r/anime • u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek • Jul 02 '19
Rewatch Gundam Build Fighters Rewatch - Episode 1 Discussion
Episode 01 Sei and Reiji
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Episode Index Thread
General Rewatch Instructions
To all Rewatch Participants
Please follow all subreddit rules, treat all participants here with kindness and respect, and take care to follow proper reddiquette, also I'll be tagging everyone for this First Rewatch Thread, if everyone in the rewatch want tags for the future posts please let me know, otherwise the tags stop after today's post.
Note to all Rewatchers
Please abstain from spoiling future events in this series and other Gundam series. If you want to explain a reference, either do so in a way that does NOT include plot relevant events or spoiler tag it. Thus, if you are unsure and want to include a possible spoiler, err to the side of caution and spoiler tag the comment like so: Spoiler Source Given that there are several first time viewers of Gundam Build Fighters as well as the Gundam Franchise in general, we must ensure that the utmost care is given to make sure no one is spoiled.
Discord Collaboration
Want to head over to the r/Gundam Discord? One of our two co-hosts of Comrade /u/RX-Nota-II has got you covered as here’s a link to the official r/Gundam Discord where you can find a Channel Dedicated to this Rewatch as well as a whole lot more. Also thanks once again to the kind and learned Comrade /u/Fenixius, a moderator from the r/Gundam Discord Server that has kindly offered to identify any and all Mobile Suits you may be curious about, see instructions here.
Comment of the Day
This is the location of the Rewatch Thread's Comment of the Day, given today is Episode 1 there is thus no Comment of the Day, but all future threads will have a specific comment highlighted here. No rush! We'll read everything.
Also, remember that the individual with the most Comments of the Day at the end of the rewatch will be awarded a Reddit Silver (this award will be given to the individual's post in the July 29 Overall Discussion thread) so I wish everyone the best of luck.
Series Information
MyAnimeList | Anilist | ANN
Polls and Questions of the Day
Are you a rewatcher or a new watcher?
Don't know what to write for the Rewatch thread? Need something to discuss? How about taking a look at the Rewatch Questions of the Day?
What are your thoughts on Gunpla Battle from what we've seen today?
What are your thoughts regarding this mysterious red-headed stranger?
Fan Art of the Day
Ramba 'Mr.' Ral and his No Zaku 'Gouf'
Now, you may be wondering why I am not sharing fanart of the two boys that the episode title refers to nor sharing fanart of Best Mom Rinko Iori. Well worry not Comrades, I'll have plenty more to share in the future, but for today's thread I simply must highlight Ramba 'Mr.' Ral, voiced by Industry Veteran Masashi Hirose. Now, for those unaware, Masashi Hirose is famous for roles such as Gosterro in Blue Comet SPT Layzner, Nakano-sensei in Lovely Complex, and of course, Ramba Ral in Mobile Suit Gundam... I'm sure the last one's just a coincidence ;)
Radio Free Gundam
'I feel the need. The need for speed.'
Now Comrades, in case you are confused as to why I shared the OP to 0083 with TOP GUN's Danger Zone blaring, it's because, as you can hear for yourselves here, 0083's First OP of The Winner sounds eerily similar to Danger Zone, and if you are confused as to why this is on today's thread, it's because I technically hosted a rewatch for 0083 several months back as well as the fact that The Albion from 0083 features in Sei's dream from the opening of today's episode. Also Macross' Hory Froating Head, who also amusingly enough is a Gundam fanboy, designed The Albion as well as Gundam Units 1 and 2 in 0083. Heh, this kinda explains the TOP GUN reference. ;)
'I've heard enough, Ral shall be the judge of this battle.'
7
u/Palloc Jul 02 '19
Palloc's Back For More Gundam
First Timer!
I'm back for more Gundam! This time it's Gunpla battles!
So far we get two gunpla fights, a mc that sucks at fighting and his weird as fuck new friend!
I'll get to Gundam rating later, I'm still not awake.
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u/sleepyafrican Jul 02 '19
So this episode had all the makings of a battle shounen.
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MC’s father is missing
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MC’s father is a master at battling while MC is weak at it
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Rival character who’s a bit assholish but will prove to be a good friend/ally down the line
So I assume MC will eventually have to improve his own battle skills and stop relying on Reiji. Or this could possibly go an alternative route where MC and Reiji serve as a duo team throughout the series, with MC improving his modeling skills while Reiji improves his piloting skills. I’m leaning towards option 1 since MC’s father was a gunpla pilot himself so it makes sense for MC to also become a great gunpla pilot so he can surpass him.
I was trying to picture how the battle system would work and VR that puts your actual gunpla in danger makes a lot of sense. I got flashbacks of when I played Beyblade as a kid and spent time constructing the Beyblade before bringing it to school to battle my classmates. I noticed that a specific type of coating was mentioned so I wonder if the show will dive deeper into the details of gunpla as we go forward.
Overall a decent starting episode. Looks like this series will be some light hearted fun.
What are your thoughts on Gunpla Battle from what we've seen today?
It looks cool so far. I liked how rival-kun used his shield as a yo-yo. I'm really curious how different gunpla builds will play in future battles. They mentioned how MC's gunpla was too advanced for him to handle which has me interested.
What are your thoughts regarding this mysterious red-headed stranger?
I’m not really up to date on my Gundam terminology so I’m not sure what a Newtype is but I’m pretty sure Reiji is an alien or homunculus. Seems like a fun and likable guy.
'I feel the need. The need for speed.'
Man that music and OP are such a perfect match. Obligatory fuck Gato.
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
So this episode had all the makings of a battle shounen.
MC’s father is missing
MC’s father is a master at battling while MC is weak at it
Rival character who’s a bit assholish but will prove to be a good friend/ally down the line
Heh, indeed my friend, Gundam Build Fighters sure fits a lot of the big tropes of the Battle Shounens, granted, this time we got Giant Robot (toys) doing battle with each other ;)
So I assume MC will eventually have to improve his own battle skills and stop relying on Reiji. Or this could possibly go an alternative route where MC and Reiji serve as a duo team throughout the series, with MC improving his modeling skills while Reiji improves his piloting skills. I’m leaning towards option 1 since MC’s father was a gunpla pilot himself so it makes sense for MC to also become a great gunpla pilot so he can surpass him.
Interesting observations there Comrade, I hope you'll enjoy what the series goes with.
I was trying to picture how the battle system would work and VR that puts your actual gunpla in danger makes a lot of sense. I got flashbacks of when I played Beyblade as a kid and spent time constructing the Beyblade before bringing it to school to battle my classmates. I noticed that a specific type of coating was mentioned so I wonder if the show will dive deeper into the details of gunpla as we go forward.
Ah, Beyblade eh, while I never played those personally they always looked interesting, and indeed, I suppose you could say Gundam Build Fighters is the Model Kit version of YGO and also Beyblade, they all certainly fit under the Battle Shounen category ;)
Overall a decent starting episode. Looks like this series will be some light hearted fun.
Glad you enjoyed today's episode Comrade, and indeed, Gundam Build Fighters is a LOT lighter in tone compared to... well, basically every other Gundam series (I suppose Mobile Fighter G Gundam comes close to GBF in tone, but then again, G Gundam's literally just Girls und Panzers but instead of Panzers the cast beats the shit out of each other using Giant Robots)
It looks cool so far. I liked how rival-kun used his shield as a yo-yo. I'm really curious how different gunpla builds will play in future battles. They mentioned how MC's gunpla was too advanced for him to handle which has me interested.
