Parallel Level - Anime Update (2011 Season)

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and Welcome to The Next Level. We are your source for comic book opinions and debates. I’m your host Stefan, and I’ll be here with you discussing Comic Books, Video Games, and other items of note. Please note, for a purely gaming blog, I'd recommend Pwning Pat's Game Blog. The Next Level would also like to thank Jackie Fong for designing our logo.

This post (notice that I've removed the references to "weekly postings", as we no longer have any semblance of time for that) will focus on the Fall 2011 Anime Season, regarding the shows that I like, and do not like. Toward the end of the season, I'll post up another entry examining how I felt each of the below series unfolded.

Disclaimer: I'm currently watching Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, C³, and Fate/Zero in addition to the two series profiled below, but since I've only gotten through one episode of each, I didn't think it would be fair to review them as of yet.


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Mobile Suit Gundam AGE

Gundam AGE is a paradox. On one level, it's the logical extension of the Gundam universe, expanding it into areas that previous series' had only slightly considered. However, on the other level, the expansion into these areas is done by looking backward and adopting a far more PG-oriented stance on the series.

The plot of the series shows humanity under attack by the U.E. or the "Unknown Enemy". These forces (seemingly Alien in nature) are facing off against the forces of the Earth, bolstered by the help of a young boy named Flit Asuno. Flit built his own Gundam and is using it to fight the enemy.

In General, this feels like a poor follow-up to Gundam 00. The animation quality is lower, the quality of the storytelling is severely dumbed down, and the realism present in 00 is non-existent here. However, I'm interested in the fact that we already know that Flit will fail against the UE, as the story has already been announced to take place over three generations.

Verdict: Tentatively Sticking With It.

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Guilty Crown

At first, I watched this series thinking to myself, "Well, I need something a bit more mature than Gundam Age. Something like...Code Geass maybe." After hearing that some members of the Geass team were involved with this show, I strengthened my own resolve. I'm very glad I did.

Guilty Crown revolves around Japan in 2029. The country is under quarantine by a stand-in for the World Health Organization (in this show called the GHQ) due to a viral outbreak ten years ago. The GHQ effectively runs the country, and a group of Japanese Nationalist Terrorists called "Undertaker" or "Funeral Parlour" (depending on your translation) seek to reclaim their nation. Integral to this plan is the Void Genome, a genetic weapon that just happened to fall into the hands of an unwitting student, who is now caught up in the rebellion.

Every single major criticism I have about AGE is missing in Guilty Crown. The animation is fantastic, the storytelling is tight and concise, and the realism in terms of human conflict is played up. The major selling-point of the series involves the Void Genome weapon allowing the protagonist to draw out "Voids" (items that reflect a user's personality, like a sword, some pliers, or even a refrigerator) from people and using them. Each episode ends well, leaving me hanging and interested in what happens next.

Verdict: CONSISTENTLY WATCHING

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What do you think? Thoughts? Questions? Feedback is always welcome. Leave a comment or email nextlevelstaff@gmail.com