Break Blade 6: Doukoku no Toride

Despite his foolish solo "mission" to his home village almost ending in disaster, somehow Rygart is still alive and his Delphine more or less intact (albeit out of juice) - then again, his rescue did come at a hefty personal cost on both sides of the on-going conflict which has underpinned the series.

As this final Break Blade movie begins, Binonten has been changed from a thriving city to a ghost town as its residents evacuate, and with good reason given that Borcuse and his battalion of troops are marching on the capital apace.  On the other side of this conflict, we have General Baldr and his remaining troops, who are hoping to do their part to stop the invasion while also carrying a sullen-shell-shocked Rygart and his powerless Delphine with them.

As Borcuse's troops arrive at Binonten's front door and begin their assault, it seems as though nothing will stop them - not that this is going to stop Sigyn in particular from trying, as she continues to develop and craft a weapon for Rygart to use under the assumption that he'll return.  It's probably not really a spoiler to confirm that yes, Rygart does make it back to the capital, and not a moment too soon as he finds himself facing off against Borcuse directly in what proves to be the series final, all-important showdown in the midst of numerous other minor skirmishes and the escape of Cleo from her decidedly comfortable spell in captivity.

As endings to a series goes, Break Blade did a pretty solid job while (of course) still allowing for the fact that it's based upon an on-going manga, leaving it with a necessity to leave certain things up in the air.  As the main attraction of the entire franchise to me was its clunky, weighty, "realistic" mecha, the final assault on Binonten which occupied most of Doukoku no Toride's running time was exactly what I was hoping for - a little confusing or hard to follow in places admittedly, but generally speaking a fitting finale underpinned by the almighty scrap between Borcuse and Ryugart which felt pretty satisfying without ever pushing over into the outright spectacular.

In fact, "satisfying without ever pushing over into the outright spectacular" pretty much sums up the entirety of Break Blade - it has plenty of decent, fleshed out characters who you can either get behind or at least by fascinated by, with plenty of rivalries and the like to go with it, but once again it's the mecha that make this series.  I'm not a huge fan of giant robot anime exactly because too much of it involves super-charged mecha with ridiculously super-powered weapons and abilities, and in comparison to that Break Blade's fighting machines feel grounded, hefty and very much subservient to the laws of physics, with even Rygart's Delphine (the closest the series comes to an outlandish machine) feeling both fallable and eminently destructible.  If there were more mecha anime along these lines (and I include the possibility of more Break Blade itself within this wish), then I'd certainly be more than happy to watch it.  I shall now sit back and wait for the slew of "haven't you ever watched series X?" questions and recommendations which ensue.

Break Blade 5: Shisen no Hate

For all of the advantages of Break Blade's theatrical release format, I do find it rather hard to keep track of exactly what happened in the previous instalment of the series by the time the next one comes along.  Still, thanks to the decidedly "chunky" recap episode to this fifth movie I now remember perhaps the only truly important thing that I need to know - that Girghe is bat shit crazy.

For all his insanity however, it's Girghe's unnerving proficiency with a Golem that allows him to at least even up the odds at the climax to the battle which closed out the previous movie, doing some serious damage to the opposition who previous had grabbed more than a little initiative by killing General True.  The main question which arises from his death is just who, if anyone, is going to tell Narvi about the demise of her beloved general?

The answer to this question is left unanswered on this occasion, largely on account of Rygart - upon hearing that enemy troops are nearing the village where he used to live and his brother still resides, he takes off alone in the hope of ensuring the villagers safety... only to find that not only is he too late, but also that he has the small matter of Borcuse to deal with.  Cue the first in a series of intense mecha action sequences that underpins the entire movie, even if it occasionally takes too many cues from the Transformers live-action film (i.e. getting too close to the action to the point where it gets tricky to make out what's going on).  For all of the technology and talent available to him, expecting to defeat Borcuse is a bit of a stretch even for Rygart, and eventually he succumbs to his opponents abilities; a defeat which seems as though it could be the end for both himself and the Delphine.

