Tetsuwan Birdy Decode Episode 1 Review

     I know that the term underrated ends up being used a lot when talking about, especially older, anime, and the reason for this is not the fact that the actual show hasn't received commendations for its extravagant qualities, but rather that the show in question is merely a mediocre one, and the extravagant quality that it has is merely nostalgia, but under the scope here we take a look at the first episode of the obscure show that barely anyone has nostalgia for.
     Anyways, the show in question is a 26 episode TV remake of the late 90s OVA, which focuses on the rather interesting premise- a female intergalactic officer sharing a body with an average high school boy. This merging happens at the end of this episode, so the question is- does this make this episode dull because we know the outcome? Or why didn't this happen at the beginning of the episode? Thankfully, the answer is no, because Tetsuwan Birdy Decode features a variety of rather interesting and witty characters, especially Birdy (a.k.a Shion) which empathize this light-hearted atmosphere the show successfully conveys. There is always something going on to keep the viewer engaged, despite the fact that we know exactly how the episode is going to end.
     Visuals of the show are rather interesting. Everything is bright, sparkling with digital colors used on the characters, empathized by the watercolor-like style that is used in the background art. The animation is very fluid for a TV animation, especially in the action sequences.  Only thing visually that deserves the mention is the fan-service; Birdy's costume is fairly revealing, and there is a fan-servicy photo shoot at the beginning. While some people might find this to be unnecessary, I find it that it adds to the light-hearted atmosphere the show is going for.
     Music-wise, soundtrack, especially in the action sequences, tends to over-do the feature- orchestral soundtrack gives the impression that this is a serious superhero series, instead of light-hearted comedy the show is aiming to present itself as, but it is not very distracting. Opening and ending themes are great to listen to, as well.
     Overall, Tetsuwan Birdy Decode gives off the impression of a forgotten entertainer with a lot of potentials. This episode provides great motivation to watch the show and endless possibilities for it.

Score breakdown:

Story: B+
Despite the fact that we know the final resolution of the episode, the show finds multiple ways to engage the viewer.

Characters: B
Birdy's personality is a great highlight, while other characters give the stereotypical impression.
Animation: A
Very fluid and well-framed for a TV animation.

Art: A+
Great character designs, interesting use of background art.

Music: B
Orchestral soundtrack tends to over-do the stuff that's going on, but, aside from that the opening and ending themes are great to listen to.

+ Light hearted entertainer with a lot of potential, engaging sci-fi concept.
- Fan-service can be off-putting, a lot of characters seem to have the depth of cardboard.

Beatless Episode 1 Review

     In short- Guilty Crown 1.5

    The traffic light switches. A character walks across the street. The traffic light switches. A character walks across the street. Now, if this sounds monotonous to you, because it is, you will be surprised that this is the composition of one of the first shots of Beatless’ first episode, which is true to its name- beatless.
     Moments in, I was overcome by the feeling of deja vu, and with a good reason- this show does indeed feel like Guilty Crown, and I am not just talking about the fact that both shows share the same character designer, but rather the overall premise and characters- Arato and Shuu are basically the same character (visually and personality wise), and the same can be said for Lacia, which is basically this show’s mascot and the clone of Inori. It doesn’t help that the show starts in the most non-unique place ever- high school, giving us a taste of school life, which by this point in anime feels like rotten spam, before introducing us to a couple of generic guys in a helicopter fighting other “hIE,” which are supposed to be robots who function as slaves for humans?
    The world building is for this episode barely there, and what I found to be the most memorable is how the convenience store functions, which should serve as a sign of how uninteresting this world feels. This is not to say that it does not have potential to explore themes of relationships of humans and machines, which has been done before and more effectively.
    Show’s art style is solid overall- redjuice again proves to the world that he is the God of female character designs, which look sleek, attractive and poster-worthy. Same cannot be said for the boys, which look rather meh. But, those designs look only good when they are not moving, because of the animation here, during action sequences especially, looks janky and rough. 3D CG animation, which this episode uses for the cars, is jarring as well, but it is fairly brief.

    Overall, Beatless does not make a good impression in its first episode. It is not to say that it lacks potential, but its stereotypical delivery, underwhelming production values, and copy-paste characters make this questionable. I would sum this up as poor man’s Guilty Crown.

Score breakdown:

Story: C-

Does not make a great impression, despite the potential for some interesting philosophy.

Characters: D

Copy-pasted directly from Guilty Crown, which is a show you do not want to copy characters from.

Animation: C-

Action sequences lack fluidity and are overall very basic.

Art: B+

redjuice’s female character designs shine, but the boys not so much. The world feels a-ok.


+ Great female character designs, has the potential for some philosophical themes regarding robots.

- Feels like Guilty Crown clone, intentionally or not- its characters are stereotypical at best, underwhelming animation.