Gundam Build Divers Part 1 Episodes 0-4

Welcome to Gundam Battle Nexus Online.  Here in this VRMMO, Gunpla Builders from around the world can connect on a whole different level.  From friendly competitions to intense matches on battlefields across the entire Gundam pantheon, for childhood friends and life long Gundam fans Riku and Yukio, this game is a dream come true.  But things get a lot more interesting when Riku meets a mysterious girl named Sarah, who isn’t just your average girl hanging out in the most popular video game of all time.  The mystery of Sarah’s identity and the chance to meet some of the top Gunpla Builders on the planet propel Riku and Yuko into an unexpected adventure that will change their lives and the whole of GBM forever.

I got into Gundam at the age of 12 when Mobile Suit Gundam Wing first debuted on Toonami in Spring 2000.  It wasn’t the first Anime I’d seen outside of Dragon Ball Z or Pokemon but it was an Anime that felt different from anything I’d ever seen before.  It was more intense, more adult and the designs of the Gundams changed the way I looked at Giant Robots forever.  I became a Gundam fan almost overnight, watching Gundam Wing whenever I could and buying as much merch as I could.  Then I discovered the larger Gundam multiverse and 23 years later, I have an Anime blog named after my favorite Anime franchise.  I’m starting out this new series premiere review this way because the first five episodes (or 4.5) of Gundam Build Divers perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being a 12-13 year old discovering this franchise for the first time and being in totally awe over it and that’s before even getting to the Gunpla centric stuff.  If the rest of this series is gonna be like this intro set of episodes, I’m in for a very, very fun ride that, like Gundam Build Fighters, perfectly appeals to the inner kid in me that fell in love with Gundam back in 2000.  Welcome Dear Readers to the first half of our Extended Summer Series Review, Gundam Build Divers.
 

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Part 6 Episodes 21-24

In the slowly rebuilding ruins of Tokyo, Motoko and the rest of Section 9 engage in their final face off with Takashi Shimamura and the Post Humans.  Even with added assistance from a resurrected Purin and Standard, the team finds themselves in a seemingly hopeless battle against a foe who can use their tech, weapons and wills against them.  On the verge of a new nuclear war, Motoko must push herself like never before to stop Takashi and discover just what N has set out to do from the beginning.  It’s all or nothing and it could just be Section 9’s final mission.

Well I cant believe I’m saying this but…I hated this ending, I freaking hated it.  Up til now, SAC_2045 has been a fair but disappointing follow up to two stellar seasons of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.  And you’d think that with two extra years of production time due to several factors including the COVID-19 Pandemic would allow Kenji Kamiyama to iron out the finer details of the mystery of the Post Humans and their mysterious Nation of “N”, tightening the story to make up for the mixed bag CG work.  But no, the mystery of N collapses on its inevitable conclusion…that it was never going to get a proper explanation and instead we’re left with a finale that wants us to believe the stakes are the highest they’ve ever been and that the team might not be coming back from this mission.  But the ambiguity of what ultimately goes down only leaves me actually angry, borderline on the level of my wrath for the Live Action Ghost in the Shell Movie.  Truth be told, I’m not even sure I can properly convey what went down in this finale but I’m gonna try anyway, even if I even up ranting my entire way through it.
 

GBT#13-MS-06S Zaku II (Char’s Zaku)

Char Aznable.  The Man.  The Myth.  The Legend.  Love him or hate him, he’s been one of the most important faces in the Gundam franchise since its inception.  His Darth Vader inspired helmet, cooler than cool personality, complex and engaging story and his rivalry with Amuro Ray have made Char such an impact that many Gundam series and movies have had their own “Char Clone”, it’s almost a requirement (I mean even The Witch from Mercury’s introduced the first ever Female Char Clone with Prospera).  But Char is also known for one other thing: his love of the color red and slapping it onto every single Mobile Suit he pilots.  From standard issue Zeon units to Custom made Neo Zeon suits, Red is the color of the day (makes me wonder why he didn’t just paint the Hiyaku Shiki red after his identity was revealed in Zeta Gundam but that’s neither here nor there).  To close out this First Season of Gunpla Builder Thursday, I’m doing a bit of a bookend by tackling a non Gundam Gunpla, and possible one of the most iconic of them all.

 

T5W#411-Top 5 Motoko Kusanagi Outfits from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

The world of Cyberpunk Anime is home to some of the coolest and most insane characters in all of Anime.  It’s definitely home to some of the hottest ladies in the medium.  And while Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has given us the likes of Lucy and Becca to fawn over, for me the quintessential Queen of Cyberpunk of still Major Motoko Kusinagi from Ghost in the Shell.  As a lifelong Military operative, Motoko is efficient and bad ass in everything she does.  Not only that, but if it isn’t obvious, she’s hot as hell and isn’t above showing off just how sexy she looks on a regular basis.  Casual, on the job, even in the middle of combat, The Major has an outfit for every occasion.  Since we’re rolling with Section 9 once again with Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, why don’t we highlight the greatest hits from The Major’s extensive wardrobe.  Today I present my choices for the Top 5 Motoko Kusanagi Outfits from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.  As the title implies, I’ll be covering the SAC saga including the first two TV Series, SAC_2045 and the Solid State Society Movie.  As much as I love younger Motoko’s all red look from Ghost in the Shell: Arise, that might be a list for another time.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Part 5 Episodes 17-20

A message from Togusa sends Motoko and the rest of Section 9 heading for the ruins of Tokyo, where three million individuals are seemingly gathering under the will of Takashi Shimamura.  Declaring themselves the Nation of “N”, Takashi and Suzuka Mizukane hijack a nuclear submarine to fulfill their true intentions.  With time running out, Section 9 launches into their most desperate mission, unaware that a couple of old friends are also coming along for the ride.

While it may be one of my personal favorite Anime films of all time, I hear a lot of people have a problem with Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.  No one can deny it’s a visual feast but it’s story and character potrayals have had a more mixed reception.  Some find the heavy handed and forced philosophical quotes to be too much while others cant stand the more somber presentation of the normally cheerful and upbeat Batou.  Personally, yeah the quotes can go over my head but I’m ok with how Batou is handled in the wake of Motoko vanishing and the story can be followed just fine if youre paying attention.  I say this because for all the criticisms Innocence gets, it’s wayyyy easier to follow than anything going on in this set of episodes of SAC_2045.  What should be setup as a close to worst case scenario for Section 9 feels only a little bit like it.  There’s a lot of build up but it’s insanely slow.  And we still have zero insight as to the overall goals and agenda of Takashi and the Post Humans.  All of that adds up to what I can only think of as the most frustratingly annoying set of episodes so far for this season and it makes me dread how this is all going to wrap up.  First things first, let’s go over what went down in this set and try to piece some things together.