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Srice
Sep 11, 2011

Yeah in Votoms the main character uses the same sort of mech everyone else does, nothing special about his.

Dougram's also pretty good about that since while the main robot is pretty strong, they do engage in guerrilla warfare and frequently resort to clever tactics to win fights.

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unseenlibrarian
Jun 4, 2012

There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.
The Heavy Object light novel series is basically entirely about "Let's set up advantageous tactics and take out giant robots using sabotage and targeting their weaknesses/support structure"

Unfortunately it's also by the Index author so it's very...Light Novelesque.

Mango Polo
Aug 4, 2007

Dr_Amazing posted:

Has there ever been a giant robot anime where battles were won with tactics and clever tricks instead of just getting a better robot? Code Guess had it for a bit in the beginning but then it really went the other way.

Watch Armor Hunter Mellowlink, a VOTOMS spin-off. It's pretty much a solider on foot taking on mechs and tearing them up.

Amstrad
Apr 4, 2007

To destroy evil you must become an even greater evil.
I've always felt 08th MS Team was pretty grounded in terms of everyone using mass produced units. There were a couple exceptions of say a Zeon ace getting a custom unit or the MC and his crew ending up with limited run units cobbled together from spare parts, but I'd hardly call them particularly over powered. The only really overpowered unit is an experimental antagonist really.

Furious Lobster
Jun 17, 2006

Soiled Meat
Fairly different method of ending than what I had expected from the previous discussion but that nice introductory arc is over and guess we'll have to see how the show proceeds from here without Urobuchi.I am glad that Slaine was the one to finish off the rear end in a top hat but they still have the orbital bombardment coming up to worry about.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012
So our protagonist is, indeed, a blue-collar Lelouch. That explains how the training kataphrakts are going to stay relevant, then.

Also, the kids assuming that the princess was just a gigantic chuuni was fantastic.

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
The rest of that would have been easy to guess if the barrier actually looked like it blocked visible light. Not having it do that was cheating to make the drone thing impossible to figure out for the audience. :colbert:

Ethiser
Dec 31, 2011

Sindai posted:

The rest of that would have been easy to guess if the barrier actually looked like it blocked visible light. Not having it do that was cheating to make the drone thing impossible to figure out for the audience. :colbert:

Yeah that was the one thing that bothered me about the explanation. Part of me wonders if the people working on this show know how vision works.

Ghost of Babyhead
Jun 28, 2008
Grimey Drawer

Sindai posted:

The rest of that would have been easy to guess if the barrier actually looked like it blocked visible light. Not having it do that was cheating to make the drone thing impossible to figure out for the audience. :colbert:

I assume this is why the Martian turns solid black for a bit in the previous episode (though really he should have stayed like that). We see him launch the drones as well, though he never remarks on having done so.

I do like that they aren't having the main guy fall into the cockpit of a super-robot.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

Heads up, there's a scene after the credits and you should probably watch it.

e: Is this a two cour show, or just the one?

Cake Attack fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Jul 19, 2014

Furious Lobster
Jun 17, 2006

Soiled Meat

Cake Attack posted:

Heads up, there's a scene after the credits and you should probably watch it.

e: Is this a two cour show, or just the one?

Just one.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe
That's a drat shame because I really like where this show is going. The animation is really great as well, looking forward to meteor barrage on the city soon.

paragon1
Nov 22, 2010

FULL COMMUNISM NOW
Maybe the next episode having a different writer means they'll do more showing and less telling.

Phlogistic
Oct 22, 2007

As far as I've seen, there's a lot of conflicting info over whether this show is one cour or split cour.

Dessel
Feb 21, 2011

Yeah, the setting may be all kinds of wonky but this episode was genuinely good. Great pace. Also loved that Slaine just offed the bastard instead of going into some sort of repressed emo mode.

Mordja
Apr 26, 2014

Hell Gem
Probably not the best idea to blurt that all out to a known loyalist. :downs:

But yeah, this episode was great. I hope they keep up the whole "resourceful underdogs" angle. And I like the princess a lot more than I thought I would. Kid's got moxie.

Speaking of, her very public reappearance is probably gonna throw the Vers invasion for a loop. While most of the old-guard who hung around since the first war were in on the assassination, Count Cruhteo at least isn't gonna let things lay.

Mordja fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Jul 19, 2014

Arcanen
Dec 19, 2005


Seriously? Well that's a great way to greatly diminish my interest in a show. 13 episodes is not enough for a show with this kind of scale.

Srice
Sep 11, 2011

Shakugan posted:

Seriously? Well that's a great way to greatly diminish my interest in a show. 13 episodes is not enough for a show with this kind of scale.

If Giant Robo can fit its beast of a story into roughly the same timeframe as 13 episodes, then that's enough time for anyone, imo.

a kitten
Aug 5, 2006

She's just so drat happy to be shootin' grenades.



Cake Attack posted:

Heads up, there's a scene after the credits and you should probably watch it.


