A Return to Childlike Excitement: Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Blu-ray Review
Product Provided by Right Stuf and Nozomi Entertainment
When Gundam Build Fighters first aired in the fall of 2013, I was instantly reminded of what made me fall in love with mecha anime in the first place. With each new episode, I was taken back to my days watching G Gundam in elementary school. The tournament format of the series made for hot blooded battles that drastically escalate with every passing frame. Frames animated by the best in business when it comes to hand drawn mecha action. Seeing that simmering passion bubble up in Build Fighters & 2014’s Build Fighters Try kept me engaged as both series aired week to week.
2018’s Gundam Build Divers unfortunately lost my interest quickly with its shift to a MMORPG setting. While not a bad setting to tell a story in, MMORPG worlds had become a bit saturated in anime by the end of 2010’s. It hasn’t been a setting I’ve ever found myself too enthused about either. In the passing years, however, I started to hear some buzz around Build Divers’ sequel series, Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE. When asked to give the series a look, the good word of mouth around it had me excited to dive right in.
Story & Characters
Having not seen Build Divers, I was worried I may be a little lost going right into Re:RISE without any context. Some of the specific terminology in Right Stuf’s description of the series compounded on that concern.
Two years have passed since the legendary Force “Build Divers” battled the Second Coalition of Volunteers to save the EL-Diver. Gunpla Battle Nexus Online (GBN), where these events took place, has been upgraded to provide sensory feedback for more realistic play. But as GBN becomes even more exciting, there are Divers who play with their own motivations in mind.
Hiroto is a Diver who wanders alone through the Dimension, playing as a mercenary. Kazami is a frivolous, independent Diver who joins one party after another, pursuing the one he admires. May is a solo Diver surrounded by an aura of mystery, who plays Gunpla Battle night and day. And Parviz is a lonely novice Diver who is interested in team play, but out of shyness, he has never managed to seize the opportunity. Each of them is alone, but the course of events will end up uniting them into a new team of Build Divers. What awaits Hiroto and the others is a boundless super-experience that far transcends GBN.
I was pleased to learn that while Re:RISE shares the setting, it quickly establishes a focus on its own grand adventure that needs no prior information to enjoy. The story initially seems like a simple MMO quest line before becoming way more than this new party of Build Divers have bargained for. For those experienced with these kinds of stories, Re:RISE’s key twist is one you may see coming, but its execution kept me on the edge of my seat.
The cast falls pretty neatly into standard anime character archetypes. Whether it be a loner like Hiroto, a blowhard like Kazami, or a timid character like Parviz, you may have seen characters like them before. Despite that, each Build Diver grows in one way or another throughout the series that’s satisfying to watch. They’re not breaking new ground, but it’s fun to watch these characters come together as a team and learn from each other.
I was particularly taken with the creative staff’s ability to balance the obligations of a Gundam production while striving to carve out its own identity. An identity shaped by the works loved by the people creating it. Seven Samurai and Castle in the Sky come to mind amongst a few other notable examples. The only time I felt the series to slightly lose its balance is in the integration of the original Build Divers cast in the second half. Their inclusion feels shoehorned into a story specifically crafted for the cast of Re:RISE.
While it does eventually nudge at the core themes of Gundam, Re:RISE is a breezy watch that just may interest younger viewers in learning more about the rest of the series. For long-time fans, I think they will get a kick out of the action and occasional deep cut Gundam in-joke.
Technical Nuts and Bolts
As expected from Sunrise, the hand drawn mechanical animation on display in Re:RISE is absolutely gorgeous. The action made me hoot and holler with each new battle. You can tell that the animation team behind these scenes are going out of their way to flex their collective muscles to the highest degree possible. Which isn’t surprising when you learn that Masami Obari is leading up the mechanical action animation here. His signature dynamic poses were a dead give away long before I took a look over the credits. This level of hand drawn mechanical animation is really a sight to behold in spite of the sun continuing to set on the craft.
I’d be remiss if I did not mention a small animation detail I absolutely love. In the second opening, the series logo is formed by a model kit runner of pieces coming together. It’s hard not to make me smile when I see such a lovingly made touch like that.
I watched the series with the English dub produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment, however you’re in for a collection of rock solid performances regardless of the language you choose to watch it in. The English cast really stuck out to me for hitting the ground running with their characters. I could see the archetypal nature of the Re:RISE cast making it easy for the performers to dip back into familiar wells of experience. Bravo to the late Billy Kametz for leading such a solid cast with his performance as Hiroto.
I find myself quite split on the soundtrack. Hideakira Kimura’s score punctuates the high points of the series with bombastic, pulse pounding tracks. However, it doesn’t equally punctuate the quiet moments, making for a slightly unbalanced experience. The series’ first opening and ending themes aren’t really my jam, but the second opening theme “Hatena” never failed to pump me up for the following episode. Especially considering that by the time of its introduction in Re:RISE, the situation continues to drastically escalate on the road to the series’ conclusion.
Wrapping it up
Through my experiences with their products, the excellent fit and finish of Right Stuf’s releases have become a known quantity. Re:RISE, just like their other sets, has a wonderful presentation along with a fun collection of special features. Looking through the credits, you’ll notice the names of many talented people who work so hard to bring anime to North America in the best quality possible. Most often, you would see former Right Stuf CEO Shawne Kleckner on the top of that list. Realizing that Re:RISE is most likely one of his last credited releases with the company, my hat is off to Mr. Kleckner for his numerous contributions to the anime industry over the past three decades. Thank you Dark Lord.
Like its fellow Build series, Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE reminds me of how excited I was about mecha anime growing up. More than just reliving my childhood nostalgia of G Gundam, Re:RISE kept me thinking about the kids who would see this as their first exposure to mecha anime. The idea that it could be the spark for others to fall in love with giant robots makes me smile from ear to ear. There is not much more you could ask from a fun and exciting time like Re:RISE.
Thanks again to Nozomi Entertainment & Right Stuf for providing this set for review. You can find this release for sale in the link below.
