One feature of anime that I’m glad has mostly disappeared over the past ten years is the obligatory summary of the previous episode. This episode was one of those examples in which this got taken too far as it spent its first five minutes recapping what happened in the previous episode.
The rest of the episode however more than made up for it. In this episode we get our first taste of the space battles in this series, and the creators have really shown that they know how to write one. It takes the approach of the unidentified enemy: we know that there are a bunch of enemies out there, we just have no idea who they are. If you can make these enemies still behave like real people, even though you never show them, you can get some amazing effects. Later, series as Starship Operators and Bokura no would improve even more on this formula. And in a way, I feel that the former took its inspiration from this series: taking the very technical style of space-battles, and making them even more realistic and believable, rather than just have a bunch of spaceships fire at each other.
The destruction of the Gosroth also is extra bad for Lafiel, since her mother just died. It turns out that one of the reason why the captain was so harsh on Lafiel was because she was partially trying to raise the girl she “provided her genes for”. She tells Jinto this in their escape. Even though they’re travelling together again, just like a few episodes ago, the mood between the two is completely different and gloomy, and yet you can see that they’ve gotten already more used to each other.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I loved the script in this show. The old anime has its flaws but it’s also hard to find flashes of the same brilliance in modern anime.
“the creators have really shown that they know how to write one.”
Then you better skip the sequel series, because all that knowledge goes out of the window, second series is about 60% space combat, which is basically ships and lasers flashing across the screen in every imaginable manner possible, and its unlikely for anyone to even recognise which ship belongs to which side, its all just a garbled mash of bright colors.
Then again, the 2nd sequel returns to excellence with brilliant character development.
The sequel “Banner of The Star” struggles because it’s focused around a single massive battle between Armadas, and Lafiel has a very small bit part in the battle. In truth her success or failure is completely irrelevant to the outcome.
But this is not unrealistic. In fact the problem is it is too realistic. Chaos and confusion is part of battle. Especially when you throw in mistakes by the commander based on past experiences, and new technologies being used which confuses things even more. Banner of the Stars I is actually probably the most realistic space combat I’ve seen… well in just about any show.
So while agree Banner of the Stars has a weaker development to a proper climax, this is due to being realistic, not because it is unrealistic.
“the problem is it is too realistic. Chaos and confusion is part of battle.”
That may very well be, but as a viewer – i have zero desire to sit and watch psychodelic and senseless laser show for 20 minutes.
I have to disagree. The battle in this particular episode might be one of the best in the entire series, but the battles in Banner of the Stars are not weak. This particular battle is very tactical, and there’s a lot of dramatic tension because: the enemy is unknown, and the Gosroth is making a last stand.
Banner of the Stars focuses more on fleet actions, and deals with decisions of admirals. The main characters are involved in more tactical engagements, but their primary goal is survival. It’s incredibly interesting how their ordeals in battle related to very high level decisions (such as the make up of the fleet, and the category of ships fielded). Lafiel role is the war also speaks volumes about the Ahb. Only other series that does this that I can think of is 08th MS Team, but I think this series goes even further. It’s really at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum from something like Gundam Wing, where frankly I can’t understand why they bother fielding regular units at all since the elite angst-filled teen super pilots dictate the outcome.
What’s the Japan’s map that’s blinking on right of screen for during epi 46 FMA:brotherhoob?