Cluster Edge Episode 4 - Enter the Jet-Black Chrome Team!!
Haematite goes a-travelling back homewards because he’s all depressed after Chalce’s death - his home town was a centre for creating the artifical warriors that we’ve seen so many times, and is now crumbling to pieces because of the loss of industry since the factory got shut down. I’m hoping Sunrise aren’t trying to pedal a “war is good for business!” message here (I can’t imagine Cluster Edge managing to have a message at all!).
Anyway, Haematite is curious about Agate’s superpowers and arranges to meet up with Ludwig, the amusing priest bloke from the first epiosde, to see if Agate has anything to do with the artificial human construction. Menawhile, Chrome (him wot was in the first epiosde) leads his team of big-eyed armoured ninjas in an attack on the military harbour from whence Chalce got shot down, and verily do they smite it muchly. Chrome bashes his way into the abandoned artifical human factory, where Haematite and Ludwig are meeting, and goes in for the kill on Ludwig - when Haema gets in the way, however, he recognises him from what Chalce has told him and backs off. So while Chrome heads off with his ninja posse angsting away merrily, Ludwig reveals that Agate is indeed an artifical human blessed with the powers of a god.
How does Cluster Edge manage to be so dull? I’m giving it another episode, but I don’t understand why this episode was so boring; we had some very nicely animated action sequences and Stuff Happened, but for some reason I just wasn’t interested. I think it suffers from pacing problems, which a lot of bishounen-based shows do; Loveless was a heck of a lot more engaging even though I don’t think it has quite such a strong “background” as such - we’ve got this big ol’ political set up and some interesting ideas, but none of it is coming together with much panache. Part of the problem might be the generic military bits; I just find army men and tanks shooting to be quite dull (I think this is why the action this episode didn’t excite me enough - while Chrome and co leaping around hacking at things with swords and firing laser gun things at people is fun, rifles and handguns do not overly interest me).
I guess I’ll just have to wait and see, but Cluster Edge isn’t looking overly promising at the moment, which is a shame.
October 28th, 2005 at 10:19 am
I thought this episode was the best so far… I mean, hey, something actually happened, plot-wise! (I usually care more about characters than plots, but with characters like these…) Also, for the first time, they managed to avoid a stereotype by making Chrome an angsty bishounen instead of a funny one (that I thought he would be, based on his chara design).
But yeah, regardless, the show is silly, dull, and unfortunately takes itself entirely too seriously.It’s not Weiss Kreuz or Meine Liebe level of bad, though, so I’ll continue to watch it for the time being.
October 28th, 2005 at 10:35 pm
*appears from nowhere* v__v I hope you don’t drop this series. I enjoy reading your reviews especially since my level of Japanese is almost zero and I’m watching it raw… XD Which means I like it a lot.
Although I don’t agree with you in many things (for example, I loved ep 3!) I love to read your thoughts on the series. It’s fun ^^
November 4th, 2005 at 6:26 pm
I agree with Anya ^^; And I don’t think they’re really taking the series seriously… they’re just giving some free fanservice only for women, which isn’t bad for a change. Yeah, I know following a series only because of hot characters is not socially accepted but… how many series are like that, with the difference that they’re aimed at men? >.
November 4th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
There is a word limit for comments…? T_T Anyway… I just wanted to say that I like the series so much T_T And your reviews are great, and so useful since I also follow the raws but can’t understand most of it. Thank you ^^
June 6th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
I like this series a lot too^__^ It is one of those series were in the beginning doesn’t happen much and all the questions are popping like mad, but you have to see the whole series to find awnsers and action, ending of that kind of anime series are especially a must see, I could be wrong, but this is just what I think :()
Also I find Chrome looking like Duo from Gundam Wing, only Chrome isn’t a happy go lucky character.
I’m kinda glad for that, it makes the character more interesting^__^
October 18th, 2008 at 2:26 am
The overall concept of Cluster Edge is interesting, but the actions of the characters and the dialogue is outright unbelievable and tedious to watch. The gay overtones for cuteness sake make it only worse. Also, take into account every 4th eposide is 100% recap. I’ve never seen an anime with so much recap/reused material in it before. This needed to be a 12 ep series, but was stretched to 25 ep unfortunely. I’d give it a 2/5 rating because I have seen worse anime than this.