So I'm going to ignore the really sleazy things that happened in the first 3 episodes, due to the fact that everyone else has already discussed these things and, while Cross Ange continues to have rampant fanservice, the really uncomfortable and downright creepy kind doesn't appear past episode 3 (though it makes you wonder why it was there in the first place).
People say Cross Ange's problem is that its misogynistic. It could be that, but I think what makes Cross Ange bad is that it has NO idea what the hell it wants to be genre or tone wise. Each episode plays ping pong with the mood of the series, bouncing from "funny fanservice," to “brutal, dark serious world where racism and bigotry are encouraged and you need to kill to live." If it stuck with one tone, that would have been fine. However, you CAN'T HAVE BOTH. The thing with the "fanservice" debate isn't that fanservice itself is the problem, it has its place. It’s when you try to have fanservice in a serious moment/story that's the problem. It has no place in a grim/dark series and comes off as super sleazy.
Take the pilots' outfits for example. If this was a straight up fanservice mecha comedy then yes, these skimpy, barely-covering pilot suits would be okay. But since they've built the plot as a serious and dark story where any of these girls could die horribly fighting monsters there is NO.DAMN.LOGICAL.REASON for them to be wearing such skin-baring outfits into battle! It's made even more irritating when you see male pilots (Such as Tusk and his dead dad) wearing sensible and fully-covering pilot outfits while his mom and all other pilots wear those skimpy outfits! IT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE TO WEAR THEM IN A SERIOUS MECHA SETTING!
If Cross Ange was a lighthearted mecha comedy loaded with fanservice, it would have been okay. On the other hand if it was a grim and serious "war is hell," "humans are bastards," and "You need to kill to live" story with the fanservice dialed back, that would have been okay too. But because it tries to be both, it just makes it an insulting and confusing spectacle that seems to have no idea what it wants to viewers to feel.
Which is a shame, because I really do like the Para-mail units and their fights with the dragons.
Cross Ange: This Anime has No Idea What it Wants to Be
So I'm going to ignore the really sleazy things that happened in the first 3 episodes, due to the fact that everyone else has already discussed these things and, while Cross Ange continues to have rampant fanservice, the really uncomfortable and downright creepy kind doesn't appear past episode 3 (though it makes you wonder why it was there in the first place).
People say Cross Ange's problem is that its misogynistic. It could be that, but I think what makes Cross Ange bad is that it has NO idea what the hell it wants to be genre or tone wise. Each episode plays ping pong with the mood of the series, bouncing from "funny fanservice," to “brutal, dark serious world where racism and bigotry are encouraged and you need to kill to live." If it stuck with one tone, that would have been fine. However, you CAN'T HAVE BOTH. The thing with the "fanservice" debate isn't that fanservice itself is the problem, it has its place. It’s when you try to have fanservice in a serious moment/story that's the problem. It has no place in a grim/dark series and comes off as super sleazy.
Take the pilots' outfits for example. If this was a straight up fanservice mecha comedy then yes, these skimpy, barely-covering pilot suits would be okay. But since they've built the plot as a serious and dark story where any of these girls could die horribly fighting monsters there is NO.DAMN.LOGICAL.REASON for them to be wearing such skin-baring outfits into battle! It's made even more irritating when you see male pilots (Such as Tusk and his dead dad) wearing sensible and fully-covering pilot outfits while his mom and all other pilots wear those skimpy outfits! IT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE TO WEAR THEM IN A SERIOUS MECHA SETTING!
If Cross Ange was a lighthearted mecha comedy loaded with fanservice, it would have been okay. On the other hand if it was a grim and serious "war is hell," "humans are bastards," and "You need to kill to live" story with the fanservice dialed back, that would have been okay too. But because it tries to be both, it just makes it an insulting and confusing spectacle that seems to have no idea what it wants to viewers to feel.
Which is a shame, because I really do like the Para-mail units and their fights with the dragons.