Try Ranting
I've been holding back, a lot, on my thoughts about how Build Fighters Try progressed. Since it ended, today, I've decided that this would be the best time to jot down those notes. I figured that maybe I should just wait until it was over, to really say anything. Some people take issue with other people pointing fingers at in-show events, while their respective show is still airing. (Not that I had any problem with doing it before, mind you. It's just that it would seem that the Internet has gotten way too sensitive about stuff, lately, and I feel like I'm required to comply.) So, here are my thoughts, and feel free to agree or disagree to your heart's content.
Okay, so the final ep of Build Fighters Try aired, today. Usually, I'd be a little depressed about a show ending, but in Try's case, I'm not. Here's the thing: when Try was announced, I was happy about it, but I also knew I'd have to approach it with caution. Sunrise is notorious for producing sub-par sequels, after all, and, unfortunately, Try was no exception. Despite being a Sunrise show, I'm very inclined to call Try the Best Wishes of the Build Fighters franchise. Yes, they skipped Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, and went right to the shitacular Unova saga. There were a few good things about Try, but not even they could save this show.
So, I guess, before going to the long, in-depth list of cons, I'd like to list off the pros.
~Some of the side cast. I'm mostly looking at Minato, Gyanko, Shimon, Sudou, Suga, Adou, and Junya, here. Compared to most of the characters, these guys actually had something resembling a personality. They all had something they were fighting for, whether their reasons were. For me, Minato and Gyanko were easily the two liveliest characters, in the show. While I'm disappointed that Gyanko became a one-note harem joke, her vibrant personality kept me from being annoyed with her. Plus, she's the only female character, who didn't use a Gundam or a SD. So, I was happy that she kept up the Sazaki family tradition, of using a Gyan.
~Everything about Minato! Minato, by far, was the most stand-out character of Try. Yeah, he's a creepy jerk, but he's also got a lot of passion and heart. You can definitely tell that he's got the Gunpla spirit, that the majority of the cast has been lacking. However, there's a few other reasons why I loved the heck out of this guy. First of all, much like Gyanko, he had a distinct and funny personality. Second, he was the only character who, not only defeated Sekai twice, but he never took part in the Sekai Dick-Sucking Fest, either. That alone made him the best, for me. Besides, who didn't love the Tryon 3? If he wasn't required to lose, because of plot reasons, I'd almost be certain that his team would've won the tournament. Even though it won't happen, I seriously wish he'd succeed Tatsuya as Meijin, someday.
~The few instances that we get to see the old characters. It was nice to see that Nils and Caroline got married, and kept the love of Gunpla alive. I was also happy to see that Mihoshi made it big in Hollywood. Sure, it was cruel to tease Sei, throughout the show, but it felt good to see China again, as well. Even just name-dropping Ricardo, Luang, and Greco made me happy. (But what about Mao?!)
~Out of the main characters, I will say that I liked Yuuma the best. Yes, Yuuma, the bitchy one. Out of the three members of Team Try Fighters, Yuuma was really the only one, who had something resembling a plot and backstory. The sad thing is, he always got shafted, whether it was on or off the battlefield. He was perfectly capable of making the final blow, on a few opponents, but either Sekai or Fumina went and stole his kills. And, for whatever reason, it's far more important to show Sekai being...ugh, or Fumina taking part in annoying harem hijinks. Honestly, I felt like Yuuma had a lot of potential, but the staff seemed to enjoy picking on him. And if only his taste in women were better...
~In general, I wasn't too interested in the Gunpla, but there were a few models, that I liked. My personal top 3 were: Tryon 3, R-GyaGya, and Denial Gundam. Very sadly, though, there weren't nearly as much that I liked, than I did with the first season.
Unfortunately, that's about it for the pros. Now, let's move on to the cons.
-SEKAI! He's ultimately been the source of the majority of Try's problems. He's annoying. He's condescending. He's too OP. Everyone and everything goes out of their way, to suck his dick. The entirety of Gundam Valhalla has bent over backwards for him. He never had to answer up to any of his flaws. Any issue with this kid, was completely side-stepped. He was practically the FUCKING IRIS, of this show. You can bitch and moan about Reiji, all you want, but he had more personality and a better arsenal, than this twerp. Hell, I've even heard that the Japanese didn't like him! Considering they put Kira Yamato on a pedestal, I think that says a lot about how bad Sekai is.
