Quote:
|
The original series generally had more WWII like themes and thus had more of an upfront unsubtle character drama thing going about it, that was a characteristic of that turbulent era. The second series is about Ao and the new generation and thus goes for a more contemporary political feeling and this generally meant more down to earth atmosphere lacking in any sort of drama with it's cast. The characters and various groups generally fumbled about trying to make sense of what was going on but never quite figuring it out until the end (much like real politics) and the show actively subverted typical conventional developments (Elena was just a regular girl and not Ao's sister, TheEnd disappeared within minutes of coming into the picture, Renton only appearing at the end and series lacking any actual big bad)
|
E7 had much contemporary subtext in it and was based largely on military conflicts that came
after WW2. It just didn't feel the to need sacrifice the clarity of story and character for nebulous "political statements". Actually, what political statements even were there in AO? Nothing meant anything outside of some odd separatism propaganda. "Subverting conventional developments" on practice results in sheer lack or dissolvement of dramatic tension, complete irrelevancy of multiple events and repeated anti-climax, something that can be enjoyed on an "intellectual level" I guess, if you're a bloody masochist that wants to waste his time with story that means nothing, tells nothing and results in nothing for the sake of avantgarde political statement.
What kind of audience this show was meant to captivate? Low-brow otaku jokes and references co-existed with what at least
wanted to be serious theming. I don't get it.
I'm not going to deny that at the inception some ideas were there, but none of them were realized properly and the whole thing feels rushed and not thought out.