The concept mechanical is a “useless style” of anime is an oft-repeated however demonstrably false false impression. New seasons often introduce recent entrants to the medium, typically flying below the radar in comparison with what appears to be an irregular Gundam entry was final seen. Perhaps mechanical‘s persistent area of interest status in Western anime spheres contributes to a fandom and dialogue that’s much less seen amongst English audio system. Which will clarify why Megaton MusashiDegree 5 and ELM‘s massive unique robotic sequence, initially skipped simulcasting in October 2021 and solely lately wrapped streaming of its first season on Crispy bread (with the complete second season being cancelled unceremoniously proper after). Or perhaps it is as a result of the anime ostensibly exists as a tie-in to the online game franchisewhich was barely translated into English earlier this yr.
Regardless of the motive Megaton Musashi‘s delayed touchdown within the West, each new recent mechanical sequence must be trigger for celebration for followers of the style. Followers of easy, smash-robot motion would possibly assume this is able to be a straightforward good time to get into, because it’s a basic-looking gathering of children piloting themed robots, with its online game model even sharing visitor star house with such formative classics as Mazinger Z, Warrior RoboAnd V-turns (this has been a hellish yr for V-turns). Viewers can be forgiven for pondering Megaton Musashi‘s solely ambitions had been to point out up, beat up a couple of unhealthy guys, after which beat up the remainder of the day. But it surely turns into clear within the first episode that the author/director Akihiro Hino had set his sights on…larger.
Mentioning Hino’s identify on this context would possibly elevate some eyebrows, as whereas he oversaw Degree-5’s huge number of output, he additionally spearheaded the story of the much-discussed Gundam AGESo it may be a trauma to see him main an formidable group once more. mechanical anime. Within the context of Megaton Musashi‘s first season, that ambition manifests itself primarily within the pure amount of plot factors that type the story of robot-fighting highschool college students. It is not sufficient to easily fend off an alien invasion; the battle that Yamato and his associates discover themselves in entails an intensive, The Truman Present-esque synthetic city conspiracy, invaders who possess our bodies and shape-shift, stunning androids, and naturally, Newtypes. Nearly each episode of this primary season introduces at the very least one new twist on an idea that feels akin to how Aeroplane! delivers jokes—not impressed {that a} seemingly harmless schoolgirl seems to be the chief of a violent road gang? Don’t be concerned, as a result of subsequent up comes a child who seems to be a secret robotic.
The ensuing rollercoaster because the present throws plot spaghetti on the wall may be entertaining to observe within the second. Most of the plot twists are structured successfully, rewarding the viewers for following together with what’s being arrange. For instance, as soon as the primary episode explains that the human resistance group has the expertise to erase and implant recollections, viewers can start to invest about denser, darker areas the place the idea would possibly go. The sequence delivers in locations. In different areas, nonetheless, the sheer quantity of writing typically causes components to crowd one another out. A personality like Asuna, who’s technically central to the plot however mechanically facilitates the interactions between Yamato and Arshem, is successfully forgotten for episodes at a time. A significant plot twist late within the sequence fails miserably as a result of the character central to the revelation is barely seen.
All these issues are nothing of the Megaton Musashi‘s plot factors begin to really feel overcompensating because it reaches its first season climax. The present has darkish components in its origin story and emphasizes some critical matters. Nonetheless, issues nonetheless really feel in keeping with its teen-oriented tone and Takuzō Nagano character designs that really feel proper at house amongst Degree-5’s Inazuma eleven And Yōkai watch. It’s solely close to the tip that the our bodies begin falling to the bottom and the illicit age hole between sexual relationships is dropped as a late-game shock. It culminates in a season-ending plot twist that I feel ought to have been a shocker. But it surely’s largely laughable, alongside all the opposite underdeveloped components which have propelled the journey to this point.
Granted, the primary season of Megaton Musashi is clearly designed as a “Half One” to be adopted by the premeditated second season. So this discord of dramatic escapades might sensibly come collectively by the tip of the story. However to date, there’s not a lot motive to consider that. This sequence can be a regular alien invasion story at its hollowed-out core with out all of the psychic powers, androids, and house furries. Much less time to concentrate on every plot twist idea means much less time to ponder what they could imply thematically. The anime gestures towards advocating for peace within the wake of 1 species’ determined colonization of one other’s house and the opposing violent penalties. The writing, nonetheless, isn’t as much as the extent the place it may possibly meaningfully analyze the complexities and ethical ambiguity that might form such a setup. It as a substitute has to accept a primary “battle is unhealthy” platitude motivated by a couple of of the primary moppets deciding they need to kiss one another.
Now, all the assorted substances on this undercooked conceptual casserole won’t have mattered as a lot if it weren’t for the primary attraction, the mechanical fights, was sufficient to encourage you to proceed by the sequence. Chaotic, dumber tales have been fired on the again of their motion earlier than – you are speaking to a Symphogear fan, lastly. Whereas Megaton Musashi‘s errors within the mechanical aren’t essentially unhealthythey’re simply very…there. It is not as a result of they’re fully CGI generated, as a result of that may work, and the ensuing robots transfer easily sufficient. Both means, it is higher than the stiff, chunky conventional animation of the characters. Nonetheless, as a result of nature of the plot, the lion’s share of the robotic battles happen in environments fully faraway from these during which the characters themselves often reside. There are few fleeting situations of the pilots doing something across the mechanical besides that they’re in it, separated from the battle zones they’re navigating by. It creates a disconnect within the drama of the story. The environmental line has was finally damaged on the finish of the primary season, so maybe that is an oddity that can be rectified within the subsequent season.
But the mechanical The fights by no means fairly reached the constant degree of hype and dynamism that viewers would hope would carry this undertaking. There are a handful of over-the-top setpiece moments, however ending jokes are set to superficial combat setups. Like so lots of the characters who’re unceremoniously thrown into the fold as soon as their defining plot twists are handled, the small print of the fights themselves can shortly develop into a blur. Maybe these situations would work higher in the event you performed them in a online game.
The uncooked vitality of Megaton Musashi‘s ups and downs means at the very least it is settling down tremendous in stability—no matter stability seems like for an anime like this. If you happen to bear in mind listening to about this sequence a couple of years in the past however had forgotten about it till now, it would nonetheless be value seeing how rather more there’s to the sequence than first impressions. However the whole lot that comes out appears to prioritize amount over high quality, story-wise, leaving a handful of factors which can be just a bit too small and shallow to carry up in the long term. Megaton Musashi is a curiosity at this level within the story, and a shaky begin for a sequence isn’t a return to type or revitalization for the mechanical style that has by no means actually gone away.
