Friday, December 27, 2013

Valvrave the Liberator


人間をやめますか?

If Code Geass and Gundam Seed ever has a kid together Valvrave is likely to be the outcome, truly a mixed bag from the beginning until the end. I have marathoned the series from 2 weeks ago until the last episode of the second season that i watched today. I have expected the Valvrave to be disappointing as Sunrise doesn't make any good mecha anime anymore but i am rather sad the good mecha designs are wasted in some worst possible way. Valvrave just shows how High school hijinks and mecha does not mix really well and while the main character is Beta guy, he still got some redeemable factors with him whereas the main heroine represents every worst thing in the anime. Valvrave could have been a decent mecha series but unfortunately most of the aspects in the anime are ended prematurely thus the anime does not have any lasting impression that it could give and i feel the story direction is rather indecisive.

Nevertheless Valvrave still got some redeeming values which is why i said at the beginning it is a mixed bag, L-elf is rather well written character which unfortunately paired with Beta protagonist and the fist fight between them on 22nd episode is some of the best scene in the series. The Valvraves itself is rather good looking mecha and kinda remind me of Aquarion for some reason though i really feel the true power of each Valvraves are not shown in the anime. With how the 2nd season wrapped up it seems there is a possibility for continuity of the series but i am not too optimistic about that either. Nevertheless if Sunrise ever make another mecha series better they abandon the high school BS or else it will not be a good mecha title ever.

3 comments:

  1. Valvrave is just incredibly stupid. I'm still dumbfounded by the stupid plot and scenes and other things. It's on "bad fanfic" level of stupidity. It almost felt like they wasted the money on the OP singers and 3D model, and doesn't have anything left to pay the writer to actually care in writing a good story.
    Heck, even Japanese watchers at niconico considers this as "gag anime".
    While the mecha designs aren't outright bad, I'd still say it's waaayy too busy. It's a design that would make any 2D animator ragequit (which is why they used 3D) and any plamo designer curses the heavens (which is why the kit is a sticker hell and the full impact equipment is totally black :v ). Even though the 3D models is good (only for the Valvrave units. Good God, who the heck designed Kirschbaum's color scheme?) and is animated on a good framerate for a TV series (I don't know why most anime TV series 3D animation tends to have shitty framerate), the battle itself is boring, and for some reason, the attacker and the defender rarely appear within the same screen.

    I can't believe the same studio actually made an incredible toy anime, and the best Gundam anime in a long time, within the same season this piece of crap is airing.

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  2. Yup Valvrave is wasting of the good OPs and the mecha models for sure. I can see how it will be a pain to animate the Valvraves in 2D but i think it won't be as bad compared to animate Five Star Stories mechas. Considering Sunrise got multiple studios you can see varying qualities produced but it definitely an irony how Build fighters even better than this.

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  3. I find the mecha and kits of Valvrave rather interesting as the clear parts are amazingly UV sensitive. Not so much on the plot but the OST IMHO are good with catchy tune.

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