Why Watch Each Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage
In my early anime fandom days (2004-ish), I used to be launched to Vandread and its sequel, Vandread: The Second Stage. It shortly turned a favourite anime collection of mine, a lot in order that even in my poor days, I bought all eight DVDs. In 2008, I wrote a Again to the Vaults piece for Vandread. Then in 2010, I did a Again to the Vaults piece for Vandread: The Second Stage.
Just lately, I had a powerful need to rewatch each collection. To that finish, since I’d already carried out Again to the Vaults items, I do a Why Watch… piece and see the way it holds up in 2024.
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The Story, in Transient
Sooner or later, a Vanguard components mechanic, teen boy named Hibiki lives on the male Taraak. He will get pressured to place his cash the place his mouth is by marking a Vanguard mecha unit on the refit colony ship, Ikazuchi, which is now a warship. The ship will get an early launch celebrating the refit. As such, Hibiki will get caught and thrown into the brig on the outdated colony part of the ship.
Pirates from the feminine planet Mejere assault the ship, which is filled with cadets. Concern of dropping their excessive tech part of the ship causes the Taraak navy chief to have the colony ship part jettisoned and destroyed. The lads escape, sans Bart, a giant mouthed coward, and Duelo, a medical physician. Feminine Dread fighter pilots Meia, Jura, and Dita are additionally caught on the colony ship when the Taraak torpedoes hit.
The Ikazuchi‘s energy provide, Paksis Pragma, opens a wormhole to ship the pirate ships, fighters, and Ikazuchi so one other a part of the galaxy. The crystalline eruption from the Paksis causes the pirate ship and colony ship to merge, change, and develop. Additional, the three Dread fighters and the Vanguard unit get encased, inflicting them to extend in dimension.
An unknown enemy assaults, however the Ikazuchi received’t budge till it “picks” Bart to be its pilot. Hibiki pilots his modified Vanguard unit to help the Dreads, when a collision with Dita’s ship causes their items to briefly merge into Vandread Dita. Thus the boys and lady who’ve been enemies must work collectively to get dwelling and warn their individuals of this unknown enemy that’s coming to reap them.
The Good: Characters
The largest energy of each Vandread collection are the characters. Not solely will we get a really memorable forged, however Gonzo truly manages to present some characters some pretty good work. Meia will get the perfect work as she has two character episodes devoted to her. Because of this, her character’s arc and progress are pretty to see. Additional, it feels natural as somebody who’d distance herself to maintain from getting harm after the tragedy on Mejere, but longed to be with others.
Second could be the protagonist, Hibiki. At first, his character is a strolling, shounen cliche. He steadily boasts and brags about all the pieces he does. He’s fast to anger, particularly with the clingy, obsessed Dita, whom he has emotions for that he can’t clarify. Throughout his character arc, he comes to know the worth of teamwork and caring for others in order that by the top of Vandread: The Second Stage, he’s nonetheless Hibiki, however extra mature and considerate.
If I needed to say who was third on the record of characters, it might be the buffoon, Bart. When the collection begins, he’s a coward and a liar. But when the Paksis Pragma chooses him to be the ship’s pilot, he has no alternative however to step as much as the plate. The place Bart will get his progress is within the second collection. I received’t spoil the episode, however Bart has a life altering occasion. He’s nonetheless used as comedic fodder, however on the finish, he’s not the identical Bart he was firstly.
Gascogne comes up subsequent, the place we study what occurred to her in the course of the tragedy on Mejere. Different characters don’t get as a lot fleshing out, however are nonetheless memorable.
The Principally Good: Characters
Whereas I like the entire characters in Vandread, I do have a small concern with the character work. Because of the episode time constraints and the necessity to get the plot by, wealthy character work doesn’t get farmed to the max. For instance, although Meia will get an amazing arc, there’s a ton Gonzo leaves to our creativeness to fill in blanks.
The identical will be mentioned for Hibiki. Certain, we’re given sufficient background materials to know the place Hibiki got here from. Nonetheless, I’d have favored to have had time devoted to Hibiki when he lived along with his “Grandfather” and the choices that result in Hibiki getting his job as a components mechanic within the metropolis. Additional, I’d have favored optimistic affirmation about Hibiki’s mother and father and their previous.
The identical will be mentioned for lots of the forged. I want that we’d seen the occasions that result in BC becoming a member of Magno’s crew. On the identical time, it might have been nice to see what lead Magno to turn into a pirate and insurgent towards the management of Mejere, whom she knew as a toddler. The collection kinda hints that Magno could also be associated to Hibiki.
Had there been extra episodes for Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage, and even longer episodes, these attention-grabbing characters and extra might have been fleshed out extra. Additional, a number of the character progress that occurs wouldn’t really feel so rushed. That’s in all probability the largest destructive by way of the writing.
