Otaku Digest: Hopeless Mecha Kings
Another week and we are heading into another instalment of Otaku Digest. Most anime fans are most definitely now working their way through what the fall season has to offer. Realistically we have only tipped off in Otaku Digest with the new series of the season and I have to say there has been no major stand outs yet for us, some good contenders in there but nothing that leaps out and shouts I am your next fandom if you catch my drift. Without further interruption we will dip our interest to this week’s line up of anime Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans and K: Return of Kings.
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
Bringing us into this week’s instalment is the fantasy, action, school and romance anime adapted from the manga of the same name Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry or Chivalry of a Failed Knight or Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans which originally aired on October 3. In this anime our story focuses on the Magic Knights who are a group of modern magic users who do battles with weapons that are harvested from their very souls. We meet Ikki Kurogane who attends a school for these Magic Knights but unfortunately for him he has no magical skills whatsoever and for that is known as the Failed Knight or Worst One. That is until one day he is challenged by a foreign princess who is also Number One student Stella and the price for losing, the loser must be obedient for life. What could go wrong here?
First off it did not even take an image search but a simple reading of the summary to know what to expect from this anime, yes you guessed it folks fan service galore will transpire here. Only two minutes in and we had our first panty shot, although it was following an interesting enough explanation scene there was still the thought that there was no real need for this random walk in panty shot. In relation to the story or what we got of a story in this episode it actually made comedic sense, throw a weak person with a highly skilled person and watch the sparks fly. We have seen versions of this anime before in multiple forms and genres. I really cannot decide whether I enjoyed this anime or not, there are moments where I feel it dragging on and it is very slow moving and other moments where I am truly with it, in particularly the action scenes where they utilise every asset they have. This is defiantly a middle of the road episode where in moments it is just average and moments where it has everything going for it, of course then we have the fan service on top of that. Needless to say however this anime knows how to draw itself some abs on its main character.
Will I Continue To Watch? Yes, it is one of those that needs time and can go either way
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans
Next up this week is actually not a new idea for anime fans since the term Gundam has been a well squeezed cash cow, nonetheless we have the newest instalment Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans up and with no shock it is a mecha, military, drama and sci-fi series which started airing on October 4. Set 300 years following the Calamity war between Earth and Mars, Cordelia makes her journey to earth in order to speak for the independence of Martian city Chryse that is currently under the control of the Earths government. She is accompanied by Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka who are members of the private security company CGS. When they are attacked by a group called Gjallarhorn, Orga takes the opportunity to rebel against the CGS, with this the two are thrown into this new conflict and to fend off the Gjallargorn group Mikazuki pilots a Calamity War time mobile suit, the Gundam Barbatos.
Technically I am slightly breaking my rule on only covering new series on Otaku Digest but even more technically this Gundam series is new to the franchise. Now first off, I am not a huge mecha or Gundam fan in general but even I cannot escape liking at least one of the series for me Gundam Wing was the best of any Gundam series I have watched. However I decided from doing Otaku Digest that if I ever came across a new series I would give all series a chance which includes franchises such as Gundam. A lot of my issues with the Gundam franchise as a whole is the fact it feels more like a fine line between politic speeches and high speed mecha fights, I do appreciate that this series seems to have calmed that line and made it a bit more realistically cohesive. Although for a series with Gundam in the name there is surprisingly little mecha in this episode, I understand its to be a big reveal as with escaflowne in The Vision of Escaflowne but I did have the feeling this episode dragged on. However something I did think this episode did was introduce the characters yet not revealing too much about them leaving you actually want to learn more. The episode kept a good pace even if there was a lot of explaining of different aspects but it was balanced out nicely with the bits of action we did get.
Will I Continue To Watch? Yes, I am very willing to give this series a chance
K: Return of Kings
Lastly this week comes the series K: Return of Kings which is an action, supernatural and super power anime that aired for the first time on October 3. Set in a modern day Japan but where history has overlapped with reality. In this reality there are seven kings whom all possess great superpowers. Each king with their powers have formed their own clan along with their clansman. The red flames who cause chaos, the shining white irregularities the reforms in green and the order bound blues. With a series of events unfolding the various kings fates bring them together once more.
Once again usually the series chosen each week for Otaku Digest are new series that have been released each season however for some reason I had picked this series out without knowing that there was not only a previous season but also a film. Humans make mistakes and this was one of mine but I have to say the opening to this anime bar anything else is an absolute masterpiece of animation. It is a complete feast for the eyes from the character designs of clansman from the individual clans to the lights of the city illuminating them it is done to complete perfection. So much so that their animation of the female anatomy rivals that of even series like Prison School, which instantly made me want to turn the episode off but I persevere. Obviously in terms of major story I was pretty much lost but there was enough background in the summary and at the beginning of the episode to catch up with it for the most part. I enjoyed the idea behind it and obviously that animation is glorious.
Will I Continue to Watch: Yes, once I have watched the predecessors.
What have you been watching this season? Have you given a series a chance? Let us know in the comments!