Luckily for him, Rygart's squad-mates are hot on his tail - not enough so to save him from defeat but they're sufficiently close at hand to aid his eventual escape from his captors clutches before they can seize him and his Golem.  This is, however, a brief reprieve as their squad soon finds itself ambushed by another group of enemy troops (featuring Nike et al) - a tough enough battle as it is before Rygart and Girghe find themselves fighting one another rather than their collective enemy...

While previous instalment of Break Blade have spent a fair amount of time delving into the political machinations and back stories of various characters, all of that seemed to have been put to one side for Shisen no Hate in favour of forty-five minutes of balls of more or less balls to the wall action with only brief periods of respite in between.  Truth be told, that focus worked pretty well - it did threaten to become soulless sessions of machines bashing panels on occasion, but overall it carried off its constant action-centric fare pretty solidly (although maybe that's just because I love the weighty feel of the machines in this series bouncing off one another).  My one real concern here is that the final and sixth movie seems to have an impossible amount of things to wrap up - there's the small matter of a war to resolve satisfactorily, a love triangle that really needs to be handled, Zess' own festering emotions (which were ignored this time around entirely) and the prisoner of war who is having more fun than pretty much anyone in this series Cleo.  Can it do all of this in under an hour?  I doubt it, but let's hope it manages to tie up at least some of those loose ends.

Break Blade 4: Sanka no Chi

After some initial ambivalence towards it, the third Break Blade film finally convinced me that it had what it takes to be a good anime movie series, largely on account of some absolutely nailed-on fantastic action that both saw its mecha credentials put to the test and pass with flying colours.

While that showcase battle ended with Zess injured and Cleo captured, there is of course no let-up as Sanka no Chi begins, with Krisna choosing to assemble a crack squad to counter the threat from Athens that receives their orders right from the very top of the Krisnan tree; Hodr himself.  Needless to say, Ryugart's unique abilities grants him a berth in said unit under the care of Narvi, whilst also fighting alongside her brother, another soldier in Loggin and one rather controversial choice - former prisoner and all-round nut-job Girghe.  Indeed, Girghe wastes no time in proving both his craziness and his piloting skills via an impromptu skirmish against his squad-mates which sees him take them on and beat them with ease.  That still leaves plenty of additional time for training, for Ryugart in particular, before they leave on their first mission... although not before our assumptions about Sigyn's romantic interests are confirmed.

Elsewhere, Krisna prove they aren't the only ones with an absolute nutter amongst their number, with Athens making an impressive scalp as they unexpectedly ambush and destroy General True and his unit courtesy of Nike, a twenty-five year-old midget (although don't tell her to her face) with a short temper but plenty of offensive power to match her attitude.  With True's unit out of the way, Baldr's troops are the next in the firing line, and just as this encounter looks likely to go equally pear-shaped up pops Rygart and company to save the day... minus Girghe who chickens out and proclaims himself too scared to fight in actual combat.  Surely he must be kidding?  Why yes, yes he is, as the episode closes to destructively dramatic effect.

Compared to the fantastic combat of the third movie, there wasn't quite as much to impress here overall - it felt as though the animation budget dropped a bit in places, and a lot of the encounters on show here were too one-sized to really get yourself involved in.  That said, there's still a lot to be said for the weighty, "chunky" and realistic feel of the combat which lends itself to even the most gravity-defying moments.  There certainly remains a lot to be enjoyed on the battlefield, while off it there are enough fascinating characters to keep things fresh and hold the possibility of some major twists and turns (the fifth movie looks like the place to be for such things) even if both Sigyn and Cleo seem to have been kidnapped as prisoners of fan service at the moment - in short, I still enjoyed Sanka no Chi enough to keep my interest in Break Blade renewed and in good shape.

Break Blade 3: Kyoujin no Ato

Despite a mediocre start in its first instalment, Break Blade started to show a bit of promise with its second outing, bringing with it some slicker action and pretty compelling drama to make for a far more enjoyable viewing experience.

