Galaxy Kikotai: Majestic Prince

[LightningCount]

I am nearly through 18 episodes now, and the series has gotten a lot better.

The addition of Ange has oddly rounded out the cast and made them more honed somehow. (Though, the jokes with Ange are gradually starting to wear a bit thin.) There is still more potential in here than is being mined, but I understand that this series has its ambitions set as a bombastic action-adventure/comedy more than anything, so I'm enjoying it for what it is. The comedic timing has been improving, the story has continually become more intriguing, and the action has taken leaps and bounds toward amazing.

Episodes 13, 14, and 18 had jaw-dropping sequences that rival the best mecha action has to offer. I didn't know you could do some of the stuff in CG that they're pulling off, like the stuff Ange did during his first official battle where he/she was basically using pieces of his/her opponents as weapons. The battle on Earth, most recently, really makes me wish there will be (or were) more Earth episodes. That animation with the flowers and sky and clouds was gorgeous. While more limited, it may have even topped the more modern Fafner Exodus.

I'm not sure how I'll feel about this series when all is said and done, but it has proven itself to be an entertaining and different sort of ride.

By the way, I'm not sure if the MJP ever used the data they collected from that crashed ship on Mars. That's been bugging me a bit.

[Henyo]

question! how did the dub went about Addressing Ange?
that's gotta be the harder part of translating the show.

[Amion]

I am nearly through 18 episodes now, and the series has gotten a lot better.

The addition of Ange has oddly rounded out the cast and made them more honed somehow. (Though, the jokes with Ange are gradually starting to wear a bit thin.) There is still more potential in here than is being mined, but I understand that this series has its ambitions set as a bombastic action-adventure/comedy more than anything, so I'm enjoying it for what it is. The comedic timing has been improving, the story has continually become more intriguing, and the action has taken leaps and bounds toward amazing.

Episodes 13, 14, and 18 had jaw-dropping sequences that rival the best mecha action has to offer. I didn't know you could do some of the stuff in CG that they're pulling off, like the stuff Ange did during his first official battle where he/she was basically using pieces of his/her opponents as weapons. The battle on Earth, most recently, really makes me wish there will be (or were) more Earth episodes. That animation with the flowers and sky and clouds was gorgeous. While more limited, it may have even topped the more modern Fafner Exodus.

I'm not sure how I'll feel about this series when all is said and done, but it has proven itself to be an entertaining and different sort of ride.

By the way, I'm not sure if the MJP ever used the data they collected from that crashed ship on Mars. That's been bugging me a bit.

Yep, the action is what makes it majestic. I know it certainly was the strongpoint. Orange is a great CG studio. The best, at least in my admittedly narrow opinion.

[LightningCount]

question! how did the dub went about Addressing Ange?
that's gotta be the harder part of translating the show.

From what I've heard, it's actually done about as good of a job as you could do. Though, I still don't know if Ange is a guy or a girl yet; the dub certainly has not made that clear. (I'm not sure if this will ever be revealed in the plot.) The English voice being performed is ambiguous enough to be a young male or female, and the dialogue goes back and forth in referring to Ange as a "he/she" or "him/her." Sometimes, some of the characters slip into referring to Ange as one gender for a period of time, while others choose the opposite in addressing the character. If you were jumping in cold without seeing Ange's introduction episodes, it'd definitely sound like inconsistency, but it's really just highlighting the confusion among the characters.

As for the English dub as a whole, it's somewhere in the "B to A-" range. So many characters in this series have such extreme personalities that it makes it hard to judge some of the performances. There are definitely moments where it all works excellently, but there are some VA direction decisions and also script localization choices that grate on the ears a bit. Still, I'm glad it got an English dub, and that it has been largely very accurate and respectful.

Through Episode 19 now...kind of surprised about Team Doberman...That happened fast.

[Henyo]

checks out the dub cast...only a few notable names huh? well no matter!(Technus voice)

i'll rewatch this anime in dubbed format!

