Kuromukuro

The initial mecha fight that this anime pre-viewed had me worried that this was something I wouldn't enjoy. I watched the English dub version of this, and aside from Johnny Yong Bosch voicing Ryoto Akagi, I'd say they all sounded just fine. Though, maybe I wouldn't have been bothered by his voice if I didn't asociate him with the voice of Meliodas from The Seven Deadly Sins. The mild cliffhanger at the end of season 1 did leave me hoping for a second season. Though, I really hope its story comes to some kind of stopping point if it does recieve a second season. Like is said in the title: this story is a bit like bad pizza. Not great, but even crappy pizza tends to be somewhat enjoyable.

There is a large number of mecha/pilot anime series out there for people to enjoy, and Netflix has already produced a mecha in space series in Knights of Sidonia. So what makes this one different?

One appeal is that unlike many other anime series, fan service is almost completely absent in Kuromukuro. With the exception of some minor occurrences, the characters are of a logical proportion, avoiding the over-the-top cutesy styles and expressions of other anime, without getting too gritty and realistic either. You will still have the outrageous hair colours and your typical high school antics, but the series keeps a similar art style along the lines of Gasaraki or AldNoah.Zero, without too many shallow attempts at awkward sexual tension.

Set predominantly around a group of high school students, the series starts strong, with revealing and developing its characters amidst some intense action, but soon begins to meander. A large number of mysteries are presented, and by the end of season 1 not much has been done to explain any of them. This is not unusual for a series of this kind, but, unfortunately, there is not a lot of memorable moments to fill the space, and this takes some of the veneer off of the mandatory cliff-hangar ending to the season.

This isn't to say that it is not an enjoyable season. A healthy balance is kept between the relational development of characters and the action in the series. Giant robots battle right from the start amidst glorious explosions, demolishing buildings and their environment. The combat lacks the nuances and uniqueness of the Orbital Knights from Aldnoah.Zero, while sharing some of the same premises. Most of the time robots are displayed recklessly hacking at each other, while the militaries of the world fire weapons at them. This wouldn't be all that bad if they hadn't repeatedly established that they have no effect.

UPDATE *Season 2 sees the action, and the plot, ramp up considerably. The pace increases and key elements are discussed in every episode. Characters are more flushed out, animation is a little tighter and the enemy characters also become more distinct. More engaging than the first, the second season finishes well and without compromising the characters they built in the process.*

Where this series shines is in some of the character's relationships and tensions with their family and with each other. Some of the main characters are one-dimensional, but a handful of them are compelling enough to draw you into their struggles, making you cheer for them when they overcome a particular issue, and feeling for them when they are put down.

I have come to the conclusion that this kind of anime is aimed at an audience different than myself. Not sure what that audience is. I enjoy giant robot stories-- if they have a plot and good story line. This seems devoid of such, as if written as preteen fanfic rather than a professional script.

The story is plodding, as deep as a rain puddle, with no mystery or character development. The main samurai character is simply annoying with his constant anger and angst. The female lead, while understandable (she doesn't want to be a warrior), doesn't really affect the story in any meaningful way.

Regardless of the (at this time few) raving reviews of how wonderful this anime is... it pales in comparison with truly good anime. This is more like a Saturday Morning cartoon... and a cheesy one at that. I wish anime fans were more discerning, demanding and less copious with their praise. One tires of reading "Oh this is the best anime ever made!" for projects that really aren't that great. I suffered through eight episodes of this before hitting the the stop button, preferring to spend my time on something worthwhile. I would have appreciated more qualified and accurate reviews so I could have given this a pass from the start.

Adventure & action packed, thrilling, romantic!! I seriously enjoyed and love this year bringing anime and I really, really want a third season. This anime is #1 out of all the other 3 that have brought tears to my eyes. I highly recommend it to anyone.

It could have been a great anime, the story is good, it reminds me a bit of Neon Genesis, it had so much potential, but fell short and ended up being an average one full of high school cliche.

The wasted potential is what made me angry. There is a samurai from 450 years ago that of course needs to go to high school, the Earth is in grave danger from the attacking aliens, but the elite warriors the only ones who could stand against the aliens well need to go to a culture festival or on a school trip to visit the hot springs...

Also one of the schoolgirls fights alongside of her....butler, seriously and they are one of the elite soldiers, when not on a school trip or festival or other cliche moments...Many characters are one-dimensional, like Yukina's mother, so painful to watch the soulless dialogs.

I watched some episodes on fast-forward because I completely lost interest in how they butchered this piece and just jumped to pieces where the story advances which again was good.