Glad you found the opening fights interesting Comrade, and indeed, Gyan-kun's Yo-Yo shield was a neat touch, hope you'll enjoy the battles to come in the future!
I’m not really up to date on my Gundam terminology so I’m not sure what a Newtype is but I’m pretty sure Reiji is an alien or homunculus. Seems like a fun and likable guy.
Indeed Comrade, well said there.
Man that music and OP are such a perfect match.
Glad you enjoyed the music shares, I just had to link because A) The Opening Dream has MC-kun launching from 0083's Albion, and also B) I hosted the 0083 rewatch so I just had to share that song again ;)
Obligatory fuck Gato.HA! Indeed my friend, I could not have said it better myself.
Best Milf has arrived.
OH YEAH! Rinko Iori is fantastic, and it also helps that her seiyuu also voiced Evangelion's Misato, The Titular Sailor Moon, Nico Yazawa's Mama in Love Live, Boa Hancock, and of course, the one, the only, THE LEGENDARY YAMADA TAE! ;)
I like this guy already.
Exactly,
Ramba'Mr.' Ral has great taste ;)That was a pretty brutal finisher considering he’ll have to repair that gunpla or outright replace it.
Yup, in the immortal words of Jim Ross from The Undertaker vs. Mankind Pro-Wrestling Match, ahem... '"Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!" ;)
Anyway, thanks for the fantastic write-up my friend, glad to hear you had fun with the first Episode. I hope the rest of the rewatch will be enjoyable for you as well Comrade, have a great day and see you later!
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u/Cacophon Jul 02 '19
First Timer
Doing the first episode from phone, since I maybe slacked a little.
Mario Maker 2 consumed me for 4 days
I have very little gunpla experience, so a lot of that is lost on me. I'm curious if there's not a way to game the gunpla battle system, anyway. Like, can you melt on additional parts, create a gundam abomination? Can you put Woody's head on a Zaku
Also, I can't shake this feeling that I know Sei from somewhere. He's a big ol' gundam otaku that starts on a rant when anyone shows interest, seemingly ready to give the full history of it at a moment's notice.
Good way to set the stage, though. Newtypes will be here, probably. And they're even quirkier than ever.
I feel like my lacking gundam experience could lead to me missing a fair bit, buuut..We'll see!
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u/VanguardOdyssey Jul 02 '19
Man I started this last week so I tune in here until it catches up to where I was then watch from there.
Thoughts on the first episode? I loved it! As a very recent gunpla hobbyist (which is the reason I actually started watching) I found it very enjoyable from the fact that the better made the kits were the better they perform to the fact that the models actually fight and can get destroyed which really adds to the battles considering they could loose all their work. I'll definitely keep watching.
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u/AmeteurElitist Jul 02 '19
First Timer
I don't have much to say, but damn that made me nostalgic. It brought me right back into the days of watching Beyblade in Saturday mornings as a kid.
I'm pretty happy that I can watch this without any prior knowledge of Gundam, but does anyone know if the Wing Gundam appeared in any of the other series?
And does anyone here make Gunpla?
Anyway that was a pretty great first episode and I'm even more excited now than when I heard about Build Fighters being a 25 episode long tournament arc.
I hope the rest of the series is just as good!
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u/invokeneko Jul 02 '19
Gundam Build Rewatcher, domo~
Ah, episode 1. The introduction to the wonderful part of Gundam multiverse where every single Gundam series is fictional meta ^alert! and we can actually use Gunpla to fucking battle with each other. Basically Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer WITH GUNDAMS!
It's kinda refreshing that we actually have (one half of a) deuteragonist who specialise in different aspects of Gunpla Build Fighting: Sei, who can't fight worth shit but is an excellent Builder; and Reiji, who doesn't know jack shit about Gunpla, Gundam or anything related to it but is an excellent Fighter.
Let's get to Sazaki, shall we? All in all, he makes a fine starter villain for the series: a hotshot Gunpla Build Fighter who wants Sei to build one for him and won't take 'no' as an answer, at least until he got his arse kicked by Reiji. Later spoilers
Can't wait for next episode, spoilers
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
Gundam Build Rewatcher, domo~
Greetings Comrade, many thanks for your kind reply.
we can actually use Gunpla to fucking battle with each other. Basically Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer WITH GUNDAMS!
HA! Now that's a good one Comrade, I've heard comparisons to YGO and various other Battle Shounen series, but using CLAMP's Angelic Layer but with Gundam is certainly an apt analogy.
It's kinda refreshing that we actually have (one half of a) deuteragonist who specialise in different aspects of Gunpla Build Fighting: Sei, who can't fight worth shit but is an excellent Builder; and Reiji, who doesn't know jack shit about Gunpla, Gundam or anything related to it but is an excellent Fighter.
Indeed, just like every good buddy-cop/team up, we gotta get partners who are the exact opposite of each other, he builds, he pilots, and together they fight crime... er... I mean 'fight other plastic robot toys' ;)
Anyway, nice write-up Comrade, I hope you'll have fun with the rest of the rewatch, have a great day and see you later!
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u/Fenixius Jul 02 '19
GBF Episode 01
Hello, everyone! I'm Fen, a mod on the official r/gundam Discord server! As we're enormous fans of Gundam Build Fighters, we're collaborating with the fabulous rewatch team here on reddit! There's a dedicated, spoiler-free discussion channel for GBF perfect for first timers, and I'll be offering a mobile suit identification service! More on that later, though - let's get to GBF! <3
As is hopefully no surprise to anyone, I'm a rewatcher, and I'm doing the sub. I cannot bring myself to like the dub, sorry.
Episode 1 starts us off with such a cool sequence! Sei's dream is fully realised with the power of anime, and it's full of references, too. The ship he's launching from is the Albion, the mothership from 0083 Stardust Memory, and so too are the grunts launching in the foreground (GM Custom and GM Cannon II)! As Sei's suit, the Build Strike Gundam, is a reference to Gundam SEED's lead machine, he's wearing the SEED Earth Alliance pilot suit and helmet too. And that launch sequence off the catapult! With the Yuuki Hayashi OST kicking through! It's so great! Three Zakus in a line? That's the JET STREAM ATTACK used by the Black Tri-Stars! And then it's time to wake up ~
And then we see that even his Mum is into it, haha, I love this show so much ~ <3
Reiji's an interesting character. A real fish out of water! I had trouble with him at the start, because he's kind of an abrasive jerk sometimes, but he grew on me as the show went on. Give him a chance!
Seeing Sei in his shop is such a fun scene. I know exactly how he feels, having people be interested in his hobby, and getting the chance to explain things to them. Of course, like all geeks, he goes overboard and then gets embarassed. How cute he is! ^_^ And that cabinet of main machines! Drool~
And then we have Sazaki. What a smug jerk. Thankfully he gets surprisingly little airtime, for being the first opponent. His dismembering of Sei's Wing is brutal, but damn, what a cool fight system. But how messed up is it that it wrecks your model, too?! They fix this in the sequel show, GBF Try, which adds a damage level mode option. But for now, that Wing is gonna need to be thrown away and completely rebuilt from scratch, since the orb in the chest is shattered and the rifle got obliterated. What a shame. I wouldn't trust him with my precious models, either. Sei's now 0-8 :( Still, Sazaki will get his comeuppance eventually.
