Shelf Life

Chop Squadron

A long time ago, I watched a movie called G-Saviour, a Gundam movie that would have been tolerable had it not been for the completely awful contrast between real actors and plastic-looking CG robots. Luckily, Gundam MS Igloo isn't that bad, but it's just as visually distracting, with everything rendered in CG. This makes the various mecha look pretty sweet and detailed, but it's hell on the human characters. Their movements are awkward, their eyes are vacant, their faces are pore-less, and their lip flaps are completely off. Their mouth movements don't even do the right things sometimes, and it took me a while before I could stop focusing on their uncanny faces and their stilted movements.

In terms of the story, though, MS Igloo is fairly interesting. Unlike previous Gundam series which focused more on politics or personal relationships, this series is a lot more like a ballad for the fallen soldier. Taking place during the One Year War, it primarily follows the events that transpire on a civilian cargo transport ship, which has been assigned to test a variety of prototype weapons, ranging from an anti-ship laser cannon, to an agile new land-based tank. While they're testing these new devices, it gives them a personal look at how awful war can be, and how many soldiers are sacrificed in the process.

It's a fairly unique series, especially within the Gundam franchise. It's a lot more technical than previous shows, so mech buffs can get their fill of new robots and weapons. The only downside is that audiences don't really get the chance to know the characters that well. Most of the focus is on each individual weapons testing scenario, and although you see the same few (still living) characters each time, they're not the focus of the episodes. Not that it's easy to follow what their saying, what with their gaping lips and their gaunt, frightening eyes that give them the appearance of hollow husks of former humans.

Gah.

Seriously creepy. Big time creepy. This would be such an awesome addition to the Gundam line of shows if it weren't so darned unsettling to watch these plasticky puppets gliding through the frames.

For the hardcore Gundam collector, though, this is totally worth owning. Yeah, it's $45 for three episodes, but this was only ever screened at the Bandai Museum. For everyone else—well, the price point's steep, and the animation is a raging eyesore, but if you like robots, you'll want to at least give this a rental.[TOP]

Moving onto other war-related series, I decided to pull out the second volume of Glass Fleet. Yet another entry in the typical Rebel Group vs. Government war genre, the series is nothing earth-shattering, but it passes muster. It's exciting enough to keep viewers' interests after every episode, and it leaves just enough unanswered questions to make watching it worthwhile.

When it comes down to it, though, it's really not the story that makes the show entertaining—in fact, the story is kind of convoluted. Everyone is fighting everyone else and it's incredibly hard to keep everyone's agendas straight. There's also way too many villains and independent factions with their own political plans. It makes for exciting viewing, but when you take a step back and try to explain what just happened, it gets a little sticky. Plus, the battles aren't exactly that nerve-wracking, what with the deus ex machina that is the glass ship. A ship that can dodge anything, withstand almost any blow, and hits every single target it fires at? There's a reason why Superman is one of the most boring superheroes out there.

The series really has one major going for it: a handful of very strong characters. Just within two discs, the show has established a couple heroes and villains who are genuinely interesting. Cleo is the ultimate Mysterious Rogue, whose motivations and history are almost entirely unknown. Then there's Michel, whose big secret about his identity is revealed in this disc, giving him an added layer of complexity. Add in the ailing Vetti and the enigmatic masked woman, and you've got some characters who could milk a story out of a wet paper sack.

As far as the supporting characters go, there's simply too many of them, but if I have to tolerate them just to get to the meat of the story, then it's a sacrifice that has to be made. On its own, Glass Fleet is interesting enough for those who love their anime to be saturated with politics and economics, but I probably wouldn't like it so much if it didn't remind me of other great shows. When I watch this series, I can't help but feel a yearning to watch Le Chevalier D'Eon, and that loose association is enough to fill me with a woozy warmth.

Overall, Glass Fleet is definitely an entertaining show. It comes with plenty of flaws, like a messy storyline saturated with extraneous characters, but its fast pacing is enough to keep people glued to the screen. It's not a series I'd recommend out of the blue, but if you find yourself watching it, it's hard to put down.[TOP]