After starting with a brief flashback to happier days for Ryugart, Hodr and Zess (to remind us who these three major players are I suspect; I'd certainly forgotten their names), we soon return to the present day, where Athens soldier Cleo is still trying to recover from the death of her friend Lee - something which she looks to do by throwing herself into the thick of the action to come.

A good job that is too, as the first half of Kyoujin no Ato is largely a riot of action, with another attacking raid by Zess and company thwarted by an ambush centred around Rygart and his Delphine Golem - a state of affairs which eventually sees Rygart and Zess face-off in battle for the first time as the former catches up to the his retreating former friend and his minions.  With Rygart still unsure of his determination to kill anyone this is put to the test soon enough, with the Delphine pilot stopping just short of putting an end to Zess' life; a decision which gives Cleo an opportunity to save her commander and run rampage amidst the Krisna reinforcements who appear on the scene.  Impress though this is, the sheer weight of numbers eventually sees Cleo captured as an injured Zess is rescued by the unfortunately named Erekt.

After all of that high-octane action, things take a turn for the quieter for the movie's second half, bringing in some foreshadowing of future events as other individuals and forces prepare to enter the escalating situation between countries, while even Krisna looks set to add at least one rather dubious individual to their arsenal.  Meanwhile, Cleo finds herself interrogated in a rather unexpected fashion by Sigyn, giving the opportunity to forge an escape plan (and treat us to some fan service) which doesn't exactly go to plan.

Come the end of it all, this really was a movie of two halves.  The first half of Kyoujin no Ato flew by in a blitz of fantastic action that really made the most of the weighty and realistic feeling mecha that the franchise has to offer, with a slightly clunky and cumbersome feel that somehow makes the action and the moments of acrobatic piloting seem all the more impressive.  This was also coupled with some great drama as these events played out; drama which was carried largely by Cleo which seeped into much of the second half, before being ruined a bit by bouncing needlessly into fan service for a moment and dulled a little by the political and military machinations that I can't be too harsh on because they're clearly utterly necessary for the next instalment... an instalment which I'm now very much looking forward to incidentally.  After showing its potential in part two, this outing of Break Blade delivered in spades - sure, it wasn't perfect, but if nothing else the first half of this movie proved that these guys know what to do in terms of action when it comes to the crunch if nothing else.. and let's be honest, that's pretty much the main reason we're watching this mecha series anyway.  Well, maybe that and trying to figure out how the hell Cleo is supposed to be twelve years old.

Break Blade 2: Ketsubetsu no Michi

The first instalment of Break Blade was a solid but decidedly unspectacular affair, with a nice concept (in terms of the way its mecha are powered at least) blended into what otherwise looked like pretty standard giant robot anime fare.


Predictably, the first half of this second episode delves a little more into the politics of the conflict which has developed across its world, leaving Cruzon at the mercy of far more powerful military forces than it can possibly muster, with the danger only intensified by other lands working together to effectively sell it down the river to grab a share of the quartz which is so plentiful in the country.

However, it's pretty clear that any politics are only really secondary to the real focus of the series, that being the tangled web of relations between protagonist Ryugart, former friend turned enemy Zess and Cruzon royalty Hodr and Sigyn. The biggest bouncing of these characters off one another comes courtesy of a stand-off between Ryugart and Zess in the form of an attempt to negotiate by the former with the latter - this serves to reveal that Zess is clearly none too happy with the current course of military action being undertaken, but he sees himself with little choice but to follow orders given his lack of sway with the higher powers of Athens. With no chance of negotiation and Cruzon's token belligerently incompetent general jumping the gun, the two end up coming to blows via their respective Golems before Ryugart retreats, running off into the desert into a position which only causes more problems in the long run...


Before we know it, Ryugart ends up involved in a scrap with another of Zess' troops, Lee, which turns out to be a deadly one... not for Ryugart himself but for the soldier that comes to rescue him (with a name and rank like Private Dan, it was pretty clear that he was not long for this world - they might as well have given him a red shirt) and eventually Lee herself - a death which looks set to reverberate harshly into future instalments of the show. Witnessing these deaths at first hand and feeling responsible for them both (which he is, truth be told), Ryugart decides that he's had enough and looks all set to leave before a sudden and inevitable change of heart come the end of the episode.


