Fafner: Exodus

[Destiny_Gundam]

Kinda feel like they threw too much at us at once in the 2nd half of the episode.

But lol, Maya and Canon talk about Kazuki all the while he's having a romantic moment on the beach with Soushi

[LightningCount]

Hey, in Episode 1 there were 3 or 4 more UN pilots introduced besides the ones seen in Episode 2 (two men, two women, I believe). One or two of those other pilots were visually shown to have survived the missile attack on the Big Island. So, my question is, will we see these pilots again? They all had pretty cool designs.

EDIT: Caught up through Episode 3. Despite some confusion...dare I say that this series and franchise are, at this point, just on a different level than the majority of mecha and anime series running recently. It's got a little bit of everything, it's got scope, and doesn't talk down to the viewer. I'm impressed. It just needs to keep pulling it all together.

[Raikoh]

I think this episode was actually much better than the last few. Now that they've set most of the stuff up, they had some room to breathe and do more things with the characters. I like a lot of the small things, like Sakura playfully challenging Kazuki by comparing him to the new team.

Canon was great, and her names were also great. Shame that she had to change them to Japanese mythology theme naming #3511586.

The new parents look very interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing if they get more drama going on. Maybe even more interesting than their kids.

Lots of butts.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Much better than the previous episode. I've always appreciated Fafner's focus on family. Unlike most mecha pilots they actually have a really good support group.

[Vent Noir]

Much better than the previous episode. I've always appreciated Fafner's focus on family. Unlike most mecha pilots they actually have a really good support group.

Well, early episodes of the first series notwithstanding, anyway.

[Henyo]

I think this episode was actually much better than the last few. Now that they've set most of the stuff up, they had some room to breathe and do more things with the characters. I like a lot of the small things, like Sakura playfully challenging Kazuki by comparing him to the new team.

Canon was great, and her names were also great. Shame that she had to change them to Japanese mythology theme naming #3511586.

The new parents look very interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing if they get more drama going on. Maybe even more interesting than their kids.

Lots of butts.

agreed. on both the families, Canon and ze butts.(hey, fanservice for both genders. )
i hope Canon gets more scenes like in episode 4. really shows how big her development was from the original series. also, She's from Ireland? O_O

anyone guessing how will the pilots dies based on their names? that Mamoru still lingers in me.

[Dark Duel]

Yes, Canon is from Ireland. It's been a few years since I last re watched the first series, but IIRC she's from Dublin. I seem to recall the first time she met that one guy who used to be from Tatsumiya Island (Michio, I think?) was in Ireland as well, but I could be mistaken there.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Well, early episodes of the first series notwithstanding, anyway.

Even then it was only Koyou's parents that were dicks and they got their asses booted from the island.

[Soma Taozi]

The island seems BIGGER this season. Just wider in scope and involving more families that we knew were living on the island, but we never saw it.

Also some good call backs to Right of Left...makes me want to rewatch it.

Overall I agree with Lightning in that Fafner is just so good and a step above the rest of mecha (or most anime in general). This season has been great so far and is doing something every great sequel SHOULD do...expand upon the characters, world, and advance the plot to focus on a more complex conflict. I am loving it!

[Amion]

I've been watching the original series for the first time. Honestly, I'm not all that impressed even now closing in on the 17th episode. It just feels like a retread of Evangalion with choppier animation.

The one thing saving it are probably the characters and their development. They certainly are growing. The deaths, too, are truly hurtful and the loss of said characters bites a chunk out of the show. Like it should. I can think of character deaths in some anime where this isn't so.

Tomi particularly was very poignant. I wasn't expecting a female character to not only feature prominently, but develop fantastically. (I'm not getting her name mixed up, am I?)

The second character who really sticks out is Kazuki. Though I feel half the entire show could have done worlds and worlds better than it did. He doesn't really feel like a living character in comparison to almost everyone else until he deserts. And by then it's a little too late for me to truly care.

All in all, I've enjoyed Exodus more in only three episodes where it took four times that in the original series. Fafner just took way, way too long with its first half to recover for me.

Rant over.