[Lord Dearche]

I watched the whole thing back when it aired but I personally couldn't get into it all the way. It had some good fights yes, but 90% of them were always just the MC always being the only one who could have said good fights. Also for mostof the show it always repeated the exact same patter.

A battle with a good fight, usually always MC being the hero, followed by some 4-5 episodes of boring story telling that went nowhere, and repeat from square one.

A lot of the gags they liked doing also got old fast. Yes, Hirai same face girl has giant tits, we remembered from the last 20 times you made an in series joke about them. As Terrible as it was, I thought Valvrave was the better of the 2 if only for El Elfu, and the Openings.

[LightningCount]

Oh, I wouldn't call it an all-time classic or anything...but it's been an interesting ride so far with some very nice production values. Despite its negative points, it stands out a bit from the crowd. And the "Hirai face" has not been as noticeable to me on the whole. I caught myself just recently saying, "oh, yeah, he did do the character designs."

The thing that's surprised me maybe most so far is that they haven't exploited the "Lamata" (sp?) concept. I thought each Wulgaru alien general would have a rival on the Earth side...but it's mostly just been Izaru doing the repeated one-on-one fighting. And now, the alien generals have thinned out in quick and unexpected manners.

[LightningCount]

Finished Majestic Prince!

SPOILERS AHEAD:

The final part of the last battle of Izuru vs. Jiart featuring the big "punch" finish was very impressive...but, on the whole, I get this sense that this series sort of topped out with Episode 19's big Doberman Team moment. I really felt like that was a transcendent moment in the plot in terms of emotions that the ending didn't capture.

Meanwhile, the last arc leading into the final battle, and the final battle itself, felt stretched thin to me. Also, a lot of story elements were introduced near the end (the origins of the pilots; the history of Juria and Simon and Teoria; the "brother" aspect of Asagi and Izaru; the dangerously unstable condition of Izaru; the new model mecha developed by the various world powers) that just sort of trailed off in one way or another--presumably it was fishing for another season (I heard the creators were interested in making more in the past). I was surprised that Teoria, Deneel, and Simon ALL survived, and that the former characters had no direct conflict with Jiart. Like I said, the ending felt like they wanted another season, and were buying for time; but it also made it feel rather toothless in terms of the danger level, and I couldn't fully buy into everything.

(By the way, I do not think that the Episode 11, Mars-based intel ever came into play, and a whole episode was put into retrieving that data.)

All of that aside, it was an entertaining series worth watching, especially for fans of mecha or space-based sci-fi. From my first impressions, it doesn't really rank anywhere on the all-time favorites/greats lists for me; yet, it does stand out a bit in the category of recent shows worth noting for its largely masterful use of CG, all-time amazing moments of fight choreography, extremely strong use of colors, and more assorted use of space exploration than most recent anime.

The plot is solid and interesting, but the execution doesn't completely pay off. There are some decent drama/character moments once you get past some of the more overt/over-the-top comedy pieces. Though, that said, some of the comedy is amusing.

I will say that throughout the 24 episode run, there is a certain refreshing base level of consistency where it doesn't feel like this show runs off the rails to be something else than what it is, which is nice.

I'm doing a bit of stream-of-consciousness here, but I think it should be said that as famous as this series' fights have been when one speaks of Majestic Prince, not every fight was gold. There are a handful of stand-out battles that elevate that impression. However, those particular fights are as advertised.

Again, the opening and ending music, especially the first OP and first ED are amazing.

The moments that stick with me most from the experience are the following:

*The Episode 1 opening Undina Base battle that introduces the Wulguru.
*The Episode 2 unconventional sponsorship mission that ends with a tease of Jiart.
*The assorted quiet moments between Izaru and Kei, or Izaru and Teoria (especially the nighttime park meetings).
*The assorted quiet moments between Rin, Reika, and/or Amane, especially when they made some personal commentary early on about their lives, roles, and duties.
*Some of Asagi's fancy moves during the Battle of Ceres.
*The Episode 8 Jiart vs. Izauu at the end of the Battle of Ceres.
*The Episode 11 data-collection mission to Mars.
*The zany but heartfelt character-building in Episode 12
*Episode 13's introduction of Ange, and their first mission together on the volcano planet.
*Episode 14's duel between Jiart and Izaru (perhaps their best battle in terms of pacing).
*The Earth-based segments of Episode 17 and 18, especially 18's ground-based slugfest--which might be the most striking battle moment in the series (albeit it showed too much of the mecha and not enough of the pilots).
*Basically the entirety of Episode 19 with Doberman's emotional mission.
*Episode 24's Jiart vs. Izaru fight, particularly the last, "punchy" gasp of the battle.

