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「喪失」 (Soushitsu)
“Loss”
You can always count on Majestic Prince for high-speed action sequences and Episode 4 continues the positive trend as we discovered what happened after the cliffhanger last week. I hardly know where to begin in trying to describe just why this episode was so spectacular – it was incredibly tense from start to finish and I got a charge out of every moment as Team Rabbit faced off with the new enemies. The Zannen 5 was unquestionably boxed into an adverse position – they were no match for the Wulgaru’s forces and Capt. Komine (Nakanishi Toshiharu), who is clearly more interested in his own pride, refused to let them retreat. But what became clear almost immediately is that Izuru has proven once again he’s an exceptionally resourceful pilot, despite his young age and dorky charm. The man behind Red 5 has a number of distinct quirks that makes him a bit of a square peg, but his unparalleled ability to focus also means he’s uniquely qualified to be an AHSMB pilot – he was the only one who wasn’t faltering under such stressful scenarios, and the “hero” who rescued both Tamaki and Kei from harm’s way. Such qualities are not only important for a pilot, it is also crucial for successful leadership and no question, if there was ever a certain someone who can bridge the gap of trust between the Zannen 5, it would still be Izuru.
A lot of the credit for the recent run of excellence has been attributed to its action scenes, but it’s also worth noting that Majestic Prince has the makings of something quite fascinating at the character level. I’m continually amazed by the sheer amount of development that all the major casts have received in a fairly brief period and notwithstanding the occasional verbal jabs, Team Rabbit has undoubtedly seen a reservoir of goodwill fostered over the course of their missions. The interpretation of why the Zannen 5 turned out the way they did needs to accommodate the world-building at the macro level and this episode provided insights that weaved together the origins of the genetically modified teen-soldiers, the sudden emergence of the enemy alien race and the decision behind sending Team Rabbit to the frontline. The story is a relatively straightforward science fiction, but what sticks out for me is the lopsided balance of power between the human and Wulgaru. In spite of the human’s vastly superior numbers, it appears the alien race has the edge in warfare technology and the battle outcome has been disproportionately skewed in the Wulgaru’s favor thus far. It remains to be seen if the successful rollout of the JURIA-AHSMB combo can turn the tide for the humans and to complicate matters further, hanging over all this is the big question mark next to the mysterious silver-hair maiden – what is her relationship with the Wulgaru or the humans, for that matter? Whoever she is, it’s likely she’ll play a major role in the conflict between the two opposing forces and if the opening theme is any indication, she might even be a potential love interest for Izuru.
It’s amazing how many questions were answered in a mere four episodes, and Majestic Prince is certainly off to a great start. Part of the reason for the success of this show is the presence of its winning group of supporting cast and without doubt, they are desperately in need of more screen time, especially the busty head mechanic, Saionji Reika (Oohara Sayaka) and her straight-faced osananajimi, Rin Rin. The introduction of Team Doberman this week will certainly clear the stage for some new drama and while we don’t have a lot of details about them, I suspect they will serve the roles as the mentor figures for our leads and that should add another layer of complexity to the show.
Random tidbits:
- We now know who has the better alcohol tolerance! I wonder if Rin Rin gets sugar rush from all the lollipops that she consumes.
- I love the comic strip-like art style that they used to show used to explain the Wulgaru invasion.
- The attention to details displayed in its mecha designs continues to impress – detachable arm guards that can emit force shields, now that’s pretty cool!
tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #MJP 04: Izuru showed once again why he’s a badass. Their origins are revealed! Who is that silver-hair maiden? Is she a Wulgaru? #Anime
Full-length images: 03, 06, 16, 25, 26, 27, 32, 34.
Preview
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Rin Rin is strangely moe for some reason.
Must be the lollipops 😛
What I’m interested in is what they mentioned about her being the top pilot of her team. Maybe we’ll get to see her in action some day…?
And hey. Any character voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki is an A+ in my books. I’m not normally into S&M but I’d totally be the M to her S.
Heh, you might have to wrestle Reika to win Rin Rin’s affection and she doesn’t seem like a pushover!
Oh and did I mention I’m shipping Reika x Rin Rin :3
Where is Moomba? I though he was going to blog this.
Moomba and Stereoman both left RC.
Dude, he was supposed to blog Railgun. I was the only writer who showed interest in MJP :3
Yup ^ they left. Presumably to make out with eack other. (kidding!!)