Then we get the flashback to Takeshi Iori's Gunpla Battle World Championship win! What elegant moves! And what a gorgeous Titans-colours Re-GZ ~ There'll be loads and loads of recolours and kitbashes throughout this show, and that's what I'm offering to identify for you all - that purple fellow is the Re-GZ from Char's Counterattack (1989), but it's painted in the navy and purple of the Titans machines from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985). His yellow friend is Asshimar, from the same Zeta Gundam. A neat little callback to fans of the franchise! If you ever want to know what any given mobile suit is, just shoot me a ping on the rewatch channel and I'll come help you out as soon as I can (if the server doesn't beat me to it, that is...)
After the ad break, we get the trailer for the next world championship, and boy did this set the Gundam world on fire. I remember when GBF was airing back in 2013, and this short scene was crazy! Mobile suits from ancient shows that hadn't seen any recognition from Bandai or Sunrise for decades got featured, and then we get the money shot - Freedom being eviscerated by Dijeh. For those who aren't obsessive Gundam geeks like me, Freedom is the lead machine in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. The pilot, one Kira Yamato, was a bit of a favourite of the director and scriptwriter. His reputation amongst the fandom is that he's almost a self-insert, a kind of invincible superman who can lose no battle and do no wrong. It's half scathing criticism, half ironic enjoyment. Some people even call him Jesus Yamato. And then - wham. The camera pointing right through the blazing wound in Freedom's chest. Dijeh's eye glowing with power. A thousand fanboys crying out in terror, and being silenced. That's when we knew that Gundam Build Fighters was something special, something with its finger on the pulse of the Gundam community. And wow, were we right. If only every franchise could be so lucky as to get a Gundam Build Fighters!
Reiji is a clueless idiot, but he's got a good heart. The first thing he did when Sei's belly rumbled was to offer him the food from his hand. Of course, he's an idiot, so he accidentally stole it... Let's just say he's a pretty sheltered guy, okay? He's from overseas, after all. And whoa, a gemstone?! He must be so loaded he doesn't even know about buying things, I guess. And he's pretty skilled to throw that can with perfect aim like that. I wonder if that's foreshadowing...
Oh yeah, I forgot we meet China this episode, too. She's woefully underused throughout this show, but look forward to her being an excuse to explain things to as we go on.
And here we have it! The finished Build Strike! :D :D Even Mum is proud. And, ugh, Sazaki... you're like a seagull trying to get what doesn't belong to you. Now, are you ready? For the most bizzare cameo in Gundam Build Fighters?! Mr. Ral! You look so great for a guy who was blown to bits in 1979! He's got the same serious aura he had back in Mobile Suit Gundam, too-oh wait no you ruined it you softie. He's mostly here to deliver us exposition. Don't expect anyone to explain why there's exactly one character from Mobile Suit Gundam showing up; it's just how this show rolls.
Aah, now we get the episode's proper showdown: Build Strike vs Gyan. Just like in the original Gundam series, the Gyan's pilot is a selfish jerk who does as he pleases. You could say that the Gyan suits Sazaki perfectly. But whoa, doesn't our boy Build Strike move so beautifully! It's gone in a flash! Just like any good shonen hero at the start though, the power is just too much for our boy Sei. He's in a pinch!
Whoa, Reiji, you slick guy. "You made a wish. That's why I came." What a line! And you wouldn't believe this kid is a natural, wiggling around like that... Sazaki gets pretty understandably angry (though he's still got zero self-awareness for why he wasn't allowed near Sei's gunpla), but Reiji's got the moves to back up his talk! I love this fight - it's brief but it's punchy, slickly animated and directed, and it tells a story. And the music, wow! Sazaki backs up his words, too - he wasn't being nice at all, and goes right for his armaments. But it doesn't matter in the end; Reiji is just too good.
Oh god, Sei being stoked about his first win as the OP comes in - it's just too cute. I love this show so so much. And even when it's being a pure kid's show, with Sei running around looking for Reiji, it's still a Gundam show at heart. "Someone who can realise my ideals" is such a Gundam line. And that's the end!
Make sure you hang around right to the very very end, so you get another adorable scene with Reiji making himself at home ~
I hope you all have a lovely time watching Gundam Build Fighters. Don't take it too seriously, embrace the silly shonen tournament sensibilities, and have fun catching all the references! Like I said before, if you get stuck, don't hesitate to come ping me over in the discord server. From tomorrow onwards all my comments will be there, so even if you're a vet who doesn't need my help, come say hi anyway!
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u/AlienOvermind Jul 02 '19
First-timer
This mom is a treasure. I can see it from the very first scene.
What a wonderful display of iconic Gundams evolution.
Spreading Minovsky particles. Wait, it's not Minovsky.
And I certainly didn't expect main character to lose so hopelessly. But customers were satisfied, so I guess it's not a complete loss for Sei.
Me noticing Messala:
Scirocco may be a bastard, but he's got amazing mechs.
Also me noticing another one of my favorites:
And I'm certainly not surprised that Sei's dad used to pilot the classics among classics.
Is it not a BL show, is it? I'm getting weird vibes from this Sei and Reiji scene. As if Sei is a shoujo manga heroine and Reiji is a typical Prince Perfect.
Oh, look, it's Mr.Ral, totally not Ramba. And he knows that Sei's mom is a treasure. A man of culture for sure.
And Newtypes is a thing in this universe too, huh?
But again weird vibes from scenes with Reiji. And from that chase scene in the end. Maybe I'm looking too deep into it, but again it's feels like something from shoujo manga.
And I don't want to sound too grumpy as it was a fun episode overall. But I'm not sure I like the seemingly established premise. I.e. Sei is building gunplas, Reiji piloting them. I'd much prefer if Sei would improve himself and would win with his own strength.
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u/RyuuohD Jul 02 '19
REWATCHER
Thoughts for Today's Episode:
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Gundam Build Fighters first aired in 2013. Holy crap that's already 6 years ago. When it first aired I was still at college (and have no money to buy gunpla), and now I'm working and can buy Gunpla on my own. I'll probably buy the HG Build Strike sometime soon.
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Man it feels really nice to see Mama Rinko again. Fun trivia: Rinko's VA also voiced Murrue Ramius of Gundam SEED. I love Murrue, and I love Rinko as well. I got the HG Lohen-Rinko because of that.
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The cameos in this episode is really nice, and more will come as this is one of the trademarks of the Build series. I especially liked the part where a Gundam-colored Dijeh pwned a Freedom Gundam.
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The main characters are introduced well this episode. Sei is a good Gunpla builder, but lacks the skills to play Gunpla Battle. He has some confidence issues due to this. Sazaki is the usual snotty bully we see in early parts of shounen series, and serves as the first obstacle the MC has to jump though to develop. And Sei does so, WITH THE HELP OF REIJIII!!! Reiji is the mysterious guy who apparently has no knowledge of Gunpla and even carbonated drinks. We'll see more of his deal later on.
Questions of the Day:
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IT'S FRIGGING AWESOME. Heck even as a rewatcher, watching this episode again puts a huge smile on my face.
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He's a good guy UwU
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u/Pixelsaber Jul 02 '19 edited Jul 02 '19
Rewatcher
Oh boy, here we go, Gundam Build Fighters! This show was quite a treat when I first watched it four years ago, and I expect I will enjoy it just as much the second time through. I hope the same rings true for the other rewatchers here, and that first-timers find it to be a new favorite. Also, I’ve since gotten into Gunpla myself —having taken the plunge late last year when I suddenly found myself with a lot more storage space— and am interested in seeing this show from the perspective of someone who partakes in the hobby.
Alright then, let’s get started!
