Gun X Sword Episode 3: Mecha and Nostalgia

Hello

I want to open this post by saying hi. My name is Scott and I run a blog called Mechanical Anime Reviews. Follow my blog by clicking on the title. Right now, I am in a special monthly event called Mecha March and this is a post sort of attached to it. This is my first time writing a post for this blog and I am hoping to write more of them in the future not attached to Mecha march. Thanks for having me.

About Gun X Sword Episode 3

Gun X Sword is a mecha show from 2005 directed by the great Goro Tanigichu. It was also written by Hideyuki Kurata and produced by AIC. The show itself takes place on a planet called Endless Illusion. Yes, already the show is like a fever dream just by the name alone. A protagonist by the name of Van who controls the Dan of Thursday is chasing a man named “The Claw” who has a claw by revenge. A girl named Wendy is following him to find her brother.

The episode in question that I want to discuss is an earlier one, episode 3. An episode that involves Van and Wendy’s appearance in an old town that has older men talking about their golden days with their giant robot called the El Dorado 5. The golden days that everyone in the diner/bar around them find annoying because they are older men that don’t do anything but talk and talk and talk. So what happens? The old men use their robot, with some help from Van, to save the day.

Goro Taniguchi And Older Mecha References

If you have watched a Goro Taniguchi series in the 2000’s to even the mid 2010’s, then you see this theme shows up in a lot of his work. Especially since he really does enjoy at least referencing older mecha shows even if he doesn’t actually want to say as much with them. Let’s count some of the older references he throws at it. Let’s mention something like S-Cry-Ed where one guy dressed up as the original Kamen Rider has a power that is like Exkaiser from the braves series.

Or we could go further where the idea behind the older robot comes from the older knightmare frame that shows up in Code Geass. A knightmare frame that is there just to help make the world’s largest pizza, but it is still there to place more history into Code Geass. Then I could mention something like Active Raid where a giant robot that is an outdated concept also shows up. Active Raid is a series where people use iron man like suits to fight crime against other people in Iron Man suits, so robots have been an outdated concept for a long time.

This was an aside, but it is to show you that this is not a one of a kind theme or story idea in a Goro Taniguchi series. Just like all over creators, Taniguchi has some things he likes to return to.

Back to Episode 3 And Why It Connected To Me

This episode of Gun X Sword feels like a harder hit to me in 2023 then it probably did in 2005. Let’s think about the year 2005 in terms of anime. Mecha was still going strong. While Gun X Sword was coming out, Eureka 7 was also coming out. Then there would be shows like Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, Gundam 00, and many other series coming out right after Gun X Sword. So the episode itself was a call back to Goro Taniguchi’s nostalgic days. Days that he probably was nostalgic for when he was growing up and enjoyed watching Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and the Robot Romance trilogy then fell in love with the Braves series.

In 2023, Mecha isn’t as common anymore. Anime has changed so much in all the years it has existed and mecha has too. We don’t see as much combining mecha series anymore either let alone mecha in general. 2021 was a crazy year for mecha because there was so much, but that is rare. This age of people not watching mecha shows and calling it an old pastime is a little frustrating and I say this as a person who watches a lot of newer shows. But there is a massive sort of dislike for it from mecha being considered too old and/or out of touch.

I connect that sort of perspective with the people at the diner/bar who wanted these old men gone after their stories have gone on for so long. Which I kind of get because old people who think only about who they used to be and not who they are now are some of the most frustrating people. The ending of this episode where the four surviving members of the El Dorado Five fighting off the person that hates their town and getting the crowd behind them is pretty wonderful stuff. Not just positive for the four living members, but for the crowd enjoying something old become really cool again.

In reality, I don’t think that older mecha shows will get as much wide acclaim with newer audiences as much as these Eldora 5 members did after saving the day. But, there are some people like me who are entranced with older mecha shows and the way things used to be while also accepting and enjoying where things are now too. I also know that I am not alone with this and older mecha shows have captured other people’s hearts too in different ways then me, which is pretty cool to talk about.

Cowboy Bebop – Bohemian Rhapsody

Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Episode 14)
Director: Hirokazu Yamada Writer: Dai Satō

Often when I think about Cowboy Bebop it tends to be the more dramatic episodes that come to mind, like Ballad of Fallen Angels, Jupiter Jazz, etc but the anime is also known for having plenty of humour too – and this is one of those storylines.

Here, the crew are trying to figure out who hacked the Gate terminals, ripping off a LOT of people in the process, but that’s the crime/investigating side of the plot.

