Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

The place to discuss anything relating to anime or manga.
User avatar
Robertthecrimson
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 2:51 pm
Location: Side 3

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

I've seen all of it. From the score I gave it on Anime Planet it's a 2.5 out of 5. It's ok. If your ok with some fan service and some harem stuff go for it. If not look else where.
User avatar
Koshernova
Posts: 375
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:30 am
Location: Glasgow (the city, not the Knightmare Frame)

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Mu La Flaga wrote:Man did you guys ever derail the train from it's tracks :P

I would like to throw in my bit on this and say, different strokes for different blokes.
But that would sound it implying only to males then wouldn't it making it sexist :P

I think the thing is here Kosh just doesn't appreciate it with harem element to the giant mecha.
But then again we have other ones with harem elements sort of like Gravion, Godannar, Aquarion ect.
We even have shows were the sexism or things of the sort are barely.

I mean is it the harem aspect that gets to you or is it the sexual side of it Kosh?
I mean if you've seen a series like this and Macross, you know that in some ways from the mind of some Japanese people the formula can't get tossed around too often without things being re-used.

Just my thoughts on this, hey anyone want to help me put this train on the tracks again with a crane or 2? :P
You know what, I can't really go more in-depth on my feelings about Vandread unless I re-watch it and remember all the bits and pieces that pissed me off and formed this opinion. And that's not going to happen, because I would see that as a waste of my time.

For what it's worth: the problem is NOT that men and women have romantic or sexual relationships, I never said that. The problem was that there was a certain essentialism to the show that is frequently present in harem anime, and which I find revolting. In other words: implications of 'this is what men are like and this is what women are like' that reduce things to stereotypes but without addressing those problems in an intelligent way (like, say, Macross or Gundam often do).

Also? Saying heterosexual relationships are 'basic biology'? Are you implying homo/bisexuality aren't?
"There's always hope tomorrow will be taco night."
User avatar
Mu La Flaga
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:06 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

No that wasn't it, I was just saying how the way the joke is worded it kind of sounds more like an in joke worded by males sort of though.

And as for the other stuff.
I did ask if it was the harem aspect or the sexual aspect of the "harem" genre that just rubs you the wrong way?
Is it the sexual aspect or is it the whole big group romance aspect of it all of like 3-5 people lusting for one guy?
Like I suppose I'm just curious to kind of partially disect your thoughts a little when I made the earlier post of mine.
2NA Fish
Posts: 256
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:45 pm

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

I might take a stab at this although my reasoning might be different to Koshernova's.

I tend not to like how harem anime lay out their female characters like they're on a buffet table. Most of the female character development ends up based on their relationship with the main guy, as though the guy(and by extension the audience) is going around getting a "taste" of each female character. The female characters don't interact well with other characters since everything becomes about their sexual tension with one guy, making them rather one dimensional. The main male character also becomes really shallow because the girls all fawn over his strengths and in the end that's all you see from him.

There are some harem anime I actually like though. I do like School Rumble, because even though the girls are objectified just like all the others, the author occasionally manages to explore character relationships beyond just boy-girl interaction, and he's not afraid to show the weakness of his main guy.

It's not just harem anime though. There are many other anime aimed at guys where the female characters are characterised by their relationship with the guy characters and nothing more. It's not about lots of girls lusting over 1 guy, it's about how these characters become bland caricatures.
Zeonista
Posts: 1178
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2009 5:47 pm
Location: in ur colony, steelin ur gundam

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Vandread was a fun show back in the day, and one of the shows that helped Studio Gonzo gain a lot of popularity. I remember it with some warmth, since it was nifty sci-fi fun with mecha at a time when mecha anime were thinning out, and those that were around tended to be deadly serious.

It's rather deceptive in the beginning, with a comic action premise that begs for consideration. Vandread is set some time in the future, after humanity had settled in space in a rather scattered fashion. Men and women have become completely segregated, and exist in a state of low-level warfare. Our Hero Hibiki gets captured in an attack, and becomes the object of fascination from a couple of female pilots who are not sure why they ought to like an enemy. (OK, one of them doesn't care at all about "why", bless her. :D) This turns out to be a lucky break for all concerned, because Hibiki's mecha suit can combine with those of four other female pilots to form powerful machines that are about the only thing that can defeat a fearsome enemy armada that has made itself known. Along the way there are harem hijinks, a new appreciation for People Who Are Different all around, the shock of discovering planets where men & women still live together, and the awful secret behind the enemy force.