[LightningCount]

I've been watching the original series for the first time. Honestly, I'm not all that impressed even now closing in on the 17th episode. It just feels like a retread of Evangalion with choppier animation.

The one thing saving it are probably the characters and their development. They certainly are growing. The deaths, too, are truly hurtful and the loss of said characters bites a chunk out of the show. Like it should. I can think of character deaths in some anime where this isn't so.

Tomi particularly was very poignant. I wasn't expecting a female character to not only feature prominently, but develop fantastically. (I'm not getting her name mixed up, am I?)

The second character who really sticks out is Kazuki. Though I feel half the entire show could have done worlds and worlds better than it did. He doesn't really feel like a living character in comparison to almost everyone else until he deserts. And by then it's a little too late for me to truly care.

All in all, I've enjoyed Exodus more in only three episodes where it took four times that in the original series. Fafner just took way, way too long with its first half to recover for me.

Rant over.

Amion, Fafner is a weird animal as a franchise. I ignored it for years (partially and regretably because of the character designs), but I finally got around to watching it around two years ago, IIRC. The original TV series is full of interesting ideas, discussions, mechanical designs, twists, and solid character development; yet, it has pacing issues and stilted animation too often when it deserves something more. Despite these shortcomings, I found the positives outweighed the negatives. In a sense, it's in the vein of Evangelion...and actually leaning more toward the more social, balanced, and varied RahXephon; but Fafner's world, and the execution of that world, brings in even broader elements of scope from things like Gundam, Macross, and Yukikaze. (In recent years, it honestly feels like Evangelion has been trying to take elements and sequences from both RahXephon and Fafner to expand/balance its own narrative in the Rebuilds; and dare I say that Gundam 00's A Wakening of the Trailblazer may have been influenced by Fafner?)

The original Fafner TV series does not get a chance to fully convey each of these aspects, but the fact that they're all there, and treated seriously, is very appealing. It's sort of an unpolished gem, where you don't necessarily fall head over heels for it, but you're left with a feeling of intrigue and engagement from the layers of the experience. If the TV series was all there was, I'd probably feel a little less compelled overall. But that's where Fafner really becomes interesting...

I have yet to see all of the 2005 prequel OVA, Right of Left--mostly extended clips and summaries--but from what I have seen, it was already actively solving Fafner's pacing and animation shortcomings, while also elaborating on the intriguing world of the series in striking ways. From what I've been able to gather, I'd say it might be Fafner's version of "Macross Plus." I really hope this gets an official release overseas someday so I can enjoy it properly.

Many of those improvements obviously carried on into Fafner: Heaven and Earth, the sequel to the TV series. Heaven and Earth completely answered the animation issues once and for all, easily keeping up with the latest mecha movies. If there was a problem with this Movie, it's that the main villain is a little lackluster and that it tries to cram too much in by its end. But by doing so, it manages to solidify many of the quiet and bombastic elements the series and its OVA prequel had started and/or promised.

Now, we get to EXODUS, and it's like a cleanup hitter in baseball. Through the ups and downs of the previous Fafner entries, the bases are loaded and the table has been set for a spectacular adventure. The very fact that they're addressing the UN's Human Army up front, and talking about going into the outside world, which I always felt was the one remaining element in need of expansion, is a good sign. I have the soundtracks for the TV series, which have interviews with the creators; and one of their goals from the beginning was essentially to show various generations passing the torch in spite of tragedies, and that is coming to pass as we see the succession of Fafner pilots. I also love that they're talking more about the origins of various D Island systems. It's not often you get to see something like this reach fruition in spite of setbacks. Seeing it come together, and with all of the questions the franchise raises about humanity and the various esoteric elements of its central plot, makes one want to return to the beginning with each new entry to get a fuller grasp of the whole picture. That's a feeling I like in a series, like RahXephon, The Big-O, or Gasaraki. It adds replay value. There's an "elusiveness" to Fafner that's appealing, where you never feel like you can fully grasp everything, especially in one sitting, which compels you to keep watching and seeking answers.

