First Date: Dragonaut -The Resonance-
So the absolute first October to be subbed was Da Capo II, followed by Myself;Yourself and Clannad, all of which I’m putting off. (I’m sure I’ve mentioned that the dating sim/eroge-to-anime is not my favorite genre.)
So, that makes MY first show of the fall Dragonaut: The Resonance.
Title: Dragonaut -The Resonance-
Studio: Gonzo
Genre: SciFi/Mech
Ratings (out of 5):
Story: ♥♥
Animation: ♥♥♥♥
Character Design: ♥♥♥
OP/ED Themes: ♥♥
Overall: ♥♥♥ (No kiss this date, Dragonaut, but maybe next time…)
Thoughts:
My absolute first impression of the show is that Gonzo wanted to make their own Code Geass. The main character is a disgruntled teenage boy with a slight sister fixation who’s lost his family. He meets a strange girl with weird powers who saves his life. And judging from the OP and next episode preview, they’re setting up for a bit of a rivalry between him and his childhood friend. The show also has a bunch of sci-fi going on in the background, and is clearly going to be a large-cast kind of deal.
But this first episode feels a bit clumsily put together. I mean, first off, in one episode we are introduced to twelve characters, many of whom don’t even get names, let alone motivations in the first episode. (And there are still a few in the opening sequence we’ve yet to meet, too.) On top of that the audience is still trying to put a finger on what exactly is happening, which leaves the whole thing a bit muddled. If the show gets enough time I think it can work out this problem, but woe betide if this is some 12-14 episode series that rushes through everything in a panic (which was, I think, the key issue with Jyu Oh Sei).
The character designs also feel a bit off. They all clearly are attempts to make the characters stand out and look distinct, but many of them just feel a little weird– like the scientist who can’t be bothered to take her lab coat off but when a flirty reporter asks her to but who wears a super-crazy low cut blouse, or the “ojou-sama” character who has bangs that are half purple (the bottom half). In fact, the only design that really feels solid to me is heroine Toa’s. And may I also say that it’ll be nice to hear Minori Chihara play a role that doesn’t sound exactly like Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (even if she only gets like, what, one line in the whole episode?).
I think the show has a lot of promise in its story and characters, so if Gonzo can relax a bit with the pacing and let us get to know the world they’ve created and the people who live in it, this might be a pretty fine show.
Tags: clannad, da-capo-II, dragonaut-the-resonance, first-dates, myself;yourself
October 7th, 2007 at 11:20 am
[...] it introduced the characters but not too many too quick (though oddly, probably a similar number to Dragonaut, but the pacing was better on it). It introduced the basic plot point: the Gundam pilots (or [...]
May 20th, 2008 at 11:35 am
This show is going to really be the best.