In terms of actual classification, Vandread is closer to Yamato Nadesico than Tenchi Muyo. It is certainly not "Love Hina in Spaaaace"! Yeah, there's harem elements, but they are part of the story, not the reason for the story. There are a lot of humorous and somewhat serious questions about gender-appropriate roles in doing things, although most of them are aimed at the viewer. So yeah, check it out, and enjoy a blast from the past.
"I am fire. I am death. I am Hashmal."

"Discontent is the first step in the progress for a man or a nation." - Oscar Wilde
User avatar
zerogradius
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:24 pm

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Koshernova wrote:
Mu La Flaga wrote:Man did you guys ever derail the train from it's tracks :P

I would like to throw in my bit on this and say, different strokes for different blokes.
But that would sound it implying only to males then wouldn't it making it sexist :P

I think the thing is here Kosh just doesn't appreciate it with harem element to the giant mecha.
But then again we have other ones with harem elements sort of like Gravion, Godannar, Aquarion ect.
We even have shows were the sexism or things of the sort are barely.

I mean is it the harem aspect that gets to you or is it the sexual side of it Kosh?
I mean if you've seen a series like this and Macross, you know that in some ways from the mind of some Japanese people the formula can't get tossed around too often without things being re-used.

Just my thoughts on this, hey anyone want to help me put this train on the tracks again with a crane or 2? :P
You know what, I can't really go more in-depth on my feelings about Vandread unless I re-watch it and remember all the bits and pieces that pissed me off and formed this opinion. And that's not going to happen, because I would see that as a waste of my time.

For what it's worth: the problem is NOT that men and women have romantic or sexual relationships, I never said that. The problem was that there was a certain essentialism to the show that is frequently present in harem anime, and which I find revolting. In other words: implications of 'this is what men are like and this is what women are like' that reduce things to stereotypes but without addressing those problems in an intelligent way (like, say, Macross or Gundam often do).

Also? Saying heterosexual relationships are 'basic biology'? Are you implying homo/bisexuality aren't?
There are a lot of trashy harem anime out there, but Vandread is not one of them. If I recall, there was only one love triangle on board the ship involving Hibiki, Dita and Misty and that only happens in Vandread: Second Stage. There is a lot going on in Vandread, far more than what you see in Tenchi Muyo or Love Hina.

As far as the 'what men are women are supposed to be like' reference you made, you have to remember that the men and women in Vandread live on separate planets and do not interact with each other. Their knowledge is based purely on rumours, so it is understandable that such dialouge would be present, but again, it is not the central theme of the show. Men and women working together for the common good is.
User avatar
Destiny_Gundam
Posts: 4914
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:36 pm
Location: Canada, eh.
Contact:

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Koshernova wrote:Also? Saying heterosexual relationships are 'basic biology'? Are you implying homo/bisexuality aren't?
Not at all. There is absolutely no difference between how any form of sexuality works. The only difference is the target of desire. However I doubt I have to explain why humans as a species were given the desire to procreate.
"In the end, the world doesn't really need a Superman... Just a brave one."
User avatar
Seraphic
Posts: 1434
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:56 am
Location: Inside the barrel of Wing Zero's left Buster Rifle.

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Destiny_Gundam wrote:
Koshernova wrote:Also? Saying heterosexual relationships are 'basic biology'? Are you implying homo/bisexuality aren't?
Not at all. There is absolutely no difference between how any form of sexuality works. The only difference is the target of desire. However I doubt I have to explain why humans as a species were given the desire to procreate.
I don't see how any of this is an issue, anyway, seeing as how homosexual and/or perhaps bisexual relationships were perfectly normal in the show. Before the two sexes met, the men procreated by creating a clone baby between two bros (lol). The women formed long term relationships where one or both of the partners would carry the child. The show even had a transsexual character who was regarded as part of the family regardless of their past.

