Fafner - worth looking at?

[Vent Noir]

Okay, just watched the first two episodes, and they're not all that bad after all. Maybe I just wasn't in a good mood the first time I saw it or something.

As for the character designs... well, I'm one of those freaks who actually liked Seed (not Destiny, though), so it's not too much of an issue for me. Similarities between particular characters are a bit jarring, though (particularly Athrun/Kazuki).

[Kavik Ryx]

Hey, no one is a freak for liking SEED, DESTINY is a different story. However, when I watched Fafner, I really didn't start liking it till episode four or something around there.

[Vent Noir]

Hey, no one is a freak for liking SEED, DESTINY is a different story. However, when I watched Fafner, I really didn't start liking it till episode four or something around there.

Just that I've defended Seed elsewhere and copped some flak for it.

[hawk of endymion]

I seem to remember that the phrase "Eva ripoff" popping up a lot while watching that first episode (can't remember if it was me thinking it or other people saying it). How strong are the similarities to Evangelion in actual fact?

The only similarity is young kids and mechas, other than that all comparsions stop. If you want a show with interesting characters that actually pilot instead of crying in the cockpit and a well rounded story that makes sense, well Fafner is for you. If you want a story that's a pile of garabage with a main character you to kill then watch Eva.

After episode 6 of Fafner you be hooked.

P.S. My venom is due to reading the Eva mangas. Once you read those, you'll hate the show.

Did you mean that the manga pissed you off so much that you just couldn't watch it, or was it much better that the series paled in comparison?

Either way, Fafner is as much like Eva probably about as much as RaXePhan.

The manga is so much better than the show. The story makes sense and the characters aren't as whiney. When I watched the story again after reading the magna, it was painful. I know the history of Eva and why the show is the way it is, but man, it sucks compares to the manga.

Outside some of the basics(teenage pilots, mechas, aliens, Japan and the UN), I don't see too much of a comparsion with Fafner and Eva. But that's probably me.

[auriga]

Vent Noir: Well, there are people who can't seem to separate SEED from Destiny... But that is a story for another time.

Now on topic... Based on the in-site reviews and the feedback here, I might just pick Fafner up. Seems be a good follow-up after seeing Eva (yes, I only saw it recently, didn't live up to the hype, IMO) and Zegapain back-to-back. I'm suddenly on the hunt for character-driven mech anime...

[Flame-X]

there's something that's been bothering me for a long time.

how come the festums never talk in the prequel, Right of Left? in the first ep of the TV series, prologue scene showed the kids listening to "are u there?" in the radio which took place way before the prequel's time but the festums hasn't spoken a single line in Right of Left. Correct me if i'm wrong, I'm just curious about it.

[Recon 5]

Right of left was a prequel, meaning that the Festums were either less well- evolved or they hadn't made proper contact with any humans yet. Didn't they start communicating only after they had assimilated some humans? With the great lengths that the humans went through to avoid assimilation in RoL the Festums wouldn't have had such an opportunity.

[raijinz]

Character designs are, unfortunately, by Hisashi Hirai . . .

This is the one thing that's been keeping me from seeing it. I look at the promotional character shots and I can't shake the Gundam Seed feeling from my head. That whole class of character design just makes too many people that look exactly the same.

Maybe I'll give it a go while I wait out Gundam 00's season break.

Funnily enough, that's the very reason I bought this series! I'm pretty sure Hirai's not the first character designer to make a lot of his characters look identical (DBZ's Saiyans ring a bell?).

The series was slow to start for me to, but it still felt fresh enough to keep me going until the end.

Sufficed to say, I'm glad I wasn't cheated with an abrupt or directionless ending like other animes. That fact in itself should give it some bonus points.

[Areku]

I bought and watched the first DVD in August 2005, hated it, and buried it. Dug it out a few months ago, watched it again, loved it, bought the full series, loved it too. The part of the show I liked the best was how the only way to identify the main characters was the plot; the screen-time was spread very evenly among everyone. Added alot to the show.

[Kavik Ryx]

The series is kind of mediocre until Shoko gets her time to shine (quite literally). Then the series became something I didn't want to end.

[Albireo_818]

Agreed. Kazuki lacks motivation up to that point, the rest of the characters are very naive, and Soshi just acts like Mr. Cool all the time.
oh, and that ep actually brought a sense of relief to me. until then i thought Shoko was set to be the next ms. Lacus.