Kurogane no Linebarrels - Episode 2 (Dropped)

The first episode of Kurogane no Linebarrels seemed to be some kind of lesson in how not to make a mecha-based anime - The mecha designs were uninspired and their animation extremely poor (and a waste of CG rendering time), and as for the main protagonist... Well, the less said about him the better.

Indeed, said protagonist Kouichi somehow manages to take this incredibly average anime and make it worse by being the most irritating "hero" I think I've ever seen in anime, a guy who doesn't give a damn about anyone else apart from himself and his new-found powers, despite frequently calling himself a "hero of justice". Now, you could argue that it's a brave move to create such a slimeball of a main character to start the series, as no doubt he'll learn and reform his ways as the show progresses, but he's succeeded in being both so annoying and so plain stupid in these first two episodes that I really don't think I can watch on any further.


Kouichi's character is really just the mouldy icing on the crumbling cake of below-par animation (even putting aside those horrible mecha animations) and supporting characters that I can't even begin to muster up any interest in, coupled with a rather cheesy soundtrack and general feeling that this series has tried to borrow the best bits from other mecha anime yet has somehow managed to blend them all into a turd sandwich.

Maybe this series will somehow turn into a classic and make me look foolish, but I really don't see it, and after sitting through far too many episodes gritting my teeth at an irritating lead male character last season (yes, that's right Itazura na Kiss, I still hate you for putting me through that) I simply don't have the will to do so again. Thus, this is going to be the first (and quite possibly only) series that I drop from my viewing schedule this season.

Kurogane no Linebarrels - Episode 1

If you had to sum up Kouichi Hayase's life in one word, it would be "sucks". Despite his delusions of being a hero of justice, he's a weakling who gets bullied at school and even his friends only look out for him out of pity. Just when things seemingly can't get any worse... A giant mecha and a naked girl fall on his head.

Of course, we already know from numerous anime series that only school kids can pilot powerful mechas, and so it turns out that Kouichi's "destiny" is to pilot the mecha of this show's title, Linebarrel, thus proving that his delusions of becoming an hero actually weren't so far off the mark after all. But at what cost as he gained that power?


To be quite honest, there were a few consistent thoughts running through my head for the duration of Kurogane no Linebarrels opening instalment. First, I don't like the animation style, it just doesn't work for me. Second, I really don't like the use of CG - The mechas look clumsy and their movement is anything but realistic, and considering they're a pretty big selling point of a series like this that's rather disappointing. Thirdly, I kept muttering under my breath "Stop trying to be like Evangelion" - While the plot holds little in the way of similarities, the mecha and cockpit designs have more than a passing nod to that seminal series, and even the music at times sounds like it's trying to parody Eva.

So, this first episode of this series has left me with nothing but a big, fat "Hmmmmm..." for an opinion. Even ignoring its aesthetics I found myself taking a dislike to all of the characters for one reason or another, and the overall plot could easily have come from some kind of "Mecha by Numbers" book - Hell, even the Sixth Sense-esque finish to the episode was blindingly obvious if you applied any measure of logic to it. I don't intend to give up on it after a single episode, but Kurogane no Linebarrels is already teetering at the edge of my drop list - Can it really offer anything that hasn't been done better a thousand times before?