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「奇跡の殺戮者」 (Kiseki no Satsuriku Sha)
“Slaughterers of Miracles”
It might be a new season, but they’re not wasting any time here. Symphogear returns after a two year break, and things pick up right where they left off. With the remains of the Frontier still floating around and a UN research shuttle in distress, our heroines are deployed to do their thing, and they’re not letting anything stand in their way of a successful rescue. There’s a mountain in the way? Let’s chop it down to size. Hills and trees blocking the path? Let’s reshape the landscape! With Hibiki and Co. leading the way, all that matters is the objective at hand, and it’s an adrenaline rush inducing start if I’ve ever seen anyone. Just when you thought they couldn’t match the tempo of the previous season’s premiere, they bring things up to another level with this first episode, and it’s everything we expected from this series and then some.
In a sense it’s amazing how they manage to escalate things as the series goes on, and there’s no denying how over the top things are in this show. The signature moves and their special image montages are back as well, and you know it’s not a Symphogear premiere without yet another concert to start things off. The only difference is they actually make it through the concert without things going awry—what a surprise—but that’s only a minor reprieve as a new group of “enemies” join the fray.
With the Noise seemingly out of the picture at this point, these “autoscorers” come in toward the end amid a fiery backdrop, and it goes to show that there’s never a dull moment in the Symphogear universe. Just when you think you’ve saved the world and you can just relax, another group of villains arrive, and I suppose that just comes with the territory at this point. It’s not quite a “great power comes great responsibility” thing, but I’ll surely take the sudden appearance of new enemies it if it means that we’ll get a whole season of Mizuki Nana vocals out of it. Her vocals are second to none in terms of strength—what I’d pay for another duet with T.M. Revolution—and while some may not like the series due to its many flaws, you won’t find any qualms out of me just because of her presence.
Either way, if this premiere’s anything to go by, Symphogear GX is going to be another chop off the old block in regards to its predecessors. It goes without saying that viewers should know what to expect now that we’re three seasons in, and while it may not receive weekly coverage here, I know I’ll be following this series weekly just to see how over the top it can go. For better and for worse, execution and storytelling aren’t the main draws here, but the pure enjoyment, epic moments, and quality vocals more than make it up. It’s a series that I certainly won’t regret spending my time with, and it’ll also be interesting to see what role Maria and the other characters from Symphogear G will play as the series goes on as well…
OP Sequence
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OP: 「Exterminate」 by 水樹 奈々 (Mizuki Nana)
My most anticipated anime of the year, finally here! What’s that? It’s terrible? You bet, the worst- silly, silly writing. But so, so, much fun! Nuking mountains, slicing through an entire coniferous forest with an expandable katana, and piledrivering a space shuttle- to the tune of high-octane electronic pop from the one and only Mizuki Nana. Sweet, musical Michael Bay…
Lol could not have said it better myself
Since the season’s logo features berserk/beast mode Hibiki, I want to see that transformation actually become a useable power-up mode instead of just being an overpowered state she can’t control, like how the red ranger traditionally gets a “Battlizer” armored mode in American Power Rangers/Sentai ripoff…
Hey, I liked that Battlizer Mode!
That said, it’d definitely be interesting to see how their powers change/develop this time around, haha. They certainly look like they’ll need something extra if this first engagement has shown us anything, and the end of last season showed us just how ridiculous they could get so… looks promising in this regard, even if it may not be the berserk/beast mode as the primary means.
They can get powerups just by having other people’s emotions, other people’s “songs” in tune with their own. That’s what happened at the end of both seasons 1 and 2. Although season 2 ostensibly had them powering up from the combined songs of the entire world, so I’m not sure what they’ll do to top that. I’m sure they’ll think of something, however.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that box the kid is carrying, and most likely being pursued for, is something that either enhances the girls’ powers and/or allows Maria, Shirabe, Kirika, and maybe even Miku to get back into the fray.
I’ve heard they wanted to keep the main cast smaller this time, so Maria and Co. will likely get less screen time for GX from what I’ve heard (for the action anyway), and so it’s probably more likely to be the former (power boost) rather than latter.
Or it could be just another key to summon some epic artifact to shoot down the moon again, haha.
@Zephyr/Wanderer
Or the Durandal sword could always make a more permanent return or something…
@HalfDemonInuyasha
Yeah, that’d be cool. But I’m more interested in who that kid is and why she looks just like the antagonist. Folks have been saying she’s a “homunculus” or something since the enemies use alchemy..
@Zephyr (Comment No.2)
Apparently the writer (Kaneko) said in a very recent interview that one of the things this season would focus on the FIS gang (Maria and co.) “Overcoming their previous weaknesses.” Which likely means they’ll have a major role to play- but anything could happen.
