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With the success of Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam and to some extent, ZZ Gundam, Sunrise decided to create a new mecha series since they felt that Gundam was getting too old and thus created Dragonar, a potential sucessor to Gundam and a reintroduction of mecha anime to potential new fans. Even though it was a fairly popular when it aired in 1987, it is a fairly obscure mecha anime that only few fans will hear about and is main reason why no proper subs exist for it.

Being a "remake" of Gundam 0079, the plot bears a lot of similarities to it. Dragonar ... takes place in 2087 where Earth is engaged in a war with the Giganos Empire who seeks to dominate the planet and establish a "rebirth" of mankind. Three teenagers stumble upon three prototype mecha called the Dragonars and are thus forced into the conflict. Due to the fact that Dragonar was also made right after ZZ Gundam, it is less serious than the show it was based off on and has a more comedic and lighthearted tone similar to ZZ. The characters in Dragonar also share many similarities with their 0079 counterparts with Kaine being a goofier version of Amuro Ray, Rose Pattenton being a direct reference to Fraw Bow, Linda Plato a homage to Sayla Mass and Meio Plato resembling Char Aznable completely (with the only difference being that his signature color as an ace is blue, not red).

Even with these similarities to Gundam, Dragonar still manages to be a rather entertaining (if not a bit generic) mecha anime. Its starts up fairly similar and ends fairly similar to 0079, but the main difference between the two series is that Dragonar's main focus is not the mecha battles (even though there are a ton), but rather the romance that develops between Kaine and Linda, along with how Kaine and his two friends, Light and Tap becoming increasingly more important to the Earth Federation. The story picks up and becomes more engaging once the cast leaves space and enters Earth, but the introduction of Gon Jem and his lackeys around the mid way mark of the show results to a somewhat weaker second half. Gon Jem's resemblance to a goat man on steroids,who is supposed to be a feared commander, is simply hard to take seriously as a antagonist. His subordinates with the exception of Min and Zin are also incredibly annoying, but thankfully most of them are gone by the finale. This arc is also one of the silliest, with examples such as Kaine seeking out a one armed martial artist in China in order to learn a technique that can help him beat Gon Jem. Thankfully the last arc of the show is able to turn things around and ends with a satisfying (if not slightly rushed ending), but you will feel that it could have been handled a bit better.

If you're a fan of mecha, Dragonar is worth checking out even though it might not be as good as the anime it was "based" off one. Sadly as mentioned before, there are no completed fansubs for this show and it is thus only viewable with completed HK subs that are often very off in its translation and or in Chinese fansubs. But if you can look over this subtitling issue due to its obscurity, Dragonar is an anime that is worth your time.

When Gundam 00 finished its broadcast, I was quite excited to hear that there was going to be a film sequel to resolve the last part of Aeolia's plan mentioned in the TV series and that it would be the first Gundam iteration in the 30 years of its existence that would actually have aliens included in the story.

A Wakening of the Trailblazer takes place 2 years after the end of season 2 where peace is slowly starting to come true with the A-Laws disbanded, but with the arrival of a bizarre alien life form called the ELS from a space ship sent to Jupiter ... over a hundred years ago, all hell breaks loose and Celestial Being must step in again to save humanity.

Even with this basic plot, I was very excited to actually be able to see this film because I am a rather big fan of Gundam, but upon viewing it, I was both satisfied and disappointed at the same time.

First the good.

The animation looks very similar to the TV series(which isn't a bad thing) but it is of significantly higher quality and shows it off especially during the action sequences. Speaking of action, the movie is full of it. Almost the entire film consists of insane, fast paced mecha battles that made us watch 00 in the first place, you won't be disappointed. The opening scene of the film is hilarious and parodies the series along with making a tribute to the ever popular Gurren Lagann and somewhat referencing the battle of A Baoa Qu from the original Gundam. Also the mecha designs are still as unique as ever, I couldn't tell you how many times I geeked out whenever they started to show off the new Flag mobile suits(ie Braves).