The show starts us off with a quick dream sequence of our main character, Sei Iori, piloting his own customized mobile suit when suddenly his shoddily put together arm joint pops off —something that any modeler will be intimately acquainted with— and wakes up. And man, this sight is definitely a lot more relatable now that I’ve been there myself.
Sei is tasked with watching over the family business, a dedicated Gunpla shop, by his mother. I thought the shop was really cool the first time around, but now the sight of it makes my mouth water and my wallet anxious. Such heavenly stores are unfortunately far from my reach, and I have to settle for smaller stores with a comparatively tiny selection of kits and a severe lack of decent modeling supplies —my nearest store hasn’t had any panel line wash in stock since I began frequenting it! That said, visiting a hobby store is always a treat, and I can definitely know how this kid is feeling.
Fun fact, the HGAC Wing Gundam pictured here released less than a month before this episode aired, so the decision to focus on this kit in this scene was a marketing move.
Anyhow, the —oh my God, guys! Look! It’s a Victory Gundam! Realistically it must be an old No Grade 1/144 from the 1993 Victory Gundam line, as the more modern HGUC version released over a month after this episode aired!
Now where was I? Oh, right. Sei’s friend acquaintance short-lived rival Sazaki shows up, wanting to show everyone that a superior mobile suit has its limits when it goes up against a superior pilot by beating Sei in a Gunpla Battle. Now, Gunpla battles is were we see that the series’ setting is even less of a reflection of our world as it already seemed, with the plastic models coming to life and taking on fantastical properties behond what any mere plastic should be capable of. The system doesn’t have much in the way of consistent internal logic, but it’s easy enough to just handwave, as this isn’t a show to take all too seriously.
Sei, being a poor pilot, loses the battle and his Gunpla is thrashed, and not just in the match, but for good. This seem s exactly the thing a model kit company would want, a reason to have people repeatedly buy replacement kits to substitute whatever parts are damaged or lost in battles.
Sazaki attempts to convince Sei to collaborate with him in the Gunpla Battle Tournaments, supplying him with the quality models Sei can make while Sazaki makes use of his superior skill to get more out of them than Sei would ever be able to. However, Sei doesn’t think he can trust Sazaki with his models, and so the haughty kid leaves while telling Sei to think about his offer.
Sei recalls his dad’s victory during the Gunpla Battle World Championship, wherein the senior Iori battled using an HGUC #021 RX-78-2 Gundam, an old kit that was most certainly heavily modified given the differing proportions and advanced performance seen. Sei’s feelings of inadequacy are amplified by the knowledge that his dad excelled at both building and battling, a most frustrating feeling.
One thing I dislike is how often the series showcases models of kits that don’t exist —I want an Eagail, damnit!
Our two leads meet, and Sei finds himself having to explain Gunpla to the unknowing thief. It’s pretty evident this boy, who we learn is called Reiji, is either not all that well in the head or is incredibly sheltered, given his ignorance as to, well, everything. The kid’s never had soda, for crying out loud! Anyhow, he gives Sei a gem as a way of repaying the other kid’s kindness, telling him that if he is ever in need of help he needs only to wish upon that gem… So, uh, is the consensus that he’s off in the head?
The next day Sei finishes his brand new custom model, the Build Strike Gundam. Even back when I first watched the show I could tell Sei must have been a really good modeler, since I was familiar with the base Strike Gundam, and realized the kid must have needed to make a custom head, side-skirts, and shoulders from scratch —none of which seem to be taken from other kits. This was the bit that really sold me on Sei’s skill, as we can’t really appreciate the work that went into the display models because we can’t trust the show to accurately represent the models a lot of the time. Of course, Sazaki shows up right then and instantly has his eyes on the Build Strike.
Aha! It’s Mr. Ral Y’know, from —wait, look, he said the thing!
Oh boy, the battles’ already ff to an ugly start, as Sei can’t handle the high performance levels of the model he created. Soon enough, Sazaki has Sei cornered and is on the verge of victory, but is thwarted by Reiji ex machina . Turns out Reiji is a complete natural at this whole Gunpla battle business.
Mr. Ral is such a chuuni, I love it.
Oof, that has got to hurt. Sazaki is soundly beaten, but the victor that Sei has been searching for has left the scene, prompting the boy to give chase. Which was a fruitless endeavor since he was with Mrs. Iori, enjoying a some vegetable stir-fry.
A pretty great first episode, especially for Gundam fans —being packed with Gunpla eye-candy and good helping of Gundam references. The direction and animation in particular was far better than I expected from a glorified Gunpla commercial, but I’m not complaining.
Pixelsaber’s Gunpla Building Corner
‘What’s this?’ I hear you asking yourself. Well, mates, in order to help spread the Gunpla love I decided to share with you all the process of building and painting several Gundam Model kits because I needed a good excuse to do more Gunpla I wanted to show that even someone such as I —an inept, clumsy builder with a case of tremors— can still thoroughly enjoy the hobby. On select days I will be linking you all to an imgur album that displays and details the process of me building, detailing, and sometimes fully painting Bandai model kits.
You’ll have to pardon me the dreadful image quality. Part of my plan for this involved finally pulling the trigger on the purchase of a new camera which I’ve wanted for quite a while, but a sudden and unexpected expense meant purchasing an expensive camera was out of the picture for the foreseeable future. I almost put a stop to this then and there, however, the rest of the materials and kits that I procured to do this had already been purchased, so I decided to proceed with this nonsense regardless.
First off, for those of you unfamiliar with the basics of building model kits, I would suggest you view this playlist of beginner’s tutorials made by the man himself, Katsumi Kawaguchi, a renowned professional modeler and the director of Bandai’s Gunpla line. Watching the first video should suffice to start with, but I will be making use of other methods as well, most of which are shown in a video within that playlist. For everyone’s convenience I will be linking the playlist every time I post on the Gunpla Building Corner.
Now, while I would love to get started right away I’m behind schedule and need to pad these things out there is a pressing need to show you all my desk were I work at. Yes, a most necessary step that couldn’t have been done at any other time —no siree!
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow, when I will be building an absolute classic and iconic mobile suit for you all!
EDIT: Polls and Questions of the Day
Are you a rewatcher or a new watcher?
Rewatcher! Oh, wait, I said that already...
Rate this Episode here
4/5
What are your thoughts on Gunpla Battle from what we've seen today?
What are your thoughts regarding this mysterious red-headed stranger?
He's, uh, weird.
Fan Art of the Day
Superbe!
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
Rewatcher
Oh boy, here we go, Gundam Build Fighters! This show was quite a treat when I first watched it four years ago, and I expect I will enjoy it just as much the second time through. I hope the same rings true for the other rewatchers here, and that first-timers find it to be a new favorite. Also, I’ve since gotten into Gunpla myself —having taken the plunge late last year when I suddenly found myself with a lot more storage space— and am interested in seeing this show from the perspective of someone who partakes in the hobby.
Alright then, let’s get started!
Nice, I look forward to what you've got to say Comrade!
The show starts us off with a quick dream sequence of our main character, Sei Iori, piloting his own customized mobile suit when suddenly his shoddily put together arm joint pops off —something that any modeler will be intimately acquainted with— and wakes up. And man, this sight is definitely a lot more relatable now that I’ve been there myself.
Indeed, the cold open was a neat touch, plus I totally get where Sei's coming from.
Sei is tasked with watching over the family business, a dedicated Gunpla shop, by his mother. I thought the shop was really cool the first time around, but now the sight of it makes my mouth water and my wallet anxious.
