Anime: Sky Girls (2007)

Surprisingly okay for an anime which seems to focus on lolicons.

I'm not really a fan of the so-called lolicon-style characters and this show seemingly didn't have anything to offer but a simple plotline with mecha and ecchi. In the end, most of it still holds true, as the show doesn't really hold any value in terms of rewatchability or anything, but the show does manage to entertain somewhat. The ecchi part, however, is mostly hidden in fanservice though. Which makes the series a lot more watchable for the majority of watchers.

Animation: Switches back and forth between flat to detailed.

For some reason it is hard to say whether the show has a good or bad animation. At times the show puts some real effort into designing the characters, giving them really nice movements and adds details to their clothing or takes time to draw the backgrounds with nice colors. On the other hand you also see scenes where the background seems to be rushed, as it is done with a surprising lack of detail, or simply a few boxes made with obviously low quality CG. Or the characters who suddenly make a move as if their puppeteer took a sneeze while operating.

It isn't really annoying, but it does manage to get you to notice those flaws. The problem here is that whenever you notice that, it screams ‘deadline’ and you're left with low quality shots, which are simply disappointing.
Because, honestly, the show does seem to be above average in terms of animation, as the good scenes obviously point out. Good coloring, well-done character designs where at times the facial expressions seem to take a turn for the better – and CG which seems to integrate really well with the rest of the animation.

Sound: Horrendous OP, but exciting BGM with a few songs.

The first thing which comes to mind when I think of the sound of this show, is the incredibly silly OP-song. I'm not even talking about the quality of the singing, which is below par for Mell, who gained credits for her Blue Lagoon song, but I'm merely pointing at the hideous text the song contains. Not only does the song make absolutely no sense when it comes to the English text in it, but the song itself seems to have been made with the sole intention for the show itself. In short: low budget-song.

The voice actors on the other hand are doing a wonderful job. There are no characters who seem to have a mismatched voice and there are also no badly casted voice actors, so that makes the show a lot more solid than initially expected.
Add the good use of exciting BGM and a few songs which are used as background music, and this show excels in this aspect – if not for the lousy OP-song and the mediocre ED-song, which also features a pretty simple animated gif.

Story: Simple, but has a fairly interesting conclusion.

As said before, these kind of shows usually don't have anything to offer in terms of plot. Sky Girls doesn't prove to be any better – but also not any worse than expected. The story is fairly simple and straight ahead, where they focus mostly on the character relationships and personalities rather than developing a real plot. Truth be told, the ecchi aspect is mostly hidden away in mere fanservice shots, which don't seem to be placed much in the foreground. So despite it having a shitload of fanservice, it never manages to become an ecchi comedy.

In the latter stages of the show, the series manages to get a few surprises in, but the show simply doesn't allow it to be the main event. The show is not merely good enough to get your attention in the first place when it comes to the plot, so it usually goes on without any real surprises. The decent finale is therefore also more to make up for the lack of plotline in the episodes before that.

Characters: Surprisingly much character focused.

I was surprised by the amount of personality focus for this show. While none of the characters are dragged through the mud, this easygoing series in a semi-apocalyptic world tends to focus on their lives, their personalities and the way they communicate with each other. It doesn't bring any surprises, but the way the characters are being portrayed does give you the feeling of a character-driven show. Together with the easygoing pace of the show, the series simply makes the best of the characters, focusing on the interaction rather than character depth.


Value & Enjoyment: A decent watch.

This series has pretty much no value whatsoever, but it is still a decent watch. There is no reason to buy the show, as the rewatch value is pretty much missing. I can't imagine anyone rewatching this show, unless they are really bored.
The final conclusion of this show is also: watchable, but there is plenty of better stuff out there that it might take awhile until you believe this is worth the watch. But if you watch it, it is also not a complete waste of time as it does provide you with a fair bit of entertainment.

An mecha anime that's driven on character development? Sweet..[br][br]Yes, that's what I thought, I'm no big fan of mecha, but it's enjoyable once in a while, so I decided to watch this anime, but just to be suprised that mecha wasn't a big part of this show, it's all about the character here, most of the anime evolves around our lead character and her development.[br][br]But not only that, it's the same by the other characters and they're relationships with each other, it's a really good story, (if you find the characters intresting enough). If you don't? Don't watch and drop it.[br][br]The art's pretty simple but yet beautiful most of the time's, so is the story. The character look-a-like a lot, yet you can discover major difference's about them. Good sound, the extra mecha and action parts in the anime are enjoyable too, so are the enemy's.[br][br]Great anime if you enjoy serious, yet funny anime's, which carries alot of value, if you like to watch people mature through time, then this is also a highly recommended anime.[br][br]

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Quick Take: Four girls pilot flying suits and battle worms. But it's really a loli series. Don't ya love loli series? They make me want to return to high school or go back to Japan. But in the end, the series has to be ABOUT something other than showing tiny girls in scanty outfits or form-fitting military suits. Still, it's a fun ride for loli-lovers.

