Ginga Kikoutai: Majestic Prince - 04
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I take it Majestic Prince doesn't want to be just a parody, given that it's going for a more serious story.
Following from last week's episode, Majestic Prince has started to alter its ratio of parody humour to serious sci-fi plot. The most recent episode shows a drastic shift from comedy to drama. What used to predominantly joke riddled scenes ended up as turn into the bleak.
Slowly we're finding out the background stories - not the traditional kind mind you - for our young protagonists. Their genetic engineering doesn't come as much of a shock since it explains what we've learnt about their abilities. Not to mention, it's a pretty standard background story amongst sci-fi series both in anime and out. Whilst clarifying, it served a brief purpose and opened a door to a more serious story.
One thing I didn't notice before this episode was the lack of information on the world setting. Before this episode, Majestic Prince hadn't disclosed what's customary for all mecha anime to disclose in the first or in some rare cases second episode: who's the bad guy? Something that's quite important to the series, don't you think?
Well, in no time did Rin-Rin and Amane proceed to paint a bleak picture of their situation. A loosing battle against an enemy that's just better equipped and keeps their numbers strong. Very dramatic - depending on your own preference, it borders on the melodramatic - yet somehow it works because of the decent directing at work here. The transition from the Amane to the Rin and finally to the Theoria moved fluently, leaving an impression. It's not the most original setting to exploit, but the explanation was well-done and a closer look at Rin was also appreciated. I wouldn't have guessed she was such an important character if not for this episode.
The explanation took up most of the episode, so Majestic Prince snuck in some new characters at the end to keep things moving. A new team full of senpai would suggest some teachable moments will be coming to young Team Rabbits. The question is: will they be serious or parody? Whatever answer we get may very well confirm or dispute the possibility of a change in tone.
Final Notes:
- She's an ojousama?!
- Rin-Rin is such a lightweight.
Ginga Kikoutai: Majestic Prince episode 05 Preview
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