When it comes to the works of Studio Gonzo, they can be a mixed bag for me. Last years Basilisk might’ve been the first project from them that I found very little wrong with, both in story and animation. Normally, I feel theyre less than stellar, or don’t really work to their fullest potential. X-1999: The Series, Peacemaker Kurogane and Hellsing can all attest to that. When it comes to Vandread thus far, im reminded of the first season of Full Metal Panic. The show wanted to be half high school comedy and half serious Metal Gear Solid level military drama. It worked better in one department compared to the other (and it wasn’t the humor). FMP would later find success in choosing one lane rather than trying to straddle both (Fumoffu was a nearly flawless comedy and The Second Raid and Invisible Victory dialed up the drama to 11…granted all three of those were done by other Anime Studios). Why bring this up now? Because Monday’s opening set of Vandread episodes didn’t have the best take off but todays set decides to set aside the awkward War of the Sexes premise in favor of spending some quality time with some of our main characters. The result is Vandread showing its potential and what it could be when it isn’t Hibiki trying to be an annoying Space Naruto or Dita trying to watch him do Number Two. In short: this set of episodes was much, much better.
Our fearless blue haired squadron leader Meia was the first one up for the better character development session. Turns out, her animosity towards Hibiki isn’t just because she’s a guy. It’s because she’s been such a lone wolf/protector for so long that it’s hard for her to accept help from others. Being the daughter of a doomed couple who accidentally caused a disaster on Mejere doesn’t help matters either. It’s so intense that apparently Meia never trained a second in command for the Dread Squadron. So when she’s injured and at deaths door, everyones freaking out over what to do, especially Jura, who many thought would be Meia’s second. It was a situation that left everyone uncertain and vulnerable and it brought out the best in them when they put their heads together. Meanwhile, Meia looked into her past, wanting forgiveness from her mother for how they ended things before they were separated and coming to terms with the fact that not only does she need Hibiki’s help…she wants it too. I’m not saying she’s gonna be part of some Tenchi Muyo love trio and a rival for HIbiki’s heart. It’s just a good start to get Meia to be a bit more open with everyone, especially Hibiki and the two share a nice scene towards the end of this set that proves it.
Speaking of, Hibiki and Dita were finally given a story that didn’t involve a lot of comedy and God it was such a welcome change. Actually, it was strange. When the whole comedic aspect was suddenly taken away, something felt…kind of wrong. Hibiki trying to push Dita away ended up backfiring on him. Despite her constantly being around and doing things to impress him, Hibiki has come to value Dita’s company. When she tries to stop being so cheerful and back off to make him happier, Dita and Hibiki both ended up suffering for it. This allowed us to see a less manic side of Dita and get some insight as to how she truly feels about Hibiki. Hibiki, meanwhile, found himself dealing with his feelings by trying and failing to beat Gascogne in poker and theyre a pretty fun little brother/big sister pairing. In the end, it was Gascogne pushing Hibiki’s buttons and Dita seeing how well Duelo and Parfait get along to get the two back on track. I suppose after an episode that took a step back from the usual dynamic, I could come to appreciate Hibiki, Dita and their romance a bit more…I hope.
Hibiki definitely got called to action more than once in this set and, to his credit, he did step up. When Meia faltered or was out of commission, it was Hibikis risky quick thinking that got the Nirvana and her crew out of a couple of tough scrapes. And he wasn’t doing it to be a prideful S.O.B., it was to legitimately protect the ship and his crewmates. But his real test came at the hands of a Scavenger/Smuggler/Con Man/Wanna Be Han Solo character named Labat. This guy has ties/knowledge of old Humanity before the big divide seperated the two sexes. He also has a wacky Orangutan named Butan who loves Pyoro, the little R2 like droid on the Nirvana, and can pilot a small mecha of its own. Anyway, Labat also seems very interested in Hibiki, his Vandread and the Pixis. Hibiki had to step up to defend Dita and got the crap kicked out of him by the larger and more confident Labat. As cool as it was to see Meia, Duelo, Bart, Jura and the crew step in to break up the fight, Labat telling Hibiki he needs to find his own words to stand on really struck the young hero. And Hibiki didn’t whine. In fact it did make him think of what those words might be, which led to that nice scene between him and Meia where the latter admitted she’s looking forward to hearing those words one day…see? Character growth.
If there’s one aspect of Vandread that really, really slows things down, it’s whenever the Vanguards are thrown into battle. Oh yeah, the Nirvana still has a contingent of Vanguard units and they were needed for a surface mission. These mechs are so clumsy, ridiculous and ugly that it’s a miracle they can even move at all, much less fight. The Dread fighters of the Pirates continue to steal the show with their better presentation and abilities some Star Fox level space combat. And the titular Vandread Hibiki and Dita can make is animated a lot better. But really, the Vanguards need a ton of work to look like they can actually do something in battle besides stumble and float around. Hell, I was with Jura, even trying to participate in a Vanguard simulation program was a gigantic pain to watch.
While the Giant Robot element continues to suffer from poor designs and animation, Vandread soared in its second outing thanks to the shows decision to jettison some sexual humor and focus on the people trying to make their way back home from the middle of nowhere. Hibiki became more accepting of Dita while Meia learned to rely on her fellow Pirates and new Male comrades a bit more. Now if only Jura could get some time in the spotlight (though her breakdown when everyone looked to her to fill Meia’s shoes was well done). And while we did get to know a little bit more about the Alien Machines chasing them (I’m gonna call them Harvesters), I don’t know how much more we’re gonna learn before the season finale, this is only 13 episodes after all. We might have to wait for more revelations in the Second Season later this year. But how about we finish Season One first eh? See you back here Next Monday for the Season Finale of Vandread.
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