-Mirai. Mirai was a one-note joke, with no personality and too much screen time. Her entire character could be summed up as, "I'm so generic-looking, but I'm beautiful. I can make anyone fall in love with me, just by being in the room." Ugh. No, thanks! Rinko scoffs at her "successor"!
-The harem shit. Good God, did I hate the harem shit! Fumina's crush on Sekai was just plain obnoxious. It took a semi-decent character, and turned her into an annoying and jealous brat. Gyanko's crush didn't do anything, for me, either. I like her, but she needs to move on to someone else, like Shimon. Shia...ugh. I just didn't like Shia, at all. I won't deny that she'd be perfect for Sekai, though, in that "Mary Sue/Gary Stu couple" sense. Because she's just about as full of shit as Sekai.
-The whole 3 vs 3 schtick. Not once, other than Team Tacticool, Team SD Renatos, and Team Build Busters, did we even seen anything resembling teamwork, in this show; which is pretty bad, considering that's how the game works. I'm going to single Team Try Fighters out, because their lack of teamwork majorly got on my nerves. It really started, when Fumina built her Winning, in order to try and get Sekai and Yuuma to cooperate, and everyone played it up like they all had some awesome teamwork, after the fact. Um, there was no teamwork. That was just Fumina trying to pacify two kids. Even as the series went on, there was barely anything resembling teamwork and chemistry between them. They pretty much only won, because the plot demanded it, and they only got so far, because Fumina and Yuuma rode on Sekai's overpowered coattails. So, for a plot that demanded teamwork, it fell flat on its face.
-Assimilation. The whole concept of Assimilation completely undermines the original message of the show. In ep 6, of the first series, Ral taught Reiji that everyone can put their all into Gunpla Battle, because there's no risk to their lives. (Insert Team Patrick blasting off again!) So, now, somehow, you actually can endanger your life, if you play too hard. It seemed to partially be Plavsky-related; and since they're not using real Plavsky particles now, I'm totally blaming this on Nils. Yajima's bootleg particles are killing people.
Coincidentally, while it's hinted that Tatsuya and Sei can Assimilate, it's really only shown that Sekai can. Once again, going back to how Sekai is a total Gary Stu. It's really sending the hypocritical message that, "Gunpla is freedom! You can fight to your heart's content, but don't be too rough with Sekai. It could kill him.". It was just forced drama and hax. That's all it was.
-The lack of exciting battles and Gunpla. Other than Tryon 3's battle, not once, could I get fired up. There's been no challenge, and no one to really cheer for, in my opinion. I know I mentioned that I liked Yuuma, but in general, I absolutely hated Team Try Fighters. In all of my years of watching anime, I don't think I've ever wanted to watch the protagonists of a shounen fighting anime lose, as much as those three. Hell, I still don't think they deserved to even be in the tournament. They only got there, by total bullshit reasons. There was no hard work involved, only Gary Stu powers leading them.
-If we continue with the current setting, for future endeavors, then I'm so freaking scared for the pros. Ricardo, Luang, Greco, and all the adult characters never had to rely on Plavsky hax, to get where they currently are. For them, it was all hard work, guts, and a love for Gundam. Those guys deserve their reputations as professional Gundam Fighters. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Plavsky hax is little more than a handicap.
-Where the heck was the love?! The first Build Fighters series was a love letter to Gundam, and it's fans. What have we gotten, with Try? It's basically been what I thought the first series was going to be. Just another game/toy commercial, with no soul. Heck, I'd even say that it's worse, than what I thought Build Fighters was going to be.
I was really surprised with how fun, the first season was. It had a relaxed atmosphere, with likeable characters, and lots of homages to the franchise. There's a reason why we call it Gundam Valhalla, people! So, what have we gotten in Try, besides a lot of G00 wank? (Don't worry, they didn't make me hate G00. I'm just got tired of seeing it forced in, everywhere.) Just one little dream sequence, that Minato has, Sleggar/Suga, Gyanko's shield spirit, and Domon.
-It's sad to say, but all things considered, I think they needed to retire Ral. He didn't really get to do much, but I know it was probably because his seiyuu is still hospitalized. After Houki took over, it felt like Ral's entire character got re-written. Once again, though, it was probably due to unfortunate circumstances. So, I'm a little more understanding of this bit.
