User blog:Gundam Legilis/Thoughts on Round One

Hello everybody!

Today, I wanted to share with you some things about Round One. A little late, but better late than never, I suppose.

So, the first few minutes are filled with - oh, you clever bastards you, holding an entire intro dedicated to Monty while explaining some of Taiyang's feelings for Summer. And the birds, the birds! Look at how they make Monty's signature!

Okay, now back to the tournament. It seems that they really started to step up with some of that visual exposition on the four Kingdoms (don't know where that high-tech bar was from), showing all the people there, and what their cultures are like, especially the three outside the RV watching on the projector.

I find it really interesting that the tournament is structured in teams, doubles, and singles, the winners electing their best members first before the rest of the team fights their way forward. But there is a problem with not segregating the groups, despite the idea of a skill-based meritocratic tournament; experience.

In the fight, the arena is a step up from the sparring match, testing environmental and Dust usage. The Aura meters are run by percentages, with TKOs and ringouts the criteria for elimination.

However, the fight is a little slower than what we're used to, not to mention that Nadir and Bolin, well, not only was there no strategy in the team, but the two were the weak links.

Later on, I must commend the animators for making a crowd so lively during the fairgrounds. And the voice acting and comedy is really superb, coming from all the VAs. Special mention goes to Katie as Emerald, during her little snarkfest behind their backs. Not to mention Sam, who does a fantastic Nora rant, full of laughter and tears. Also, nice hint of exposition of their past, though there needs to be clarification.

Heiress and the bimbo... Team Lose-iper... LOL.

Speaking of VAs, you have Neath as the new Ren. Neath is... beefier as the new Ren. If Monty's portrayal suits a tired Ren, Neath is the one that brings all the energy into the guy, the one that's always ready to fight.

And Yuri Lowenthal as Mercury in Volume 3 ... wow, that totally came from left field and I did not see that coming. While he sounds slightly deeper than J.J, I must admit, he is really damn good at his job. It's barely distinguishable.

Of course, with Cinder's fight, we have the twintails, who is basically Neo. And I love how the camera spins angles just before the cut. Of course, it was a shame it wasn't a new character and yet another thing turned out to be obvious given existing theories. Me personally, I like something a little more unexpected; it raises interest and attention.

With Cinder's outfit, yeah, I said it already, but that getup looks like something that came from Vacuo instead of Mistral. And yeah, baby steps for exposition of Shade and Team Bronze, no matter how you spell it.

These are my first impressions, an in-depth analysis detailing all possible problems will come tomorrow.

Thoughts?

-Gundam Legilis