Also, it wasn’t that he wanted to keep it smaller, he just said on Twitter sometime back that “he wanted to focus on existing characters”- clarified as meaning “No new allied power user characters” in later interviews…
@HalfDemonInuyasha: In regards to the box, given that the girl carrying it mentioned “Dvergr Dáin’s Legacy,” the theory I’ve seen elsewhere is that it either is itself, or is the key to finding Dáinsleif.
@Wanderer
Yesss… Durandal (Hibiki)/Dainsleif (Maria) double complete relic combo ftw…
Doubt anyone will read this, but I simply couldn’t resist making this post just to say that I totally called it, from Episode 1, no less. They did exactly what I wanted them to do, and then some. This week in Episode 6 Hibiki got a controlled berserk mode battlizer form- and so did Chris and Tsubasa- the FIS girls will likely soon get their own too it seems, ahahaha!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByjuZJt6nBe1Mm9mcUlfLTVjLVE
Symphogear for most environmentally conscious anime 2015! Tsubasa the logger makin’ Christmas trees! Deep commentary on the exploitation of the coniferous forests in Third World countries like Mongolia by the North every year come December 25th! Yes, that’s how deep this show is, I’m totally not being sarcastic or something…
I love Symphogear. It is in essence the spiritual successor to Nanoha with its epic action and characters. As much as I enjoyed Vivid, its not the Nanoha series I have been wishing for years.
When you start with your characters altering K2 then having the protagonist toss an entire space shuttle above her head, you know its going to be a wild ride. Its also nice that they are moving away from the Noise to an entirely new enemy. It makes the world feel bigger now.
Agree. Speaking of Nanoha, what happened to Vivid episodes 11 and 12?
The opening sequence brought tears to my eyes, I also lost my breath laughing
I can’t remember since last season, but are the noise gone for good? Because I remember Miku throwing Solomon’s? Cane into that void (I think it was destroyed?) at the end of season 2. Because isn’t that the thing that makes Noise? I really hope that’s the case and these are our new enemies….you know….HUMANS (to an extent). I was always irked by how weird the Noise looked.
Judging by the events at the end of Season 2 and the premise introduction on the main Symphogear site, I believe it can be safely confirmed that the Noise are no longer around, yes.
The Noise still exist, but they’re in their alternate dimension. Without Solomon’s Cane they don’t really have a way into the regular world. Now, it was said in the first season that occasionally every few decades or so a Noise or a few Noise would somehow slip through into the world, but we remain uncertain as to whether that’s due to Solomon’s Cane being used randomly at points throughout history, or if they can occasionally slip out of the dimension they’re held in.
That was all just background. Given the way they dealt with Solomon’s Cane, speaking from a story perspective, I don’t think we should expect Noise to have any significant part in this season.
I love these girls! How over the top can they go?!
An important thing to remember, for those new here: this is not a magical girl series. This is a shonen action series, more in the style of sentai series. Hell, just watch the first few minutes of this episodes where they blasted their way through K2 (knocking it down to being only the third-largest mountain in the world), crunched through assorted scenery and a town, and then suplexed the space shuttle over a building, and you should have the basic idea of what you’re watching. Sure, Hibiki talks a good game and is really good at friendshipping enemies over to her side (heck, two-thirds of the main cast now were once villains), but I think that can fit in both genres.
You’re never going to nominate the writing for this series to win a Pulitzer, that’s for sure, but I still love it. It’s fun, it’s epic, it’s emotional (in a sense… not deep emotions, perhaps, but it can have you on the edge of your seat), all the girls are lots of fun, and the soundtrack is amazing.
Speaking of the soundtrack… That concert! That was… wow. I have no idea how they’re ever going to top that.
I’ll be following this for sure.
You can actually see them getting bigger budget after each season
Perhaps the Fan Base of our Singing Voice Actors grow greater, also the Budget they have
i do not complain
“K2 has now become the third tallest mountain in the world!”
…without missing a beat or any sort of huge reaction, lol.
And that concert, just as with the previous two, was just gorgeous to watch and listen to. First it was just a pretty normal, loud, and bright concert. Then, we got some pyrotechnics going on with the next one, and now you got Tsubasa and Maria freaking skating on water.
“Don’t mind me, just coming through.”
Never mind the people probably climbing it, but hey.
Lol, and never mind all the villages at the foot of the montain falling victim to the crazy rock slides that such large-scale seismic destruction would cause…
In all seriousness though, several of the panels that the ship’s officer pans through in the next scenario actually have pictures showing the girls performing humanitarian work to remedy the collateral damage they caused…
Those other pages are from disaster relief in Costa Rica (earthquake) and Greece (mine collapse). So far from resting on their laurels up to now, they’ve been quite busy for the 6 months since the Frontier incident. Also, I don’t think 6 months is “sudden”.
