Streaming: Funimation
Episodes: 24
Source: Original
Episode Summary: Reika Minamiya’s family has been deeply affected by the use of Divine Grace Energy, a form of energy used by humanity to start colonizing space, but which also exposed them to the wrath of the Nergal, hostile alien life forms. Reika’s older sister Reiu was lost due to DG energy, and this has made her parents very protective of her. Because of this, Reika sneaks off to apply to join the Ancient Girls squad with her friend in secret.
At the interview, she’s confronted by Judith, one of the faces of the program, who tells Reika that she’ll never be allowed to join the Ancient Girls. However, after the excavation of a new G’s Frame, one of the only weapons able to hold back the alien attackers, the Earth is attacked by a group of Nergal. Though the AG program didn’t accept her, the newly-awakened G’s Frame seems to have no misgivings about her abilities; it draws Reika into the cockpit where she’s able to fight back until Judith arrives to finish the job. Later, just as Reika receives her rejection letter from the program, her family is approached by military personnel who seem to be offering her a different option. As Reika arrives to join the others in the AG unit, Judith wonders if there may be consequences from allowing Reiu’s sister into their midst.
Impressions: Recently I returned to an anime I’d left unfinished to watch the remaining few episodes. I’m not sure how many people caught Obsolete on the Bandai Namco YouTube channel; I may not have known about it but for a profile on Anime News Network’s “This Week in Anime” feature series, but I ended up really enjoying it. In that series, aliens have approached Earth with a trade offer; in exchange for some of Earth’s limestone, a plentiful material, the aliens will provide Exoframes, mechanical exoskeletons powered by some technological means that humanity has yet to really comprehend. This trade situation pays no heed to current political arrangements on the planet, so countries that start with very little political means end up gaining quite a bit from the deal causing upheavals and rearranging the distribution of political power. It’s an interesting speculation on what might actually happen in such a situation, and while there’s no real overarching plot structure to speak of, the vignettes explored in the various episodes (a few that also contain some returning characters) examine a pretty wide swath of different scenarios.
The final episode of the series is decidedly different from all the others; rather than taking place in “real life,” it revolves around an episode of an anime series in which Exoframes have formed some of the substance of the plot. In it, the teenage girl characters scream out their emotions, explore their relationships in flashback, and battle one-another in what appears to be a series climax. It’s a really interesting, funny look at a formula that’s likely very familiar to many of us – a combination of cute girls, cool mecha, and emotional melodrama that’s perennially popular in anime.
This episode has many of the same trope-y hallmarks of its particular genre, but unlike the episode I’ve just talked about, which is a very loving and self-aware parody, this series is playing things extremely straight. Reika finds herself running late on her way to her AG “audition” where she confronts folks who knew her tragically-killed older sister. There’s hostility in the ranks born from emotional trauma. Our protagonist is gifted in a way that seems easily-anticipated, yet her parents form an obstacle to her pursuit of her goals out of a protective urge. And the mecha are cool and powerful with a distinctly sort of feminine air that speaks to the fact that “only teenage girls seem to be able to pilot them.” It’s all very rote.
That’s not entirely a dig against this episode, but more an observation that’s very similar to the one I made about Shikizakura in my previous review; while this series is ostensibly an “original” story, this seems to have caused its creators to stay even more bonded with its particular genre tropes as a way of ensuring that the final product is a safe bet. Maybe originality is overrated, but on the other hand, what’s distinct about this series that would make me want to choose it over something that I haven’t seen before?
Pros: Almost right from the get-go there’s a very obvious amount of multiculturalism in this series. The AG squad seems to contain members from various cultures and religious traditions (including a girl wearing a hijab) which was a nice surprise.
I also liked the color balance during the Nergal attack on the city. As they arrive they provide a very bright yet sort of sickly purple hue to the scenes that provide a nice visual distinction.
Cons: The overall animation quality just isn’t very good. I hate to call it “cheap” because I think that’s a reductive criticism, but it definitely feels very clunky and has a really flat digital quality that I didn’t like very much.
Content Warnings: Violence (including massive amounts of infrastructure destruction and many aliens blowing up in a bloodless way).
Would I Watch More? – This episode unfortunately didn’t really catch me. I found myself peeking at the clock several times, and I didn’t feel compelled to pause the episodes while taking screen captures so I think this just isn’t for me.