(L) Kurogane no Linebarrel

[rpgkiller999]

Originally Posted by Sec

Spoiler for Episode 24 and final thoughts:

OMG, the Linebarrels meets the RahXephon? I never watched RahXephon, just my guess .

The series is quite average and I still can't tolerate all that "hero of justice" thing until the end. I call this a Disney ending. But I really can't accept that Katou Hisataka is the bad guy for 22 eps and now he suddenly turned to be a hero, this doesn't sound right to me.

Anyway, it's GONZO! Fanservice until the end .

I doubt that was RahXephon in the dimension rift, maybe another Kouichi and Emi from another dimension, just to show that it's not coincidence that Linebarrel has two factors, more like a destined fate.

[[DOT].L]

Boy, am I glad I found the time to finish this show.

Spoiler for Big Long Rant:

Linebarrels of Iron manages to build itself into a very peculiar show. Its peculiarity lies not in its thematic concepts or plot content, but in its inconsistent overall execution. The series starts off on a solid mark, but fails to utilize that initial boost in momentum and degenerates into a huge mess. Then just before it goes over the proverbial cliff of no return into garbage territory, it pulls itself back together very quickly in remarkable fashion. While that's not to say the previous mistakes are completely forgiven, Linebarrels unquestionably pulls off one of the most spectacular salvage operations in recent anime history.

In terms of actual thematic content, the show is really, really, really dumb. The theme doesn't even peek its head out until the last four episode, really. It's just another iteration on the whole Compliance-versus-Individuality debate, and this one tops it with a lot of cheese, as well. There's nothing new to be seen or learned here. It's there to drive the story dynamic and facilitate the plot in a semi-logical direction, but that's essentially all it does. The series doesn't offer much in terms of viewing the debate from a new angel. Nor does it address the issue in any direct or indirectly philosophical fashion to warrant any sort of valuable observations to be made. An audience with Linebarrels isn't going to make you rethink your worldview, that's for sure.

The narrative unfolds in standard shounen fashion, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since there is great value to be found in linearity, I personally believe. The problem with Linebarrels' narrative is one of pacing. For a 24 episode TV broadcast, it has the leisure to stretch things out a little more than a planned 12 episode broadcast. Instead of "stretching" Linebarrels decides to tack on extras that ended up being awkward in places, and occasionally made full episodes feel disjointed and strangely spliced with regards to event placement. Segue between events and episodes also suffers from the same awkwardness at times due to unnecessarily inserted fluff. The pacing is more than just a little off for Linebarrels, but that's not the only aspect for concern that detracts from the series.

My biggest gripe with the series has to be its inconsistent writing and numerous stumbles that failed to capitalize on chance for novel dramatic development. If I had to segregate the quality of writing for this series, I would say the first 20-ish episodes are generally sloppy and bore the brunt of the problem. In contrast, the last four episodes form an incredibly tight mini-arc to the point where it can potentially trump the all of the previous 20 episodes in terms of entertainment value. Having said that, the overall writing is downright awful. The last four episodes are great when looked at apart from the rest of the series, but fundamentally the whole conclusion is a huge retroactive continuity ("retcon") used as a convenient tool to wrap up the series. It's essentially an all-out cop out to avoid further development of the series in order to fit the 24 episode limit.

I commend your efforts for continuing up to this point in my rant. Regardless of whether you're liking what you're reading or hating it with a passion, I have obviously elicited an interest in you, and in that I have succeeded in winning your attention for the time being. Linebarrels is also successful in the exact same way. Any work of fiction, regardless of its genre or medium, that manages to illicit a response, draw attention to itself, and keep the participant's interest for extended periods of time is, in my opinion, successful to some degree. Thus, I don't view Linebarrels as a complete failure. Quite the contrary, watching it slide downhill then pop back even higher is almost inspiring in some bizarre way. The fact that many of you who stayed with the show through its entirety testifies to its appeal and success in some fashion.

