[Ragashingo]

Just finished this. I was expecting something a bit too goofy. I think the talking bear from the trailers reminded me of some of the characters in Arpeggio of Blue Steel where humanoid AI stuff was always handled a bit... distantly. But, I gave this a chance and actually really enjoyed it. I'm glad they did a double episode launch. It gave it plenty of time to breath and build it's plot and characters and world. So far, I'm sold.

Spoiler:

The action was good. The plot is surprisingly interesting. "Stop the AI's from winning" is a pretty standard trope, but stopping them by preventing them from getting freedom and rights is an interesting take on it. (Though I do wonder if that's not the wrong approach and if Diva will eventually do something different.)

I like what they did with the characters. Diva being somewhat cold and logical while striving to be a great singer was good. I also like that she started out as something more than just a singing robot. She already had feelings and desires. She is just... small in the beginning. Which makes sense because she's only been a self-aware intelligence for a year at this point. She's not dumb or incapable, but is highly inexperienced. It's a nice mixture they've got there.

Diva's desire to save and protect being balanced against Matsumoto's laser focused mission of saving the future is interesting. I, too, hope that keeps up. Really, I want Diva's compassion and her singing to be the thing that saves the day. (What can I say, I come from a Macross background. Singing should always save the day. :P)