Hitachi Izuru - A New Hero
From the very start, this series had a rather unique feel as compared to other mecha series. As compared to series like Eureka Seven or even the Gundam Franchise, this series stood out as an action-packed but yet filled with numerous punchlines, and not forgetting our 5 main lovable protagonist that "grew" as time went by, from the Zannen Five to the heroes that saved the world. At first glance, this series reminded me of Macross Frontier, in terms of not just their plot but also in terms of their mecha animation sequences.
At the beginning, this series started off with our 5 protagonist being labelled as the Zannen Five due to their absolute lack of teamwork and adaptivity but were chosen as a team due to their extremely high aptitudes. There were part of an academy that trains them to become pilots of device units by nurturing them from young and removing of all past memories from them. The five were later given new units called the AHSMB and begun their small missions through protecting satellites, restoring some of them and infiltrating enemy bases which resembled aliens. Little did we know that all these were just a distraction or a disguise to what is in store for the series as a whole. The real plot finally begun right after the 5 of them graduated from their school and the fight for humanity begins.
It was later revealed that their enemy, the Wulgaru, is an ancient race that has kept themselves "updated" through finding organisms with better superior genes and hunt them to increase their own gene quality. Now that's a rather beastly course of action but that's really an interesting enemy rather than just some other normal alien race or something appeared without reason and without any purpose in their attacks. To me, the Wulgaru race seems to act like an autonomous device or something, looking for patches to update itself.
Through fighting countless battles and gaining comrades and inevitably losing some as well, humanity finally reached the platform to halt the war once and for all, the Wulgaru Gate. The Gate acts as an access point for the Wulgaru to enter the solar system, kinda like a warp or some sort, and by destroying it would mean that the Wulgaru would not be able to attack Earth any longer, until they get a new Gate that is. With everyone's hard work and perseverance, the Gate was taken down, Izuru became a hero he always wanted to be and Earth regained peace, at least for a period of time.
Looking back at the series, there were still many questions left unanswered, perhaps hinting to a 2nd season? And some scenes that seemed like they were adding new elements to the plot turns out to be something less significant that it should have been and was quickly thrown aside.
On of such is the existence and origin of Teoria herself. What we do know from the series itself is that she's a Wulgaru that doesn't approve of their so-called "hunting" and has given Wulgaru technology to the humans, enabling the development of AHSMB units. It was later revealed that Izuru shares part of her DNA which she had given to create Izuru. Now what confuses me is that if she was the donor of her own DNA, then what exactly did she mean that she had "known" him since a long time ago just that Izuru does not remember it? Could it mean that Teoria had visited him in the past when he was young before, or did they meet before Izuru's memories were wiped. And regarding the truth on the memory wiping, if it was indeed done, would it mean that Izuru was created and raised until a certain age before his memories were wiped and before that Teoria had been taking care of him? Well that could be a possibility but if Izuru and the others were created, shouldn't they make them at the exact same age that they wanted instead of wasting time raising them up if their sole purpose was to fight. If so, then when exactly did Teoria and Izuru met?
Next would be on the JURIA system itself. What we know of the system is that it protects the pilot through the feature of emphasizing on pilot safety which the AHSMB unit will move in accordance to protect the pilot, not just the pilot controlling the unit itself. It also helps to amplify the pilot's will which would help to further enhance the unit's capabilities. In the later part of the series where Izuru's Red 5 awakens, it is learnt that the AHSMB units have their pilots' DNA linked to the JURIA system itself, which would make the units a counterpart of their own pilots? After Red 5's awakening, it is seen that the system does seem to have an independent will different from their pilot's which "overclocked" Izuru's body, making him suffer from a kind of genetic mutation that might prove fatal if he were to pilot the AHSMB again. This independent feature of the JURIA system was confirmed in the last episode of the series where Izuru become unable to control his own fighting instincts and the AHSMB unit itself. Throughout his battle with Jiart, it was more of the AHSMB controlling him and not the other way round which was supposed to be.
