Seraphic wrote:Sweet! That's good timing, Soul Bro. I'll listen to this while I'm writing! Hopefully none of the discussion manages to creep into my story, haha.
I'll be sure to comment on this one, and I still need to discuss the previous episode, too. Keep up the great work. =)
And a month later~
Damn, sorry it took this long to comment. You know, every time a new Gundamn ep. comes out, I think to myself "Hey, another ep! Now I have something to listen to while I work!" And just so you know, I neeeever get any homework or any writing done with Gundamn! in the background because it always ends up becoming too interesting. Given, this isn't
your fault, but my own poor judgment. I just want to let you know how gripping the podcast actually is!
Drawing with Gundamn! on usually goes a lot better though. I think
this is the exact thing I was working on for the contest. I had an Episode playing while I scribbled. Yeah, I kinda suck, but I think you guys should also be able to enjoy something that you partly helped to create! I got second place. Thanks for being inspiring. =)
As for X, I'll tell you that the Gundamn! crew completely reversed my thoughts on the series. Beforehand, my only impression of X was from Burke, who I think was the original owner of MAHQ. He said it was the only Gundam series he hated, going off on some rant about brains and newtype dolphins, quoting the cancellation of X. That all really alarmed me, so since then I kept X in the back of my mind, even though I still got a few kits. Needless to say, hearing all the wonderful praise for X by Neo and Soul Bro really surprised me. (Not that I should take Burke so seriously. He was kind of a dick to me.) Eventually watching the show for myself, I'd say that I agree most with Soul Bro and Neo.
First off, I have to give Chris really big props on this episode for mentioning Tokita's 4koma "Go for it! Domon W". Every Gundam fan needs to read those comics, but I'll tell you non-fans won't get it at all. Not even the strip where Silver Crown puts on the clown mask by mistake!
I also want to thank Chris for clearing up the nature of X's cancellation. It was weird and confusing for me beforehand, but now I think I know better.
One of the very first impressions I got from seeing X was witnessing some of the EASIEST KILLS in Gundam history. I think in the first or second episode when Garrod gets the Gundam, he takes out a suit by punching it in the face quite lightly. It completely explodes. Then he TRIPS another one, and it explodes, too!! What kind of lousy construction lets you blow up from a fall?!
God, I don't even
know how Leos can even get any flak after all that....
Overall, I would say that the combat in X was average. There was very little that stood out for me, especially in the fact that the DX seemed like a downgrade from the Divider. The "last fight" was really anti-climactic, and the G-Falcon never got any love, probably because of the quick ending.
But I'll tell you, that fight with Charis and the Vertigo was awesome. Charis was my favorite character, and the Vertigo almost reminded me of the Tallgeese in its uniqueness. I never expected it all to come down to a saber fight, but it was great. I'm just sad that the Vertigo never uses its bits again after that. Major props for Garrod learning to shoot down the bits, too. Oldtypes stickin' it to the man! Suck on
that, newtype magic! The Divider also made a good entrance here, showcasing all of its various forms of badassery.
I thought the Frost Brothers were great characters, but as rival Gundam pilots, they never impressed me much. I always thought "Damn, these guys don't give up!" A rival pilot should instead make you think "Holy shit! We have to get the fuck out of here!" They never managed to scare me that much. Still, they lended well to the Newtype storyline.
There were other small things I really appreciated in the show's technology and presentation. I think X is the only instance of trench warfare in Gundam. That was great. The development of beam-resistant armor in the Crouda was a good relief. I get tired of beam rifles being super effective. And this is strange, but I loved how the DX was blown to hell by like 20 vulcan guns shooting him from every direction. Never thought I'd see a Gundam go down like that. I love vulcans.
I really liked Lancerow as a character, and his relationship with Jamille was cool, but that all obviously got cut short. His looking out for Tiffa was also commendable. Jamille is also the only person awesome enough to wear sunglasses during his own surgery. I can't believe I don't remember anyone mentioning that.
Overall, I thought the newtype storyline was absolutely excellent. They even took it in a manner that was similar to my own interpretation for newtypes. The two opposing viewpoints fighting was a good way to do it. But I don't like the term "mutant." I'm trying to get my friend to finish X for the good ending, but he stopped halfway.
I can see how you guys like Enil El, but she left me with the impression of being one of those women who hate men and their evil penises. Poor Garrod. Dealing with crazy, murderous ladies isn't easy. She was cooler the more she was developed though.
Again, I also agree with Neo and Soul Bro about the cinematic nature of X, especially how the closing credits were handled every episode. The ending song was weird, but I think I got into it eventually after listening to it after every episode. *begins singing obscure love songs* And besides, you HAD to watch it in order to get the preview. I couldn't skip it! >.< The first OP is also my favorite Gundam opening, in both song and animation. Like a lot of songs, I'm loving the melody, but the chorus gets annoying. The same thing happens in the animation where the beginning is good but it gets cliche further into it.
I also think Garrod and Tiffa hold the spot of my favorite romance so far. Sure, it was puppy love, and got a bit out of hand at times, but I think there was a single thing that left me deciding this. Tiffa is normally so reserved and selfless that our insight into her one dream sequence really surprised me. Really, I think I was embarrassed because I felt I was intruding on such an intimate moment!
It was how she just held him so close, and how she spoke to him. "Look at me." It's the only time Tiffa ever begs for attention. I thought it was just a wonderful moment.
Anyway, X was all that and more, just like Gundamn! promised. Thanks very much for convincing me to watch it. I loved every moment of it. I won't rank the show, since I don't really have a Gundam rank list, but X gets nothing but good marks from me. Thanks again! =)