Mobile Suit Gundam AGE - Episode 10 Discussion

[wingdarkness]

Originally Posted by Slick_Rick

Well I think the fact they are a joke validates the Diva doing this by themselves and gaining the allies they do. In that way it gives legitimacy to their mission and is necessary for the plot.

I don't feel the Federation needs a big role in order for the show to entertain or advance its plot.

We'll probably have to agree to disagree, cause I don't see it as laziness and lack of caring to characterize the Federation in a basically side character way to contrast them to the Diva. Which I think is ultimately the true purpose of the Federation. These little side comments do lead to a larger narrative of the Diva being active towards defending the colonies against the U.E when the Federation is not.

Fair enuff...

the Federation is inept/unwilling to combat it.

Which is a point grafted by the show's lack of having a point in this area...You just have more faith than I have that this is some well constructed hidden plot that's gonna manifest itself...This show has shown me nothing that suggests it can pull off some great underlining story about the Federation based on what we've seen thusfar...

[Patriot's Blade]

i wonder if the name Don Boyage is intentional

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by brightman

Well, there's only so little they can do with the choreography considering how poor the non-UE suits generally are... And it seems that the UE aren't exactly taking them seriously either (and they kind of need this in order for the plot to work).

I doubt the choreography will ever be as good as 00's though. Seiji Mizushima was chosen to be 00's director because he knew how to direct dynamic looking battles, which is something he picked up while at BONES. Susumu Yamaguchi doesn't seem to be nearly as proficient a director.

Feeling the same way, I agree with this and Mizushima's skill and BONES "heritage", the choreography of AGE's battles so far has been surprisingly underwhelming for a flagship Gundam TV series let alone especially coming off of such a dynamically "filmed" Gundam 00.

Plus even for battles that likely weren't particularly written for inventive choreography, even tiny non-flashy skirmishes in 00 felt like they had a high amount of cohesion and highly "choice" often fantastic camera angle placement and high-budget follow through animations where the camera often followed longer moves and motions following the action dynamically etc. that made everything extremely lively and captured lots of "extra" motion and impact and great feel on the editing of what to show and when or whom to move the camera to or to show different players on the battle field getting into positions or strategic movements or swinging around the camera around the action for sweeping shots and getting a real sense of space in certain cases while stuff is moving that almost feels a bit like "anime movie" camera moves, and other little touches and effects that added IMO closer to an OVA-style feel, whereas AGE to me feels very "bland" and extremely simplistic/unimaginative and kind of "going-through-the-motions" when it comes to choreography and camera angles of the action, it feels like there's almost none and no attempt to even make more mundane battles look remotely interesting with at least better camera angles and better camera moves to capture the action as it happens.

Perhaps it's just that being the direct next show after 00's highly honed "cinematic" style makes it stand out more that AGE's choreography feels very "simplistic" and maybe Generation 2 or 3 will improve (the simpler art sadly hasn't even translated into particularly dynamic and sleek mecha animation which sometimes is the tradeoff shows go for) to show the difference between generations, but I'll admit my opinion is also tainted a bit since I expected a lot more from the next flagship Gundam series after 00 did such a great job in this area providing the first high-def level Gundam TV series that doesn't necessarily feel "overly" behind something on Gundam Unicorn's level (outside of obvious things they are afforded as an OVA due to tons more time, like greater levels of lighting-coloring, and more levels of shadows/shading and even more detailed wreckage/cuts before the mechs blow up, etc.).

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

If you're gonna be weak in story, give me great epic battles, if you're gonna be terrible in fight-choreography, give me great characterization, if you're gonna be blahzay in character depth, give me some type of artistic slant (Or great animation atleast), but if you're meh in all areas, that tuff for me...

Yeah.

[wingdarkness]

Originally Posted by DangerMouse

(the simpler art sadly hasn't even translated into particularly dynamic and sleek mecha animation which sometimes is the tradeoff shows go for)

Exactly...QFT...

[Kaioshin Sama]

What I continue to find funny is how seemingly the entire internet could do nothing but completely shit all over everything that Gundam 00 tried to do back while it was airing, but now that AGE is out it's regarded as some sort of cinematic and storytelling masterpiece and an instant classic, which I completely called would happen for the record. Of course some people still just hate hate hate them some Gundam 00 A Wakening of The Trailblazer cause it's in recent memory. Funny how this all seems to work.

