Gravion - Divine Steel ( Vol. 1) + Series Box

Rating:
Summary: more helpings of Gravion please...!
Review: Despite several negative feedback, I believe Gravion is a great addition to anyone's anime collection. I actually bought this dvd on a whim and prepared for the worst. However, Gravion is superb in their animation as well as their combination of action and comedy. It is reminiscent of the good-old Voltron days. Although in the first episodes, Gravion throws in a bunch of wacky characters, their personalities are more developed as the series continues. The subtitles are also very accurate and even the english dubbing is excellent (although I prefer to hear it in Japanese with english subtitles) The anime style is also very good and I would recommend this to anyone new or old to anime. Oh also, the 'fan service' isn't too extreme (its bearable). The music throughout the series is also wonderful and memorable. You won't regret it!

Rating:
Summary: stay far away!
Review: Don't be fooled by the "from the makers of Full Metal Panic" line. The only thing this title had in common with FMP was mecha. Featuring a terribly original plot (aliens invade earth and can only be stopped by an eccentric billionaire and his cadre of scantily clad minions), terrible dialogue and thrid-rate animation, the series is so bad that I'm baffled that this actually made it to a second season. I saw nothing worthwhile in the terribly long twenty minutes I was able to watch. If you're looking for a cool mecha series, look elsewhere (like the aforementioned Full Metal Panic).

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the time
Review: Starting off with your typical "Aliens invading earth plotline", throw in a couple of girls dressed in maid outfits for no apparent reason and a giant transforming robot and you have pretty much summed up Gravion. They do try to write in some suspense and small ties that carry over from episode to episode but after watching these paper thin episodes you won't care who's behind what mask and where certain missing people are. And I won't even start on the stupid song-a-mation that happens every time they transform into Gravion. I'm not even sure why they have the robot in multiple pieces to begin with. All they do is fly/ride out and transform then start to battle the alien threat of the episode. Unlike similar animes you never get the sense that the characters are fighting for their life, let alone trying to protect earth. They just go from episode to episode fighting whatever threat there currently is. The English dubbing is poor, the animation feels sluggish compared to how well everything is drawn for the series. It feels like it was rushed. There's too many other good anime out there to waste time watching this one.

Rating:
Summary: Lotta Fun!
Review: This is not the best anime ever, but it is entertaining for those of us who remember Voltron and Dai-Guard. Why I like it: 1-The art work and acting, 2- one of the English speaking actors does Goku in Saiyuki 3-Storyline is decent 4-And it's FUN. I've only seen up to ep. 6 on Anime Network but I am planing to buy the rest. A solid three stars for me, because the characters could be a bit more developed, but the rest pretty much makes up for it.