So, I've been watching TV lately. This includes a bunch of anime, specifically, a whole shwack of UC Gundam and checking out Linebarrels of Iron.
In fact, since I watched them at about the same time, I'm probably going to contrast and compare Linebarrels and Double Zeta on account of finding being pretty opposite in terms of enjoyment.
Specifically, I really enjoyed watching the first few episodes of Linebarrel. I mean, the first episode sets it up as a wish fulfillment anime of the worst kind, and then it just subverts that premise beautifully. Showing the kind of horrid mess that would happen if most people who are repressed like that were given a stupendously badass giant robot they could control with their mind. And also, if they got super strong and effectively immortal as part of the bargain.
The problem comes when, after they go through the first arc and the horrible shit that is all the main character's fault happens, and it goes back to being... a wish fulfillment anime. There's toying with character development, but the ending is just horrific. Having a climactic showdown with the Rival who is winning because he's good at fighting ends when a) the Rival holds back, and b) Linebarrel just gets arbitrarily more powerful. And this is a trend, the main character never improves, when he's in danger of losing he just gets more powerful. Then there's the final battle, where the bad guys make an impassioned plea for the good guys to surrender because their world view is totally logical and inevitable and better and they don't want to kill people on the way to that end. And they make a pretty decent argument for why they're right. And then the main character gives a reply that can be summarized as "You're wrong cause you think too much! And I fight because I look fucking awesome!" Cue the entire cast, which had been wavering in the face of an unwinnable fight and had been listening in having their own chance to say, in their own words, "Damn! I'd been having doubts, but being reminded that you DO look fucking awesome has made me want to fight again!"
Sooooo, yeah. Fucking Terrible.
Double Zeta on the other hand, started pretty bad, what with the whole kids performing humourous hijinks, except in your traditional Gundam military setting where it'd normally get them shot for insubordination. Or, y'know, treason. Especially with the mood whiplash of starting this shortly after finishing Zeta Gundam, which is kinda fitting since the series starts just a few days after Z Gundam ends. That said, once the main character starts getting serious about things, and we move away from Masshima and Chara as antagonists and get back to Haman and the actual Neo-Zeon war, it improves pretty quickly. And while there's still some bad episodes (the desert arc is just, ugh), once you actually hit Dakar it's mostly solid. A few too many beats from Zeta at the end, but otherwise, it's a good solid ending. And this also has a point where one of the bad guys (not the primary villain, though Haman and Judau also talk often enough) gets into that same motivational speech, and Judau actually has a pretty decent answer, which was especially nice after Linebarrel.
So, yeah, finished Zeta which was pretty gripping the whole way through. I can see why it's generally considered one of the best Gundam series. There's a few flaws (Katz and Reccoa are pretty uniformly horrible), but I also really enjoyed some members of the cast; Emma Sheen probably being my favourite character in the whole thing.
Also followed up the end of ZZ by watching Char's Counterattack. Quess is pretty horrible, though between being a teenager with horrible parents and getting Cyber Newtype treatments halfway through the movie I'm not sure she really had any hope of not being horrible. Chan is probably my favourite of the new characters, and I liked the arc with her and Amuro. The ending was also pretty cool, and a nice capstone for a story arc that's basically been around since the start of Mobile Suit Gundam.
