Quoted By: >>22326396
20 episodes in, I personally think Danguard Ace is one of the best mecha anime of the 1970s.
I enjoy the whole master-student/father-son dynamic, and the visuals are somewhat nicer than usual, featuring quite a few contributions from animation legends Yoshinori Kanada and Ichiro Itano.
I also appreciate that the writers had full faith in the growth and struggles of the characters, rather than using upgrades as an easy way of keeping the dynamics fresh. Takuma has to go through a rigorous training program before he is allowed to pilot the Danguard, and instead of him receiving snazzy new weapons/accessories every few episodes he is eventually allowed to pilot Danguard alone, with his mentor and former co-pilot Dan piloting a more conventional aircraft.
He later gets a new co-pilot and an entire space battleship on his side, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
I like to think of it as Leiji Matsumoto’s ode to his father: I don’t know if he was as strict and fiercely demanding as Captain Dan, but I do know that he flew in WWII and vowed to never fly again after the war due to feeling guilty about leading men into suicide missions.
I can see why he’d make a story about a boy who loses his father, only to reunited with him 10 years later - this time in the form of a masked amnesia-ridden flight instructor. Even after regaining his memory he still chooses to hide his identity, to reduce the risk of their partnership getting clouded by sentimentality.
[1/2]
I enjoy the whole master-student/father-son dynamic, and the visuals are somewhat nicer than usual, featuring quite a few contributions from animation legends Yoshinori Kanada and Ichiro Itano.
I also appreciate that the writers had full faith in the growth and struggles of the characters, rather than using upgrades as an easy way of keeping the dynamics fresh. Takuma has to go through a rigorous training program before he is allowed to pilot the Danguard, and instead of him receiving snazzy new weapons/accessories every few episodes he is eventually allowed to pilot Danguard alone, with his mentor and former co-pilot Dan piloting a more conventional aircraft.
He later gets a new co-pilot and an entire space battleship on his side, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
I like to think of it as Leiji Matsumoto’s ode to his father: I don’t know if he was as strict and fiercely demanding as Captain Dan, but I do know that he flew in WWII and vowed to never fly again after the war due to feeling guilty about leading men into suicide missions.
I can see why he’d make a story about a boy who loses his father, only to reunited with him 10 years later - this time in the form of a masked amnesia-ridden flight instructor. Even after regaining his memory he still chooses to hide his identity, to reduce the risk of their partnership getting clouded by sentimentality.
[1/2]
