#jundai kayahara

[redsamuraiii]

My Review : Kuromukuro (2016)

So I have just watched this criminally underrated mecha anime over the weekend and I just can’t get enough of it! I’m very surprised that such anime doesn’t get much media coverage as compared to the popular ones like Gundam and Evangelion. This is a hidden gem that deserves another season!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT  *contain spoilers*

It follows a student of Tateyama International High School girl named, Yukina Shirahane and a young Samurai named, Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma, who was born in the Sengoku Jidai but mysteriously re-awakened in the present day.

Yukina goes to school located at a United Nations Military Research Facility where her mother, Hirame Shirahane, is the Chief Researcher and lead designer of the currently under development “GAUS (Gravity Attenuated Upright Shell)”, units that are two-seater mecha operated by a pilot and navigator.

Over 450 years ago during Sengoku Jidai, an extraterrestrial force called Efi Dorg invades Earth. The Washiba Clan falls victim to them, but the clan heir, Princess Yukihime and her samurai retainer Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma piloted a stolen Efi Dorg mecha, the "Black Relic" (黒骸, Kuromukuro). 

Outnumbered and outmatched, the duo lost the fight which results in Kennosuke dying and Yukihime captured by a demon-like creature. What he saw traumatized him for life when he re-awakened at present and the sight of the familiar looking alien invaders triggers his hunger for vengeance.

60 years ago, the “Black Relic” aka Kuromukuro was unearthed during the construction of Kurobe Dam. In the present day, the United Nations Kurobe Laboratory is researching it when Efi Dorg returns to Earth for the second time since its first appearance during Sengoku Jidai. 

Yukina accidentally reactivates the cockpit module of the Black Relic, releasing Kennosuke from cryostasis and awakening him. The duo inevitably find themselves piloting the mecha in their defense of the UN Facility against the alien invaders as Kennosuke is determined to kill them with extreme prejudice.

Kennosuke is perplexed by Yukina’s uncanny resemblance to Yukihime, whom he fought alongside with and lost. He struggles to make sense of what is happening when he learns that he just awakened 450 years after Sengoku Jidai and blames himself for his failure in protecting the Clan Princess he served.

The rest of the story is about him adjusting to life in the 21st century, with the help of Yukina, her family and friends, while at the same time, training to be a more skillful mecha pilot of the Black Relic to defend Earth from the invaders. And above all, the find his new purpose as a Samurai in this new era.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council still doubt his claims of being a man out of time, fearing him to be an alien invader sent on a covert reconnaissance mission and so placed him under strict surveillance and control by wearing a wired collar which will activate an electric shock if he does anything suspicious.

Along the way, he get to know several pilots from various countries such as Tom Border (USA), Liu Shenmei (China), Sophie Noël (France), Toshiyuki "Sebastian" Mozumi (Japan) who trained tirelessly to pilot the new GAUS mecha which are developed based on the original “Black Relic” mecha.

I love the chemistry they share and the camaraderie they develop over the course of the series, from doubting to respecting and trusting each other in the fight against a common enemy, getting rid of their respective agendas or personal reasons to fight, with a common goal to protect humanity.

Despite the overall serious tone and some dark moments, there are lighthearted and relaxing moments as well where it shows them going about their daily lives when there are no alien incursions, going to scenic places which really look like the real countryside of Japan. (Even Kurobe Dam actually exists in real life!)

And like every “political” anime, there’s always the ugly side of bureaucracy with soldiers “obeying” orders. There are certain scenes which make my blood boil, seeing how they treat “suspects” like terrorists despite what they have done to protect the innocent simply because they are seen as a threat.

One such scene is Muetta, a former enemy mecha pilot who realized she’s been deceived by her alien masters and betrayed by her alien comrade. She turned over to fight with the humans, to which the UN Security Council gladly accepted but later turned on her after the battle was over, fearing her true intentions.

It hurts to see her finally learning to enjoy the true meaning of freedom and happiness, making friends and letting go of her tragic past, only to be controlled and treated as an experiment prisoner, and only used as a weapon to defend Earth against the invaders, despite the objections of fellow mecha pilots.

Seeing how powerless the mecha pilots are including Kennosuke and Yukina who tried desperately to free Muetta, Mika used the power of the media to rally the public in a protest to free Muetta as the public demanded an explanation in treating a fellow hero and defender of Earth as a prisoner. (This sparks joy!)

It reminds me of Marvel’s Civil War, as to why Captain America refuse to support the U.N. Accords as he believes they are being run by people with agendas and agendas change. This anime even show the arms race in developing mecha by countries worldwide using a possible alien invasion as a pretext.

This series is definitely worth watching! Give it a try and watch the first two episodes at least, and you’ll be curious to know more about it. It consists of two seasons with a total of 26 episodes. Judging by the ending, there will definitely be a third one, sooner or later.

[refresh321]

Kuromukuro - Kennosuke & the students of Mt. Tate International Senior High School

[cannondisabledcharacters]

Jundai "Kaya" Kayahara from Kuromukuro (it's on Netflix) has an unspecified mental illness, he loves getting into danger if it means getting viewers on his livestream, and in episode 14 an UN soldier is stabbed defending him, and he doesn't understand that it actually happened and that another human being with a life of his own got in danger because of him. At least one character has called him a narcissist, but I don't know if he actually is or it was used as an insult.

I need evidence of this, the wiki just list him as reckless. Also being called narcissist doesn't always mean they have NPD