Now for the bad(and sadly there is a lot of it)

The story is VERY generic and any actual plot movement is nonexistent. The only thing that really moves the film's plot is the arrival of the ELS and the constant jibber jabber that minor characters make about stopping them before they reach Earth. If there wasn't any of the fast paced fight scenes, I highly doubt anyone would have wanted to watch this film, there is no point to the story really.

The ELS are fairly underwhelming as alien antagonists. Other mecha series such as Macross were able to successfully utilize aliens into the story by making them unique and interesting with a good backstory. Come on, how are 40 ft aliens who are afraid of affection and culture not interesting? Liquid metal aliens that are fleeing from their destroyed home planet simply doesn't cut it and their assimilation into vehicles on Earth are not frightening nor interesting, they're actually quite hilarious.

The next major problem with the film was its handling of its characters. Several new characters are introduced to the film( ie Descartes Shaman and Meena Carmine) but add nothing to the story, it wouldn't make a difference if they didn't even appear at all. Shaman's character managed to disappoint me the most, as previews made him out to be a major character, instead he gets very little screen time and is there only to be cannonfodder. The returning characters also get very little screen time and most of their appearances are rather pointless, rendering them very one dimensional personalities. Saji and Louise were used in the TV series to show how ordinary people could get involved in conflicts that they don't think would affect them, but they don't serve any purpose in the film they're just there, much like Marina whose appearance seems even more pointless. I don't even know what their purpose was in being shown, despite the fact that they were there. These characters don't even progress any further in film or are the given any sort of epilogue at the end like in season 2, with the exception of a few characters in the last bonus scene.


Besides all of my ramblings about how flawed Trailblazer is, the film is still very entertaining to watch because of its fast paced action sequences and high quality animation. You won't get much depth out of its non existent story and one dimensional characters, but if you want to watch giant robots blow the crap out of each other in fast paced battles, look no further. However, if you are somewhat of a perfectionist and wants to get the ultimate satisfaction out of watching the 00 series, ignore the film completely and just pretend the whole series concludes with season 2.

Before watching Gundam X, I often heard how it was considered to be one of worst Gundam series out there since it only ran for 39 episodes, since it had been canceled due to low rating. But after finishing it just now, I have to say, its probably one of the best Gundam series I've seen and quite possibly one of the more under appreciated anime out there.

Story: Gundam X takes place 15 years after the war between the Earth forces and Space Rebellion which wiped out almost all of the Earth's population due to the use of Newtypes, individuals with advanced abilities. The story ... follows Garrod Ran, a 15 year old boy who runs into a mysterious girl called Tiffa and later decides to join the Freeden, a ship led by Jamil Neate, a former "hero" in the war(think Amuro Ray), in order to protect Tiffa, while traveling the Earth to prevent the abusive use of Newtypes and eventually to stop a war that could result in the same tragedy 15 years ago. The plot set-up can almost be thought of as a pre-cursor to Eureka 7, the main character chooses to join a group of ragtag individuals in order to protect a girl they've taken interest in,not to fight for peace or anything close to it.

Art: Being released in 1996, the art looks dated but still holds up fairly well 14 years since its release. For those who have seen Gundam Wing, you know what you're expecting

Sound: The sound effects and background music are fairly well done( despite the fx sounding a bit old-school and thus similar to Wing again), but the opening themes are very well done and quite catchy too.

Characters: Despite the high enjoyment quality of all other Gundam shows, most of the main characters, were rather annoying, throwing out angst and other "emo" actions that seemed rather siily. Gundam X has a decent set of characters that are all fairly fleshed out and really likable and don't display any of the cliches established by its predecessors. Garrod is a rather interesting main lead and often displays some traits that most teens could relate to. Despite some "angst" he displays in the few beginning episodes of the anime, it actually makes sense why he acts this way. Jamil is a mix of Char, Amuro and even Bright, and acts as the leader figure among the crew of the Freeden and his past involvement in the war only makes him more interesting. Roybea and Witz, the other 2 Gundam pilots, are interesting characters as well and they even have good intentions being involved with the Freeden. The Frost brothers are the ones who truly shine in this show, they are the very definition of evil and will do whatever they want to get what they want.