The mecha genre has had a number of interesting and/or solid entries as of late, but I think that Fafner, while it had trouble establishing itself in an earlier age of anime, has shown itself to be something special when seen in a historical context; and it may very well be above the current crop in the way it treats itself and the viewer, because its mindset comes from a different age of anime. I think the knocks it gets--that it's a carbon copy of EVA, or tons more erroneously, Gundam SEED and/or Majestic Prince(?!)--does it a disservice. (For one, EVA never had this expansive of a geopolitical and military setup, nor as expansive of a cast of entire families developing simultaneously.)

So, in the end, it's a slow burn; it's easy to see why it hasn't been able to find mass appeal. Though, one has to say that's a shame. This is an unconventional franchise that has continually improved with age, where the sum is greater than the parts. On a mass level, I think one of the things it has shown me, to my somewhat naive surprise, is how there isn't as much tolerance or demand for a show as there maybe used to be which requires you to actively watch it; this isn't a happy-go-lucky/fun times and straightforward show. While there is nothing wrong with the former, and this has elements of the former sprinkled in, I almost think there is a need for shows like Fafner these days, which bring a thoughtfulness to their excitement. However, admittedly, I may be overstating that.

[LightningCount]

I thought I'd separate this news from the above commentary/reply...

Fafner Exodus will have extended cuts on Blu-Ray/DVD!

From the official website using Google translate: "Blu-ray & DVD Volume 1 Episode 1, which has been recorded in the TV unaired cut (full elongated version), you will be special published by daily 3 cut up to Date! Please check us every day." This message, which popped up while the site was loading, showed a few pictures. I had wondered what happened to some of these scenes! If you watch the old trailers for Exodus, the Human Army has a beautifully animated and heated battle on the Big Island that is previewed in snippets; it looks like that will be on home video at least.

[Amion]

You make a compelling argument Count. And I do agree that there is a lot to Fafner and it does deserve better animation than it obviously got.

I'm still watching it, it's just I'm perhaps a little less entruiged by it since I've seen the more fluid Exodus.

But as I said, the characters have really managed to stick.

[Henyo]

episode 5....interesting reactions from Soushi thanks to the 3rd gen pilots.
Tsubaki's coming put again. things are moving along nice and slowly.

[Dark Duel]

Yes, Tsubaki's apparent return at the end of last episode was...intriguing, especially given the somewhat ominous narration.
But other than that, there are plot threads that intrigue me more.
The first, of course, is clearly a focal one - the team that, at the end of the last episode, left the island. It's obvious that they're going to run into trouble.
But the other one that really piqued my curiosity is one that was visited briefly a couple of episodes back, which is the presence of the Mark Nicht on the island, and the so far unsuccessful efforts to destroy it. IIRC, they said something to the effect that Nicht's presence made it impossible for them to use Mark Sein, due to something to do with their respective cores - I'm too lazy to pull the ep back up.

But why this especially intrigues me is because

Spoiler

the OP to me confirms that not only are they going to overcome that obstacle, they're actually going to FIELD THE FRIGGIN' THING...and IMO, the OP heavily implies(understatement) that Soushi will be its pilot, with Kazuki returning at the controls of the Mark Sein.

So I am extremely curious to see how they're going to pull that off.

Man, now I want to go back and watch the ep of the original series that Tsubaki-chan turns up in again. That kid was so friggin' adorable.

[Destiny_Gundam]

I get the distinct impression that this new Tsubaki isn't going to be the same one we knew before.

[Amion]

I get the distinct impression that this new Tsubaki isn't going to be the same one we knew before.

I'm going to say you called it here, Destiny. I'm getting the same vibe considering the scene of her stepping out of her Anime Girl Tube is very ominous.

[Dark Duel]

Oh, I concur. Especially given the rather ominous/sinister narration during the same scene.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Damn it Soushi, stop spoiling things!

[Amion]

Well. Not necessarily "what a twist!", but things sure got interesting fast.

Spoiler

Very emotional, and now it appears that mean old obaa-san is going to ruin everything! Someone should really do everyone a favor and throw her away. I mean, it's obvious that she's long past her expiration date.