The second season of Megaton Musashi, a robot anime based on LEVEL5's new IP, will begin airing this fall. While the game wasn't particularly exciting and the anime's first half lacked excitement, many viewers who watched the entire series praised it as entertaining. The second half of the series was intense, and the unique sense of tragedy and tension of robot anime made it a truly amazing robot anime. This time, I'd like to look back on episodes 8-13 of Megaton Musashi's first season and share my thoughts!
Episode 8: Natural Enemy
Yamato and Kanzaki, along with Ryugo and Hikaru, attack Professor Hakamada. There, they speak with Princess Ashem of Dracter, who has possessed them, and her bodyguard, Sarzanto. Ashem explains that the destruction of Earthlings was the Queen's will, and that she wants to live in coexistence. However, Yamato insists on exterminating all aliens, sounding like a grandpa who wants to exterminate the Vagans.
Episode 8 Part 2
Even though Yamato clearly expresses his hostility to Ashem, she refuses to give up on her desire for coexistence. Sarzanto agrees, and the two completely part ways with Princess Clauzet. This intention is conveyed to the Queen, who orders Commander Griffath to destroy Ixia along with Ashem. The Queen is ruthless as hell, but she's the perfect leader. However, Griffath seems to have a special attachment to Ashem. His voice actor is Takahiro Sakurai, which is ominous.
Episode 8 Part 3
New members Kota Akutagawa and Takumi Kindaichi are extremely productive, building a system to lift Ixia to the surface in just one week. Kindaichi's application of the Act Driver makes the Musashi a one-man vehicle. What's more, they even salvage the blueprints for the new Rogue, which had previously been sealed behind a password. The reason for this is that Kindaichi's parents designed it, and the password was his son's birthday.
Episode 8 Part 4
Momoka and Jun, who are at odds with each other, wonder why they're with such a guy, but they board the two-seater Rogue, Maximus, and demonstrate their perfect teamwork despite it being their first time piloting it. However, a giant enemy appears on the battlefield. Yamato and his team's attacks are completely ineffective against it. Is it a mobile armor from Iron-Blooded Orphans or something?
Episode 9: Family
As the team struggles against the mobile armor, Ryugo experiences a flashback. While Ryugo now lives in a privileged family, he seems to have grown up to be a strong, kind delinquent. However, his past reveals that he was abused and abandoned. With no other options, Aeshem appears on Yamato's monitor, revealing the enemy's weaknesses. While skeptical of the alien's words, Yamato believes Aeshem's words in order to resolve the situation. By simultaneously destroying the enemy's digital brain, Yamato successfully disables them.
Episode 9 Part 2
At first, Yamato was adamant about destroying all aliens, but after being saved by Ashem, he began to want to talk to them again. He asked Kanzaki to arrange an opportunity for a conversation, but Kanzaki refused. Later, based on data unearthed by Kindaichi, new rogues, the Sparkman and Gaudia, were constructed. Since the Musashi could now be operated as a single-seater, Teru piloted the Sparkman and Ryugo piloted the Gaudia. With the introduction of the new aircraft, the combination became necessary, and the three-seater design was scrapped. It can't be helped, since it would have been too much of a hassle to move the story forward.
Episode 9 Part 3
Hijikata Ryugo was originally abused, but he found the best possible relationship with the family created by the current matching system. Having grown up with a strong-willed mother, Ryugo could no longer bear to continue lying to his current mother, and confessed to her that he was not her real family. However, Ryugo's mother was aware of this, and still treated him as her real son. While the family matching system had a positive impact on Ryugo, it was causing problems in Teru's family, as the matching system was causing growing discrepancies. Ryugo's delinquent behavior despite his kind and upright upbringing may be due to the abuse he experienced in the past.
Episode 10: The Bridge
After Kanzaki lends his body to Ashem, Yamato and Ashem sit down to negotiate. Meanwhile, Dracter's Commander, Griffarth, has received orders from the Princess to kill Ashem as a result of power harassment. As the situation unfolds, Commander Minami begins to experience physical changes. Commander Minami, who had occasionally fallen ill, was generally a reclusive person, but he seemed to open up to Asami Teru. But it turns out their relationship was even deeper. Huh?! This is where the story really took off and the direction of the series began to take shape.
Episode 10 Part 2
Commander Minami was originally a member of the Draktor side, but rebelled against the Queen's policies and sided with Earthlings. On the day of the Draktor attack, Commander Minami rescued Teru and chose to fight alone in search of a path to coexistence. Teru decided to walk alongside Commander Minami to realize his ideals. Their relationship was very deep. However, Commander Minami's body requires regular intake of environmental adaptation drugs to survive, and his time is fast approaching.
Episode 10 Part 3
The name Draktor was a codename given by Earth, and they called themselves the people of Sidor. The Sidor people abandoned their destroyed homeland and set out in search of a new land, eventually finding Earth.
However, Earth, where a civilization had been built, was not likely to accept a place to live and resources. Negotiations broke down, and a bloody battle was inevitable. Therefore, the Queen's rational decision was to destroy Earth's civilization with a preemptive strike without any lingering regrets. Yamato wasn't convinced, but he understood Ashem and his companions' circumstances.
Episode 10 Part 4
Dracter's commander, Griffarth, infiltrated Ixia and made contact with Sarzan. Sarzan had adapted to Earth's culture, even frequenting maid cafes and collecting points. Sarzan respected Ashem's decision, but he had become so immersed in Earth's culture that he may have had some personal feelings about it.