Still, if they really needed a coach, they should've probably handed the Try Fighters to another ace pilot. Someone that could lead them in a better direction, and give them the criticism that they need. You know, make them a proper team, instead of letting Sekai hog all the glory.
-The Gunpla Academy and Lady Kawaguchi. Adou was okay, but Wilfrid, Shia, and Lady were just so boring! I was seriously looking forward to the Academy team, and Lady, but my hopes turned sour, during the tournament. Lady ignited a rivalry that barely even existed, and she kept saying crap, like how Fumina could succeed her, someday. Wilfrid barely had a personality, and he's got a long way to go, if he wants to succeed Tatsuya as Meijin. Shia was just shallow waifu/harem bait.
Plus, I'm kinda back to basics where Allan is concerned. Throughout the first season, I was very suspicious of Allan. I was under the impression that he forced Tatsuya into a role, that he didn't want to play; and that Tatsuya had to keep fooling him into believing he was the Meijin that Allan wanted him to be. I was actually surprised, when Allan showed that he cared for Tatsuya, after Mashita and Nine forced the Embody System on him. After rewatching the first season, I can see that my suspicions were nothing more than that.
However, after watching Allan's interactions with his team, I'm right back to square one. His team was too unruly, and it seemed like he didn't know what to do with them, half of the time. What was it, that he really wanted? Either way, even if he and Tatsuya did get a cute bar scene together, I can kinda see why they went separate ways. I don't really want to believe it, but at the same time, it does kinda make sense.
So, yeah, in short, I can't give Try a very good rating. I've sat down and watched tons of anime, that most people tend to hate, but I've been able to find some good things about them. Sadly, I really can't defend this one. I don't think I've been this let down by a sequel, since Code Geass R2. I will say this, though. After seeing how bad Sunrise has been, lately, it's definitely reinforced my desire to not want a Tiger and Bunny sequel. I will not tolerate them ruining that show!
Good Lord! How has Sunrise failed this much, lately? TnB and Build Fighters were both flukes, in their recent work. It seems like, ever since G00, they've been on a giant downward spiral. So, what's it going to take, to get them out of this hole? (Besides getting a less intrusive board of executives.) I don't know, but I'm of the mind that they need to take a break from Gundam, for a bit. After airing two Gundam-related series, at the same time, I think they need to work on some other projects, to avoid Gundam burn-out. Whatever they plan to do next, though, I hope they give it some proper love, because I sure haven't been feeling it, lately.
Okay, so the final ep of Build Fighters Try aired, today. Usually, I'd be a little depressed about a show ending, but in Try's case, I'm not. Here's the thing: when Try was announced, I was happy about it, but I also knew I'd have to approach it with caution. Sunrise is notorious for producing sub-par sequels, after all, and, unfortunately, Try was no exception. Despite being a Sunrise show, I'm very inclined to call Try the Best Wishes of the Build Fighters franchise. Yes, they skipped Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, and went right to the shitacular Unova saga. There were a few good things about Try, but not even they could save this show.
So, I guess, before going to the long, in-depth list of cons, I'd like to list off the pros.
~Some of the side cast. I'm mostly looking at Minato, Gyanko, Shimon, Sudou, Suga, Adou, and Junya, here. Compared to most of the characters, these guys actually had something resembling a personality. They all had something they were fighting for, whether their reasons were. For me, Minato and Gyanko were easily the two liveliest characters, in the show. While I'm disappointed that Gyanko became a one-note harem joke, her vibrant personality kept me from being annoyed with her. Plus, she's the only female character, who didn't use a Gundam or a SD. So, I was happy that she kept up the Sazaki family tradition, of using a Gyan.
~Everything about Minato! Minato, by far, was the most stand-out character of Try. Yeah, he's a creepy jerk, but he's also got a lot of passion and heart. You can definitely tell that he's got the Gunpla spirit, that the majority of the cast has been lacking. However, there's a few other reasons why I loved the heck out of this guy. First of all, much like Gyanko, he had a distinct and funny personality. Second, he was the only character who, not only defeated Sekai twice, but he never took part in the Sekai Dick-Sucking Fest, either. That alone made him the best, for me. Besides, who didn't love the Tryon 3? If he wasn't required to lose, because of plot reasons, I'd almost be certain that his team would've won the tournament. Even though it won't happen, I seriously wish he'd succeed Tatsuya as Meijin, someday.
