Grendizer U ep.8 review: A shift in belief
After two episodes of exciting Mecha battles, Grendizer U gives viewers a break from the fast-paced storyline with some conversations. However, Duke and his teammates don’t get any rest, as they have to confront their emotions and beliefs, while also facing Blaki’s ambush.
There are quite a few plot points worth discussing in this episode. First, viewers are given more insight into Hikaru’s secret: when talking to Cassado, she says that the fact that Cassado killed many people doesn’t bother her, because she “serves beings greater and more sublime than Earth.” The fact that Hikaru has her own agenda explains why she hid Cassado from Duke Fleed. Will she or the beings she serves side with humans? We’ll have to wait and see.
There are quite a few plot points worth discussing in this episode. First, viewers are given more insight into Hikaru’s secret: when talking to Cassado, she says that the fact that Cassado killed many people doesn’t bother her, because she “serves beings greater and more sublime than Earth.” The fact that Hikaru has her own agenda explains why she hid Cassado from Duke Fleed. Will she or the beings she serves side with humans? We’ll have to wait and see.
One of the issues with the anime that I’ve brought up in previous reviews is that too much of it happens off-screen, which can be annoying, and the issue repeats in episode 8. The Photon Lab accepts the Spazers into their ranks, despite no one knowing the origins of the machines except Hikaru, who is never properly introduced to them (at least on screen). If it were just a few times, it would be forgiven, but it’s happened a lot of times making the anime harder to enjoy.
Another issue I have with this episode is Prof. Yumi’s attitude towards Duke. The scene where Professor Yumi suspected Duke and was wary of him just because he was an alien felt quite out of character, because the character Professor Yumi in previous works related to Mazinger Z, in my opinion, was very kind and warm.
Another issue I have with this episode is Prof. Yumi’s attitude towards Duke. The scene where Professor Yumi suspected Duke and was wary of him just because he was an alien felt quite out of character, because the character Professor Yumi in previous works related to Mazinger Z, in my opinion, was very kind and warm.
The reunion between Rubina and Duke is written quite well, especially the scene where they meet in Asakusa. This is not surprising since Okouchi wrote some great romantic moments in Gundam Witch from Mercury. Rubina, from episode 6 until now, has a manic pixie dream girl vibe that is very similar to Lacus from the Gundam SEED series. Rubina, like Lacus, is a character who is not good at fighting but is a strong leader, and her being Duke’s fiancée and deciding to believe in Duke’s story in this episode makes her even more similar to Lacus. Even the way she speaks feels similar to Lacus’s.
Another small detail that makes me uncomfortable is that Duke Fleed believes that the reason for the destruction of Planet Fleed was Grendizer’s loss of control. When Terona confronts Duke and says that he dares to blame Grendizer, Duke denies it. This scene makes Duke look quite irresponsible, since whether he intended to or not, he was the one piloting the Grendizer at the time, and it also goes against what he expressed in episode 2 – feeling guilty for causing the destruction of his home planet.
Another small detail that makes me uncomfortable is that Duke Fleed believes that the reason for the destruction of Planet Fleed was Grendizer’s loss of control. When Terona confronts Duke and says that he dares to blame Grendizer, Duke denies it. This scene makes Duke look quite irresponsible, since whether he intended to or not, he was the one piloting the Grendizer at the time, and it also goes against what he expressed in episode 2 – feeling guilty for causing the destruction of his home planet.
Overall, this was a decent episode, with a bit of a confusing plot and some pretty bad character animation. With 5 more episodes to go, I’m curious to see how the series will resolve the plot and character arcs.
//Getter Andy//
//Getter Andy//
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