[Preamble]
"Oh boy, haven't I seen this before?"
These were the exact words I said to myself (out loud, too) when I first started watching Linebarrels of Iron. The opening plot hook - downtrodden boy, beautiful girl, space mecha, shadowy cabal, etc. etc. - is near identical to that of Dragonaut, and if you've been following me thus far, you'd know what I thought about that particular... distraction. I was more than a bit wary as I worked through the first couple of episodes. But having said this, I will try and keep my comparisons between the two shows to a minimum for this review, judging Linebarrels on its own merits, rather than standing it next to Dragonaut and seeing how it fairs.
Now, Linebarrels came recommended via the review [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/anime/7026-Anime-Review-Linebarrels-of-Iron] here at the Escapist, as it turns out. I had just finished Dragonaut, and was itching for something better. The aforementioned review was at the top of the page at the time, so I decided to go ahead with it. After all, I had nothing to lose, and I needed something to fill in the gaps while I waited for the next episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to come online. How did it fare? Well...
[Who, Where, and Why]
Folgers is actually the second-best part of waking up. |
As I mentioned, the plot of Linebarrels is similar to Dragonaut. Kouichi Hayase is a teenager with some problems. He's a weakling and a coward, unable to stand up for himself to the school bullies that make his life a living hell. He's even more ashamed by the fact that he's all-to-often rescued from his tormentors by his two closest friends, Risaki Niiyami (who, like every other female childhood friend, has had a longstanding crush on Kouichi) and Hideaki Yajima (whom Kouichi secretly idolizes). Because all of this (or maybe in spite of it), Kouichi's dream is to attain some sort of overwhelming power to become a 'champion of justice', much like how he pictures Yajima.
Kouichi's life is turned inside out one day, during one of his perfunctory runs to the local bakery to buy food for the bullies. There is a great flash of light, and the next thing Kouichi knows, he's lying in a crater beside a very unconscious, very attractive, very naked young woman. Being the good boy he is, he rushes her back to his house to dress and care for her (completely forgetting the bullies in the process). When she comes to, it is discovered that her name is Emi, and that she doesn't know much more than that. Amnesia is very plot-convenient, isn't it?
This gives me a great new idea for car ignition systems. |
But wait, this is a show about giant mechs, right? Well, the show then kicks of its promised action sequences when some killer robots start to terrorize the town. Kouichi then discovers his true calling: he has been granted control the titular Linebarrel through his connection with Emi. All he has to do is fondle Emi's breast, which she allows him to do willingly, and the giant robot will spring forth from the Pokeball in his pocket (or maybe just a pocket dimension).
Kouichi's newfound power makes short work of the offending mechs, despite his lack of experience. As it turns out, this Linebarrel is actually the most powerful mech in existence, which is exactly the sort of thing that Kouichi has been dreaming of his entire life. Included in the package is Wolverine-like regenerative powers and superhuman strength and speed for Kouichi himself.
And what is the cost of this great power? Great responsibility, maybe? It certainly seems that that is not the case here. For several episodes Kouichi runs amuck about the city, destroying both the enemy mechs and the surrounding landscape, styling himself as that very same 'champion of justice'. However, his supposed supremacy leads to some of the less savoury aspects of his personality coming forth, leading to a pretty spectacular fall from grace.
And this is all in the first four episodes.
After the fall, Kouichi is offered a contract with JUDA, which on the surface appears to be a large medical-equipment manufacturer, but is actually something much more. His job: to fight alongside other mech pilots against the Katuo Organization, the party responsible for all the bad mechs that have been messing up the city. Thus the real show begins: Kouichi and company must find out what Katuo's motives are, and unravel the mystery of the D-S.O.I.L., which is the technology that allows for humans to control the mechs and gives them the regenerative properties.
What all happens during those last 20 episodes is hard to describe - this show seems to pick up every last plot device and comedic gag from just about every genre it can find and throw them in: there's a gratuitous beach scene, harem-style dating mechanics, savage mech-on-mech battles on both the ground and in space, karaoke, comically proportioned women, teenage angst, a Christmas party, downright perverted pleasures, and under it all a world-ending plot.
[Great, now how was the Presentation?]
Much the same as Dragonaut, really: interesting character models, flashy animations with some computer-generated magic for the more complicated fight scenes. I personally preferred the drawing styling in this better - the actual drawings seem more complete and well-defined. The opening theme isn't great, but if I can still hum it to myself even these many months later, that must be saying something. The ending themes were forgettable at best.
One key difference between Linebarrels and Dragonaut, though is the way it handles its 'mature' content. While Dragonaut had to preserve a PG-13 rating by avoiding frontal nudity and having most of the robot-induced carnage happen just to the side of the camera, Linebarrels makes full use of its NC-17 rating by straight up showing these things in full bloom.
