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Studio : Production I.G.
Length : 26 Episodes
Year : 2007
Genre : Science-Fiction - Mecha
Synopsis :
A phone call,
A journey begins,
A wedding ring,
A mother's tear.
A dream,
A golden bracelet,
A great warrior,
REIDEEN.
I used to think that stories of high school students piloting mechs and fighting monsters were found in mangas. Surely it could not happen in the real world! Then how is it that I am in a one now?
Perhaps I have confused you so let me start from the beginning. My name is Junki Saiga and as of today morning I was still you normal and ordinary high school student. That's right up till today morning there were no giant robots in my life.
I got a call in school from home, saying dad's things had been found and we were needed to positively identify them at the police station. My dad has been missing since I was little. He is, I mean was an archeologist. He disappeared in one of his digs ten years ago.
Mother, me and Kuruka, my little sister take a drive up. Hopefully we will be able to finally say farewell and give closure to this chapter in our lives. At the police station, mum sees the wedding ring and in a tearful voice positively identifies dad's belongings.
The police officer drives us to Kurokami Mountain where his remains were found. I enter the cave. Maybe I'll better understand him that way as I don't really see him as a brilliant archeologist but as a father who was hardly there. Maybe I'll be able to... wait a minute what is that there? It seems familiar. Something is calling me. I can see it; there is a mech, no two mechs. One a brilliant gold and another black.
I open my eyes and find myself in a tent. Wasn't I in the cave a moment ago? What! I fainted. It's that dream again. What is this in my hand? A golden bracelet, Reideen.
A comet comes crashing down into the nearby dam. A giant mech appears. It starts coming our way. Quickly we must leave the mountain as the dam has also burst. We run towards safety, to the helicopter but I forgot dad's things, so I ran back to get them. I won't make it in time. The water from the dam has caught up with me. I am engulfed in a sea of water. The bracelet glows golden. Fade in, I say and moments later I am in the great warrior Reideen minus my clothes. My clothes! Why am I naked? I can see without my specs! My hand, when I move it so does the hand of this mech.
The mech from the comet approaches me. It punches me and shoots at me. Idiot! What are you trying to do! Don't you know that hurts? So why do I find myself in a giant mech?
Note: Based on the original "Yuusha (Brave) Raideen" TV series by Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Added : 2007-03-13
Synopsis by : Polyguru
Last update : 2007-03-19
Last update details : Modify info
Score : 8
Number of reviews : 2
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Official Reideen Website (Japanese)
Official #2 : Wowow's Reideen Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Tomiko Van - Manacles
Ending #1 : Ataru Nakamura - Kakeashi no Ikizama
Release(s) :
2008-03-18 -- Episode(s) 29 by Central Anime. BT Link
2008-03-18 -- Episode(s) 28 by Central Anime. BT Link
2008-03-18 -- Episode(s) 28 by Central Anime. BT Link
Found 57 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
Hits : 31823
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Posted by : JDWV
Posted on : 2008-02-29  
Plot: 7/10 Nothing revolutionary about the story; boy finds robot, fights aliens, reluctant about piloting it. Reideen does make fun of itself by calling itself a stereotypical anime in the opening. The story did keep me watching, even though there is nothing revolutionary in it.
Animation: 9/10 The sequences where Saiga fades in to Reideen are very well done, and reideen itself looks great. Reideen's weapons are very detailed and the sequences where the weapons are used are nice.
The only bad things are the repetitive shots when Saiga calls for the weapons, while beautiful I did not need to see the sequence over and over in every fight. Reideen also could have moved a little more fluidly and not so robotic in the fights.
Characters: 7/10 Some of the best parts in the series are Saiga's interaction with the White Heron Squad which is led by Mr. Maedasaki. There is also a love triangle between Saiga, Midorino, and Shiori but it mostly ignored in the story and never taken advantage of. I would also like more interaction with Midorino, most of the time she is quiet and her character is never fully explained, even though she is nice to look at.
Music: 7/10 Nothing really that catches you, opening and closing songs are not too bad.
Overall: 7.5/10 Beautiful visuals and an overall enjoyable anime. Could have been a lot better with a little more character development and a few twists and turns.
Posted by : Hex
Posted on : 2008-01-18
One of the most typical stereotypes in Japanese animation is the giant mecha warrior fighting a variety of other giant things which threaten to flatten one or two cities unless stopped. Another typical stereotype is the average high school kid who one day finds out he is not so average any more, and has been burdened with a task seemingly much too large for him. Reideen does nothing to disperse these stereotypes, in fact it only enforces them, but it does present them in a way that makes watching it a very enjoyable experience.
One of the few things that annoyed me about Reideen is the tedious shouting of attacks and modes, and the animation sequences that go with them. For example, when ever Junki (the main character) goes into combat he yells at the top of his lungs “Reideen, fade in" immediately after saying this we are forced to watch an animation sequence of Reideen powering up which takes up to about 20 seconds. This did not bother me much at first, however combining that with having to watch the “GOD SWORD!" the “GOD ARROW" and the “GOD STAFF" animation sequences, each spanning 15 seconds or more, for 26 episodes you would think that they could shorten them a bit more than shaving a few seconds off here and there. However, the anime makes up for small things like these in various ways.
I must say that the design for Junki’s motorcycle is extremely lame; aside from that the art for the series is superb. I don’t think I have ever seen such great detail in a mecha series before, and you really have to give kudos to the artists that broke their backs (or wrists) drawing the finite patterns on the mechas. That is not to say, however, that the mechas are the only good looking things. Each character is unique in how they are drawn, and their appearances each match their personalities quite well; I was especially impressed with the variety of hair styles present. However, the quality of an anime is not measured solely in the quality of its art, something any one can understand after watching Devil May Cry.
The plot of the story is typical, yet also very entertaining. There is just something about watching an unlikely hero weathering countless hardships to protect what he cares for that, when combined with the irony of knowing that it is his presence itself that puts the very thing he strives to protect in danger, truly captivates the human spirit. So while Reideen may not bring a necessarily fresh story to the screen, it still manages to interest and excite the viewer long enough to watch the series to the end.
Although the story is, as I said, stereotypical, the characters more than make up for it. A hefty main character line-up allows the story to progress with out the viewer becoming bored of any person in particular, and the writers were also smart in their use of secondary characters for comedic relief as well as situational irony and suspense. However, one of the greatest failures of the series is the lack of development in the relationship between Junki and Midorino until the last two episodes, and even then there is hardly any real development. Despite this lack of progression Junki’s love life experiences, the development that takes place between him and the other main characters, Maedasaki, Shiori, and Hoshikawa to be specific, more than make up for it.
Reideen is an anime that stands out amongst its many peers, albeit not too far out, but far enough to matter. If you find yourself with nothing to watch, or if you are a fan of Mecha/Science Fiction animes this is definitely something you should consider watching. It has a few imperfections but so do all the other animes out there and a precious few have less than Reideen does.
Art: 10
Characters: 9
Story: 8
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