After a pretty mediocre opener that didn't deliver much on its promise, this second instalment of Break Blade (and in particular the second half of this episode) was a pretty big improvement - the action felt slicker, we're now a little more attuned to what Ryugart's strange Under Golem is capable of without giving too much away, and most importantly the plot itself is now in a far stronger position after the events of this outing with tension, a lust for vengeance and the like bubbling up everywhere. Although the story itself still feels pretty generic by mecha anime standards, complete with reluctant pilot who looks all set to walk out on his role before a last minute change of heart, that isn't enough to stop this being a pretty entertaining affair at times. It's the third episode which will most likely make or break the series however - all of the pieces are in place, and it's now up to the show to deliver by making the most of them.

Break Blade

To be honest, I had no real intention of watching Break Blade, let alone 'blogging about it, but sometimes I like to be spontaneous and pick something up just for the sake of it even if I know nothing about it, and this is one of those occasions. Of course, it's easier to be spontaneous about something when it's available in 1080p too...

Anyhow, this first instalment of Break Blade gives us a pretty good idea of what one of its key tenets is early on, thanks to some good old giant robot action. However, this clearly isn't your typical kind of mecha show, as we see these robots making use of what appear to be pretty weak weaponry and moving under the power of their pilot. It's from here that we're introduced to Cruzon, a land rich in quartz and where the general populace can control this quartz to varying degrees; an ability that is invaluable when it comes to powering machinery, weapons and the like, and something which I would imagine would be a pain in the ass when it comes to wearing a wristwatch.


Anyhow, with that piece of back story set, we're quickly introduced to the one in a million guy who breaks those rules - Ryugart Arrow, a man with no ability to control quartz whatsoever. We first meet Ryugart collapsed in the middle of nowhere, but before we know it he's been whisked off to meet a king and queen, Hodr and Sigyn respectively, where it transpires that he was friends with both of them as students before the pair became married, with the latter marrying into royalty.

However, Ryugart hasn't been invited along just for some pleasantries - Instead, Hodr is hoping that he can shed some light on an ancient "Golem" (for that is what their giant robots are called) that has been discovered; a machine which seemingly refuses to react when anyone who can control quartz is behind its proverbial steering wheel. With his country facing an impending invasion from Athens (which of course prominently features another old friend of both Hodr and Ryugart), this ancient machine could be their last hope of preventing such an attack from succeeding.


You can probably guess the rest from here - Ryugart proves to be the only person who can control this ancient mecha (which just as predictably he learns of by accident), and thus the future of his friends and his country are left firmly in his hands going forward into future instalments.

I suppose I have to give Break Blade some credit for introducing a world where giant robots aren't uber-powerful, but instead actually prove to be both rather lightweight in terms of firepower and also heavily reliant on the power and ability of the pilot rather than the mecha itself. On the other hand, this state of affairs does at times leave this whole affair feeling a little like Code Geass with pea shooters, and to be honest it's difficult to get too excited about the action in general. That aside, as an opening gambit goes this proves to be a pretty solid one for Break Blade - It is, as I mentioned, generally rather predictable, but it does its job of setting the scene and leaving room for whatever twists and turns are to come without ever becoming too dull or bogged down in flashbacks. In terms of animation this instalment is also solid rather than spectacular - to be honest some of the animation actually looks downright weird from time to time, which threatens to detract from whatever is going on but never quite breaks down entirely, but at least the voice acting is decent and the whole thing ticks along with more positives than negatives.


I certainly can't pretend that I'm jumping out of my seat with excitement having sat through this first instalment of Break Blade, but it was good enough for me to want to see more and leave me curious as to how it might progress, so I guess that counts as mission accomplished. There are certainly worse ways to spend fifty minutes... by watching two episode of Allison to Lillia, for example.