[Okay, so did you like it?]
Obviously, someone just ate the last Two-Bite Brownie |
In a word, yes, I thought it was pretty entertaining. Of course, I have to make some pretty huge qualifications and rationalizations in order to say that.
First let me say this: Kouichi is almost insufferable for those first four episodes, and even for a good while afterwards. Even Emi says that he's detestable and disgusting, drunk on power and mad with fury. He's almost completely unlikable, and that will probably turn a lot of people off of the show in the early goings. People like a character they can root for, someone they can empathize with. Kouichi is not that character. He's arrogant, vain, self-centred, overly-aggressive, and even perverted (or maybe he's just a typical teenage guy in that respect, and all those other shows are trying to hide something...).
But to me, that was a real hook. Because Kouichi is so very flawed, it gives much more weight to the things that happen to him - as he tries to master his powers, as he tries to always do the 'just' thing, as he struggles with accepting that his brand of justice may not be the best, and even as he tries to impress Emi (and, inadvertently, other girls). He may not be the most likable hero around, but the remarkable changes he undergoes throughout the series at the very least get him into the 'interesting' category.
The character relationships are also intriguing. I've already touched on the Kouichi/Emi dynamic: after Kouichi's first few escapades, their relationship becomes fractured. There's still that inexplicable attraction between them, but it is tense, and Kouichi has to work every episode to try and convince Emi that he's changed. This is in stark contrast to the 'love-at-first-sight' deal that Jin/Toa has going on (okay, I promise that will be the last reference to Dragonaut). The show also goes on to flesh out other relationships; Kouichi ends up being a major catalyst for his fellow JUDA members to begin their own self-fulfilling quests.
If that was all that Linebarrels had going for it, it'd still be hard to call it a 'pretty entertaining' anime. And true, there are other factors. I mentioned it above: the mishmash of cliches from just about every genre of anime there is. The way I see it, there are two interpretations of this choice of structure:
Which ones are female? 77.7% of the people in your area CAN'T answer correctly! |
The first interpretation is that the show is playing these cliches straight-faced, or maybe just for fanservice. You know that beach episode? There just to show off the bodies of the female characters. Inexplicable harem dynamics? More of the same. Big, flashy, explosion filled robot fights? The kids dig 'em. If taken this way, it would seem that all those tropes were included just to appeal to the both carnal and compassionate desires of the human nature. In that respect, I guess you could call Linebarrels a success, though how much that amounts to in the grand scheme of things is pretty paltry. The girls are attractive, the fights are visceral, and the cheesy sweetness is heartwarming. The show seems almost robotic in its employment of every single trick you've ever seen, and that can be quite galling to some people.
The second interpretation is that all this was done as an uncannily self-aware mockery of all those cliches people have come to expect from shows like this. Now, I don't claim to know the minds of the creators, nor do I claim to be an authority on the pervasive natures in the anime community, but I can't help but think that this is more what this series was shooting for. When a show is already dealing with more mature themes than you'd expect out of a whiz-bang robot smasher (i.e. the nature of justice and the responsibilities of a hero), I don't think that those components that would otherwise be considered trite and foolish were included just to pander to the audience.
Which way you see this series, then, really boils down to your personal biases. I myself am normally a very cynical person, so it would have been easy for me to dismiss Linebarrels as something you would get if you let Michael Bay direct anime. But somehow, I arrived at the conclusion above. I don't know, maybe the writers were just as cynical as I was about anime cliches? Regardless, when you strip away all that over-analysis, what's left over is a loud, vivid, fairly streamlined series that's good for mindless fun, if nothing else.
[Packing it all in]
So, is Linebarrels of Iron truly a good anime? I wouldn't go that far. Is it entertaining? You bet. It's chock full of just about everything you can think of (and probably plenty of stuff you can't), and doesn't feel cluttered or clunky. Even if you hate cliches, or hate anime, you'll probably find something you like here. And if you can survive Kouichi's crippling hubris through the first few episodes, you're well on your way to a fine distraction
[For next time]
I apologize for the wait on this one. I try to get a new review written every eight days, but extenuating circumstances led to some untimely delays.
I also apologize for these last three reviews. These really were the first three shows I watched, and I felt it best to do them in the order I completed them. The next couple of reviews will be some more popular shows, which may be more interesting to those in the community.
Next stop: Love Hina
Shuffle! [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.190015-My-journey-through-animeland-Shuffle]
Dragonaut: The Resonance [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.191895-My-journey-through-animeland-Dragonaut-The-Resonance]
Dragonaut: The Resonance [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.191895-My-journey-through-animeland-Dragonaut-The-Resonance]
Honestly, who would think to go and dress a woman whom you've just met in your sister's clothes?