Their farewell post is here https://randomc.net/2013/04/07/conclusion-id-rather-be-a-comma-than-a-full-stop/
Actually not far off from the truth.
I sense some potential Izuru x Kei thing happening 😀
And somebody should juz stick that Captain in a fighter and feed him to the Wulgaru… No matter how good your troops are, stick them with an incompetent commander and they almost guaranteed to lose. The TV series Band of Brothers clearly demonstrates that.
I hope so. Izuru x Kei is my number one ship. Number two is Reika x Rin Rin :3
Let’s hope Cdr.Simon doesn’t let that dopey Komine has his way. That guy pissed me off big time!
I think this is the first time we see our Failure Five show genuine concern for each other. Nothing like a near death experience to foster the bonds of friendship.
I still don’t like the Hirai-faces but I’m starting to like the AHSMB designs better with each episode. They have all this flashy technical doo-hickeys around them that keep them interesting to watch. Makes me excited on what else they can do and they’re perfect for SRW if they ever appear on the next game iteration.
Come on, even if you’re not a fan of Hirai Hisashi’s character designs, you gotta admit Kei looks absolutely amazing with her hair tied up 😉
Dude! You got it! And here I was thinking that I was the only one thinking that!
I’ve dropped this I might be the only one here to think so but I’ve found this show incredibly boring with a awful cast and MEH story at best.
I agree that the show isn’t that great overall. I feel that the world building is horrible and the scope just feels a little too small as in we can’t really see the big picture. I haven’t dropped it…yet, but I might if it doesn’t get much better. The thing that keeps me watching week to week so far are definitely the excellent action sequences. Those mechas are just beautiful.
Well, you don’t have to watch the show if you don’t like it. Anime is supposed to be fun and we have more than twenty shows to choose from this season 😉
But that doesn’t mean they should get downvoted just for having a differing opinion…
Downvoting isn’t simply down to vitriolic responses to differing opinions. It simply just irks me when there is no clear and/or coherent justification for something one puts forth as a negative response to what they watch or listen to. Simply put, there’s a ‘what’, but no ‘why’. No one should be saying ‘You can’t dislike this show!’, but it would do haters of the show a whole world of good to let others know what is it about the show they aren’t comfortable with.
*points at the above comments*
Eh, I found myself falling asleep on this episode. It seems like they are trying to force a lot of unfunny undramatic stuffs.
Man I really dislike the mech designs -.-
Needs more Katoki Hajime.
It’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea but personally, I love the mech designs in MJP, in fact, I would rank it a few notches above those from Valvrave and Gargantia. The AHSMB units reminds me of the great selection from Xenosaga and Xenogears, and no doubt, those two games featured some pretty sweet mecha 😉
To be fair, we’ve only seen one major mech from Gargantia.
Valvrave is the only mech that would fit in Xenogears, Valvrave definitely has an Anima Relic so it’s an Omnigear lol.
The AHSMBs seems like they’d fit more in the Zone of Enders, Red 5 is giving me some Jehuty vibes.
Chamber would definitely fit in the Zone of Enders, more so than the AHSMBs, but we all know where Chamber really comes from >:3
http://fullmetalpanic.wikia.com/wiki/ARX-7_Arbalest
Will they be like the Gelgoog squad in Gundam Seed Destiny? Those guys were awesome.
I rather have this guys do Jet stream attack or this Jet Stream Attack.
I bet Seishun will agree.
Did anyone else scream “That’s a death flag, you idiot!” when Izuru promised he would get back to draw still more manga and eat more of Kei’s sweet cakes even after his unit was badly damaged after covering Kei? Damnit, I’m shipping so hard right now for Izuru X Kei, but it already seems like a foregone conclusion he’ll end up with the silver haired ojousama.
Izuru yet again proves himself as the best leader for Team Rabbits, saving Tamaki and Kei’s ass with his firm belief and initiative in battle, although he should really brush up his skills in cheering up his teammates (although I personally agree with him lol).
Rin Rin also seemed to be deeply affected by Izuru and Kei’s situation, when Izuru vehemently tells Kei to retreat and leave him behind. My guess – Rin Rin was the sole survivor from her decimated team because she was in a similar situation as Kei, but unlike Kei she fled, and now feels guilt for having survived.
And it’s another long week to wait for the next episode.
Dang, those boobs are distracting. And not in the good way. Like it detracts from the story kind of way. Also, how the hell would they bounce in skin tight pilot suit?