Enjoyment: Every episode was well done and did a good job of building up to the conclusion. It started out as showing out with showing how the entire cast only worked to find Newtypes scattered around the globe, but slowly begun to realize that encountering them would lead to them becoming involved in a war once again. The only flaw I can think of is that the show was cut short, so starting around episode 30 to the last episode, it felt a bit rushed as I was hit with so much information in a few episodes, but was wrapped up really well overall.

Overall: Don't let the fact that Gundam X gets a bad vibe from many Gundam fans steer you away from watching this. The plot is well paced and the characters are all done fairly well and even has a bit of the political themes found in almost every Gundam series( but to a more limited extent here). This under-appreciated gem is a must watch for anyone who is a fan of mecha, romance or anyone who is an anime fan in general.

I originally heard one of my friends talking about how great 5 Centimeters Per Second was when it came out a few years ago, but I never got around to watchinin love storiesg it since I had no interest watching anything that was heavily focused on themes of romance . But recently, I got an urge to actually sit down and watch this 62 minute film, it was quite possibly one of the most realistic and moving films I have ever seen(despite being an anime).
5 Cm Per Second was written and directed by ... Makoto Shinkai and tells the story of two childhood friends, Tataki Tono and Akari Shinohara who struggle to maintain their relationship despite the fact that slowly begin to drift apart over time due their separation. 5 CM is composed of three short films that follows the lives of the two leads(more specifically Takaki), from their childhood up until the time of their adulthood.
The first short entitled Cherry Blossom, introduces us to the two young children and how they met. The similarities that the two share causes Tataki and Akari to immediately fall for each other in elementary despite their struggles to confess their love for one another. Both believed that they would be together forever until they become separated due to their parents' jobs and also from their graduation of elementary school, but the two children still contact each other from time to time through letters. Realizing that they may never see each other again the two children agree to meet one last time.
The second short, Cosmonaut, now shows Tataki in his third year of high school and focuses on Kanae Sumida, a classmate of Tataki who is hopelessly smitten with him. The second act shows how she endlessly tries to get his attention, only for her to realize that Tataki has no interest, since his mind has been set on something that he either still longs for or lost long ago.
Finally the last short, 5 Centimeters Per Second, takes us to the present where Tataki has become a computer programmer and Akari is preparing to get married. The two still have not contacted each or seen other for many years and suddenly ponders how their lives would have been if they were still together today(though it is not directly stated). One day a chance encounter with each other just might change their lives forever...
The beauty of these short films are that they accurately depicts how life can be very cruel. It does not always turn out the way we want them to be and we can become separated from the ones we care about, due to time and distance. The story does not become to cheesy or cliched like most other films(live action or animated) partly due to Shinkai's superb writing that portrays the story in a very realistic way. The characters are also very relatable too, they are just normal everyday people who face issues that people may have had resulting from the loneliness of being separated from the ones they care about.
The artwork for 5 Centimeters is absolutely stunning. The backdrops are beautifully drawn and animated with vivid colors that gives the film a dream-like feel. Also shots of the large scopes of land also gives off additional vibes to viewers that add to the film's message of distance and time separating individuals. The character designs are also fairly well done, but can feel a bit flat in comparison to the wonderfully drawn backdrops.
Composed by Tenmon, the soundtrack is made up of mostly piano pieces that play from time to time throughout the films that helps enhance the film's message and mood. They are wonderfully done and aids in giving out the message of separation through time and distance a lot more meaning.
Overall, 5 Centimeters Per Second is probably one of the most moving films I have seen so far. The ending does not turn out to be the way we want it to end, but its story telling lets us realize nothing turns out the way we want to. Being separated from ones we care about will cause us grief, but we must learn to move on and set the feelings aside to truly appreciate the beauty of life, even if some our experiences are not what we want them to be. This film should be seen everyone regardless of whether or not they like or hate anime. I have already seen this film several times and it does not get old. The message of the film gets etched in my mind even deeper every time, even though its message is bittersweet.