I have made it no secret that I have no fondness of much of what Tomino puts out, but Turn A might be one of his most successful ventures in my eyes.
One thing that immediately stands out is it's rather unique setting, creating an incredibly laid back feel and tone, almost reminiscent of some of Studio Ghibli's work. Another standout are the rather interesting mobile suit designs by the late Syd Mead creating some instantly recognizable faces.
The show also some some strengths in world building, and while it stumbles with it in some aspects, the world in general is excellent.
The characters vary quite a bit in terms of success, with some like the two female leads, Dianna and Kihel being an interesting pair while Loran ends up being somewhat uninteresting, mostly being along for the ride more than anything else. It's a similar story with the supporting cast with some greats and some that are meh. But at the very least they help to reinforce the series tone with some exceptions such as Poe and parts of the Militia. The one character that really got the shaft however was Gym who ended up rather one note and flat.
Also, the art and animation has to be among the best the series has ever put out with no Stock Footage in sight. The music doesn't really stand out, but it does it's job in providing for the atmosphere of the show.
Another thing is that Tomino have a habit on relying on the Deus ex Machina way too often to solve situations and to some ridiculous extremes, something that is also present here. At the very least the show deals with a lot of unknowns so it comes across as less glaring when it happens apart from a few instances.
This all is not to say I don't have some serious issues with it.
First is the shows rather awkward pacing. It starts blazing fast only to then grind to a halt and hold a rather slow pace for most of the shows run only to then accelerate again at the end, seemingly rushing to bring things to a close.
Second is a recurring Tomino issue, his obsession with strangeness for strangeness sake, most notably by trying to include various cultures and beliefs. Most of the time they just become annoying and obnoxious rather than adding to the world. They are jarring to say the least.
And lastly, the characters being practically dead set on playing hot potato with the Idiot Ball and Conflict Ball. A lot of conflict in the series just comes across as forced and detracts from the shows strong suits, namely it's atmosphere and tone.
All in all, if nothing else it is an interesting watch even if some things aren't as good as the could be, it is still one of the most unique Gundam experiences out there and should be watched at least once.
Perhaps one of Tomino's best.
I have made it no secret that I have no fondness of much of what Tomino puts out, but Turn A might be one of his most successful ventures in my eyes.
One thing that immediately stands out is it's rather unique setting, creating an incredibly laid back feel and tone, almost reminiscent of some of Studio Ghibli's work. Another standout are the rather interesting mobile suit designs by the late Syd Mead creating some instantly recognizable faces. The show also some some strengths in world building, and while it stumbles with it in some aspects, the world in general is excellent. The characters vary quite a bit in terms of success, with some like the two female leads, Dianna and Kihel being an interesting pair while Loran ends up being somewhat uninteresting, mostly being along for the ride more than anything else. It's a similar story with the supporting cast with some greats and some that are meh. But at the very least they help to reinforce the series tone with some exceptions such as Poe and parts of the Militia. The one character that really got the shaft however was Gym who ended up rather one note and flat.
Also, the art and animation has to be among the best the series has ever put out with no Stock Footage in sight. The music doesn't really stand out, but it does it's job in providing for the atmosphere of the show.
Another thing is that Tomino have a habit on relying on the Deus ex Machina way too often to solve situations and to some ridiculous extremes, something that is also present here. At the very least the show deals with a lot of unknowns so it comes across as less glaring when it happens apart from a few instances.
This all is not to say I don't have some serious issues with it. First is the shows rather awkward pacing. It starts blazing fast only to then grind to a halt and hold a rather slow pace for most of the shows run only to then accelerate again at the end, seemingly rushing to bring things to a close. Second is a recurring Tomino issue, his obsession with strangeness for strangeness sake, most notably by trying to include various cultures and beliefs. Most of the time they just become annoying and obnoxious rather than adding to the world. They are jarring to say the least. And lastly, the characters being practically dead set on playing hot potato with the Idiot Ball and Conflict Ball. A lot of conflict in the series just comes across as forced and detracts from the shows strong suits, namely it's atmosphere and tone.
All in all, if nothing else it is an interesting watch even if some things aren't as good as the could be, it is still one of the most unique Gundam experiences out there and should be watched at least once.