Episode 11: Surfacing
During the Ixia surfacing operation, Yamato and Ashem launch a Musashi to stop the Dracter, who are launching a major offensive. As the pilots struggle, an unexpected person suddenly appears before Commander Minami and his team. It's the mayor of Ixia, who is a traitor and spy for the Dracter. The mayor orders the Ixia surfacing to be halted, and then, of all things, shoots Commander Minami. Who was this guy again? He's such a sudden character, I thought, "Whoa, whoa, whoa?", but information about the traitor was hinted at, so it feels like he's finally here.
Episode 11 Part 2
As the battle situation changes, Grifferth confronts Musashi to protect Ashem. However, Ashem clearly informs Musashi that he is parting ways after learning of the princess's intentions. From there, he engages in a one-on-one battle, a back-and-forth battle. Grifferth was a sinister character, but this one reminds me of Bizon from Buddy Complex. Judging by his voice actor, this is...
Episode 11 Part 3
Commander Minami is shot, and the crew discovers from the color of his blood that he is an alien. However, Earth's technology is unable to save him. Commander Minami then leaves a final message for Hikaru. Megaton Musashi lacked the tension typically associated with robot anime. This was because the main characters were so strong that there was no sense of suspense that the main characters might die, but that rule was broken. This is actually where the real action begins, with a shocking turn of events, but it's getting interesting!
Episode 12: The Walking One
Musashi crashed during the battle with Griffirth, and Yamato's heart stopped. Those fighting on the other battlefields were also shocked by Commander Minami's death. Furthermore, Maximus, who was defending the final line of defense against Ixia, reached his limit. Momoka escaped, but Jun continued to fight to the end with Maximus to protect his allies in the rear. However, Maximus was heavily damaged by concentrated enemy fire, and Jun was killed in the battle. This is where the story takes a shocking turn, with many casualties. However, the excitement is also reaching its peak.
Episode 12 Part 2
Resuscitated by Ashem, Yamato engages in hand-to-hand combat with Grifferth, who has come to capture Ashem. During the encounter, Grifferth reveals his obsession with Ashem and his hostility toward Earthlings, ultimately killing Sarzan, who was trying to protect Ashem. This further increases the death toll. Following Ashem's clear rejection and brain damage, Grifferth has completely turned into Bizon-san.
Episode 12 Part 3
Caught by surprise and injured in one eye, Grifferth attempts to escape with Ashem, but after a fierce struggle with Musashi, he loses Ashem. Yamato desperately pursues him, but is stopped by Teru, who arrives on the scene. After hearing from Teru about Commander Minami's death and the current situation, Yamato gives up on pursuing Ashem and instead intercepts a large missile approaching Ixia.
Episode 12 Part 4
Yamato intercepts a large missile with Musashi's ultimate weapon, the Kabuki Function, which uses a giant blade created by a system that generates matter in the air, and cuts it in half with a single slash. It's a special move similar to the Gundam Astray Red Frame's 150 Gerbera Straight, created with the Alter ability from Scryed, but the effect is reminiscent of the Z Gundam with its biosensor activated or Gun Sword's Dan of Thursday.
Episode 13: A Miraculous Life
Though the battle is over, Yamato is unable to rescue Ashem, who instead encounters Viktor, a member of a bandit gang, outside the ruins of Ixia. Meanwhile, Jun Kirishima, who had died in the previous battle, miraculously survives thanks to Reiji Amemiya's telekinesis. Margaret Breknen, entrusted with the role of commander by Commander Minami, sets the next course and leads Ixia forward.
Episode 13 Part 2
Although the outside of Ixia was engulfed in flames due to the Draktor's attack, humanity was not extinct. The thief Victor and his subordinates, who Ashem encountered, struggled to survive on the devastated land. Outside Ixia, giant mutated creatures ran rampant, creating a post-apocalyptic environment. They needed a means of self-defense. Victor used a rogue similar to Musashi, the Musashi-Oh. He survived by building a rogue using stolen data from Musashi. Perhaps the Musashi-Oh is a prototype rogue similar to the Oh Gundam. It's starting to feel a bit like Fist of the North Star and Iron-Blooded Orphans.
Episode 13 Part 3
Dracator attacks while Ixia is moving, and Musashi and Sparkman, who are skilled in aerial combat, are deployed. However, for some reason, Hikaru, who was supposed to pilot Sparkman, is not there, and Reiji deploys Sparkman instead. Even so, the two work in perfect harmony to defeat enemies one after another. They even use space debris to activate their Alter ability...or rather, Kabuki Function, and sink the enemy mothership by smashing it with a giant meteorite. Musashi was incredibly strong from start to finish in the first season.
Episode 13 Part 4
Thrown alone outside Ixia, Ashem proposes a deal with Victor. Grifferth returns home in a humble manner and launches a coup against the Queen. Hikaru, who did not deploy, learns that Commander Minami is pregnant with his child and that the child is still alive. Thus, the first season of Musashi comes to a close, leaving us with the potential for Ashem's Iron-Blooded Orphans, Grifferth's buddy complex, and Ixia's space runaway.
[Megaton-Class Musashi] Season 1 Review, Part 2
I've summarized my thoughts on the first season of Megaton-Class Musashi! At first, it was hard to understand what the show was trying to achieve, but the second half of the series was incredibly captivating. It's a robot anime that's too good to be true in just one episode, so I hope you watch every episode! I really hope it becomes popular!!