As I write this, though, I should note that I felt the Jiart vs. Izaru element became a little overused and/or overbearing. I think the other generals should have been highlighted more, each with a lamata prey conflict of their own, to balance things out. It started to develop that way, but it wasn't carried through--perhaps due to a lack of episodes. Also, the Ange character felt dropped by the end; we didn't learn a whole lot after much was made of him/her in the middle arcs.

I don't mean to sound too harsh on any of this, though. There were definitely some memorable elements/scenarios. But after being late to the party, I just wanted to give a rundown of what hit me, both positively, negatively, and in between.

Personally, while the ending feels sort of a half-ending or stop gap, I don't think there's enough in the tank for Season 2 unless they really expand on the Earth-based aspects or go hog-wild with the deep space scenarios of strange planets and anomalies.

For those who care, the English dub really settles in strongly by the end. I may have the rewatch this in Japanese, though, to get another perspective.

Now I am looking forward to seeing Argevollen. The only thing here is how I should experience it: I assumed the North American DVD/Blu-ray release/s (due in September) would have an English dub...but, according to all pre-order listings/press releases, it didn't get one! Majestic Prince and Muv-Luv (which I haven't personally seen) BOTH got dubs, but Argevollen did not?! I guess it didn't do well enough in streaming? I guess I can understand, as it does seem a throwback to a more "grounded/serious" 08th MS Team/Gasaraki vibe that might not be mainstream enough currently to warrant the extra cost of a dub. I'm fairly sad about this, though, as the two episodes I have seen of Argevollen were very strong, and I was looking forward to the option of a dubbed experience. Of all the recent original mecha shows, from first impressions, I found its character designs and tone perhaps the most appealing.

[Soma Taozi]

Happy you finished it! And I do agree that the show reached its peak way before it got to episode 20 (I would say it was there around episode 14 or 15…). The emotion wasn’t all there and a lot of the big payoff moments were already passed by the time we got to the final battle. The only thing left was Izaru to beat Jiart. Everything else felt tacked on and unnecessary. Especially the silly brother aspect…

I feel like MJP had some stand out moments, but as time passes I realize that I have forgotten A LOT about the show. Not too much stands out for me. I remember the fight in episode 14…and I do remember a very impressive battle on Earth around episode 19, the comedy of episode 12 or 13, and Ange being crazy and swearing his/her head off.

It is strange, despite how much I did not enjoy Argevollen, I remember more about that series; despite how I watched both at the same time. I cannot tell if that is a good or bad thing for Argevollen…

And I am not surprised Arge didn’t get a dub. It was far from a popular show and I am surprised it is getting a release in the West tbh. I did enjoy the ground combat and political undercurrent of the anime…but I feel that the story-telling payoff was abysmal. But I know a lot of people on this forum who enjoyed it…so I probably missed something. Yeah, I am very hard on Argevollen, but I will be interested to see if you enjoy it. I have a feeling the show is right up your ally. You should watch Knights of Sidonia…although the second season is meandering in a love triangle right now, the first season was great. I drool over it here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=16273

As I write this, though, I should note that I felt the Jiart vs. Izaru element became a little overused and/or overbearing. I think the other generals should have been highlighted more, each with a lamata prey conflict of their own, to balance things out. It started to develop that way, but it wasn't carried through--perhaps due to a lack of episodes. Also, the Ange character felt dropped by the end; we didn't learn a whole lot after much was made of him/her in the middle arcs.

^I defenately agree with this, I remember the woman general being defeated rather easily…despite how she was built up earlier in the series (didn’t she kill team Doberman?) I remember being very let down by how she was killed.