The series is about 4 gals who are pilots of a new type of flying power suit, fighting "worms," an alien infestation of huge and powerful formless slugs. Mostly, it's about the training of the 4 and forming them into a team.
This review is based on Ayako HD fansubs. and they look GOOOD in HD, and is perhaps appropriate for ages 13 and up. I have seen the R2J DVDs, and have not changed any of my ratings.


Animation: Very pretty 2 D animation with occasional 3D mixed in. Directed by Iwasaki Yoshiaki (Love Hina, Bottle Fairy, Sky Girls OAV), this is a post-apocalyptic 26-ep series based directly on the characters of the OAV. It uses many of the conventions of mecha animation, and mixes in good 3D in a mostly-unobtrusive manner. The color palate is bright and cheery, as is the emotional tone of the series; it's not a war drama, it's a sitcom. The animation production is by JC Staff (Ah My Goddess, ROD TV, etc) so it's technically excellent. In particular, I liked the "character development" episodes, because they gave the animators the chance to develop the facial reactions of the characters. There are a fair amount of mechanicals in this mecha anime, and they all look good.

I'd rate the animation the best feature, and give it an 8.5.


Sound: Good OP and ED (there were two EDs in the series), good foley and seiyuu. But to my taste, not enough sound sfx or a wide enough soundstage to match the good animation, but it's otherwise very good. The DVDs improve on the soundstage somewhat. On the positive side, the actors seemed to want to sell their characters, so they are quite energetic and enthusiastic. I actually bought the loli premise, even though the characters were voiced by older seiyuu. On the downside, I didn't care for the ED as it was a little too static in animation, but it's a fairly little nit to pick. Seiyuu do a good job being cute, and the side character parts are nicely voiced. Nothing earthshattering, but rating an 8. I think the sound is done fairly well.



Story: Read the synopsis and you'll be amazed in how little the series is about what it's supposed to be about. It's mostly a buddy show. Supposedly this series is about a post-apocalyptic earth that has had a violent encounter with "worms", and the Sonic Diver team of Otoha, Karen, Eika and eventually Elise are created to fight them. You would expect non-stop action. However, they give us mostly an opportunity to watch high-school age girls grow up, relate and take responsibility as adults.

It's mostly a lolifest, with cute butt shots, an obligatory onsen (hot springs) episode (or two) and more than a couple locker-room scenes, with occasional action sequences that to me are oddly anticlimactic.

It's not the "monster of the week," it's the "character of the week." Each of the main characters get their backstory episode, and each gets a development episode. It's mostly about the relationships these gals have, their backstories (some are not developed and should have been, including the main characters), so here is where the writers could have spent a little more time. If it's about worms, it should reflect that. So, at best, and although the episodes are mostly fun, I can't rate it higher than a 6.5. It's not going much of anywhere, and it's not getting there fast. But it's a fun ride anyway.


Character: moe cute and a lot of fanservice, with some backstory and character development that let us have more imagination than is proper. The character designs by Kazunori Iwakura (kimikiss pure rouge, Ai Yori Aioshi, Revolutionary Girl Utena) and Takeshi Iizuka (aka Kouhaku Kuroboshi of Kino no Tabi fame) do a particularly good job in making interesting characters we care about. Lots of little touches to make them stand out from each other, including unique facial or body movements (straightening glasses, for example). Unfortunately, some of the major characters are not given enough backstory or development to flesh out the running mysteries each carries, and it's the only major detraction. My rating is a 7+.


Value: Lolicon is a niche, and it's not a "general market" series. Really worth getting, if your a fan of loli series, and the fansubs are good. Now, there are other shows that do loli fanservice. and other shows about girls, and other mecha shows and other fighting shows, but the mix is, well, quite enjoyable. I'd rate it worth collecting on fansub, and though I have the R2J DVDs, I don't know if I'd buy R1 dubs (of course, if they choose a good english cast, I reserve the right to change this). Loli series rarely goes higher than a 6 in my rating scheme, but if you're addicted, you might rate it higher.

Enjoyment: lolipower! fighting! fanservice! powersuits! Hot springs and locker-rooms! What's not to enjoy? Oh, so you want a coherent story? HA! It's mostly an episodic sitcom. So, rating on the elements, a 9 and on the mix, a 6, with the end product a solid 7.


Conclusion: A nice way to spend a couple of days with cute girls, form-fitting suits, giant powersuits and a little bit of action. Cute characters and a lot of drool make this worth collecting in a decent fansub. Lolicons, have at it!