Well that nearly cost Izuru his life, until the rest of Team Rabbits came forth and knock some sense into him. Red 5 then attained the true awakening when Izuru took full control of the AHSMB unit, and aliasing himself with the unit's will to fight, but to him, he fights to protect and not by instinct.
So what exactly is the JURIA system? In the last scene, Commander Simon even called Teoria "Juria" which could mean that Teoria is the creator of the JURIA system? And what exactly is Teoria's relationship with Commander Simon? The only similar fact is that both of them had donated their DNAs for the creation of Izuru and Asagi but the duo seemed to have a much deeper history than just that. Regarding the awakening of AHSMB units as well, why is it only Red 5 can achieve such awakenings? If it is in accordance with its pilot, then shouldn't Asagi's Blue 1 be able to awaken as well? Since both he and Izuru share the same DNA. If it was the unit instead, then why did they make Red 5 to be like that? What was the reason behind it. And if it was again linked to the JURIA system and their corresponding DNA, then Asagi's should work as well, which did not happen.
For the viewers, it was obvious that Kei does have feelings for Izuru after episode 13 where she defended Izuru from verbal assault from Kuroki Ange, pilot of Black 6. I would have supported the Kei X Izuru development which didn't quite become obvious at the end but it was still great to see Kei rushing to get Izuru back to his senses. They do make a wonderful couple don't they.
Kugimiya Kei one of the more focused few of the 5 protagonist, in terms to her relation with Izuru. She is a fan of making sweets that really live up to their classification as sweets since her product sweetness are usually off the charts. In episode 15 after Izuru develops a split personality into a more "cooler" self, her feelings are made known to Izuru after she blushes when being asked if she likes him but unfortunately, her cakes are more potent then it seems to be.
With some cake testing done by Izuru himself, Kei "kills" off his split personality and returns him to normal once again. Food poisoning is one thing, but Izuru returning to normal is a good thing. Well, it's a real pity the two didn't officially become a couple but it's good that such feelings didn't all go to waste. (with Kei's pit crew cheering her to win Izuru over at the last showdown.
The strongest point in this series itself is the mecha battle animations. Unlike the Gundam franchise, this series adopts the more 3D style of animation as compared to Macross Frontier but this wins Macross F hands down with its complicated yet lively manoeuvres that the AHSMB units are supposed to achieve. It is really a beautiful sight to the eyes watching the mechas battle it out in such detail. The first that MJP really kept me at the edge of my seat was in episode 18 where Team Rabbits were sortied to neutralise the Wulgaru attack on Earth which was led by Klein. Boy was that entire episode so focused on the animation and with everything coordinated beautifully, it was a joy to watch and a pity that it only lasted for such a short while.
Another strength of MJP was in terms of their differentiation with the other series that took the battles in a more serious tone and the characters to be having the "I-must-protect-everyone" kind of mindset which was unlike MJP which had this sense of family and friends feel while at the same time engaging the enemy.
In and out of battles, the series never forgets to add punchlines or to make some lame jokes in between to liven up the spirits which I thought was perfect for such a series and with our 5 main protagonist to be lovable students as compared to the more serious side of student to pilot in Valvrave.
The ending wasn't exactly a perfect one, it was more like a Psycho-Pass kind of ending where the true enemy hasn't really disappeared but the peace they attained was the best that could happen at that time. True enough that the Wulgaru did not exactly disappear, they merely just lost a gate to warp to the solar system which means that the risk still exist where a new gate can be built and passage will be through once again. But leaving that possibility aside, the finale returned to the most basic dream that Izuru had from the start of the series:
"To become a Hero."
and he did.
All in all, this had been a wonderful series to follow, with all the superb action sequences and the liveliness of the series, it really is indeed an enjoyable series. Thumbs up for a good 24 episodes and hopefully there is a follow-up on this :)