If I may digress a little, I would like to note that there is one specific aspect of the show I, personally, very much appreciated. Being an psychology student, the whole oversimplification of Pavlovian principles during the last episode made me cringe a little, but I still do love most of the characters to death even if they're really dumb. Why? Because every single one of them had some sort of psychological issue and mental cataract to traverse, and it's nice to see them all overcome those problems, perhaps because the rate of total recovery from psychological illnesses in reality is so low. Besides, I'm a huge sucker for feel-good, happy endings. The romance aspect, though, never really worked for me.

Verdict? Is Linebarrels of Iron any good? Kinda, sorta. Is it worth watching? Maybe, maybe not depending on what you're looking for. Will I recommend it to anyone, ever? Maybe, if you're really bored and need something to fill some spare time.

Originally Posted by plau

Spoiler for Episode 24:

Does anyone know what the S in LINEBARRELS stands for?
LINE>>
Biogenous
Armament
Revivify
Ravager
Energized
Lifeform
Susta...

Don't think too much into it. It's just another not-so-clever Gundam reference, whom of which are oh-so-abundant in the series.

[SuperKnuckles]

Wow.

Spoiler:

That alternate universe Linebarrel and Kizaki/Kouichi literally blew my mind. That one came out of NOWHERE. It would've been pretty funny if both versions ended up in a different universe.

[Johnny]

The ending was expected after all the "thou shall be reborn" magic throughout the series.

The show just irritated the hell outta me. It was like staying up for a couple days straight, then your pile of crap coworker sits next to you and starts eating a bag of chips irritation. I guess it's ok to kill time with, but nothing more to me at least...

[Shiroth]

It's quite funny how loads of people are posting here about the last episode, and haven't said anything at all about the series before it.

Spoiler for Episode 24 (END):

Well i'm very satisfied with that ending. I was kinda expected the whole "friends share their power for the final attack" and it was nicely done. One thing i do have to say is how top notch the animation was for this episode --- easily the best looking episode from this series.

We all knew Emi wasn't going to be killed off, so her few final scenes where nice --- together with the naked white spirit needed to remind Kouichi who he is (also expected). Though like i said it was just satisfying, and that's why i really enjoyed this last episode.

One part i was surprised about is how Moritsugu survived right until the end. He's the one character who's hada death flag since the start. It's a nice change to see his character type not be killed off.

Final thoughts: I haven't nothing against this show. It's decent mecha drama with a good solid fun cast. Still a huge shame it couldn't capture the dark nature of the manga, though it's another telling of the story so i'm fine with that. Overall i'd give it a 8/10.

You really make me sick~

[ipernorris]

This show has been a trainwreck since around episode 10... anyway the ending episodes were absolutely ludicrous!
Bad guys transforms into good guys, the good guys are immortal, not to mention Emi surviving a blade which cut her in half, almost.
This show is a pile of bullshit on par with Dragonaut, good only for fanservice: but at that point hentai is way better!

@Shiroth
Dude not evreybody has the time to write about evrey single episode of a series, especially about trainwreck such as Linebarrel.

I suggest this series only for the nice fanservice, for the rest it's pure bullshit.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by ipernorris

Dude not evreybody has the time to write about evrey single episode of a series, especially about trainwreck such as Linebarrel.

1) Never said they did.

2) I was joking around.

[SuperKnuckles]

Eh, if you see it as a light mecha show, then I don't mind one bit. Doesn't QUITE have the same gravitas as Bokurano (a show that stirred me up quite a bit. The ending was so bittersweet, it was one of the few mecha shows I ever shed a tear for). But this show did have a lot of lovable characters especially Shizuna/Izuna for me.

[ipernorris]

BTW what the hell was that other white robot in quantum space/hyper space/whatever space they encountered?

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by ipernorris

BTW what the hell was that other white robot in quantum space/hyper space/whatever space they encountered?

It was the Koichi and Emi of another dimension. As for the Mech? Yet another Gundam reference. There are so many in this show.

[kndfnumber1]

Originally Posted by plau

Well, the last episode wasn't so bad. The pace was quite slow in the beginning but it's that it they picked it up in the end.

