Dou Shen Ji

This is a pretty deeply uncomplicated series, and I mean this simultaneously as a compliment and a criticism. I'm always up for a decent mecha anime, and this show does some things very right in that regard. I love the mechanical designs here, and they all feel so incredibly varied and unique in a way that I really, really like. They've all got clear concepts, and the designers clearly had some fun making them all their own distinct thing, while adding finer details that still made them feel like there's some consistency. The story is a fairly standard mecha premise; an alien invasion, a militarymecha unit, you've seen it before and it all feels natural enough here. It's also always nice to see a mecha show with a primarily female cast, which doesn't happen often and sometimes ends up being 'Cross Ange', which no one likes to see. Those characters are solid too, all with clear, unique personalities and quirks, and each bouncing nicely off each other. I'll also gives props for a pretty racially diverse cast, which you don't see too often in anime. The character designs are solid too, all feeling unique and putting across the characters' personalities well. The artwork itself is nice, with a very clean, visually appealing art-style that tends to look really nice. At least until they start moving. Don't get me wrong, the animation isn't terrible by any stretch, but the character animation is unremarkable and the CG mecha animation isn't the best either. But that isn't even the primary problem. It's the story that struggles a little. Again, it's not terrible, it's well set up, does a reasonable job with its worldbuilding, and the end is at least an ending. That ending itself is definitely a little flat, though, and looking at it starts to show the rest of the story's flaws. There are definitely a few points that could have done with more expanding, relationships that could have done with more development, thematic concepts that feel clear when they're set up but never get real closure. I thought there was a fairly clear climate change analogy going on a few episodes before the end, but if that was the intention the ending doesn't work too well for that. And, past those holes, the ending just feels a little too neat and tidy, yet a little rushed. It isn't exactly unsatisfying; I definitely didn't have an issue where anyone ended up. But it felt like, given how high the stakes were, there was a surprising lack of tension the whole way through, which was a little disappointing. That's probably where this show struggles the most overall, really. There's a lot of competently executed work in here, lots of things to genuinely like and appreciate, but the story just never quite catches any real tension, and real drama that lasts past half an episode, or any super meaningful consequences for anything. Maybe there's room to expand into another season, and I'd probably watch if it got one. But, for now, it's a solid enough, but ultimately fairly disposable mecha show that is plenty enjoyable, but won't leave much of a lasting impression.

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