~The few instances that we get to see the old characters. It was nice to see that Nils and Caroline got married, and kept the love of Gunpla alive. I was also happy to see that Mihoshi made it big in Hollywood. Sure, it was cruel to tease Sei, throughout the show, but it felt good to see China again, as well. Even just name-dropping Ricardo, Luang, and Greco made me happy. (But what about Mao?!)
~Out of the main characters, I will say that I liked Yuuma the best. Yes, Yuuma, the bitchy one. Out of the three members of Team Try Fighters, Yuuma was really the only one, who had something resembling a plot and backstory. The sad thing is, he always got shafted, whether it was on or off the battlefield. He was perfectly capable of making the final blow, on a few opponents, but either Sekai or Fumina went and stole his kills. And, for whatever reason, it's far more important to show Sekai being...ugh, or Fumina taking part in annoying harem hijinks. Honestly, I felt like Yuuma had a lot of potential, but the staff seemed to enjoy picking on him. And if only his taste in women were better...
~In general, I wasn't too interested in the Gunpla, but there were a few models, that I liked. My personal top 3 were: Tryon 3, R-GyaGya, and Denial Gundam. Very sadly, though, there weren't nearly as much that I liked, than I did with the first season.
Unfortunately, that's about it for the pros. Now, let's move on to the cons.
-SEKAI! He's ultimately been the source of the majority of Try's problems. He's annoying. He's condescending. He's too OP. Everyone and everything goes out of their way, to suck his dick. The entirety of Gundam Valhalla has bent over backwards for him. He never had to answer up to any of his flaws. Any issue with this kid, was completely side-stepped. He was practically the FUCKING IRIS, of this show. You can bitch and moan about Reiji, all you want, but he had more personality and a better arsenal, than this twerp. Hell, I've even heard that the Japanese didn't like him! Considering they put Kira Yamato on a pedestal, I think that says a lot about how bad Sekai is.
-Mirai. Mirai was a one-note joke, with no personality and too much screen time. Her entire character could be summed up as, "I'm so generic-looking, but I'm beautiful. I can make anyone fall in love with me, just by being in the room." Ugh. No, thanks! Rinko scoffs at her "successor"!
-The harem shit. Good God, did I hate the harem shit! Fumina's crush on Sekai was just plain obnoxious. It took a semi-decent character, and turned her into an annoying and jealous brat. Gyanko's crush didn't do anything, for me, either. I like her, but she needs to move on to someone else, like Shimon. Shia...ugh. I just didn't like Shia, at all. I won't deny that she'd be perfect for Sekai, though, in that "Mary Sue/Gary Stu couple" sense. Because she's just about as full of shit as Sekai.
-The whole 3 vs 3 schtick. Not once, other than Team Tacticool, Team SD Renatos, and Team Build Busters, did we even seen anything resembling teamwork, in this show; which is pretty bad, considering that's how the game works. I'm going to single Team Try Fighters out, because their lack of teamwork majorly got on my nerves. It really started, when Fumina built her Winning, in order to try and get Sekai and Yuuma to cooperate, and everyone played it up like they all had some awesome teamwork, after the fact. Um, there was no teamwork. That was just Fumina trying to pacify two kids. Even as the series went on, there was barely anything resembling teamwork and chemistry between them. They pretty much only won, because the plot demanded it, and they only got so far, because Fumina and Yuuma rode on Sekai's overpowered coattails. So, for a plot that demanded teamwork, it fell flat on its face.
-Assimilation. The whole concept of Assimilation completely undermines the original message of the show. In ep 6, of the first series, Ral taught Reiji that everyone can put their all into Gunpla Battle, because there's no risk to their lives. (Insert Team Patrick blasting off again!) So, now, somehow, you actually can endanger your life, if you play too hard. It seemed to partially be Plavsky-related; and since they're not using real Plavsky particles now, I'm totally blaming this on Nils. Yajima's bootleg particles are killing people.
Coincidentally, while it's hinted that Tatsuya and Sei can Assimilate, it's really only shown that Sekai can. Once again, going back to how Sekai is a total Gary Stu. It's really sending the hypocritical message that, "Gunpla is freedom! You can fight to your heart's content, but don't be too rough with Sekai. It could kill him.". It was just forced drama and hax. That's all it was.
