mills.jarod - 2014-09-29 21:32:10

M3 can at times be a little too ambitious. But as a slightly different take on Mecha, combining elements of Japanese horror, it's an interesting watch.
It sometimes comes across as a little too melodramatic, and the characters can be frustrating in their slow progression. And the show is depressing. Holy crap, it can be depressing. There's little hope until near the very end. Until then, one bad thing after another seems to happen.
The animation is decent, but the character designs won't be for everyone-they are very angular, not the softer edges we're more used to. The mechs themselves are pretty cool, but fans of Evangelion will probably cry foul at the big reveal of how they operate. Still, in the larger aspect of the series, it's appropriate and makes sense.
The mecha action is ok, though fans of other more action intense mech anime will probably find it lacking. To be honest, most of these kids are lousy pilots and have a hard time controlling their machines. Again, lending to the idea of hopelessness. I found this aspect, the kids not being experts immediately, actually refreshing. It gave a touch of realism to the show.
All elements of this show are pretty average in their execution-by no means does this redefine the genre. But as an experiment trying something a little different with mecha I found it interesting and there were times where it rose to higher levels and was emotionally engaging. If you try it out, give it a few episodes before deciding.