Darling In the FRANXX (Trigger/ A-1 Pictures collaboration)

I would rate this higher than Aldnoah at least

Jesus mecha has not had it good for a long while now.

Aldnoah runs the problem where the second season shat its pants after the firsts fonale. But it was beautiful in its own way because of all the delicous suffering and I'm a sucker for endings filled with darkness when it fits my appetite and they screwed me out of it after the first. Inaho spends the rest of his life being the only person who ever visits and talks with Slane as he spends his life imprisoned while the Princess married neither of them then for political reasons marries a noble.

If only I had could taste the salty tears of those mad about it.

Edited by OmegaRadiance on Jul 11th 2018 at 11:03:56 AM

No it has not. Post-2010 has been rough. Digging up my post from three years ago, the landscape seems the same. Since then we've seen stuff like Kuromukuro, Gundam IBO, Darling in the Franxx, etc. And while not bad, they don't really hit it home either. (YMMV)

The only genuine quality mecha I've seen since then would be the Gundam Thunderbolt OV As. Tangentially, also Yamato 2202 (even if I think it's a bit weaker than its predecessor). But basically I'm just waiting for Fafner Beyond. I'm not really expecting anything from the genre other that.

Edited by Eschaton on Jul 11th 2018 at 11:31:33 AM

After stepping away, looking at everything that has surfaced now, all I can say is that co-operation is key. Franxx might lack ideas and be childish but because the two parties didn't co-operate, everything spiralled out of control.

This reminds me of when a comic book series gets a new writer, the perspective is completely different and the contrast really shows.

I'd say Iron Blooded Orphans hit it home... because you've got to remember that the franchise contains Zeta and Victory.

But post-2010 it's definitely been one of the few highlights of the genre.

Cross Ange was a treat and it's so much more entertaining than this series.

Franxx thinks its being profound when it's just nonsensical and not saying a damn thing.

Ange knows its trash and completely and audaciously revels in it. I respect that.

Gigguk made a video about Mecha's decline too in recent years.

It's broad strokes video, but it's understandable given the large time frame, and does a decent job otherwise. But it still annoys me that he completely overlooked Fafner, since it (remarkably) spans both the 2000s and 2010s, as well as Majestic Prince and its notable CG mech work (also not mentioned in his video on CG).

I mean, even Buddy Complex at least got a clip! And it is the most definitively "okay" show I have ever seen!

Edited by Eschaton on Jul 12th 2018 at 3:04:05 AM

Not exactly sure how profound the show was trying to be, as even with all the nods to the Jian myth and all that, at the center, the romance was the main focus of the overall narrative. If one can't get behind Hiro and Zero Two, then the show doesn't really work. So it all comes down to each viewer.

Heck, one user on KYM actually said that he enjoyed it much more when he viewed it through the lens of it being a romantic drama rather than an action-mecha series. I'd have to agree with that.

Edited by LDragon2 on Jul 12th 2018 at 3:18:36 AM

The profoundness is related to the romantic drama as the series is one large metaphor for relationships and making families and how it's the greatest thing ever.

Like, that's not even subtle.

Yamato 2199/2202 isn’t a mecha series per se, but as a space opera, it pretty much blows away every single last example of the genre on television since about 2010 and that’s including Western stuff like Voltron. It’s like comparing the Yamato itself to a canoe, it’s such a mismatch.

That being said, pure mecha, we are in a drought and my hope was that Franxx would revitalize the genre a bit given the subpar examples we’ve had that are either just poor quality or disinterested in the mecha itself. That did not happen.

Look forward to Pro Mare instead.

Kuromukuro was top-tier for recent mecha romances. The actual mecha bits were pretty bland, but the characters were a whole lot of fun. Gave me Full Metal Panic flashbacks in a good way.

Really? I got more an Inu Yasha vibe than anything.

Of course, Inu Yasha with giant robots is probably about a thousand times better than your average premise.

Knights of Sidonia as well is another show that IMO escapes that mediocrity of the genre, but it and Kuromukuro made me realize how many mecha shows Netflix has. (Hey, Netflix. Do a 1:1 of Getter Robo. Please?)

It was way more Inu Yasha to me.

Personally, I'd like to see Mazinger Z or Getter Robo ( they get it) roll back around. I feel like that caliber of mecha (or super robot to be accurate) anime has been completely absent of late.

Planet With should be good, though.

Edited by Zeromaeus on Jul 12th 2018 at 11:32:26 AM

Mazinger Infinity was a thing

When is it coming out on Blu Ray? I saw the film at the screening and immediately wanted to buy it.

Not sure, maybe next year or late winter? Gotta check Amazon

It was definitely good mecha imo

Apparently the Japanese version hit in June, but the screening I went to was in February.

Hey Viz. Get on that. Netflix will show it. And maybe then they’ll give us Getter Robo Devolution or what Shin Mazinger could have been had the animation studio not went out of business.

This is how forgettable DITF was after Episode 15. I’m discussing other mecha.

Edited by Beatman1 on Jul 12th 2018 at 1:04:57 PM

For what it's worth, Newtype's character rankings for July came out◊. To the surprise of no one, Zero Two is ranked #1 in female characters overall, while Hiro is behind only Kirito and Char at #3. Mitsuru and Kokoro also made the cut for the top 10, clocking in at #6 and #7 respectively.

Seems like our two main couples struck a chord in Japan, huh?

Edited by sanfranman91 on Jul 14th 2018 at 1:53:00 AM

From what I heard Newtype magazine is....... not exactly the most credible source.

I mean Kirito & Asuna are in the top 10 of every poll that I see which is just weird.

Plus their primary audience is teenagers I believe so that automicatlly makes them null really.

Edited by slimcoder on Jul 14th 2018 at 2:14:33 AM

By that logic, you should dismiss Char too, what with his show's primary audience having been kids...

Kids forty years ago

And Kids today, too.

Aside from Certain OVA's, all the gundam anime have aired in childrens timeslots.