Spoiler for Episode 24:

Does anyone know what the S in LINEBARRELS stands for?
LINE>>
Biogenous
Armament
Revivify
Ravager
Energized
Lifeform
Susta...

it is

Line >>
........................................
Biogenous
Armament
Revivify
Ravager
Energized
Lifeorm
Sustainer

and the ending is kinda funny and i hope there is a second season,if not a OVA because i wan to know wad happen to the part where Linebarrel meet a unknown machinas(a alternate linebarrel? LOL) ^^ and i also wan to know wad is Emi and Koichi's future like.^^

[Deathkillz]

You know what, this series just didn't get the praise which it deserves mainly because many decided to drop out before getting into the actual story (just thinking that Kouichi will remain a jerk forever...well he kinda did until the end since the subtle changes are really subtle, but that isn't something that would put me off so easily...).

ep 24 + final thoughts

Spoiler:

And if you would just allow me to say; this has got to be the best ending I have seen in a long while (since a lot of stuff nowadays keep failing to pull off a decent conclusion). Was it a cheesy ending? It sure was, but I do believe the attracting factor of this series is precisely because it doesn't try to hind the fact that it is utterly cheesy. Effectively the ending just screams of a thing called "the power of love" which some of you might know that it is something I hate with a passion (the power of love being the source of all things evil and deus ex machina) BUT the magic of this final episode is that this point doesn't come across as anything nearly as disgusting as a certain other series which revived all their dead people.

She sheer fact that such a cheesy, cliched, melodramatic plot worked for such an ending is an example of just how strangely (and amazingly) captivating this series is. There is certainly something here which Gonzo did right, and it is to involve the viewers into the story itself as throughout the entire final episode I just couldn't help but cheer for the heros (as shocking as that idea may seem since Kouichi is effectively the hero here). To me this series is something you just can't hate watching being of the "jump in and enjoy yourself" type of series that it is, which is exactly how I view Gundam00 itself. Why complain about something that isn't meant to be taken seriously? I do wonder myself at times...is it too hard to just enjoy yourself watch a series that requires no more thinking than to feel and understand the characters? Or just for the action itself, which this last episode presented itself wonderfully.

Point being, this episode was just fantastic for staying true to the whole theme of the series. Oh it was serious and had a number of things which I should have felt with utter disgust with, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to feel any of those hatred emotions but rather I was just entirely emersed into the story itself.

Up to the point where we have all the heros giving up their lives to Linebarrel was just beautifully done. Hell it was cheesy how such a thing could happen in the first place but if you factor in that physics doesn't mean crap in anime, then this was a powerful and emotional scene all the same. Not to mention how they focused on all of the character and their perspective feelings at the time together with the best choice of insert song you could ever think of, I am surprised that I didn't end up screaming "GOOOOOOOO!!!" at the screen as if to give my own share of support to Kouichi (my mind was certainly thinking of doing so mind you).

And while the "revive" ending could be seen from a distance away, I especially liked how they didn't ruin the current depressive mood of everyone dying with an instant revival. No, for the time given, they actually allowed that to sink in for a bit before having some "reason" to revive them all which brings about more questions than answer (random alternate universe gundam anyone? LOL awesome!).

How they did revive is unknown but heck why would you stress about the minor details so much? Aren't you happy that they didn't all die? How about just seeing it as a miracle given to all of them for fighting so hard to protect the world, I'm sure that is enough of a reason. But what I am trying to say here is that there are points in certain animes where such questions are rather trivial to ask, as if you are trying to look for a reason to dislike something. At times it is necessarily to point out flaws that is OOC to the series, but in this case it remains in character to the whole theme of this series. This is supposed to be a lighthearted fantasy gone serious but the point of it being fantasy still remains (as much as it is cliched and cheesy). Instead of thinking it as a negative, I would love to thank them for giving an genuinely GOOD HAPPY ending compared to a lot of current series out there. Somehow I think Gundam00's end will have some trouble being compared to this one but we will see when we get there.

And have I mentioned that the ending was just perfect? With the whole slideshow and a last scene showing the spot where Kouichi died and was reborn...sweet nostalgia that you couldn't but feel sad that this series isn't anymore appreciated by people for it's beauty.

