Gundam: Ecole du Ciel

[bluemax151]

In all seriousness, I read the first volume of Ecole du Ciel and had no motivation to continue reading. I suppose it wasn't cliché compared to the main Gundam series (ie it didn't start with Gundamjacking or what-have-you), but it still felt like a standard-issue story in the context of anime/manga stories in general.

I have up to volume six and I've found it reminds me of a mish mash of Slayers and Gundam. While I like both these series separately I haven't found the series particularity interesting. I will continue buying it sporadically to if nothing else at least support Gundam in general.

I had noticed the action panels seemed lackluster but I usually write that off to a lack of imagination on my part.

[Lans]

I enjoyed the series, although at the start it's a bit off for a Gundam story, but after a while the story builds up and get some good character development and decent action. Overall, it's not an extraordinary manga, but quite good and worth reading for UC Gundam fans. Lot's of MS cameo there and also somewhat filled the gap from Asuna's point of view just before the start of Gundam Z. Not a canon, but good to know more about pre Zeta stuffs.

The fight scenes are a mess, which is a problem that plagues a lot of Gundam manga. It's hard to get excited about the mechanical mayhem when I can't make heads or tails of what's happening.

I didn't notice any particular problem with Ecole du Ciel, but I have run into this with a lot of other mecha manga. I quit one of the Astray series (R, I think.) because I couldn't make out anything at all in the (plentiful) fight scenes. Mecha combat can be rendered clearly on the page (one of the few things LWC got right, IIRC), but it's all too rare.

I have to agree with Ascension, although I have difficulties with the first three volumes of Ecole du Ciel, after re-reading those for some times I got used to and frankly speaking it's not that bad.