Vivi Dred Operation

[DuelGundam2099]

Or is it Vivid Red? Heh, "dred" with "vivi". Anyway, just because it causes a bunch of hub-ub and I didn't want to feel left out I decided to go against my better judgment and see what is being called "Strike Witches light" as it comes out on Morkyroll. Personally? On one hand it is magic girl junk *shrivels*, the butt shots and transformation scenes are annoying (I'd say worse but they're in middle school), for such a heavy sci-fi atmosphere some things just don't add up, the music varies from okay to awful, and first time I'm saying this anywhere but everyone looks too shiny and blushy, it is irritating. On the other hand the setting visuals and style are very well crafted and colorfully pleasing and there are MONSTERS OF THE WEEK! So few of those exist in anime anymore and it really is something nice to see that in something that airs! And they have a marine animal and robotic motif to them! The characters aren't too annoying, kind of bland but nothing too bad, although who knows if that'll change.

So anyone else watching?

[Beltane70]

Despite the fact that they like to write it as Vividred, it would be Vivid Red since the main character's color when using the Vivid System.

[DuelGundam2099]

I just finished it and I am quite divided by this series because it is a magic girl series, but it isn't horrendous (quite rare!). It also was nowhere near as pedobait-ish as I heard in the rumors. I can easily sum up the series with likes and dislikes:

Likes:
-Amazing scenery
-Amazing monsters of the week (10 in total)
-Comedy was not bad
-Nice art style
-Good pacing

Dislikes:
-The editing, the pointless fan service shots are the majority of the problem, but (pun not intended) the frames and editing were just handled poorly in general
-Fan service, while they do decrease it significantly in the second half it still is annoying
-Poorly treating their monsters of the week (in this case the Alone); YOU DO NOT MAKE A MONSTER BASED ON A BACTERIOPHAGE VIRUS AND MAKE IT DO NOTHING! And poor Box Type and Lantern Type, even mimetic beasts from Godannar, Matariel from Evangelion, and Lagharto from RahXephon got better treatment than that.
-Akane and Himawari were annoying; everyone else save from Kenjiro, Rei, and to a smaller extent Wakaba were just forgettable.

And I have a nice special rant for the final boss being so smug.

"Ooh look at me! I act like a Nyarlathotep knockoff with a crow theme and I am beyond time and space and all that fancy jazz! You humans might actually pass my test but I am going to cheat and not let you at all! I am this universe's overlord because I am big and my lasers took out some jets, but their missiles actually damage me, but that's okay 'cause I have regeneration powers! Look at me Imma destroy your universe with my white eye!"

F**k no, ruler of the universe you are not. You are so "powerful" that missiles, not even of the nuclear or MOAB variety, DAMAGED YOU. By technical standards you are less durable than most of the cast of the Godzilla franchise. Hell, the strong half of them took on beams and attacks comparable if not bigger to your pathetic excuses for death rays (hell, some of them have done more damage than Vivid Yellow's death beam). You'd be lucky if you survived 5 minutes against someone like Destoroyah or Space Godzilla. Hell, even the first two incarnations of Mechagodzilla would wipe the floor with you like a mop! "But my universe destroying powers!" So powerful that nobody died and it went so slow that the Big Crunch would happen before you'd reach the next coma cluster!

I think the staff was waaaaaaaay too over confident with their alones.

This is probably the only time I will ever get to use this picture.


I also do not see the supposed mech references outside of the Kamina glasses (and orange is a terrible color choice unless you want to burn your coronas out).

Edited March 31, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[Beltane70]

I swear that they modeled the raven's monster form after the AFOS from Macross Zero!