I have no doubt the same thing will happen with AGE once it is over and the next series is airing and people will just completely forget about ever completely shitting on it because from what I've seen it doesn't even appear to be a completely conscious action. It's just sort of what happens to whatever Gundam show happens to be airing at the moment and people just go through the motions so yeah...why do people think I like to poke constant fun at the constant criticism of Gundam on the internet at this point? It's actually kind of hilarious this time around compared to 00 because it's basically turned into a game where I try to call what's going to happen with what plot point and character development each week in terms of what angle people are going to use to bash on it and yet even with an ever increasing success rate due to experience I still get surprised with a weird one every now and then.

For example couldn't have called the Emily hate to save my life. Any other time it would probably just be taken for what it is, a character with a stubborn streak that's a little clingy, but ultimately just wants to look out for her friends safety and had chosen a counterproductive and immature way of doing it since she's a child with no experience in these sorts of things. Apply Gundam's ragey as hell fanbase though and it gets twisted so that she's apparently some bitch from hell that needs to fuck off and die for having a personality flaw *gasp*.

In any case we'll be doing it again with the next generation shortly if there's any indication so round of applause for all the players involved as we close this out in the coming month. You've all played your roles quite admirably.

[U<3Anime]

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

If you're gonna be weak in story, give me great epic battles, if you're gonna be terrible in fight-choreography, give me great characterization, if you're gonna be blahzay in character depth, give me some type of artistic slant (Or great animation atleast), but if you're meh in all areas, that tuff for me...

Word.

Don't like the story and the characterization of 00 much. BUT, it has some pretty slick mecha designs and action sequences. Especially anything with Graham and his Flag. I seriously never get tired of watching the scene where Graham Acre beats the snot out of Throne Eins with his Over Flag. It just offers an intensity that any fights in AGE has yet to offer.

Most importantly, a Gundam series is suppose to sell toys/kits for Bandai. Yet, I don't have the urge to do so with AGE. Although, AGE-2 is already looking to be more stylish gundam than AGE-1. I just hope they can accommodate it with some improved choreography.

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

What I continue to find funny is how seemingly the entire internet could do nothing but completely shit all over everything that Gundam 00 tried to do back while it was airing, but now that AGE is out it's regarded as some sort of cinematic and storytelling masterpiece and an instant classic, which I completely called would happen for the record. Of course some people still just hate hate hate them some Gundam 00 A Wakening of The Trailblazer cause it's in recent memory. Funny how this all seems to work.

I have no doubt the same thing will happen with AGE once it is over and the next series is airing and people will just completely forget about ever completely shitting on it because from what I've seen it doesn't even appear to be a completely conscious action. It's just sort of what happens to whatever Gundam show happens to be airing at the moment and people just go through the motions so yeah...why do people think I like to poke constant fun at the constant criticism of Gundam on the internet at this point? It's actually kind of hilarious this time around compared to 00 because it's basically turned into a game where I try to call what's going to happen with what plot point and character development each week in terms of what angle people are going to use to bash on it and yet even with an ever increasing success rate due to experience I still get surprised with a weird one every now and then.

For example couldn't have called the Emily hate to save my life. Any other time it would probably just be taken for what it is, a character with a stubborn streak that's a little clingy, but ultimately just wants to look out for her friends safety and had chosen a counterproductive and immature way of doing it since she's a child with no experience in these sorts of things. Apply Gundam's ragey as hell fanbase though and it gets twisted so that she's apparently some bitch from hell that needs to fuck off and die for having a personality flaw *gasp*.

In any case we'll be doing it again with the next generation shortly if there's any indication so round of applause for all the players involved as we close this out in the coming month. You've all played your roles quite admirably.

Wouldn't surprise me that it got hated on but I absolutely loved Gundam 00, and really enjoyed the movie and was one of those voicing my highly positive opinion of it. I do totally agree that generally speaking any new Gundam will get shitted on by a lot of people and loved by a lot of people but I also think the complaints this time are kind of different.

[Archon_Wing]

Finally, we get some intense action. Past few episodes have been more skirmish-like but it actually turns out to be pretty damned brutal. Farewell, huge moustache man Boyage! And the humans were getting absolutely crushed making me wonder if it was gonna be a curb stomp battle like Wolf 359 in Star Trek.

And as expected, we learn that the UE might just be humanoids that look like us, from the possibly newtype event. Easy to fire at a alien enemy that you have no idea what they look like, but if they are people just like you, it's much harder. Thus our heroes here will try to rationalize it by saying humans could never do things that bad. But as we've seen from other Gundam series...

We had kind of a feel good moment at the end about human cooperation which goes very well with the above thoughts, which might have been kinda cheesy, but given the loss off of a lot of people, it's somewhat appropriate. And Emily settles in; what more can you expect? 9/10

And Yurin is back in the next episode preview. I knew it was a good time to catch up.