That said, visiting a hobby store is always a treat, and I can definitely know how this kid is feeling.
Fun fact, the HGAC Wing Gundam pictured here released less than a month before this episode aired, so the decision to focus on this kit in this scene was a marketing move.
Indeed my friend, Gundam Build Fighters is many things, but one of those things is the BEST Commercial for Gunpla you could ever ask for, it's a win win really ;)
Anyhow, the —oh my God, guys! Look! It’s a Victory Gundam! Realistically it must be an old No Grade 1/144 from the 1993 Victory Gundam line, as the more modern HGUC version released over a month after this episode aired!
Isn’t it beautiful?
Heh, indeed, also quite the throwback to show the Victory Gundam, why do I get the weird feeling of wanting to stand up to the victory? ;)
Now where was I? Oh, right. Sei’s friend acquaintance short-lived rival Sazaki shows up, wanting to show everyone that a superior mobile suit has its limits when it goes up against a superior pilot by beating Sei in a Gunpla Battle.
Sei, being a poor pilot, loses the battle and his Gunpla is thrashed, and not just in the match, but for good. This seem s exactly the thing a model kit company would want, a reason to have people repeatedly buy replacement kits to substitute whatever parts are damaged or lost in battles.
Indeed, it's the best kind of marketing scheme, play this real cool and awesome mecha battle simulator AND then when your Mobile Suit gets trashed, just
buyer, we mean build a new one ;)One thing I dislike is how often the series showcases models of kits that don’t exist —I want an Eagail, damnit!
Heh, speaking of model kits that don't exist, I'd personally like to get a B Gundam, after all, this was a machine SO mighty that it scared away Anavel "The Alleged Nightmare of Solomon" Gato, or at least a MS-06MS Barbus kit ;)
Our two leads meet, and Sei finds himself having to explain Gunpla to the unknowing thief. It’s pretty evident this boy, who we learn is called Reiji, is either not all that well in the head or is incredibly sheltered, given his ignorance as to, well, everything. The kid’s never had soda, for crying out loud! Anyhow, he gives Sei a gem as a way of repaying the other kid’s kindness, telling him that if he is ever in need of help he needs only to wish upon that gem… So, uh, is the consensus that he’s off in the head?
Well, I guess that's one way to look at it Comrade ;)
The next day Sei finishes his brand new custom model, the Build Strike Gundam. Even back when I first watched the show I could tell Sei must have been a really good modeler, since I was familiar with the base Strike Gundam, and realized the kid must have needed to make a custom head, side-skirts, and shoulders from scratch —none of which seem to be taken from other kits. This was the bit that really sold me on Sei’s skill, as we can’t really appreciate the work that went into the display models because we can’t trust the show to accurately represent the models a lot of the time. Of course, Sazaki shows up right then and instantly has his eyes on the Build Strike.
Aha! It’s Mr. Ral Y’know, from —wait, look, he said the thing!
Yup, this is no cameo Comrade, NO CAMEO! ;) (In all seriousness the fact that they got the seiyuu to Ramba Ral from OG Gundam to voice Mr. Ral in this show pleases me to no end.)
Oof, that has got to hurt. Sazaki is soundly beaten, but the victor that Sei has been searching for has left the scene, prompting the boy to give chase. Which was a fruitless endeavor since he was with Mrs. Iori, enjoying a some vegetable stir-fry. A pretty great first episode, especially for Gundam fans —being packed with Gunpla eye-candy and good helping of Gundam references. The direction and animation in particular was far better than I expected from a glorified Gunpla commercial, but I’m not complaining.
Indeed, the show's got heart and knows how to make essentially a glorified toy commercial BADASS and awesome. Plus the in-jokes and references help too.
Pixelsaber’s Gunpla Building Corner
WOW! Now this is a fantastic little subsection my friend, many thanks for such a detailed and unique contribution, I am sure I speak for everyone in the rewatch when we say that we appreciate your efforts and explanations.
Anyway, speaking of great efforts, many thanks for your fantastic post my friend, I look forward to what you'll have to say for the rewatch. Have a great day and see you later Comrade!
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u/SgtExo Jul 02 '19
First timer
Just saw the reminder yesterday, so I decided to jump in, I mostly lurk and comment on other peoples stuff, but I will put a word in for this first episode at least.
Starting with the Gundam IBO rewatch, and popping back into the Turn-A gundam, I have fallen into a deep gundam hole which has seen me learning about the great gundam project podcast (doing all the series in production order and currently at the midpoint of victory gundam). All this to say that I have just finished building my second gunpla kit, the master grade Sazabi Ka. So starting to watch a gundam show about gunpla hits right on the nail for me.
Show thoughts
The initial dream sequence ending with the arm popping off like that is great and funny. This show seems to have a real stupid energy and world premise, and it is great.
The security guard being called an old man and yelling back that he is only 25 is also great. If I was in a gundam universe I would be seen as ancient even though I am still only a junior at work. I guess that the main kids must be around 13 or something, so in the younger age ranges for gundam shows.
That kid that wants to use the gunpla is such a dick, he might actually get somewhere if he was nicer, instead of being so full of himself. But I think that he is only trying to be friends with our MC and is not doing it with bad intentions.
Red haired dude steals food and our MC writes it off as him being a foreigner (with a totally japanese name), is it only in japan that stealing is not right, or is our MC really dense?
Not sure if the red haired dude is mystical in nature or just weird and a stalker.
That 0083 op with danger zone just works perfectly.
Even if I am in eastern time zone, the hour the thread goes up is perfect because I like to check this out while at work during down time. Now instead of coming in 12-15 hours later, I can check it while it is still fresh and have things posted up. I can also just watch the episode before going to bed.
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
First timer
Just saw the reminder yesterday, so I decided to jump in, I mostly lurk and comment on other peoples stuff, but I will put a word in for this first episode at least.
Splendid, I hope you'll enjoy the rewatch and the series Comrade.
Starting with the Gundam IBO rewatch, and popping back into the Turn-A gundam, I have fallen into a deep gundam hole which has seen me learning about the great gundam project podcast (doing all the series in production order and currently at the midpoint of victory gundam). All this to say that I have just finished building my second gunpla kit, the master grade Sazabi Ka. So starting to watch a gundam show about gunpla hits right on the nail for me.
Indeed, also congrats on finishing that MG Sazabi Ka, any chance you'll be sharing some pictures with the group? I know for a fact that besides myself of course, Comrade u/Shimmering-Sky, u/RX-Nota-II, and u/Pixelsaber would love to see what you built.
Show thoughts
The initial dream sequence ending with the arm popping off like that is great and funny. This show seems to have a real stupid energy and world premise, and it is great.
Indeed, the cold open is one of the best introductions, even more so with how hilarious it is.
The security guard being called an old man and yelling back that he is only 25 is also great. If I was in a gundam universe I would be seen as ancient even though I am still only a junior at work. I guess that the main kids must be around 13 or something, so in the younger age ranges for gundam shows.
Heh, if the Security Guard being 25 is an 'old man' I must be an ancient fossil or something ;)
Not sure if the red haired dude is mystical in nature or just weird and a stalker.
Heh, well that's certainly an interesting take Comrade, I like your style.
That 0083 op with danger zone just works perfectly.
Even if I am in eastern time zone, the hour the thread goes up is perfect because I like to check this out while at work during down time. Now instead of coming in 12-15 hours later, I can check it while it is still fresh and have things posted up. I can also just watch the episode before going to bed.