If there's anything to the show, it's how progressively it handles these issues.

I also didn't see how Vandread was much of a harem show. There was some sexual tension, but that is going to happen in a circumstance where two sexes meet for the first time. Only Dita seemed to have romantic interest in Hibiki. Meia I thought only had a friendly or professional comrade-in-arms relation to Hibiki. The only one really out to bone Hibiki was Jura, who was really only curious about what it was like to have sex with a man or become pregnant through such means. And remember, Jura is also already in a long-term relationship with another woman on board the ship.

I don't know. I didn't like the show, either, but I didn't see all the foul and evil things you are claiming it was. Sometimes I am too quick to judge a show if it rubs me the wrong way, but if I get the chance I try to temper myself and see more clearly.

***
Despite watching the whole thing through and loving it, it had never occurred to me that School Rumble was harem anime, but I guess it turned out that way. It was just that those 'complications' for Harima had developed so accidentally and so naturally that it seemed completely understandable. I guess that's how you do harem right. The female counterparts for Harima were never objectified by him personally, but I think the show did do this through the other male classmates acting like dumbasses.
"Red particles are bad, they mutate you into... dead? But green/blue particles are good, apparently, for reasons and for purposes yet to be determined. Isn't science sometimes nicely color-coded?"
-Antares

GW: The Sword . Sera's Art . Gameplay . The Lost Citadel
User avatar
Overlord Zaru
Posts: 201
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 12:32 am

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Vandread is basically a harem-mecha show before IS was even created(I think). It has a unique premise of a man vs woman sort of thing that reminds me of the Coordinator vs Natural conflict in CE.

The mecha/ships in this show were very unique and well made, but the CGI kind of made it lack luster. But that's just me. If it were done in 2D ala SEED then it may have been much more enjoyable.

The harem aspect was alright, even though it follows the First Girl Wins scenario then there shouldn't be a point to the harem(in which all girls should have the same odds of getting the guy as the first girl). There is plenty of character development and it helps return the man and women back together.

Is it a good mecha show? Yes.
Is it a good harem show? I've seen better but it isn't bad.

Give the 1st season a try.
ShadowCell wrote: Zanald is so disappointed in you he's going to smash a desk for every time you people disappoint him. there will be no desks for the little schoolchildren of Vagan because Zanald will have smashed them all. i hope you people are happy.
User avatar
Destiny_Gundam
Posts: 4914
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:36 pm
Location: Canada, eh.
Contact:

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Well, within the series itself none of the girls actually won.
Spoiler
The dropped sequel was to be about Hibiki and Dita's daughter, though.
"In the end, the world doesn't really need a Superman... Just a brave one."
User avatar
Arbiter GUNDAM
Posts: 2904
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: Cruisin' the Universe w/Spaceman Spiff!!!
Contact:

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Overlord Zaru wrote: The mecha/ships in this show were very unique and well made, but the CGI kind of made it lack luster. But that's just me. If it were done in 2D ala SEED then it may have been much more enjoyable.
Which really makes me leery as CGI in shows like SEED and MFrontier didn't impress me all that much.
I can fly if I ride the wind! Gori gori!

--Freyja Wion
User avatar
Destiny_Gundam
Posts: 4914
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:36 pm
Location: Canada, eh.
Contact:

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

The CG sure wasn't bad for 10 years ago.
"In the end, the world doesn't really need a Superman... Just a brave one."
User avatar
Overlord Zaru
Posts: 201
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 12:32 am

Re: Vandread: To Watch or Not To Watch

Arbiter GUNDAM wrote:
Overlord Zaru wrote: The mecha/ships in this show were very unique and well made, but the CGI kind of made it lack luster. But that's just me. If it were done in 2D ala SEED then it may have been much more enjoyable.
Which really makes me leery as CGI in shows like SEED and MFrontier didn't impress me all that much.
Well if they cell-shaded the mecha in 2-D, it could have been more popular even.
ShadowCell wrote: Zanald is so disappointed in you he's going to smash a desk for every time you people disappoint him. there will be no desks for the little schoolchildren of Vagan because Zanald will have smashed them all. i hope you people are happy.
Post Reply