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Quick Take: Four girls pilot flying suits and battle worms. But it's really a loli series. Don't ya love loli series? They make me want to return to high school or go back to Japan. But in the end, the series has to be ABOUT something other than showing tiny girls in scanty outfits or form-fitting military suits. Still, it's a fun ride for loli-lovers.
The series is about 4 gals who are pilots of a new type of flying power suit, fighting "worms," an alien infestation of huge and powerful formless slugs. Mostly, it's about the training of the 4 and forming them into a team.
This review is based on Ayako HD fansubs. and they look GOOOD in HD, and is perhaps appropriate for ages 13 and up. I have seen the R2J DVDs, and have not changed any of my ratings.
Animation: Very pretty 2 D animation with occasional 3D mixed in. Directed by Iwasaki Yoshiaki (Love Hina, Bottle Fairy, Sky Girls OAV), this is a post-apocalyptic 26-ep series based directly on the characters of the OAV. It uses many of the conventions of mecha animation, and mixes in good 3D in a mostly-unobtrusive manner. The color palate is bright and cheery, as is the emotional tone of the series; it's not a war drama, it's a sitcom. The animation production is by JC Staff (Ah My Goddess, ROD TV, etc) so it's technically excellent. In particular, I liked the "character development" episodes, because they gave the animators the chance to develop the facial reactions of the characters. There are a fair amount of mechanicals in this mecha anime, and they all look good.
I'd rate the animation the best feature, and give it an 8.5.
Sound: Good OP and ED (there were two EDs in the series), good foley and seiyuu. But to my taste, not enough sound sfx or a wide enough soundstage to match the good animation, but it's otherwise very good. The DVDs improve on the soundstage somewhat. On the positive side, the actors seemed to want to sell their characters, so they are quite energetic and enthusiastic. I actually bought the loli premise, even though the characters were voiced by older seiyuu. On the downside, I didn't care for the ED as it was a little too static in animation, but it's a fairly little nit to pick. Seiyuu do a good job being cute, and the side character parts are nicely voiced. Nothing earthshattering, but rating an 8. I think the sound is done fairly well.
Story: Read the synopsis and you'll be amazed in how little the series is about what it's supposed to be about. It's mostly a buddy show. Supposedly this series is about a post-apocalyptic earth that has had a violent encounter with "worms", and the Sonic Diver team of Otoha, Karen, Eika and eventually Elise are created to fight them. You would expect non-stop action. However, they give us mostly an opportunity to watch high-school age girls grow up, relate and take responsibility as adults.
It's mostly a lolifest, with cute butt shots, an obligatory onsen (hot springs) episode (or two) and more than a couple locker-room scenes, with occasional action sequences that to me are oddly anticlimactic.
It's not the "monster of the week," it's the "character of the week." Each of the main characters get their backstory episode, and each gets a development episode. It's mostly about the relationships these gals have, their backstories (some are not developed and should have been, including the main characters), so here is where the writers could have spent a little more time. If it's about worms, it should reflect that. So, at best, and although the episodes are mostly fun, I can't rate it higher than a 6.5. It's not going much of anywhere, and it's not getting there fast. But it's a fun ride anyway.
Character: moe cute and a lot of fanservice, with some backstory and character development that let us have more imagination than is proper. The character designs by Kazunori Iwakura (kimikiss pure rouge, Ai Yori Aioshi, Revolutionary Girl Utena) and Takeshi Iizuka (aka Kouhaku Kuroboshi of Kino no Tabi fame) do a particularly good job in making interesting characters we care about. Lots of little touches to make them stand out from each other, including unique facial or body movements (straightening glasses, for example). Unfortunately, some of the major characters are not given enough backstory or development to flesh out the running mysteries each carries, and it's the only major detraction. My rating is a 7+.
Value: Lolicon is a niche, and it's not a "general market" series. Really worth getting, if your a fan of loli series, and the fansubs are good. Now, there are other shows that do loli fanservice. and other shows about girls, and other mecha shows and other fighting shows, but the mix is, well, quite enjoyable. I'd rate it worth collecting on fansub, and though I have the R2J DVDs, I don't know if I'd buy R1 dubs (of course, if they choose a good english cast, I reserve the right to change this). Loli series rarely goes higher than a 6 in my rating scheme, but if you're addicted, you might rate it higher.
Enjoyment: lolipower! fighting! fanservice! powersuits! Hot springs and locker-rooms! What's not to enjoy? Oh, so you want a coherent story? HA! It's mostly an episodic sitcom. So, rating on the elements, a 9 and on the mix, a 6, with the end product a solid 7.
Conclusion: A nice way to spend a couple of days with cute girls, form-fitting suits, giant powersuits and a little bit of action. Cute characters and a lot of drool make this worth collecting in a decent fansub. Lolicons, have at it!
