Just now beginning to watch the first episode of it. And they've changed the continuity. The initial voice-over says:

In the year 1944, a mysterious enemy, known as the Neuroi, occupied the European Gallia region. But that very year, The enemy was destroyed at the hands of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and Gallia was reclaimed. However, their battle is far from over.

Actually, in the original series the Neuroi arrived in 1939. Dr. Miyafuji began his work in that same year. The 501st was formed after that, but not in 1944. 1944 is when Miyafuji Yoshika was recruited into the 501st, but it had been a going concern for quite some time before that -- long enough for Barkhorn to rack up something like 240 victories.

UPDATE: OK, finished now. Damn, that was good!

The OP and ED both show all 11 original characters, and no one else, so evidently the 501st will reform and return to combat.

All else I have to say is spoilers, below the fold.

This picks up shortly before where the previous one ended. Miyafuji graduates from middle school, and is valedictorian for her class. Her friend Micchan is going to go to a high school to prepare her to be a teacher. Miyafuji doesn't intend to go to high school; instead, she will take over as primary healer at the clinic.

Micchan brings her the hurt bird. Miyafuji heals it. Suwa crash lands at the clinic, and delivers the letter. That's where the last series ended.

Miyafuji opens it, and it contains electronic schematics of some kind. She decides to take it down to Sakamoto, who evidently is working at the local naval base. Micchan goes along.

What she finds out is that the Neuroi are back. At the beginning we saw it: a small nest appeared over Italy, and a humanoid Neuroi came down from it. A group of witches go to try to make contact, based on Miyafuji's experience with the last one. But before they can do so, a huge power beam comes straight down and destroys the Neuroi. A new, much larger nest appears over the other one. It looks different, too. And it destroys the small one.

The war is back on. The 504th fights it, but the new Neuroi units are faster and stronger than before, and they get nailed. Heavy casualties, enough so that the unit is no longer combat ready.

Bishop, Yeager, and Lucchini are in it. They are all OK. But it's likely that other veterans of the 501st are also in it, and may have been hurt.

Back in Japan, Sakamoto has been living in a hut in the mountains, presumably doing Zen things in hopes of strengthening her ki. She ends up taking off in a flying boat along with a new, experimental pair of striker units, heading to Venezia to join the battle.

Miyafuji sees this, after having been told by Sakamoto to go home and stay out of it. She sneaks into the naval base and steals a pair of Zero strikers and chases the flying boat. There's an argument in mid air, with Sakamoto standing in the door of the flying boat and Miyafuji flying along side, and Sakamoto is convinced to take Miyafuji along.

As they approach Venezia, the flying boat is attacked by a Neuroi.

It's been said that "History doesn't repeat, but sometimes it rhymes." There are obvious rhymes in this. For instance, in the first series the carrier Akagi was featured. In this one, the battleship Yamato will be. There's the business of having the transport carrying Sakamoto and Miyafuji to the war being attacked before they can arrive.

Another rhyme is "animal on the road". Only it comes out differently this time.

But there are other ways in which they don't rhyme. Miyafuji isn't a raw recruit any longer. And her control over her healing power is complete now.

They changed one of the voices. Sakamoto's voice is different, but the new one isn't bad at all. It's not identical, of course, but it's close enough to not be jarring.

But Bishop, Yeager, Miyafuji, Lucchini, Barkhorn, and Wilcke are all the same, which is a good thing.

I long have had a suspicion that the director originally intended this to be two parts, but half way through production of the first seriess he was ordered by Gonzo to finish it in one, and that's why the ending was so strange. It's a different studio this time, but it's still the same director, and it looks like he's taking the opportunity to finish telling the story he originally intended to tell.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 08:03 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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