Brigadoon Episode 26 Discussion

MFDOOMED said:
Its really hard to end an anime. Or a story. Neon Genesis Evangelion couldn't. Not without making the mecha fights pointless. Now that Rebuild is done, a lot of people hate that ending too. It's much easier to create a great premise than actually complete it that idea in a satisfying way. So this anime has a lot in common with most anime.

That being said, there is no payoff to anything. No Mike and Jun, Jun's Mom and Dad, hell even Marin and Melan. And Moe-chan gets left all alone. This show never decided if it wanted to be happy or sad. Hopeful or Melancholy. Fanservice or storytelling. This anime is a 7 out of 10. That's being generous. I would give it a 4 but.....

The soundtrack was unique and different. The main character was a girl in a mech/ super powered friend show. It was wholesome and fun when it wanted to be. It was disturbing and dark on occasion. The ED song was fantastic. This show flirted with accountability and serious topics from time to time. Moto bachan's death was red flagged to all hell but still nice and emotional. Lolo was a great character all around. Sometimes the angles and the scene composition where inventive and cool. Murder Mom was great. She even got a happy ending! And Moe-chan was great from beginning to end.

All those things make the show better than a 4. But the fanservice of children? It went from underwear that looked like diapers to creep shots and panty flashing. Don't little kids want to be turned on by adult looking bodies? Don't adults as well? They even make it a part of the OP so that I chose to skip the OP. Mecha anime are all about fanservice. But choosing when to use it is the most basic part of anime. The story was pretty crap too. If there was an interesting story thread this show dangled in front of us, it almost certainly would be fucked up by poor storytelling. Romantic tension between Marin and Erin. More episodes on Lolo's past, while keeping enough mystery to keep him an enigma. A proper backstory for the gun swordsmen. How about how the Marine Ampoule was lost? I won't even touch what a mess the Lulu arc was.

This show had a small cast and still couldn't tell a proper story. 7 out of 10. Lower your expectations, then lower them some more. Then you might be ready to watch a fun time.

Lastly, this show actually could have benefitted from some 2000's era Western editing. If the only nudity was giant Moe-chan killing people and trying to kill herself, I would raise this show up half a point. If Melan told Marin he can't be with her because she is a little girl and they had one kiss and ended with him going home, this show could even be an 8. Though only if you also give LuLu and Lolo's story proper breadth and a sensible ending.

Why were all the humanoids on Brigadoon women? Why did the astronauts come back to Earth? How did they come back to earth?

Kuston left the same way he appeared. Irrelevantly off camera.

Death means more when people die and stay dead. So many fake outs make it hard to believe she is done for sure. Though Erin made it to the end without being fridged or turned into a tsundere.

Edit; I tracked down the manga. If you combine it with the anime you get a much better story. And pretty much no Loli fanservice. The hensuchi is done much better over there as well. Erin even has a chance at a happy ending. Moe-chan is still left out in the cold tho. Lastly, Marine gets a heartbreaking backstory and becomes a much better character as a result. Your mileage may vary on how much you like the manga if you don't watch the anime, so definitely finish the anime first before tracking down the manga.