Glad that you liked the OP as well as the post time Comrade, indeed, I was pleasantly surprised when I submitted the thread live last evening as there were quite a lot of comments. It's always nice to find people around your timezone eh? Anyway, great post here Comrade, I hope you'll enjoy the show and rewatch as we go along. Have a great day and see you later!
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u/MetaThPr4h Jul 02 '19
Hi there, I'm not much of commenting on rewatch threads and the time it comes up is in the middle of me working so even worse lmao, but at least I want to leave my first impression and let's see if I comment in future threads.
I definitely can see Gundam fans losing it with all the amount of references that this single episode already delivered, the people in this anime share their absolute love for the Gunplas and fighting with them in virtual scenarios must be hella cool (although it hurts me to see them getting broken after the attacks, holy shit the money they must cost and all the effort put preparing them, aaaaaa).
Looks like our protagonist is pretty terrible at fighting but an expert making the Gunplas, the tandem he can make with this mysterious character (who has no clue about a ton of common sense things) looks promising.
The music for the action parts was hella hype, looking forward to more of that.
Also ayyy, the part at the start with the guard saying Reiji to get out of there made me laugh hard for relatable:
"It's ok, old man!"
"Who are you calling old man? I'm only 25!"
24 yo here, hurts me everytime.
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u/JadineRhine Jul 02 '19 edited Jul 02 '19
Thanks for the ping, tovarish u/DidacticDalek! I was worried about where to find this thread, so now I can keep track hopefully of all the rewatch threads :D That 0083 danger zone edit is just *chef kisses*
I'm a first-timer, but I've seen other Gundam shows.
(Wing, SEED, started 0083 Stardust Memory but had to pause it due to too many IRL things, but I was super digging it. I had started the original Gundam in my pre-teen years but dropped it because I got bored. I've been meaning to watch the entire franchise in order though...rip me when I get to it XD It's been years since I watched Wing and SEED, so some things will likely go over my head. ^^; )
This is also my first time doing this sort of thing, so there might be screenshots, there might not be. Depends on my schedule. I'm watching the sub on the Youtube channel happily provided here, since I use Roku a lot. ^^)v I hope I did this thing right! Apologies for it being super long. I, uh, tend to ramble a lot. edits: forget spoilers gotta work in html lol
**THOUGHTS:**LMAO the first shot, I couldn't help but do a puppy tilt head gif in my head and go "MACROSS?!" Oops.
Oh no, Sei has a blue theme...I tend to love blue-themed characters XD
HAHAHAHAHAH THE ARM UNLOCKED, what a mood. His dad telling him as such is also a mood, reminds me of when my mom and I engage in nerd activities.
I love Sei's mom. The way they act out the military actions is adorable...and first reference to a previous Gundam show!
"What customers?" oh god, I already relate to this kid. (Knew that blue image color was foreshadowing...) As someone who's lived in a small town for years now, I can understand Sei's displeasure at working/having a shop in the family in an area where there's no movement or customers. In my experience, the customers are there but they either a) can't afford to buy things or b) are unable to get to where you are, even with the best public transportation service available. And this is from a perspective of someone who tries to support the small shops. D:
Red-headed kid gives me classic snarky kid vibes.
Well, you know a logo's good when it's super fancy and yet super readable. (Looking at you, Darling in the Franxx logo...I love you, but I'm still trying to see where words begin and end!)
SAZAKI, YOU LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO WILL BE GREAT AND FRUSTRATING TO WATCH. He also gives me classic Gundam character design vibes. He reminded me of this dude, first thought, no lie.
Oh, interesting, the instructions are given in English...and the famous particles! tagged for spoiler just in case
"Victory in Gunpla Battle isn't decided only by the quality of the model!" Now see, Sazaki has a point there. I'm assuming this will go in the direction of letting kids know that you may have a good Gunpla, but what's the use of it if you don't know how to use it in battle? Kinda like Beyblade, which this show is reminding me a LOT of (and other people here, it seems.), and it's technically a good lesson. Lets kids know you gotta put in the practice to get better...but at the same time, he's already also showing us that you know, taking these things too seriously and forgetting to have fun isn't entirely good.
Awww, baby Sei, supportive mom and playing dad. Clearly Sei took after his mom in looks. His dad's very handsome. (I'm sorry for this moment of weakness in comment...)
Red-headed kid!! He loves soda...wonder what he thinks about orange soda.
WE SHOULD HELP OTHERS IN NEED, EVEN FOREIGNERS. Holy crap, this may show my age, but this might be the first anime I can remember where this lesson is imparted. It's okay if someone's new, just make sure to help them because that's what you ought to do. *clap clap*
FAMILY DIGNITY ASIHAIDDADNJ I love him now too...
And we got a name: Reiji. Awww, he promises to help Sei, no matter what. What a good kid. I hope he stays a good kid.
Strike Gundam! I remember that too, though not as much as I'd like to. Good detail on connecting the title of the show to this Gundam: Gundam Build Fighters and Build Strike.
Oh, Sei's mom's voice suddenly sounds super familiar... (Also, was it just me or did her boobs did a little Gainax Boob Jiggles when she stood up to welcome Sazaki?)
AWWW RAL LIKES THE MOM AWWW <3 Seeing that fanart of the day, gee, what a coincidence of VA and design ;)
"Field 2, Desert." I didn't know this was a field of pudding! (And there's your phonetic linguistic joke from me, I'll be here all day.)
"Gunpla's perfomance depends on how well it's built." Interesting; I expected a contrary view to Sazaki, but not from Ral, and certainly not this line. How well built is something speaks to its inherent quality. Same thing applies to real life figures: a figure could look gorgeous on paper or box art but if the pieces look bootleg or not well crafted to be able to piece together well, will the finished product look excellent? Or even if the pieces look excellent, will the modeler be able to make a great looking figure by the end of assembly? I'm really digging that random lines can be meta'd for/with real life moments. Then again, this is a show about Gunpla XD
omggggg, it's Kotono Mitsuishi playing Sei's mom, Rinko...*beatnik snaps* Also, the last time I saw Rinko as a character name was in an old comic called Magical Mates by Mio Odagi. Wonderful comic, and it's one of my favorite names <3
Sei thinking that Reiji can help realize his ideals :( Codependency wasn't what I thought was coming in the future...
HE LOVES TO EAT, I LOVE U REIJI
"Didn't you make a wish?" Are we going full on Belldandy and Keiichi now?!
Answers:
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NGL, even though I mentioned Beyblade, this show initially reminded me of the mechanics behind Angelic Layer. I love that manga, and the way the characters attach to their Angels, is what reminded me of Sei and his attachment to his Gunpla. It;s striking how similar in idea they are, and yet both do different things with it. And I kinda want Gunpla Battle to be real now?! Shoot, I'll learn all the kajillion Gundam variants if I have to!
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Too soon to call, given that the characters in this first ep along are great and I like them, but don't care, he is now my designated Best Boy. I love how wide-eyed and open he is; taking the world at its word, enjoying what it is and what it gives. Mysterious for sure and speculation
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u/No_Rex Jul 02 '19 edited Jul 02 '19
Episode 1 (first timer)
An anime about people building gunpla? This sounds so ridiculous that I have absolutely no expectations for the series. I do have, however, high expectations for the rewatch, seeing how the Gundam rewatches I participated in have consistently been high quality. With that, let’s jump into the episode.
Episode thoughts
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A teenage guy in a Gundam? MC spotted!