I almost missed it! Slaine sure didn't though. :stonklol:

Ethiser
Dec 31, 2011

That transformation sequence really made me laugh. I had just assumed she was wearing a wig but nope her entire outfit was a disguise.

Phobophilia
Apr 26, 2008

by Hand Knit
See, that's where Slaine and Inaho differ. Slaine just fragged Bowlcut. Inaho would have broken every one of Bowlcut's limbs and dragged his screaming body over to Cruhteo for interrogation.

But as is, the game's already stepped up. Slaine did precisely the thing that the audience craved, and it was so drat satisfying. No long episodes of dramatic irony, just getting to the meat of the politics and getting into the Versian infighting immediately.

I was actually scared as hell for a moment when the Princess stepped out, I thought Bowlcut was going to slam his fist onto her as soon as she transformed. Inaho didn't know the strategic value of her, and Inaho isn't as strong a reader of men to have figured out her importance to the cause.

ScottyWired
Jan 30, 2014

Don't believe in yourself. Believe in the Kamina who believes in you. u suk
I guess you could say Bowlcut was Slaine

MonsieurChoc
Oct 12, 2013

Every species can smell its own extinction.

ScottyWired posted:

I guess you could say Bowlcut was Slaine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJSqkwyL1Zo

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

You know what? I like these kids.

a kitten posted:

She's just so drat happy to be shootin' grenades.


Military geek in the making, that gal.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012

T.G. Xarbala posted:

You know what? I like these kids.


Military geek in the making, that gal.

In the making? We already know she's a chuuni. :v:

Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!


:sparkles:

Eej
Jun 17, 2007

HEAVYARMS

T.G. Xarbala posted:

You know what? I like these kids.


Military geek in the making, that gal.

That trigger discipline. :allears:

GoldenNugget
Mar 27, 2008
:dukedog:

Eej posted:

That trigger discipline. :allears:

She also knows a lot about vers military aircraft too.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012

GoldenNugget posted:

She also knows a lot about vers military aircraft too.

Though in a way that suggests her knowledge is amateur and second-hand. So yeah, military otaku might be pretty accurate.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

I absolutely hate the design of her actual Princess form because she looks like an escapee from the Britannian Royal Family in a setting that's not nearly as bananas looking as Geass, but her disguised look's nice and her rattling off about guns like the chick from those who hunt elves was pretty cool. Add to that the oddly endearing robo-MC and the fact the show has yet to reuse an insert song, and maybe this show's okay after all.

Darth Walrus
Feb 13, 2012

Rodyle posted:

I absolutely hate the design of her actual Princess form because she looks like an escapee from the Britannian Royal Family in a setting that's not nearly as bananas looking as Geass

C'mon, you've seen the rest of the Vers Empire, right?

XboxPants
Jan 30, 2006

Steven doesn't want me watching him sleep anymore.
So I guess this show is gonna be pretty awesome. That vocal song they played was great, too. Couldn't care less that it's sorta Code Geass Redux, because they're doing it really drat well.

Twiddy posted:

Hell, how long does it take to form a cult that believes they're chosen ones etc etc, and they don't even have fancy gadgets.

Yeah, if you think of the Vers Empire as a cult, rather than as a more natural culture, it's not really a stretch. Imagine how far L. Ron Hubbard would have gone if he actually had magitech to back up his claims! I agree that it makes the Vers citizens come off as silly idiots, but hey it's not like silly idiots don't exist.

It would have been better if they were more credible people that came from a lost empire or something, but we'll see how they explain it. Pretty believable to me that a cult could form in a few decades of isolation in such an extreme situation. Eej makes some good points, too.

trucutru
Jul 9, 2003

by Fluffdaddy

Rodyle posted:

I absolutely hate the design of her actual Princess form because she looks like an escapee from the Britannian Royal Family in a setting that's not nearly as bananas looking as Geass, but her disguised look's nice and her rattling off about guns like the chick from those who hunt elves was pretty cool. Add to that the oddly endearing robo-MC and the fact the show has yet to reuse an insert song, and maybe this show's okay after all.

Haven't you seen Martian Successor Nadesiko? The Vers empire just based their clothing, etc. on Code Geass, the leader's favorite anime.

Dessel
Feb 21, 2011

Rodyle posted:

I absolutely hate the design of her actual Princess form because she looks like an escapee from the Britannian Royal Family in a setting that's not nearly as bananas looking as Geass, but her disguised look's nice and her rattling off about guns like the chick from those who hunt elves was pretty cool. Add to that the oddly endearing robo-MC and the fact the show has yet to reuse an insert song, and maybe this show's okay after all.

She is okay for me but in her Princess form her eyes are seriously off-putting. They're way too high (in size). In her "commoner" form the eyes are as tall, but don't look so ridiculous.