For the comedy, there’s probably just as much onscreen – whether it’s poor Ed struggling with the chess game (not to mention being zapped) or bounty hunter Jonathan’s outburst and fate, or the Three Old Men popping up once again.

It’s an episode that features a lot of fun comedy conventions: running jokes, sight gags, slapstick and hyperbole. (Or to use Ed as another example, the hissing at Faye, lol).

And yet, for what seems like a ‘light’ episode at first, it’s got plenty of twists and turns in the main mystery. The opening third is also one of my favourite sequences, with everyone ‘succeeding’ yet still coming up empty-handed. Faye has a pretty funny (and dry) line about the Gate thieves here too.

Elsewhere, to further contrast the comedic tone, I like the really powerful gesture of mercy and kindness from Jet, who by the end of the case only asks that the mastermind behind the crime, Chessmaster Hex, be left alone.

Now, since I’m hoping to keep this review short, I’ll close by mentioning a few other favourite aspects – one being the detail on Hex’s design, which is great.

Another comes from the OST, with the use of Kabutogani Kodai no Sakana and its increasing tempo to build tension during the search, along with one of my favourite pieces from the series: Piano Black

And also! Spike and Faye’s suits are my favourite use of costume in the episode – they really nail that classic look.

I don’t imagine that Bohemian Rhapsody is everyone’s most treasured episode of the Cowboy Bebop anime, but it’s definitely one of mine 🙂

Ergo Proxy – Dead Calm / busy doing nothing

Ergo Proxy (2006)
Dead Calm / busy doing nothing (Episode 16)
Director: Kei Tsunematsu Writer: Seiko Takagi

Dead Calm / busy doing nothing I think is a favourite episode (or at least a memorable one) for a lot of folks who are familiar with Ergo Proxy. Having said that, it’s probably not a great introduction to the anime overall!

Instead, it’s more of a great exploration of character.

It’s also one of the few episodes in the series that’s not written by Dai Saito. Instead, it’s Seiko Takagi behind the pen this time, for what is probably one of my favourite anime episodes ever.

(Though I will quickly say that it’s not a bright or happy one, despite a few funny moments :D)

As you might already be aware if you’ve seen the anime, at this point the gang have broken down in the wastelands. They’re basically trapped, forced to deal with each other’s company in close-quarters. (And I say ‘the gang’, but the one who has the most trouble with the situation is Re-L, of course).

One of the reasons I love Dead Calm is that it functions as a pressure-cooker for the relationship between the two leads, with Pino mostly just hanging around and having a fun time in general – imitating Re-L, reading, playing catch or just relaxing.

In terms of storytelling, that tension is so good – both in the narrative and between characters.

Obvious questions like “when they will be able to continue their journey” or even “will they be able to continue at all?” do lead the plot of the episode… but the main question of whether Re-L will throttle Vincent for his laissez-faire attitude toward their peril is probably more engaging.

Her frustrations are only worsened by the claustrophobic nature of living quarters, which at times evoke a space-setting to me.

But the Rabbit is definitely a land-based vehicle, and pretty-well equipped (even taking their plight into account). For instance, while the characters do run low on food over the course of the episode, certain luxuries are also available – such as make-up 😀

The oppressive nature of the wider setting being so empty, the colours so grey and the interior of the Rabbit being cluttered is a great contrast.

It feels very much reinforced by the repeated shots and sequences that show time passing without any change, of close-ups and camera positioning that keeps objects and items framed with the characters, often intruding.

And that idea of ‘emptiness’ I think stays in the forefront of my mind whenever I watch, in part due to what is missing.

The episode is empty of big action scenes or fights, empty of vivid colours and plot progression and often empty of flowing movement too, something that also feeds nicely into the ‘dead calm’ of the title.

While it seems like no-one is making any progress at all, despite some diversions, Re-L is experiencing plenty – resentment and frustration and powerlessness (not something she’s used to), which all eventually transform into acceptance, seeming to surprise even her. It’s a nice way to end an episode in which she can be quite petty at times.

It’s also an interesting moment in context of the whole Ergo Proxy series too, since without the science-fiction and dystopian elements, most of the events here could fit pretty neatly into a slice-of-life anime.

Now, I can’t finish this post without mentioning perhaps the best thing about the episode.

And that is the facial hair sub-plot (that I won’t spoil in case you have yet to see Ergo Proxy), which features this menacing over-the-shoulder-shot/two-shot/sequence that probably needs to be heard as much as seen!