Hmm, I gave the show much credit then from not looking hard enough…
Too much credit? They’re a disaster relief unit! Of course they stuck around to clean up! Though the security council approval only allowed for a “maximum of 6 hours including preparation and clean up” since they’re operating across borders. My point is that those pictures being from separate incidents implies even more humanitarian work, not less.
Sure, I suppose that can be presumed. I meant credit to the writers not the characters- that the writers actually took the trouble to explain away the audiences’ concerns, always a nice touch is such efforts are present…
They are do live in the world where a quarter of the moon has been blown away due to the events of the first season.
At this rate they can make a crater out of Everest and just shrug it off as just another day saving the world.
That way maybe more people’ll be able to climb it, you know? Haha.
Let’s look at the positives. Kangchenjunga just got upgraded to the 2nd highest mountain in the world XD.
Also, SUPLEX a space shuttle!? No problem
Thank you Symphogear for bringing pure awesome to the summer season!
This was just the most fun premiere I’ve seen in a while. They just said “forget tipping our toes into the summer season, we’re going to blast a mountain!”
That first 5.5 minutes or so was some of the most awesome entertainment out there. That was just fun. Launching into space, riding missiles to a shuttle, blasting mountains, destroying the landscape, and a shuttle suplex! That was great.
I know this isn’t a flawless series, but it is a really good and fun one.
This is a show I’ll have an awesome time watching and talking about every week. The rest of the episode was good with smoothing through the season 2 aftermath, having some school fun and then moving right into more action. Hibiki’s new song was good and I look forward to the others.
The very first episode is still the very best so far. And I do mean the VERY first.
Twas an epic finale and the rest was a crappy sequel.
Hey dude the song at the ending isn’t Exterminate but GLORIOUS BREAK, another Mizuki Nana’s song. Exterminate should air next week along with Rebirth-day.
Returning Symphogear fanboi. Wasn’t really expecting a third season but hey, more kick ass action and outstanding pop performances is REALLY appreciated!
we need a way to have one of the most epic starts ever.
lets knock down k2 to the third highest mountain.
lets do that.
serious props to the writers.
@Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX
Solid first Episode, with Action Sing and a Concert. Yeap, looks promising, in the last 1/3 of the Episode we get introduced the new villains. Oh well, lets see
I like how the main trio are now close enough that they can share lyrics that are canonically drawn from their subconscious. In S1 and G, they could only do that at the climax, when the culmination of 13 episodes of shared experiences put them, however briefly, on exactly the same wavelength.
My biggest regret from watching this series the first time is not paying enough attention to the song lyrics. They contain so much more information than expected. Of course, sucks for fansubbers ’cause they have to guess and then live with having screwed up vital plot elements if they mishear a line.
So, checklist for the first 5 minutes:
Orbital Rocket Surf: Checked
Shuttle Deceleration on GUTS!: Checked
K2 Chop: Checked
Mountain Sliding: Checked
Forrest Slicing: Checked
GERMAN SUPLEX ON SHUTTLE: Oh, Hell Yeah checked!
That’s why we love Symphogear. Expect the unexpected
My god I love Symphogear <3 <3 Chris/Hibiki ftw
I was honestly worried a bit, as someone who really enjoyed the first season; but found the second season to be extremely lackluster by comparison; I was concerned that this one was going to be meh. I guess the first, second and third season rule applies here too.
First season: Awesome! I want more of this!
Second season: Meh… not bad, but not good either.
Third season: Either A. This is AWESOME! Almost as good as S1. or B. Wow… they managed to make it better than season one.
This third season has a bit of a different feel than both of the previous ones, but it managed to have almost as much atmosphere and power as the first season’s premiere, which was one of the best opening episodes I’ve seen for any show really.
It’s fanservicey to the max in the right way, acknowledging many pairings without being subtle about it, over the top; maximalist fun. I love Symphogear, and I guess if this continues at this rate, the third season rule will continue to be truthful. As with Dog Days and DxD.
The ending song at the end of this first episode is not the opening theme song “Exterminate” but a separate song called “Glorious Break”. You can see the title of the song in the credits and hear it in the chorus of the song. The song is still sung by Nana Mizuki though.
I watch Symphogear for the songs…
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
I watch Symphogear for the songs…
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
I watch Symphogear for the songs…
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
I watch Symphogear for the concert…
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2021.jpg
Oh hell… I should just stop deluding myself now…
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear/Senki%20Zesshou%20Symphogear%20GX%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
Glad to know you’re honest to yourself.