Shinkalion Change the World Ep 24 Review: Finally, A Mecha(Deer?) Fan!
This episode of Shinkalion CTW introduced us to someone we’ve been sorely missing from the franchise: a die-hard mecha fan (and also a deer? fan). Combining the insane hot-bloodedness and cheesy of Super Robot and the antics of Shikanoko, we get an over-the-top episode with moments that made us cheer in our seats as well as laugh out loud.
The pilot in question is Yamato Nishioji (seriously, is any mech-heads a Yamato?). He’s from Nara Prefecture and has a very noticeable accent to him. His demeanor and his love for robots really remind us of none other than Minato Sakai of Gundam Build TRY. They even have a robot club that build actual robots to compete. And the camaraderie between Yamato and his two friends is basically the Tendaiji Academy Gunpla Club. They are quite tropey but they brings some really good laughs to the table. Viewers surely appreciate the cheesiness of manly pilots.
And we can’t miss out on the Shika bandwagon in this ep. A few weeks after Shikanoko ended, Takara wasted no time bringing in the almighty Shikalion – basically the Gaogaigar but deer and small. The face that “actual” deer also joined in on the plot is very silly and hilarious, and it’s something we expect out of a 80s-90s Super Robot show. We also get a subtle Evangelion references where Yamato asked his friends to beat him up so he can be more confident.
And we can’t miss out on the Shika bandwagon in this ep. A few weeks after Shikanoko ended, Takara wasted no time bringing in the almighty Shikalion – basically the Gaogaigar but deer and small. The face that “actual” deer also joined in on the plot is very silly and hilarious, and it’s something we expect out of a 80s-90s Super Robot show. We also get a subtle Evangelion references where Yamato asked his friends to beat him up so he can be more confident.
Speaking of his struggle this episode, it’s really great to see a contrast between his bombastic personality and his insecurities. Even though Yamato sport a very tough and positive attitude, he knows that he hasn’t stepped up to the plate and hasn’t been able to contribute to ERDA’s fight. Once again, we see familiar facet of a Super Robot pilot – with a super capable mecha but the pilot’s abilities hasn’t caught up and an inferiority complex set in. Thankfully, Taisei and his friends were able to give Yamato some confident with their fists. Of course Vina commented that she doesn’t understand anything that transpired – very stereotypical of a female-type character in these series.
Furthermore, we even get the G-Gundam motion system. Ever since the franchise started, we haven’t been able to see how exactly the Drivers execute the actions inside the Shinkalion. We don’t see them pulling levels or step on pedals, and they definitely didn’t do acrobatics in the cockpit. But with the new Type-500 Kodama, we’re introduced to a fully functional man-machine interface where a machine can mimic a person’s action. It’d be cool if we see this system implemented.
Furthermore, we even get the G-Gundam motion system. Ever since the franchise started, we haven’t been able to see how exactly the Drivers execute the actions inside the Shinkalion. We don’t see them pulling levels or step on pedals, and they definitely didn’t do acrobatics in the cockpit. But with the new Type-500 Kodama, we’re introduced to a fully functional man-machine interface where a machine can mimic a person’s action. It’d be cool if we see this system implemented.
As the highlight of this episode, we get an absolutely amazing fight scenes with the Kodama 500 Jinki Form. Of course, as a true Super Robot enthusiast, each attacks of the Kodama get the Dygenguard or the Ialdabaoth effect where the characters for the attack names appear on screen with a loud bang. But they did sprinkle in some comic relief by having him tripped on an…energy paper sheet which I’m pretty sure is a Jojo’s reference if you know which one I’m talking about lol. As this is the debut episode of the Kodama, the rest of the team basically get minimal participation, but the insane finisher from Yamato really made a lasting impact.
As a side note, I really like the Gaogaigar-inspired stuff from this episode – from the Shikalion to the giant wrench (or maybe it’s a Gunleon reference lol). So much Mecha goodness from both the robots to the characters. A really nice introductory episode for Yamato but I feel like they are introducing new characters too fast. Not sure if they’re planning for a longer series but we’ll see. And at the end there, we got the confirmation for one of our earlier suspicions: the true identity of the masked man who drives the Hades.
=Aaron=
As a side note, I really like the Gaogaigar-inspired stuff from this episode – from the Shikalion to the giant wrench (or maybe it’s a Gunleon reference lol). So much Mecha goodness from both the robots to the characters. A really nice introductory episode for Yamato but I feel like they are introducing new characters too fast. Not sure if they’re planning for a longer series but we’ll see. And at the end there, we got the confirmation for one of our earlier suspicions: the true identity of the masked man who drives the Hades.
=Aaron=
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