I love robots shows. I err towards supers because I prefer the overly ridiculous stuff that comes with them, but that distinction between reals and supers doesn’t usually matter that much. They tend to mix and match, and thus here we are with Captain Earth.
Captain Earth, which probably won’t contain anyone destroying the environment out of spite, is this season’s new robot show. It comes to us from the same people who made Star Driver. Star Driver wasn’t exactly a great show in story telling, but it was goddamn beautiful to look at, and Captain Earth continues that. The show is outright gorgeous. The animation is fluid, the colors are rich, the lighting is pretty, the robot designs are good as are the general mechanical designs. Character designs leave a little to be desired in that they also brought over Star Driver‘s ridiculous tits. So far, the fanservice has only been the one character, but it won’t stop there. It never does.
Other than that, there’s actually not a lot to say. That the first episode is efficient and standard is probably the best way to put it. The main character, Daichi Manatsu, has his back story divulged through a mixture of flashbacks and present day events that lead him gloriously into the cockpit of a robot so he ca colorfully fight other robots from another organization probably headed by evil jerks in suits. There’s also something about glowing rocks from space. He meets a mysterious naked girl, has a pendant from his dead father who was also a Captain. Captain is the name for pilot along with all the other jargon the show throws blatantly into your face over the course of the first episode along with various mysteries and boobies. It’s all very normal
It might sound like I’m down on the show because of the simplicity, but I’m not. This is a robot show. I’m here to watch a big colorful fight with people yelling the names of super moves as they punch lasers at you. Whatever facilitates that is enough plot for me, and it’s not like what we’ve been presented with is bad. It’s basic setup, but it’s done well. Daichi’s father dies in a particularly spectacular way, Daichi himself gets the passion needed to pilot a robot well, we establish enough characters to keep things vague enough to be interesting. It’ll work even if it doesn’t break too many molds.
Captain Earth is airing on Saturdays late night. Give it a shot. The colors might just be enough to bring you in.
One Pixel Jump 