The Principally Good: The Plot and Premise
One other actually advantage of the Vandread collection is the premise. The notion of males dwelling on one planet at battle with girls who stay on one other planet is sort of attention-grabbing. Males are taught that ladies will actually eat them. Girls are taught that males are the worst factor possible. Thus when three younger males are compelled to stay with a ship full of girls, issues get much more attention-grabbing.
For probably the most half, the mixing of the three males into the Nirvana is pure. I’ll concede that the truth that solely Bart can pilot the ship is contrived. Nonetheless, Duelo as a medical physician has rapid worth to the crew, since solely the younger teen Paiway serves as a medic of kinds. Hibiki’s position as a Vanguard pilot who can merge with Dita’s, Meia’s, or Jura’s Dread fighters doesn’t do as a lot. Nonetheless, Hibiki’s character arc offers with this.
The enemy the crew of the Nirvana must cope with are attention-grabbing. Likewise is the thriller of Earth and the reality behind the harvesters. Additional, Taraak and Mejere’s official response to this results in some attention-grabbing revelations. I actually favored all of it, however there have been some points.
The Might Be Higher: Rushed Outcomes
As talked about with the characters, the weak spot of the Vandread collection is episode cut-off dates. For instance, there’s an episode the place Hibiki encounters one other group of colonist, the place women and men do stay collectively. Nonetheless, Hibiki isn’t with them lengthy sufficient to deeply bond with them and perceive them. Gonzo simply expects us to waft, and for probably the most half, we do.
Likewise close to the top of Hibiki’s character arc, the encounter with the people there comes off as considerably rushed. The episodes actually might have been longer, or stretched over a number of components, in the event that they’d had the price range.
That’s to not say that all the pieces tried to get crammed right into a single episode. Clearly, there’s an overarching storyline in order that there are penalties that consequence from occasions in earlier episodes. Certainly, there’s what sub-arc that covers three episodes the place Barnette’s anger with males is roofed. But right here too, issues get wrapped up too shortly to be able to transfer the plot ahead.
Lastly, there’s Grandpa-sama and Grandma-sama, the respective leaders of Taraak and Mejere. The collection closely implies that Grandma-sama is Hibiki’s mother and signifies that Grandpa-sama is Hibiki’s dad. There’s even a suggestion that pirate chief Magno knew Hibiki as a younger baby. Sadly, that is by no means confirmed.
The Dangerous: The Crimson Reset Button
There’s just one actually unhealthy second by way of story. I received’t spoil, however for no matter purpose, on the finish of Vandread: The Second Stage, Gonzo undid one of the highly effective, character-altering moments within the collection. I believe I do know why they did it, however I disagree with the choice.
The Okay: The Comedy
Whereas Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage make for a wonderful, drama-based sci-fi collection, Gonzo provides plenty of shounen humor to the combination. (This on high of different shounen collection cliches.) Since this can be a collection the place men and women must get used to dwelling collectively for the primary time in a century, loads of comedy is mined from this idea. When Misty is launched within the sequel, any such comedy will increase.
One other associated degree of comedy comes from Dita’s pursuit of Hibiki and his subsequent makes an attempt to elude her.
For a lot of the collection, Bart is used as comedy fodder as a result of his nature. Equally, the navi-bot Pyro does a like of comedy stuff, particularly after Ezra offers beginning to Kahula. And at last, the younger Paiway does loads of infantile, “Pai Examine” stuff when spying on the crew for comedy functions.
Nonetheless, for probably the most half, the comedy works prefer it ought to. There aren’t any laughs for me so a few years later, however that may occur with the passage of time.
The Principally Good: CGI
For probably the most half, the artwork and animation of Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage maintain up fairly properly in any case these years. Even on my HD TV, the DVD regarded respectable sufficient (although the HD participant received’t upscale the picture past 1080P). Regardless, I used to be frightened that issues would look horrible, however they don’t.
The CGI work for the ships holds up as properly. The Nirvana has an iconic form to it. The Dread fighters nonetheless look good too. I did discover this time that we by no means get actually shut appears on the Dread fighters, aside from the assorted Vandread items. In fight, pace is the secret and albeit, that in all probability helps.
Hibiki’s Vanguard unit appears kinda garbage at occasions. Additionally, when the Nirvana takes injury, I want we’d see scorch marks or different indications of fight. It’s a minor factor although.
Closing Ideas and Conclusion
In the long run, Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage stay certainly one of my high 5 favourite anime of all time. Regardless of some shounen weaknesses and time constraint points, this collection is an actual diamond within the tough, the place the great simply outweighs the unhealthy. In case you haven’t watched it, I extremely advocate doing so, ideally in Japanese with the subtitles. 😜
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