowns I’ve seen from a series in a while. Not that I should have been surprised given
how the second half of the series progressed.
But I’m not here to talk about Aldnoah Zero. I’m here to talk about other Giant Robot series
that I enjoy that don’t involve Mobile Suits or Gundams. There’s a lot of them out there, and these
are my Top 5.
#5-Patlabor
Trilogy
Giant robots in everyday life. Now that is more possible future scifi than
any other title on this list (maybe…then again maybe not). Mamoru Oshii’s original trilogy was a smart,
mystery filled thrill ride (even though he didn’t work much if at all on the third
one) and I covered them all last fall in order.
Patlabor 2 is still my favorite of the bunch and it has the least amount
of giant robot action. This is smart
scifi storytelling with a setting that is totally believable for it being a
world of fiction. Just think Law and
Order if Jesse L Martin was catching criminals in a giant robot.
#4-The Macross
Franchise (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Macross II, Macross Plus,
Macross 7, Macross Zero, Macross F and Macross Delta)
I’ll be honest here, I haven’t seen the original version
of Macross save for what I saw from Robotech.
Still, this wide universe of transforming mecha flying across the stars
is still one of the key pillars of the Giant Robot Genre. The love triangles, the rivalries, the
intergalactic throwdowns, the transforming battleships, and, of course, the
music. Each entry of the Macross
Franchise boasts a stellar soundtrack, with Yoko Kanno providing the game
changing soundtracks for Macross Plus and Macross F. Music is the key uniting force of this
universe. And sometimes it outshines all
the flashy mechs. I cant wait to see how
the Macross Universe continues to grow when Macross Delta premieres later this
year.
#3-Martian
Successor Nadesico
This was an Anime that honored the Mecha Genre while also
poking fun at it. A pilot who’s dream is
to cook. His childhood friend is a beautiful
but ditzy commander. The most serious
person of the whole crew is a 12 year old girl.
And there’s an avid love for Anime amongst some of the crew (a few of
whom were even voice actors?) Throw all of them into the middle of an
intergalactic conflict and give them the key to the most advanced battleship
known to man and you’ve got a very funny and very heartfelt ride. Nadesico is a title I haven’t watched in a
bit and I would love to review it for this blog sometime. Might have to change up some plans later in
the year.
#2-Neon Genesis Evangelion
This was one of the first titles I reviewed on the Anime
Corner and it’s still a staple of my Anime experience. The giant robots are almost an after thought
to all the human drama unfolding on screen.
Will Shinji ever man up and save the world? Will he ever appreciate having not one but
three key women in his life, all of whom are total hotties (though one might be
his mom which is pretty creepy…) The
answer to those two questions is no. But
Evangelion is still a series that is required viewing for every Anime fan. And if you’re not 100% satisfied with the
original series, or its theatrical finale, then the Rebuild of Evangelion
series might just be for you…until you get to Evangelion 3.33…man 4.44 has a
lot to accomplish if it wants to save this project.
#1-Rahxephon
This one is actually the next on the docket of titles to
review once Bamboo Blade has wrapped up.
Evangelion showed us the darker side of mecha. Rahxephon went deeper but made it a bit less
depressing…even with all of the end of the world shenanigans going on. The cast is much more likeable. The animation is gorgeous. The mecha look so unique (yes even the Moose
Gundam that is the Rahxephon). And it’s
just such an attention grabber. You wont
realize you need to take a break until you’re more than five episodes in. I think this series gets a bit of neglect,
with many labeling it an Eva Clone. Well
Rahxephon is an experience that shouldn’t be missed out on. And I’ll be sure to explain why in more
detail in the next couple of weeks.
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