I have to agree with Magus as well. This was actually recommended to me by a Japanese exchange student at my college. After watching the entire series, I have to say it has cast her in a somewhat unfavorable light.
That powerful? Yes, quite so; one thing I won't argue with is it's powerful, but more powerful as a torture device instead of an entertainment piece. It's like a soap opera of sorts, but every minute is calculated to inflict as much emotional trauma upon the viewer as possible. You always know what's going to happen; the worst thing at the worst possible time and without hesitation. I didn't get any sense of love or caring from this series, only pain, despair, and the futility of humanity. Perhaps this anime is "Japan's Ultimate Weapon"...
If the series ultimate message was of love, it got muddled in the constant serving of gut wrenching pain. I couldn't tell if they were trying to say love is loving a person despite of their faults or because of them, whether love destroys you, destroys the ones you love or destroys everyone, whether love conquers all or doesn't even exist. Perhaps you can say this confusion is intentional, but the unrelenting emphasis on carnal acts was asolutely demoralizing to me, and removed any feeling of "love" the brief moments of "cuteness" could have imparted.
***Mild, ephermeal spoilers***
In addition, was anyone else bothered by the fact that are hell-bent on destroying Japan were obviously American? Like the one pilot who gets lost in the woods, and speaks horrible English in the Japanese dub? Or the depiction of the enemy in later episodes as silent, faceless killers but in the obvious guise of American military? I am not saying the American military is without fault, but sheesh...
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coolieman2001
19 years ago
I disagree. I loved this show. I have never cried watching an anime before. I was sobbing by Vol 3. You can trully feal the pain these characters are being put through. This is a draining piece to watch. This is a great anime to watch with your wife or girlfriend. It's not often this kind of anime comes along and cause this level of saddness. This is one of my favorite animes of all time. I cant reccomend this enough.
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Bin_1001_
17 years ago
I agree that it wasn't that great. And it is definitely not a anime to watch with your wife or girlfriend. I don't think it's romantic or emotional that Earth is completely destroyed in the end with another teenage schoolboy alive through all the demise and destruction(sudden reference to End of Evangelion). Also, the characters are so repetitive and unsatisfying. I just can't go with Chise, a schoolgirl/robot that can destroy an entire city with everyone dying, which gets really boring. I expected Shuu would be another robot and save the world with Chise, but I was really...really wrong. Instead, humanity was wiped out and Shuu was the only human alive. It tried really hard to make it a tearjerker/romance anime, but to me...FAILURE.
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jamchinlam
16 years ago
It's absolutely a great children film, and absolutely not great for the mature audience. The storyline, the plot, the script, the power displayed, it only happens in children comics, as was this adapted from an animation comic. If you are trying to watch the film trying to find something rational, then you are absolutely out of place. This film is just a children's superhero movie, so it must be watched that way, then only can you enjoy. Remember this does not fit in a serious grown-up film, but absolutely great by the children's standard.
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