Sep 27, 2019
Studio Nexus' love letter to the dying art of the 2D Mecha, Granbelm, is one of the most interesting rides an anime has taken me on in years. There's a lot that could reasonably scare a person away from this series, including a jarring 1st episode that intentionally makes itself hard to follow, aesthetic choices that lean very heavily on the series' influences, and a hook that can't really be explained without meta spoilers. However, the series' artistic merit shines through with an incredibly wonderful cast of characters, some of the best sound design I've ever heard in an anime, and a very tightly written
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story with virtually nothing even resembling filler.
Granbelm's twists and turns into existentialism hit a very sweet spot, never reaching the cynicism and"edge factor" of Madoka Magica, while neither being the fluff of the genre both series were born from. Granbelm WANTS you to love life. Granbelm WANTS you to know that loss can be overcome. Granbelm wants you to be a better person and take stock of the fact that the impact of your actions will always live on after you leave this world.
The pacing of this show is fine, but it requires the benefit of the doubt in the beginning. After a moderately slow start to the show, it kicks into high gear around episode 4 or 5 and never looks back. There was a stretch in the middle of this series where every week I said something to the effect of "that was the best episode yet." because nearly every episode improves on the one previous. One of the things that Granbelm succeeds at is carving out a plot that never takes any of it's runtime for granted. Every moment is important. Every moment builds to something. Small details foreshadow future twists so that none of them feel like they come out of nowhere.
The character animation of the series does it's job, and the art style it what you would expect from the people who made it, but the thing that has to be talked about are probably the most polarizing part of the series: The mechas. I was initially in the camp of these being the biggest misstep the series had going for it, but seeing them in action every week, at some point the coin completely flipped for me. I found myself wanting to own figures of these things, and I never knew when it happen, but I know that seeing them in motion and action is the best possible way to experience them. Fans of SD Gundam will recognize the approach immediately, and I think it's a welcome change from the very humanoid approach to mecha that has been the standard since Evangelion.
The series sound design and use of it's music are absolutely flawless. I would very seriously consider it as the best sound design I've ever heard in any medium. The OST is triumphant when it needs to be, ominous when it needs to be, annd beautiful even when it doesn't need to be, but you never complain. The OP/ED and insert songs are all so heavily tied into the series that they have to be mentioned, conveying the emotional messages the series has to offer the whole way.The SFX are ethereal and mystical, with each character's mecha (or as Granbelm calls it, the Armanox) creating sounds that capture the essense of their character background. Some attacks sound like anguished screams, some like desperate cries for help, some like loneliness and despair, creating some of the most unique sounding battles in anime.
Overall, I think the reduction of art to a number on a x/10 scale is ultimately pointless. I can't pretend to tell you that the series has no flaws, only that it's flaws are so heavily outweighed by things that for 13 weeks, made me experience such overwhelming love for the series and the people who created it, and that love warrants a Granbelm getting a 10/10 to me regardless.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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