Anime: Shinkon Gattai Godannar!!

<<PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW>>

Where can I begin? This is my first review ever that I have written, so I'll try my best to describe what I can and call it like I see it, but this is just an opinion. And just to put things in perspective I naturally try to remain unbiased when weighing things (meaning I don't let things like genre preference get in the way of my decisions). That said, onto the review!

I'd been putting off watching Godannar for awhile since I got it just because there were so many other great anime titles that had more appeal... and descriptions. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this show other than I knew I wanted to watch a mecha anime, something lighthearted (not too dramatic/traumatic) and possibly on the funny/ecchi side. Boy did I get what I asked for in a big way.

Animation:
Smooth and crisp, things pretty much look the same from scene to scene with two exceptions. One, this style of anime uses really odd facial jaw structure (don't know if anyone really cares) and you often wonder if the girls' chests get miracle grow tossed on them for some scenes. Other than that, quality is great. Consistency would add to animation AND story.

Sound:
The intros both remind me of a '70s style action series intro. Only in Japanese. Kinda felt different, refreshing to hear a bit of variation in style as odd as it felt. Both of them were made specifically for the show, the words consisting of lyrical cheering of the protagonist robot hero. Other than that the music set a great tone throughout the show, though nothing was overly memorable.

Story:
To start off with, it seemed at first to be a "battle of the day" type of series, but with a deep foreshadowing hidden beneath the surface. To me the whole part about the giant robots (and their reasoning behind them) felt a little weak, thrown together. I've seen shows where mecha merge together for some spectacular combination (i.e. Gravion) with some grandiose design... yet these 'bots were totally simple, super weak, and needed constant care. Oh wait maybe that's a plus for realism after all, but who cares with the eye candy right? Yeah, this show is ecchi. ECCHI I say! Trust me, no jiggle was spared here. This is Godannar's fine point and its downfall. Whereas I like ecchi, sometimes it just needs to be well placed. And Godannar's ecchi was splattered everywhere like a kid sneezing all over his dinner plate. At some of the most pinnacle of times, there was quite gratuitous scenery thrown in ruining a perfectly touching moment. HOWEVER, I don't want you to have read this far and think that I'm ragging on these bits, just pointing out the devil in the details. There was storyline progression which came to a head at the second to last episode. Half the time they leave the outcome to your imagination, half the time they show you what went on twice. For those of you out there that value closure when watching a show, rest easy. This one will tie up virtually all of the loose ends it has created, that being a saving grace. I mean, they get married right at the first few minutes of the series, but you never EVER hear about any ACTUAL ..."relating"... (other than fantasies) between the two, even with this being ecchi. I must admit I was shockingly surprised.

Character:
Our main characters are Anna, whom has married Go and both are robot pilots. As far as I know Anna grows through a bit of soul searching that can be repetitive, but also progressive. Sometimes her nagging gets repetitive in its simple urge to bicker back and forth, but thankfully it never lasts long and she learns each time. As for Go, he's our slightly-older-than-his-younger-hero-self but nonetheless still headstrong. He is constantly unsure of where his feeling lie on the surfact, yet deep down he truly knows what is right. There are hosts of other supporting characters whose backgrounds are touched here and there enough to make sense so its not ever as if you wonder "why's this happening with so-and-so now?" Except for Koji. He never dies. Ever. And he just pops in and out of the series and even battle scenes without so much as a warning. Bizarre.

Value:
Godannar had quite a bit of value to it. It actually focused on some real issues, such as martial relations, friendships, and even love. Yes, real love, not this twisted anime-version of love often seen. Of course then there's robots that personify that love. That's about the extent of that.

Enjoyment:
I will say I enjoyed Godannar quite a bit. I found that when I watched an episode and saw a bit of the spoiler for the next one I had to watch it too. There was even one part where most of the characters felt a deep sorrow for another one's passing that I too was affected a little (with the ecchi twist just keeping true emotion at bay). Overall I liked how things ended up and had little questions leftover. (Except WHY were the Mimesis there in the first place, did they answer that, and how'd that one get into space?? Ooh, ecchi...)

Summary:
To sum it up, here's what you'll want to know about Godannar. If you like mecha, it's pretty cool. If you like a love story, it's really cool. (If you know anything at all about incest or trying to figure out someone's gender, this'll have you guessing.) If you like ecchi it's a MUST WATCH. And all in all if you like a nice solid series that keeps you going with little to no fillers (in my humble opinion) and wraps it all up, here's your ticket.