Dai-Guard
Publisher
ADV
Director
Seiji Mizushima
Production
Sotsu Agency, TV Tokyo, XEBEC
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1999
Dai-Guard volume 5: In the Red
By John Huxley
28th Apr 04  The first episode continues the storyline introduced towards the end of the previous disc, bringing an unexpectedly swift conclusion to events. The new kid on the block Saeki and his military trained pilots have taken over the Dai-Guard operation and are eager to prove their worth in battle. With Akagi and the regular crew assigned new (less exciting) jobs all over the country, they are forced to watch the television broadcasts of the new Dai-Guard crew's embarrassingly inept attempt to thwart the evil invading heterodyne. Of course, regular heroes like Akagi, Ibuki and Aoyama aren't going to sit around and watch while these uncoordinated, half-arsed lackeys tarnish the good name of their Dai-Guard! It's a decent episode that's plenty high on that �feel good' factor and even has a few entertaining fights thrown in for good measure. To be honest I'm surprised the director and writers didn't try and spin this storyline out further than one or two episodes - I'm positive it could have remained entertaining for much longer. Having only just won back their beloved Dai-Guard, the reinstated public relations division 2 are immediately grounded following an international incident that has led to a complex political dispute. Under orders to make a public appearance at a festival in snowy Hokkaido, the Dai-Guard team are further hampered when the organiser of the event decides it would be too dangerous to assemble the giant robot in close proximity to the public. With little else to do but sit around and drown their sorrows, Akagi befriends a kindly man with a questionable interest in Dai-Guard... This storyline continues over the next two episodes, giving us plenty of time to appreciate the pretty snow-lined backgrounds and ice statues that litter the streets of Hokkaido. Although this plot was a little high on boardroom meetings and political wrangling for my liking, there was enough drama amongst the Dai-Guard regulars to keep me interested for the duration. This being the penultimate volume I was expecting at least a few revelations and perhaps some explanation regarding the mysteries of the show. So far this disc has disappointed, offering nothing more revelatory than was exposed during earlier volumes. The plot continues to move at a pedestrian pace with a stagnant whiff of deja-vu in the air, not helped by the overly familiar battle sequences that punctuate each and every episode. The final episode on this disc does offer some recompense for those who would have liked to see more in the way of plot developments. Ibuki, the flame-haired female pilot of Dai-Guard learns more about her father who was killed during the original Heterodyne attack over thirteen years ago. His selfless research into earthquakes and their connection to the heterodyne was Ibuki's inspiration for taking up the fight against the mysterious invaders, though a certain thoughtless person has dug up a few relics that may prove otherwise... Dai-Guard, like many other shows based around mechs, is in actuality a character driven anime. As such it is exactly these kind of plot developments that can generate more interest and excitement than any number of fights involving giant robots and bizarre, characterless aliens. The revelations offered here may not be a match for the high drama of Evangelion, but are is no less a welcome addition. The cliffhanger finale this storyline presents is an excellent way to usher in the final volume. Although it remains plagued by overly repetitive storylines and apparent inability to strike a balance between action, comedy and drama, things look to be on the up for Dai-Guard. The first and last episodes on this disc are amongst the best of the series so far, giving me new hope that we will see further improvements during the final volume. Here's hoping!
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English and Japanese audio, Japanese subtitles, production sketches, clean open/close, ADV previews.
Notes: Much like the series, the Dai-Guard DVDs have been solid but not spectacular. Once you've finished flicking through the production sketches you can take a peek at the clean open/close if you haven't already done so. There's a single page leaflet with some neat colour artwork and chapter info on the reverse. It's a neat package that really can't be faulted.
-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04
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