Natsuke Takeda
08-25-2006, 10:40 PM
(It's Zero Two since this is, in a way, a sequel to the original miniseries of IGPX.... loosely. Though, in my standpoint, the full-series IGPX is indeed the sequel to the 5-minute one since the original sets itself in the 2030's and the new series dates itself in the 2040's. Then again, it's not the sequ- whatever.)
Well, IGPX finished it's full-series run today. Aside from some stereotypical things in this series (Takeshi, being Japanese, is a kendo student and Alex Cunningham Hume, being German, is a fencer, the character designs aren't all that original, we all knew Liz and Takeshi liked each other, etc) and some edits from the Japanese version (alcoholics, etc), I really really likes this series. Many people push it aside because, well, it's an Americanime series. But from the first episode to the last, it really drove me in.
From the objective standpoint, it's a typical anime for the adventure/sports/mecha genre. Main Character is a genius, MC gets his ass beaten, MC goes through tough times, MC falls in love, MC wins the championship. But the WAY they portray each and every scene is incredible. The drama in and out of the field makes you kinda forget about the bad things, since the good things usually overshadow it.
The animation is ABSOLUTELY top-notch, considering Production I.G was also involved with the "Ghost in the Shell" anime. The mecha designs are beautiful (though you can tell that they put more effort on Team Satomi's mechs) and the character development for Takeshi Jin and Team Satomi are right on the money, with River Marqe's development as well.
All-in-all, the series at a whole is a 50-50 in terms of breaking the America-Japan boundaries for anime, but regardless, it's an enjoyable series that anime fans of all ages can happily watch.
...I should do a review for this for the freakin professor contest >.>
Anyways, the final episode:
Well, it was kinda anti-climactic. Team White Snow was literally owned even more together than they were seperated into three mechs.
-The Liz and Takeshi romance... It was SUPPOSED to look good.. but it kinda got shoved in our faces at the last moment. I'm not sure about the Japanese version since I didn't watch it yet, but Takeshi saying "I'm never letting you go, baby" was VERY odd and felt like something out of a cheesy 80's action movie.
-Honestly, I wanted Takeshi and Max to develop into a relationship. It felt almost geniune and could have set up a new season for IGPX (wishful thinking). If it were me, Max's defeat against Takeshi would attract her to him moreso than what the original ending left, considering Takeshi was the only one who broke her haxxor skills (pssh, Luca didn't do jack >.> lol). It also felt like a better pairing that the cliche relationship of Liz and Takeshi.
-Cunningham lost a few points for the "sprint of glee" he did... a little Out of Character for the former king of the IGPX throne. Though, it's great to see Velshtein and Satomi go at it again.
-The meeting of White Snow and Satomi at the end of the race... kinda sucked. They didn't even say SORRY. No "Sorry for haxxoring you, Team Satomi", and Takeshi didn't even say anything about it. That problem was the point of half the race.
-It made want more.. That's all that counts.
What did you think of the Toonami Original Series IGPX? Rating from 1-10 with 10 being the best!
Natsuke-desu!: 8.5/10
DVD Worthy?: You betcher' ass!
Sub or Dub?: Sub by a small margin
Recommended Anime Veiwers?: Most enjoyable for those who lean towards mecha and sports anime. But works for all levels of anime-mindness. It's an all-rounder to me.
Not the best and certainly not the worst. It's an anime worth watching again and again.
Well, IGPX finished it's full-series run today. Aside from some stereotypical things in this series (Takeshi, being Japanese, is a kendo student and Alex Cunningham Hume, being German, is a fencer, the character designs aren't all that original, we all knew Liz and Takeshi liked each other, etc) and some edits from the Japanese version (alcoholics, etc), I really really likes this series. Many people push it aside because, well, it's an Americanime series. But from the first episode to the last, it really drove me in.
From the objective standpoint, it's a typical anime for the adventure/sports/mecha genre. Main Character is a genius, MC gets his ass beaten, MC goes through tough times, MC falls in love, MC wins the championship. But the WAY they portray each and every scene is incredible. The drama in and out of the field makes you kinda forget about the bad things, since the good things usually overshadow it.
The animation is ABSOLUTELY top-notch, considering Production I.G was also involved with the "Ghost in the Shell" anime. The mecha designs are beautiful (though you can tell that they put more effort on Team Satomi's mechs) and the character development for Takeshi Jin and Team Satomi are right on the money, with River Marqe's development as well.
All-in-all, the series at a whole is a 50-50 in terms of breaking the America-Japan boundaries for anime, but regardless, it's an enjoyable series that anime fans of all ages can happily watch.
...I should do a review for this for the freakin professor contest >.>
Anyways, the final episode:
Well, it was kinda anti-climactic. Team White Snow was literally owned even more together than they were seperated into three mechs.
-The Liz and Takeshi romance... It was SUPPOSED to look good.. but it kinda got shoved in our faces at the last moment. I'm not sure about the Japanese version since I didn't watch it yet, but Takeshi saying "I'm never letting you go, baby" was VERY odd and felt like something out of a cheesy 80's action movie.
-Honestly, I wanted Takeshi and Max to develop into a relationship. It felt almost geniune and could have set up a new season for IGPX (wishful thinking). If it were me, Max's defeat against Takeshi would attract her to him moreso than what the original ending left, considering Takeshi was the only one who broke her haxxor skills (pssh, Luca didn't do jack >.> lol). It also felt like a better pairing that the cliche relationship of Liz and Takeshi.
-Cunningham lost a few points for the "sprint of glee" he did... a little Out of Character for the former king of the IGPX throne. Though, it's great to see Velshtein and Satomi go at it again.
-The meeting of White Snow and Satomi at the end of the race... kinda sucked. They didn't even say SORRY. No "Sorry for haxxoring you, Team Satomi", and Takeshi didn't even say anything about it. That problem was the point of half the race.
-It made want more.. That's all that counts.
What did you think of the Toonami Original Series IGPX? Rating from 1-10 with 10 being the best!
Natsuke-desu!: 8.5/10
DVD Worthy?: You betcher' ass!
Sub or Dub?: Sub by a small margin
Recommended Anime Veiwers?: Most enjoyable for those who lean towards mecha and sports anime. But works for all levels of anime-mindness. It's an all-rounder to me.
Not the best and certainly not the worst. It's an anime worth watching again and again.