-The lack of exciting battles and Gunpla. Other than Tryon 3's battle, not once, could I get fired up. There's been no challenge, and no one to really cheer for, in my opinion. I know I mentioned that I liked Yuuma, but in general, I absolutely hated Team Try Fighters. In all of my years of watching anime, I don't think I've ever wanted to watch the protagonists of a shounen fighting anime lose, as much as those three. Hell, I still don't think they deserved to even be in the tournament. They only got there, by total bullshit reasons. There was no hard work involved, only Gary Stu powers leading them.
-If we continue with the current setting, for future endeavors, then I'm so freaking scared for the pros. Ricardo, Luang, Greco, and all the adult characters never had to rely on Plavsky hax, to get where they currently are. For them, it was all hard work, guts, and a love for Gundam. Those guys deserve their reputations as professional Gundam Fighters. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Plavsky hax is little more than a handicap.
-Where the heck was the love?! The first Build Fighters series was a love letter to Gundam, and it's fans. What have we gotten, with Try? It's basically been what I thought the first series was going to be. Just another game/toy commercial, with no soul. Heck, I'd even say that it's worse, than what I thought Build Fighters was going to be.
I was really surprised with how fun, the first season was. It had a relaxed atmosphere, with likeable characters, and lots of homages to the franchise. There's a reason why we call it Gundam Valhalla, people! So, what have we gotten in Try, besides a lot of G00 wank? (Don't worry, they didn't make me hate G00. I'm just got tired of seeing it forced in, everywhere.) Just one little dream sequence, that Minato has, Sleggar/Suga, Gyanko's shield spirit, and Domon.
-It's sad to say, but all things considered, I think they needed to retire Ral. He didn't really get to do much, but I know it was probably because his seiyuu is still hospitalized. After Houki took over, it felt like Ral's entire character got re-written. Once again, though, it was probably due to unfortunate circumstances. So, I'm a little more understanding of this bit.
Still, if they really needed a coach, they should've probably handed the Try Fighters to another ace pilot. Someone that could lead them in a better direction, and give them the criticism that they need. You know, make them a proper team, instead of letting Sekai hog all the glory.
-The Gunpla Academy and Lady Kawaguchi. Adou was okay, but Wilfrid, Shia, and Lady were just so boring! I was seriously looking forward to the Academy team, and Lady, but my hopes turned sour, during the tournament. Lady ignited a rivalry that barely even existed, and she kept saying crap, like how Fumina could succeed her, someday. Wilfrid barely had a personality, and he's got a long way to go, if he wants to succeed Tatsuya as Meijin. Shia was just shallow waifu/harem bait.
Plus, I'm kinda back to basics where Allan is concerned. Throughout the first season, I was very suspicious of Allan. I was under the impression that he forced Tatsuya into a role, that he didn't want to play; and that Tatsuya had to keep fooling him into believing he was the Meijin that Allan wanted him to be. I was actually surprised, when Allan showed that he cared for Tatsuya, after Mashita and Nine forced the Embody System on him. After rewatching the first season, I can see that my suspicions were nothing more than that.
However, after watching Allan's interactions with his team, I'm right back to square one. His team was too unruly, and it seemed like he didn't know what to do with them, half of the time. What was it, that he really wanted? Either way, even if he and Tatsuya did get a cute bar scene together, I can kinda see why they went separate ways. I don't really want to believe it, but at the same time, it does kinda make sense.
So, yeah, in short, I can't give Try a very good rating. I've sat down and watched tons of anime, that most people tend to hate, but I've been able to find some good things about them. Sadly, I really can't defend this one. I don't think I've been this let down by a sequel, since Code Geass R2. I will say this, though. After seeing how bad Sunrise has been, lately, it's definitely reinforced my desire to not want a Tiger and Bunny sequel. I will not tolerate them ruining that show!
Good Lord! How has Sunrise failed this much, lately? TnB and Build Fighters were both flukes, in their recent work. It seems like, ever since G00, they've been on a giant downward spiral. So, what's it going to take, to get them out of this hole? (Besides getting a less intrusive board of executives.) I don't know, but I'm of the mind that they need to take a break from Gundam, for a bit. After airing two Gundam-related series, at the same time, I think they need to work on some other projects, to avoid Gundam burn-out. Whatever they plan to do next, though, I hope they give it some proper love, because I sure haven't been feeling it, lately.