[LightningCount]

I've seen this floating out there for a while now: Majestic Prince announcement event coming soon in April. This could be anything, but some are speculating it's a new season. http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2 ... ent-teased

[Amion]

Oh, great to have you back, Count! And this may be promising indeed.

[LightningCount]

MORE MJP CONFIRMED: New Episode 25 to be added, which will lead into the original story for a New Film: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... 25/.100284

[Amion]

Interesting, so we are in fact getting new stuff. Hopefully the film will be buildup for a new series in the future, as with Heaven and Earth laying ground for Exodus.

[Henyo]

Great news! I'll get to hear Gokaiger's Ikari Gai as a Mecha pilot again. very unlikely, but i do hope they don't change the character designs for the movie like what happened to Bodacious Space Pirates and its Movie sequel.

[Amion]

I don't feel they can change too much about the designs. Though who knows. So long as the mecha violence is as satisfying as it was in good old '13, who can complain?

[LightningCount]

It's intriguing. While it wasn't my favorite series by any means, I did come away with a certain fondness for it. But as I said in my review here, I'm not sure where it can go given how the latter episodes of Season 1 were handled. Too many villains were quickly offed. Maybe it is best that they're going on a smaller scale to continue this. Maybe it's best to shore up what was left and highlight/resolve the stronger and/or leftover aspects of the world:

Spoiler

FROM MY REVIEW:[A] lot of story elements were introduced near the end (the origins of the pilots; the history of Juria and Simon and Teoria; the "brother" aspect of Asagi and Izaru; the dangerously unstable condition of Izaru; the new model mecha developed by the various world powers) that just sort of trailed off in one way or another--presumably it was fishing for another season...[And] the Ange character felt dropped by the end; we didn't learn a whole lot after much was made of him/her in the middle arcs...I don't think there's enough in the tank for Season 2 unless they really expand on the Earth-based aspects or go hog-wild with the deep-space scenarios of strange planets and anomalies.

Regardless, I wonder if this will even get an overseas release. The series was already officially released with a dub in North America both as two single 12-episode volumes and one collected 24-episode volume. I'm not sure how either of those did. Even so, getting a single episode AND a movie seems a tough release, either for streaming or for DVD/Blu-ray. In these kind of cases, usually you get one or the other, but maybe things have changed, and they can be bundled together in a licensing deal.

Interesting, so we are in fact getting new stuff. Hopefully the film will be buildup for a new series in the future, as with Heaven and Earth laying ground for Exodus.

...And then Exodus decided in its last quarter that it was going to be another "Heaven and Earth" and be a tryout for another season or movie. I've still got some sour grapes about that. I'd prefer if they finished things up one story at a time, and then went on to another season if it was needed given where the story ended up. But the idea of working a story to build into a potential sequel at the cost of the existing story is aggravating to no end.

I'd actually like to hear news of an 3-part OVA or Movie sequel to Argevollen. I think that had a more natural season break. But let's see how all this goes.

[Wellman]

Glad to hear, although I really would have liked another season, even if it was only 12 episodes. But hey maybe the film will do well enough to get that done.

[Henyo]

I'd actually like to hear news of an 3-part OVA or Movie sequel to Argevollen. I think that had a more natural season break. But let's see how all this goes.

same here! i so want to see more of Argevollen. i feel that it can still tell a good story. though i'd rant a bit if it pulls something like the Valkyria series is doing.(Azure Revolution)

@Amion: they might...regress to Hirai's older style for the character designs. Scryed and earlier. i haven't see the Majestic Prince manga, are the character designs of the Fail 5 different?

[SonicSP]

Yeah, I would want a sequel to Argevollen as well. The way it was set up felt like there was room for more.

On that note, I loved Majestic Prince so I am glad to have more. The battle cheography was amazing though I think the show is best when it's focussed on comedy though some of the serious aspects were handled mostly well as well. It's a show with a lot of charm and I am glad to hear more is coming.

[Henyo]

anyone else heard about the rebroadcast called majestic Hour?

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