* We will have our full review up soon *
Episode 1: Savior Gundam
Summary: Flit, having become an orphan from an attack on his hometown by the mysterious enemy UE (Unknown Entity), was raised in the Federation Forces Base on Nora. Flit creates the Mobile Suit Gundam, called a "Savior" based on the blueprints in the Age Device he received from his mother. Just then, Nora comes under attack by the UE and Flit activates the Gundam!
So the latest series Gundam AGE kicked off in Japan at 4:00pm in Japan yesterday. Streaming for the show was avaliable on Gundam.Info, but was only limited to certain countries.
The OP theme song "Asu e" (To Tomorrow) by Galileo Galilei was pretty good. It has a mellow tune and is nice to listen to. And the OST through out the show is epic in my own opinion, it really creates a grandeur feel for the show.
When the U.E. Unknown Enemy attacked the Federation Base Nora, I was a bit surprise that Nora didn't have much of a initial line of defense, and the U.E. penetrated the hull of the colony and started attacking. That kind of turned me off a little bit. But I remain hopeful...
The mobile Suit Genoace makes it appereance.... but it is the Gafran that stole the show with its awesome action sequence. The Gafran owns the genoace in every way. Althought the Gafran seems a bit too powerful being prone to the rocket fire from the armor tank and the Genoace beam rifle...
Just like any first episode of most Gundam Series, the protagonist jumps into the Gundam for the first time. The entire sequence was very effective by showing flashbacks of Flit's mother's funeral and the hard work he endured to develop the Gundam. That really hit a emotional chord and give the main character a sense of purpose.
The battle between the Gundam AGE-1 Normal and the Gafrans was totally awesome.
The mystery behind the U.E. is thus far the main draw of this episode for me. Where did they come from? Who's piloting the Gafrans? What is their motive?
The U.E. seems to be a ferocious bunch attacking anything in their sight, even to the extent of destroying a fallen comrade.
Ending Theme Song CD Single, [君の中の英雄'] (Translated: 'Hero in You') sung by Minami Kuribayashi
But my overall initial impression for this first episode is pretty good. The anime is well executed, and the storyline looks to be well thought out. Again, I am impress with the soundtrack for this series. The overall story-arc is interesting and I truly hope that they won't mess it up like some other Gundam series.
I definitely look forward to finding out more about these U.E., and also who the Char of this series is going to be. We will discuss more about this first episode in our full review by a new member of Team GG [RLZIII].
is there any video download link of the episode 1 you can share sir? :D
ReplyDeletehave to find a proxy server(from korea) to get it works from youtube
ReplyDeleteIt appear than I expect good starting, but I still wonder how Gundam Age go on to people don't like for me, I don't like at the beginning but after I watch it, seem it pretty good for me :)
ReplyDeleteCan't recall exactly how many times I replayed the intro...damn catchy song, I gotta say. Running towards tomorrow despite the pain and anguish. I can dig it. Can't wait for the SRW synth rendition ^_^
ReplyDeleteWhile the plot doesn't appear to be as deep as one would have hoped, this seems to be more focused on establishing the main scenario and introducing us to Flit and Company. Though I think I know why it doesn't seem as deep - right now we know jack squat about the UE - them being of course, unknown.
In most every Gundam series, right off the bat we usually get a feel for both sides of the conflict, in AGE episode 1 at least, we only get the side of the Federation and civilians, and almost nothing of the UE. The picture that's painted in our minds is that the Feds are in the right (for once), and the UE are alien invaders or at the very least, terrorists. I'm sure the light-hearted tone the designs and scenario give off will only serve to throw us for a loop when we get to the twist in this story. I'm willing to bet that happens when we learn the true nature of the UE. Even though Level-5 is working on this, there are still people involved in the project from previous Gundam series, so I doubt AGE will be as simple as it first seems.
I also get a Yuusha feel for the series, particularly Might Gaine. Young pilot who builds a super mecha with his family's finances, save the world from alien invaders, doesn't that ring a bell?
That's not a bad thing, though. No, far from it!
As far as Flit's concerned, after episode one, I gotta say I like him. He's got smarts, he's driven - he knows exactly what he wants and he's stuck to it for years, and while he may be driven by vengeance, it doesn't seem to have gotten all the way into his head, as he's proven that he can think well under pressure, the fact that he would give the Gundam to an experienced pilot is proof of that. He also seems to be good at predicting attack patterns, as he was able to deduce that the UE would eventually strike the Nora colony, and soon. And he has a cute girlfriend. Must not overlook the significance of that ^_^
What's more, he could prove to be a very dangerous adversary once he learns to pilot properly. I've said this before, the most dangerous Gundam pilots are the ones who have a background in engineering, or those who know their machines inside-out. If the Gundam pilot you're facing has a degree in engineering, you're in big trouble. If he built the machine he's riding in you're pretty much screwed.
The only other Gundam pilot I can think of off the top of my head who's designed & built his own machine (or at the very least, worked closely with its development) is Amuro. Camille comes a close second as he designed the Anaheim-built Zeta. And Lowe Guele has rebuilt the Astray Red Frame & its weapon systems so many times he may as well have made the thing from scratch.
I think we can expect great things from Flit and hopefully, the rest of the Asuno family. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series.