Requesting a photoshop of Princess form with more squinted/normal-looking eyes.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

trucutru posted:

Haven't you seen Martian Successor Nadesiko? The Vers empire just based their clothing, etc. on Code Geass, the leader's favorite anime.

I would be totally okay with that plot twist, but that would make our MC Ruri, and we all know how that went last time.

Rangpur
Dec 31, 2008

Dr_Amazing posted:

Has there ever been a giant robot anime where battles were won with tactics and clever tricks instead of just getting a better robot? Code Guess had it for a bit in the beginning but then it really went the other way.
I'm sure multiple people responded to this already, yourself included, but I was catching up on the thread after watching episode three and it leapt out at me for obvious reasons.

Show passes the 3 episode test, and I believe I understand the story's structure now. You've got a limited number of unique, overwhelmingly powerful mecha on the enemy side. Each is piloted by a super competitive dude vying for the greatest glory. So I'm hoping the bulk of the action is :geno:-san coming up with fun new ways to wage asymmetric warfare as the next super robot homes in on their position. Also, episode 3 seems to confirm he feels emotions even if he never shows it.

The real question is whether the quality takes a nosedive now that we've seen all the episodes Urobuchi wrote himself.

Ghost of Babyhead
Jun 28, 2008
Grimey Drawer

Ghost of Babyhead posted:

I assume this is why the Martian turns solid black for a bit in the previous episode (though really he should have stayed like that). We see him launch the drones as well, though he never remarks on having done so.

I do like that they aren't having the main guy fall into the cockpit of a super-robot.

It's probably bad form to quote myself like this, but I only just noticed that the Martian's cockpit view changes from all-round vision to solid black when he activates his shield. Good attention to detail there.

Eej
Jun 17, 2007

HEAVYARMS
I'm sure the mech not being solid black is mostly because it's an anime so watching them fight a big black blob is not very exciting. Also they could find the gap in coverage by just shining a really bright spotlight on it and seeing what parts reflect light unless of course the mech was painted in some completely absorbing black paint.

Phobophilia
Apr 26, 2008

by Hand Knit
But if it is a black blob, then you the weakspots that don't absorb light would show up and people would simply aim for that bit. I think the barrier also projects an "image" of the robot underneath.

Looking at episode 2 again, where you see the barrier over the robot activating, you see the blackness expanding over the robot (the barrier), and then the details of the robot projected outwards from its shoulderpads (the illusion).

http://a.pomf.se/nhramg.webm

In other words, they've put quite a bit of thought into it.



Also, I've had a dangerous thought. Asseylum's behaviour is, odd, to say the least. For a start, any VIP is going to have minders, and not all those minders will be in the same location as the VIP herself. Someone has to know that the body double died, and that the real princess is safe.

What if the princess that is on screen episode 3 is not the real princess, and is an infiltrator of some sort? She's not wearing Slain's necklace in the above shot (but of course, she's already wearing a necklace, a second would be tacky). She might have it in a pocket elsewhere, but until she takes it out, the Chekov's necklace remains unfired.

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Lord Koth
Jan 8, 2012

Phobophilia posted:


Also, I've had a dangerous thought. Asseylum's behaviour is, odd, to say the least. For a start, any VIP is going to have minders, and not all those minders will be in the same location as the VIP herself. Someone has to know that the body double died, and that the real princess is safe.


You're thinking too much. She didn't have any minders, or they were with the convoy, because the plot requires her to be alone. Of course that also leads to my biggest issue with the show, and it's related to people saying how great it is that it's like Code Geass, in that they actually use tactics, except without the ridiculousness. IT COMPLETELY DOES.

Inaho's gone from being completely emotionless in the first episode, reacting the same to missiles flying by and eggs on sale, then wandering home and acting like nothing happened*, to showing quite a few regarding how his friend died and all. That just does not connect. Muted emotions are fine, like he's now showing, and I do like the concept of a protagonist who mostly keeps them in check, but it doesn't fit at all with the initial presentation.

There's also the whole thing with the utterly incompetent military forces, except of course for "that one guy." Weapons carried by fighter aircraft have enormous ranges, ranging in the tens of miles, but there they were closing to spitting distance to launch them against the Orbital Castles. And what were they even expecting them to do to targets that size? Given it's basically killed everything in a wide swathe, that is literally a picture perfect target for tactical nukes launched from long distance. Hell, set them for proximity detonation too. Sure it might not work, but it sure as hell makes more sense than what they actually did. Or the various mecha standing still in the open shooting their targets. There's this thing called cover, or backing up when they seem to be immune to your bullets. Would it have helped keep them alive? Maybe, maybe not, but it's hard to take it at all seriously when the supposed military can't even use basic tactics.

The problem with comparing this and Code Geass is that CG was always a ridiculous show from the very first episode, Lelouch hamming it up even then. This show, on the other hand, seems to be trying to present itself as serious.


*Yes I know people can act weirdly when they're in a state of shock but, given his presentation up until that point, that explanation doesn't really fit.

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