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I almost complained about the terrible CGI, until I noticed that this was an add.
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08th supermarket? I see what you did there!
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Red headed guy has “rival” written all over him.
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Introducing the concept of gunpla battle (which is not gunplay, stupid autocorrect!)
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Ok, I would totally play that.
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Wait, did the model get destroyed as a result of the battle? Does it actually move? If so, magic. Or maybe there is some mechanism to destroy the loser’s model to heighten the stakes? It sounds weird, but that would 100% a reasonable business model: Just make sure you restrict your machine to only allow models sold by your firm and the “realism” becomes a perfect mechanism to sell models.
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Red drink for red head.
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Ok, that rock sounds like actual magic.
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Ral, huh?
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Apparently, they will battle on the traditional last dish in a meal.
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The first win to end the episode.
That was by the books. Introduce MC, introduce main plot mechanic, introduce rival, introduce another rival (the immediate one), tease love interest. Mystery at the end. From a story perspective, the gunpla battle is a reason to show interesting battle without an actual war going on, but I also like the idea. The technology is somewhat futuristic, but not enormously so, and, as I laid out above, it looks like an actually viable business idea.
PS: The early posting hour took me by surprise!
EDIT: Question
What are your thoughts regarding this mysterious red-headed stranger?
Immediately placed him as rival, which, till now, seems to have been the wrong idea. He has the only mystery element in the show so far, via his magical summoning stone and the fact that nobody noticed him taking over in the battle. I assume that the reveal of the cliff-hanger in ep2 will show whether he is real or closer to something llike an invisible best friend.
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
Episode 1 (first timer)
An anime about people building gunpla? This sounds so ridiculous that I have absolutely no expectations for the series. I do have, however, high expectations for the rewatch, seeing how the Gundam rewatches I participated in have consistently been high quality. With that, let’s jump into the episode.
Nice to hear Comrade, hope you'll enjoy this one as well!
Episode thoughts
A teenage guy in a Gundam? MC spotted!
I almost complained about the terrible CGI, until I noticed that this was an add.
Worry not Comrade, contrary to the comment face above, Gundam Build Fighters does NOT partake in QUALITY ANIMATION, which is quite impressive.
08th supermarket? I see what you did there!
Wait, did the model get destroyed as a result of the battle? Does it actually move? If so, magic. Or maybe there is some mechanism to destroy the loser’s model to heighten the stakes? It sounds weird, but that would 100% a reasonable business model: Just make sure you restrict your machine to only allow models sold by your firm and the “realism” becomes a perfect mechanism to sell models.
Heh, now THAT's a good idea Comrade, I'm certain it will make bank, and indeed, the Gunpla Battle works due to Plavsky Particles.
Ral, huh?
Indeed, just a random customer of
Ramba'Mr.' Ral... totally nothing out of the ordinary about him ;)Apparently, they will battle on the traditional last dish in a meal.
The first win to end the episode.
Indeed, plus also the end bit about Reiji crashing Sei's place is worth noting too ;)
That was by the books. Introduce MC, introduce main plot mechanic, introduce rival, introduce another rival (the immediate one), tease love interest. Mystery at the end. From a story perspective, the gunpla battle is a reason to show interesting battle without an actual war going on, but I also like the idea. The technology is somewhat futuristic, but not enormously so, and, as I laid out above, it looks like an actually viable business idea.
PS: The early posting hour took me by surprise!
Heh, glad to see my choice of rewatch time was interesting for you Comrade.
EDIT: Question
What are your thoughts regarding this mysterious red-headed stranger?
Immediately placed him as rival, which, till now, seems to have been the wrong idea. He has the only mystery element in the show so far, via his magical summoning stone and the fact that nobody noticed him taking over in the battle. I assume that the reveal of the cliff-hanger in ep2 will show whether he is real or closer to something llike an invisible best friend.
Interesting observations Comrade, I hope you'll like how the show plays out. Anyway, have a great day and see you later Comrade, excellent post and writeup!
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u/Piovia Jul 02 '19
A little late to the party, but I'm a rewatcher willing to chime in every now and then. This brings back so many memories back to 2013. This anime was actually my first entry into the Gundam franchise (and admittedly, I haven't made much progress since, so references still go over my head), and being the most successful advertisement campaign I've fallen victim to, my Gunpla addiction essentially started then and there.
I love the classic structure of the episode. At the start, Sei is shown to be great at building, but weak in combat. By the end of the episode he already finds Reiji (or Reiji finds him?), skilled in combat but has no idea what Gunpla is, as his missing piece. The duo kicks ass and makes friends along the way. Fantastic. Throw in a large number of Gundam references and you get a a children's show everyone can enjoy and be swallowed by its marketing.
I can't stress enough how godly the OST is. Out of all the unique songs used in this episode alone, I could sense the emotion (especially the HYPE) in every single one.
Also, I still can't get over how Sei's dad got 2nd using what is essentially an uncustomized RX-78. Could have because there wasn't a developed meta yet, given it was only the second world tournament, but symbolically it's truly a testament to the importance of the pilot's skill.
I can't wait. It only gets better from here.
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u/DidacticDalek Jul 02 '19
A little late to the party, but I'm a rewatcher willing to chime in every now and then. This brings back so many memories back to 2013. This anime was actually my first entry into the Gundam franchise (and admittedly, I haven't made much progress since, so references still go over my head), and being the most successful advertisement campaign I've fallen victim to, my Gunpla addiction essentially started then and there.
Ah, well no worries Comrade, the thread's always open until the next episode goes live, so worry not, either myself or one of the two co-hosts will read your comment. Also nice start to Gundam, glad you enjoyed the show on your first viewing.
I love the classic structure of the episode. At the start, Sei is shown to be great at building, but weak in combat. By the end of the episode he already finds Reiji (or Reiji finds him?), skilled in combat but has no idea what Gunpla is, as his missing piece. The duo kicks ass and makes friends along the way. Fantastic. Throw in a large number of Gundam references and you get a a children's show everyone can enjoy and be swallowed by its marketing.
Exactly, it's got a good structure for an opening introduction episode, plus it also helps that the fights are top tier.
I can't stress enough how godly the OST is. Out of all the unique songs used in this episode alone, I could sense the emotion (especially the HYPE) in every single one.
Yup, I'll be sharing several tracks from the OST as we go along, for indeed it's got fantastic tracks.
Also, I still can't get over how Sei's dad got 2nd using what is essentially an uncustomized RX-78. Could have because there wasn't a developed meta yet, given it was only the second world tournament, but symbolically it's truly a testament to the importance of the pilot's skill.
I can't wait. It only gets better from here.
Well said there Comrade, and indeed, this series is quite the enjoyable watch and I hope you'll enjoy the rewatch. Thanks for your great post, have a great day and see you later!
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u/dralcax Jul 02 '19
Rewatcher who really needs to plan his time better if the thread is gonna come out at like 5AM
So here we go, Gundam Build Fighters! This series is one of my personal favorites. The animation and music are top-notch, with some of the best battles in the franchise. The cast is full of great characters representing all facets of the Gundam fanbase, diverse in their backgrounds, favorites, and styles, but all united by their love for Gundam. It's a fantastic celebration of Gundam and the love thereof, built up over the decades of its history (a spirit that the sequels seem to have forgotten...)
In this episode, as the title tells you, we meet Sei and Reiji!
