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Rating: 7.8/10

Impressions:

The quality dropped quite a bit this episode, resulting in surprisingly distorted faces that look pretty bad. But if you watch this show, it’s probably not because of the character design, so I doubt that would have been too off-putting. Still, I think they animated body movements better, since Mana’s fleetingness seems to really stand out this episode. This episode has little dialogue as well, which I find a plus in this case. A lot of shows that have less dialogue and tell stories using music and visuals alone are usually more engaging and fast paced. This is often used to show a fast pass in time, which Gigantic Formula uses a lot.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

I found this episode to be more interesting than the previous, mostly due to the fact that I like young people better since I find that they have more entertaining personalities, and their inexperience in life makes for excellent watches. Between this story and the one told in the last episode, I’d have to say the last story made me feel for the pilot and translator more, so I had wanted them to win in the battle. However, it’s hard not to support the side which is being focused on, so I’m glad it ends up being a draw with no one dead. It being a tie does draw out a new question, regarding the ‘third party’ which interferes.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 7.2/10

Impressions:

At last, some well needed Mana character development, even though it really only acts an affirmer of previous information given about her personality and background. Her relationship with Suwa is going pretty smooth, though I’m surprised it’s still where it’s at now. It’s also a bit of a concern for me, since I like relationships a lot and hate when they fail, is the probable reasoning behind Mana being so caring for Suwa being his resemblance to the previous guy Mana had to protect. I’m sure she has her current feelings for Suwa, though it’s disappointing how the basis of this relationship is probably the previous guy.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 6/10

Impressions:

The way stories are told apparently through the usage of resonant sympathy is quite effective, though I would much rather have a solid plot involving Mana and Suwa as true main characters. At least the show is keeping that in some respects, and progress IS advancing through the slow defeat of nations one by one. I’m also becoming interested in Mana’s past, and her relationship with that guy whose name I forgot. It probably has some large influence on the way she is now, and how she sees Suwa. Personally I like the guy in Mana’s flashbacks a lot better, just from his demeanour.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

I originally thought Muhammed would be the translator, as Hassan’s aggressive personality would suit that of a pilot. However, it wasn’t all that surprising when it came to light that Muhammed’s the pilot, and Hassan’s the translator. Perhaps this is meant to say something about those operating the Gigantics, but for now, I can’t really conclude anything. This also raises the question as to how and why pilots and translators are chosen, and whether it is possible for multiple to exist. For example, if the pilot dies, how many readily available, or easily found replacements would there be? Or would there even be a replacement?

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 9/10

Impressions:

This episode’s a lot more fun to watch than episode 4 I’d say, as it’s a well-orientated break from the seriousness and action. However, we still get some action, this time on foot, which is a welcome change. The pink spots which represent blushing still gets to me, though I liked the character development between Suwa and Mana. However, it’s apparent that Mana is still quite restless, which makes it quite touching to see her starting to accept being saved by Suwa, instead of the other way around. The fact that she was with this ‘Ninja’ special forces makes the entire show even more unbelievable, but it doesn’t get to me much.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Rating: 9.2/10

Impressions:

Even though it was probably inevitable, the idea of this ‘conformity’ I guess is essentially the same as Evangelion’s ’synchronisation’. At least this way though, it’s not just a pilot inside a cockpit moving around joysticks, which is pretty lame in my opinion. It’s also nice to see that neither Mana nor Suwa are especially good at what they do. It would be pretty pointless if they started out as experts and defeated each nation’s Gigantic with ease. The way Mana was easily agitated like that was pretty tough to watch (have people gotten over the character designs yet?) Anyway, hopefully the next episode won’t be another battle episode, for a change of pace.

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Popularity: 13% [?]

Rating: 9/10

Impressions:

The background story is pretty silly in my opinion, but I can’t help but be attracted by the nice quality and interest value of the current plot advancement. The characters are pretty likeable as well (at least there’s no second Gendo Ikari). This episode lacks the explosive mecha action that the previous two episodes had, which would be expected. After a powerful start, there will surely be a period of semi-relaxation where characters are developed slightly, but it will be the plot and background that is mostly explained and continued. So far this is definitely the case, though I hope to see some more action before too long (yeah, the high quality is what gets me).

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Popularity: 10% [?]