I think I’m gonna give this show a pass. I’ve never been a fan of the character designer, the mechs look way too over-complicated, and the characters and enemies are just sort of…blah.
They are just too heavy so the bounce is inevitable 😀
In my opinion the fanservice is quite well implemented. It doesn’t get in the way of the plot and it helps the balance. The particular character designs and the overcomplicated mechs are part of the show’s appeal, I suppose it’s simply catered to your tastes but there’s nothing wrong with them too.
Eh, I guess it’s not the kind of charm that attracts me. :/ But I’ll still be seeing it be blogged so maybe a later episode will change my mind.
I think so far I’m getting used to the character designs and despite their name, the Failure Five fight pretty well considering their leader knows how to improvise support for his team. Its was too bad they lost, but considering their circumstances with a poorly composed commander they did very well.
Random sidenote: I actually thought Reika never wore a bra considering the revealing cleavage.
I quite like this series for it’s unpretentious, sloppy sentimentality. It’s as subtle as a swift kick to the fundament, but in a way it’s to mecha what Symphogear (a thematically similar series in many ways) was to mahou shoujo.
But what’s with a rich girl named “Saionji Reika” showing up in a Ginga series? Is she going to lose 30 pounds and become a soccer star?
This Anime could use a bit brighter Colors. It is all a bit “Dark”. Colors play with Emotions you know
I actually thought the colors were bright, considering all the colorful robots, explosions, lasers, and even space itself :/
Dunno. But if i compare the “force” of the Colors between this two Pictures..
https://randomc.net/image/Ginga%20Kikoutai%20Majestic%20Prince/Ginga%20Kikoutai%20Majestic%20Prince%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Shingeki%20no%20Kyojin/Shingeki%20no%20Kyojin%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
Then in the 2nd one, the Sky is more “blue” or has more power, compared to the first. Looks like clouds of Raining is coming or so… it miss the “power” of the Sun
I am loving how the series is going so far. I like the little subtleties the cast’s personalities have, such as asagi’s weak stomach, (maybe he can get a lifetime supply of antacids since reika is the heiress to his sponsor company XD). Really adds a lot of depth to the characters. It’s also a good thing they are still keeping the viewers in the dark as to what the wulgaru aliens really are, builds the suspense.
Anyone else sensing there will be an izuru-kei-teoria (that seems to be the name of the silver haired girl based on magazine sxans) triangle down the line?
MJP clearly shows it’s old school space opera blood as the war background is very Yamato-esque (superior enemy tech against human’s numbers and blood), and the fact that the story is developing characters and scenario toghether as a whole is a welcomed fact.
Now, Izuru has the “I’m the hero” shirt on, but he really need to improve his social traits. He can act like that with the Zannen 5, but the kid is hoppesly blunt and direct! Rin-Rin is in a crossroad, since she must be itching to be back into the cockpit, but at the same time, the feeling that she can train the Rabbits to be as good as her must be very tempting.
Another thing I like: despite being the heroes of the series, the Rabbits are not plot armoring since the beggining and today they needed a little help of their friends. A very close call, but a good reality check, one welcomed after so many plot hax, armor and stupidities.
Sorry, it’s “human’s numbers and guts”
After this words, I could only think of ‘Underdog’ and ‘Sleeper hit’.
Yes, I might be overdoing it, but I really do think that this episode is a pretty nifty showing of what Majestic Prince is capable of in terms of plot, development and action sequences. I’m even tempted to say that the people behind this have purposely made the characters act a little strangely, have their designs look a little weird and have bits and pieces of cheesiness and silly moments to throw us completely off track with high-tension and serious segments like this one.
That little flashback before the continuation of the cliffhanger was a nice touch. One would think with shows like this flashbacks come on the cusp of a character death or as a filler episode. While it was highly unlikely, it made me briefly pause when the serious issues in the world of Majestic Prince were spoken about in simpler terms so that viewers could catch them without having question marks hanging all over our heads.
For the characters, we are made to realise that all the teens are just human (even seeing the normally calm Kei lose her composure and get paralyzed with fear). Izuru can be said to be a special case, and how interesting it is when you realise that his heroics were borne out of an idealism moulded by his time with manga. (Love the IzuruxKei ship, but not quite so sure I’ll jump onboard after seeing the sketch he made with the silver-haired princess).