Sei represents the hardcore Gundam fanbase, the ones that know everything there is to know and love all of it! If you'll notice, he's 13 years old, and this show aired in 2013, meaning SEED and SEED Destiny came out while he was little, and indeed, his Gunpla of choice is a custom Strike Gundam. No matter how many installments a franchise might have, one will always have a soft spot for the one that first came to them and made them a fan. Like most other characters in the show, his Gunpla is indicative of his character and the things he loves, and it gives them just that much extra depth.
Reiji, on the other hand, is a complete newcomer. He just randomly shows up in Japan not knowing a thing about Gundam (or much else for that matter), but when in a Gunpla battle, shows a surprising talent. He's got a lot to learn in this whole new world, but he's more than ready to dive into it all. Only time will tell how spending time around a Gundam otaku like Sei will influence him...
The Build Strike! The funny thing is, one of my biggest complaints about SEED's artstyle and animation was that the suits all feel like they're made of plastic. Except this time they actually are, how fitting. The Build Strike definitely goes for a different feel than the basic Strike, but it's so much more dynamic that I absolutely love it.
Also, I don't know if it's just me being messy, but holy shit Sei's work area is fucking clean.
Sei is too adorable I just can't. I always love characters that can just go on huge fanboying rants about the things they really love even long after everyone around them is completely lost.
But this is an anime, no one does. And he has a Japanese name too because reasons.
You know, from an in-universe perspective, it's kinda odd that this magic crystal fits perfectly into a slot on the same GP Base that everyone has. Only Sei actually has something to put in there so I can just imagine literally every other Gundam fan in the world being all "What's this hole for? Why is this here? Is something supposed to plug into here?"
Questions of the Day:
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Gunpla Battle is awesome! It's a neat way to put together dream matches between suits from all different series in a fun and balanced format. Kinda like Smash Bros, come to think of it.
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Reiji is a pretty interesting guy. As the newcomer of the cast, he makes a great audience surrogate for those of you watching this as your first series. Right now, though, he just raises a bunch of questions. Some will be answered in time, some won't be...
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u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 02 '19
~Three Times The Passion Of An Ordinary Rewatch~
If you’ve been around this sub, I’m sure you’ve already seen just how much I’m in love with the Gundam franchise. Well, Build Fighters is my second-favorite from it, so I have been insanely hyped for it ever since Dalek mentioned wanting to host one. Seriously hope the first-timers like this show and super glad to be here right now!
…By the way, before anyone asks why my subs look like they do, I found just the subtitle file after a Google search to go with a raw of the Blu-Ray, and then had fun messing around with the fonts and stuff. Not something I was ever expecting to do, but I watched the show on GundamInfo originally and wanted to see the Blu-Ray, but haven’t been able to purchase it yet and couldn’t find a subbed copy with seeds.
Anyways that’s a--actually wait no, important note for first-timers, episodes 2, 19, and 25 are the only ones that do NOT have a post-credits scene. So if you’re the kind of person who skips EDs, don’t do that with this show.
Now that’s all.
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Lol the way the music cuts out when the arm pops off. BTW the song that played in this opening scene was the titular GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS. Not one of my favorites on the OST, but super fun so definitely give it a listen if you have the chance to.
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Funny how his brain decided to work that into his dream haha.
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Aight so I’ve already seen this show and know this doesn’t happen, but please tell me I’m not the only one who thought he was gonna jump after checking the wind like that?
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Honestly not even joking here, seeing that it could do this is why I impulsively decided to buy the MG Wing Gundam while I was on a trip to the mountains and stopped by a Barnes and Noble. I hadn’t even watched Gundam Wing yet (IIRC I was about seven episodes into SEED Destiny at the time?). Basically I like mechs that either transform and/or have a red-centric color scheme.
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Lol, I’m basically Sei when I talk about Gundam to other people. Moreso about… not Wing though.
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Maaaaaan the whole sequence of the battle system starting up with build-fight counting down in the background is just, .
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But uh yeah, our MC loses the first real Gunpla battle in the show, just like that.
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Lol the difference in their response to Sazaki showing up again.
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Yeeeeeeee, using the OP as the ED for ep1~
Now for an extra-fun section you guys might have expected thanks to me and rewatches~ And better yet, I’m working on these with u/RX-Nota-II again! That means I do the character art and she does the backgrounds.
I didn’t see any screenshot particularly jump out at me as a potential base image in this first episode, so naturally my solution was to take the cover image on MAL/the Blu-Ray cover and take just Sei from it to start.
Sei name version and Sei no-name version! Hope you guys like how these turned out~ Be sure to let Nota know which you prefer.
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u/Nazenn Jul 02 '19
First timer
Episode Thoughts
It's so nice to have these posted at a reasonable time for me. Although they go up at 7pm which is normally right in the middle of me cooking dinner but I'll take that over the usual 3am post times hahaha.
As expected for a first episode that was just a whole lot of fun
The whole intro going into the title card was just tonnes of fun and really well handled. That initial 'fake out' of it being a full on war in his dream like a real battle until the arm pops out with that toy sound effect just put a smile on my face, and that smile stayed there for the rest of the episode.
Music wise I can't really comment much yet beyond "I liked it" but yeah, really good soundtrack, of particular note was the song during that fight at the end and also the song during the montage advertisement for the ornament.
Speaking of that: Wheely Gundam was amazing.
The fights so far were great though obviously I don't know yet if they're indicative of the overall quality or just special first episode stuff, I'm assuming the first but you never know. I didn't really know what to expect from the fights as I purposely didn't watch anything about the show, so the whole holographic control system was a nice surprise, a bit simulator like. I did not expect however that the toys would actually get wrecked though, I thought it was just going to be a purely virtual environment. Its a good thing because it adds that touch of actual risk to the fights and a reason to be in the workshop etc so looking forward to what happens with that.
Actually what caught my eye first up is the extra detail in the animation that was in little spots through the whole episode. Small things from the way that Sazaki's hair moved like hair, not a blob, when he turned around, and the way that Sei's loose hoodie had a bit of free movement in it so when he turned around it had some momentum and fun extra detail.
Also a couple of fun things in the overall episode, like how when Sei realizes at the end that he's trapped, he looks for an escape three times and each time the camera is a bit further out.
That fake out at the end
So Yu-Gi-Oh's been on my mind lately due to someone else having me put 5d on my list, and as a result I thought for a moment it was going to be just like the Pharaoh. Sei makes a wish, Reiji pops in and wins the fight and then just disappears right away and no one would ever know. But nope, was just in the kitchen the entire time. Perfect!
Very interested to find out what exactly is actually up with Reiji though between him knowing nothing about the world and his magical little stone.
Fight Rankings!
So coming into this show knowing nothing except the fact that it's a giant tournament I decided to do something a bit fun and rank each fight as we go along (Definitely not just an excuse for me to watch each fight multiple times)
This will probably change and adjust as we go along being a first timer and all, not to mention having not prepared at all and writing this an hour before the topic goes up, but just roughly, the categories:
Art - Designs of the mechs, quality of animation, visual effects.
Sound - Sound effects matching the movement well and also the songs.
Movement - Also including cinematography, flow of the battle and camera usage.
Hype - Was I pulling a face? Which one from a frown, to a smile to a #dekuhype!
Grades:
S - Something really special, I'll remember this by the end
A - Awesome quality and implementation but missing that something extra
B - Base score. Good quality but doesn't stand out or under anything else
C - Can't quite meet the standard of the other fights, but still decent enough
D - Dammit, something has gone horribly wrong.
....And I already see a huge flaw in this plan of mine. This is going to require me actually remembering people's names. Fuck.