But as a whole, I won't say that this series is the best ever since it did take a while for it to go into the serious awesome mode that we have here. But certainly it is a cut above the normal in terms of pure enjoyment. Maybe I am bias because this feels "fresh"...fresh in a way where current days are dominated with romance as the primary genre rather than being secondary.

Being nothing more than episodic with lots of fluff, comedy, fun and rage for the first part of this series, it isn't hard to see how it so easily turned people off from watching this especially since Kouichi is an utter jerk and should be hated (his past self anway). While it seems that there is nothing captivating about this series for a good half of the series it was easily picked up and dropped as people naturally thought that "it will lead to nowhere" or "it is all the same".

In a way I agree with those statements as the truth is that the first half of the series was nothing special at all. Kouichi here being a jerk, getting smacked around, some grunts die, the end. But this simply changed when they actually started getting into the meat of things firstly with the unexpected death of the president. "Maybe there is a serious side to the story afterall" was a thought I had in mind which was soon confirmed with the following arcs (ie, Yajima coming back to cause some sweet sweet chaos).

The whole growth of the characters (be it forced or subtle) was just lovely to see since it made them all seem that much more human. Sure you can rage about their flaws but that is exactly what makes them human, it is when they don't change which makes it awful which, gladly, wasn't something that happened here as even with such a big cast, they had time spare to shine the spotlight on most of the characters. Romance wise as I say, remain as being a secondary genre for this series but hey, I wasn't expecting anything other than Kouichi X Emi anyway and for a big part of the series, they have payed enough attention to the perverse fun which Kouichi always end up either slapped or beaten or called the "worst".

I, frankly am pleased see the comedy moments being actually funny (or at times just plain eye rolling) and this is all nicely balanced out with the serious, latter parts of the series. Although I do think that having fun and fluff being the first thing that the viewers sees is a negative as it is actually something that turned a lot of people off from carrying on with this series as it seems more like a "joke" than anything else, I personally believe that this is a gem series where you need to pass through a "trial phase" for you to realise just how enjoyable it is. Just like how Idolmaster was for me, this series started out being average to ending on an absolute high, and I wouldn't have it any other way

Episode rating: 11/10
Final rating: 8.5-9/10

Now excuse me while I go make a blog post about how much of a gem people have been missing out on

[ipernorris]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

It was the Koichi and Emi of another dimension. As for the Mech? Yet another Gundam reference. There are so many in this show.

But how many dimensions were those invaders invading?

[LightningZERO]

Spoiler for EP 24:

Finally the end. Expected the love conquer all kind of ending. Trans-Am Linebarrel pwns everyone, and then RAINBOW ENERGY!!!11!!!!. Well, it was quite an interesting fight. The another dimension Koichi and Emi totally took me off guard though

Overall, a good episode and a good series. Sometimes I really hope this series would be more serious and less fooling around with fanservice. At least it was kinda entertaining....

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by FruitsPunchSamurai

Uh were we watching the same anime?

Yes. You're just more picky than I am.

[Renan]

Spoiler for Finale:

My God, how can one episode catch me so off gaurd. Another Hayase and Emi, Katou NOT coming back, Emi COMING back, Moritsugu not dying. Overall I did not like the last 5 or so minutes of the episode.

Meh good anime. It's a B- in my opinion.

[sb075]

Originally Posted by ipernorris

BTW what the hell was that other white robot in quantum space/hyper space/whatever space they encountered?

It's the reference of "Flower of Iron", the base material of Linebarrel.

Spoiler for the image:

[golthin]

I just realized something, I have never been happy with ANY anime made by Gonzo. Endings in both the couple pairing and conclusion always go differently of how I would want. I guess I should give up, but I keep watching their anime in the hopes that one day what i want comes trough.

[hollowification]

i thought it would be there children or something but infact the younger self in line barrel

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by golthin

I just realized something, I have never been happy with ANY anime made by Gonzo. Endings in both the couple pairing and conclusion always go differently of how I would want. I guess I should give up, but I keep watching their anime in the hopes that one day what i want comes trough.

Wait... who the hell were you expecting Kouichi to get paired up with?

Sorry but it was quite clear from the first episode that it was gonna be KouEmi.