One of the more serious issues was reiterated during Rin-Rin and Reika’s drinking session (someone’s a crying drunk! XD) with a brief narrative on the invasion of the Wulgaru – Children turned into soldiers, having their memories wiped and thrown onto the frontlines
because of some unknown enemy inexorably pushing humankind back bit by bit, with the ultimate outcome an unthinkable invasion of Earth herself.
Not the cheeriest of settings, yet Majestic Prince chose a quirky motley crew as the main focus, concealing that very fact for three episodes. Yet the show maintains a good balance with comedy as its main element (For a direct opposite, I suggest Gundam 00 – serious stuff all the way with little pieces of poignant humor).
Now, unlike most shows that have teenage pilots as the main characters, Zannen Five are shown time and again to be out of their depth despite their stellar first showing. That isn’t something you see every time and I think it makes room for good development when you see them struggle, grow, learn and ultimately excel despite the various circumstances against them. It’s also nice see side characters like Reika getting screentime and a little bit of narrative going into them.
Though I’ve gotten used to Hirai Hisashi’s artwork, I have to be frank and say I’m still not quite onboard with some of the character designs (DAT HAIRSTYLE), and some of the bad eggs (Cpt. Komine) are a little cliche, but ultimately Majestic Prince is quite a piece of work. At this rate, it might really turn out to be a sleeper hit.
P.S I love the arm shields! Smashing idea, that one. Wonder what the other mechs are hiding within.
i definitely agree with that analysis. it seems that the writers are intentionally misleading the viewers with all that comedy, only to hit them back later (brace yourselves folks). and what i like more is that they stayed away from slapstick or fanservice-y comedy (probably with the exception of tamaki’s boobs BOING! BOING! 😉 ), and that the humor itself doesn’t distract from the story and actually lends more weight to the serious parts
Now with the memory sweep, there’s a chance for family being around the corner. For a moment there I suspected the silver-haired girl could be Izuru’s sister because of the pictures, but I guess that’s not possible given her reaction the past chapter, though they may have a connection from the past.
The chapter felt a bit short to me this time but it was nice to see a bit of the background.
I don’t get why this show is getting so much hate. Just because it’s not your typical emoish mecha show doesn’t mean it’s the worst of the bunch. I wouldn’t say that it’s better than all of them but it’s certainly unique as far as the mecha/comedy genres are concerned and it should be given a chance given that only 4 episodes are out.
So far, I haven’t really seen so much actual hate as “eh, it’s not for me.”
Hate? If you mean me. I am not Hating this Anime.
I am Mature enough, to hold my Ground (and mouth) of Animes i dont Like. If i dont like, i dont look or comment on the Anime. So Easy. I dont wanna destroy other peoples Happiness/Enjoyment, because i dont like it.
No, i just feeling that at last the Planet Screens should get a bit brighter Colors. As a Contrast to the Dark Cold Space. More Sun ray effect or so..
The Planet is like a Jewel, worth for Protecting and Dieing for. But somehow the Colors dont give you this “vibes”. Well at last for me. Raise a bit the Gamma Channel, like in a Monitor 🙂
Maybe it’s because I am not a mecha fan never watch Gundam for example but I’ll watch a bit of most genres, this just doesn’t do anything for me and find it boring to the point it sends me to sleep.
To me the charactors are bad to bland at best which is rare I normal like at least some of the cast in any anime in this one it’s they just MEH which is the biggest reason I won’t be watching anymore, other than that the humor just isn’t funny and the story is also MEH, the music and Mech scenes are good but thats about it.
So not hate it’s just a indifferent MEH from me.
Some Reika and Rin-Rin character development is always good <3.I didn't expect Reika to come from a rich family though.It's always a Big Breasted or Flat Chested girl that's the rich one.Izuru displays his badassery once again.
So many pretty colors just look at the screencaps XD
That wizard looking guy is reminding me of Yen Sid and Fantasia.
Izuru's drawing skills reminds me of Xenogears's Fei.
Helmsman? Lol that term is only used for ships not Mechs :p
Isn’t a mecha like a ship? 😛
I’ve made changes to the text to avoid confusion. Thanks.
I bet Izuru will be Walguru.
Gundam Seed Rejects -> Gundam Seed Side Characters.
Nice development! And the MC is doing great as the leader. A small slip up right there when he was saving his team but they pulled through. His character development seems pretty good.
10/10 for having MC do and say awesome things…